But
he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the
doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own
sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep,
he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice
John 10:2-4
Notice
in the above Scripture that the shepherd calls his sheep out by name.
I've never really thought about that before, but I found it interesting
that this particular shepherd knows every sheep by name! Most shepherds
would be put in charge of dozens or maybe hundreds of sheep, and my bet
is, they didn't name them all or even know their names. But our Good
Shepherd knows each of our names and He calls us.
This reminded me of the rapture because I've heard various prophetic words saying that at the rapture Jesus Himself will call each of us up by name. 1 Thessalonians 4 :16 says that Jesus descends from Heaven with a shout! He calls us by name. But the important thing is, are we truly His sheep. Because only His Sheep hear that call!
“Now
My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this
hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your
name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it
and will glorify it again.”
Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”
Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” John 12:27-32
Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”
Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” John 12:27-32
In
the above passage, Jesus was about to go to the cross. Notice that
Father God spoke in an audible voice to His Son in the hearing of many.
But who heard it? Who understood it? Some only heard thunder. Some said
it was an angel. In other words, only true sheep will hear the
Shepherd's call. Does that mean that at the rapture, those around us
who aren't saved won't hear Jesus call our name? I believe so. They may
hear something, but they won't hear Jesus's words. Why? Only His Sheep
hear His voice.
The
relationship between a shepherd and his sheep is a very close one. It
is one of care, dependency, and deep knowledge, where the shepherd
leads, protects, and provides for the sheep, while the sheep, in turn,
recognize the shepherd's voice, trust his guidance, and depend on him
for survival. The sheep are unable to provide for themselves and are
vulnerable without a shepherd's protection and provision. This is such a
great example of our relationship with Jesus.
The
important thing now as we are so close to the rapture, is to make sure
you are one of the Lord's sheep! You might be a sheep, but are you in
His flock? Do you recognize His voice when He calls? Do you have a
close relationship with Him? Are you following Him? In other words, are
you walking in obedience to Him and His Word? Do you spend time with
Him? Do you trust Him to protect you and bring you safely home to
Heaven?
Greetings Precious Sister,
ReplyDeleteTalking about Jesus know each one of us by name. I love this script and have always marveled at it. I wonder if He will change our names as He did with most of the Apostles ( I will give him a white stone with a new name written on it known only to him) ? Doesnt it say; For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. And I wonder if its not like in Acts where they are all speaking in tongues. These are recognized dialects, everyone hearing in their own tongue. Will the Lord shout one word heard across the whole earth, yet everyone will hear his own name being called ?
Awesome post. I love to ponder these things.
Christs peace
I would love a new name! I've never liked my name and I associate it with my fallen nature... so I would love for Jesus to give me a better one! Yes... you're right.. the White stone with a new name! I do hope He calls my name out.. "MaryLu, come up here!" or "Joe, come up here!" Wouldn't that be awesome?
DeleteHello Sister in Christ,
ReplyDeleteAmen, I also believe the calling of our names is what the “shout” is referring to in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Since the Lord is omnipotent and omniscient, could it be that every raptured person would hear the name being called even though it is only one shout? This is referenced by John 10:27 where Jesus said “my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
Aside from the shout, does it also mean that only the Raptured will hear the trumpet while those left behind may only hear rumbling or thunder like it was with Jesus going to the cross? Since it will be in the “twinkling of an eye,” could it be that we will be transformed into our glorified bodies and then instantly be taken to heaven and those left may not even notice our sudden change and disappearance?
I have heard that some Believers feel the Rapture may be while Israel is still 77, so that means there are only eight days left before its 78th birthday, but I definitely would not bet on it since we keep telling ourselves that God’s timing is perfect. With Mother’s Day coming this weekend, I wonder if this may be our final one in this world and whether we might be here for Father’s Day, but perhaps we might observe these days in Heaven as well?
The news stated that Trump believes Iran may reopen the Strait of Hormuz due to “good progress towards a deal,” along with new strike itineraries in the event the deal fails. Also, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that ships may pass through the strait again. While many will think this is positive news, we Believers should definitely not be gullible, for complacency has proven to be dangerous throughout history and this one, while not much different, may be the catalyst for something far more disastrous that we just do not know about yet. Do you believe this is true?
Have a great day Sister and keep looking up, for I also believe our departure is near. Peace and Blessings from a Brother in Christ.
Hi Brother! The Bible doesn't say what the left behind will hear.. perhaps just thunder like the people heard when God spoke over Jesus's baptism. I guess we'll find out soon!
DeleteAlso, no idea about Mother's Day or leaving before May 14th... these are all speculations from well-meaning saints. I don't discount them. I simply do not place my hopes on them.
Honestly, I'm quite sick of this Strait of Hormuz saber rattling. First, it's closed, then it's open, then it's closed again, then the talks are on again, then off, then Trump swears he's going to wipe Iran off the planet, then he relents and gives them more time, then he says there's no deal, then he says they are working on a deal... it's insanity! I refuse to listen to it anymore. I feel like they are just playing us for fools and trying to keep us confused, while they ruin the Global economy.
Whatever happens.. whether a false flag or real event, something will trigger this thing to kick off. We wait and watch. But mostly pray and stay close to Jesus!
Blessings to you, Brother!