Hark
Well-Known Member
John 10:16. "And other 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."
Certainly.
Not at all. Our Lord's sheep are a special breed. They are distinguished by their ears and their feet. They hear the Shepherd's voice and they follow Him (John 10:27). Anyone who does not hear His voice and rejects the Gospel is not of His sheep QED. The Lord Jesus spent all His life on earth in Israel, preaching almost exclusively to the Jews. "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 15:24). Therefore the sheep 'not of this fold' are the Gentiles who have not yet heard the Shepherd's voice. The Lord Jesus would bring these in also, not in Person, but through His disciples. Therefore He bids them, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations....." (Matt. 28:19). As I said, I think this is quite clear and rather obvious.
Thanks for sharing, but some clarification is needed for me to receive that application.
You said not in Person, but yet He did say other sheep that is not of the fold that followed His voice as that He must bring. He did not say that the sheep that followed His voice must bring them.
And so I discern some more of your application in that verse;
John 10:16. "And other 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."
He distinguished the fold as the ones that followed His voice, and not the stranger's voice, and yet He signified that He had other sheep not of that fold that followed His voice, thus signifying the ones that followed the stranger's voice as His sheep after all as they will be MADE to hear His voice and be of the one fold and one shepherd.
I understand it, but I don't agree with it. The sheep follow the Shepherd's voice. Anyone who has repented of His sins and is trusting (present tense) in Christ alone for salvation is part of Christ's flock. I am not by any means a charismatic, but if charismatics are trusting in Christ alone for salvation, then they are part of Christ's flock and my brothers and sisters in Him.
They are brothers and sisters in Christ that has that foundation which was laid in Christ Jesus, but what they have built on that foundation is an iniquity for climbing up another way to get tongues; not from Jesus, but from the Holy Spirit by asking Him to come again to fill them in order to receive that tongue as a sign that they had received the "Holy Spirit" again. 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 & 1 Timothy 4:1-2
This was the iniquity Paul was talking about in 2 Thessalonians 2nd chapter as it was already at work in the churches back the thus the falling away from the faith was even happening back then but not in droves all over the world as it is today.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.....
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
For believing the lie that they can receive the Holy Spirit "again" with evidence of tongues, God will permit that strong delusion to occur as the Holy Spirit will not restrain these spirits from coming in when the believers are departing from faith to want that to happen.
Unless they repent before the Bridegroom comes, they run the risk of being damned as castaways to be received again as vessels unto dishonor in His House after the great tribulation. It is a damnation because they can never be that vessel unto honor in His House after the pre trib rapture.
Paul points out a reminder as to when they had received the sanctification of the Spirit and the belief of the truth and that was at the hearing of the gospel.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
To the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ is to be received as that vessel unto honor in His House. 2 Timothy 2:10-13 & 2 Timothy 2:19-21
I know that these errant believers that fall away from the faith are still saved because Paul goes into the next chapter on the tail about speaking of that iniquity where wicked and unreasonable men not having faith and not following after he traditions taught of us and are disorderly ( 2 Thessalonians 3:1-7 ) as many in these movements of the Spirit are, in falling down ( Matthew 7:24-27 & Proverbs 25:26-28 ) and other signs and lying wonders like tongues that comes with no interpretation which is given in confusion which God is not the author of ( 1 Corinthians 14:32-33 & Isaiah 8:19 ) , and yet Paul says we are commanded to withdraw from them, not treating them as the enemy, but admonishing them as brothers still. 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15
And so that is why I see those that followed a stranger's voice are saved believers that went astray by climbing up another way to God by addressing the Holy Spirit to come in hypocrisy when He is already in them to bring tongues which always comes with no interpretation. ( Granted, some will wing the interpreting of that tongue, but it is not really a foreign language that any linguist can verify. )
It all preaches to receive the Holy Spirit "again" and that is apostasy and why that is considered climbing up another way ( John 10:1 & John 14:6 ) when the Holy Spirit cannot answers prayers; only Jesus Christ can; John 14:13-14
And so God permit that strong delusion to occur to believe that lie that they can receive the Holy Spirit again and thus why saved believers are following a stranger's voice and why they are His sheep still in spite of having fallen away from the faith as He must bring them after the great tribulation when He will be there to see and hear thus made to hear His voice and follow Him in serving Him as the King of kings, being made of the one fold and one shepherd for He will not lose one ( John 6:39 ).