When Heaven Begins

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” And Jesus said, “I will raise him up at the last day.” Christ became one flesh with us so that we could become one spirit with Him. As a result of this union, we will come out from the grave, because through faith His life has become ours. Those who see Christ and receive Him into the heart have everlasting life. Through the Spirit, Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received by faith, is the beginning of eternal life.HH 176.4

The manna that the fathers ate in the wilderness did not prevent their death nor insure immortality, but the bread of heaven would feed the soul for everlasting life. The Savior said, “This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.” Only through dying could Christ give life to us, and He points to His death as the means of salvation: “The bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”HH 176.5

The Jews did not recognize the Lord’s body in the symbol of the Passover lamb. The words of Christ taught the same truth, but the people still did not recognize it.HH 176.6

Now the rabbis exclaimed angrily, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” To some extent they understood Jesus’ meaning, but by misinterpreting His words, they hoped to prejudice the people against Him.HH 176.7

Christ repeated the truth in even stronger language. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.”HH 176.8

What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul. Food cannot benefit us unless it becomes a part of our being. And spiritually, a theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Christ. We must assimilate His life, His love, His grace.HH 177.1

“As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” Jesus was surrendered to the will of God so fully that the Father alone appeared in His life. Although tempted in all points as we are, He stood untainted by the evil that surrounded Him. In the same way, we also are to overcome as Christ overcame.HH 177.2

Are you a follower of Christ? Then by uniting yourself to Jesus you may attain all that the Bible promises concerning the spiritual life. Has your first love grown cold? Accept the love of Christ again. Eat of His flesh, drink of His blood, and you will become one with the Father and with the Son.HH 177.3

By ritual law, the Jews were forbidden to taste blood, and they now twisted Christ’s language into sacrilegious speech. Even many of the disciples said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”HH 177.4

The Savior answered them: “Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”HH 177.5