Peter's Confusion; Rapture and Second Advent; John 13:36-14:4

We come to Peter’s question. The first thing Jesus said, by way of introduction, was “Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’” Then He states a commandment, so there is an observation to make here. Part of love may at times include leaving, departing. One way Jesus showed His love for the disciples was to go to the cross and then to ascend to heaven and to depart. So He goes on to talk about rhe new commandment. There will be four questions from four disciples and then Jesus returns to the subject of love in verse 15 of the next chapter. So there is this movement that takes place back and forth, and gradually John is going to unfold for us the meaning for this kind of love.

Peter’s question, the first in the dialogue: John 13:36 ^NASB “Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, where are You going?’ Jesus answered, ‘Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later’. [37] Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You’. [38] Jesus answered, ‘Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times’.”

When the Lord says that he is going He uses the word hupago [u(pagw], present active indicative, second person singular, meaning to go, to take a journey. It means to leave and sometimes includes the idea of death. Generally in John it is used of Jesus going to the Father. It is characteristic in John to use it of Jesus: John 7:33; 8:14, 21. Peter is like many Jews, he hasn’t differentiated between the first coming of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus, and the apostle is still expecting the kingdom right now and the messianic rule. What Jesus is really asking is what Christians have been asking for ages, why it was necessary for Jesus to ascend to heaven. What is the significance of this intervening age in which we live? What is the purpose of the church age. He did not understand the dynamics and the difference between the first advent and the second advent. What Jesus is saying is, “You can’t follow me now,” and it is important to understand the Greek here. The word for “now” is nun [nun], a general time frame, meaning now at this general time period. Now at this time or during this age it is not for you to come to me. In other words, there is more going on here and I have another plan for you.

Then in verse 37 we have Peter’s second question: Why can it not follow you right now. The NASB caught the significance here, because when Peter repeats this back to the Lord he doesn’t use the same word the Lord used. Peter uses the word arti [a)rti], emphasising the immediate present. He is confused and misrepresents what the Lord has said. Then he goes on and says something that is virtually blasphemous: “I will lay down my life for you.” What does he mean? When we look at the Greek we realise how close he borders to heresy. He uses the preposition huper [u(per] plus the genitive of advantage. This is the same phrase that is used over and again when Jesus says He came to give His life as a substitute for us. Cf. Romans 5:8. This is the preposition of substitution and emphasises the substitutionary aspect of the death of Christ, that He did in our place on the cross. Yet Peter, because he is confused about eschatology he then utters this blasphemous statement: “I will die as your substitute, Lord.”

Notice how sharp Jesus’ rebuke is in verse 38. “Truly, truly, mhn, a)mhn,” point of doctrine. Jesus is saying to pay attention, this is important. The context is the new commandment. “You are to love one another as I love you. How do I love you? I die as your substitute.” The Lord is telling Peter he doesn’t really understand what love is yet because he is going to deny Him when he is asked if he is one of His disciples. In spite of the fact that Peter will deny Him, he will not deny Peter. This takes us back to the passage in 2 Timothy where Paul says that we may be faithless but He remains faithful. The Lord is the one who keeps us secure.

There is no chapter break here really. Jesus in 14:1 is still answering the question that Peter has raised earlier. He says, “Do not let your heart [kardia] be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” The heart refers to the thinking part of the soul, the innermost part of the soul where thought takes place. The word “trouble” is tarasso [tarassw] which means to stir up, to disturb, to be unsettled, or to throw into confusion. This is a present imperative which emphasises that it is a habit pattern in the Christian life. The same idea is reiterated in Philippians chapter four: “be anxious for nothing.” The passive voice means it is the result of circumstances. The reason they are confused is they don’t know doctrine, so the solution is a doctrinal solution and a focus on faith. In the Greek Jesus says, “Believer in God, in me believe also.” So what is the emphasis? The emphasis is what is going on right in the middle. He identifies Himself with undiminished deity, and so faith in God is identical to faith in Jesus Christ. This is a profound claim from the Lord in His own deity. When He says this he is emphasising the solution to confusion. When we are disoriented to life, when we are going through emotional distress, when anxiety dominates our thinking, when we become unstable because of emotion, the solution is always doctrine. It is the Word of God, the promise of God, the principles of God’s Word and the precepts of God’s Word that give stability to our soul.

Jesus looks at His disciples and they are confused, anxious, have given up their careers, have moved away from home and have given up everything to follow Him and they know that the authorities want to arrest Him and kill Him and want to do the same thing to them. They would just be left. Their question is: We have given up everything for you, and you’re leaving? They don’t understand, there is this sense there when they almost feel betrayed. Jesus says: “Believe in God; believe in me also.” Then He goes on to explain the doctrine that is going to bring some stability to their thinking. He is going to get into the realm of eschatology which is that branch of theology which focuses on end-time events or last things.

John 14:2 ^NASB “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.” There is an Old Testament background to this that would have come to their minds. It is the Lord’s statement in reference to David’s desire to build a house for the Lord. David has just conquered Jerusalem, he has just had a great military victory, and the standard operating procedure of ancient Near Eastern kings was that after a military victory they would build a temple to their god. So David is going to be like every other king and wants to build a temple to God.

1 Chronicles 17:7-10 ^NASB “Now, therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth. I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and not be moved again; and the wicked will not waste them anymore as formerly, even from the day that I commanded judges {to be} over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I tell you that the LORD will build a house for you.”

When was the Lord to build this house? It is not merely the mention of a temple but it also relates to the end-time events. What is going on here is in parallel to what Peter has done. David wanted to build something for God, Peter wanted to give his life for Jesus. God refused and gave David something instead of a house, He gave him an eternal dynasty. This precedes the giving of the Davidic covenant. Instead of giving Peter something right then He gives him eternal life, a new commandment with a future promise of a house just as He gave David a future promise of a house. This expectation of a future dwelling place is also described in Hebrews 11:13-16 ^NASB “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that {country} from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better {country,} that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” This is the city of the New Jerusalem described in Revelation 21:10, 11 ^NASB “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. [24] The nations will walk by its light…” That is the Shekinah glory of God that illuminates the new heavens and the new earth. “… and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.” So what Jesus is announcing to His disciples is that he is going to heaven and there He is going to be involved in the construction project of the New Jerusalem. It will not be until he has completed that project that He returns.

This takes us to an important subject in eschatology which is God’s plan for human history, and here we see an overview of future events. Right now we are somewhere in the church age. We do not know when the Rapture will occur which ends the church age and the time when all believers living and dead will be caught up instantaneously to be with the Lord in the air. Some time after the Rapture, we are not sure how long, the Antichrist who is called in Daniel 9 the prince who is to come will sign a covenant with Israel. That starts the clock for the seven-year Tribulation period when the emphasis returns once again to Israel and God pours out His wrath upon the earth and all those who have rejected His grace and His salvation.

Contrast between the Rapture and the Second Coming

1. At the Rapture Christ comes for His own, the church. At the Second Coming Jesus Christ comes with His own; the church accompanies Him.

2. At the Rapture Christ comes in the air, in the clouds; he does not come all the way to the earth. At the Second Coming Christ comes to the earth, to the Mount of Olives.

3. At the Rapture Christ claims His bride. At the Second Coming He comes with His bride.

4. At the Rapture there is the translation of all believers, alive and dead. At the Second Coming there is no translation at all.

5. Those who live through the Tribulation who are believers do not receive resurrection bodies at the end of the Tribulation, they still have their mortal bodies and they will marry and have children and repopulate the earth during the Millennial kingdom. It is their children who will have the opportunity to reject Christ, to reject the grace of God during the Millennium. It is those who reject salvation during the Millennium who will rebel and align themselves with Satan when he is released at the end of the Millennium for the last great revolt against God in human history.

6. The Rapture is imminent. That means there are no signs that have to be fulfilled prior to the Rapture, no prophecy that has to be fulfilled; it can happen at any moment, nothing precedes it. At the Second Coming there are definite predicted signs.

7. The Tribulation begins after the Rapture (not immediately after). At the Second Coming it is the Millennial kingdom that follows the Tribulation.

8. The Rapture is for believers only and the Second Coming affects all mankind.

What Jesus is pointing out is that in order for Him to completely demonstrate what His love for the disciples means he has to leave. What we are going to see Him develop in His answer is He leaves so that he can send another comforter, the Holy Spirit, and all that comes with the Holy Spirit and all of the spiritual assets that we receive for the spiritual life in the church age is going to further develop all of these aspects of Jesus’ tremendous love for us. But it is necessary for Him to leave in order to give these greater grace gifts. That is how He answers the first question.