Dr. James' Journal

Sheep in the New Testament

When we come to the New Testament and to mix a metaphor, God did not change horses in the middle of the stream (of history) with His sheep. The Bible is consistent throughout. The sheep in the New Testament are still the same people they symbolized in the Old Testament; namely, the Israelites. When Jesus first sent out His apostles to “get their feet wet” in healing and casting out demons, He very specifically instructed them concerning to whom they were to minister and whom they were to avoid.

Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

To drive the point home, Jesus clearly stated to whom He was sent in Matthew, chapter 15:

Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Note first that Jesus commands His disciples not to go the “Gentiles.” In this case, “gentiles” means non-Israelites. Sometimes, however, it actually means Israelites! Hence, it is a very confusing word to many Christians. Its meaning in the Bible must be discerned according to context. To obtain clarity on this word “gentiles,” see A Study into the Meaning of the Word “Gentile” as Used in the Bible. Jesus also commanded His disciples not to go to the Samaritans. The Samaritans were a people of mixed ancestry, mostly non-Israelite, but perhaps with a trace of Israelite blood. But, good heavens! That sounds like Jesus was laying down a very exclusionary and discriminatory policy, doesn’t it? Well, …doesn’t it?

I know that such a thought is politically incorrect, socially incorrect and religiously incorrect in contemporary America, but let’s be honest. Isn’t that exactly what Jesus was saying? There is no way to sugar coat or soft-peddle the idea that Jesus instructed and commanded his followers to discriminate! That word has come to connote hatred and racism today, as though no one should ever be allowed to discriminate. It is an unfortunate perversion of the word.

To discriminate simply means to recognize a difference and to make judgments based on differences. It is as natural as breathing. Everyone discriminates every day. Example: when you were grocery shopping, you looked at the refrigerated meat in the butcher shop area. You chose one package of meat over another. You discriminated. You later filled up your gas tank at the pump and you chose unleaded regular over premium grade. You discriminated.

Getting more to the issue, the learned, witty and wonderful Walter Williams, professor of economics at George Mason University, wrote a column—or maybe I heard him say this on the radio—regardless, the point is that he took issue with the political correctness of discrimination. He proclaimed that decades ago as he began looking around for a woman to marry, he immediately excluded all white, Asian and Latino women. “I discriminated,” Williams declared. “I am a black man and I was only interested in marrying a black woman.”

But we are not talking “merely” about the issue of one’s right to discriminate in choosing a marriage partner, but in reference to the gospel, we are addressing something of even greater gravity—the issue of eternal life and salvation. Does the fact that Jesus declared “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” mean that people of all other races, families, and people groups are not eligible for salvation to eternal life? Actually, no. That would be eisegesis (reading into the text something that it does not say). Nor does Jesus’ statement necessarily imply that others cannot obtain eternal life.

In fact, as regular readers of this website know, we teach (not the “Universalism” of the Unitarian Universalists, nor the “Universalism” of Judaism), but biblical, Christian Universal Reconciliation. So how do we get from Jesus’ seemingly very exclusionary and discriminatory statements in Matthew 10:5,6 and Matthew 15:24 to the idea of everyone being saved? To explain that is not possible in these brief journal entries. I did an extensive series of lectures (38 in all) some years ago, building the case “line upon line.” They are available in a set of four CD albums under the overall title God’s Plan for Man. (Scroll down to page 4 in the preceding hyperlink.)

My book, Sacred Secrets of the Sovereignty of God, was based on part of that series, and there are two or more follow-up books to come which will offer even more than is in those audio lectures. But just in the issue raise here today about Jesus’ exclusion of the Samaritans, we suggest you hear our two lecture study entitled The Samaritans. It goes into great detail concerning this very “exclusionary” and “discriminatory” policy laid down by the Savior. (Order CD numbers 323 & 324; $10 ppd.) The key point, of course, is timing. Jesus was sent ONLY to the “lost sheep of the House of Israel.”

By the way, the House of Israel is NOT the “Jews.” Ah, discrimination again! Yes, and one must rightly divide the word of truth. See the article The Bible Distinction Between the “House of Israel” and the “House of Judah.”
Once you see that great truth, you will read God’s Word with newly-enlightened eyes. But timing is the key. Jesus was sent to the House of Israel and then Israel was commissioned to carry the gospel (good news) to the rest of their brother Israelites first, and afterwards and in the process to the rest of the world! Because part of the covenant God made with Abraham was that …

Genesis 28:14 …and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

Does that leave anyone out? Does that exclude anyone? It could not mean only Israel because Jacob-Israel, the head of the family, had not even been born yet when God made that promise to Abraham! “All the families” means just what it says. It includes “…all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues…” (Revelation 7:9). So to those of you whose ancestry is other than Israel, rest assured that you are not forgotten in God’s great Plan.

He chose the children of Israel (the seed of Abraham, and of whom came the singular seed, Jesus) for a very special purpose, and frankly, we as a people have failed miserably. But that, too, was part of God’s great Plan. And as an Israelite (but not a “Jew”), I rest in the knowledge that at the return of Christ, those chosen to be Overcomers, will attain to incorruptible immortality and then we will truly be blest as (gradually) all the globe comes under the gracious rulership of King Jesus!

Gospel of John

The climax of the sheep theme and where it is expounded upon most is in the discourse of the Savior himself. We will only skim the surface in this monograph.

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.

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

Sheep have this very peculiar ability to recognize the voice of their shepherd. Two shepherds can allow their flocks to mingle at the brook or watering trough, but each sheep will follow only the voice of his respective shepherd when the time comes to depart.

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

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

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

Keep in mind that every time Jesus speaks of His flock or of His sheep He is referring to His chosen people Israel. Since the Lord said that His sheep would “hear his voice and follow him” (verse 27), is it not clear then that this means that the Israel people would become Christians? And there is nothing in Scripture which says that His people Israel would wait 2,000 or more years before becoming Christians. In general, they responded and became Christians when they heard the gospel (His voice) preached, beginning on the day of Pentecost. This centuries-long process has been the fulfillment of many prophecies, not the least of which is the following one given by the Lord Jesus Christ:

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.

Although many ministers and theologians are quick to say that the “other sheep” are the “Gentiles” (by which they mean non-Israelites), this is clearly a misapplication of the Bible type. The sheep symbolize the Israel people and no other! Then who are the “other sheep?” The small community of Judahites and Benjamites in Judea and Galilee were one fold of sheep. The other fold was none other than the millions of Israelites of both the northern (Israel) and southern kingdoms (Judah) who had been deported and scattered into captivity six and seven hundred years before Christ.

By the time the apostles were sent out, these dispersed Israelites were all over the (known) world: from the Indus river at the border of India to the steppes of southern Russia to Asia Minor to Greece to the British Isles and Scandinavia and all points in between. They were indeed scattered among the heathen, just as had been prophesied, and now they were about to begin to be regathered under the banner of Christendom, as had also been prophesied elsewhere. [Cf. Jer. 23:3; Ezek. 37:11-22]

While they went in all compass directions, the greater bulk of the migration of these Israelite people was in a northwesterly direction; i.e., into and spread across Europe. Thus, over the next several centuries after Christ the people of Europe became Christian (not perfect, but at least nominally) to such an overwhelming extent that Europe was for many centuries known simply as “Christendom.”

Sometime after the ascension of Christ, the apostle Peter is writing to believers who were “… scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (i.e., in Asia Minor). In verse 2, he addresses them as “elect,” which is another word for “chosen.” In chapter 2, verse 25, he unequivocally identifies them as Israelites who have by faith in Christ now been gathered into the one fold of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

Finally, in the gospel of John, we find the Lord instructing Peter on behalf of all the apostles and for later ministers of the gospel:

John 21:17 … Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? … Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Yes, God’s chosen people, the Israelites, had to have been fed (instructed) first, so that they could then carry out their mission to bless “all the families of the earth.” The work is still in progress. HalleluYah!

Jesus Christ is without question the central figure of the Bible. Second to Him among the primary players are the people known as the Israelites. It is these people whom the Bible identifies as “sheep.” Indeed, it is only Israelites who are ever identified as sheep. No Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Canaanites, Moabites, Eskimos, Orientals, Incas, Arabs, Africans or any other people are ever referred to in the Bible as sheep. This does not mean that other people groups have no place in God’s house; they do, but that study is for another time. The first occasion where Israel is metaphorically called sheep is in the Book of Numbers.

Numbers 27:15 And Moses spake unto the LORD [properly, YHWH], saying,

16 Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,

17 Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.

It should be noted that the “congregation of the LORD” is not the equivalent of the New Testament “church.” The “congregation of the LORD” included the entire body of Israelite people, whereas the New Testament church includes only true believers in Jesus Christ. The next passage to use sheep symbolically is set during the reigns of King Ahab of the Northern House/Kingdom of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of the Southern House/Kingdom of Judah. There we see Micaiah—a solitary, true prophet of God who stands against 400 false (i.e., politically-correct) prophets—and he is given this word from the LORD to tell these kings:

1 Kings 22:17 And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.

In addition to identifying “all Israel…as sheep,” notice also the idea in both Numbers 27:17 and here in 1 Kings that the sheep are without a shepherd. Shepherds in the biblical metaphor stand for either civil or religious leaders or both. Surprisingly, there is at least one case where a shepherd is a non-Israelite king! (Cyrus; see Isaiah 44:28). The first and surface application of this metaphor here in 1 Kings 22 is that the body politic (i.e., the entire congregation or population) of Israel is without a leader who has the peoples’ best interests in mind. There is, of course, a further and spiritual application to this metaphor to which we will return in due course. When David was confronted with a choice of punishment for his sin of taking an illegal census, he, too, referred to the Israel people as sheep.

1 Chronicles 21:17 And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be on me, and on my father’s house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.

The psalms are replete with references to Israel (but to no other nation) as sheep.

Psalm 44:11 Thou hast given us [Israel] like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.

Psalm 95:7 For he is our God; and we [Israel] are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand…

Psalm 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we [Israel] are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

The term “flocks and herds” is a common biblical epithet for sheep and cattle respectively; but when used alone, “flocks” is usually assumed to refer to sheep. (Rarely, it refers to goats.) Hence, we find:

Psalm 77:20 Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 78:51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:

52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

Isaiah 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Lost sheep

Some of the previously cited verses have also made mention of the sheep being scattered. This ties in with the “lost sheep” motif. It is prominently developed by Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and usually appears in conjunction with the condemnation of false or bad shepherds—whether civil or religious leaders.

Jeremiah 50:6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.

God holds both types of shepherds, the political leaders and the religious ministers, responsible for the sheep getting “lost.” (Nonetheless, the people themselves are not guiltless either.) The religious teachers and authorities had failed to teach and obey God’s laws, while the governmental leaders failed to enforce them so they could follow their own desires for power and wealth. As a result, the nation meandered in a downward moral spiral over several generations until God brought judgment upon the nation. It manifested in military invasion and the deportation of the people to foreign lands.

Jeremiah 50:17 Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar [Nebuchadnezzar] king of Babylon hath broken his bones.

This verse refers specifically to the Assyrian invasions of the late 700’s B.C. upon the northern Kingdom of Israel, followed by the Babylonian invasion of the southern Kingdom of Judah in about 586 B.C. During these invasions and deportations the vast bulk of the population of the Israelites and Judahites (the latter group later nicknamed “Jews”) were “scattered” and “lost” among the “heathen” (i.e., non-Israelite) peoples. Many ministers and theology “experts” claim that these “lost” Israelites were amalgamated among those heathen peoples and are lost to history, and that God will never deal with them again as His people. However, this is contrary to what God himself declares as His plan in several Old Testament scriptures.

God condemns the shepherds

In fact, while condemning the leaders who grow wealthy, famous and powerful at the expense of the flock, Yahweh-God plainly states that He himself will seek and gather His lost sheep.

Ezekiel 34:10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.

When this happens, false shepherds will be unemployed and they will be held accountable for all their deeds.

11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.…

16 I will seek that which was lost,…

And sure enough, God himself did just that. He fulfilled this prophecy when He, YHWH-God, came in the form of Jesus Christ. (Hence, this is one of scores of proofs of the deity of Christ). For we find that Jesus himself declares His mission in Matthew 18. And to make sure that His hearers (and later in history, we, as readers of His word) would know that He had His Chosen People, Israel, in mind; Jesus immediately connects “that which was lost” to the sheep symbolism again.

Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

In Ezekiel 34, the prophet was writing about the millions of Israelites who had been captured, deported, dispersed and scattered among non-Israelites. Amalgamation, however, was not to be the final result, but rather regathering.

34:12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

All of this finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ and Christianity. The “gathering” is both a spiritual gathering under the banner of Christianity and a literal gathering to a geographical land area. In verse 13, the phrase “their own land” should not be construed to mean that these Israelites would be regathered into that tiny, New Jersey-sized sandbox in old Palestine, modern prophecy preachers notwithstanding. Rather, God had assured David that there was a second and obviously larger Promised Land for Israel sometime in the distant future (2 Samuel 7:10). That in itself, like the land, is a much larger subject, which is beyond the immediate scope of this study. The key point here is that the so-called “lost sheep,” namely, the ten-tribed House of Israel (as distinguished from the House of Judah) were not to be amalgamated and “lost” forever. (To be continued.)

Here’s an article that might hint at “wheat”-gathering coming soon to a church and nation near you!

Scientists: We’ve cracked wheat’s genetic code

By Raphael Satter, Associated Press Writer – August 27, 2010

LONDON – British scientists have decoded the genetic sequence of wheat — one of the world’s oldest and most important crops — a development they hope could help the global staple meet the challenges of climate change, disease and population growth.

Wheat is grown across more of the world’s farmland than any other cereal, and researchers said Friday they’re posting its genetic code to the Internet in the hope that scientists can use it as a tool to improve farmers’ harvests. One academic in the field called the discovery “a landmark.”

“The wheat genome is the holy grail of plant genomes,” said Nick Talbot, a professor of biosciences at the University of Exeter who wasn’t involved in the research. “It’s going to really revolutionize how we breed it.” …Wheat is a relative latecomer to the world of genetic sequencing. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the date the human genome was laid bare. Other crops have had their genetic codes unscrambled within the past few years — rice in 2005, corn in 2009, and soybeans earlier this year.

The reason for the delay in analyzing wheat’s genetic code, Hall said, was that the code is massive — far larger than corn or rice and five times the length of the one carried by humans. …Alexander Evans, an expert in resource scarcity issues at New York University, welcomed the announcement as something that would “very helpful” in getting farmers to grow “food that will meet those challenges.”

But, as one British paper hailed the announcement as the most significant breakthrough in wheat farming for 10 millennia, Evans warned against putting too much faith in genetics, saying that reforming the politics and economics of food distribution was easily as important.

“We have to be very careful about saying that science will feed the world,” he said. END OF ARTICLE EXCERPTS. All underlining emphasis was mine-JWB. The complete article is here.

It ought to be humbling to man that the lowly wheat grain’s genome is five times the length of man’s! Professor Evans is right on target when he speaks of the need to reform the politics and economics of food distribution. However, I would not be surprised if he and I differed on precisely how they should be reformed. I favor the politics and economics of God’s jubilee and Stone Kingdom system, which is part of our current lecture series, Mystery Babylon and the Stone Kingdom.

The Bible has much to say about wheat. It is historically, of course, one of the world’s great grain crops. But more than that, it is one of the key symbols in the Bible. It represents the portion of the church who are non-overcomers (the majority). In the Old Testament, King Saul was crowned king on the day of wheat harvest. The wheat is in contrast to the barley which symbolizes the overcomers.

Dr. Stephen Jones wrote a wonderful book some years ago called The Wheat and Asses of Pentecost. It is 56 pages long and available from us for $3 plus $4 shipping and handling (Yes, with you, we are dismayed that the shipping costs more than the book, but Alas, Babylon…) I don’t think I have it listed in our online bookstore, but you can just send us an email requesting a copy and then make a minimum $7 donation via PayPal.

Moreover, I have used the wheat/barley, non-overcomer/overcomer distinctions all throughout my lecture series on The Character of Saul and David. Those lectures are now available for free download here. Notice that even the title of the first lecture is “Saul Eats His Wheaties.”

The shepherd and his flock of sheep is one of the most prominent and important symbols in the Bible. Sheep are mentioned more often than any other animal. This is not surprising since sheep were a central and vital part of Israel’s economy ever since the time of the patriarchs…and even back to the beginning because remember, Abel was a shepherd. In the gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11, Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd…” We have all seen popular paintings which depict Jesus as the good shepherd. Even in only nominally Christian homes, we see prints of this famous painting of Jesus with His shepherd’s staff and leading His flock of sheep…or that other famous painting of Jesus with the one lost sheep draped around His neck, carrying it back to the fold.

Such a common theme in Christianity! Such a common scene in so many Christian homes today! Moreover, who could count how many thousands of sermons have been preached around this theme? Yet if one were to ask the average Christian what the sheep symbolize, the answers are typically: “The sheep stand for sinners” or ” for Christians” or “the church” or “God’s people” (implying the same as the next answer:) “all God’s children—red and yellow, black and white…” But is that true? What does the Bible actually teach about this?

One of the keys to understanding any literary work, whether a novel or a history book, is to be able to properly identify the players. That most Christians fail to properly identify who the sheep are is evidence that ministers have failed miserably in laying even this most critical of all foundational Bible truths. This monograph will establish this simple and fundamental truth. (Even most so-called “fundamentalists” are ignorant of this fact.)

While the Bible is both literature and history, it is of course much more than that. It is wholly the inspired Word of Almighty God. It is His “Manufacturer’s Manual” for the earth and its inhabitants. But a study of this Manufacturer’s Manual reveals that His Divine Plan is not yet fully realized on the earth. (Cf. Hebrews 2:8) It is still a work-in-progress. To accomplish His goal of having the earth and all its inhabitants eventually operate perfectly in accord with His Word, Yahweh-God instituted a long-range Plan, a Plan which even incorporates evil, sin, disease, decay and the death of all living things!

Then, to demonstrate His great love for His creation, He promised He would send a redeemer to release us from the bondage of corruption and death. (Romans 8:20, 21) Furthermore, to demonstrate to the rest of the world how to follow the Manufacturer’s Manual, God
chose the descendants of one lineage of people. They are known as the Israelites (not to be confused with the term “Jews,” which distinction will be shown in later writings). These Chosen People, the Israelites, were to be God’s witnesses, to demonstrate to the world how to do it. True to Plan, however, God decided to first have His Chosen People, the Israelites, demonstrate to the rest of the world how not to do it. (To be continued.)

At the same meeting of our Stone Kingdom-Atlanta Fellowship referenced in the preceding entry, we experienced another wonderful witness. Bobbie had telephoned me weeks in advance telling me that at our next gathering she would like prayer, laying on of hands, and anointing with oil for healing of numerous ailments. None of her ailments are life-threatening, praise God, but just part of those “wear and tear” ailments that come with the years.

I asked her to phone me on the Friday before the meeting to remind me to take some essential oils along for the anointing. After her Friday phone call, I immediately went to the closet in my office where I store many of the various oils and blends I have on hand. Over my many years of being a user/distributor of the oils, I have accumulated probably just about all the single oils and blends available, which are probably in the neighborhood of 130 different single oils or blends.

So I prayed a short prayer asking the Father to have His Spirit guide me on which one(s) to take along. Two of them “jumped out” at me and so I took along two blends, one called “Transformation” and the other “Awaken,” with which I intended to anoint Bobbie. When it came time for prayer and testimonies, we heard Linda’s marvelous report (see preceding Journal entry), and did our normal prayers. Then I asked Bobbie to come to the front.

Background: whenever I travel I always have anywhere from a handful to a dozen or more various oils with me for first aid emergencies or sudden onset of symptoms. (E.g., Clove, Lavender, Thieves [anti-viral], RC [I use it for Respiratory Congestion], Peppermint, etc.)

As Bobbie came to the front, it was a spur-of-the-moment idea that occurred to me—or…is anything really “spur-of-the-moment?” I think not. Hello, Father! Ordinarily, I would have simply asked her to have a seat at the front of the meeting room, so that those assisting with the anointing and prayer could have space to stand around her. But it further occurred to me at that moment to ask her to select the oils with which she wished to be anointed. (I had not told her which ones I had brought specifically for that purpose.) Then, even further, it occurred to me to ask her do it blindly, asking the Holy Spirit to guide her hand. This she agreed to do.

With her not seeing any of the bottles as yet, I arranged all the bottles of oils I had with me, totaling ten as best I can recall, in a line on top of the podium. I turned them backwards so she could not read the names of the labels, and I covered the tops with my arm so she could not read the labels on the caps. She herself is not a Young Living distributor so therefore she could not possible identify any of the oils by the color of the labels alone (indeed, many oils have the same color label). Furthermore, she had told me that one of the maladies with which she is afflicted is having virtually no sense of smell, therefore, neither could she identify any of them by scent, even if that were possible due to them all being bunched together on the podium, and the lids had remained on tightly.

She then turned around to face the bottles. She kept her eyes closed and prayed a brief, silent prayer for guidance. She then extended her hand slowly but with unwavering direction and grasped the bottle of…Transformation!

Okay, so big deal, right? After all, there was a two in ten chance that she would select one of the two I had selected. I asked her to select again. Her eyes still closed, her hand went unhesitatingly toward and grasped the bottle of…Awaken!

I recalled vaguely from math or trig or somewhere deep in my neuronal tissue that the odds of the second “hit” would not simply be one in nine, but I wasn’t sure what it would be. So I checked with Rob (our smarty-pants engineer buddy) who knew immediately that the odds of hitting two in succession like that would be about 2 percent (2/10 x1/9). As Rob remarked, “You probably took that as a pretty strong second witness, didn’t you?” Indeed, we did. There were other signs accompanying which I do not feel at liberty to reveal, but we praise our Father for His winks at us, His children.

Speaking of winking, have you read When God Winks at You: How God Speaks Directly to You Through the Power of Coincidence?