Dear Explorer,
Read John 12:31-33
There is so much meat in these 3 verses. I see 3 distinct phrases that we need to deal with.
Now is the time for judgment on this world.
Now the prince of this world will be driven out.
I, when I am lifted up, will draw all people to myself.
So, let's take them one at a time.
Now is the time for judgment on this world.
From creation until the time of Jesus' arrival, God had promised to provide a Lamb to take away the sins of the world – a Messiah. Every person since Adam and Eve have had to determine whether they would serve God and trust Him for this future promise or not.
Jesus knows that the time has come for the Lamb (Jesus) to be sacrificed (death on the cross) to pay for the sins of all people of all times.
He also knows that once the sacrifice (His death) is made, from that point on, people will be judged by God based on whether they are empty or filled. Up to that point, every human was empty because of their sins. Jesus' death paid the price for our sins so that we could invite Him in and be filled with Him and live a NEW WAY in obedience to His instructions.
So, what Jesus is saying is that the cross (His death) will be a pivotal moment in all of history. His death would forever be the basis for judgment – not whether you were Jewish or Gentile – but whether or not you invite Him into your life.
Now the prince of this world will be driven out
The prince of this world is Satan. I have told you before that if you are a follower of Jesus, then you cannot be possessed because Satan cannot come inside a follower of Jesus.
When you invite Jesus into your life, Jesus sends His Holy Spirit to direct and guide you, but He also establishes a KEEP OUT zone for Satan.
Satan is still allowed to tempt you at times. (We talked about that on Day 109). But he cannot come inside of you or possess you or force you to do anything against your will. Satan will continue to be the prince of this world and all those who are empty until Jesus returns the 2nd time. Then He will deal with Satan. We'll talk about that later.
So, Jesus' death will be the first step toward stopping Satan's control of this world. He will push him out of the lives of His followers!
I, when I am lifted up, will draw all people to myself.
We've talked about this expression before, Jesus was referring to the cross lifting Him from the earth to die. Here Jesus says, that when His death on the cross is accomplished, He will draw ALL people to Himself. Not one race, or religion, or gender, or background or type -– but ALL people.
That's a lot of meat for just 3 verses. As Jesus gets closer to the end of His ministry, He is packing in more and more teaching.
In His service, dale
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