The door to any structure is the most important part of the structure. It is the aperture which either allows one into the structure or prevents one from interring the structure. Jesus the Christ (“anointed One”) said of Himself, “I am THE DOOR ….” (Jn. 10:1-16). Notice that He is not A door, but rather THE ONE AND ONLY ENTRANCE into His father’s “sheepfold” (church). The word rendered “door” in the Greek language is “thyra,” meaning gate. He is the strait (strict/narrow) gate (Mat. 7:13,14) one must pass through which is a permanent and very discriminatory part of the church. A door is an opening in a wall. The wall of God’s church is the barrier between light and darkness, holiness and evil, spirituality and religion, life and death.

Life-seeking man must become a Hebrew. He must voluntarily leave the dark, evil, religious and deadly nature of his old life and “cross over” into the light, holiness, spirituality and life of God’s church. His entrance is gained through true conversion. Once within the wall of the church (having been converted) he must, by the power of the Holy Spirit, “walk” (live) as Christ “walked” (1 Jn. 2:6) in strict obedience to the Father’s Law (1 Jn. 3:4) in order to remain in His flock. The Hebrew’s continuation on that righteous, holy walk until his death or Christ’s return will RESULT IN ETERNAL LIFE (Rom. 5:21; 6:22/ Mat. 10:22; 24:13). Notice that both Jesus and Paul said that the END RESULT of crossing over and living in holiness until the END is eternal life. Contrary to popular opinion, we are neither saved nor born again in this life. Read Hope and Salvation and Born Again. Key words–Hope and Born respectively.

In John 9:40 and 41 we find Jesus speaking to a group of Pharisees. In the following verses Jesus speaks parabolically to people He knows will not believe what He says and are looking for legal reason to kill Him. In the parable He tells them how the shepherd, the sheep, the gate and the sheepfold combine to create His Father’s true church. He also tells Truth seekers in the end-time church how their pastor, the strait gate and the church operate in unison. He also notes how false shepherds (prophets) enter His sheepfold.

Beginning with 10:1 Jesus tells us that there are two ways a shepherd enters God’s “sheepfold” (church). One way is to avoid the door and climb over the wall. Notice that those who do this are robbers, thieves and killers (vs 10) who, by robbing salvation seekers of God’s Biblical Truths, steal their walks with the Lord and spiritually kill their souls. When talking with church people I can clearly see in their faces what their shepherds have done to them. I find myself talking to spiritual zombies. Their faces become blank when the Word of God is put before them.

In verses two through four Jesus explains that THE shepherd (true pastor) of the sheep enters the sheepfold (church) through THE (only) door/”thyra”/gate. His words (teachings) are the Truths spoken by the gate (Jesus Christ–vss 7,9). The pastor’s sheep (disciples) recognize his voice for that is the only voice they have been taught and will accept. He teaches them only God’s Truth so that they immediately recognize the false when they hear it. The door keeper (porter) also recognizes his voice and allows him to enter to where the sheep (his disciples) are. When leaving in search of grass the pastor calls to his sheep. His true sheep recognize his voice and follow him out to where there is good grazing. A false shepherd can call to them and they will flee from him (vs 9), knowing that his “food” is deadly.

In verse 8 and 12 through 14 and Matthew 24:4 and 5 Jesus warns us about false pastors (Satan-led influencers). The shepherd’s true sheep (disciples/saints) refuse to hear the words of the false shepherd. They know that he wants to steal their minds (hearts), to kill them spiritually and to destroy their congregation (vs 10). The false pastor is the enemy of God. He is a “hireling” who speaks what the majority want to hear in order to keep the pay checks coming and to retain his ordination. In verses 12 and 13 Jesus tells us that the hireling is nothing but a religious puppet who follows the orders of his controllers.

The “wolf” referred to in verse 12 is not Satan, for Satan is his god and controller. The “wolf” refers to Satan’s church masters who determine what will be preached within the denomination, faith, church, etc.. Though they believe they are serving the Biblical God, they spiritually devour the sheep. Their ministerial ancestors having been taught by the same god, they believe that they are serving the true God. The hireling knows that as long as he performs as programmed he will be paid. Any thought of preaching God’s Truth is quickly rejected. He knows that to obey the Holy Scriptures would result in a visit from “the wolf.” Knowing the “creature” first-hand and being totally dependent on it, the false prophet “flees” from God’s Word so that he cannot be connected to it and therefore upset his masters who would fire him and take away his source of income. In order to keep the money coming in and to maintain its source he preaches the company line and thereby remains in the wolf’s and their god’s good graces.

A personal example perfectly shows the above in action. A local preacher admitted to one of his parishioners that I was exact right in everything I had written in the local paper. But, he told her, he would continue to preach what his denomination dictated, which, as I proved in the newspaper article, is the exact opposite of what God teaches. See the home page for this website for examples of what I wrote about. This is a perfect example of a hireling, having the Truth placed in front of him, rejecting it in favor of church doctrine the “wolf” tells him to preach. In so doing he “flees” from God’s Truth and allows the “wolf” to devour the vast majority of the church. The “few” who enter through God’s “strait gate” (Jesus) hear only the Words of His true shepherds who do what the “Good Shepherd” tells them to do (vs 11).

The true shepherd continues to preach God’s Truth as instructed by Jesus Christ. He looks to the printed Word of God and listens to His Holy Spirit. Jesus, the “gate,” was God’s Word in human form. The Holy Bible is God in written form. Jesus is called “the Word” (Jn. 1:1-4,14). The Hebrew can enter the sheepfold only by obeying “the Word” of the Word–the Door of the sheepfold.

In verse 16 Jesus says: “I HAVE (at that time) other sheep who are not of this (Jewish) fold (group) who SHALL (later) hear My voice.” They, along with Truth-seeking Gentiles, would later hear His voice (Word/Gospel/Truth/Light) through His apostles whom He would send throughout the world. These “other sheep” are the lost ten tribes of Israel who would hear their preaching and return to the God of their forefathers–Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. Read Matthew 10:5 through 7. L.J.