THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20
Scripture: Revelation 19:11-16

Revelation 19:11-15 says, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 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. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” One interesting thing about Revelation 19:11-16 is that it describes Jesus, followed by His church. The Greek word translated “rule” is the word poi-mah-ee-no, which means ‘pastor or shepherd.’ And notice that it says, “And He Himself will poi-mah-ee-no them with a Rod of Iron.” Jesus will pastor them with a Rod of Iron! Shepherding in this passage means using a Rod of Iron when it is called for – and Jesus is our example. Any pastor that aims to fully do the job Jesus called him or her to do needs to study and understand the full scope of what pastoring means and what it requires. When pastors start pastoring with a Rod of Iron, we will see the fear of the Lord restored to the church and the nation. We are called to use our faith to change things in our own lives and the lives of those around us. Let’s pray that our pastors will grow to the place they understand what the Rod of Iron is and how to use it!