John 10:1 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."

This you must know right from the start, Christ is the door. If any person tries to enter into God's sheepfold by any other way other then going through the true Christ, he is a thief and a robber. The "sheepfold" is a holding place where the shepherd houses the sheep in for the night. It was a place of protection. When the Shepherd would open the gate, the shepherd would hold his rod out, and count the sheep as they passed under the rod. Then when all the sheep had entered in, the gate was shut, and the shepherd stood watch for the night.

John 10:2 "But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."

The door is the truth in God's Word. Remember also that the Word is Christ.

John 10:3 "To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out."

The "porter" is the keeper of the door, who also is the Shepherd. Christ never drives any one where they should go, but He leads them. Jesus Christ's sheep hear his voice and they follow because they know who their Shepherd is. There is no argument between the sheep and the Shepherd, only obedience. If you want to hold back, you can for that is your free will.

John 10:4 "And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice."

Just like the blind man knew the voice of Jesus Christ, because it was right and made common sense to him. Christ again does not drive anyone, but He leads His sheep. It takes initiative on your part to follow Him.

John 10:5 "And the stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him. for they know not the voice of the strangers."

"Strangers" in the Greek text is "allotrios". In Strong's Greek dictionary # 245, it means; "not akin to, hostile, foreign, and not one's own." It is saying, from birth they instinctively know this voice. It is something they do not have to be taught, for there is predestination in this.

To know His voice and to hear Him, is to recognize His Word. It is to understand the illustrations that Jesus gives through His parables and teachings, rather then being blind to their meanings when it is pointed out. It is being able to see the common sense to see the simplicity in God's Word, when taught. The sheep of Jesus know that it is the truth when they hear it, because the Spirit of God touches them. Christ's sheep know evil when they see evil, and they know right when they see right. It doesn't mean they know all the Word of God, but they recognize the voice of their Shepherd when they hear the voice, for it's truth.

John 10:6 "(This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which He spake unto them.)"

Jesus just finished teaching this parable to the Pharisees that were standing around while after the blind man that had just received his sight. These Pharisees did not understand any part of the parable. They simply could not see that Jesus was relating Himself as the Porter of the sheep gate, and the Shepherd of His flock.

Each chapter of God's Word should be taught in order, with clarity, rightly dividing each part of the Word as it applies to the plan of God. When this is done, the good sheep will know it is the truth, because of the discernment that the Spirit has put within them. When the voice is of a stranger, Christ's sheep will scatter from them, and not be drawn to the false shepherd. Those that stood there and listened to Jesus just did not understand this parable that Jesus was teaching them.

John 10:7 "Then said Jesus unto them again, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep."

Jesus then is explaining what He had just said, and He is claiming to be the door of the sheepfold. In other words, only through Jesus Christ, and in His name can you enter into the sheepfold of God. To be part of the sheepfold, is to be one of those that have eternal life. It means you will be living after the second death of the soul, which comes after the great white throne judgment.

Jesus warned of this in Matthew 10:28; "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him Which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."The destroying of the soul is the second death.

John 10:8 "All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them."

God the Father had a specific time and place for the Messiah to come and be born. And all that came and claimed to be the Messiah are thief's and robbers. This is not aimed at the prophets of God, but those claiming to be of God or carrying a message from God, when in fact God had nothing to do with them. We know that in Jeremiah's day they existed, as well as Nehemiah's day, and today there are many who claim to carry a message from God, and they preach against what God's Word says.

Anytime a person claims something that God told Him and it goes against what God's Word states, that person, Jesus says, "is a thief and a robber." When Jesus Christ returns you will not have to ask, is Christ here? For the entire world will change, including you and your flesh body and all things of the flesh will be gone.

Satan, of course being the chief robber and murder, as are the Kenites, His offspring through Cain.

John 10:9 "I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."

It is important that you understand all parts of this verse, for many Christians today are short changed by there lack of understanding of this. They are afraid to go "in and out", and that means that you can have peace of mind anywhere in this world. You are safe not only inside the sheepfold, but outside the sheepfold. You can go out into the world, and you don't have to be afraid of someone taking away your salvation.

You don't have to fear what will be said of you if you see the Word is not being taught and you voice your opinion. Whether you stay in a church, or leave; whether you attend many different churches, or none at all; when you are in God's Word, and believe on Jesus' name, and enter through the sheep gate of Jesus Christ, then you can find pasture where you are. If you know the truth of God's Word, you can walk in Satan's own camp, and have power over every evil spirit that is there. You don't have to be afraid of anything. Christians are not second class citizens. We carry the power and authority of God.

The purpose of "going in and out of the fold" is to find food. Sheep don't stay in the sheepfold, but go there to find rest, but they leave to find their food for sustaining life. Spiritually speaking, that is where we study the Word and plant seeds of truth in the world. It is also where we can see the signs of the times, and know the seasons that we live in, so that we not be deceived as Jesus warned us in Matthew 24:4, and throughout this entire chapter.

Jesus used the things of the world around us to explain spiritual things symbolically. Jesus used sheep here to give a lesson about His own people. In Matthew 13 He uses the wheat, tares, and figs to give a lesson on knowing Satan's offspring through Cain. and so on. You need to be outside the sheepfold to get all the lessons in understanding. Wherever Jesus Christ's sheep are, the Good Shepherd is always there protecting His sheep.

When a little lamb, or babe in Christ is out in the world surrounded by the howling wolves of Satan's demonic realm; that lamb is a awesome force when he knows how to call down the power of God on all of Satan's forces. The Spirit of the Living God can destroy any force that Satan can bring against even the smallest of souls. God has given orders to Satan, "touch not my anointed", and Satan knows what that order means.

Do you hear the voice of Christ when He says, "Come and follow Me." You will know the truth when you hear it, and find the true pasture when you follow Him.

John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

The "destroyer" is one of Satan's names; "Apollyon" in the Greek, and "Abaddon" in the Hebrew tongue, as recorded in Revelation 9:11. That is what Satan's purpose is, to steal away the seed of truth when it is planted in the minds of the new converts, and cause their souls to perish. Satan wants to play the role of Messiah, and that is why He is called the false Messiah, the false Christ, or the Antichrist.

Jesus has come that you can have life, not just in the here-after this flesh age, but that that life may start for you the second that you repent of your sins, and turn your life over to Him. He wants you to enjoy life abundantly with all the blessings of God. Have you opened your heart and mind to him; can you hear His voice? That is the exact reason that Jesus came, to change your life, and give you something to live for. Not just to live the life, but to live it to the fullest.

By following His health laws, you have good health. Through His laws of prosperity, be prosperous, and by His laws governing our actions in the community, living peaceable with those around us. We are to correct our enemies when they falter, and sometimes discipline and force is required. When God's forces go into action, with God on our side, we win. You discipline the ones that you love.

Satan and his forces simply do not believe in punishment and discipline. Satan and those he leads think you have the right to be a free thinker, and in your freedom you follow him where ever your desire goes, even into the flames of hell. Satan wants to take you with him. It's your choice, which voice do you hear.? If you are in Christ you have discernment of the spirits, and you will know the difference.

John 10:11 "I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep."

Every person that seeks after Jesus Christ is one of Christ's sheep. When Jesus went to the cross, and died and rose again; He did that for each person that has the eyes to see and the ears to hear the voice of our Good Shepherd. Every day is a good day when you are in the Lord. We should learn to know the discipline that the Lord might bring upon us and thank Him for that correction, and when the blessings come thank Him also for them. The Lord is pleased when you try to please Him.

God came in the flesh in the form of His Son, to kill Satan, and He will. God placed His son in the path of Satan's own children, the Kenites and allowed them to murder Jesus and He did not stop it. Why? Because the time is coming when Satan, and his children, and all that follow him will be destroyed, and their destruction will be of their own will and choice. When it comes time to destroy Satan and his realm, there will be no tears shed on that day, for all memory of them, and those that chose him will be blotted from all memory of their loved ones eternally. God is fair always.

John 10:12 "But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep."

The "hireling" is the one that sits over God's sheep, and takes no interest in their souls. Sunday after Sunday the sermons go on, and not a word of the dangers that are coming upon our generation. Not a word of the Kenites, nor the coming of the Antichrist. The same old smile month after month, as the paychecks continue. This hireling is focused on his wages, his medical plan, his retirement, and his vanity. The hireling doesn't know the spiritual condition of the flock, he hasn't asked them, and he simply doesn't care what the flock is fed; for he follows instructions from the church system and that is all that matters to him. .

When the "wolves" of the world, the "Kenite" trouble makers come around the hireling could care less. These wolves are those that spread false doctrine and bring into the midst of the sheep all forms of filth such as Sodomy, rapture and other false doctrine. The "hireling" loves them all, as long as they brought their pocket books and money with them. If a conflict comes in the life of one of the sheep, this hireling is more concerned with the image that the outside world sees in him and his empire, then the spiritual need of that little lamb. It just doesn't matter to the hireling who sits under him and is in need of a good shepherd.

 You can spot those hireling imposters by spiritual discernment that God's Spirit gives to you. When you are around them you can see right through their smile, by their words, and what the do. You look at their fruit. You look and the children that sit under him, and those that have been in the church for thirty years. What do they know about God's Word, God's Plan, The parable of the fig tree, and all the things that Christ has told us to learn so that we might not be deceived.

A prime example of this is in the "rapture doctrine". They sit there year after year teaching the same thing, salvation and baptism, and completely over look the signs of the times and seasons. The "rapture doctrine" teaches the people to worship the first supernatural Messiah that will appear on the earth, setting up a one world system. There is just one problem with this as Christ made clear in Mark 13, and that is that this person is Satan. Didn't Christ tell you in verse eight that "All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers:" That is Satan's name.

That is exactly what Paul is writing about and warning us of in II Thessalonians 2 when He was answering his first letter of I Thessalonians 4. The subject that Paul's first letter was talking about was "where are the dead", "those that sleep". Paul said, "don't let the first letter deceive you, Christ is not coming until after the son of perdition has arrived."

I Thessalonians 4:3 "Let no man deceive you by any means: for the day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition."

If a preacher allows the rapture doctrine, also called the "any moment doctrine" to slip into his church, and promotes it, he is a hireling. Many do it in ignorance for their seminaries teach them to do so, and their church boards demand it to be done.

John 10:13 "The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep."

These hirelings have become the Judas goat for the Kenites, and at the first sight of the Antichrist, they will run down the ramp to lead their flock right into the spiritual slaughterhouse of Satan. The one thing about the Judas goat at the slaughter house, it is the first one to head down the ramp, but at the last second it jumps aside and the entire flock heads right into the slaughter. The hireling does what he does because he is a hireling, he was taught to do what he does, just as the Judas goat reacts. Jesus is warning you to wake up and ask for discernment against these hirelings so that you will not be deceived.

The end times are upon us, and the signs of the end times are all around us. The one world political beast of Revelation 11, that all the nations of the world will subscribe to is years over 70 old, and the generation that saw the planting of the fig tree in Israel is of retirement age. It is time to wake up, and be a watchman for the signs of the end times. It is time to learn the voice of the Good Shepherd, and His voice is our Bible.

The hireling always avoids controversial truths because it is easier that way, for what does he care in the first place. All they care about is the dollar and the good life style. They set God's Word on the shelf, and go for their telethons, their special projects, their building funds, or any other thing to keep from getting to the meat of God's Word.

John 10:14 "I am the good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine."

Jesus knows every last soul that belongs to Him, and He knows each of them as His own child. They are the elect, and those who have accepted Christ and have repented in Jesus name are sealed in their minds. There is no way that they will be deceived by the coming of the Antichrist, and accept Satan's number, name or the mark of the beast. Those that think that they can just sit in a church pew and deceive the world that they are one of Christ's sheep will fall away on that day of the sounding of the sixth trumpet. At the coming of the Antichrist, they simply will not pass under Christ's rod. This will be the time of separation, and the good sheep and the bad sheep will know exactly where they belong.

Revelation 9:4 "And it was commanded them [Satan the Antichrist, and his locust army of fallen angels] that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.".

You either have the seal, or Word in your mind, or you do not and there is no middle ground. That is why it is important to study that Word.

John 10:15 "As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep."

Just as the heavenly Father laid the plans from before the foundations of this earth that His son would go to the cross, and so also Jesus knew exactly what was to be done. It was no accident that Christ went to the cross, or any other thing that happened to Him on the way to the cross, for it was all written in His Word centuries prior.

John 10:16 "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."

The "whole house of Israel" are Christ's lost sheep, including those ten tribes which comprise the Christian nations of today. However there are many others not of Israel that are also included as the sheep of Christ's. God has His elect scattered amongst all the races of the earth, and that includes those that repent and seal in their heart their love for Christ. Jesus has only one sheep fold, and all his sheep belong in that fold regardless of race, stature, position, or any category you can name. If you claim the name of Christ and hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, you will pass just like all the rest of Christ's sheep under the rod to be counted like the rest.

John 10:17 "Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again."

Jesus is telling those Pharisees that are standing by, that it is He that will lay down His own live, and take it up again. I am going to be resurrected after I go to the grave.

John 10:18 "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."

This is the teaching of the resurrection. Remember that both the Pharisee and the Sadducee were present when Jesus was talking here. The Pharisee believed in a life after death, while the Sadducee did not. The grave was the end of all life form to the Sadducee.

Jesus is letting it be know that when He gives up His Spirit from the flesh body, it will not be because a man took his life, not even the devil. And through the power that the Father had given into the Son, Jesus had the power [authority] to overcome death, even the death of the cross. This commandment or instruction came directly from the Father.

The purpose for the Son of God's death on the cross, and His resurrection was so that you and I could have the wages of sin lifted from us. Those wages for sin are spiritual death, also called the second death. Christ went to the cross willingly because He loved you and wanted you to love Him, and all you have to do to accept that love is to repent of your sin in Jesus' name, and turn to follow Him.

John 10:19 "There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings."

Jesus had just stated that the power, or authority to die and being resurrected was given to Him by the Father, and He possessed that power. All those in the crowd knew exactly what Jesus meant by that statement, for only God had that power. Jesus was claiming to be God in what He just said.

The term "Jews" as given in the Greek test, is translated from the Strong's Greek dictionary#2453, "Ioudaios, ee-oo-dah'-yos, resembling one that came from Judaea." Ezra tells us in Ezra 8:15 that these Nethinims [Kenites] took over the priesthood coming out of Babylon over four hundred years prior to the birth of Christ.

Ezra 8:15 "And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava: and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the People, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi."

God appointed the sons of Levi to be the priests in the temple and perform the duties of the priests. Now coming out of Babylon captivity, there was not one of the sons of Levi in the entire group, but only the Kenites, these strangers given to service called "the Nethinims".

The scribes were also Kenites, and this was recorded in I Chronicles 2:55, "And the families of the scribes that dwelt at Jabez [Jerusalem in an unclean state]; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Scuhathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab."

The Sadducees were Kenites, they believed as the atheist do today, that there is no existence of life from the grave. The soul dies and that is it for man. Both of these Kenite "Jews", the scribes and the priests then claim to be of the tribe of Judah, by hiding their identity to resembling Judah. However they are both of the "house of Rechab from the land of Hemath". These Kenites are not of Abraham, nor Judah but of their father Cain, the son that came from the sexual union between Satan and Eve. This is the lie that the Kenites sold to the church world and most Christians today still think that the sin from the garden was eating an apple. It is no wonder that the Christian world today is where it is in their traditions.

Jeremiah 35:1, 2; "The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying," [1] "Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink." [2]

This shows two things, the first is that they lived amongst the Israelites prior to the captivity of Babylon, and secondly, they did not have control of the "house of the Lord at this time" in 496 B.C., when Jeremiah was a priest and prophet of God.

So you can see here in John 10:19 that with all three of these groups, including the men of the true tribe of Judah present, when Jesus made this statement that could only be true of God, you have the start of a good fight, and breaking into divisions.

John 10:20 "And many of them said, "He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye Him?"

Why should we stand around and listen to this person.

John 10:21 "Others said, "These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?"

Remember Jesus had just taken the spittle and the clay, and opened the eyes of the blind man. This had never happened before in all history, and this man could see. All those that knew the words of the law and the prophets, knew that the devil could not do that.

John 10:22 "And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter."

This feast time is called "the feast of the lights", or "the feast of the dedication". When the Prophet Ezra came to Jerusalem from Babylon he cleanse the Temple, then at a later time, the temple was defiled again by Antiochus Epiphanes. Following that act of defiling the temple, it was cleansed again on December 25, 164 B.C. The story of this cleansing is given in I Maccabees 4:52-59 of the Apocrypha, the book of writings that were not canonized by the Roman Catholic church. Yet in the original 1611 King James version of the Bible, these books are included, but were excluded at a later time.

This day was not a holy day set forth by God, but by men, much the same as we establish holidays in memory of presidents, thanksgiving, or the end of a war.

John 10:23 "And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch."

Solomon's porch had crumbled, but what Jesus is calling our attention to here is what happened to the priesthood. Jesus is setting the stage for understanding of that priesthood, and weaving it together with this "parable of the sheep that know His voice". Jesus is going to show us why some sheep just do not know his voice.

Why would Jesus draw attention to Solomon's porch? It was King Solomon that allowed the Nethinim [foreigners given to liturgical service] to do the hard temple chores that were set aside by God for only the Levites, of the lineage of Aaron. The Levites became lazy and over worked, so Solomon brought in the Kenites, these Nethinims to do the wood cutting for them. This is spoken of in the Book of Ezra.

Ezra 2:58; "All the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's servants, were three hundred ninety and two."

These Nethinim priests were not of Judah, and Ezra knew that these priests were the offspring of those Kenites that were brought in to help the Levitical priesthood, against God's instructions. When you read the names of the forty two thousand that came out of Babylon, about one half of the names are Kenite, and not of Judah or Benjamin, but Nethinim [foreigners]. The Kenites had taken over the priesthood from top to the bottom, all of the priestly duties, and this is why Jesus would say in Matthew 23:2; "the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat:"

What this then meant was that the Kenites that Solomon brought in to cut wood, had by Christ's time taken over the Temple of God. They were the children of Satan through Cain that sat in Moses seat administering the law, but instead of teaching the law, they had taught their own traditions instead.

It all came about when man tried to make the duties of God easier for the preacher. They brought in foreigners of other religions that had no business in God's house, and by Jesus day these Kenites changed the very Words and laws of God and substituted their own traditions. The illusion many have today is that everyone does the work, and the pastor avoids the work and the stress.

So Jesus is trying to teach us a lesson in this 23rd verse, He wants you to hear His voice, and not the voice of some Nethinim, or hireling. We are to be able to tell the difference between His Word, and the traditions of men. Jesus is warning us to recognize His Word, for the thieves and robbers have crawled over the fence in most of our so-called Christian churches, and are dumping their traditions and doctrines on you.

John 10:24 "Then came the Jews round about Him, and said unto Him, "How long dost Thou make us to doubt: If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly."

Many of the Kenites knew what Jesus had been talking about, concerning Solomon's porch. That is the workplace where they entered the priesthood and got their foothold in the first place.

John 10:25 "Jesus answered them, "I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me."

Jesus told them that all the things that I have accomplished bear witness that they are My Fathers works. Jesus is telling them that if you really knew the Words of Moses and the Prophets, you would have known that these Works were prophesied long ago.

John 10:26 "But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you."

Jesus identified them in John 8:44; "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

Satan is the "father of all lies", and "Cain" was "the first murderer", and that is where these Kenites got their name in the first place. "Kenite" means "offspring of Cain"

Jesus told them in John 8:47; "He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."

Though these Kenites sit in the seat of Moses, they lie like their father Satan, and plot as murderers like their father Cain. These are strong words that Jesus Christ is telling them, for He is revealing their hidden secrets to us even in our generation. They claim to be of Judah, yet they are of the synagogue of Satan. This is recorded facts from God's Word, and will be enlightening to those who are of God. To those who do not believe this, Jesus tells us why;"because ye are not of My sheep".

John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:"

These Kenite Pharisees, scribes and Sadducees don't have ears to hear, and no matter how you tell them, if they are not of Christ, they simply cannot understand what you are saying. It is like a mental block that God has placed on the minds of the spiritually blind.

On the other hand, Christ's sheep, or those of the elect, or who have received Christ by their own free will, will read God's word and know what the words say, and hear the Holy Spirit of God, as He leads them through life.

John 10:28 "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand."

Just as Christ is given the power over death from the Father, so also Christ has given the power over spiritual death to all those that believe on His name. The word "perish" is in reference to our soul that will either secure eternal life, or following the great white throne judgment, be turned to ashes in the lake of fire. "Perish" means more then the physical body going back to the dust of the earth at death, it means the death of the soul in any form, and even the memory of that soul being blotted out from the minds of those the knew and loved that soul. It will be as if that soul had never existed in any age or form. "To perish" is even the prime root of Satan's name. He is the destroyer, the murderer.

When anyone repents of their sin, and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only way to God the Father, then that soul is guaranteed by Jesus Christ Himself that there is no way anyone, or any thing can separate that soul from the eternal life and rewards promised them in His Word.

It is written in Matthew 10:28; "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him Which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

This is why the unforgivable sin may never be committed, for Jesus is speaking of his own sheep, those chosen before the foundation of this world, and each of them knows the voice of Christ, as well as those that love Christ and came to him through free will unto salvation. All of Christ's sheep know His voice, which is His Word written down by the prophets and apostles.

Whosoever believes on Jesus name has the authority and power given by God, and it doesn't matter what race, tongue or nation they come from. Even a Kenite can receive Christ, if they hear the word, understand, and repent of their sins, and believe on Jesus Christ. Then they are no longer Kenites, but sons of the living God.

John 10:29 "My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand."

If you have ears to hear Christ's voice, and you know the promise from God, that He will never leave you alone, you know that there is no way that anyone can pluck your soul from the hand of the Father. Our Heavenly Father is stronger then any force in the universe, for He controls all forces. Though Satan claims to be strong, he is but a created soul by the almighty God whose powers, though they be supernatural, are limited to the parameters that God has set for him. So why should you worry when you are in the work for the Lord.

John 10:30 "I and My Father are one.

What Jesus is telling them is that when you accept Him, the Holy Spirit of the Father is in you, and you are in Him. The Spirit of God enters you at the point of repentance and when you believe in Jesus name.

John 10:31 "Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him."

This is a real nice church community, Jesus is standing before them and telling them who He is, and all they can think of is murdering Him. These Kenites will stone anyone that attacks their traditions, and they knew exactly what Jesus was saying. He had just revealed their identity in His walk over Solomon's porch, and their identity with Cain their father.

John 10:32 "Jesus answered them, "Many good works have I shewed you from My Father; for which of those works do ye stone Me?"

Jesus reminded them of all the Miracles that He did in the name of the Father, and now He is asking, for which of these works do you stone Me?

John 10:33 "The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we stone Thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God."

John 10:34 "Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, Ye are gods?"

Jesus is reminding them that what He had said, was a quote from their law. It is written in Psalm 82:6; "I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High."

What is talked about here is the ownership of the child. If you have a child in the flesh, your son or daughter is yours by ownership, to have and discipline, and teach the ways of God. Jesus is telling them that when you are of God, then God owns you, and you are the possession of God ["ye are God's"] by the fact that you have become His son. Keep in mind that here the Psalms are included in the law.

Jesus is telling these Kenites that in their law it is written that you are God's property, I am reminding you what your own law states, and for that you want to kill me?

John 10:35 "If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;"

The Scripture cannot lie, for it is the truth.

John 10:36 "Say ye of Him, Whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, 'Thou blasphemest; because I said, 'I am the Son of God?"

Jesus is reminding them that the very Scriptures claim that all mankind are the children of God, and you call that blasphemy when I quote the very laws you stand by. Jesus has a two fold argument here, and these Kenites now have to stop and think. The stones are in their hands by their side, and they are thinking. Jesus was the Messiah, the very Son of God, yet because of their lack of understanding, Jesus is playing mind games with them using the truths of their own teachings.

John 10:37 "If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not."

Jesus is telling them, don't listen to My voice.

John 10:38 "But if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."

Jesus is telling them to let the very miracles that He is performing be the foundation of their belief in Me and the Father. If you don't believe the prophets, nor My words, then let the documentation of what you see with your own eyes be the evidence to the witness that the Father is in Me and I am in Him.

John 10:39 "Therefore they sought again to take Him: but He escaped out of their hand,"

Jesus left these Kenites awe strickened. They were still trying to put the words that Jesus had said to meaning. Jesus had used their very words against them, and they were stunned by them, and Jesus walked out of their midst untouched.

John 10:40 "And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there He abode."

This is the place where Jesus ministry began, and now Jesus has returned there. It was at the river Jordan that the Holy Spirit came from Heaven, and landed upon Him as a dove, and the voice from heaven came and God stated, "This is My beloved Son whom I am well pleased." From here Jesus went on to be tested in the wilderness for forty days and into His ministry. Now Jesus is back.

John 10:41 "And many resorted unto Him, and said, "John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this Man were true."

This is speaking of John the Baptist.

John 10:42 "And many believed on Him there."

Thousands heard of the teachings and saw the miracles that Jesus did, and they also heard of the teaching of the coming Messiah from John the Baptist, and witnessed the baptism of Jesus by John. The people now had time to put all the facts that they heard and witnessed together, and they believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of the Living God.

American Wisdom Series Editor's Note: Now that we've completed this 2015 study of the  "BOOK OF JOHN chapter 10" we have placed a earlier 2002 John chapter 10 study to follow for your comparison. I don't believe you will find much difference in the general opinion of these 2 authors, but to read another person's perspective of events that took place may prove helpful in your understanding of the gospel of John.

 
Jesus Christ will now teach us the difference between false shepherds and shepherds of the True Shepherd.

In chapter 9 we saw Jesus give a man who was born blind a new pair of "eyes with which to see". And see he did! He was delivered before the Pharisees, the religious leaders who were supposed to be the shepherds of truth and of the sheep of God's flock, and he saw right through their hypocrisy and wickedness, and so out the door he went, a man free from blindness and the bondage of religion too! Of course the Pharisees excommunicated him, but I'll speculate that as he was leaving he said to them something like, "Let me tell you what you can do with your excommunication papers!"

It therefore logically follows that Jesus Christ will now teach us the difference between false shepherds and shepherds of the True Shepherd. But first we need to know a little about sheep and how they are cared for. You see, shepherds tend their sheep during the day, and at night they "fold" them, i.e. gather them together in a safe place and bed them down for the night. Back then this was often done in a safe haven called a sheepcote or a sheepfold, a place to fold the sheep.

Sheepfold and Sheepcote.
An inclosure for sheep (Jer. 23:3, Ezek.34:14) whither the flock was ordinarily driven for the night. Many were permanent pens, surrounded by a stone wall (cp. Num. 32:16) and entered by a gate (John 10:1). The wall was often surmounted with branches of thorny shrubs. The sheep lay in the yard under the open sky; but doubtless there were in former days, as there are now, low, flat buildings on the sheltered side of the area, in which the flocks were shut up on cold nights. It was common for several flocks to pass the night in one fold under the care of an under-shepherd. The shepherds came in the morning, and were admitted by the under-shepherd. Each shepherd knew the sheep of his own flock, and was known by them (John 10:3,4). Less substantial inclosures were hastily formed of tangled thorn branches for temporary use on pastures remote from home, and caves and other natural shelters were taken advantage of for protecting the sheep at night, the shepherds camping with their flocks. On ranges exposed to the raids of robbers or hostile tribes, towers were erected, about which the flocks and herds were pastured and at night folded (2 Kings 27:9; 2 Chron. 26:10; Mic. 4:8). ("A Dictionary of the Bible", John D. Davis, Baker Book House, 1958, pg. 706.)

Now that we know what a sheepfold is, it will be much easier to understand the following parable (vs. 6). These are the words of Jesus Christ, the one and only True Shepherd.

John 10:1
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

There is only one way to enter into the sheepfold, and that is by the DOOR or the gate.

[2]But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

Not only do the false shepherds not enter in through the "Door" but as thieves they steal the birthright and even eternal life from the sheep. But know this: The false shepherd of false shepherds, Satan, is soon coming into the sheepfold to steal ALL the sheep who do not have the seal of the True Shepherd in their foreheads (Rev. 9:4). He will look just like the True Shepherd but he is the Antishepherd, a thief and a robber indeed.

But he that enters in by the door is a real shepherd, as opposed to a false one.

[3]To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

He CALLS his own sheep by name and they willfully follow him. He does not have to drive them because they know His voice and follow his lead.

[4]And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

The sheep know and recognize his voice because they have ears to hear the True Shepherd. But many of the sheep of the True Shepherd, who were born blind, were in times past lead about by different shepherds who had not entered the sheepcote through the door. Then one day they (His sheep) heard the voice of the True Shepherd call them and intuitively knew that it was His Voice. And many marveled why they hadn't heard it before when it is so audible, so crisp and so clear. You see, the voice of the True Shepherd is His Word, not that of a man!

John 10:5
And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Once they have heard His Voice, His Word, they can then spot a false shepherd easily because false shepherds speak with their own voice!

[6] This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

Do you understand this parable? Has the shepherd of the sheepfold you are in entered through the door or climbed into the pulpit another way? Here's how you can tell:

[7] Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

Here we see Jesus, using that sacred name, "I AM", once again, declare that He is the "Door", and it is through that "Door" which one must enter!

[8] All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

Yes, it is true historically, even before Christ's advent, that none of His sheep listened to the thieves and robbers. But you should ask yourself this question: "Before you heard the voice of the True Shepherd, which perked up your ears and you began to hear [understand], just who were you listening to?"

[9] I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

If you have entered in through the "Door", then not only are you secure and safe and saved, but you are free to go in and out of any sheepfold and find pasture [food], for you have that freedom in Him. In other words you are not trapped in some sheepfold and held there by fear of some rogue shepherd who lords over you. Remember the parents of the blind man? They were afraid that they might be kicked out of the sheepfold, weren't they? Yes, they were afraid they might be outside the sheepcote without a shepherd! You see, if the Lord was their Shepherd, they would have no fear of going in or out!

John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Jesus Christ came to give eternal life, but the thief comes to steal that away and cause the sheep to be slaughtered and perish.

[11] I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

And so the True Shepherd did become as one of the sheep, even the very Lamb of God, and was killed, crucified, by the thief of thieves and his crooked hirelings. And so it is with a shepherd, let's call him a pastor, who hears and follows the true Voice. He or she cares for the sheep and does not teach for hire or for self glory, but leads the sheep to the true Door, whereby once they are entered into His sheepfold they can now go in and out on their own, without fear or worry because they know that the True Shepherd constantly watches over them.

[12] But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

Yep, that about sums up the clergy of today. Not very many are willing to take a stand and defend the sheep. Nor do they place real food in the troughs nor "leadeth their flocks to lie down in lush green pastures" to feed on His Word. They are too busy with ceremony and cere-money. They are gutless wonders with scarcely a conviction they can call their own, and they are quick to run from controversy and truth, rather clinging to the traditions of men. They are hirelings all right! They are Judas goats!

[13] The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

The hireling has no real interest in the sheep. It just a ministerial job with health benefits and a 401k. And many are so Biblically illiterate they have no idea what His Voice sounds like!

[14] I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

And though they walk through the valley the shadow of death, they will fear no evil: for they know He is with them; and the rod and the staff of the Good Shepherd comforts them (Psalm 23:4).

Psalm 23:1
A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

This story is sad but true. There have been many Christians who have followed a "man-shepherd" who eventually let them down or went astray and they suddenly found themselves left outside the sheepcote in the cold, for they had put their trust and faith in that man. However, there is only One True Shepherd, even the Lord Jesus Christ, and if He is your Shepherd then you can listen to any man-shepherd and not fear or be anxious or insecure about tomorrow, because you know where the "door" is, and you recognize His voice when you hear it spoken.It is the Word of God.

This actually poses a real problem for religions, yes even "Christian" religions. You see, when you read and understand God's Word and hear His voice, you discover that there is only one mediator between God and man, and that is the True Shepherd. And in Him we are free to "go in and out", even in and out of the Holy of Holies whereby we can talk directly to our Father. So when we pray [talk to Him] we do not need to dial an 800 number, or pledge $30 a month to some ministry, or go through some other conduit other than that which flows from the Virgin Fountain, or seek the help or voice of some other shepherd. If you really and truly know that, then you will understand how that Christianity is "not a religion", for if He is your Shepherd then there can be "No Man" or "System" that comes between you and God, ONLY the WORD OF GOD! So you are NEVER without a Shepherd, are you?

Jesus has just told us that He is the good Shepherd and knows His sheep and they know Him.

John 10:15
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.

The other sheep that Jesus is referring to here are the gentiles. I think E. W. Bullinger, that great Christian scholar from the early years of the 20th century, in his magnificent book, "How to ENJOY the Bible", gives a great explanation of this. Here are a couple of paragraphs from  pg. 146. The topic is the close of the dispensation preceding the Messiah.

"During that period (covered by the Gospels and Acts) the called out ones are the "Sheep-fold" of John 10. The assembly was composed of "the lost sheep of the house of Israel." "The Porter" (John the Baptist) opened it and admitted the true Shepherd and the sheep whom He gathered; Baptism (the pool by the sheep-gate) being the mode of admission. Christ was the good Shepherd of these "lost sheep of the House of Israel: thus called out. Hence He was the "door" (vs. 7), and the "shepherd" (vs. 14).

Peter called out the "other sheep" which the Shepherd had (Acts 8 -12), and brought them in to the "one flock" (vs. 16). They were "not of this (Jewish) fold," but Gentiles (as such), who were to become "one flock" with Israelites, who confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God."

And so it was for this purpose that Jesus came into the world to pay the price for all, both Israel and gentile alike, i.e. everyone.

[17]Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

He was given that power as the next verse will document. So He knew that He would rise again on the 3rd Day.

[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.

We have already seen that no one could touch Him because it was not His hour, it was not the appointed time.

John 10:19
There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.

Especially, as we have noted before and will do so again, between the real Judahites and those imposters who claim to be of Judah, but are not.

[20] And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?

These "many" who would be accusing Christ, are the offspring of the "great accuser" of our brethren. They said then, and they still say today, "Why do you listen to Him?"

[21] Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?

Satan can only close your eyes or keep them closed.

[22] And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.

Do you know what this feast is? Did you know that there is no appointed feast of God in the winter? Let's read of this feast of the dedication in Smith's Bible Dictionary under the heading "festivals":

"After the Captivity, and in later times, there was the Feast of the Dedication, in memory of the fresh consecration of the temple after it had been profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes (1 Macc. 4:52-59), B.C. 164 (John 10:22). It was held beginning on the 15th day of the 9th month (December) and lasted eight days. The modern Jews light one light on the first day, two on the next, etc. (8 on the last), making it a "Feast of Lights" (Ant. 12. 7,7). Business and jollity going on as usual."

The name this feast goes by is "Hanukkah".

[23] And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.

Knowing that we have just been given the time of the year, then why do you suppose Jesus walked in the temple to Solomon's porch? Of course there was a reason, or it wouldn't be given to us. There is a purpose and lesson to be learned from each and every action of the Messiah.

Jesus walked there in order to have the following conversation with those who had worked their way into the temple and were now in charge. Remember we discussed the Nethinim in our last study and how Christ said that the scribes and Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses? It was Solomon who built the temple and who first brought those non-Israelite temple workers, the Nethinims, into God's House. You can look up the definition of "Nethinim" in your Strong's Concordance, but here's a few excerpt's from The Dictionary of the Bible, by John D. Davis.

Nethinim, in A.V. Nethinims [given].

Temple servants or slaves given by David and the princes for the service of the Levites (Ezra 8:20). Prior to their appointment, similar functions seem to have been discharged by the Midianites, whom Moses gave over to the Levites (Num. 31:47), and at a subsequent period by the Gibeonites, whom Joshua assigned as hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of God (Josh. 9:23). Even after the Nethinim were associated with them or superceded them, the number of the Nethinim may have been too small for the elaborate temple services instituted by David's son and successor, and been increased; for we find in the books of Ezra (2:55-58) and Nehemiah (7:57-60) the children of Solomon's servants, i.e. slaves, mentioned after and numbered with the Nethinim.  Although they were organized by David, it was probably under a different name; for the word Nethinim occurs only in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, with a solitary passage in 1 Chron. 9:2. They discharged the more menial duties required by the temple worship. Of the Nethinim and the children of Solomon's servants, 392 returned from captivity with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:58; Neh. 7:60), and 220 more with Ezra (Ezra 8:17-20).

[Now pay close attention to next two sections.]

The Nethinim seem to have been naturalized foreigners rather than people of true Israelite descent (1 Chron. 9:2. Ezra 2:59; Neh. 7:61), and several of the names on the list of their leading men have a foreign aspect (Ezra 2:43-54; Neh. 7:46-56)...

The children of Tabbaoth and Keros, and of Solomon's servants the children of Sophereth (Ezra 2:43,44,55), which mean the children of rings, of the weaver's comb, and of the scribal office, apparently denote the official duties in the temple which the men of these classes discharged.

[That's correct. Foreigners, i.e. kenites, became the scribes for the lazy Levites. It would be these scribes that would work their way "up the ladder", so to speak, and eventually sit in the seat of Moses by the time Christ arrived at His first advent.]

Some of them lived on Ophel, a southern prolongation of the temple hill...

[The tower of Ophel, where these kenites lived, was above the conduit through which the water from the Virgin Fountain flowed into the Pool of Siloam. So even though these false shepherds of the sons of Cain were in charge of the temple, the Living Water flowed right beneath them. Talk about symbolic?]

Holding an official position at the temple, although the office was menial, they were exempt from imperial taxation (Ezra 7:24).

[Now there's a surprise! Kenites avoiding taxes! Just shows there is nothing new under the sun.]

They seem to have adopted with some cordiality the covenant made at the instance of Nehemiah to worship Jehovah (Neh. 10:28,29).

Yes, they embraced the covenant so cordially! Bah humbug! They embrace only the gods of money, power and ego! But at least now you should have a little better understanding of the mixing in of the kenites into the temple and their claim to be of the tribe of Judah. And yet the major portion of these "foreigners", i.e. kenites, would later in history be mixed in with Judah. That occurred around 650-750 A.D. Read the article in the Encyclopedia Britannica (preferably an older version) about the "Khazars". Here is one paragraph:

"Khazar civilization shows a fairly complex texture and their religious life raises more than one problem. Christianity, Islam, Judaism and some sort of "pagan" worship are all attested by sources. About 740 the Khazar ruler - and probably the greater part of the ruling classes - were converted to Judaism. The circumstances of their conversion remain obscure, the depth of the Jewish layer difficult to assess; the fact itself is, however, undisputed and unparalled in the history of central Eurasia."

You should also look up the meaning of the word "Khazar". You see, it was not Christ's sheep from His sheepfold (which included Judah) that crucified Him. It was those robbers and murderers who had entered in another way. Of course Judah has been blamed for it.

So let's now return to Solomon's porch during the celebration of Hannakah and see what the imposters, those who claim to be of Israel, but are not, yet who are in charge of the temple have to say to the Messiah.

John 10:24
Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

Again, as we have noted before, the Greek word Ioudous, translated "Jews", means either a person of the tribe of Judah or a resident of Judea, which was also where the Nethimin lived.

They want Jesus to just say, "I am the Messiah", and yet these thieving, murderous, rogue shepherds have already seen the miracles Jesus has performed, and Jesus already said several times, I AM, but they didn't "hear" Him.

[25]Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

There is a reason they did not believe.

[26] But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

They were not children of Abraham. Remember, they were FOREIGNERS claiming to be descendents of Abraham. Worse yet, they were not only liars (Rev. 2:9; 3:9) but they were direct descendents of their father Cain, whose father was Satan himself. Remember Christ told them just that in John 8:44 - 47? They were not of God. They were of Satan, the devil.

John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Had the scribes and Pharisees been who they claimed to be, they would have followed Christ .Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea were who they claimed to be, and they did follow Him, didn't they?

One more verse:

[28] And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

He meant every word of John 3:16. And when you are of the sheepfold of the True Shepherd, no little goat herder can close your eyes and lead you blindly off into some other sheepcote!

The Jews had encircled Jesus (vs. 24) and demanded that He say the words, "I am the Christ". However, Jesus already told them that, but they didn't believe Him, even in light of all the works and miracles He performed that could obviously ONLY be from the Father. And He also told them the reason they didn't believe Him is that they were NOT His sheep.

Jesus then told the Jews that He gives eternal life to His sheep who know and hear His voice and that they shall never perish. Furthermore, He made it quite clear that no one can undo that which He does nor take away anything or anyone from His hand (vs. 28).

And the reason they couldn't take anyone from His hand is because God Almighty, His Father, the most powerful One in the universe, gave them to Him, and NO ONE takes anything out of the Father's hand, least of all some puny man.

John 10:29
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

There is much comfort in this verse.You see, once you are in His sheepfold you cannot be stolen or plucked out. Jesus Christ will not permit it. As it is written concerning these last days, no one can touch you if you have the seal of God, His Word, locked in your forehead (Rev. 9:4). So with that kind of security and guarantee why would anyone need to fly away in the Rapturemobile? As Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter 6, we are to put on the Gospel Armor and take a stand, not run or fly away!

John 10:30
I and my Father are one.

The strength of the Almighty is with Christ. Verse 38 will explain.

[31]Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

Uh oh! Now they are really "ticked off". Jesus has made Himself at one with the Father. Time to do the mature, adult, religious thing. Pick up stones and throw them.

But wait just minute! Jesus has a little question for ya'll!

[32] Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

This question is so perfect as it will cause these hypocrites to admit they ARE NOT stoning Him because of His "good" works. This will put them in a difficult position because you see, this subject of works and miracles will come up again as soon as they are once again put to shame for not knowing the scriptures they claim to know and teach! Here is their answer:

[33] The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

There was no doubt in their minds that He was making Himself equal with God.

OK fellas, it is once again time for your Bible lesson.

John 10:34
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

Have you ever noticed how Jesus always prefaced His answers to the scribes and Pharisees with,"It is written", or "Is it not written?", or "Haven't you read?" They claimed to be knowledgeable shepherds, trustees of the Laws of God, you know? What better way to convict them than by (1) scriptural documentation and (2) common sense reasoning!

So Jesus quoted Psalms 82:6 to them.

Psalm 82:6
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

And now the perfect explanation by the Messiah, to which these goons have no "come back", no intelligent rebuttal, because the point is so well made.

John 10:35
If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

If those to whom the Word of God came were called gods, i.e. elohim or sons of God (the Hebrew word for children in Ps. 82:6 is "ben", which means "son of") and the scripture cannot be broken;

[36]Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

Then how can you say that the One whom the Father has sanctified, and sent into the world, and given such credentials to through mighty "good" works, is a blasphemer? Hmmm?

Like I said, there is no logical nor scriptural argument that be made in defense of their stated reason why they were going to stone Him. Therefore:

[37] If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.

Back to the subject of works. Christ has totally undermined their "blasphemy" accusation using scripture and common sense and now He tells them if they can prove that the works He did were not good and of God, then they should have cause and justification to not believe in Him.

But who on earth are they going to convince that healing the sick and giving sight to the blind (on their own merits) is a bad thing?

Jesus then says, "Just focus a minute on the works and the miracles! They ought to tell you something, at least that God is present, that the Father is in me and I in Him."

John 10:38
But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

If a person has any spiritual sensibility about them at all then it should be self-evident that the Father was in Him. Never in the history of the world has any man performed such wonders.

Also, notice the further explanation of verse 10, "I and the Father are One", that "The Father is in me, and I in Him."

[39] Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

Hey, where's the wisdom and rebuttal from the great scripture lawyers, the mouthy Pharisees? They are LOSERS!

And to prove that they are losers, they try to "take" Him again. They tried this before, but it didn't work! Remember, "Now you see Him, now you don't?"

[40] And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.

Note from the Companion Bible: This was in December, and He remained away till April, visiting Bethany (11:1) in the interval, and spending the latter part of the time at the city of Ephraim (11:54).

So Jesus went back to the place where John the Baptist taught and first baptized. This would naturally lend itself to bringing up the subject of John the Baptist and the things he taught and said.

[41] And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.

Many to whom the ministry of John the Baptist had left a lasting impression came [resorted] unto Him. Notice that it wasn't necessary for them to see a miracle. Just the witnessing of the exact fulfillment of so many scriptures which could not be denied, declared Jesus Christ as Messiah. And you know what? It still does to this very day.

[42] And many believed on Him there.

What a marvelous teacher, the Word of God.

In chapter 11 we are going see Jesus perform the 7th miracle, or sign as John calls them, in this Gospel of John. Jesus is going to raise a man from the dead! But not just any man to show He can do it! He will raise one named Lazarus, and for a very special reason, to teach a very special lesson to those with eyes to see and ears to hear. So try not to be too busy and miss it! It is amazing indeed!

                                 

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