NO. 58 THE ACCOUNT OF THE END TIME IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
TEXT: JOHN 14: 1- 3 1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (KJV)
Today I would like to give you a message entitled as THE ACCOUNT OF THE END TIME IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.
We have four Gospels, and three out of these four mention the account of the end time respectively. They are Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. They allot each one chapter for the account. But the forth Gospel, the Gospel of John, seems not to have the one.
Surely, if we take a glance at it, the Gospel John does not seem to have such an account of the end time. But is it true? If we see it carefully, it actually mentions about it. Today we are going to see that.
The Gospel John is a bit different from other Gospels. For instance, let us look at the account of the birth of Jesus. Matthew and Luke both present the stories of His birth as the Son of Joseph and Mary, and His genealogy, too. Yet, Gospel John also gives the account of His birth.
But the way of its description is a little different from others. In this book of John the account is presented as the birth of the Person as God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Now we come back to the account of the end time. As mentioned, there seems no account of the end time in the book of John like the others. It is not so actually. We really find it. But it is not easy to see that because the book does not make it clear with taking a glance at it.
The warning of the Lord for the end time to His disciples is mentioned in His words at, what we call it, the last supper, in chapter 14 to 17 of John.
It is the warning for the end time in another style. We see the warning in Matthew, Mark and Luke in the way that anyone can recognize it. But it is written in John in the way that only His disciples, those who can understand the parables, can recognize it.
We notice one thing common to all four Gospels when we read them. That is, Jesus tells the things of the end time only to His disciples in all of them. It is written in Matthew, Mark and Luke as below.
“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
And His words at the last supper in John are also to His disciples.
Then we clearly see the fact. That is, the warning for the end time is given to His disciples. We have four Gospels, and all are the same for that. What does the Bible intend to tell us by this fact? I cannot say anything decisive. But my opinion is this. It points that only His disciples will largely maintain themselves in faith in the Lord throughout the tribulation age and conversely those who do not walk to the will of the Lord will danger themselves through the age.
We are going to see the Text one by one.
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe in me.”
Why is it written, “Let not your heart be troubled?” It is because the hearts of the Christians will be troubled and be shaken in their faith throughout the tribulation age.
“I will come again, and receive you unto myself.”
His coming again means the second coming and His receiving means the rapture. Because of these the words of the Lord should be understood as the ones for the end time.
Now we are going through the accounts of the end time in turn.
JOHN 1: 27- 31 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, you would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.
30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.” (KJV)
We are going to see each verse.
“Peace I leave with you.”
He says that He leaves peace with His disciples. This word is given directly to His disciples. Because He knows that they will be troubled after He is caught, He says so beforehand. But we must understand that the twelve disciples do not only mean the twelve individuals but also the whole of the disciples of the New Testament. The names of the sons of Jacob are namely the ones of the twelve tribes of Israel. If he is Israeli, he belongs to some of them. Likewise, any disciple of Christ in any age belongs to the twelve disciples. Therefore, the word to His disciples that He leaves peace with them can be also taken as one to their latter sons who enter the tribulation age. So we can also expect to be given His peace even if we ourselves enter it.
“And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.”
The word here, “it”, directly means the chain of tribulations such as His arrest, the trial and the sentence on cross. As the Lord tells to His disciple beforehand, they will not reach to the situation that they have lost their faith completely in the latter difficulty. Just like this, as God tells us about the tribulation age beforehand, it will be for us not to loose faith but believe in God throughout it.
“Hereafter I will not talk much with you.”
Christ, the very word of God, says He will not talk much. So it is implied that the God’s words are restricted and many are not told.
“for the prince of this world cometh.”
In the end time the One who has confined the emergence of Antichrist is removed, and he will emerge. The reason why they call the tribulation age like that is because the prince of this world, the devil, will emerge on the world. If the office rents for the flower shop, it will be full of beautiful flowers. But if it rents for the gangster, the evil will fill the office. This age will be so when the prince of this world comes.
“and hath nothing in me.”
In KJV, this verse, as written so, says that Satan has none in the Portion of Christ. In short, there is nothing inside of Christ that Satan can impose on. It is also very important for the disciples who walk in the end time. We must have nothing in us that Satan imposes on.
“But that the world may know that I love the Father; and the Father gave me commandment, even so I do.”
Jesus receives the afflictions. But through them the people of this world will love God and know the existence of the Person in this world whom God has commissioned. And that is just sure. The centurion who observes such as Jesus’ arrest, the trials, the scourge, the mockery, and the sentence on cross has said, “Truly this was the Son of God.” The afflictions that the disciples receive and the obedience that they show in the end time will plainly be the testimonies to the world.
JOHN 15: 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and he is withered; men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (KJV)
The Lord says about the two kinds of the branches of the vine in this verse. One is to abide in Christ, and another is not. The external appearances of them are both the same. But one has the life because it abides in the vine and another has not. This is not the difference between the Christians and non- Christians. For both of them have at first abided in the vine, that is, Christ. Non-Christians have never abided in Christ. These point the two kinds of Christians in the end time. One will abide in Christ and bear the fruits, but another will not and be cast forth and burned by fire. This expression of being burned by fire is also appeared both in the parable of the tares and the wheat and in the judgment on the mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.
MATTHEW 13: 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; o shall it be in the end of this world.” (KJV)
JOHN 15: 13- 22 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the world that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: not now they have no cloak for their sin. (KJV)
We will see each verse.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for friends.
Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever ye command you.”
It is written in these verses of things of the martyr to Christ. Also, we are friends of Christ and we lay down our lives for our friends, that is, Christ. The age of martyrdom, that is the time of tribulation, the tribulation age.
“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.”
It is written of the things that the world hates the disciples. The time when this world hates them is the tribulation age.
“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own.”
Do notice the expression “of the world.” There are the Christians who belong to the world and are loved by the world.
“but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”
Things about the disciples chosen out of the world are mentioned. In Matthew it is written, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Even in the end time there will be few who attend the Lord, and they will be hated by the world.
“Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, the will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.”
The Lord has great wisdom. But even so, He has not gotten well along with the world. He has been hated and lost His life. Then, what should we do? Do we have to be cleverer than the Lord and get alone with the world? The Lord clearly says, “The servant is not greater than his lord.” So, It is usual that the disciples of the Lord will be persecuted in the world when the end time comes. What people have persecuted the Lord? The same will persecute the disciples in the end time, too.
“But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.”
“for my name’s sake” means that they persecute others as thinking that they are doing for Christ’s sake. Because they persecute others for Christ’s sake, they should be surely God’s people and Christians. Why do they even persecute the disciples though they are Christians? It is written, “because they know not him that sent me.” They do not know God in true sense. So it is very important for us to really know the Lord in this time. Otherwise we may persecute the true disciples in the tribulation age.
“If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.”
Although Jesus, God’s Son and the Savior, comes to the world and speaks to them, the people of Jerusalem have not accepted the Lord. That becomes their sin and they have no cloak for it.
In the end time another Helper, the Holy Spirit, comes and speaks to them but they do not accept Him. They are the ones who walk in the flesh, not in the Spirit. They have no cloak for it.
JOHN 16: 1- 4 1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember, that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.” (KJV)
We will see each verse.
“These things have I spoken you, that ye should not be offended.”
Many will be offended in the end time as written, “And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.”
“They shall put you out of the synagogues; yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.”
The time will come when they put the disciples out of the synagogues. They will think that they serve God to do so. And they are God’s people, Christians. Such is mentioned often in other passages of the Bible.
Mark 13: 9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. (KJV)
MATTHEW 24: 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” (KJV)
JOHN 16: 21- 22, 32- 33 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (KJV)
Let’s see each.
“A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.”
We have here the double meanings. The first is the coming of the Holy Spirit. Another is the tribulation in the end time. In the tribulation age there will be born a Man, Victor. It is also written as below.
MATTHEW 24: 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (KJV)
REVELATION 12 2, 5 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. (KJV)
“And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again.”
The disciples in the tribulation age have sorrow, but we will meet again the Lord in His second coming.
“Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone.”
Such time will come as the disciples are all scattered from the churches through the tribulation because of the intense persecution.
“In the world ye shall have tribulation.”
The above word of tribulation is also used as the tribulation age. So the disciples will go through the tribulation age.
JOHN 17: 12- 15 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15 I pray not that thou shouldest taken them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (KJV)
“I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, none of them is lost, but the son of perdition.”
The end time and the tribulation age are the time when the world and the Christians who do not belong to Christ are also destroyed. But even so, the Lord says that He will keep His disciples and so none will be lost. But He says that the son of perdition will be destroyed.
“I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them.”
It is written that Christ gives them the Word and the world hates them. So the Word may have some relation with that the world hates them. The desire of Satan is that those who walk in the Word be destroyed, and so they are hated.
“I pray not that thou shouldest taken them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.”
The saying of taking them out of the world may mean the rapture. Our desire is that we will be taken out of the world without any suffering or trouble of the tribulation and also will be so before it starts. But the Bible says different thing. That is, the disciples will be kept from the evil throughout the tribulation age. That may imply that they will surely go through the tribulation age.
Let’s do the will of the Lord in the end time.
End.