KJV's John 12:32 Is NOTHING Like What Jesus Said

I was listening to a lecture about healing and evangelism. The preacher linked John 3:14, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up," with John 12:32, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."

"No, that cannot be right," I thought to myself. Jesus knew he was destined to die to become the RISEN Messiah. That transition was the type of death he was to die. There was no 'if' in his mind. So I looked it up in Victor Alexander's translation.

For context, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the tomb and everyone was coming to see both Jesus and Lazarus. Jesus perceived that his own death and resurrection was imminent and said, "And I, when I surely rise out of the earth, shall empower every human being to come to me" (John 12:32 Alexander, emphasis mine). Jesus expected to rise up OUT OF THE EARTH, i.e. out of the grave, just as Lazarus had. This had NOTHING to do with Moses raising the brazen serpent or Jesus being lifted up on a cross. He was going to rise up out of the earth like Lazarus, but in a new life form as the ascended Son of Man - the fulfillment of the Promise. "Eashoa the Messiah is the FULFILLMENT of yesterday, today, and to the end of the universe" (Hebrews 13:8 Alexander, emphasis mine). He was to come into the state of Ascended Man as God's living manifestation. For existing from before the beginning, as the Beginning in Genesis 1:1 Jesus had descended into the state of Adam (individualized consciousness, the life-blood of the Divine), the Son of God. Now as the Son of Adam, an anointed HUMAN just like us, he was to ascend into the state of God manifest, Adam's destined state. THAT, THE ASCENDED STATE OF MAN, THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD, IS OUR DESTINY!! This is what the Season of Grace was given to us to illustrate. The Season of Grace was an illustration of the Manifestation.

Jesus knew He was destined to physical death and resurrection to BECOME the ascended Messiah - the first of a new creation. That is what the Lazarus episode in the Season of Grace said to Him. God was saying to him, "I will likewise raise you up." Thus according to Alexander John 3:13-14 says, "No human [being] goes up to heaven, except the one who comes down from heaven, the Son of Man who was in heaven. And just as Moses lifted the darkness by the light of life, this is how you should lift up (glorify) the Son of Man."