Herbert W Armstrong

   Who are the "other sheep" of John 10:16?

   Christ said: "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I will bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and ONE shepherd" (John 10:16). "This fold" refers to Judah (the Jews) who were living in Palestine. Christ came to His own (the Jews) and His own received Him not (John 1:11). Christ was born of the tribe of Judah, but the Jews rejected Him saying, "We will not have this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14).

   Who are the "other sheep" then? The "other sheep" are the other tribes of Israel. Israel (Jacob) had more than one son — he had TWELVE sons! The "other sheep" then are the descendants of the other eleven sons of Jacob. Christ referred to them (the other tribes of Israel) as the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt. 10:6). The Jews referred to the other tribes of Israel as "the dispersed" among the Gentiles (John 7:35). Israel and Judah became two separate nations (houses) during the reign of Rehoboam, Solomon's son.

   For proof of where the other tribes of Israel were at that time and where they are today, read Mr. Armstrong's booklet "The United States and the British Commonwealth in Prophecy." The "other sheep" of the lost tribes of Israel were not in Palestine.

   Some have thought the Gentiles represent the other sheep. Yet, it must be remembered that only the descendants of Jacob (Israel) are referred to as SHEEP in all the Bible. The Gentiles can obtain salvation through Christ but nationally they are never referred to as sheep (see Eph. 2:11-13).

   Christ concluded by saying: "And there shall be ONE fold, and ONE shepherd." When will the house of Israel AND the house of Judah be ONE FOLD and have ONE KING and ONE SHEPHERD? The prophet Ezekiel gives the answer (Ezek. 37:22-23). David, resurrected, will be that KING with Christ, the CHIEF SHEPHERD (verses 24-26). Ezekiel 34:23, Jeremiah 30:9, and Psalm 89:27 explain that David is to be RESURRECTED from the dead and made king. The resurrection from the dead occurs at Christ's second coming to this earth (I Thess. 4:13-18; Heb. 11:13, 39-40; I Cor. 15:20-23, 50-53). Christ will then establish the new covenant with the house or Israel AND the house of Judah (Heb. 8:8; Jer. 31:31-33). Thus, the "other sheep" are the other tribes of Israel that left the land of Palestine but who will return again along with Judah and come under the rule of Christ through the resurrected David (see Jer. 50:4-6).