What Does "Rule with a Rod of Iron" Mean?

I'm going to cover a subject that I've always had a question in my mind when I read this in the Bible. And I don't know how many have also had a question when you read the certain scripture that I'm going to mention, whether it doesn't bring up kind of a sign there, a question mark, in your mind. I know it did many years ago when I heard it the first time, and there was a bit of emphasis a decade ago about ruling with a rod of iron. I mean, how many of you have heard that term? Ruling with a rod of iron. But we've never covered it in depth in the Bible as we should. This is an important subject because in God's kingdom it mentions that those that are resurrected, that reign with Christ, will reign with a rod of iron. But does that mean it's a type of dictatorship? And unfortunately, the terms from the Bible are used now in the vernacular, our common world, as something negative. Oh, he's ruling with a rod of iron. For instance, some of the dictionaries, Webster's dictionary says to rule a country, area, group, etc., in a very strict and often cruel way.

It has a sentence here, which it uses an example. The dictator ruled the country with a rod of iron. Oxford's dictionary says control or govern very strictly or harshly. She ruled their lives with a rod of iron. Well, certainly I don't want to be ruled with a rod of iron. Thankfully, the Bible does not describe a rod of iron in that way. It is one of these misnomers. It's one of these errors. They have taken a point not understanding what the Bible actually says. We're in the 21st century, but back in biblical days, ruling with a rod of iron was something very different than we can imagine today. Imagine if God's kingdom is going to be ruled that way. Is it going to be just a dictatorship? We know what kind of dictatorships are on the earth. One man who is ruling his country with a rod of iron, as the dictionary says, is the dictator in North Korea, Kim Yong-un. This was from the New York Times, an excerpt I'm going to read to you, August 10, 2017, describes Kim Yong-un. He says, Meet Kim Yong-un, a moody young man with a nuclear arsenal. And this is typical of a man ruling, but in the wrong way. It says, In China, the man threatening to fire missiles at the United States is often derided as a chubby brat. In the United States, a senator recently referred to him as, quote, this crazy fat kid. President Trump once called him a total nut job.

But the target of all that scorn, Kim Yong-un, the 33-year-old leader of North Korea, has long been underestimated.

Mr. King was the youngest of three sons, yet leapfrogged his brothers to succeed as father, Kim Yong-il. Many analysts dismissed him as an inexperienced figurehead when he took power at 27. Some predicted he would never last. But almost six years later, there is little doubt he is firmly in control. Outside North Korea, many assumed he was the supreme leader in name only, with real power in the hands of his uncle, Yang Song-thik.

Mr. Yang appeared to help his nephew carry out a systematic purge, replacing many of the nation's most powerful generals and bureaucrats, according to the South Korean intelligence officials.

But two years into his rule, Mr. Kim moved against his uncle, arranging for him to be arrested, and he was executed on charges, including clapping half-heartedly when Mr. Kim entered the room and plotting to overthrow him. Now, the purge continued with a new focus on rooting out those loyal to Mr. Yang. So here, his uncle that helped him, now he turned against his uncle and all of those that were supporting him. Many were executed with heavy-caliber machine guns. And these are the anti-aircraft machine guns used.

And the members of the ruling elite were brought in by trucks to be witnesses, killing people this way. South Korean intelligence officials said, reported this, Seong-seung Sheung, an expert on the Kim family, said high-level North Korean defectors told him that Mr. Yang had as many as 20 children and that Mr. Kim had killed all of them, killed all the 20 children of his uncle. In total, since taking power, Mr. Kim is believed to have executed more than 140 senior officials. Those around him, he's killed 140.

He moved quickly and ruthlessly, said Daniel Pinkston, a CO-based professor of international relations at Troy University, quote, I think most people did not expect a man so young to be so proficient in managing his dictatorship. In other words, as ruthless and bloodthirsty. That's who we're dealing with today. Well, in the world's way, he's ruling with a rod of iron. But, biblically, that is not what the Bible describes. It is the exact opposite of the notion people have about what ruling with a rod of iron is all about. And this is very important, because if we're going to rule one day, I want to reassure you that it is not to become a dictator under Jesus Christ. Neither is Jesus Christ going to be a dictator. So we're going to analyze this. Now, from the biblical point of view, what does it mean to rule with a rod of iron?

The key to understanding this phrase is realizing what the term rod actually means. We've got to start with definitions. What does the rod mean when it says a rod of iron? Is it just some type of a big bar that you go around beating people up with? No. The rod is a broad term in Hebrew. It comes from the term shebet, S-H-E-B-E-T. That can mean a staff, a shaft, the shepherd's club, or the ruler's scepter. Remember how the kings have this scepter? Well, that's actually a symbol of the shepherd's rod. It can actually also mean one of the tribes, like the tribes of Israel. It actually uses the term rod to mention a branch that came out of Abraham and became a tribe. In the New Testament, the word in Greek is rabdos, R-A-B-D-O-S, and it has the basic meaning, as in the Hebrew.

The principal meaning, as we're going to use it, as the Bible has it, it means a shepherd's rod.

It's not something to beat people over the head with. A shepherd is not known to go around being belligerent and aggressive. The rod was usually made of wood. Many times, a young sapling of a tree, they would pull it out, roots and all, and then the big root that they would preserve, they would shape it into a ball with a long stick. And many times, they would actually put nails or flint stones to have it like a knob, sort of like the way the Middle Ages had the club with the knobbed ball on it. And this was the way the shepherd defended his flock. He used a rod, not a rod, but a rod that used the rod, not on his sheep, but against all the predators. This was the symbol of the shepherd protecting the sheep, because the sheep were pretty helpless. There were all kinds of predators out there, and the shepherd needed this club to be able to protect his sheep. Notice in 1 Samuel 17, David, as a shepherd, had a rod, and he protected the sheep. 1 Samuel 17, verse 34, But David said to Saul, Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it, and struck it, the term here hitting it with a rod, with a club, struck it and delivered the lamb from its mouth, and when it arose against me, I caught it by the beard, and struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing that he has defied the armies of the living God. But David protected his flock. Now, not many shepherds would do that. Well, you have this flock, and all of a sudden some lion would come in and grab one of the little lambs, and most shepherds said, well, too bad. Not David. He'd go after the lion or the bear and face them, and take that lamb out of his mouth and protect them. So don't you think that lamb is thankful that the shepherd has that protection, that rod? I certainly would want to have a shepherd like that.

And so David is an example of a courageous shepherd protecting his flock, exposing himself to being killed for a little lamb. A lot of people would think, well, a little lamb, I'm more like that. I'm not going to risk my life. But David did.

And it's interesting that it was during David's reign in Israel that iron came into prominence. Iron was not very common in those days. In archaeology, when you study it, it goes from the period called Calcolithic, which has to do with copper, and then it goes into the bronze period. The technology improved. Bronze is harder than copper, and Calcolithic is also stone and copper. And then you go from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. Of course, iron was stronger than bronze. And the Israelites had to have bronze weapons when the Philistines were the ones that had the monopoly on iron. And it was only after David conquered the Philistines that he took ownership of the production of iron, the secrets. He was able to develop it, and that was one of God's blessings to Israel. Notice in David's day, 1 Chronicles 22, just a couple of books. Further, 1 Chronicles 22, when David was preparing to build the temple, it says in verse 3, And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails of the doors of the gates, and for the joints and bronze in abundance beyond measure. By the way, they have discovered south of the Jerusalem and toward the southern part of Israel, they have found the foundry with copper works that was basically during the days of David and Solomon. They actually have found the places where they used to smelt a lot of this copper and iron, and they've got all of this slag there. The professor in archaeology here in the San Diego University is the one that's overseeing that. So notice in verse 14, it says, Indeed, I have taken much trouble to prepare for the house of the Lord, one hundred thousand talents of gold and one million talents of silver and bronze and iron beyond measure, for it is so abundant.

And so David from basically taking the tribes under Saul, he built through God's blessings and empire. God said to David, I have given you this. You have been faithful. And so this is where the iron was abundant and shepherds started to use rods of iron. So instead of having wood, which of course deteriorates, can break up, now you could have an iron club and protect the sheep that much better. Notice in Psalms chapter 2, also probably written by King David himself. He wrote the great majority of the Psalms.

It's one of those Messianic Psalms. It starts out here in verse 8. It says, ask of me. Now, and this is interesting because it's talking about God who became the father. And he's talking about his son ruling over the nations. It says, ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance. It's talking about the word who came to be Jesus Christ. And the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. Now therefore be wise, O kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth, when Christ comes back. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are those who put their trust in him. So here is the beautiful balance in the Bible. Just like I mentioned during the announcements, how all of this delicate fine tuning goes on in that biosphere in Tucson. 1,800 censors and all these dials that they have to be calibrating. Well, the Bible is calibrated in the same way. It is adjusted to God's mind and will. And so we have to teach, not according to our own dials, but try to calibrate and get that fine tuning with the Bible itself. Examine what is said according to what you see in the Bible. And you see this delicate balance between a loving God protecting his sheep, but at the same time not letting them be eaten up by the predators. And so you have two instruments that the shepherd used. Primarily, these were the ones he would take with him to protect the flock and also to guide the flock. One of them was the shepherd's staff or crook. Usually it had a curved end. It was another type of a long sapling and they would actually, with some of the heat, be able to curve one of the ends around. So they would use this to pull the animals, the sheep, out of danger. They also had a little point on the other side to just nudge them, guide them along. When the sheep had its little lamb, the shepherd would use the shepherd's crook to grab the little lamb and be able to move it to its mother. Because if you touch with your hands, the mother would reject. So you used the instrument to avoid that. And so that was used to guide and help the sheep go along the way. When the lamb would, and the sheep would lie down, many times the shepherd would lie there with them and he'd put his staff across them. And it was almost like having that personal contact. They felt comforted. They knew that shepherd was there to protect them and to guide them. And so of course that leads us to the key verse, which is Psalms 23 verse 4. This is the famous Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd.

And in verse 4 it says, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For you are with me. Talking about the shepherd is with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. They don't scare the sheep. They're not afraid of the rod. They feel reassured and protected because again, sheep are pretty helpless against a lion or a bear. And you can't use the shepherd's crook or staff for that. You have to use that rod. You have to attack them and be able to protect the sheep. So this is the key concept that the rod is there to comfort. When Christ is going to rule the nations, we are all going to feel so safe, so secure. We're not going to have any madmen like the one in North Korea or previously in World War II, where we had three madmen in the world at that time. It's been one of the worst coincidences in history. We had three madmen ruling over a great part of the world. In Europe, it was Hitler, in Russia, it was Stalin, and in China, it was Mao. Although he eventually took over after World War II, he was already with his communist hordes there battling during World War II, and he won. He eventually expelled all the Chinese nationalists, which had to flee over to Taiwan. So this is not the type of government that we're talking about ruling in the wrong way. It is completely the opposite, where none of these rulers are going to get away with things in God's kingdom, and God is going to protect his people. And that's why the focus is on ruling with a rod of iron. Because in the biblical days, that means, oh, this shepherd is going to really take care of me. He's not going to allow me to be hurt by any of these predators. Now, it's interesting that it doesn't say that you will rule with the shepherd's crook or the staff. In a sense, yes, we're going to be guided. But believe me, where you're in trouble, when you're being attacked, do you want to see the shepherd's staff, or do you want to see the shepherd's rod? Well, I think you want to see the shepherd's rod to protect you. If somebody, a thief, is attacking you and robbing you, you want to have a policeman there, and he better be armed to protect you. Because if he's going to try to protect you with his hands, you're not going to be very safe. So there's a weapon that is used. Well, in the same way, here in the Bible, it just describes being protected divinely by God. That's the divine protection that he has over his people. So basically, you have two sides of the same coin. You have a loving God, but also a protective God. He loves you, but also he's going to protect you. Righteous and loving rulership is what is explained throughout the Bible. Let's look at a couple of examples. Now, Moses first of all became a shepherd. He had to go to Midian for 40 years. What did he do? He was a shepherd. He had a rod. And eventually God says, go back to Egypt. You're going to free the Israelites from this oppression. Moses says, who am I? I'm a shepherd. He says, you see that rod that you used to protect your sheep? Now you're going to use that. And I'm going to put power into that rod. And you're going to do miracles with that rod. And you're going to strike the Nile River, and it is going to putrefy. It's going to become dirty and contaminated.

Kind of like a red tide is going to bring it about. So God, in that sense, was using Moses' rod to protect his people. And there were 10 plagues that had to happen. And in those cases, Moses used the rod and the great majority of the cases to be able to show that's God's power there. Now, do you think the Israelites were afraid of that? No. They were protected. So again, the idea of a rod is just a protection that we're not going to let evil people get away with things in God's kingdom. Today, evil people get away with a lot, and it's going to get worse. We already have this proliferation of nuclear arms. And behind Kim Jong-un, we have another nut over in Iran. This Khomeini, who is governing and fanatical, and they want an atomic bomb, and they want a hydrogen bomb, too. And they're working on it. Now, another example was David, as we have seen already. He was a shepherd. Notice what it says in Psalm 78, verse 70. Psalm 78, verse 70.

It says in verse 70, He also chose David, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds, from following the ewes that had young he brought him, to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands. So the same way he was able to protect his flock, he protected Israel. And God used them very powerfully. So again, you see David, he didn't rule a dictatorship during his time. He was one of the best rulers. Feared God, was fair, was loving, was so dedicated. So again, don't think that because it talks about a rod of iron, that that means some type of ruthless dictatorship. That's a misunderstanding of the term. How about the Apostle Paul in the New Testament? He was loving, but he was also a firm pastor. Notice in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 17 through 21.

He directs this epistle to the Corinthians and he says, For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. Paul was following Christ's example.

Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you, but I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod? There's that Greek term, rhabdos. Or in love and a spirit of gentleness.

So Paul was a loving pastor, but he also was firm. He had the shepherds crook to guide them, but he also had the shepherds rod. Now again, here he's talking about a certain amount of discipline. It's not hitting them over the head with anything, but he was saying, how do you want to find me? Do you want to find me where I have to come in and correct and use the authority that God has given me? Or do you want me to just be able to come in and just have fellowship and enjoy being with all of you? That's what he wished. So he had the shepherds crook, but he also had the shepherds rod. And sometimes you have to protect the flock from inside because the predators are inside and not just outside of the church. There is such a thing as false brethren or some that are praying. And with the word e, praying, like taking advantage of people and trying to, like wolves dressed up as sheep, a shepherd has to protect the sheep. And of course, the fourth example we have is Jesus Christ. It's very beautiful that just like we have in the Old Testament, Psalms 23, in the New Testament, we have John chapter 10. It's the equivalent of the shepherd's prayer. Notice in John chapter 10, starting in verse 1, such a beautiful chapter. I'm going to read a good part of it.

John chapter 10, verse 1. It says, Most assuredly I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same as a thief and a robber. Now he is describing there those that were teaching and getting followers that did not recognize him. He says, But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. He doesn't try to rustle the cattle.

He's there and he opens. He is the legitimate way. There is no other name by which we can be saved than that by Jesus Christ. No other religion will do. Verse 3, it says, To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. These are the obedient followers that he has. They have surrendered to him.

They follow him. They are faithful. Verse 4, And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. They are going to follow his example, his guidance. And by the way, God's Word is a type of a rod of iron.

To guide us, to correct us, to lead us, it's also the shepherd's crook in that sense, gently guiding us. But sometimes God's Word has to correct us as well. So God placed the Bible as an instrument of correction for us. Jesus continues on.

Verse 7, Then Jesus said to them, Most assuredly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All whoever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. Again, he's saying there's no other person that there is for salvation. I am the door. There aren't several doors. This is the only one. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. There's going to be peace. There's going to be protection.

There's going to be guidance in a person's life, but you have to accept Jesus Christ as your chief pastor. Of course, not forgetting God the Father overall. The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. These are all the false religions we have on this earth. I have come, he says, that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly, not to bring misery upon a person. He's going to bring joy and happiness above anything a person could imagine, having Christ as our chief shepherd.

He goes on to say, verse 11, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep, but a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he's a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep and am known by my own, as the father knows me, even so I know the father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. Another sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

Therefore my father loves me because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. So Christ is giving us this example, and guess what? He has the shepherd's staff, and he has the shepherd's rod, and that's the way the Bible explains it from the beginning, in Genesis all the way to Revelation, that you have the two instruments that you have to learn in life when to use the shepherd's crook, the shepherd's staff, and when to use the shepherd's rod. Unfortunately, some people have it completely opposite.

They treat their families with a rod, and they treat the people outside so nicely, like with a staff. No, you're supposed to protect your own, your loved ones. Now, we also have in Revelation four different places where Jesus Christ is described as a shepherd doing his activities, either with the staff or with the rod. Notice in Revelation seven, and I hope this becomes crystal clear, so you will never have to be afraid of the shepherd's rod or of the shepherd's crook.

As it says in Revelation seven verse 16, talking when they are part of the kingdom that has already been established by Christ, he says, they shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore. These are the resurrected saints. The sun shall not strike them nor any heat, not like we've had here, kind of a heat wave. You never have to worry about that. For the lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. You won't have to worry about all the tragedies, all the sufferings that you went through in this life.

God is going to comfort us. God the Father is a shepherd to us, and Jesus Christ is the one He has placed there until everything is fulfilled, and then Jesus Christ will turn the kingdom over to God the Father so He can be all in all. He can be actively working directly with us. He's not actively directing things. He's doing it through His Son in the great majority of cases.

So let's look at another scripture in Revelation two.

This is the one that has been misunderstood by so many. Revelation chapter 2 verse 26.

This is directed to the Thyatira era. It says, And He who overcomes, Jesus Christ speaking here, and keeps my works until the end. You have to persevere. You can't be in the church and then abandon it and think you have overcome. No, overcoming means to the last breath in your life. He who overcomes to the end. Who stays faithful to the end? He says, To him I will give power over the nations. He shall rule them with a rod of iron. They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels, as I also have received from my Father. And so Jesus Christ saying, I have received power. I will be governing. And we're not going to have any nations that come up and pray and destroy God's people. They will be protected by Jesus Christ and those He has placed under Him. Notice another scripture. I mentioned there are four of them. Revelation 7, Revelation 2. Let's look at Revelation 12. This is Revelation 12.

In verse 5, it says, talking about Jesus Christ and the woman who bore Him, she bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. Talking about God the Father. So again, it just describes Jesus Christ is going to protect His people. We're not going to have bullies or bully nations that are going to do their own will. They're simply not going to happen under Christ. Revelation 19, verse 14. When Christ descends from heaven, it says in verse 14, and the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. Because why? Because they are attacking God's people and Him, and He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. So again, it's the protection, just like a father. It's very protective of his children, just like the mother is. And so if somebody attacks your children, you're going to protect them if it's necessary with your life. And this is the same type of love, but much more perfect and superior is what God has for all of us.

So we can't accuse Christ of being a dictator. He was the most loving, patient, and sacrificing being ever, but He knows how to use the shepherd's rod if necessary. Now I'd like to give you four biblical examples during the millennium when Christ comes back, and there are more cases. One of them is right here in verse 17 of Revelation 19. It says, Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, all of these soldiers, the mighty men, the flesh of horses, and all those who sit on them, the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great. And I saw the beasts and kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army. Now who's the aggressor? They don't want Christ to rule. Well, if they just accepted him and humbly surrendered, there wouldn't be any war. He wouldn't have to use the rod of iron. But they are coming against him. And so it says in verse 20, Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet, who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast, and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive in the lake of fire, burning with brimstone. And the rest, talking about all the rest of these kings, and the rest were killed with a sword which proceeded from the mouth of him, who sat on the horse, and all the birds who were filled with their flesh. Still got a little bit of a summer cold.

And then I'm not going to cover all of these other scriptures, but please write them down.

Isaiah chapter 2 verses 2 through 4, where it talks about the mountain of the Lord and all nations coming, but he says he is going to rebuke many nations that don't want to submit. So there's not going to be this kicking the can down the road, and, well, let's just be nice to them. Maybe they eventually will come around. No, it isn't. He's not going to let predator nations be around, aggressive and attacking God's people.

In Ezekiel chapter 38 verses 3 through 23, it talks about what appears to be the beginning of the millennium when some nations are going to rebel, and they don't want Christ to govern them, because it mentions that they're going to come up to these places in Israel, and they're going to see that things are unguarded. They think that people are vulnerable. They don't have any weapons. They forget Christ has the shepherd's rod, and it talks there about getting destroyed. All of these nations that come up. In Zechariah 14 verse 18, that's a good one that we can just look at real quickly. Zechariah 14. I just don't have enough time to cover in detail many of these points, but these get the scriptures. It says in verse 18, if the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no reign. They shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. So he's going to strike them, and he's using the rod of iron to get them shape up. They're not going to get their own way as they do today. In a sense, what we have today is not the United Nations. It's the disunited nations. It's a joke. All the powerful nations that just thumb their noses at others. There's not real respect there. Now, I'm glad they do have the United Nations, but it's certainly very weak in comparison to what we need. And finally, in Revelation 20 verses 7 and 9, we see an example of the rod of iron being used by Jesus Christ. It says, Now, when the thousand years have expired during the millennium, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints in the beloved city, and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. So, you see, God's going to take care of things. We don't need a weapons industry. We don't need to arm ourselves. We've got the all-powerful shepherd to protect us because he has a rod of iron. So, just remember this, that we are all learning how to use these different instruments. One is when to use the shepherd's staff and the crook, and when to use the shepherd's rod to protect God's people. I hope you think that I'm always approachable, available.

Just a matter of organizing time, please always realize I try to be a shepherd here, protecting all of you and trying to guide as I can, but I'm here for you. And don't ever forget, don't think I'm too busy. You are the most important people that I have to take care of, and you always have my time, and you will always have my effort to help you out.

Now, I'm here also to protect, protect the quality of spiritual food you receive. I hope the biblical dial and the sermon or sermonette dials, they're well in tune. They're fine-tuned together. You always have to check. The Bible has the perfect tuning. You don't have to worry about that one, but you always have to worry about how close we get to teaching with that proper balance. You see, some people will focus on the rod of iron. Well, how about the shepherd's staff? That's just as important. We have to know how to balance and when to use one in our own home, toward our own children.

The rod shouldn't be used in that sense.

With them, and there's discipline in the home, but they shouldn't feel like they're getting beaten down. You use the staff, the crook, to help them, guide them, prod them sometimes. So it's the same projection in the church. That's what we try to do. Prodding people to go forward.

Now, sheep have a problem, which is they can be so trusting. And they have to learn to be wary as well. Brethren, also need to know how to use the shepherd's staff and to use the shepherd's rod. You're all being trained for that future kingdom of God. You've got to start learning how to use these two instruments in the proper way and in the proper balance. The rod of iron is to protect the congregation and the future world.

Now, it's interesting that the term staff, which is the shepherd's staff to guide people, is used in the business world when you talk about, let's get the staff together. Why? Because they're all supporting each other as a team. That's where the word comes from, the shepherd's staff, but it's used now as people. An extension of the organization, there's a staff that is used in this way.

And we can't be hirelings, where, yes, we are going to use the staff, but please don't tell me to use the rod. Oh, no, that's dangerous. Yeah, I can get into trouble there. Facing whatever bully or facing some difficult situation.

The shepherd does not beat his sheep with the rod or the staff. The iron rod is a guarantee of divine protection and sustenance. God sustains us and protects us, and it symbolizes power, authority, and discipline. Sometimes in the biblical world, the shepherd had to throw the shepherd's rod. When you saw one of those sheep, maybe going too close to the river or going to eat some poisonous food, you know what would fly in front of them? The shepherd's rod. Nope. And then it would come back. The one that was heading out that was the wayward sheep would come back to the full. On the other hand, the staff represented care, assistance, direction. I like the analogy that Philip Keller, who was a real-life shepherd, and he also became a minister, wrote the famous Psalm 23 book on the subject, The Shepherd Looks at His Sheep. And there, he mentioned that when he was among shepherds, this was in Africa, and they had to dislodge this large boulder. Between several of them, that were the shepherds and himself, and they lifted the rock. And sure enough, there was this cobra that just was under that boulder. And so when they picked it up, that cobra was ready to strike at them. And they froze because you don't like to see a cobra just right there. And he said that one of the shepherds, just immediately with a club, killed it on the head. And that shepherd had not taken his hands off the club when he was dislodging this boulder, because it was an extension of him. That shepherd always had that rod, because he knew that in just an instant, something could happen to the sheep, and that was his protection. And that cobra didn't know what hit him, because that shepherd was ready. And so, yes, many can rule with a staff, but how about with a rod? The hireling has no problem using the staff, but when trouble comes, is he willing to use the rod? Is he a nice guy, but will he protect me when times get tough? Is he willing to risk his life?

You know what true love is? It is sacrificing for others. And pastors are tested in this way. I remember many of the pastors in United have had to face at least two times where we got fired because we refused to give up the Sabbath, and we received a letter threatening us that if we didn't preach that the Sabbath was no longer necessary, that we could lose our jobs. And we had to face those predators. And guess what? Yes, we had the shepherd's rod, and those sheep were protected from predators at that time. And more recently, we had another crisis where pastors had to stand up and protect the flock. So we don't know when it happens, but just having the shepherd's staff is not enough. You've got to have shepherds that are not hirelings, that are not here because of a job and a salary. They're here because they love the brethren, and they are going to protect it, come, as they say, hell or high water, whatever it takes.

Now, we have to be willing to correct in love, willing to tell the truth. It's not easy. Sometimes we deal with delicate situations with brethren. We have to be willing to tell the truth. As a friend, many people feel entitled. They're not correctable. They feel untouchable. They're fine until, oops, I got corrected by a minister. Oh, I can't handle that. I got to leave. No. So what good is it to have the staff, and you're not going to have all of a sudden a discipline that takes place? And so as Paul brought it up, yes, it's not to attack or hit anyone, but you have to show a certain authority sometimes. When things are either sowing discord or causing a false doctrine to spread in the congregation, sometimes a minister can be very good at many things, but I want one that's going to protect the flock. I'm going to stand in the gap when necessary and not let things just run rife and spread false teachings. In Proverbs 27, verse 6, it says, Faithful are the wounds of a friend. So it's for our own good. So, brethren, I hope we know now we don't have to fear the rule with an iron rod. It is a biblical example of being protected. When a policeman is close to me, I'm not afraid. I'm thankful he's there. He's protecting us. It's the same way in God's way of life. Yes, Christ has a rod of iron, and he is going to allow us to learn to protect the sheep that will be under our care. And so it's not only for the future, but it's also now to learn how to use the rod and also how to use the staff or the crook for the good of everyone.