Matt. 24:13, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲.❞.”
❞𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙀 𝘼𝙂𝘼𝙄𝙉❞ 𝘼 𝙁𝙐𝙇𝙁𝙄𝙇𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏 𝙊𝙁 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙈𝙄𝙎𝙀
“And if I go and prepare a place, I WILL COME AGAIN and receive you unto myself,” John 14:3.
The Jerusalem Bible of this verse reads, ❞… 𝙄 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙍𝙀𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙉 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪…❞
Let me quickly say this, that the idea of ‘a return’ in the Bible is “to fulfill a promise.” This is clearly explained with the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah.
In Genesis 17:19 even as we read, “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear a son indeed … but my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at THIS SET TIME IN THE NEXT YEAR” (v. 21). That was a promise to Abraham and Sarah.
In Chapter 18: 13-14, we are told because Sarah laughed God told Abraham, “Is anything too hard for the Lord? AT THE TIME APPOINTED I WILL RETURN UNTO THEE, according to the time of life and Sarah shall have a son.”
In Chapter 21:1-2, we are told “And the LORD VISITED SARAH as He had said and the LORD did unto Sarah as He has spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age AT THE SET TIME of which God had spoken to him.”
What are we seeing in the above passages? (1) God made a promise to Abraham of a seed; (2) to be given birth to at a particular time; (3) that He, God, will RETURN; (4) that the return will bring the fulfillment of the promise; and (5) that the fulfillment of the promise is the birth of Isaac – the seed promised.
With this background laid, we can now truly understand the language of Jesus in John 14.
𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙈𝙄𝙎𝙀 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙁𝘼𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍, 𝙄𝙎 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙃𝙊𝙇𝙔 𝙎𝙋𝙄𝙍𝙄𝙏
Every born again believer knows that the promise of the Father is the Holy Spirit even as Jesus told the disciples, ❞… 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵, 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗲, 𝗬𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲❞ ( (Acts 1:4).
Mind you, He made this statement after His resurrection and when he was about to enter into glory. So when did He speak to them about the promise of the Father? Look. John 14:16-17,
“And I will pray the father, and He shall give you another COMFORTER that He may abide with you forever, even the SPIRIT OF TRUTH; whom the world cannot receive…”
But the surprising thing is that this SAME SPIRIT OF TRUTH is Christ the Lord Himself, even as the record says, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭❞ (𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝟐:𝟑𝟔).
In other words, God has changed that Jesus whom you crucified into Spirit. (See John 4:24.) And so, ”… THE LORD (Jesus Christ) is THAT SPIRIT (that was promised)” (2Corinthians 3:17a.) who came on the Day of Pentecost.
So what can we make of this, considering the case of Abraham?
It is simply that Abraham was a type of our God; Sarah speaks of the church that will receive the seed of life from Abraham. Isaac then was a type of Jesus Christ the promised Spirit.
This is plainly explained to the disciples in John 16, when He told them, .❞𝘼 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙢𝙚 (𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜; 𝙨𝙚𝙚 16:10,28)𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙢𝙚 (𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩) 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙜𝙤 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 (𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩, 𝙅𝙤𝙝𝙣 4:24)❞ 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 16.
But because they never understood then what He was saying, they began to question themselves about the meaning of the “little while” (verse 17-19). In answer to that, Jesus now told them;
“Verily, verily, I say unto you. That ye shall weep and lament (at the point of His death, burial, resurrection, ascension before the return of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost) but the world (the unbelieving world) shall rejoice (that Jesus is dead) and ye shall be sorrowful (because your shepherd is gone) but your sorrow shall turn into joy (when I return as the Holy Spirit).”
“A woman (a type of Sarah) when she is in travail (period of expectation) hath sorrow, because her hour is come, but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembered no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born (talking of the Church being filled with the Spirit) into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow (because I said I shall leave you and the persecutions that shall follow) but I will see you (return) again and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you” (verses 20-22).
Now the joy “is the fruit of the Holy Spirit which shall be their strength” (Galatians 5:22; Nehemiah 8:10).
Therefore in fulfilment of this promise, it is recorded, “… when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there CAME a sound from heaven“… ❞𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝘼𝙇𝙇 𝙁𝙄𝙇𝙇𝙀𝘿 𝙒𝙄𝙏𝙃 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙃𝙊𝙇𝙔 𝙂𝙃𝙊𝙎𝙏…❞ (𝘼𝙘𝙩𝙨 2:1-4).
Just like the set time of which God spoke to Abraham (Genesis 21:1-2). Are you seeing it? Ok, so you see, the ❞𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞❞ 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭
𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍 that Jesus promised His disciples in John 14. Nothing to do with when He comes again a second time, then the world will end up in smoke.
It is man’s tradition that burns up like the Old Covenant vanished away (Heb. 8:13).
To be continued…