“When He has brought out all His own, He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice.” John 10:4

You know what i find interesting, this verse in John is 10:4 and 10-4 is radio speak for “understood” basically, “Okay, I hear you and understand.” i don’t know where the radio call signs come from or what influenced them but i wouldn’t be surprised if somehow it was related to John 10:4. Knowing and recognizing the voice of Yahoshua is key and becoming increasingly critical as we step into the last days. Yes, i do believe we are entering the last of the last days. It is my goal to be as responsive to the voice of Yahoshua as my dog Shiloh is to mine. i want to recognize His voice as so familiar it is like that of my boys recognizing the voice of their dad, me.

We need to be so in tuned with Yahoshua that we hear, recognize, and obey. We may hear a similar voice, but if it goes against Elohim’s Word it is a counterfeit. Now we may hear and we may recognize, but if we do not obey we are only fooling ourselves. We need all three to truly walk with Adonai Yahoshua. Perilous times are upon us as described in 2 Timothy 3 and 4.

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of Elohim, having an idea of divinity, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

This instruction to Timothy is a warning much like that of Yahoshua’s teaching in John 10 — “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. . . He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.” (John 10:10, 12-13)

People who truly don’t know the voice of Yahoshua will follow that of the thief, and the stranger, who brings teachings that tickle the ears but harden the heart. Yahoshua continues in John 10 —

“I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10:14-16)

Who are the other sheep not of this fold? The fold He is talking about is Israel, the other sheep are those out of the gentile nations. We must learn to recognize His voice. Also, notice that we become one! There are not two separate people, but one people of Elohim through Yahoshua. We did not replace Israel, and we are not on a different level or end time path, we are one! Paul instructs Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by Elohim and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of El may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The “All Scripture,” Paul is referring to here is what we know today as the Old Testament. Yahoshua never quoted the New Testament, obviously, as it hadn’t been written. All the Apostles, taught as Yahoshua taught, from the “Old.” Yahoshua, is the Word made flesh, as John describes— “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim. He was in the beginning with Elohim. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” A few verses down John adds, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory , glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” In essence, Yahoshua is the Torah. More than just the five Books of Moses, He is the major and minor prophets, He is the books of wisdom, He is the Word made flesh. He cannot contradict Himself.

Would it not make sense if we are to truly understand the Word made flesh that we look at the whole of the Word. “My sheep know My voice and come to Me.” Do you know His voice? Will you be able to recognize it over the noise, distractions, and falsehoods, that are coming in these last days? Are you willing to follow the Good Shepherd when — “Indeed, all who desire to live a divinely inspired life in Messiah Yahoshua will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:12-13)

We need to to begin to understand Him by reading the very Word He represents. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Do you know His voice?

You are loved,
cj