pomegranatesandchains

I have mentioned in previous posts that many years ago, God put a calling on my life to ‘feed His sheep’ and to ‘compel them to come in.’ I have devoted most of my adult life to the first of those two mandates, but today I want to focus on the second. You see, I know TIME IS RUNNING OUT! I can no longer speak softly and carry a big stick. Today, I must take that stick, my staff, and prod you for your own good! Get away from that rocky and dangerous hillside. Set your eyes instead toward yonder pasture filled with all the grass you can eat and with a spring of living water that never shall run dry! What kind of shepherd would I be for my Master if I let you remain where you are? I must COMPEL! If you have not yet found your way into the fold, seek the Lord while He may yet be found! If you have wandered away, come back! Please, listen to the voice of your GOOD SHEPHERD! Sheep can be stubborn, but they know their Shepherd’s voice and another they will not follow. I believe with all my heart that our Lord knows each and every one of His sheep. He will not abandon a single one that has been ordained from the foundation of the earth to be His. He will leave the entire flock to go out and search for even one that has lost its way. Perhaps you are one of those. Perhaps this message is for YOU!

I know I am mixing my metaphors here, but I want to transition from the reference to sheep by sharing the ‘Parable of the Wedding Feast.’ I hope you will easily understand why. This parable can be found in Matthew 22. In this parable, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a certain king which made a great wedding feast to celebrate the marriage of his son. The time came for the marriage and servants were sent out to bid the guest to come. Those who had been invited would not come. More servants were sent out, but those bidden only gave excuses why they could not attend. Some of the intended guests were so wicked, they mistreated the servants who brought the invitations, even to the point of slaying some of them. When the king heard what had happened to his faithful servants, he was provoked to wrath and he sent forth his armies to destroy the murderers and burn their city. Then more servants were sent forth into the highways and they gathered together as many as they could find, both bad and good, so that the wedding could be furnished with guests.

There is a similar story in Luke 14, however, there are a few differences. As recounted in scripture from Luke’s perspective, Jesus said a ‘certain man’ made a ‘great supper’ and bade many to come. It does not say it was a king, or a marriage feast for his son. I have always thought these two passages referred to the same feast just with the focus on different details. (Whether that is the case of not, both ‘feasts’ are relevant to my story.) Anyway, when Supper Time came the servants were sent out to bid the guests, “COME, for all things are ready.” The excuses, again, started to pour in. One said,”I just bought me a new piece of property that I have to go see.” Another said, “I just got this new team of oxen that I want to prove.” One said, “I can’t come, I just got married and I can’t leave my bride.” The faithful servant returned to lord and presented the excuses of the intended guests. The ‘master of the house’ became angry and told the servant to go quickly into the streets of the city and bid the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind to his supper. The servant told his master, it has already been done as you have commanded, but YET THERE IS ROOM! The lord said unto the servant, “Go out into the highways and hedges (everywhere), and COMPEL THEM TO COME IN, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.”

Folks, I am one of those servants being sent out with your invitation to the feast, the marriage supper of the Lamb. There is yet room at the table for you! My King, has made all things ready! Are you going to think up some lame excuse related to the things of this world, when your eternal destiny hangs in the balance? All in this world will pass away, so what exactly are you holding on to? Your property? . . . it will be destroyed by fire! Your possessions? . . . they will be worthless and you will not be here to enjoy them! Your wife? Your loved ones? . . . The only way you have any chance whatsoever of seeing them again is if your family accepts the invitation so that you will be together for eternity in heaven! What happens if you persist with your excuses? What happens if you refuse the invitation? YOU WILL BE FOUND UNWORTHY! You shall not taste of My Lord’s supper! You shall sup at the enemies table! Your destiny will be in the lake of fire with the Master you have chosen! As I type this, I see a picture of a vertical cliffside (similar to the white cliffs of Dover, but the cliffside is charred black). Below is a virtual river, flowing with liquid fire and flames shooting up menacingly. People are falling by the millions into the flames!

My heart is breaking for those I cannot reach, for those who refuse to listen! The end is upon us. If you think you can wait until tomorrow and enjoy living in your sin a while longer, HEED THIS WARNING! Tomorrow may never come! REPENT! Today is the day of salvation! What did the king do when he found a guest who did not have on the proper wedding garment? Do you really think you will be given the opportunity to run home and change clothes? To make amends for your error . . . your procrastination . . . your unbelief? No! You have been warned time and time again! You have not listened! There is coming a time when the warnings will cease. You will have had YOUR LAST CHANCE! When the moment comes and SUPPER-TIME is announced, you must be ready . . . properly attired . . . your sins washed away through the precious blood of Jesus Christ! Your garment must be white as snow . . . not a spot, wrinkle, or blemish! Only Jesus can provide your garment! He is the ONLY WAY! If you do not have on His robe of righteousness, you will hear the King say, “Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

You can not make it into the sheepfold by climbing up another way. Jesus said in John 10:1, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. When the disciples could not understand His parable, Jesus explained further. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, I AM THE DOOR of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep (John 10:7-11).” I make a plea now, to all who reads this post. Please, before it is too late, I COMPEL you, come into the sheepfold TODAY! I know I am repeating myself. I just can’t help it . . . I love you too much! And Jesus loves you even more! When Jesus repeats Himself, he usually means business. I am just following His example. I have my staff in hand, and I am being obedient to My Good Shepherd.

I thought this would be the fitting conclusion to this message, but I feel led to include a further warning and proclamation from the Lord, given in the following passage:

Jeremiah 23:1-8: 1) Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord. 2) Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord. 3) And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase 4) And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord. 5) Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6) In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 7) Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, the Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 8) But, The Lord liveth, which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

I am in awe! The Lord has just impressed on my spirit that this scripture will be the fulfillment of words he gave to me in the very first message I posted on 444prophecynews. He told me to ‘gather the people, call for a solemn assembly’. I received that message back in March. I did not know how to get the Word out to the people and somehow I was led to Jonathan’s site. There was another phrase in that Word that I did not fully understand at the time. I was told by the Holy Spirit that the gathering of the people for a solemn assembly of prayer and repentance must be continued ‘until Shiloh comes’! Even now, four months later, I am seeing prophecies and dreams given to others that continue calling for a Solemn Assembly of Prayer. (Pastor Dana Coverstone’s recent dream calling for prayer in September is just one among many.) The phrase, ‘until Shiloh comes’ was a reference to the blessing bestowed upon Judah by his father Jacob (Israel) just prior to his death. Jesus Christ is the LION OF JUDAH, the promised sceptre!

Genesis 49:8-10 – 8) Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee 9) Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 10) The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

This is so wonderful! Our KING IS COMING to reign over his promised kingdom. SHILOH COMES!

SCRIPTURE REFERENCED (KJV):

Matthew 22:1-13
Luke 14:16-24
Psalm 79:13; 95:6-8a; 100:3-5
2 Peter 3:7
John 10:1 & 7-9; 14:6
Jeremiah 23:1-8
Genesis 49:8-10
Isaiah 45:21-25
Romans 14:11-12

[compel – 1) to drive or urge forcefully or irresistibly, 2) to cause to do or occur by overwhelming pressure, 3) to drive together, syn.- see force]

Source: COMPEL THEM TO COME IN – Averine Pennington