The prophet Zechariah warns that, in the end times, God will permit a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”, a Bad Shepherd, to rise up as a global leader. He will have broad appeal, but in the end, will fool and mislead many who have rejected the True Shepherd to choose a counterfeit one, instead.
In the gospel of John, Jesus differentiates between Himself, the Good Shepherd who loves His sheep, and a hired shepherd, who leads the sheep but has no real commitment to them or their welfare.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired man and doesn’t care about the sheep. John 10:11-13 (HCSB)
Alluding to His coming crucifixion, a voluntary sacrifice to atone for the sins of all believers, Jesus continues:
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, 15 as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. John 10:14-15 (HCSB)
Despite Jesus’ willingness to die for our salvation, the actual act of those who rejected, betrayed, and crucified Him was a tremendous afront to God. Like other prophets before him, Zechariah wrote of Messiah’s rejection and physical wounding at the hands of the Romans, who temple authorities had handed Jesus over to for beating and execution.
Zechariah writes:
6 If someone asks him: What are these wounds on your chest?—then he will answer: I received the wounds in the house of my friends.
7 Sword, awake against My shepherd,
against the man who is My associate—
this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
I will also turn My hand against the little ones. Zechariah 13:6-7 (HCSB)
When Jesus was struck down and crucified, His disciples were scattered in fear, until three days later, when they saw the risen Christ. After His ascension into heaven forty days later, they gathered together in an upper room in Jerusalem to pray and wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus had instructed them. Ten days after this, they would receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the feast of Pentecost. From here onward, they would preach the gospel of salvation with great boldness, wherever they went.
But despite rapid growth of the church through their witness of the risen Christ, much of the world still rejected Him, as many do today. With widespread rejection of the Good Shepherd, God the Father will one day permit the rise of a false shepherd, the Antichrist. The Bible tells us that the spirit of the Antichrist is already in the world, wherever the name of Jesus is being mocked, attacked, and rejected. The person of Antichrist will appear to be a great and wonderful leader, full of wisdom and compassion, but will have nothing but pride and evil in his heart. He will care nothing for the sheep. In fact, he will destroy them.
16 I am about to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are going astray, and he will not seek the lost or heal the broken. He will not sustain the healthy, but he will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hooves. Zechariah 11:16-17 (HCSB)
The book of Revelation speaks of the rise of this physical Antichrist, called the beast, who will be an extremely popular world leader in the last days. This false shepherd will assume and hold authority through the power of the devil, referred to in the book of Revelation as “the dragon”.
Antichrist’s seven-year reign will be split into two parts. The first three and a half years will bring world peace, to the amazement and approval of his many followers. But his final 42 months will bring great war and suffering in what is called the Great Tribulation period. According to Jesus in Matthew 24, it will be a time of great trial unlike any the world has ever seen. But Antichrist and the devil will both be defeated and removed from power when Jesus returns to earth to establish His eternal kingdom.
The apostle John writes about the dragon, or devil, and the beast, or Antichrist:
4 They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against him?”
5 A mouth was given to him to speak boasts and blasphemies. He was also given authority to act for 42 months. 6 He began to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme His name and His dwelling—those who dwell in heaven. 7 And he was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. He was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. 8 All those who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered. Revelation 13:4-8 (HCSB)
Because of the global rejection of the Messiah, the Bad Shepherd will be permitted to flourish in the end times with the full approval and praise of all those under him. But like the devil himself, Antichrist’s time to mislead and to bring suffering to the nations will be limited. Neither the dragon nor the beast will ever be permitted into the kingdom of God, which will be under the complete authority and protection of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Loving and deeply committed to His sheep, His believers, Jesus will rule and reign over them from Jerusalem, forever.
Reflection
Jesus told a parable about a good shepherd with 100 sheep. When one of His sheep became lost, He left the ninety-nine to go search for it until He found it. When He found it, there was great joy on earth and in heaven.
The Lord is still searching for “lost sheep” today, those he loves who have not yet turned to him. They may be found in a lonely flat or apartment, a bar, a jail or prison, alone, even in a crowd, or any place where someone has lost their way or their purpose, and is searching for a solution with their last bit of hope. Jesus is right there and wants to fill our emptiness with His loving presence. He will never turn us away.
Lord Jesus, keep us safe from the bad shepherds. Grant us discernment and wisdom to help us resist their lures and charms. Guide us to walk closer with You, our true Good Shepherd, and be bathed in Your great glory and light, deeply loved, and surrounded with Your protection. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Have a blessed and awesome day in the Lord today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 