Hi Mike,
Again I must say thank you to you and your wife and family for all the effort you go through to answer our questions.
I was reading one of the e- mails you have responded to and posted on your site, and it contained these verses.

Luk 15:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
Luk 15:5 And when he hath found [ it], he layeth [ it] on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Luk 15:6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together [ his] friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
Luk 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance

Now I have seen this verse many times, but since reading and learning from your site, this verse has caused me some confusion. My question was going to be: why are the 99 left in the WILDERNESS?

Luk 15:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

My carnal mind is screaming out NOT me. I’m not going to leave 99 sheep out in the WILDERNESS just to find one that is lost. That’s silly; while I’m out looking for the lost sheep wolves could get in among the flock, killing and maiming some in my herd and scattering the rest into smaller herds (Churches). Or some could just wander off and become lost sheep themselves, or again split into many herds eating the grass that is sweetest to their own taste. So to my carnal mind I don’t see the benefit of saving one to lose many. So “WHAT MAN OF YOU…” well, not me and not any farmer I know. And if they did go looking for the lost sheep, they certainly would not leave the 99 in the wilderness. They would bring them back to a corral or get another shepherd to look after them.
So I decided to try and think like Mike would as I have heard him many times on the audios.
So who are the sheep?… ME
Who is the shepherd?… Christ.
So “WHAT MAN OF YOU…” .. it can be only Christ, “my words are spirit”

But that’s all external, and Mike said everything has an internal or self application, so what is it? Well, if it’s internal, then the sheep have to represent false DOCTRINE, and the lost sheep then become a true DOCTRINE and the Shepherd then becomes ME… Wait, I’m not going to leave my 99 sheep to save one; the carnal versus the spiritual.

Luk 15:5 And when he hath found [ it], he layeth [ it] on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Why does he lay it on his shoulders? Why doesn’t he let it walk and guide it? Is he afraid it will get lost again or hurt? Two things strike me about this; one is the sheep, ME (outwardly), is being carried (a nice way of being DRAGGED) back to the flock. Secondly, I have the image of the man made of gold, silver, copper, iron and clay. Now where is that Sheep or true doctrine being carried? Around the neck so it’s below the Gold head but resting on the Silver shoulders. This to me reinforces that the sheep represents a true Doctrine of GOD. I have many images colliding in my head right now with that connection, and I’m unable to explain them all, but I’m seeing the Gold as representing Christ (incorruptible and pure Doctrine) while the Silver is God’s Elect and true Doctrine being given to them. The Gold head also represents God giving the Sheep (Christ) to the elect, the Silver shoulders. The rest of the flock make up the other metal components of the metal man and false or corrupted doctrine. And internally to me what does it mean? This is the hardest part – applying the scriptures to myself. Well, I’m the shepherd, and I have found a true doctrine, and I’m not willing to let it go. I will chase or follow that one doctrine until I have it secured and safe losing or risking all my other doctrine to do so.

Luk 15:6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together [ his] friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

Notice in this verse when he finds the sheep he does not take it back to the 99 in the wilderness. He takes it home and calls his friends and family to celebrate. Strange… What about the 99 now lost in the wilderness? This guy won’t make a good farmer. Anyway this is how I have been shown this applies to me. I don’t know how many times I read Mike’s e- mails and read were he tells us not to go out and tell others what you have learned unsolicited. I read it lots, but of course like the man above, as soon as I found a truth in God’s word that was shown to me, I raced out to share it with as many people as I could thinking they would all see and feel the same way I did about the doctrine of God. Mike was right; they didn’t get it because they don’t have eyes to see or ears to hear at this time. So I can see how the above verse applies to me. I have received a true Doctrine of God, and I want to share it with all.
Well, Mike, I started this e- mail to you to ask a question but I think while typing this message Someone has shown me the meaning. I’m not comfortable with saying I may have already been shown the meaning as I’m not convinced yet that I have been given eyes to see or ears to hear as there is still a lot of sin in my life.

God bless you all and keep safe.
O____

Hi Again O____

This is very good! I guess I am the one who says “It is all within,” but I must admit that I had never seen this quite as you do here. Nevertheless you have hit the nail on the head; I am “the 99 sheep who think he is rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing, least of all repentance of all of my false doctrines which I treasure as gold.” I think I am in the promised land when in reality I am “in the wilderness” where I rebel against my Lord ten times.

Num 14:22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

While I am in rebellion against God and His Word, I tell myself that I am holy, along with all the rest of the orthodox world:

Num 16:1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took [ men]:
Num 16:2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:
Num 16:3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, [ Ye take] too much upon you, seeing all the congregation [ are] holy, every one of them, and the LORD [ is] among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

All of this is me, as one of the 99 “sheep in the wilderness… that need no repentance.”

It is only after I become aware of the fact that all of this is within my flesh and has been growing right along with the good seed “until the harvest,” that I begin to be judged now and have all those tares gathered together in bundles to be burned out of my life.

Mat 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
Mat 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Mat 13:26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Mat 13:27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Mat 13:28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Mat 13:29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

It is “until the harvest” that the tares are allowed to grow with the wheat. But “in the time of harvest” the tare are “gathered first and burned,” and so we are told:

1Co 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; [ Just another way of saying “tares.”]
1Co 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day [ of harvest] shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

When is this “harvest” when the tares are gathered and burned out of God’s field?

1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end [ be] of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Co 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1Co 11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

We “look behind us”, and we see that sure enough, Christ knew whereof He spoke when He warned us that we must live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, and keep the things written therein because His Words never pass away.

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [ is] at hand.
Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 

Sure enough each of us in our time, are the ninety and nine sheep that need no repentance, before we become the lost sheep that comes to repentance and are dragged to God on the shoulders of our Lord.
Thank you for sharing this with me.
Your brother in Christ,
Mike