His last command was simple: never surrender and never take your own life. For the next 29 years, he obeyed that command—even though World War II had already ended.

Lt. Hiroo Onoda was an intelligence officer in the Imperial Japanese Army assigned to conduct guerrilla operations on the Philippine island of Lubang. Isolated in the mountains, he never believed the war was over. He dismissed leaflets announcing Japan’s surrender as enemy propaganda and continued carrying out the mission entrusted to him. Living off the land and surviving in the jungle, he remained faithful to his commanding officer for nearly three decades.

Finally, in 1974, a young Japanese adventurer found him, earned his trust, and arranged for Onoda’s former commander to travel to Lubang. Only after receiving a direct order relieving him of duty did Onoda lay down his rifle. The world admired his extraordinary loyalty.

His story reminds me of the final command Jesus gave His disciples:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV)

Unlike Onoda, we are not fighting a war whose outcome is uncertain. Jesus has already won the decisive victory through His death and resurrection. Satan has been defeated. Sin has been conquered. Death has lost its sting. Yet our Commander has not called us home. He has left us with a mission: to make disciples, proclaim the gospel, and faithfully represent Him until He returns.

Every believer lives between two commands—the Great Commission and Christ’s promise to come again. Like Onoda, we have been entrusted with a mission. But unlike Onoda, we know exactly how the story ends.

The question is not whether Christ will be victorious. The question is whether we will still be faithfully carrying out His last command when He comes.

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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