OTHER SHEEP
Tuesday – June 4, 2019, Sivan 1, 5779
Greetings my precious partners and friends of this Ministry and The Three Minute Word publication. God is so good. I don’t care what is going on in any of our lives right this minute, never forget that God is good and God is never the source of bad things in our lives. If you are reading this on Facebook please, please, take a moment and “share” this teaching and hit the “like” button. come on, you can do it. The featured pictures this week will be from the deer feeder I had in Texas. Now, let us turn our attention to our Bible Study of the Book of John. First let us read the primary text aloud and determine in our hearts to have ears to hear and the will to do.
John 10:14-19 (KJV)
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.
Who are these other sheep Jesus is referring to in verse sixteen? I have heard it said that the other sheep are the Church which were to be united with the believing Jews as a result of the Cross. The phrase “And other sheep I have” is present tense indicating to me that they were already present. The Church was not formed until the Day of Pentecost. The Church is constituted by heathen and Jews alike that believe on the name of Jesus. As we read further, we are clearly told that at the time at least two folds existed and they would be combined into one-fold. This statement follows immediately on the heels of Jesus saying that He was laying down His life for the sheep. I would suggest that perhaps there were three folds that would soon become one. One would be the Jews who were faithful to God, to the Word and believed He was the Messiah. The second group would be the heathen, non-Jews, that believed on Jesus and were in effect by faith the first Christians. One could argue that these two groups are really only one group and I certainly would not contest that strongly.
However, there is another group of people, a third group, to consider. What about the Old Testament saints that have died and gone into Abraham’s Bosom? All of these people died in faith seeing the Messiah, the Holy City, afar off. Following the Cross where the man Christ Jesus died spiritually first just like Adam on the Day of Sin and Death and then physically, again like Adam. However, the soul (the mind, will, and emotions) of Christ Jesus was intact and full of the Word, the promises of God concerning Him and He spoke those in Hell and Justice could not let the injustice of the crucifixion of a sinless man stand. Jesus defeated Satan by His sinless Blood, the Blood of the Lamb, and by the Words of His testimony. In this fashion Jesus defeated Satan, and retrieved these Old Testament saints. They believed the testimony of the Messiah and received His cleansing Blood and were led by Jesus into Heaven when He presented the Blood and Himself before the Father and was restored as God according to Hebrews chapter one. These three are now all a part of the Church, one-fold, and one Shepherd. That one Shepherd is Jesus our Lord and that one-fold is the Church. The common thread is faith (Hebrews chapter 11).
As an aside with reference to Hebrews 11 and Biblical Numerology notice that Hebrews is the nineteenth book of the New Testament. Nineteen is a number representing faith. The number eleven is a number indicating alignment, specifically alignment with God. Faith, real mountain moving faith is the ultimate alignment with God. Until the mountain moves, we are not in faith or alignment with God. As we move forward into verse seventeen, we find out that Jesus will not only lay down His life but He will pick it up again. This verse starts with the phrase “Therefore doth my Father love me”. One might exclaim, well of course the Father loves Jesus! Do different spiritual laws and rules apply to Jesus than to us? No, it is the same for God as it is for us, it was the same for Jesus in the earth as it is for us today. I will pick up with this idea, what is being said here tomorrow.
Until our next publication, as a Bible Teacher and Prophetic Voice I speak this blessing over each and every one of you, receive it by faith in Jesus name!
Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)
24 The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;
26 The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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