In chapters 14 and 15 of the Apostle John’s Gospel we find Jesus speaking to His disciples (followers) who would become His apostles (sent ones) concerning the personal characteristics He commanded of them and those who would follow them. He also warned them about the reaction of those who would refuse to manifest those characteristics. These people Jesus labeled “the world,” which included the religious world. We will delve into this important teaching by following the Lord’s message generally line by line, with an occasional instance of verse-jumping. Let us begin our study of the very important subject of spiritual fruit-bearing. We will study what the term means, how to bear fruit and the reaction of those who observe it being done.

In the first few verses of chapter 14 Jesus is telling His disciples that He would be leaving soon and would not be returning anytime soon. Here He speaks of His disciples’ “mansions” (future residence). In verse three He makes a statement that has been misunderstood by almost all of those who have read it over the centuries. Here He tells His disciples that He is “GOING AWAY” TO HEAVEN to receive His inheritance from the Father. It is from this verse that billions of believers have assumed that their future home will be in heaven. But notice that He says that HE WILL “COME AGAIN” (RETURN TO EARTH) at which time He will gather His true saints to Himself so that He and they will forever be together ON EARTH. In the parable of the “nobleman” (Jesus) we find Him traveling to a far country in order to receive his inheritance. Having received it, He then returned to the place He had left. He had inherited the land over which He had been Overseer (Lk. 19:12), not the land where He had gone to receive His inheritance.

At present Jesus has returned to heaven where He will receive His inheritance. At the time set by God, He will return to earth (part of His inheritance) where he will join His righteous joint-heirs (Rom. 8:17) who, with Him, will rule the universe forever from New Jerusalem. Read God’s Very Elect: Future Caretakers of the Universe and The Kingdom of God. Key words–Caretakers and Kingdom respectively. Nowhere in the Holy Scriptures are we told that anyone except Jesus has ever lived in heaven or will ever live in heaven. Read Life After Death: What, When, Where? Key word–What. Also read Heaven: A Biblical Reality Check. Key word–Reality.

Beginning in verse four Jesus makes yet another strange statement. He tells His disciples that they know where He is going and how to get there, meaning that by studying the Scriptures we learn true saints know that they are walking in heavenly places (where He is going) with Him now in the spirit and are receiving heavenly blessings by obeying Him (how to get there).

In verse five Thomas says to Him that the disciples know neither where He is going nor how to get there. Thomas obviously did not understand His Words. In verse six Jesus makes yet another strange statement. He states: “I AM THE WAY,” meaning the way to get to where the disciples will go. Here He tells us how to qualify to spend eternity with Him in the Kingdom of God where we will join the Father upon His arrival on earth along with New Jerusalem. This is explained in the Kingdom of God series. Jesus says to all who want to live with Him there that: “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.” He, meaning His life, is the human “instruction manual” to the Kingdom of God. The manual (Truth) must be followed explicitly in order to arrive at the desired location (eternal life in the kingdom).

Thanks to Satan and his false prophets, church people have for more than 1900 years believed that “THE WAY” to where Jesus will spend eternity consists of “ONLY BELIEVING” THAT HE IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. The great deceiver (Rev. 12:9) has convinced them that faith is all that is needed to be saved, just as Jesus warned would be the case during the church age (Matthew 24:4,5). False prophets (99% of all Catholic and Protestant ministers) have served their god well. So much so that only a “few” will “find” God’s church and walk His way to salvation (Mat. 7:13,14; 22:14). His “way” involves strict obedience to His Ten Commandment Law. Read Romans 5:21 and 6:22. Note that salvation is the END RESULT of doing so.

When Jesus said, “I am the way, the Truth and the life” He was saying that in order to walk the right WAY one must obey the TRUTH which will result in being given eternal LIFE. Merely believing that Jesus is the way, the Truth and the life will not result in salvation. Satan believes that. The thief with cross tattooed on his forehead and the prostitute on the street with a cross hanging between her exposed breasts know that. The hand-cuffed dope dealer praying for Jesus to help him believes that. The famous preachers being publicly exposed for committing adultery believe that. The deadly irony is that each of these people believes that Jesus will come to their rescue simply because they believe that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, that the fix is in, that they are saved and born again. Period. They need to STUDY God’s Word in order to learn His Truth.

Jesus is saying is that in order for us to be where He will be for eternity we must “walk as He walked” during His earthly life (1 Jn. 2:6). Walking as He walked means to live the same way He lived–according to the Truth, which He defined as God’s Word in John 17:17 which, IF believed and obeyed will result in eternal life. WE MUST LIVE THE LIFE THAT HE LIVED DURING OUR EARTHLY TENURE IN ORDER TO JOIN HIM IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD FROM WHICH WE WILL RULE, FIRST THE EARTH FOR 1000 YEARS, THEN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE FOREVER. L.J.