THE CHIEF SHEPHERD

And when the CHIEF SHEPHERD appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away

– 1 Peter 5:4

The CHIEF SHEPHERD shall APPEAR – our soon-coming KING, the One whose return we eagerly expect in the clouds of glory (Lk.21:27). Matthew 24:30 says: “And then shall APPEAR the sign of the Son of man in heaven…and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” He is not returning empty-handed. He is coming to bestow crowns of glory. Paul also referred to crowns of righteousness being laid up for “all who have loved His APPEARING” (2Tim.4:8). Do you cherish and love His appearing?

“WHEN the Chief Shepherd appears…”! Not IF, but WHEN. He will surely appear. He is eternally committed to His sheep: “…I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I WILL COME AGAIN and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jh. 14:2-3). Ponder on this: The Good Shepherd came out of the WOMB; the Great Shepherd came out of the TOMB; but the Chief Shepherd is coming out of the SKIES! He Who was once offered to bear the sins of many, is also the One Who shall APPEAR the second time without sin unto salvation (Heb.9:28).

Psalm 24 is the Psalm of the Chief Shepherd. He is no ordinary shepherd that this centred on. He is the Owner and Founder of the earth and its fullness (v.1-2). He is the KING of GLORY to Whom the gates and everlasting doors answer (v.7-9). He is the LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. He is our Chief Shepherd. There are no two chief shepherds. Every other shepherd is an “under-shepherd”…every other shepherd is accountable to the Chief Shepherd. This dimension of His Shepherd-hood reflects His FUTURE Kingly and Royal Manifestation. As KING of Kings and LORD of Lords, the Chief Shepherd is coming to REIGN WITH MAN!

Beloved, the Chief Shepherd is already in our future. He is holding the reins of our tomorrows. The oriental shepherd always walked ahead of his sheep. He was always out in front. Any attack upon the sheep had to take him into account first. Now our Chief Shepherd is out in front. He is in our tomorrows; that tomorrow that fills people with fear. The Chief Shepherd is already there, feeding and filling our tomorrows with faith and hope. All the tomorrows of our lives must pass through Him before they can get to us. Even though we may not know what tomorrow holds, we do know WHO holds our tomorrows – the Chief Shepherd, the Shepherd of our souls!