The False Vision and the True Vision

Two visions are given in the scriptures concerning this earth today. One is true and is from the Hebrew God Yahweh. And one is false. And both of these visions concerning God and His plan are out there on the airwaves, in cyberspace, and in the pulpits.

Since “there is nothing new under the sun,” and since “that which has been is now,” we look back to the prophet Jeremiah’s day. Then there were prophets speaking lies in God’s name to the people of Jerusalem. The Babylonian army was sweeping across the Middle East, and yet, they said that God was saying, “You will not see the sword, neither shall you have famine. But I will give you assured peace in this place” (Jer. 14: 13).

These “men of God” told the people what they wanted to hear–how God was going to spare them from Nebuchadnezzar’s army and how their “faithful worship” would be rewarded by God’s protection during the coming tribulation.

But Yahweh said to Jeremiah, “The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake to them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart” (14: 14). They were deceived and were predicting good things for the people in the face of imminent destruction. They wanted the “best” for their congregations and so were ripe to believe the lie that God would not punish their wickedness.

But Jeremiah had warned them earlier. “Be not proud…Give glory to Yahweh your God, before He cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and while you look for light, He turn it into the shadow of death…Judah shall be carried away captive…and if thou say in thine heart, why come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity…” (13: 15-22).

And now I tell you that there is a sword coming upon us here in the West. The preachers today have told their flocks what they want to hear, how they will be lifted out of the earth just in the nick of time before the Tribulation Period starts. But like in Jeremiah’s day, today’s preachers, priests and prophets speak a “false vision” of what God will do during “the time of the end.”

A sword is coming upon the nations of this earth, upon the lost tribes of Israel, upon the West, and upon the whole world!

Devestation awaits the current edition of the world system, Babylon the Great, and its destruction will shake us all to our core. It will be so bad that only for His elect’s sake will God prevent total annihilation. Earthquakes, tidal waves, worldwide wars, famines, and cosmic catastrophes shall rack this earth and cause the survivors to wander in the “shadows of death.”

This world system is the rich man’s feeble attempt to rule this earth. It is Satan’s kingdom, and it is coming down. Read the vision of its fall in the book of Revelation.

The stage is being set for this final act. Devastation awaits, and Christians will suffer through the throes and agonies. And many will cry out to God, Why are these things coming upon us? We will suffer because of our iniquities–for tolerating the governments that legalized the murder of our helpless unborn babies; for condoning the addictions of drugs and pornography and the perversions of filthy movies and books; for sleeping while they shut our children’s mouths that just wanted to pray to the God of heaven; and for bowing our blindfolded eyes as they desecrated holy matrimony.

Holy matrimony. For few spoke up for God as they trounced the words of our King and Savior: “Have you not read, that He that made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matt. 19: 4-6). Male and female. Pretty simple.

No, the false prophets of our generation, from the presidents, premiers, and prime ministers, all the way down to the street corner pastor–preach a “false vision.” It is the “other gospel” that the apostle Paul warned us of. And because of the lies, our planet aches and groans in pain waiting and hoping for someone to rise up and say, No more lies.

For it is the truth about what is happening and what will happen to this earth and its inhabitants that will make us free. And the truth is that out of the rubble of the misery coming to the earth, the remnant of God will rise! His elect, His chosen ones, like Jeremiah, who after tortured tears cried for his people, wrote the true vision down for us. That we through “the patience and comfort of the scriptures” could find the map leading to the immortal city.

The whole world will suffer together during the end time wrap up. But out of this crucible of tears, a remnant of His people will shine forth as the sun. With their King’s Spirit, they with Him will lead the people who remain into a thousand years of peace. That is the vision that is true. That is the vision that Jeremiah and Isaiah and Daniel and the others saw. That is the true vision–the soon coming Kingdom of God established right here on this troubled planet with Christ the King of kings sitting on the throne–right beside His elect.   Kenneth Wayne Hancock

“The LORD Is My Shepherd”–How Does He Shepherd Us?

God is not only our Savior, but also our Great Shepherd. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” is famously recited by almost all. We know Him to be our shepherd holistically, however. Most believe that He leads, guides and watches over us, the whole person.

But how does God actually shepherd us? Is it not through our thoughts proceeding from our minds? For example, the act of going to the store begins as a thought. “We are out of milk. Better go get some.” Spurred by this thought, we get up, grab the keys, jump in the car, drive to the store and buy the milk. Where we go begins with a thought. Where we go as the sheep of His pasture begins with a thought, also. It will be either one of our thoughts or one of His thoughts.

The scriptures have much to say spiritually about the mind and its thoughts. In fact, we are to be “transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Rom. 12: 2). Our minds in the Christian walk are to be renewed. This is how we are changed into His image. And we must make no mistake here. We are to be changed so much in our spiritual growth, that eventually we are to become like our Savior. “We all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory…by the Spirit…” (II Cor. 3: 18 NKJV).

Christ is to be formed in us (Gal. 4: 19). That is God’s thought on the matter. If we don’t believe that this is possible, then we must bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10: 5).

“We are led by our thoughts,” goes the old true adage. Man thinks a lot, and most men cherish their own thoughts. Yet God says, “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts,” and God will forgive him (Isa. 55: 7). Here we see that thoughts lead to the way a person will go. Thoughts dictate the path traveled.

Consequently, we are to forsake our thoughts, for God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways (55: 8).

What  then are His thoughts? What is God thinking about? His thoughts are contained in the “mind of Christ,” which we are to have (Phil. 2: 5; 1 Cor. 2: 16). But does His mind and thoughts just come willy-nilly, by just “trusting in the Lord”? No. His mind will come through studying His thoughts, which are the contents of the mind of God.

There it is. So, what is keeping us from receiving the mind of Christ, and along with it His power? It is the old leaven that Christ and His apostles warned us of. We are told to “purge out the old leaven, that the lump may be holy.” But few will do this. Most won’t even look up “old leaven” in the concordance to see what it is. Those that do will see that it is the false teachings about Christ and His gospel. But most Christians do not believe that they have any erroneous concepts to be repented of. And so they go on, stunted in their spiritual growth. Their thoughts about
Christ are, well, their thoughts, and not God’s thoughts. We all must get rid of the false doctrines about Christ and then begin to believe the true knowledge of His thoughts.

How does one know which teacher to trust, which evangelist to believe? God will lead to the fountain of truth the sheep who cry and cry for the living waters.

And what are the living waters but His thoughts. He says as much in the remainder of Isaiah 55. His thoughts are “higher” than human thinking (v. 9).  Man thinks shallow and self-centered thoughts, small thoughts, wasted thoughts that are unremembered specks of dust in the vaults of time. But God’s thoughts traverse mountains and valleys, crossing all borders as the rain from heaven caresses the earth, and makes it “bring forth and bud [giving] seed to the sower and bread to the eater.” So is His word, born of His thoughts toward us the sheep of His pasture.

These poetically prophetic thoughts speak of Christ’s kingdom age, a thousand years of peace ruled by the Prince of Peace and God’s sons and daughters. As the whole earth and all of its tribes and nations “break into singing” as they think the King’s thoughts, contemplating His merciful ways to all on earth. Everyone shall rejoice that His thoughts will have come to full fruition (55: 9-13).

His thoughts are His gospel, and there is only one gospel, which is His literal kingdom soon to fill the whole earth! This is what an exiled King thinks on! We must corral and expel every thought that is not in agreement with His thoughts and vision. Those who do will have a wonderful future with Him right here on earth in His kingdom (Mark 1: 14).

As we keep on thinking His thoughts, eventually they become our very own thoughts. This is how He shepherds us into His greener pastures.   Kenneth Wayne Hancock