JOHN 7:31-36
31 And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?" 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. 33 Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. 34 "You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come." 35 Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 "What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"
The people rightly discerned that this Jesus of Nazareth could be (and is!) the Messiah (or Christ) of Israel, based on all the miracles He performed (which were Messianic Miracles). Because of this, many believed.
Believing is a peculiar thing. Some have an intellectual belief, others have a belief based on superstition. Still others believe things based on their own ideas and theories. Beliefs are based on religion and philosophy as well. Then there are those who “believe in Jesus Christ”.
Take JOHN 8 for example:
JOHN 8:31,37
31Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed [entrust, respect, faith] Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
37 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.
Then several verses later…
JOHN 8:44
"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth,
So while many may make a profession of belief, that belief isn’t valid if it’s merely an intellectual assent or based on religious affinity and, or zeal. Belief must come from the heart and confessed in a declaration of the truth of Christ’s resurrection (ROM 10:9-10). That genuine belief will be intertwined in faith, and genuine faith will produce good works (JAMES 2:14-22). To be clear, good works doesn’t save anyone (any more than repentance) – it just validates salvation – the way that fruit seen on a tree is evidence of what sort of tree it is (MATT 3:10). See SHOWCASE SALVATION on The TRUTH Under FIRE website.
Christ’s work on Earth by this time is just about finished. His Passion Week is not that far off. Then His work of salvation will be achieved as He says from the Cross, “It is finished!” or translated from the Greek, “paid in full”.
“33 Then Jesus said to them, I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. 34 You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."
Christ returned to where He originally was, from all of eternity: with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Having been sent to Earth on His Holy Mission, fulfilling it, He came back and went to the Temple in Heaven where He as the glorious High Priest after the Order of Melchizedek PSA 110; ZECH 6:13; HEB 5:6,10; 6:20; 7:17,21), presented His own blood there, to the glory of GOD the Father, and for the redemption of lost humanity!
HEBREWS 9:11-15
11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the New Covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
I can’t imagine how heartbroken the disciples must have been. For three lonely, dark days they believed that their crucified LORD was dead and buried (along with all of their hopes!), but no sooner does He appear to them, fellowship and eat with them in His resurrected body – that fifty days later, He’s gone! Yet He comforted them by telling them that He would send “another Comforter” Who we know as the Holy Spirit (JOHN 14:16)!
This has to be the only time in all of New Testament Scripture where seeking the LORD doesn’t result in finding Him (vs. 34). The fact that they were with the LORD Jesus 24/7 for three years straight, and suddenly He’s leaving them, and with the declaration – “you can’t follow Me…” had to be mortifying to the disciples!
Yet we as GOD’s saints are assured that One Blessed Day!!! – we all will be gathered together with our precious LORD:
1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-18
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
And may I repeat these words: “And thus we shall ALWAYS be with the Lord.” Never, ever to part from Him, ever again!
The Jews were confused about where the LORD was going – but we aren’t! Not even a bit confused about these last days we are in, the Last Day, the Second Coming and His Millennial Kingdom to come! Even so, come quickly LORD JESUS!!
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