The Thief Comes to Steal
Hi Everyone,
I hope you all choose to draw close to God in this very busy season of the year. I am not fond of all the secular hoopla, the eating and drink and partying that goes on during these holidays. For it seems that all the activities are simply man’s traditions. However it is a blessing to see people turn their hearts to the needs of others, and I know that this pleases the Lord.
Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27
I would like to share three visions the Lord has given me recently.
The Visions
The Intruder
In the first vision, I saw a person coming into a private office through a window. I could not identify whether the person was a male or female for the head was down, and the clothing did not distinguish the gender. When I saw the vision, I immediately thought of this passage of scripture:
“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. But the one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep…So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness. John 10:1-2 and 7-9
I believe that Jesus was warning his followers of the religious leaders, priests, Pharisees scribes and those who exchanged money for the temple currency. They exploited the people with their teaching demanding adherence to their man made laws (over and above the law given to Moses), and their egos demanding respect. Jesus call them hypocrites and workers of deceit. He called the money changers in the temple robbers, for they charged exorbitant fees. They were not true shepherds for they cared nothing for the sheep. Jesus spoke of them saying:
“The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Matthew 23:2-4
Ezekiel was told to prophesy against the religious leaders of his day.
“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? Ezekiel 34:2
Jesus is the good shepherd who cares for the sheep. The others acted as hired hands.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf pounces on them and scatters the flock. The man runs away because he is a hired servant and is unconcerned for the sheep. John 10:11-13
We no longer have scribes and Pharisees, but there are those who claim to be men and women of God, yet are counterfeits and scam artists who take advantage of people. We are warned through the letters of Paul, Peter and Jude that there would be false teachers and false prophets that would come into the congregation and cause harm through their deceitful schemes. Jesus warned his disciples as well:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Matthew 7:15
Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Peter 2:1
I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them. Acts 20:29-30
Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. Romans 16:17-18
I have a true and very upsetting testimony from a friend of mine. She, a young widow, had given nearly all the money she had in savings ($300,000.00) to a pastor who had deceived her. He was an ordained minister, but in reality he was a crook and scam artist. Deceit was his mode of operation, and there is no reason to believe that he has changed. But she looks to God for her provision. God is faithful.
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. Psalm 68:5
God has blessed her in many ways, for she chose to forgive the man who deceived her, and to walk in love.
“Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7
God is also just. Those that do evil will not go unpunished.
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
We should take warning and do as we are told in the word, to test the spirits:
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1
Now let us return again to the vision. As I was praying about this vision regarding its meaning, the Lord gave me two more scriptures:
“For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.” Isaiah 61:8-9
If you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Romans 2:19-24
These two scriptures are in contrast to each other, but they both reflect God’s heart for us. The first shows God’s faithfulness in spite of sin. The Lord knew mankind was in need of a Savior, so He sent Jesus as the sacrificial lamb and made a New Covenant with us in his precious blood. The second passage, warns us to not operate out of sinful attitudes as self-righteousness and hypocrisy, for these attitudes and the behaviors that come as a result blaspheme the name of God. We are His representatives, for we carry his name.
In these two passages we also see the words: robbery and stealing. This directly connects the vision of a man who breaks into an office by entering in through a window, and the Lord’s parable of the thief and the sheepfold. Jesus claimed to be both the gate, and the shepherd. The man who came into the sheepfold, not by way of the door, but by some other way, was called a thief and a robber.
The crooked pastor, I had mentioned was such a thief. He used trickery and deceit to steal from a dear sister in the Lord. Those like him are not followers of Christ but follow the powers and entities of darkness. Jesus called Satan a thief, and the “father of lies.”
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44
The enemy and those who work iniquity, and are given to sin want to steal from the faithful. In other cases they want to steal away the faithful, to make disciples after themselves. They do this by casting doubt upon the truth and setting their traps with lies. They appeal to the weak flesh with monetary enticements, with flattery, and with the desire to belong. They use guilt, shame and fear tactics: the fear of loss, and the fear of man: “What will people think? What will people say?”
“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8
We should be wary of those who appear pious, but are smooth talkers and flatterers. We should not be won over by persuasive speech, but to look for the fruit on the tree. If we do not know the Word of God for ourselves, we could buy into lies and accept faulty doctrines. Unfortunately too many Christians are Biblically illiterate. They place all their trust in the pastor to know the word of God and preach the word of God. But they do not know the word for themselves. They are easily led astray with humanistic thought and ideologies of the world. The church has always had this problem. We need to understand that even the early church fathers were influenced by Plato and other Greek philosophers. Our creeds are affected, and the only way to undo what centuries of teachers have taught is by independent study of the word of God. The Lord said to me one day while in prayer: “The more scripture that you know, the more I can reveal to you.” I believe you must read and understand the Word of God, reading several different translations and especially literal translations. Young’s Literal Translation is one I use. I also like the English Standard Version (ESV), because it is a word for word translation. But in addition, we must take in audience relevance—what did the passage mean to the 1st century audience. The apostles relied heavily on the Old Testament for those were their scriptures. They quoted from them often, and their understanding of the Lord’s teachings came through a Jewish mindset and knowledge of the Old Testament and the Law.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. Hosea 4:6
I have a relative, who states that Jesus was a communist. I have another relative who states that the Bible was written by men and full of errors. One believes that Jesus was only a man, and not God. These relatives are not living for the Lord, for they do not know him. But as believers, we need to be able to share and defend the truth, which is the gospel, and God’s plan of salvation.
The Dirty Carpet
In this vision, I saw a beige carpet with black dirty spots all over it. The dirt needs to be removed, and the carpet needs to be cleaned.
The color beige is not in the Bible, however the Lord gave me a dream years ago, which I shared in a post. In the dream, I walked from one place another, entering places of business. But I would then turn and leave feeling that I was not welcomed, or that I didn’t belong. The last place I entered was a train. I noticed that everyone was just like me, having brown hair, brown eyes, white skin and wearing the color beige. Suddenly, I realized that the train was going nowhere. I was looking for a place where I was comfortable, where I would fit-in. But I found that by seeking my own comfort, I would be going nowhere with respect to God and his plans for my life. God used the color beige to represent a mindset of being non-committal, non-confrontational, and concerned with self-preservation and the desire to fit in. But this mindset does not please God.
In the vision of the beige carpet, there were dirty spots all over it. Dirt represents everything that is not pure, that is not holy, that is not true. As the beige carpet can represent a mindset, of conformity, and fitting in, the dirt can represent the things of this world that displease God. Here is a passage that came to mind:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9
When we have thoughts that are not wholesome, not praise worthy and impure, we are to take these thoughts captive. Not every thought comes from our own minds. The wicked one can plant thoughts that produce doubt, fear, worry and anxiety. But we are not to entertain these thoughts but to send them back to hell from which they came.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5
If we allow negative thoughts to fester, we may act upon them and sin. Hateful thoughts can produce much harm, resentment and even murder. Bitterness comes from dwelling on negative thoughts that stem from slander, mistreatment, neglect, or rejection. These thoughts can kill the spirit and take us down a dark path. Negative thoughts can produce sickness and disease, and self harm.
But thankfully, the Word of God has the power to transform our minds and thoughts.
“Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
When we choose to pray and spend time studying the Word, our minds change and become transformed, having an entirely different outlook. We develop the ability to recognize truth from falsehood. We begin to take authority over demonic powers that plant negative thoughts in our minds. Our focus changes: we set our minds on what is true, and what is pure and what is praiseworthy. We seek God’s will and his blessing for ourselves and others. We find that God is our peace and our joy, and that we can trust him in all things.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6
The Lord has made every provision to be able to seek him and find him. There is no reason why we cannot find peace if we turn to him. He is the author and finisher of our faith. With him all things are possible. Why would we look elsewhere? Are our skills and talents, or money going to satisfy every need? Can we fix or restore relationships? Can we heal every disease and malady? Can we wipe away every tear and dry every eye? No, certainly not. We are merely human, and God is all powerful and all sufficient. We can go our own way and do our own thing but Jesus said:
“Apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
We can do nothing of true value without him. He is the source of all good things. We cannot have lasting peace and true joy without God, for he is our all in all.
The Celery
In this vision, I saw a refrigerator vegetable drawer but no refrigerator. Someone took a long head of celery and placed it against the front wall of the drawer. A long dark object was situated on the opposite side of the celery and closer to my view. The hand took the celery and placed it between the wall and the dark object. He twisted the celery on its long axis forward and then back, as to settle the celery flat on the bottom of the drawer.
Celery is perhaps the longest and the largest of common vegetables in a produce drawer. It needs to be placed flat at the bottom of the drawer without all the other vegetables rolling around and interfering with its placement. In a sense it becomes the foundation to build upon.
Celedon is its color - a pale green. I would imagine that the vegetable inspired the name of the color. Celedon also refers to a pale green glaze that is used on fine porcelain and pottery.
According to biblestudy.org:
"Pale green," in the Bible is often associated with the color of the fourth horseman in Revelation 6, which symbolizes death. The Greek word used for this color, "chloros," can mean both green and pale, reflecting a transition from life to death.
The celery was nestled into the bottom of a white drawer next to a dark object. The object resembled a package of sliced meat, that is clear on the top and black and opaque on the bottom. It is certainly out of place in a crisper drawer of a refrigerator. It was laying on its side, for the black side faced me. The celery was placed down in between the white wall of the drawer and the dark package.
The hand twisted the celery back and forth so that it turned first towards the dark package and then back towards the white wall. What came to mind was the story of King Hezekiah who was on his sick bed, fearful of dying. The prophet Isaiah came and spoke to him.
In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.” And Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And let them take and lay it on the boil, that he may recover.”
And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?” And Isaiah said, “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?” And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps.” And Isaiah the prophet called to the Lord, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz. 2 Kings 20:1-11
Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed to the Lord in earnest. And God saw his tears and heard his prayer. The celery in the vision represents Hezekiah. The hand that turned the celery first towards the dark object and then towards the white wall of the drawer, represents the hand of God operating in Hezekiah’s life. The dark object represented death. When Isaiah spoke the word of God over Hezekiah pronouncing death, Hezekiah turned away from darkness and turned towards God in humble submission. Hezekiah pleaded for the Lord’s mercy, and God responded. Isaiah as God’s obedient servant heard and conveyed the Lord’s message to Hezekiah.
This vision and the story of Hezekiah is given to us to show us God’s faithfulness. He hears our prayers and pleas for mercy and he responds quickly and in ways that can overwhelm us. Making the sun’s rays and its cast shadows go backward is truly an act of God. We see the Lord’s gracious and merciful heart in this story.
But this story does not end here. Unfortunately, like a lot of kings in history, they can be prideful men, who fail to use good judgment. Hezekiah, after experiencing the gracious mercy of God, does the unthinkable. He shows off Israel' s treasures to foreign men, as a prideful man showing off his own accomplishments, and his vast wealth. As if to say, “Look at my kingdom, it is for my praise and my honor.” Hezekiah was so full of himself that he failed to acknowledge that everything belongs to the Lord, and that Israel’s great wealth and treasure came about solely as a blessing from God. It was not to be paraded for Hezekiah’s honor
You can see that Hezekiah’s response to the Lord’s rebuke, proves him to be shallow and self-centered. There was no repentance, and no remorse. This is what happened:
At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.” He said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?”
2 Kings 20:12-19
Hezekiah did not know God’s heart and he trampled on the grace and mercy of God. He was so self absorbed he could not fathom that repentance was in order.
Hezekiah was not concerned for his own nation, for his actions had brought about God’s judgment against Israel. He showed no concern for his own sons who would be taken into captivity and made eunuchs to serve a foreign king. Hezekiah was cold, and heartless towards others. He was oblivious to God’s will in the matter.
When we commit terrible sins of arrogance, and pride, shouldn’t we seek the Lord’s mercy and ask him to forgive us? Let us learn from this example and from scripture:
God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6
Thanks for reading. I hope you will read, study and reflect on all 66 books of the Bible, for the Bible is the very Word of God. Let’s read to know the Lord and his ways. God bless you all. Please share this and other posts with those who need to understand the heart of God for us. Be blessed!
