Is Jesus with us or not? part 2

“The very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 5:23).

“As the heart panteth after the water brokkds, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat day and night.... Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” (Ps. 42:2-4, 6).
 

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” (3John 2).

“The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor. 2:10,11).

Before looking further into the Spirit of God, let’s look at a related issue.

We don’t have a disembodied spirit or soul that travel, but we do have a spirit and soul that our Creator gave us at creation. Our spirit and soul are the special gifts of our mind and heart that allow our human race to have an especially deep communion with its Creator. That communion more often than not has been compromised by sin and the love of idols and other gods. Our Creator who still remembers the beautiful communications He had with Adam and Eve longs for the redemption of our hearts and minds, so that our faith and love can again be charged with His, our souls and our spirits with His Spirit. Then we have the peace and comfort and confidence that come with dwelling in His embrace.

“And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” (Eph. 2:1).

“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” (Eph 3:16,17).

 

So, our spirit and soul are simply our cognitive, relational faculties, and are not things that can leave our body, whether while alive or at death, to move around on the earth.

“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.” (Ecc. 9:5,6). When the body dies, death causes the spirit to cease existing. The thoughts and hopes of our spirit come from a brain that must function in order for the faculties of thought, reason, memory, conscience to exist, so that when the brain dies, its thoughts and hopes vanish. The previous spirit of a man has no more conception of the world and can observe nothing.

“The waters wear the stones: Thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and Thou destroyest the hope of man. Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away. His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.” (Job 14:19-21).

“For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1Cor. 5:3-5).

Paul said that he would be with the Corinthian church leaders to fix the moral problem of an individual in their church family. Paul would be with them, not in person, but by his spirit. That’s an interesting thought. What did Paul mean? We’ve proven from scripture that Paul didn’t have a separate entity within himself, that could leave him and travel from Philippi to Corinth and stand amongst the Corinthian council to guide their decision on this matter? None of us have a disembodied spirit that can travel outside of our bodies. Then, Paul must be speaking of a whole different concept.

Moses throws light on the spirit issue.

“And [Moses] gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.” (Deut. 31:23).

“And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Deut. 34:9).

Did Moses have a disembodied spirit? No. And even if we say that Moses was resurrected, did he ever come to talk with Joshua to give him guidance? We never read of that happening. The closest we come to that is when we read of a heavenly being who did come to him. Michael the Prince of the host came to personally endorse the Israelite leader (see Joshua 5:13-15). Then, how could Moses be with Joshua as he brought the children of Israel into Canaan?

“There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses My servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Josh. 1:5-9).

Why would the Lord be so faithful to Joshua? Because he would read from Moses’ counsel all the days of his leadership, and the words of the Lord God through Moses would guide his heart and mind. Christ’s Spirit would put the Law in Joshua’s mind and write it upon the tables of his heart, a new spirit being given to him morning by morning and throughout each day, as it had been for Moses, Joshua would know that his Lord was near to deliver him in battle. Joshua would extend Moses’ own example of the new covenant to God’s people (see Jer. 31:31; Eze. 36:26). Moses was saying that he would be with his disciple if Joshua would keep Moses’ law before him. Through the commandments that the Lord God had given him on Sinai, Moses could say that he would be with Joshua.

All that we can say with certainty about the Spirit is that Moses would continue to speak through his law to all future ages (see Deut. 31:7-13). And, who was speaking in Moses’ law? “The Spirit of Christ” (1Pet. 1:11), the Lord God of Israel, commanded Moses what to say and write. Thus, through Moses Christ’s Spirit would speak to all succeeding generations, families, kings, and priests. Moses’ law was to be read by all the kings of Israel, and they were to handwrite out their own private copy, and thus the law would be a very personal source document, from their own hand and for their own soul. Their heart and mind would be invested in the principles of the law, and the truth would speak to them.

“My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.” (Prov. 6:20-22).

Through the law the rulers of Israel would have wisdom—a heavenly wisdom. They would have Jehovah’s strong words in their heart—Jesus the Word of God, the Word of life.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.…That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.” (John 1:1-10).


Jesus is likewise the Truth and the Law of God, the power and the wisdom of God. “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God…. But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” (1Cor. 1:24, 30).

“I Wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Counsel is Mine, and sound wisdom: I am Understanding; I have strength. By Me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By Me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me.” (Prov. 8:12-17).

Jesus the Word of God was the Spirit of wisdom that gave understanding and strength to the children of men. All who sought Him early found Him. Jesus was speaking through Solomon, and His words come directly to our hearts, “I love them that love Me.” “All they that hate Me love death.” (Prov. 8:36). It was the same thought Jesus spoke from Sinai.

“Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.” (Ex. 20:5,6).

God is the Spear-it of truth, and His Son is the point of the Spear.  His conviction of our short-comings and sins, our unbelief and ingratitude are like arrows that go deep into our consciences. Amen! Just what we need for more faith and righteousness!

“For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” (Heb. 4:12,13).

“Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into Thy lips: therefore God hath blessed Thee for ever. Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O most mighty, with Thy glory and Thy majesty. And in Thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and Thy right hand shall teach Thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under Thee. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.” (Ps. 45:2-7).

The Spirit of God is powerful to go through our self-deceptions and to get right to the truth.

“And one of the company said unto Him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And He said unto him, Man, who made Me a judge or a divider over you? And He said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luke 12:13-15).

“And there shall come forth a Rod out of the Stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; and shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears: but with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins.” (Isa. 11:1-5).

“Behold My servant, whom I uphold; Mine Elect, in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My Spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for His law.” (Isa. 42:1-4).

“Jesus said, Who touched Me? …  And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before Him, she declared unto Him before all the people for what cause she had touched Him, and how she was healed immediately. And He said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.” (Luke 8:45,47,48). He called her out only to confirm and establish His permanent blessing to the woman of faith. That no flesh should glory in His presence.

It was through the words of truth that Jesus would abide with Moses and Joshua and David and the New Testament church.

“He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love Him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him.” (John 14:21-23). “If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever…. I will come to you” (John 14:15,16,18).

“If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.” (John 15:7,8).

“As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” (John 15:9-11).

The truth in the soul binds our spirit with the Spirit of God in Christ. As God made all things through Jesus Christ (see Ephesian 3:9), so God was in Christ reconciling the world back to Himself. Thus, Their Spirit can reach our vapid, wandering spirit; and reclaim it forever.

The SPIRIT of God + the Spirit of Christ + our spirit = the communion of the Holy Ghost.

The SPIRIT of LAW + the Spirit of Truth + our spirit that yearns for conviction = the biblical Spirit of truth that leads us to repentance.

SPIRIT + Spirit + spirit = the biblical Spirit.

It is Jesus who is with us, not a third person. His Spirit is with us; He, His own Spirit, through His words to us which He brings to life, is with us. “I that Speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” (Isa. 63:1). His Spirit, His commandments and words and statutes, His truth, is Him; they are as verily Jesus as when He first spoke them.  And that’s good enough for me. Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!

Is Jesus with us or not? part 1

“Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matt. 28:20).

Very often I hear people say that Jesus is with us, or among us, only then to qualify their statement with, “of course, He is not really with us personally, but through the Spirit”. So, my question is, Is He or is He not among us? Is He interacting with us, or is it someone else?

Jesus told us that He would be with us to the very end. Did He really mean that? Is that really true? Who am I speaking to when I pray, Jesus or a third person of the Godhead? Is a third person a suitable substitute for Jesus? When I pray, should I say, Holy Spirit third person, please deliver my prayer to Jesus, and make sure you decipher it and make it sound right to God? If Jesus is the one I've come to trust, Why shouldn’t it be Him who I come to and speak to? That's what the disciples did. That’s what all the people in the gospels did who I read about for lessons to instruct me regarding prayer. They needy, diseased, heart-broken, went to Jesus. And as I read of them doing that, I appropriate scripture, and I do what they did. Why complicate something so simple by adding in a third person who masks the face and presence of my Friend and Saviour?

Who would you rather spend time with, a person who knows what you’ve been through and who really knows you, or a mysterious third thing that cannot know what you’ve been through because it never walked a mile in my moccasins. The whole purpose for Jesus to be incarnated was so that we could know that we have a Mediator who understands us. Then why do a bait-and-switch on us, and give us a third misty non-human entity that never walk among us under the hot summer Sun and in the frigid winter nights, but that (or who) floats around unaffected by the elements and difficulties of life in a world of sin? Could a divine spirit ever be tempted by Satan? No. If it doesn’t know my chastisement of peace as was upon Jesus, then how can I intimately trust it? Then how can I unburden my heart to the third thing? Doesn’t this issueanyone else care about ?

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted.” (Heb. 2:14-18).

We have no way to identify with the Father except through the Son. Those were Jesus’ own words. “All things are delivered unto Me of My Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.” (Matt. 11:27).

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him.” (John 14:6,17). “And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” (John 17:3).

“For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:34-36).

In these verses, where is Jesus’ concern that His disciples need to know a third person of the Godhead? In these verses, Jesus wants us to only know Himself and His Father. Eternal life comes in the knowledge of Them both. The Son of man excluded every other person. Of the third person trying to take the place of the human Saviour in our hearts, it makes me want to say, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” (Acts 19:15).

When we look at a few statements after Jesus introduces “another Comforter”, He keeps that other Comforter in the context of His sayings and commandments, and of Himself and His Father. See John 14:15-24. Jesus was saying that He and His Father would be the other Comforter through His words and commandments. Jesus was speaking metaphorically, as He ever was wont to do. By absorbing His words of truth into our spirit, they open us up to Him, His Spirit, His own Spirit. Thus, He could abide with His disciples always. He said, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” Is Jesus here and now? Is He with us, or not? He promised He would be. “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matt. 18:21). By His precious promises, from Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning” to Revelation 22:22 “Amen”, Jesus has been with us, and not another. Jesus, and no one else from the Godhead has given up all to be our Protector, Comforter, everlasting Father, Judge and Advocate. Not a third person, but Jesus. The Father is with us, yes; He has been with us because He is inescapable; in Him we live and move and have our being. But, the Person who intimately comes to us, who has intimately come to know us and us to know Him is Jesus; and not a third person. “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Can we accept this promise literally, with its plain meaning? The plain reading of Hebrews 2:14-18 is that Jesus alone can be our help; and, therefore He came to save us. The spirit third person never did this. Then why should we be content to be so apathetic with the needs of our hearts for a self-sacrificing, human Friend, that we will accept the spurious doctrine of a third person of a trinity for our intercessor? This is textbook bait-and-switch.

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:15,16). Is the spirit third person touched with the feelings of our infirmities? How can we know that if it didn’t become one of us? Do you think I’m making too much of this point? I don’t believe I am. I want Jesus close to me. That’s what I was promised from the Father and the Son, and that’s what I want. I want Jesus. “We would see Jesus.” (John 12:21).  “And the two disciples heard hi speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto Him, Rabbi,... where dwellest Thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day.” (John 1:37-39). These things were written just for our curiosity or love of old Christian traditions. They are there to us to appropriate to ourselves.

I want to talk with the Jesus they spoke with in awe. I want the goods, not some fancy theological footwork from the days of the early apostolic church apostasy. I demand the true doctrines that don’t cover up a lying falsehood that steals away my personal Saviour from all that He did to be my personal Saviour. I demand my right to a personal Friend and Saviour. There should be an uprising amongst Christianity for the fraud that Satan has perpetrated against the church by substituting a phony third person in Jesus’ place. And I believe there will be before Jesus returns.

“And give Him no rest, till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The LORD hath sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: but they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of My holiness. Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.” (Isa. 62:7-12).

These promises were claimed by the apostles. Jerusalem was the church, not only to their apostolic church generation, but to ours today. When we can believe this, Jesus will work in our behalf as much as He did in theirs.

“Therefore My people shall know My name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am He that doth speak: behold, it is I.  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD. For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.” (Isa. 52:6-12).

Not a third person spirit has made bare a holy arm that a misty spirit doesn’t have, but the Lord Jesus has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations. And all the ends of the earth will see His salvation in the Latter Rain of His Spirit.

“To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.” (Lam. 3:3,36).  It is our right to have Jesus, and not another.

“For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and NOT another; though my reins be consumed within me.” (Job 19:25-27).

We are commanded to see Him. “And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise Him up at the last day.” (John 6:40). We are not to wait until the last day to see Jesus; we need to see Him today, and to talk to Him. If we wait until the last day to see Him, then He will not be able to raise us up on that day. Seeing Jesus, knowing Him, and talking with Him are what give us the faith and the right to be resurrected. Why should we be content to talk to a third person that the scriptures do not teach? We need to see Jesus by His own Spirit.

“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me…. At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you.” (John 14:18-20).

“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” (Rom. 8:9). The definition of being in the Spirit is to have both Spirit of God and Spirit of Christ. Their holy union reaching down to a union with our heart, our spirit. The only biblical three-way unity of spirits is between God, His Son, and Their children. Scripturally speaking, that is the only heavenly trio, for by faith we are already translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son and sit in heavenly places with Christ (see Col. 1:13; Eph. 2:6; Luke 23:43).

“For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him.” (John 3:34). How can the first Person of the Godhead give a third person to the second Person of the Godhead? The plain reading, as I experienced when a teenager, indicates that the Father gave of His own Spirit without measure to His only begotten, beloved Son in whom He was infinitely well pleased. The Lord spoke to me forty years ago after reading this verse to question the church tradition of the trinity. At that time I feared to do so, but, He has returned again to lead me in that direction. By retaining my loyalty to the trinity doctrine, Satan robbed me of Jesus’ presence when I needed Him very much as a teen. He says those that seek Him early will find Him, and I know I would have drawn very close to Him in those years when the young heart is open wide to the love that God has to give. Oh, what devastation the separation from Jesus has left the church because of the trinity error!

Remember that “the Spirit” (John 3:34) is the same as “the Spirit of His Son” who “God hath sent forth…into your heart” (Gal. 4:6). And it is the same “His Spirit” (Eph. 3:16), that is the Father’s Spirit, “the Spirit of your Father” (Matt. 10:20). This is the same “the eyes of the LORD” that “run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.” (2Chron. 16:9). The Lord was very real to the people of Israel. He showed Himself very strongly in their behalf. Literal hail fell upon the enemies of Joshua at Gilgal and He made the sun literally stand still.

“And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night. And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah. And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.” (Josh. 10:8-14).

We’ve been told from the book, Great Controversy, that “signs and wonders will follow the believers.” Would we like to see the kinds of wonders again that Joshua and Moses and David saw? We won’t until the Lord is as real and close to us as He was to Moses and Joshua and the rest. We must know that Jesus is with us; and a third person substitute is not all-sufficient, nor is it the truth.

The Lord God of the Old Testament was the Son of God. He said, “Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.” (Jer. 23:23,24).

In His preincarnate form, there was no need for His Father to use His own Spirit to represent His Son to us. The Son naturally had that ability of Himself. But, now that He took our limitations and our body, He must rely on the Father to make Him known to our hearts. Because of our sinfulness, Jesus must forever be disabled from His previously eternal divine body. Nevertheless, He has immediate access to His Father’s powerful Spirit, and through His Father’s ready power Jesus can be seen and heard by us, and not a third person. The disciples wanted Jesus and no one else. They weren’t satisfied with anyone but their Saviour and Friend. The same was true for Miriam of Magdala and 500 others who watched Jesus ascend. Their hearts would have been shattered if He had promised to send someone other than Himself. They would have been destroyed if it weren’t for His promise to remain with them until the end. He had never lied to them, so they knew He wasn’t lying to them that day. When Pentecost came ten days later, after much soul-searching for all their failures and short-comings during the few precious years of His earthly ministry, the baptism of power that came down upon their spirits fulfilled Jesus’ promise to never leave them or forsake them. They were transfigured in the thought that Jesus had come again, which gave them joy and a boldness that nothing and no one could remove.

He had foretold them His return by His Father’s power.

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever…” (John 14:16). “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:17,18). One of the disciples who heard Him was content that Jesus would be the Comforter, and not another. So, “Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world?” (John 14:22). It was clear to the disciples that it would be Jesus, or Jesus with His Father, and not a third person, who would be manifest to them. “Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me: because I live, ye shall live also.” (John 14:19).

“He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall shew it unto you.” (John 16:14,15). Jesus is saying that His Father would glorify Him. He was not speaking of a third being. “O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thy own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.” (John 17:5). The Father would take of the powerful authority of Jesus that would result from His great self-sacrifice for the human race, and reveal it to His earth-bound waiting children. All that the Father had He shared with His Son, and Jesus reiterates that it’s the Father who takes of His Sons’ “all power” (Matt. 28:18) and reveals it to us. The “He” pronoun referred to His Father.

We will look closer at the preceding verse of John 16 in the next part. But, before we close this first part I want to say how much I appreciate the concluding scene of John’s gospel. We have a scene of Jesus appearing after a week of absence, apparently in the flesh eating with His disciples and talking together with the them. Rather than a scene of Christ floating up to the sky on His way to the heavenly sanctuary, John shows Jesus as very human and warm, just the way he wanted to remember is best Friend—as a real person who hadn’t left yet.

“He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, Lovest thou Me? And he said unto Him, Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed My sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake He, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He saith unto him, Follow Me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on His breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth Thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou Me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” (John 21:17-25).

This is the Jesus I want to remember and to know. He still hasn’t changed a bit. John remembered fondly that Jesus’ love for him had never changed. And His love for us also remains the same. His compassion, His yearning for our uplifting from sin and full restoration into the image of God, His pure enjoyment to be one of us, like us, among us, surrounded by His children who have suffered in the flesh with Him, all come from the same love that He still has, even in the heavenly sanctuary. As our High Priest, He is the same today and forever as He was yesteryear. Amen!