Can you imagine the aged apostle saying this (above)? Compare the cry of the imprisoned Paul, the man of God, with our cute little "four steps of salvation"!

We are dust until the Divine Life of Jesus Christ is formed in us, and this takes a lifetime of looking to Jesus and believing in Jesus.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54—NIV)

No person ever will be raised by Jesus on the basis of doctrine. What will raise us is His flesh and blood. Where the carcass is, there the eagles gather. When the slain Lamb appears in the sky, then those who live by feeding on the Lamb will be caught up. It is His body and blood in them that will bring them to Him.

Here is the oil that the virgins must have if they are to go in to the wedding.

We have eternal life now, if we are living in Jesus, and at the last day that life will bring us to Him and we will be unveiled before the world. This is the marriage of the Lamb and the revealing of the sons of God.

For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. (John 6:55—NIV)

The natural man lives on natural food. The spiritual man who lives in Jesus at the right hand of God must have spiritual food. Jesus' flesh is real spiritual food. Jesus' blood is real spiritual drink.

Today the Lord stands before the hearts of His people. He is knocking. If we will open the door He will enter. Then we will dine on His body and His blood. In this manner the throne of God is established in us. The Father and the Son make Their eternal abode in us.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. (John 6:56,57—NIV)

We sometimes use the expression "in Christ" or "abiding in Christ." In First Thessalonians, Chapter Four, we notice the expression "the dead in Christ shall rise."

To be "in Christ" means infinitely more than making an initial profession, unless that first experience is much, much more than currently is required. We must come to Jesus Himself, not just make a profession of belief.

We must keep coming to Jesus every day, every night. Our whole life must evolve into one continual coming to Jesus.

We must remain in Him and He in us.

Then the Lord tells us to what extent we must become one with Him. We must live by Him as He lives by the Father. Jesus and the Father share one Life, one Mind, one Soul, one Spirit, one hope, one goal, one way. He who has seen Jesus has seen the Father because Jesus lives by the Father and all He does is of the Father.

So it must come to be with us. We must share one life, one mind, one soul, one spirit, one hope, one goal, one way with the Lord. Eventually it will be true that the person who sees us will really be seeing the Lord because we will be living by the Lord and all we do will be of the Lord.

To be continued.