By Doug Krieger
NOTE: This missive is intensely EVANGELICAL - proceed with caution and confirmation . . .. "I WILL RAISE HIM UP AT THE LAST DAY"
With
persistent wars raging in the Middle East . . . and with “news from the East
and North” more than troubling (Dan. 11:40-45), we who claim our
inheritance in the Good Land, await the “Last Day” in which out of this death
and chaos shall arise resurrection life!
This
missive is not what you might expect at your next “prophecy conference” but it
is intensely prophetic because it echoes the very words of the prophets
acclaimed by Jesus: “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be
taught by God.’” (John 6:45). Allow me to elaborate how and when this can be.
. .
Four
times Jesus declared “I will raise it/him up at the Last Day” in John
6:39, 40, 44 and 54. No doubt our Lord in this discourse in the synagogue in
Capernaum, Galilee (John 6:59) declared the very purpose of His manifestation
as the Bread of Life. It was to give “everlasting life” to all who would
believe in and partake of Him—but how could mortal man arrive at the Last Day
and be raised, resurrected, to everlasting life by believing in and partaking
of Him?
If,
like the 5,000 fed in the earlier part of John 6:1-14, anyone who seeks the
miraculous bread from heaven (manna) to feed their own belly or hungers for a
supernatural sign, will, as the fathers who ate such manna in the wilderness,
die in their superficial encounter with such provision—they take it in but have
no clue nor faith in the One behind their sustenance.
SEE
THE SON
The
first two statements by Jesus in John 6:39-40 center on the Son of the Living
God. The Lord does care for the hungry; after all, didn’t He feed the
5,000? But something far more profound
is taking place. You might say, “This is
a teaching moment.” And what is the
lesson here? What were the 5,000 really
after? Apparently, to feed their gnawing
hunger, their bodies; but likewise, they wanted to “work the works of God”
(John 6:28).
Jesus
sought to bring them from “doing” to “believing”—indeed, the very “work of
God” is and always will be “to believe in Him” Whom the Father has
sent (John 6:29). But we humans are
wired “to do” rather than “to believe.”
Obviously, let’s keep working at “it” until we’re actually doing God’s
work is not what the miracle of feeding the 5,000 was all about—not at all!
Let’s
bring it home here. “Philip, where
shall we buy bread, that these (5,000) may eat?” “Lord, we’ve got 200 denarii worth of
bread—and guess what—it’s not sufficient—we can’t buy our way out of this!”
Ever
face such insurmountable odds like this?
Sure, you have, we all have. A
serious illness, a loved one dies, can’t provide for the family, can’t pay the
bills, flunked a test you can’t pass, you get into a car accident and it’s a
total loss, you’re forced to bankrupt, you’re told you’re not needed any longer
at the Church, your marriage is falling apart—I could go on, spare me!
Worse
yet, Philip was being tested, and wouldn’t you know the Lord Who was testing
him knew what He was going to do no matter if Philip passed the test, which he
didn’t.
Philip
was counting coins but Andrew, Peter’s brother, chimed in, to wit: “I mean 5
barley loaves and 2 SMALL fish? You
can’t be serious!” One’s meager resources up against 5,000. . . no wonder your
fish are best described as SMALL!
Guys,
in particular, are described by what they “do for a living”—how do they
provide? Even those on welfare
assistance are trying to figure out how that will somehow provide for
themselves and enough for their immediate family, if they have one.
Real
disciples of Jesus are often taught by well-meaning brethren that in order to
be a real follower of Christ they must prepare to be a “worker for the
Lord.” I’m not degrading such diligence
in following the Lord; however, if that’s the “work” enabling one to “do the
work of God”—well, you’re already off the rails.
Listen
up, “when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God” then, and only
then, “those who hear will live” (John 5:25) . . . and “everyone who
sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise
him up at the last day” (John 6:40).
Yes, “seeing is believing” and “hearing Him—you will hear!”
So,
you’re going through it, and your resources are slim to none—your first “test”
is to look at yourself . . . we all do . . . but He’s up to something: “He
Himself knew what He would do” (John 6:6).
Not what Philip or Andrew would do but what He would do.
You’re
in overtime—you’re desperate for resurrection life: “Everyone who SEES THE
SON and believes in Him” is bound for everlasting life, to be raised up at
the last day. I know this speaks of the
prophetic future. But isn’t it always or
doesn’t it seem like He’s the God of the “last day” of whatever your trial
is? Your extremity IS God’s opportunity
to prove Himself.
STOP! It’s
your last day—see the Son—look what He’s about doing. It’s time you do the heavy lifting! And what does that look like? Believe on Him sent by the Father. That’s the first step—but there’s more.
DRAWN
BY THE FATHER
“No one can come to Me unless the Father
who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44).
Once
you see the Son, then the Father will draw you into the very fellowship that
the Son eternally has with the Father.
Know this, once your eyes are opened to the Son—Who He is and what He is
capable of doing—you still need to be drawn into Their fellowship.
In
John’s First Epistle he says: “Truly our fellowship is with the Father and
with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).
Yes, for there to be an Eternal Father (Isa. 9:6 “Everlasting Father”)
there had to be an Eternal Son—the Triune God is truly the God of fellowship,
communion, partaking and has called us to be “partakers of the Divine Nature”
(2 Peter 1:4). Moreover, this word “partaker”
in the original Greek connotes fellowship or “koinonia”—a true
partnership, a sharing in the fellowship the Son and the Father have. No, one’s identity is maintained—you don’t
become God, but you are being prepared for eternal fellowship with the Father
and the Son—so let’s get started.
In
a very real sense, we do not know what fellowship among brethren is until we
enter into the fellowship the Son has with the Father—that is what the Father
is drawing us into. It can’t get any
better than this! It’s not that you or I
are going to do amazing exploits for the Almighty. The New Covenant does not extract more
work from 5 loaves and 2 small fish but is drawn into the inexhaustible
fellowship the Father has with the Son.
Why
do I say New Covenant at this juncture?
Because “I will raise him up at the last day” is followed by: “It
is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’” (John
6:45). This statement is not
random. How can they be taught by
God? How can “everyone who has heard
and learned from the Father” . . . “come to Me”? What is the meaning
of “All shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them”?
“Behold, the days are coming, says the
LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with
the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers
in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt,
My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the
LORD. But this is the covenant that I
will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write
it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his
neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all
shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the
LORD. . . for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will remember no
more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34). NOTE: “know Me” not “about Me.”
This
is the depth into which the Father is drawing us. It is all predicated upon the New Covenant. He has always desired to be our Husband—and
we His Bride. But not based upon an
agreement which can be broken (i.e., the Mosaic Covenant) but one based upon a
unilateral agreement based upon His accomplishment whereby “I will forgive
their iniquity and their sin I will remember no more.” (Ref. Rom 7:1-4)
Under
the New Covenant (now follow me here) we are not teaching each other about the Law;
we are taught directly by the LORD to “know the LORD” Himself! Once we know Him, we know His character, His
Law—see the Son, be drawn by the Father!
As He loves, we love (“A new commandment I give to you, that you love
one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another”—John
13:34).
Finally,
the ultimate “test” comes—and He knows what He is doing!
EAT
HIS FLESH AND DRINK HIS BLOOD
What
takes place in this fellowship we’ve entered into with the Son and with the
Father? An intimacy which defines and
divides true Christianity from all religions known of men— “Whoever eats My
flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last
day” (John 6:54).
This is the final “raise him up on the last day.” Why? Because you have ingested “the flesh of the Son of Man” and are drinking of “His blood”—you can’t get any more intimate than this! And understand this amazement:
“Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:61-63).
Assuredly—scores
of brethren are undergoing “discipleship programs/trainings” in an attempt to
accelerate growth in Christ. . . to become a real follower of the Lamb. Commendable, and there are some great
“programs” out there for the seeking soul; however, know this: “From that
time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more”
(John 6:66). Trust not in your
accomplishments nor in your programs, trainings, and certifications as a true
disciple of Christ. You may have been
“vetted” by an outstanding discipleship program, class or exercise by the best
of them—but have you, have I, truly believed, partaken of His body and
blood? Therein lies the rub!
Understand
this: You have in spirit, by His Spirit,
become one with God Almighty by eating and drinking in the nourishment of Jesus
Christ. The Son, the Father, and now the
Spirit—the very Triune God—is your everlasting portion. We are being raised up by the Son, the
Father, and the Holy Spirit (Isa. 63:11, 16).
Yes, He prophesied His ascension. . .
“. . . if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?” (John 6:62). But it was mandatory that by His ascension He would send the Spirit, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth . . . but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:16-18—lit. “I am coming to you”).
Do
you see it? The New Covenant was
inaugurated and announced at the Passover Preparation meal:
“Jesus took the bread, blessed and broke
it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then
He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it,
all of you. For this is My blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for
many for the remission of sins . . . and the bread that I shall give is My
flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world . . . Most assuredly, I say
to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you
have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life
and I will raise him up at the last day’” (Matt. 26:27-29; John 6:51,
53-54).
God’s ultimate intention is the extremity of intimacy whereby the New Covenant alone shall accomplish such communion, fellowship, and oneness shared between the Son and the Father via the Holy Spirit. THIS is what Christ offers to those followers whereby:
“. . . they shall be taught by God” wherein “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (John 6:45; Jer. 31:34).
Yes,
“THIS is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those
days” (Jer. 31:33). Say not, you are
excluded from citizenship in the Household of God, from the Israel of God, from
the Commonwealth of Israel (Gal. 6:16; Eph. 2:12, 19). Today, the New Covenant views not God
Almighty from a distance but through His body and blood we have become His New
Creation, His One New Man, and resoundingly He declares through the prophet
Jeremiah: “. . . I will be their God, and they shall be My people . . . For
through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (both Jew and
Gentile) (Jer. 31:33b; Eph. 2:18).
Beyond
imagination: God Almighty, the Father,
through the body and blood of the Son of Man, in ascension, has made Himself
via the Spirit of the Living God, 100% available to humanity—whereby we are
being transformed into His very Image, awaiting that Last Day to be raised up
an incorruptible body like unto His glorious body: “And as we have borne the image of the man
of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Cor. 15:49). That’s the Last Day:
“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall be
change—in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51-52).
Esoteric? Beyond human comprehension? No, no no!
This is precisely what is needed in today’s maelstrom of confusion,
hatred, and general chaos. You say,
“But, Krieger, people are starving, destitute, orphaned, divided and at war
with each other. . . how can you go off into such divine platitudes when
all hell is breaking loose? That’s
exactly why seeing the Son, being drawn by the Father, and eating and drinking
by the Spirit is the only remedy to this world’s contentions. It is THE anecdote for humanity’s incurable
illnesses. And, incidentally, “from
the least of them to the greatest of them” opens this democratic door of forgiveness
to all regardless of class, status, gender—whatever!