Chapter 1

¹ In the beginning there was the Word. The Word was with The God and the Word was a powerful one. ² This one was with The God in the beginning, ³ and through him it all came to be. Life was in him, ⁴ and the life was the light of mankind. ⁵ This light is shining in darkness, and hasn't been defeated by the darkness.

⁶ Then came a man named John who had been sent by God. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He wasn't the light, but he was to testify about the light. ⁹ For, the true light that enlightens all men was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world; and although the world came to be through him, the world didn't know him. ¹¹ For, when he came to his home, his own people didn't welcome him. ¹² Yet, he gave all those who did welcome him (all those who believed in his name) the authority to become the children of God. ¹³ And they weren't born from blood, from the will of the flesh, or from man's will, but from God.

¹⁴ So the Word became flesh and tented among us; and we looked on his glory, which was the glory of the one-and-only next to the Father, and he was filled with kindness and truth.

¹⁵ John witnessed about him. He's the one who said it; he even yelled it out loud: 'He who's coming behind me came before me, because he was first… before I was!'

¹⁶ We all received kindness after kindness from his wealth. ¹⁷ And though the Law was given through Moses, kindness and truth came through Jesus the Anointed. ¹⁸ For, no one has ever seen God, but the only-begotten (fathered) god (the one in the favored position of the Father) has explained Him.

¹⁹ Now, this is the testimony that John gave when the Judeans sent Priests and Levites from JeruSalem to ask him who he was. ²⁰ [John] confessed… he didn't deny it, he confessed, 'I'm not the Anointed One!'

²¹ And when they asked, 'Then, who [are you]… are you EliJah?'

He said, 'No, I'm not.'

'Are you the Prophet?'

And he answered, 'No!'

²² Finally, they asked, 'Then, just who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us… what do you have to say about yourself?'

²³ And he said, 'I'm the voice of someone calling out in the desert, Straighten the way of the Lord, as the Prophet IsaiAh said.'

²⁴ Now, those who came were sent by the Pharisees, ²⁵ and they asked him, 'Then, why do you baptize if you aren't the Anointed One, or EliJah, or the Prophet?'

²⁶ And John replied, 'I baptize in water, but there's someone standing in your midst whom you don't know. ²⁷ He's the one coming behind me… he, the laces of whose sandals I'm unworthy to untie.'

²⁸ These things all happened in BethAny-Behind-the-JorDan where John was baptizing.

²⁹ Well, the next day, [John] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look! The Lamb of God who lifts sin from the world! ³⁰ This is the one I meant when I said, He who is coming behind me has come before me, because he was first, before I was. ³¹ Even I didn't know him, but the reason why I came baptizing in water was so that he might be shown to IsraEl.'

³² Then John gave this testimony: 'I saw the Breath [of God] coming down from the sky like a dove… and it stayed on him! ³³ Even I didn't know him, but He who sent me to baptize in water told me, Whomever you see the Breath coming down and remaining upon; this is the one who baptizes in Holy Breath… ³⁴ I saw it and I testify to the fact that this is the Son of God!'

³⁵ Then the next day, John was standing there with two of his disciples. ³⁶ And when he saw Jesus walking by, he again said, 'Look, the Lamb of God!' ³⁷ And the two disciples who heard him say this, followed Jesus.

³⁸ Well, Jesus turned, and noticing them following him, asked, 'What are you looking for?'

And they replied, 'Rabbi (Teacher), where are you staying?'

³⁹ Then he said, 'Come and see.'

So, they went and saw where he was staying and spent the day with him, until about the tenth hour.

⁴⁰ Then Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter (one of the two who heard what John said and followed [Jesus]) ⁴¹ went and found his brother Simon and told him, 'We've found the Messiah (which translates as, the Anointed One).' ⁴² And then he led him to Jesus.

And when Jesus saw him, he said, 'You're Simon, the son of Jonah… you will be called Cephas (Peter).'

⁴³ The next day, he wanted to leave for GaliLee. But then Jesus found Philip and said to him, 'Be my follower.'

⁴⁴ Now, Philip was from BethSaida, the same city as Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Then Philip [went and] found NathaniEl (BarTholomew) and told him, 'We've found the one who Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets, Jesus the son of JoSeph from Nazareth!

⁴⁶ But NathaniEl asked, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?'

Then Philip said, 'Well, come and see!'

⁴⁷ And when Jesus saw NathaniEl coming, he said, 'Look; An IsraElite who really says what's on his mind!'

⁴⁸ Then NathaniEl asked, 'How do you know me?'

And Jesus replied, 'Before Philip called you, while you were under the fig tree, I saw you.'

⁴⁹ Then NathaniEl said, 'Rabbi; You're the Son of God! You're the King of IsraEl!'

⁵⁰ And Jesus asked, 'Do you believe this simply because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that.' ⁵¹ Then he said, 'I tell you men the truth; You will see the heavens opening up and messengers of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man!'

Chapter 2

¹ Now, on the third day there was a wedding banquet in Cana of GaliLee, and Jesus' mother was there, ² so Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the banquet. ³ And when the wine started to run out, Jesus' mother said to him, 'They don't have any more wine.'

⁴ But Jesus said, 'Why is this any of my business, woman? My hour hasn't come yet.'

⁵ Then his mother told the waiters, 'Do whatever he tells you to do.'

⁶ Well, there were six stone water jars sitting there, which the Judeans required for washing, and each held about fifteen gallons. ⁷ Then Jesus told them to fill the jars with water, and they were filled to the brim. ⁸ And he told them, 'Now, dip some out and take it to the banquet director.'

So they took it [to him], ⁹ and when the banquet director tasted the water that had been turned into wine (he didn't know where it came from, but the waiters who drew the water knew), the director called the bridegroom ¹⁰ and said: 'Everyone else puts out the fine wine first, and after people are intoxicated, the inferior. But you've saved the finest wine until now!'

¹¹ So, there in Cana of GaliLee was where Jesus started the signs that showed his glory, and his disciples put faith in him.

¹² After that; he, his mother, his brothers, and [his] disciples went down to CapharNaum, but they didn't stay there long. ¹³ For, the Jewish Passover was near, so Jesus went up to JeruSalem. ¹⁴ And there he found [people] in the Temple selling cattle, sheep, and doves, as well as currency exchangers, who were sitting there. ¹⁵ So, after making a whip out of ropes, he drove all those with the sheep and cattle out of the Temple, and he poured out the currency exchangers' coins, turning their tables over. ¹⁶ Then he said to those who were selling the doves: 'Get these things out of here! Quit turning my Father's House into a market!'

¹⁷ And his disciples remembered that it is written: 'Zeal for Your House will consume me.'

¹⁸ Well after that, the Judeans asked, 'Since you're doing all these things, what sign can you show us?'

¹⁹ And Jesus answered, 'Tear down this Temple and I'll rebuild it in three days.'

²⁰ Then the Judeans asked, 'This Temple took forty-six years to build, and you'll rebuild it in three days?' ²¹ Of course, he was talking about the Temple of his body. ²² However, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he used to say this, and they believed the Scriptures and the things that Jesus said.

²³ It was while he was in JeruSalem for the Passover and its festival, that many people started believing in his name… that is, after they saw the signs he was performing. ²⁴ But Jesus didn't trust them, because he knew them… ²⁵ he didn't need anyone to tell him about people, because he knew what they were on the inside.

Chapter 3

¹ Now, there was a man named NicoDemos (one of the Pharisees and a ruler of the Judeans) ² who came to him one night and said, 'Rabbi, we know that you came as a teacher from God, because no one can perform signs like you're doing unless God is with him.'

³ Then Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth; Unless someone is born from above, he can't see the Kingdom of God.'

⁴ So NicoDemos asked, 'How can a man be born after he's old… he can't go back into his mother's womb a second time to be born, can he?'

⁵ And Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth; Unless someone is born from water and Spirit, he can't enter the Kingdom of God. ⁶ Because, things that have been born from flesh are fleshly, and things that have been born from the Spirit (Breath) are spiritual. ⁷ However, don't be surprised because I told you that people have to be born again… ⁸ for the wind blows wherever it wishes, and you can hear the noise, but you don't know where it's coming from or where it's going. And this is true of everyone who has been born from the Breath [of God].'

⁹ Then NicoDemos asked, 'How can things like this happen?'

¹⁰ And Jesus answered, 'You're a teacher of IsraEl, and yet you don't know? ¹¹ I tell you the truth; We know what we're saying and we're testifying to things that we've seen; but you aren't accepting our testimony… ¹² and if you don't believe the earthly things, how will you believe if I speak to you of heavenly things?

¹³ 'No one has gone to heaven other than he who came from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴ And as Moses raised the snake in the desert, that's how the Son of Man must be raised, ¹⁵ so that everyone who believes in him can receive age-long life.

¹⁶ 'This is how [much] God loved the world: He gave His one-and-only Son so that everyone who believes in him won't be destroyed, but will receive age-long life. ¹⁷ Why, God didn't send his Son into the world to judge it, but for the world to be saved through him! ¹⁸ So, whoever believes in [the Son] won't be condemned. However, those who don't believe have already been condemned, because they haven't shown faith in the name of God's one-and-only Son, ¹⁹ since this [belief] is [the basis for their] judgment.

'The light came into the world, but men loved darkness more than light, because the things they were doing were wicked. ²⁰ Those who are doing bad things hate the light, and they don't come into the light so [they won't] be disciplined for the things they are doing. ²¹ But those who are doing what is true come to the light, so the things that they are doing can be shown as having been done in God.'

²² Well after that, Jesus and his disciples traveled into the Judean countryside where he spent some time with them, doing baptizing. ²³ John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim (there's a lot of water there) and people kept coming to be baptized [by him], ²⁴ because John hadn't been thrown into prison yet.

²⁵ Therefore, there was some discussion between John's disciples and [a certain] Judean concerning purification. ²⁶ So they came to John and said, 'Rabbi; The man who was with you across the Jordan (whom you testified about) is also baptizing, and everyone is going to him!'

²⁷ Then John replied: 'A man can have nothing unless he receives it from heaven. ²⁸ And you are witnesses that I said I'm not the Anointed One, but I have been sent ahead of him. ²⁹ The one with the bride is the bridegroom. But the bridegroom's friend, when he stands and listens to him, gains much joy from the voice of the bridegroom. So, my joy is now complete, ³⁰ and he must increase while I decrease.

³¹ 'He who's from above is over all. But he who comes from the earth comes from the ground and talks about earthly things, while he who comes from heaven is above all the others, ³² for he tells about things that he's actually seen and heard. However, no one is accepting his testimony; ³³ yet, those who welcome his testimony are proving God to be truthful. ³⁴ And, since the one sent by God speaks God's words, he doesn't just dole out [small] portions of [God's] Breath.

³⁵ 'The Father loves the Son, and He has entrusted everything into his hands; ³⁶ so he who believes in the Son will have age-long life; but those who disobey him won't see life, for the wrath of God remains upon them.'

Chapter 4

¹ Now, when the Lord realized that the Pharisees had learned that [he] was making and baptizing more disciples than John ² (although Jesus didn't really do any baptizing, his disciples did), ³ he left Judea and returned to GaliLee. ⁴ And on the way, he had to travel through Samaria, ⁵ arriving at a Samaritan city called Sychar, which was close to the field that Jacob gave to his son JoSeph, ⁶ and where Jacob's [well] was located.

Since Jesus was tired from the journey, he sat down at the edge of the [well] (at about the sixth hour), ⁷ and a Samaritan woman was there, who had come to draw water. So Jesus said to her, 'Give me a drink.'

⁸ In the meantime, his disciples had gone into the city to buy food.

⁹ But the Samaritan woman asked him, 'So, why are you, a Judean, asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink -- ?

¹⁰ And Jesus replied, 'If you knew about the gift of God and who's asking you for a drink, you might have asked him, and he would have given you living water.'

¹¹ Then she said, 'Master, you don't have anything to draw water with… and it's a deep well! So, where will you get this living water? ¹² You aren't greater than our ancestor Jacob who gave us this well and who drank from it with his sons and cattle, are you?'

¹³ And Jesus replied, 'Whoever drinks this water will just get thirsty again. ¹⁴ But whoever drinks the water that I give him won't be thirsty again in this age, for the water that I give will become a fountain inside him that bubbles age-long life.'

¹⁵ Then the woman said, 'Lord, give me this water so I won't be thirsty again and have to keep coming to this place to draw water!'

¹⁶ And he said to her, 'Go call your husband [and tell him] to come here.'

¹⁷ But the woman replied, 'I don't have a husband.'

And Jesus said, 'It's good that you say you don't have a husband, ¹⁸ because you've had five husbands; and the one you have now isn't your husband… you've told the truth.'

¹⁹ So the woman said, 'Lord, I see that you're a Prophet. ²⁰ Our ancestors worshiped here on this mountain, but you people say that JeruSalem is where people must worship.'

²¹ Then Jesus said to her, 'Believe me, woman; the time is coming when you won't worship the Father on this mountain or in JeruSalem! ²² And though you worship what you haven't known, and we worship what we have known, because salvation comes from the Jews. ²³ But the time is coming (and it's now) when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth… because the Father is searching for such people to worship Him. ²⁴ For God is spirit, so those who worship Him must worship him in spirit and truth.'

²⁵ Then the woman said, 'I know that the Messiah (who is called the Anointed One) is coming, and when he gets here, he will explain it all to us.'

²⁶ And Jesus said, 'I (the one speaking to you) am he.'

²⁷ Well, it was then that his disciples arrived and they were puzzled, because he was talking to a woman; and of course, no one asked what she was looking for or why he was talking to her. ²⁸ Then the woman left her water jar, and went back into the city and told the men, ²⁹ 'Come here and see a man who told me everything I did… this couldn't be the Anointed One could it?' ³⁰ So, they came to him from the city.

³¹ Meanwhile, the disciples were urging him, saying, 'Rabbi, eat!'

³² But he told them, 'I have food to eat that you're unaware of.'

³³ So the disciples started asking each other, 'No one has brought him anything to eat, have they?'

³⁴ Then Jesus said, 'Doing the will of the One who sent me and finishing His work is my food. ³⁵ Don't you say that there are four more months until the harvest? I tell you… look up and see the fields, for they're white and ready for harvesting! ³⁶ The harvester is already getting his pay and gathering in the fruit of age-long life; so the planter and the harvester can now rejoice together. ³⁷ For the saying is true: 'One does the planting and another does the harvesting.' ³⁸ I sent you out to harvest what you didn't work on… so yes, others did the work, but you're now benefiting from their efforts!'

³⁹ Thereafter, many of the Samaritans from that city put faith in [Jesus] because of what the woman testified to when she said, 'He told me everything I did.' ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he spent a couple of days there. ⁴¹ And as the result, many more believed because of the things he said. ⁴² Then they told the woman, 'We don't believe just because of what you said, but because we've heard for ourselves and we know that this man is truly the Savior of the world!'

⁴³ Well, after two days, he left for GaliLee, ⁴⁴ and there, Jesus himself witnessed the fact that a Prophet receives no honor in his hometown. ⁴⁵ Yet, when he [first] arrived in GaliLee, the Galileans had welcomed him, because they'd seen all the things he did in JeruSalem at the festival (since they had been there too).

⁴⁶ Then he returned to Cana of GaliLee (where he turned the water into wine), and it was there that a man of royal blood whose son (who was in CapharNaum at the time) was ill. ⁴⁷ And when this man heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into GaliLee, he went and asked him to heal his son who was about to die. ⁴⁸ However, Jesus said to him, 'You [people] just refuse to believe unless you see signs and omens.'

⁴⁹ But the (royal) man urged him, saying, 'Lord, come on, before my little boy dies!'

⁵⁰ And finally Jesus said, 'Go on your way! Your son is alive.'

So, the man believed what Jesus said and went away. ⁵¹ Then on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy was alive. ⁵² And when he asked them exactly what time he got better, they told him, 'The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.' ⁵³ And the father recognized that it was the same time that Jesus told him, 'Your son is alive.' So he and his whole household became believers. ⁵⁴ This was the second sign that Jesus performed when he came out of Judea into GaliLee.

Chapter 5

¹ Later on, there was a Jewish festival, so Jesus went up to JeruSalem. ² And there in JeruSalem, at the Sheep-gate Pool (called BethZatha in Hebrew), are five stone columns ³ where many who were sick, blind, lame, and the physically handicapped were all lying down. ⁴ – –

⁵ And there was a man who had been extremely weak for thirty-eight years. ⁶ So when Jesus saw this man lying there (being aware of the long time he'd had this condition), Jesus asked him, 'Do you want to get well?'

⁷ And the sick man answered, 'Lord, I don't have anyone to put me into the pool when the water is shaking. And while I'm trying to get in, someone else steps in ahead of me!'

⁸ Then Jesus said, 'Get up, pick up your cot, and walk around.' ⁹ And with that, the man immediately became healthy, picked up his cot, and walked around.

Now, that day was a Sabbath, ¹⁰ so the Judeans started telling the cured man, 'It's the Sabbath, so it's illegal for you to carry the cot!'

¹¹ But he told them, 'The one who cured me said, Pick up your cot and walk!'

¹² And they asked, 'Which man was it that told you to pick it up and walk?'

¹³ But the healed man didn't know who he was, because Jesus had faded into crowd.

¹⁴ Then later on, Jesus found the man in the Temple and told him, 'See… now you're healthy! Don't sin anymore, so that something worse doesn't happen to you.'

¹⁵ Well, the man went off and told the Judeans that it was Jesus who had cured him. ¹⁶ And this is why the Judeans started persecuting Jesus; because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. ¹⁷ But he told them, 'My Father has kept working until now, and I keep working.'

¹⁸ As the result, the Judeans started looking [for ways to] kill him. Because, not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he also called God his own Father, making himself equal to God.

¹⁹ Then Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth; The Son can't do anything other than what he sees the Father doing… whatever [the Father] does is what the Son does. ²⁰ And because the Father cares about the Son, He shows him everything that He does… and [God] will show him greater works than these, just to amaze you.

²¹ 'As the Father raises the dead and makes them alive, the Son can also make whomever he wishes alive. ²² And the Father doesn't judge anyone, but He has left all the judging to the Son, ²³ so that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father. And whoever doesn't honor the Son doesn't honor the Father who sent him.

²⁴ 'I tell you the truth; He who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me will have age-long life… he won't come into the judgment, for he has crossed over from out of the death and come into the life!'

²⁵ 'I also truthfully say that the time is coming … when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who listen will live. ²⁶ For, just as the Father has life in Himself, He has also given the Son life in himself, ²⁷ and authorized him to do judging… because he is [also] the son of man.

²⁸ 'Don't be surprised at this, because the hour is coming when everyone in the tombs will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out; those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced what is foul to a resurrection of judgment.

³⁰ 'I can't do anything on my own; I judge by what I hear, and my judgments are righteous, because I'm not looking to do the things that I want, but to do the will of Him that sent me.'

³¹ 'If I should testify about myself, that testimony isn't true. ³² But when someone else testifies about me, I know that the testimony he gives about me is true.

³³ 'Now, you've sent [people] to John and he testified to the truth. ³⁴ However, I don't require the testimony of men, because I'm telling you these things to save you.

³⁵ '[John] was a burning, shining lamp and you wanted to rejoice in his light during his time. ³⁶ However, I have a testimony that's greater than John's, because I'm doing the work that my Father assigned me to finish. It's these things that testify about me [and prove] that the Father sent me.

³⁷ 'Why, even the Father who sent me has testified about me. But you've never heard His voice or seen His shape, ³⁸ and His words don't stick with you, because you don't believe the One whom He sent. ³⁹ Yet, you keep searching the Scriptures, because you think they will give you age-long life; and though they testify about me, ⁴⁰ you still refuse to come to me so you can live!

⁴¹ '[Because you] men don't glorify me, ⁴² I know that you don't have God's love in you. ⁴³ I've come in my Father's Name, but you don't welcome me; yet, if someone else came in his own name, you would welcome him. ⁴⁴ So, how can you believe when you receive glory from each other and you don't look to glorify the one who comes from the only God?

⁴⁵ 'But don't think that I'm going to accuse you to the Father, for he who accuses you is Moses… the one in whom you've put your hope. ⁴⁶ Because, if you believed Moses, you would also believe me, for he wrote about me. ⁴⁷ However, if you don't even believe what he wrote, then how will you believe the things that I'm saying?'

Chapter 6

¹ After this, Jesus crossed to the other side of the Sea of GaliLee (or Tiberius). ² However, a large crowd kept following him just to see the signs he was performing upon those who were sick.

³ There, Jesus went up a mountain and sat down with his disciples. ⁴ And since it was close to the time of the Jewish Passover festival; ⁵ when Jesus looked up and noticed the huge crowd coming, he asked Philip, 'Where should we buy bread for everyone to eat?' ⁶ However, he just said this to test him, because he already knew what he was going to do.

⁷ Then Philip answered, 'Why, two hundred silver coins worth of loaves wouldn't be enough to provide everyone with just a little [taste]!'

⁸ And one of his disciples (Andrew the brother of Simon Peter) said to him, ⁹ 'Here's a little boy who has five loaves of barley bread and two small fish. But, what good is this when there are so many?'

¹⁰ Then Jesus said, 'Have the people lie down as they would at a meal.'

Now, there was a lot of grass there, so the people (about five thousand of them) reclined. ¹¹ Then Jesus took the bread, and after giving thanks, distributed it to those lying there. [He also did the same with] the small fish, [giving them as much] as they wanted. ¹² But when they were all full, he told his disciples, 'Now pick up the leftovers, so nothing is wasted.' ¹³ And when they picked them up, they filled twelve baskets with what remained of the five loaves of barley that those who ate had left behind.

¹⁴ So, when the men saw the signs he performed, they started saying, 'This really is the Prophet that was to come into the world!'

¹⁵ And Jesus (because he knew that they were about to come and take him to make him their king) went away again, up on the mountain by himself.

¹⁶ That evening, his disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷ got into a boat, and traveled to the other side of the Sea to CapharNaum. Well, by then it had grown dark and Jesus hadn't come to them yet. ¹⁸ And meanwhile, a strong wind arose and the sea became very rough.

¹⁹ Well, it was after they had been rowing for about three or four miles, that they saw Jesus walking on the sea approaching the boat, and this frightened them. ²⁰ But he said to them, 'Don't be afraid… it is me!' ²¹ So they were finally willing to let him into the boat. And soon they came to shore at the place where they were going.

²² Then the next day, the crowd that was on the opposite side of the sea saw just the single little boat, but not the other, and they knew that Jesus hadn't gotten into the boat with his disciples and that [the disciples] had left by themselves. ²³ However, some boats arrived from Tiberias, close to the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord gave thanks. ²⁴ And when the crowd realized that Jesus and his disciples weren't there, they got into the little boats and went to CapharNaum to look for Jesus.

²⁵ Then, when they found him across the sea, they asked, 'Rabbi, when did you get here?'

²⁶ And Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth; You aren't looking for me because you saw signs, but because you had enough bread to eat. ²⁷ Don't work for food that can spoil. Rather, [work for] for the food of life that lasts through the age, which the Son of Man will give you, because he was sealed by the Father (The God).'

²⁸ Then they asked, 'What must we do to perform the works of The God?'

²⁹ And Jesus answered, 'This is what the work of The God is: Believing in the one whom He sent.'

³⁰ So they asked, 'Then, what sign will you perform for us so we can see and believe… what are your deeds? ³¹ Why, our ancestors ate the manna in the desert, for [the Scriptures tell us]: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'

³² Then Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth; Moses didn't give you bread [that actually came] from heaven, but my Father will give you bread that really is from heaven. ³³ For, God's bread is [he] who comes from heaven and gives life to the world.

³⁴ Then they said, 'Lord, always give us this bread!'

³⁵ And Jesus went on to say, 'I am the bread of life! He who comes to me won't ever get hungry, and he who believes in me won't ever get thirsty. ³⁶ But I tell you this: You've seen me, yet you still don't believe. ³⁷ All [those] that the Father gives to me will come to me, and I won't throw out anyone who comes to me, ³⁸ because I didn't come here from heaven to do my will, but [to do] the will of He who sent me.

³⁹ 'This is what the will of He who sent me is: That I wouldn't lose anything from all that He has given to me, but that I should resurrect it [on] that Last Day. ⁴⁰ Yes, this is what my Father's will is: That everyone who pays close attention to the Son and believes in him should have age-long life, and I will resurrect him… [yes] me, on the Last Day!'

⁴¹ At this, the Judeans started grumbling about him, because he said, 'I am the bread that came down out of heaven.' ⁴² So, they asked, 'Isn't this Jesus, the son of JoSeph, whose father and mother we all know? So, how is it that he's saying, I came down out of heaven?

⁴³ Then Jesus replied, 'Stop your grumbling! ⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him [to me] and then I will resurrect him on that last day. ⁴⁵ Why, it is written in the Prophets: They will all be taught about God. So, all who hear about the Father and learn, come to me.

⁴⁶ 'It's not that anyone has seen the Father other than he who was with God… he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ I tell you the truth: He who believes has age-long life!

⁴⁸ 'I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the desert and died, ⁵⁰ but this is the bread that comes from heaven and no one who eats it will die. ⁵¹ I'm the living bread that came from heaven, and if anyone eats this bread, he will have age-long life. For the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.'

⁵² Well at that, the Judeans started fighting with each other, asking, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'

⁵³ So Jesus told them, 'I tell you the truth; if you don't eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you won't have life in yourselves. ⁵⁴ For, he who chews my flesh and drinks my blood will have age-long life, and then I will resurrect him on the Last Day, ⁵⁵ because my flesh is truly food and my blood is truly drink. ⁵⁶ He who chews on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

⁵⁷ 'The living Father sent me and I'm living through the Father. Likewise, he who chews on me will live through me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread: He who came down from heaven. It's not the same as that which your fathers ate and then died, for he who chews on this bread will live for that age.'

⁵⁹ Now, these are the things that he said while he was teaching in the synagogue at CapharNaum. ⁶⁰ But when they heard this, many of his disciples said, 'Those are tough words. Who can listen to them?'

⁶¹ However, Jesus, knowing what his disciples were grumbling about, asked them, 'Is this a trap for you? ⁶² Then, what will happen if you see the Son of Man going back up to where he came from? ⁶³ [Your] breath is what makes you alive, for [without it] the flesh is useless. And these things that I've told you are life and breath… ⁶⁴ yet, some of you don't believe.'

Jesus knew from the start who wouldn't believe and who would betray him, ⁶⁵ so he went on to say, 'This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is given to him by the Father.'

⁶⁶ But as the result of this, many of his disciples went back to the things [they'd left] behind and wouldn't walk with him anymore.

⁶⁷ So Jesus asked the twelve, 'Don't you want to go back also?'

⁶⁸ But Simon Peter answered, 'Lord, whom should we go off to? You say the words of age-long life, ⁶⁹ and we have known and believed that you're the Holy One of God!'

⁷⁰ Then Jesus said, 'I chose you twelve, didn't I? But one of you is a slanderer.'

⁷¹ Of course, he was talking about Judas ([the son] of Simon IsCariot), because; although he was one of the twelve, he was about to betray [Jesus].

Chapter 7

¹ After that, Jesus [limited] his travels just to GaliLee, for he no longer cared to travel through Judea, because the Judeans were looking to kill him.

² However, the Jewish Festival of Temporary Structures was coming up, ³ so his brothers said to him: 'Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples there can also see the things you're doing. ⁴ Because, no one does things in secret when he wants everyone to know what he's saying.' ⁵ (It's a fact that his brothers just didn't believe in him.)

⁶ So Jesus told them: 'It isn't my time yet… but it's always your time. ⁷ For, the system of things doesn't have any reason to hate you; but it hates me, because I testify to the fact that what it does is wicked. ⁸ So, you go on up to the festival… I'm not going to this festival, because my time hasn't arrived yet.'

⁹ And he remained in GaliLee [for a while] after telling them this.

¹⁰ However, after his brothers went to the festival, he also went (not openly, but in secret). ¹¹ The Judeans were looking for him at the festival, for they were asking, 'Where is that [man]?' ¹² And there was a lot of discussion about him among the crowds. Some would say, 'He's a good man.' But others would say, 'No he isn't; He misleads the masses.'

¹³ Of course, nobody would talk about him publicly, because they were all afraid of the Judeans.

¹⁴ Then, when the festival was half over, Jesus finally [arrived, and] went into the Temple and started teaching. ¹⁵ This caused the Judeans to wonder and ask, 'How does this man understand the writings when he hasn't studied them?'

¹⁶ So Jesus answered: 'What I teach isn't mine; it belongs to He who sent me. ¹⁷ Anyone who wants to do His will knows whether the things I'm teaching come from God, or if I'm speaking on my own. ¹⁸ He who speaks on his own is trying to glorify himself. But he who wishes to glorify the One who sent him is true, and there isn't any unrighteousness in him.

¹⁹ 'Didn't Moses give you the Law? Yet, none of you obey the Law. For, why are you looking to kill me?'

²⁰ And the crowd answered, 'You're demonized! Why, who's looking to kill you?'

²¹ So Jesus said, 'I did just one thing that bothers you: ²² Moses gave you the circumcision (not that it's from Moses but from your forefathers), thus you circumcise men on the Sabbath. ²³ So, if a man is circumcised on a Sabbath to keep from breaking the Law of Moses, then why are you furious with me because I made an entire man healthy on a Sabbath? ²⁴ Quit judging from the way things look on the surface; Judge righteously!'

²⁵ At that, some who lived in JeruSalem asked, 'Isn't this the man that they're seeking to kill? ²⁶ Look… he's here speaking in public, and they don't say anything to him! Have the rulers come to know for a fact that he's the Anointed One? ²⁷ We all know where this man is from, but when the Anointed One comes, no one will know where he's from!'

²⁸ Well, as he was standing there teaching in the Temple, Jesus shouted aloud, 'You know me and you know where I'm from! But coming here wasn't my idea. He who sent me is real and you don't know Him. ²⁹ I know Him, because I came from Him, and because He sent me here!'

³⁰ So they started looking for ways to grab him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time hadn't come yet.

³¹ However, many in the crowd started to believe in him and said, 'When the Anointed One arrives, he surely won't perform more signs than this man has, will he?' ³² And the Pharisees overheard what the crowd was saying about him, so the Chief Priests and Pharisees sent officers to take him.

³³ Then Jesus said, 'I will be here with you just a little while longer, before I go to the One who sent me. ³⁴ Then you will look for me but you won't find me, and where I'm [going] you can't go.'

³⁵ So the Judeans started asking each other, 'Where does he plan to go that we won't be able to find him? He doesn't intend to go to those scattered among the Greeks and start teaching the Greeks, does he? ³⁶ What does he mean when he says, You'll look for me but won't find me, and, Where I'm going you can't go?'

³⁷ Well, it was on the last day (the climax of the festival) that Jesus stood up and shouted, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! ³⁸ For, the scripture says this about he who puts faith in me: Rivers of living water will flow from him.' ³⁹ [Of course] when he said this, [he was talking] about The Breath, which those who were putting faith in him were about to receive. But The Breath hadn't arrived yet, because Jesus hadn't been glorified.

⁴⁰ Then some of the crowd who heard these words started saying, 'This is surely the Prophet!' ⁴¹ while others were saying, 'This is the Anointed One!' But, some were saying, 'The Anointed One won't really come from GaliLee, will he? ⁴² Didn't the Scriptures say the Anointed One is from the line of David and from BethLehem, the village of David?' ⁴³ So the crowd became divided over him.

⁴⁴ And although some among them [had come there] to grab him, nobody laid a hand on him. ⁴⁵ And when the [Temple] officers returned to the Chief Priests and Pharisees, they were asked, 'Why didn't you bring him in?'

⁴⁶ But the officers replied, 'No man has ever spoken like this!'

⁴⁷ Then the Pharisees asked, 'You haven't been misled also, have you? ⁴⁸ Why, none of the rulers or Pharisees believe in him, do they? ⁴⁹ But this crowd that doesn't know the Law is cursed!'

⁵⁰ Then NicoDemos (who had come to him previously and who was one of [Jesus' followers]) said to them: ⁵¹ 'Our Law doesn't allow us to judge a man unless we first hear from him and get to know what he's up to, does it?'

⁵² And they answered, 'Are you also a GaliLean? Search [the Scriptures] and you'll see that no Prophet is to come from GaliLee!'

Chapter 8

(1-11) ¹² So, Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world, and whoever follows me won't ever walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'

¹³ Then the Pharisees said to him, 'You're testifying about yourself, so what you're witnessing to isn't true!'

¹⁴ And Jesus answered, 'Even if I do testify about myself, my testimony is true, because I know where I came from and where I'll return. But you don't know where I came from or where I'm going, ¹⁵ because your judgment is fleshly. However, I don't judge anyone; ¹⁶ and if I do judge, my judgment is true, because I'm not alone, for the Father who sent me is with me.

¹⁷ It's written in your Law that whatever two men testify to is true; ¹⁸ so I'm testifying about myself, and the Father who sent me also testifies about me.'

¹⁹ Then they asked, 'So, where is your Father?'

And Jesus answered, 'You don't know me or my Father, for if you knew me, you would also know my Father.'

²⁰ And although [Jesus] said these things in the Treasury; while he was teaching in the Temple, nobody grabbed him, because his time hadn't come.

²¹ He told them again: 'I'm going away and you'll look for me, but you will die in your sins; because, where I'm going you can't come.'

²² So the Judeans started asking, 'He's not to kill himself, is he? Because he says, Where I'm going you can't come.'

²³ But he went on to tell them, 'You come from the things below and I come out of things from above. You're from this system of things, but I'm not from this arrangement. ²⁴ So, as I told you before; You will die in your sins… If you don't believe that I'm [the one], you will die in your sins!'

²⁵ Then they asked, 'So, who are you?'

And Jesus replied, 'Why am I even talking to you? ²⁶ I have so many things to tell you and to judge about you, but the One who sent me is truthful, and I'm telling this world the things that I heard from Him.'

²⁷ And because they really didn't understand that he was talking to them about the Father, ²⁸ Jesus said, 'When you hang the Son of Man up, then you will know that I'm [the one] and that I'm not doing anything on my own; I'm just saying what I was taught by the Father. ²⁹ He who sent me is with me, and He didn't send me off alone, because I always do the things that will please Him.'

³⁰ And as he was saying this, many started believing in him.

³¹ Then Jesus addressed the Judeans who believed in him: 'If you hold onto these things that I'm saying, you're really my disciples… ³² you will know the truth and the truth will set you free!'

³³ But they replied, 'We're the seed of AbraHam and we've never been slaves to anyone! So, why are you saying that we'll be set free?'

³⁴ Then Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth; Everyone who sins is a slave to sin, ³⁵ and a slave doesn't live in the house through the age. Only the son lives there through the age. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you'll really be free!

³⁷ 'I know that you're AbraHam's seed, but you're looking to kill me, because what I'm saying isn't getting through to you. ³⁸ I'm telling you the things that I saw [while I was] with my Father, but you're doing the things that you heard from your father.'

³⁹ Then they said, 'Well, our father is AbraHam!'

And Jesus answered, 'If you really are AbraHam's children, do what AbraHam did! ⁴⁰ Yet, you want to kill me… a man who told you the truth that I heard from God! AbraHam wouldn't do this, ⁴¹ so you're doing the things that your father wants.'

Then they replied, 'We weren't fathered in some immoral relationship… we have one Father, God!'

⁴² And Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love me; because I came here from God. I didn't come here on my own, He sent me!

⁴³ '[Do you know] why you don't understand what I'm saying? Because you aren't listening! ⁴⁴ You are from your father the Slanderer and you want to do whatever your father wishes. Why, he was a murderer from the start… he didn't stick with the truth, because truth isn't in him. So when he tells a lie, he's telling about something that's his, because he's a liar and the father of the lie. ⁴⁵ However; because I'm telling the truth, you don't believe me.

⁴⁶ 'Who among you accuses me of sin? And if I'm telling the truth, why don't you believe me? ⁴⁷ He who comes from God listens to what God is saying… and that's why you don't listen; because you aren't from God.'

⁴⁸ Well at that, the Judeans said, 'Aren't we [telling the truth] when we say that you're a demonized Samaritan?'

⁴⁹ And Jesus answered, 'I don't have a demon; I'm honoring my Father and you're dishonoring me. ⁵⁰ I'm not trying to glorify myself, but there is One who is watching and judging. ⁵¹ I tell you the truth; If anyone obeys my words, he won't see death through the age.'

⁵² Then the Judeans said to him, 'Now we know that you're demonized! Why, even AbraHam and the Prophets died, but you say, If anyone obeys my words he won't see death through the age! ⁵³ You aren't greater than our father AbraHam or the Prophets who all died, are you? Just who do you claim to be?'

⁵⁴ And Jesus answered, 'If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. But it's my Father who glorifies me… He whom you say is your God, ⁵⁵ but you never knew Him! I know Him, and if I should ever say that I don't know Him, then I'd be like you, a liar. But I do know Him and I'm obeying His instructions.

⁵⁶ 'Why, your father AbraHam shouted in joy over the hope of seeing my day… he saw it and rejoiced!'

⁵⁷ Then the Judeans asked, 'You aren't fifty years old yet, and still you've seen AbraHam?'

⁵⁸ And Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth; I existed before AbraHam was.'

⁵⁹ And at that, they picked up rocks to throw them at him, but Jesus [went and] hid. Then he left the Temple.

Chapter 9

¹ Now, as he was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind since birth. ² So his disciples asked, 'Rabbi; Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?'

³ And Jesus replied, 'It wasn't because this man or his parents sinned. It happened so that the works of God could be demonstrated through him. ⁴ For, I must do the work of the One who sent me while it is still day, because the night is coming when no one can work. ⁵ As long as I'm in the world, I'm the world's light.'

⁶ And after he said that, he spit on the ground, made a paste with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. ⁷ Then he told him, 'Go wash in the Pool of SiloAm' (which translates as The Sent Place). So he went off and washed, and came back seeing.

⁸ Well, when his neighbors (those who knew he used to be a beggar) saw this, they asked, 'Isn't this is the man who used to sit and beg?' ⁹ And others answered, 'That's him,' while still others said, 'No! It just looks like him.' However, the man said, 'I'm the one!'

¹⁰ Then they asked, 'So, how were your eyes opened?'

¹¹ And he answered: 'The man called Jesus made a paste and smeared it on my eyes, then he told to me to go to SiloAm and wash. So I went and washed, and started seeing.'

¹² Then they asked, 'Where is that man?'

And he answered, 'I don't know.' ¹³ So then they took the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees.

¹⁴ Well, the day that Jesus made the paste and opened his eyes was a Sabbath. ¹⁵ So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight. And he answered, 'He put a paste on my eyes; then I washed and I started seeing.'

¹⁶ So some of the Pharisees said, 'This man isn't from God, because he doesn't observe the Sabbath!' While others asked, 'If the man's a sinner, then, how can he perform such signs?' As the result, they were divided.

¹⁷ So they asked the blind man once more, 'Since he opened your eyes, what do you have to say about him?'

And the man said, 'He's a Prophet!'

¹⁸ However, the Judeans didn't believe that he had once been blind and started seeing, until they called his parents ¹⁹ and asked them, 'Is this your son who you say was born blind? And if so, then how can he see now?'

²⁰ And his parents replied, 'We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. ²¹ But we don't know how he started to see or who opened his eyes. Ask him… he's old enough. He has to speak for himself!'

²² His parents said this, because they were afraid of the Judeans, since they had already agreed that if anyone would admit that [Jesus] is the Anointed One, they would be expelled from the synagogue. ²³ And that's why his parents said, 'He's old enough, ask him.'

²⁴ So they called the man who used to be blind a second time and said, 'Glorify God! We know that man is a sinner!'

²⁵ But he answered, 'Whether he's a sinner or not, I don't know. The only thing I do know is that I was blind and now I can see!'

²⁶ Then they asked, 'What did he do to you… how did he open your eyes?'

²⁷ And he replied, 'I told you already, but you aren't listening! Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become one of his disciples?'

²⁸ Well at this, they spoke insultingly to him, saying, 'You're one of that man's disciples, but we are disciples of Moses. ²⁹ We know that God spoke to Moses, but we don't know where this man is from!'

³⁰ And the man said, 'It's truly marvelous that you don't know where he's from, yet he opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but he listens to anyone who is God-fearing and does His Will. ³² Why, through the ages, no one has ever heard of someone that could open the eyes of a person who was born blind. ³³ And if this man wasn't from God, he couldn't do anything.'

³⁴ Then they replied, 'You were born a complete sinner, and now you're teaching us?' And at that, they threw him out.

³⁵ Well, Jesus heard about them throwing him out, and when he found him, he asked, 'Are you starting to put faith in the Son of Man?'

³⁶ Then the man answered, 'Just who is he, Lord, so that I can believe in him?'

³⁷ And Jesus said, 'You have seen him, for he who is speaking to you is that one.'

³⁸ Then he said, 'I do believe in him, Lord,' and he bowed low.

³⁹ And Jesus said, 'This is the judgment that I brought into the world: Helping those who don't see to see, and those who see to become blind.'

⁴⁰ But when some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this, they asked, 'We aren't blind also, are we?'

⁴¹ And Jesus replied, 'If you were blind you wouldn't have any sin. But because you claim to see, your sin remains.'

Chapter 10

¹ 'I tell you the truth; All those who don't enter the sheep pen through the gate, but climb in at some other place, are thieves and robbers; ² however, he who enters through the gate is the shepherd of those sheep. ³ This one is the gatekeeper who opens to them, and the sheep listen to his voice… he calls his sheep by their names and leads them out. ⁴ And when he has them all out, he leads them and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. ⁵ They won't follow a stranger, but will run from him, because they don't recognize the voices of strangers.'

⁶ Jesus had given them this illustration, but they didn't understand what he meant.

⁷ Then Jesus again said, 'I tell you the truth; I'm the gateway to the sheep, ⁸ but all those who come ahead of me are thieves and robbers, and the sheep won't listen to them. ⁹ I'm the gateway, and whoever enters through me will be saved… he can come in or he can go out and find a place to graze. ¹⁰ The thief only enters to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came so they can have life and plenty of everything!

¹¹ 'I am the good shepherd, and a good shepherd will give his life for the sheep. ¹² A hired hand that isn't a shepherd and doesn't own the sheep will leave them and run away whenever he sees a wolf coming, so the wolf can grab and scatter them. ¹³ This is because he's just a hired hand, and he doesn't really care for the sheep. ¹⁴ I'm the fine shepherd, so I know my sheep and they know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I'll give my life for the sheep.

¹⁶ 'But I have other sheep that aren't in this pen, and I must also lead them and they will listen to my voice; and they will [all] become one flock under one shepherd.

¹⁷ 'This is why the Father loves me… because I will lay down my life so I can receive it back again. ¹⁸ Nobody is taking it from me… I'm giving it away! For I'm authorized to give it and I'm authorized to receive it again… this is the commandment that I got from my Father!'

¹⁹ Then once again, the Judeans became divided over these words. ²⁰ Many were saying, 'He's demonized and crazy. Why do you listen to him?' ²¹ But others were saying, 'These aren't the words of a demonized man, for a demon can't open blind peoples' eyes, can it?'

²² Well, at the time, the Festival of Dedication was going on in JeruSalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was walking in the Temple among the Columns of Solomon. ²⁴ It was there that the Judeans gathered around him and asked, 'How long are you going to keep our lives hanging? Just tell us if you're the Anointed One!'

²⁵ And Jesus answered, 'I [already] told you and you don't believe it! Why, the things that I'm doing in my Father's Name testify about me, ²⁶ but you don't believe it, because [none of] you are my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice… I know them and they follow me, ²⁸ so I will give them age-long life… none will be lost in this age, nor will anyone take them from my hands! ²⁹ My Father who gave them to me is greater than everyone, and nobody can take them out of the hands of the Father, ³⁰ for the Father and I are one.'

³¹ Then once again, the Judeans picked up rocks to stone him. ³² And Jesus said: 'I've shown you so many good things that I did, which came from the Father. So, for which of these good deeds are you ready to stone me?'

³³ And the Judeans answered, 'We aren't stoning you for good deeds, but for blasphemy! Why, although you're just a man, you're making yourself a god!'

³⁴ Then Jesus answered, 'Isn't it written in your Law, I say that you are gods? ³⁵ And if He called those who were spoken against in God's Word, gods (and you can't void the Scriptures), ³⁶ how can you tell me (one who was made holy and sent into the world by the Father) that I blaspheme because I say that I'm God's Son? ³⁷ If I'm not doing what my Father wants, then don't believe me. ³⁸ But if I am… even if you don't believe me, believe in what I'm doing! Then you will come to know (and keep knowing) that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.'

³⁹ So they tried to grab him again, but he slipped out of their reach. ⁴⁰ Then he went off and crossed the Jordan [River] to the place where John had started his baptizing, and he stayed there. ⁴¹ Many people came to him there and said, 'John didn't perform a single sign, but everything John said about this man is true!' ⁴² And many believed in him there.

Chapter 11

¹ Now, there was man who was very ill – Lazarus of BethAny, from the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ² This was the Mary who had greased the Lord with perfumed ointment and wiped his feet dry with her hair. And Her brother Lazarus was now very sick, ³ so his sisters sent word [to Jesus], saying, 'Lord, {Look!} the one whom you care for is ill!'

⁴ But when Jesus heard this, he said, 'This sickness isn't for death, it's for the glory of God – so that the Son of God will be glorified by it!'

⁵ Now, Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. ⁶ However, when he heard that [Lazarus] was ill, he actually stayed where he was for two more days.

⁷ And after that, he told the disciples: 'Let's go to Judea again.'

⁸ But the disciples reminded him, 'Rabbi, the Judeans just tried to stone you, so, are you going there again?'

⁹ And Jesus answered: 'Aren't there twelve hours of daylight? And if anyone walks in the daylight, he doesn't bump into things, because he sees the light of this world. ¹⁰ But if someone walks around at night, he bumps into things, because there isn't any light in him.'

¹¹ Then after he said these things, he told them, 'Our friend Lazarus has lain down and I'm going there to wake him up.'

¹² So the disciples said to him, 'Lord, if he's just lying down, he'll survive.'

¹³ However, Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought he was talking about lying down to sleep. ¹⁴ Then Jesus told them plainly, 'Lazarus has died! ¹⁵ And I'm happy for your sakes that I wasn't there, so you can believe. Let's go to him!'

¹⁶ Then Thomas (who was called the Twin) said to the other disciples, 'Let's go along also, so we can die with [Jesus].'

¹⁷ Well, when Jesus arrived, he found [that Lazarus] had already been in the tomb for four days.

¹⁸ Now, BethAny was about two miles from JeruSalem, and ¹⁹ many of the Judeans had come to visit Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. ²⁰ So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary stayed home.

²¹ Then Martha told Jesus, 'Lord, if you had just been here, my brother wouldn't have died. ²² And yet, now I know that whatever you ask God for, He'll give you.'

²³ And Jesus told her, 'Your brother will stand again!'

²⁴ Then Martha said, 'I know that he'll stand again in the resurrection on the Last Day.'

²⁵ But Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life; so, whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live. ²⁶ And all the living who believe in me won't remain dead through the age. Do you believe this?'

²⁷ And she answered, 'Yes Lord; I have believed that you're the Anointed One, the Son of God, and the one who was to come into the world.'

²⁸ Then after saying this, she went off to call her sister Mary, and told her secretly: 'The Teacher is here and he's asking for you.' ²⁹ And when [Mary] heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.

³⁰ Actually, Jesus hadn't gone into the village yet, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. ³¹ So when the Judeans (who came to the house to console her) saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to cry there. ³² And when Mary got to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn't have died!'

³³ And when Jesus saw her and all the Judeans who came with her crying, he groaned a deep sigh and was visibly upset. ³⁴ Then he asked, 'Where have you laid him?'

And they replied, 'Lord, come and see.'

³⁵ Then Jesus broke into tears, ³⁶ and the Judean [women] said, 'See how much he cared for him!'

³⁷ But some of them asked, 'Wasn't this man who opened the eyes of the blind man able to keep him from dying?'

³⁸ Then, after groaning deeply again, Jesus went to the tomb, which was actually a cave with a [large piece of] stone on top of it. ³⁹ And Jesus said, 'Lift the stone.'

But Martha (the dead man's sister) said, 'Lord, by now he must stink, because it has already been four days!'

⁴⁰ However, Jesus said, 'Didn't I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?'

⁴¹ So they lifted the stone. Then Jesus raised his eyes toward heaven and said, 'Father; Thank You for listening to me! ⁴² I know that You always hear me, but I said this because of the crowd that's standing around… so they can believe that You sent me.'

⁴³ And after he said that, he shouted loudly, 'Lazarus, come on out!'

⁴⁴ Then the man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet still bound with wrappings, and his face wrapped in a cloth. And Jesus said, 'Untie and unwrap him!'

⁴⁵ So, many of the Judeans who came with Mary and saw what he had done started believing in him. ⁴⁶ However, some went off to the Pharisees and told them about the things that Jesus did.

⁴⁷ Then the Chief Priests and Pharisees called the Jewish Court together and asked, 'What should we to do, for this man performs so many signs? ⁴⁸ Why, if we let him go on doing this, everyone will believe in him and the Romans will come and take away our land and our people!'

⁴⁹ Well, one of the group, CaiAphas (who was High Priest that year), said to them, 'You don't know anything, ⁵⁰ and you haven't figured it out yet… that it's best for one man to die for the people, so the whole nation isn't destroyed!'

⁵¹ However, he didn't come up with this by himself. It was because he was High Priest that year, that he prophesied that Jesus was to die for the nation… ⁵² and not only for the nation, but so that he could also bring the scattered children of God together as one.

⁵³ Well from that day on, they were meeting and discussing ways to kill him, ⁵⁴ so Jesus no longer traveled openly among the Judeans. He left there and traveled through the countryside near the desert, to a city called Ephraim, where he remained with his disciples.

⁵⁵ Now, the Judean Passover was coming, and many people had left the countryside for JeruSalem before the Passover, in order to undergo ceremonial cleansing. ⁵⁶ And [all the while], people were looking for Jesus, asking each other (as they stood around in the Temple), 'What do you think? Won't he come to the Festival at all… ⁵⁷ for the Chief Priests and Pharisees have given orders that if anyone knows where he is, they should tell it so they can grab him.'

Chapter 12

¹ Well, six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at BethAny (the place where he'd raised Lazarus from the dead), ² and they prepared a supper for him there. And as Martha was serving, Lazarus was reclining at the table with the others. ³ Then Mary took a pound of perfumed ointment (genuine nard that was very expensive) and greased Jesus' feet, wiping his feet dry with her hair; and this filled the house with the scent of the perfume.

⁴ But Judas IsCariot (one of his disciples who was about to betray him) asked, ⁵ 'Why wasn't this ointment sold for three hundred silver coins and given to the poor?' ⁶ However, he didn't say this because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief… he kept the money box, and he used to [steal some of] the money that was put into it.

⁷ Then Jesus said, 'Leave her alone, so she can keep this observance of the day of my burial. ⁸ You always have the poor with you, but you won't always have me.'

⁹ Well, a large crowd of Judeans had learned that he was there; and they came, not just to see Jesus, but also to see Lazarus who he'd raised from the dead. ¹⁰ As the result, the Chief Priests then met in counsel to kill Lazarus also, ¹¹ because many Judeans were going there and believing in Jesus due to him.

¹² Then, the next day, a huge crowd of those who had come to the festival, when they heard that Jesus was coming into JeruSalem, ¹³ took palm-tree branches and went out to meet him, shouting, '[God] save the Praised One who comes in Jehovah's Name… the King of IsraEl!'

¹⁴ And when Jesus found a young burro, he sat on it, just as it was written, ¹⁵ 'Don't be afraid, O daughter of Zion. {Look!} Your king is coming, sitting on the colt of a burro.'

¹⁶ And although his disciples didn't pay any particular attention to this at first; after Jesus was glorified, they remembered these things were written about him and that they did these things.

¹⁷ Also, the crowd that was with him when he had called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead [was there], testifying about him. ¹⁸ And many in the throngs [of people] came to meet him, because they'd heard that he had performed this sign. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees talked among themselves saying, 'Look… we aren't getting anywhere! See, the whole world is following him!'

²⁰ Well, among those who came to worship at the Festival were some Greeks, ²¹ who went up to Philip (from BethSaida of GaliLee) and said, 'Lord; We want to see Jesus.'

²² So Philip went and told Andrew, then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³ But Jesus replied, 'The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ I tell you the truth; Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a kernel. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. ²⁵ So, he who is concerned about his life will lose it, but those who don't care about life in this system of things will keep it safe, and they will live in the age.

²⁶ 'If anyone wants to serve me, let him follow me, so that wherever I am, my servant will be also… for the Father will honor all who wish to serve me.

²⁷ 'Now I am deeply disturbed, so what should I say… Father, save me from this hour? Why, this is why I came to this hour! ²⁸ Father; Glorify Your Name!'

Then a voice came out of the sky, saying, 'I glorified it and I will glorify it again!'

²⁹ Well, [many in] the crowd who were standing there heard [the sound] and said it was thunder; but others said, 'A messenger [from God] spoke to him!'

³⁰ Then Jesus said: 'This voice didn't happen for me, but for you; ³¹ for now this system of things will be judged; now the ruler of this arrangement will be thrown out; ³² and if I'm hung high off the ground, I will draw all men toward me.' ³³ (He was really saying this to show what type of death he was about to die.)

³⁴ Then the crowd said, 'The Law tells us that the Anointed One will be here through the age. So, why are you saying that the Son of Man must be hung up… just who is this Son of Man?'

³⁵ And Jesus replied, 'The light will be among you just a little while longer; so walk while you have the light, so that darkness doesn't overtake you. He who walks in darkness doesn't know where he's going. ³⁶ But as long as you have the light, have faith in that light, so you can become Sons of Light.' And after Jesus said these things, he went and hid from them. ³⁷ For, although he had performed so many signs in front of them, they still didn't believe in him. ³⁸ This happened so that the words of the Prophet IsaiAh were fulfilled, which said, 'O Lord; Who has believed in the things that we've heard, and who has shown the arm of Jehovah?'

³⁹ The reason why they couldn't believe, is as IsaiAh again said, ⁴⁰ 'He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they won't see with their eyes, understand in their hearts, and turn around so I will heal them.' ⁴¹ IsaiAh said this, because he saw and talked about [Jesus'] glory.

⁴² Yet, even many of the rulers actually believed in him, but they wouldn't admit it because of the Pharisees, and so they wouldn't be expelled from the synagogue… ⁴³ for they loved the glory of men even more than the glory of God.

⁴⁴ Then Jesus shouted [to the crowd], 'Those who believe in me don't just believe in me alone, but in the One who sent me… ⁴⁵ and whoever sees me, sees the One who sent me! ⁴⁶ For I came as a light to the world, so that everyone who believes in me won't stay in darkness. ⁴⁷ And if anyone hears what I say and doesn't obey it, I won't judge him; for I didn't come to judge the world, but to save it! ⁴⁸ Those who ignore me and don't welcome what I say, already have someone who judges them… the things that I've said are what will judge him on the last day, ⁴⁹ because the things that I said didn't come from me; It was the Father who sent me that commanded me what to tell and what to say! ⁵⁰ I know that His Commandments mean age-long life, so I say whatever the Father told me to say… and that's what I'm saying!'

Chapter 13

¹ Well, even before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that the time had come for him to transfer from this world to the Father. And Jesus loved those who were his own in the world… he loved them to the end. ² So, while they were eating supper (since the Slanderer had already put it into the heart of Judas IsCariot – the son of Simon – to betray him, ³ and because he knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he came from God and was returning to God), ⁴ he got up from the meal and laid his outer clothing aside. Then he took a towel and wrapped it around him, ⁵ put water in a bowl, and started washing his disciples' feet and drying them with the towel that he had around him.

⁶ But when he got to Simon Peter, [Peter] asked, 'Lord, why are you washing my feet?'

⁷ And Jesus answered, 'You won't understand what I'm doing right now, but you will understand later.'

⁸ Then Peter said, 'You aren't going to wash my feet any time in this age!'

And Jesus replied, 'If I don't wash you, you will never have a share with me.'

⁹ And at that, Simon Peter said, 'Lord, then not just my feet, but my hands and head also!'

¹⁰ But Jesus told him: 'Someone who has taken a bath is completely clean and doesn't need to have anything more than his feet washed… and you men are clean… but not all.'

¹¹ He knew, of course, which man would betray him. That's why he said, 'Not all of you are clean.'

¹² Well, after he'd finished washing their feet, he put his outer clothing back on, reclined at the table again, and then asked, 'Do you know what I've done for you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and there's nothing wrong with that, because that's what I am. ¹⁴ So if I, as your Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you should also wash the feet of each other. ¹⁵ I set the pattern for you, so you should do just as I did to you.

¹⁶ 'I tell you the truth; a slave isn't greater than his master, nor is an apostle greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ And if you understand these things and do them, you will be blest.

¹⁸ 'Now, I'm not talking about all of you – for I know those whom I chose – because, the scripture must be fulfilled, He who used to chew on my bread has lifted his heel against me.

¹⁹ 'So from now on, I will be telling you things before they happen. That way, when they do happen, you will believe that I am he. ²⁰ I tell you the truth; Whoever welcomes anyone that I send, also welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me, also welcomes Him who sent me.'

²¹ And after he said these things, Jesus became deeply disturbed and he testified to this: 'I tell you the truth; One of you will betray me!'

²² Well, the disciples started looking at each other and were at a loss as to which one he was saying this about. ²³ And reclining immediately in front of Jesus was one of his disciples who Jesus particularly loved; ²⁴ so Simon Peter nodded to him and said, 'Tell [us] who he's talking about.'

²⁵ Then this one leaned back against Jesus' chest and asked, 'Lord, who is it?'

²⁶ And Jesus replied, 'It's the one to whom I'm going to give this piece of bread that I'm dipping.' So he dipped the piece of bread, then took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon IsCariot.

²⁷ Then after [eating] the bread, the Opposer entered [Judas]. And Jesus said, 'Hurry up and do what you're going to do!'

²⁸ However, none of the rest who were reclining at the table knew why he said this to him. ²⁹ In fact, some thought that; since Judas was in charge of the money box, Jesus was telling him to buy whatever was needed for the Festival, or that he should give something to the poor. ³⁰ So [Judas] left immediately after he'd received the piece of bread late that evening.

³¹ And it was after he left that Jesus said: 'Now the Son of Man is glorified, and he glorifies God. ³² For God Himself will glorify him and he will be glorified right away! ³³ Little children; I'll be with you just a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Judeans, Where I'm going you can't come… so I'm saying the same thing to you right now.

³⁴ 'I'm giving you a new commandment, to love each other… love each other just as I've loved you. ³⁵ For this is how they will know that you are my disciples; by the love that you have for each other.'

³⁶ Then Simon Peter asked, 'Where are you going Lord?'

And Jesus answered, 'You can't follow where I'm going now, but you will follow later.'

³⁷ And Peter said, 'Lord, why can't I follow you now? Why, I'll give my life for you!'

³⁸ But Jesus replied, 'Will you give your life for me? I tell you the truth; a rooster won't crow before you've denied knowing me three times.'

Chapter 14

¹ 'Now, don't let your hearts be troubled; just have faith in God and have faith in me. ² There are many places to stay in my Father's house… if this weren't so, I wouldn't have told you that I'm going there to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I'm going to prepare a place for you, I will also return and take you with me, so you'll be where I am… ⁴ and then you'll know the way to [the place] where I'm going.'

⁵ At that, Thomas said: 'Lord, we don't know where you're going. So, how will we know the way?'

⁶ And Jesus replied, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life; so no one comes to the Father unless [he comes] through me. ⁷ If you men had [truly] known me, you would have recognized my Father also… and from now on, you've both known Him and seen Him.'

⁸ Then Philip said: 'Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us!'

⁹ And Jesus said, 'Have I spent so much time with you, and you still haven't come to know me Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father… so why are you saying, Show us the Father? ¹⁰ Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

'I'm not coming up with the things that I'm telling you on my own; it's the Father who remains in me that is doing His work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I'm in the Father and the Father is in me… or just believe because of what I'm doing!

¹² 'I tell you the truth; Whoever believes in me will do the things that I'm doing. In fact, he will do even greater things than these, because I'm going to the Father; ¹³ and I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son can glorify the Father. ¹⁴ If you ever ask anything of me in my name, I'll do it! ¹⁵ And if you truly love me, you'll follow my commandments.

¹⁶ 'Now, I'm going to ask the Father and He will give you another helper that will be with you through the age, ¹⁷ the Spirit of Truth. This world won't receive it, because they can't see it or understand it… but you'll recognize it, because it will stay with you and in you.

¹⁸ 'I'm not leaving you as orphans, because I'll be coming [back] to you. ¹⁹ But in just a little while, the world won't see me anymore; however, you will see me, because I'm alive and you will live. ²⁰ And in that day, you'll know that I'm in my Father, as you're in me and I'm in you.

²¹ 'Whoever knows my commandments and obeys them, is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, so I will love him and show myself to him.'

²² Then Judas (not IsCariot, [but ThadDaeus]) asked: 'Lord, what has happened so that you're about to show yourself to us, but not to the world?'

²³ And Jesus replied, 'If anyone loves me, he'll obey my words. Then my Father will love him and we will come to him and live with him. ²⁴ But those who don't love me, don't obey my words. And the words you're hearing aren't mine, because they belong to the Father who sent me.

²⁵ 'I told you these things while I was with you, ²⁶ but the Advocate, the Holy Breath that the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I told you. ²⁷ So, I leave you peace… I give you my peace, and I'm not giving it to you the way that the system offers it.

'Don't allow your hearts to be disturbed [and cause you to] act cowardly ²⁸ just because you heard me say that I'm going away and I will also return. If you love me, you'll cry out in joy that I'm going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am.

²⁹ 'Now, I've told you all of this before it happens, so that when it does happen, you can believe. ³⁰ I won't say many more things to you, because the Ruler of the system of things is coming and he has nothing on me. ³¹ But, so the world will know that I love the Father; I have performed whatever commandments the Father gave me.

'Now, get up! Let's leave this place!'

Chapter 15

¹ 'I am the true vine and my Father is the cultivator. ² He removes every branch in me that doesn't produce fruit and He cleans up all those that do produce, so they can put out more fruit. ³ However, you've already been made clean by the things I've told you. ⁴ So stick with me and I'll stick with you.

'Just as a branch can't produce fruit unless it remains on the vine, you can't either, unless you're in me. ⁵ So, I'm the vine and you're the branches; and those who are in me (and I in them) will produce much fruit. But apart from me, you can't do anything. ⁶ For, when someone doesn't remain in me, his branch is removed and it withers. Then men gather up such branches and throw them into the fire where they're burned. ⁷ But if you remain in me, and if the things I say remain in you, then you can ask for whatever you wish and it will happen for you.

⁸ 'My Father is glorified when you keep producing much fruit and continue to prove that you are my disciples. ⁹ And as the Father has loved me and I have loved you, remain in my love. ¹⁰ For, if you obey my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed the commandments of the Father, and I remain in His love.

¹¹ 'I've told you these things so you can share the joy that I have and so your joy can grow. ¹² And this is my commandment: Love each other just as I've loved you! ¹³ No one has greater love than this… that someone should give his life for his friends. ¹⁴ And you're my friends if you keep on doing what I'm commanding you.

¹⁵ 'I'm not calling you slaves, because a slave doesn't know what his master is doing… I'm calling you friends, because I've told you everything that I heard from my Father. ¹⁶ Why, you didn't choose me, I chose you! And I planted you so you'd produce fruit, and for your fruit to last! So, no matter what you ask from the Father in my name, He'll give it to you.

¹⁷ 'This is what I command you: Love each other! ¹⁸ And if the system of things hates you, you know that it hated me first. ¹⁹ For, if you were from this system, the world would have cared about what is its own. But now, because you're out of the world – because I've chosen you out of the world – this is why the world hates you.

²⁰ 'Remember what I told you: A slave isn't greater than his master; so if they persecuted me, they'll persecute you also. But if they've obeyed my words, they'll also obey yours. ²¹ However, they're going to do all these things against you in my name, because they don't know the One who sent me. ²² And if I hadn't come to tell them, they wouldn't be guilty of sin. But, now they don't have any excuse for their sin!

²³ 'Everyone who hates me also hates my Father. ²⁴ And if I hadn't done things that no one else has ever done among them, they wouldn't be guilty of sin. However, [now] they've seen it… and they've hated both my Father and I. ²⁵ But this happened so that the words written in their Law would be fulfilled: They hated me for no reason.

²⁶ 'So, when the Advocate (that I'm going to send you from the Father) arrives (the Spirit of Truth that comes from the Father), that [one] will testify about me. ²⁷ And you are also to testify, because you've been with me since the earliest [days].'

Chapter 16

¹ 'Now, I'm telling you these things so you won't be stumbled; ² for they're going to expel you from the synagogues… in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he's doing a service to God! ³ But they'll do these things because they know neither the Father nor me.

⁴ 'I've told you these things so that when their hour comes, you'll remember that I told them to you. I didn't tell you this in the beginning, because I was with you… ⁵ but now I'm going to the One who sent me… yet, none of you asks where I'm going.

⁶ 'Because I've told you these things, your hearts are now filled with grief. ⁷ But I'm telling you the truth when I say that my going away is for your own good. For, if I don't go away, the Advocate wouldn't come to you. But after I go, I'll send him to you. ⁸ And when that one gets here, he'll condemn the world over sin, over righteousness, and over judgments.
⁹ About sin; Because they have no faith in me.
¹⁰ About righteousness; Because I'm going to the Father and you won't see me anymore.
¹¹ And about judgment; Because the Ruler of this arrangement has been judged.

¹² 'I still have many things to tell you, but you can't handle them right now. ¹³ However, when that one (the Spirit of Truth) arrives, he will lead all of you to the truth… because he won't speak on his own; he will just tell you what he hears, and announce the things that are coming. ¹⁴ That one will glorify me, because he will receive things from me and announce them to you. ¹⁵ For, everything that the Father has is mine, and that's why I say that he will receive things from me and announce them to you. ¹⁶ Because, after just a little while longer, you won't be able to look upon me; then after a while, you will see me again.'

¹⁷ Well at that, some of his disciples started asking each other, 'What does he mean when he says, After a little while longer, you won't see me; and after a while you will see me again; and… because I'm going to the Father?' ¹⁸ They also asked, 'What does he mean by a little while? We don't know what he's talking about!'

¹⁹ But Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him [about this], so he said, 'Are you asking each other questions because I said, After a little while longer, you won't see me; and after a while you will see me again? ²⁰ I tell you the truth; You will cry and bawl while the world rejoices… yes, you will be very sad. But then your grief will be turned into joy!

²¹ 'Whenever a woman is giving birth, she's in pain because her time has come. But after she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the difficult time she had, because of her joy that a child was born into the world

²² 'So, now you're feeling grief… but I'll see you again! Then your hearts will rejoice and no one will ever be able to take away your joy… ²³ and then you won't have to ask me any more questions.

'I tell you the truth; If you ask the Father for anything, He'll give it to you in my name. ²⁴ Until now you haven't asked for anything in my name; but then you'll ask and receive, and your joy will be complete.

²⁵ '[So far], I've been telling you these things through illustrations. But the time is coming when I won't speak to you in illustrations anymore… I'll talk to you openly and bring back reports to you about the Father. ²⁶ In that day, you'll ask in my name, and I won't [have to] tell you that I'll ask the Father for you. ²⁷ Why, the Father cares for you, because you cared for me, and you believed that I came here from the Father. ²⁸ So, since I came into the world from the Father, I'll be leaving the world and returning to the Father.'

²⁹ Well, at this, his disciples said, '{Look!} Now you're talking openly without illustrations… ³⁰ now we're aware that you know everything and you don't need anyone to be questioning you. And because of this, we believe that you came from God!'

³¹ But Jesus asked, 'Do you believe right now? ³² Look, the hour is coming – in fact it has already arrived – when you will each be scattered to your own homes and you'll desert me. Yet, I won't be alone, because the Father is with me.

³³ 'I've told you these things so you can find peace in me; for in this system of things you'll only find hard times. But take courage, because I have conquered the system!'

Chapter 17

¹ Well, after Jesus said these things, he raised his eyes to the sky and said, 'Father; The hour has come! Glorify your son, so your son can glorify You. ² Now You've put him over all flesh, so he can give age-long life to all those whom You've given to him. ³ For, knowing You (the only true God) and the one whom You sent (Jesus the Anointed) means age-long life.

⁴ 'I've glorified You on the earth, and perfectly completed the work that You've assigned to me. ⁵ So Father, now glorify me alongside You with the glory that I had beside You before there was a cosmos.

⁶ 'I've made Your Name shine among the men that You gave me from the world… they were Yours, but You gave them to me, and they've obeyed all Your words. ⁷ They also realize that everything You gave me came from You, ⁸ for I passed along to them all the things that You told me, and these [things] were welcomed by them… and they know for a fact that I came here from You. Yes, they believe that it was You who sent me.

⁹ 'So, it's on their behalf that I'm asking. I'm not asking on behalf of the whole world, just on behalf of these whom You've given to me, because they're Yours. ¹⁰ For, all that's mine is Yours, and all that's Yours is mine; and I've been glorified among them. ¹¹ But, because I'm no longer in this world (while they are), and I'm coming to You, Holy Father; Watch over these that You've given to me because of Your Name, so that they may be one as we are.

¹² 'I've watched over these while I was with them (these whom You've given me because of Your Name)… I've watched over them so that none were destroyed (except for the son of destruction), in order for the Scriptures to be fulfilled.

¹³ 'But I'm coming to You now, and I'm saying these things in the world so that they may have the fulfillment of my joy in themselves. ¹⁴ I've given them Your Word; and the world has hated them because they're not part of this arrangement just as I'm no part of this arrangement.

¹⁵ 'I'm not asking You to take them out of the world, but to guard them because of the Wicked One, ¹⁶ since they're not part of this arrangement just as I'm not a part of this arrangement.

¹⁷ 'Make them holy in the truth, for Your Word is the truth! ¹⁸ And as You sent me into the world, I'm sending them into the world. ¹⁹ Therefore, I'm making myself something holy for them, so they can be holy in truth.

²⁰ 'Also, I'm not just asking for just these; [I'm asking that] all who say they believe ²¹ may be one (just as You Father, are in me, and I'm in You), and that they may also be one in us, so the world may believe that You sent me.

²² 'I've given them the glory that You gave to me, so they can be one as we are one ²³ (I in them and You in me), so they can be perfected into one, and the world may know that You sent me… and that You love them as You love me.

²⁴ 'Father, as for those whom You've given to me; I want them to be where I am, so they can see the glory that You gave me because You've loved me from before the founding of the cosmos.

²⁵ 'Righteous Father; The world never knew You, but I know You… and these whom You've sent to me have come to know [You]. ²⁶ I've made Your Name known to them, and I will [continue to] make it known, so Your love for me can be in them, and I [can be] in them also.'

Chapter 18

¹ Well, after he said this, Jesus and his disciples crossed the Cedar (Kidron) Wadi, where they entered a garden.

² Now, Judas (his betrayer) also knew of this place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. ³ So, Judas brought along a contingent of soldiers and some officers from the Priests and Pharisees, who came with torches, lamps, and weapons. ⁴ And since Jesus knew everything that was about to happen, he asked, 'Who are you looking for?'

⁵ And they answered, 'Jesus the Nazarene!'

So he said, 'That's me!' (Judas, his betrayer, was also standing among them.)

⁶ However, when he said, 'That's me,' they all backed up and fell to the ground. ⁷ So he asked them again, 'Who are you looking for?'

And they said, 'Jesus the Nazarene!'

⁸ Then Jesus answered, 'I told you, that's me! If it's just me that you're looking for, then let these go.' ⁹ (He said this, so the words he spoke could be fulfilled, 'I haven't lost a single one of those whom You gave me.')

¹⁰ And at that, Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the Chief Priest's slave, cutting off his right ear. (The slave's name was Malchus.) ¹¹ However, Jesus told Peter: 'Put the sword away… shouldn't I drink the cup that the Father has given me to drink?'

¹² Then the officer and his soldiers (as well as the Judean officers) grabbed Jesus and tied him up.

¹³ Well, first they took him to AnNas, the father-in-law of CaiAphas (who was High Priest that year). ¹⁴ It was CaiAphas who had advised the Judeans that it was to their benefit for one man to die in behalf of the people.

¹⁵ Now, Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. And since the Chief Priest was familiar with that disciple, he went into the Chief Priest's courtyard along with Jesus, ¹⁶ as Peter stood outside by the door. Then the disciple who knew the Chief Priest went outside and spoke to the doorkeeper, and he brought Peter inside.

¹⁷ But the servant girl who served as the doorkeeper, asked Peter, 'You aren't one of this man's disciples also, are you?'

And he said, 'No, I'm not!'

¹⁸ Now, the slaves and the officers were standing around warming themselves by a charcoal fire that they had built, because it was cold, and Peter was standing there with them, warming himself.

¹⁹ Well, the Chief Priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teachings. ²⁰ And Jesus answered, 'I've spoken to the world publicly and I always taught in synagogues and in the Temple where all the Judeans meet! I haven't said anything in secret, ²¹ so why are you questioning me? Question those who heard what I said. See, they know what I said!'

²² And at that, one of the officers who was standing there slapped Jesus in the face and said, 'Is that any way to answer the Chief Priest?'

²³ And Jesus replied, 'If I spoke in error, then testify that what I said was wrong. But if [what I said was] right, then why did you hit me?'

²⁴ Well thereafter, AnNas sent him away bound to CaiAphas, the High Priest.

²⁵ Now, Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself, when someone asked him, 'Aren't you one of his disciples?'

But he denied it, saying, 'I am not!'

²⁶ Then one of the Chief Priest's slaves (a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off) said, 'I saw you in the garden with him, didn't I?'

²⁷ But Peter denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.

²⁸ Well, early the next morning, they led Jesus from CaiAphas' [home] to the Governor's Palace; but they didn't go inside, because they didn't want to become unclean (so they could eat the Passover). ²⁹ As the result, Pilate came outside to them and asked, 'What are you accusing this man of?'

³⁰ And they replied, 'If this man hadn't done anything wrong, we wouldn't be handing him over to you!'

³¹ But Pilate said, 'Then, take him yourselves and judge him by your own laws.'

And the Judeans said, 'It isn't legal for us to kill anyone!' ³² (This was said so that Jesus' words would be fulfilled when he showed what sort of death he would die.)

³³ So Pilate went back inside the governor's palace, then he called for Jesus and asked, 'Are you the King of the Jews?'

³⁴ And Jesus replied, 'Is it your idea to ask this, or did others tell you about me?'

³⁵ Then Pilate said, 'I'm not a Jew am I? Your own people and Priests handed you over to me… what did you do?'

³⁶ And Jesus said, 'My Kingdom isn't from this arrangement. Why, if my Kingdom were from this arrangement, my followers would likely have fought so I wouldn't be handed over to the Judeans. But my Kingdom isn't from here.'

³⁷ And Pilate said, 'So you aren't a king?'

Then Jesus replied, 'You're the one who's saying that I'm a king. The reason why I was born and why I came into the world is to testify to the truth, and everyone who's on the side of truth listens to my voice.'

³⁸ Finally, Pilate asked, 'What is truth?' And after he said this, he went outside to the Judeans again and told them, 'I haven't found a single reason [to hold him]. ³⁹ So, since it's your custom for me to release someone to you on the Passover; Do you want me release the King of the Jews to you?'

⁴⁰ But they shouted repeatedly, 'Not him, but BarAbbas!' (BarAbbas was a robber.)

Chapter 19

¹ So Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged with a whip. ² Then the soldiers braided a crown out of thorns, put it on his head, wrapped him in a purple cape, ³ and they started coming up to him and saying, 'Rejoice, O you king of the Jews' (as they were slapping him in the face)!

⁴ Finally, Pilate went outside once more and said, 'Look; I'm bringing him outside to you, so you will know that I find no fault in him!'

⁵ Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cape. And [Pilate] said, 'Look; The man!'

⁶ However, when the Chief Priests and the Temple officers saw him, they shouted, 'Hang him on a pole! Hang him on a pole!'

Then Pilate told them, 'Take him yourselves and impale him! I don't find any fault in him!'

⁷ But the Judeans answered, 'We have a Law; and according to that Law he must die, because he made himself God's Son.'

⁸ Now, when Pilate heard them say this, it frightened him. ⁹ So he went back inside the Governor's Palace and asked Jesus, 'Where are you from?' But Jesus wouldn't answer.

¹⁰ Then Pilate said, 'Aren't you talking to me… don't you know that I have power to release you and the power to impale you?'

¹¹ And Jesus replied, 'You wouldn't have any power at all over me, unless it had been given to you from above. That's why the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.'

¹² Well, because of that, Pilate kept on looking for ways to release him. But the Judeans shouted, 'If you release this man, you're no friend of Caesar. Every man who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar!'

¹³ So after Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus outside, and then he sat down in the public-court area called the Stone Pavement (GabBatha in Hebrew).

¹⁴ Now, it was about the sixth hour of the day of preparation for the Passover. And [Pilate] said to the Judeans, 'See; Your King!'

¹⁵ However, they shouted, 'Hang him up! Hang him up! Impale him!'

Then Pilate asked, 'Shall I hang your king on a pole?'

And the Chief Priests answered, 'We have no king but Caesar!' ¹⁶ So, he handed [Jesus] over to them to be impaled.

Then they took Jesus away ¹⁷ and made him carry the pole out to the spot called Skull Place (GolGotha in Hebrew). ¹⁸ There they impaled him along with two other men, one on this side and one on the other, with Jesus in the middle.

¹⁹ Pilate also wrote a sign that he put on the pole, which said, 'Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.' ²⁰ As the result, many of the Judeans read this title (because the place where Jesus was impaled was close to the city), for it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

²¹ However, the Judean Chief Priests told Pilate, 'Don't write The King of the Jews, but, He said he's the King of the Jews!'

²² And Pilate said, 'What I wrote is what I've written.'

²³ Now, when the soldiers impaled Jesus, they took his robe and tore it into four sections, so each soldier could have a piece. But the long inner shirt was woven without a seam from top to bottom. ²⁴ So they said to each other, 'Let's not tear it; we'll throw dice to see who gets it.' (This happened so that the scripture might be fulfilled, 'They divided my robe among themselves and threw dice over my clothes'). And the soldiers really did these things.

²⁵ Standing by the impaling pole of Jesus was his mother, her sister Mary (the wife of Cleopas), and Mary of Magdala. ²⁶ So when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there, he told his mother, 'Look, woman; Your son!' ²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, 'Look; Your mother!' And from that day on, the disciple took her into his home.

²⁸ Later, when Jesus realized that everything had been completed (so the Scriptures could be fulfilled), he said, 'I'm thirsty.' ²⁹ And a jar was sitting there full of vinegar. So they put a sponge filled with vinegar on a stalk and held it up to his mouth. ³⁰ And when he received the vinegar, Jesus said, 'It's finished!' Then he hung his head and gave up the breath.

³¹ Since it was Preparation, and so that the bodies wouldn't hang on the poles over the Sabbath (because that was a Great Sabbath), the Judeans asked Pilate to have their legs broken and the bodies taken away. ³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of both men who had been impaled with him. ³³ But when they got to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn't break his legs. ³⁴ However, one of the soldiers jabbed his side with a spear, at which blood and water poured out.

³⁵ He who saw this is a witness to the facts, and offers this as true testimony. This man knows that he's telling the truth, so you can also believe it. ³⁶ It's a fact that these things happened so the scripture could be fulfilled, 'Not a bone of his will be crushed.' ³⁷ And another scripture says, 'They will look to the one whom they pierced.'

³⁸ Well, after that, JoSeph from HariMathea (a secret disciple of Jesus, because he was afraid of the Judeans) asked Pilate if he could take Jesus' body away, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body.

³⁹ Then NicoDemos (the man who had come to him at night the first time) arrived with a roll of myrrh and about a hundred pounds of aloes. ⁴⁰ So they took Jesus' body and bound it up with wrappings and spices (for that's how the Judeans customarily prepared bodies for burial).

⁴¹ Now, at the place where he was impaled, there was a garden and a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴² And because of the Jewish Preparation, they laid Jesus there, since the tomb was nearby.

Chapter 20

¹ Then, on one of the days of the Sabbath, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and noticed that the stone had already been moved away. ² So she ran to Simon Peter and to the other disciple (the one who Jesus cared for) and told them, 'They've taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don't know where they've put him!'

³ Then Peter and the other disciple went to the tomb… ⁴ the two started running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ And stooping over, he saw the wrappings lying there, but he didn't go inside.

⁶ Then Simon Peter came following him, and he went on into the tomb. He also saw the wrappings lying there, ⁷ but the cloth that had been on his head wasn't with the wrappings… it was rolled up in another spot. ⁸ Then the other disciple who reached the tomb first also went in… and saw… and believed.

⁹ However, they still didn't understand the scripture that spoke of how he was to be resurrected from the dead, ¹⁰ so the disciples went back home.

¹¹ And all the while, Mary kept standing outside the tomb crying. Then as she was crying, she stooped over to look inside the tomb, ¹² and she saw two [of God's] messengers dressed in white; one sitting at the head and the other at the feet of where the body of Jesus had been lying. ¹³ And they asked her, 'Woman; Why are you crying?'

And she answered, 'They've taken my Lord away, and I don't know where they've laid him.'

¹⁴ Then she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn't recognize [him]. ¹⁵ So Jesus asked, 'Woman; Why are you crying… who are you looking for?'

And she, thinking he was the caretaker, said, 'Lord, if you've carried him off, tell me where you've laid him, and I'll take him away.'

¹⁶ Then Jesus said, 'Mary!' And when she turned around, she said to him in Hebrew, 'Rabboni (My Teacher)!'

¹⁷ And Jesus said to her, 'Don't cling to me, because I haven't ascended to the Father yet. But go to my brothers and tell them that I'm ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'

¹⁸ Well at this, Mary of Magdala went and carried the news to the disciples saying, 'I have seen the Lord!' And [then she told them] the things that he said.

¹⁹ So, late that evening, although the doors were locked at the place where the disciples were (for fear of the Judeans), Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, 'May you have peace.'

²⁰ And after he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced at seeing the Lord. ²¹ And Jesus again said, 'May you have peace. Now, in the same way that the Father sent me, I'm sending you.'

²² Well, after he said this, he blew on them, saying, 'Receive the Holy Breath. ²³ And if you forgive anyone's sins, they will remain forgiven. But if you don't forgive their sins, they won't be forgiven.'

²⁴ However, Thomas (one of the twelve, who was called the Twin) wasn't with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So when the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord,' he said, 'I won't believe unless I see the print of the nails in his hands and stick my finger in them, and stick my hand into his side.'

²⁶ Well, eight days later, his disciples were gathered inside, and this time Thomas was with them. Then Jesus came again and stood in their midst (although the doors were locked) and he said, 'May you have peace.'

²⁷ And he said to Thomas, 'Now, put your finger here… and look at my hands… then take your hand and stick it into my side… stop doubting and start believing!'

²⁸ And at that, Thomas said, 'My Lord and my God!'

²⁹ Then Jesus said, 'Do you believe because you've seen me? It's those who don't see and still believe that are blest.'

³⁰ Well, it's a fact that Jesus performed many other signs before his disciples, which aren't written in this scroll. ³¹ However, these things have been written so you can believe that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Son of God… and that by believing, you too can gain life through his name.

Chapter 21

¹ After that, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberius, and this is how he did it: ² There was Simon (Peter), Thomas (the Twin), NathaniEl ([BarTholomew]) from Cana of GaliLee, the sons of ZebediOu, and two other disciples. ³ Simon Peter had said to them, 'I'm going fishing.' And they told him, 'We want to come along.' So they went out and got into the boat, but they didn't catch anything all night long. ⁴ Then, just as it was starting to get light, Jesus was there standing on the beach, but the disciples didn't recognize that it was him. ⁵ And Jesus shouted, 'Young children; You don't have anything to eat, do you?'

And they answered 'No!'

⁶ So he said, 'Cast your net on the right side of the boat and you'll find some!'

Then they threw the net out, but they weren't able to bring it back in, because there were so many fish. ⁷ And at that, the disciple who Jesus used to love said to Peter, 'It's the Lord!'

And when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he slipped on his robe (because he was naked) and dove into the sea. ⁸ However, the rest of the disciples came along in the boat dragging their net full of fish, because they weren't very far from land, only about three hundred feet. ⁹ And when they reached the shore, they noticed a charcoal fire with fish and bread lying on it. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said, 'Bring some of those fish you just caught.'

¹¹ So Simon Peter pulled the net to land, and it was filled with a hundred and fifty-three large fish. But, although there were so many, the net didn't rip.

¹² Then Jesus said, 'Come and get your breakfast.'

However, none of the disciples had enough courage to ask him who he was, because they knew it was the Lord. ¹³ So Jesus went over and handed them some bread and fish.

¹⁴ This was the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he had been raised from the dead.

¹⁵ Well, following breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter: 'Simon, son of Jonah; Do you love me more than these [fish]?'

And he replied, 'Yes Lord; You know how much I care for you!'

Then [Jesus] said, 'Feed my lambs.'

¹⁶ A second time [Jesus] asked, 'Simon, son of Jonah; Do you love me?'

And he said, 'Yes Lord, you know how much I care for you!'

And he said, 'Shepherd my little sheep.'

¹⁷ Then he asked a third time, 'Simon, son of Jonah; Do you care for me?'

Well, Peter was hurt when he asked the third time, 'Do you care for me?' So he said, 'Lord, you know everything… and you know how much I care for you!'

Then Jesus said to him, 'Feed my little sheep!'

¹⁸ 'I tell you the truth; When you were young, you used to wrap your clothes around you and walk wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will wrap you up and take you where you don't want to go.' ¹⁹ (He said this to show [Peter] the type of death he would [die, to] glorify God.) And after that, he said, 'Keep on following me!'

²⁰ Well, when he turned around, Peter saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them (the one who at the evening meal, leaned back on [Jesus'] chest and asked, 'Lord, who will betray you?'). ²¹ And on seeing him, Peter asked Jesus: 'Lord, what about him?'

²² And Jesus answered, 'If I want him to remain until I come, why should you care? You keep on following me!'

²³ But because of that, word was spread among the brothers that this disciple wouldn't die. However, Jesus didn't say that he wouldn't die, he just said, 'If I want him to remain until I come, why should you care?'

²⁴ This is the disciple who testified about and wrote about these things, and we know that the testimony he provides is true.

²⁵ ---

Notes

The Word

The Greek word logos is often rightly translated as word. However, logos implies an even greater meaning than that: The expression of a thought. So, when John called Jesus 'the Word,' he was really saying that Jesus is the complete expression of God's thoughts.

People have often wondered why John used the unusual wording in John 1:1 to start this book, which was his literary masterpiece. Yet, if you closely examine the exact wording (especially in Greek), you'll see that he was obviously explaining Genesis 1:1-3. For, notice how that scripture reads, 'In the beginning, The God created the skies and the lands. But the land was unsightly and unfinished, darkness covered its abysses, and God's Breath moved over its waters. Then God spoke (gr. eipen), saying, May there be light, and light came to be.'

As you can see; God spoke, and the things came into existence by means of some unnamed person or force.

Now, follow John's opening words (at John 1:1-4) and notice how they dovetail with and explain Genesis 1:1-3: 'In the beginning there was the Word. The Word was with The God (gr. Ho Theos) and the Word was a powerful one (gr. theon). This one was with The God in the beginning, and through him it all came to be… life came to be, and this life was the light of all men.'

As you can see, the account in Genesis says that God spoke things into existence, and John is explaining what God said (what the 'Word' was). In other words, God 'spoke' and the 'Word' (Jesus in his pre-human existence) did the work.

So, if John 1:1 appears to support the idea of a trinity to some, this is unintentional. John was simply trying to impress on his readers that; Although Jesus isn't mentioned in Genesis 1:1, he was there with God and was himself a powerful god who actually did the work, when God 'spoke' the heavens and earth into existence.

Then, are we to conclude from John's writing here that Jesus' heavenly name is ton Logos (the Word or Expression of a thought)? No! Recognize that John was just employing an inspired play on words to draw attention to the phrasing of Genesis 1:1. Jesus' pre-human name could likely have been MichaEl, which means: Who is Like God (not a question but a statement). And John called him 'the Word' in order to point out Jesus' most ancient high position as a co-worker with God, who created whatever things God spoke.

Does this mean that Jesus existed before the creation of our universe? Yes, that is what is implied. For more information, see the linked document, Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Is Jesus God?

The simple answer is yes… if you understand what the word god means. This idea may be a bit difficult to grasp for those of us who were raised in a monotheistic society where God refers to just One. However, remember that the Greeks (whose language we are translating) were a polytheistic society (they worshiped many gods), and to them the word theos (or theon) referred to a large group of individuals who were simply more powerful than men. So, theos just meant a powerful one, not the Creator (which is what the Hebrew name Jehovah implies – He who causes to be).

To prove that translating the word theos as powerful is correct, notice how the Bible speaks of other (unfaithful) messengers of God as gods at Psalm 82:6 (which scripture Jesus also quotes at John 10:34-36), where it says, 'I said, You are gods; of the Most High you're sons!'

Also, notice that at Exodus 7:1, God told Moses, 'Look! I've made you a god to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron is your Prophet.'

So, the terms god and gods just refer to the powerful. And even men can be gods… that is, in the truest sense of the word's meaning (powerful ones). Thus, a word-for-word literal translation of John 1:1 can read, 'In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was toward the Powerful One; and powerful was the Word.'

Then, why did we use the term God rather than Powerful One at John 1:1 to describe The God? We've left the first term (God) in place, because that's what people call the Divine One today.

So, is the Logos The God or just god (powerful)? From the context of John 1:1, it appears as though Jesus (the Logos) is theos – powerful – but not The God (gr. ton theon). For, notice that Jesus described himself as simply God's son (gr. Uios tou Theou eimi) at John 10:36.

Also notice that at John 1:1 the words Logos (λογος) and Theon (θεον) are both preceded by the definite article the (ο λογος and τον θεον), except in the case where the Logos is referred to simply as theos (θεος). By employing such wording, John was obviously differentiating Jesus from The God. You can clearly see the differences in the words when you read John 1:1, 2 in Greek: 'Eν αρχη ην ο λογος, και ο λογος ην προς τον θεον, και θεος ην ο λογος. Oυτος ην εν αρχη προς τον θεον.'

That the early Christians didn't view Jesus as The God is supported by the fact that Christians still worshiped at the Temple of Jehovah in JeruSalem until shortly before it was destroyed in 70-C.E. (see Acts 3:1-3). This is because Christian Jews didn't consider Christianity to be a new religion with a new god (Jesus), but rather, that it was the natural outgrowth of the old, and Jesus was the promised 'Messiah' or 'Anointed One of God' who was to assume 'the throne of David his father.'

For more information, see the document, Who Was Jesus?

To see how Jesus was described at John 1:1 in the most ancient Coptic texts, see the link http://depts.washington.edu/cartah/text_archive/coptic/coptjohn.shtml.

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Age, Eternal, Perpetual, Everlasting, Immortal, or Forever?

Two words imply infinite states in the Bible; one is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians 15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus alone as having it. The other Greek word is aidios, which is used at Romans 1:20 to describe God's Power and Might as eternal, and at Jude 6 when speaking of the perpetual state of gloomy darkness that rebellious angels have been confined to.

However, the Greek word aionos, which is used throughout the Bible in various conjugated forms and is often translated as eternal and forever, is what the English word eon is derived from. It means an indefinite period, and there is no exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age or era.

Where the singular form (aionos) is used, this appears to mean a period such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the plural form of the word (aiōnōn) is used, it refers to a longer time… at least multiple generations. Also, where the term ages of the ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to The God, we would assume that this truly means forever.

It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl. So, this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can't mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.

Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus' Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3: 'Tell us; When will these things happen… what will be the signs when you are to arrive and this age will come to its conclusion?' Notice that aionos is also translated as world here in many Bibles, such as the KJ, and as system of things in other Bibles, such as the NWT. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those things, they would have used the Greek word cosmos (world or arrangement), not aionos.

You can see that aionos obviously doesn't mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or system of things. It simply meant the age, or, the time before the end would come. And for them, that meant the age when God's Temple in JeruSalem would be destroyed, because that's what Jesus was explaining to them.

Yet, there are instances when some forms of the word could imply forever, such as when we find it in the form aiōniŏn. This is an adjective in the singular case, which, when combined with the Greek word zoe (in its various forms) is usually translated in other Bibles as everlasting life. However, that isn't a totally-accurate description.

In the past, we had tried to reconcile the words zoe aiōniŏn as meaning, life in the age. However, the word age in this instance would not be an adjective, so we have recently chosen, in most cases where we find this word combination, to translate them more accurately as age-long life, which we will agree could mean everlasting life.

For more information, see the linked Scriptural Commentary, Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Soul

The Greek word psyche (as in psychology) has been translated many ways, including soul, life, etc. However, psyche actually means something that breathes. It is used in the Bible to describe both breathing animals and breathing humans. So by definition, a soul cannot leave the body, because a soul is what the living body (whether human or animal) is (see Genesis 2:7).

In ancient Greece, philosophers eventually added another meaning to psyche: The inner person (as opposed to the person that others see and come to know). And with time, the pagan religion of Greece started to teach that this inner person is its own entity and can never die (is immortal). Over the centuries, this pagan Greek doctrine thereafter crept into the Christian religions. Please see the Wikipedia definition Soul for more history of the word.

However, such Greek philosophical thought never influenced Jesus and his Apostles. So, they consistently used psyche to indicate a living person or animal. Therefore, the later teaching that the soul is immortal stands in direct conflict with Jesus' promise of a resurrection, because, if a person is immortal (can never die) he/she can never be resurrected (brought back to life).

In addition, the teaching of the immortality of the human soul is totally without support from the Bible. For the word immortal(ity) (Gr: athanasia or undying) is only mentioned in the Bible in two places, and it isn't used with or applied to the word soul in either case. Both of these scriptures show that immortality is only given by God as a reward for righteousness. And as EzekiEl 18:4 says, 'The person (gr. psyche or soul) that is sinning will die (gr. apothaneitai).'

Of course, there are places in the Bible where the word soul means more than just a living, fleshly body. For example, God is recorded to have spoken of 'My Soul' in several places. Obviously, God is much more than just a 'soul' as most people think of that term, and He surely wasn't talking about His having a human body. So we must conclude that what He was referring to is His life or His person.

Then there are Jesus' words found at Matthew 10:28, which read, 'Don't be afraid of those who kill the body but can't kill the person (psyche or soul). Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both the person (soul) and the body in the garbage dump.' Here, Jesus is using the word psyche (soul) to refer to the value of life that remains with God until the resurrection. And he obviously isn't referring the soul as immortal in this instance, because he says God will destroy (gr. apolesai) the [unrighteous] soul or person.

Unfortunately, no single word can be used to translate psyche in every possible Bible application, so various terms are used herein, depending on the circumstances, but always in an attempt to harmonize with the meaning.

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Breath

The Greek word pneuma (as in pneumonia, a breathing disease) means breath or wind – the movement of air. In other Bible translations, this word is often translated as spirit or ghost, as in Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. However, spirit is just a shortened form of the Latin word spiritu, which just means breath in Latin. And ghost conveys another meaning altogether.

In the Bible, the most common use of the word pneuma is to convey the idea of a force that can't be seen, such as breath or wind. And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost, is that those words have been given religious meanings that aren't implied by the Greek texts.

Therefore, to prevent confusion, the Greek word pneuma is frequently translated as breath herein. However, there are exceptions, as in instances where the Bible refers to demons as 'spirits.' Translating pneuma as breath in these cases, although correct, might just be confusing. There are also places where we have left pneuma translated as spirit, when the word implies a person's tendency (or spirit). And, since the nuance implied by the word spirit in the English language (an unseen power) is correct, we recently changed back to translating pneuma as spirit in several places, when referring to God's Holy Spirit. However, recognize that pneuma is often best defined by calling it [God's] Holy Breath. For an example, see the Note Worshiping God In Spirit and Truth.

Another important use of the word pneuma is in the phrase, 'Breath of Life.' This phrase appears to mean more than just breathing, for it seems to refer to the entire mechanics of life itself. It's the unseen force of life for all creatures… it's what makes each cell alive. However, nowhere does the Bible describe the 'pneuma' as immortal, nor is it the same as the soul (a breathing thing), so it can (figuratively) 'return to God' at death,' because all hope of future life depends on God and His promise of a resurrection.

Note in particular how the term Breath is used at Job 27:3, where Job spoke of God's Breath or Spirit. For there he asked, 'Does the Breath of the Divine One remain in my nose?' As you can see from his application of this word, pneuma obviously referred to God's Breath, not to a person or to an unseen force. He was talking about that which comes from God and which caused him (Job) to breathe… the Breath of Life.

It is interesting that at Genesis 6:3, God said concerning the wicked people on earth before the Downpour: 'I won't allow My Breath to stay with these men through the age, for they are fleshly.' In Greek that reads, 'Ou me katameine to pneuma mou en tois anthropois toutoiseis ton aiona, dia ai einai autous sarka,' or, 'Not not should stay the Breath Mine with these men the age through, their being flesh.'

While the words Breath Mine (pneuma mou) here can refer to God's Holy Breath, it seems more likely that He is referring to the breath of life that He gave to Adam. So it appears as though what God was saying here, is that the breath of life (of the people of that age) would be removed prematurely. However, since God referred to it as 'My Breath,' there may be a link implied between God's Holy Breath and the breath of life.
For more information, see the linked document, 'The Powers of God's Holy Spirit.'

However, when Jesus died (as the words recorded at John 19:30 say), 'he hung his head and gave up the breath' (gr. kai klinas ten kephalen paredoken to pneuma, or, and inclined his head giving/up the breath). In this case, the obvious reference is to 'the breath of life,' or that force which gave him life as a human.

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'In'

The Greek word εν (en) simply means in. However, it is translated as in, one, in union with, and as other words, depending on the context.

Especially in the book of John do we find the question raised, 'Was Jesus really the same person as The God?' This a question has been raised because the text at John 10:38 literally says, '… in order that you should know and you may be knowing that in (en) me the Father and I in (en) the Father.' And in many Bibles, this text is translated as saying, 'I and my father are one.' Is this the true meaning of what Jesus said? Is Jesus 'one with' (the same as) the Father?

That could be a correct translation if the verse is pulled out of context. However, notice what Jesus said later on, as found at John 14:20: 'εν εκεινη τη ημερα υμεις γνωσεσθε οτι εγω εν τω πατρι μου και υμεις εν εμοι καγω εν υμιν,' or, 'In that the day you will know that I in (εν) the Father of me, and you in (εν) me, and I in (εν) you.'

So, if John 10:38 means that Jesus is the same person as his Father, then John 14:20 means that all of Jesus' followers are the same person and that they are also the same persons as Jesus and his Father. Is this a logical conclusion? No, because it doesn't harmonize with numerous other scriptures that show his followers to be individuals, but one with (or, in unity with) Jesus and God.

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Cross or Pole?

The Greek word stauros simply means pole. So, regardless of popular tradition and doctrine, there is no mention of a pole with a cross piece (cross) in the original Bible. Also, the Greek word staurotheto (which is translated crucified or hung on a cross) is translated as impaled (put on a pole or stake) here, because that's what it means.

Does this mean that Jesus didn't die on a cross? Not necessarily, for there is a lot of historical evidence which indicates that he did (see the link Dispute about Jesus' Execution Method). Yet, whether the Romans used just an upright pole or one with a cross beam as a means of torture and execution is really unimportant. If one views such a thing as an object of worship (which many do), then this is condemned in the Bible as idolatry… and they are also missing the point. For, what should be held as sacred to us is the one who gave his life on our behalf, not the disgusting object of his execution.

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The Kingdom

The word Kingdom is translated from the Greek word basileia, which refers to the realm of a king (basil).

A common misconception about the Kingdom of God, is that it isn't real… that it's just a state of mind. This conclusion is based on Jesus' words found at Luke 17:21, which say (in Greek), he basileia tou Theou entos hymon estin (the Kingdom of the God in you is). And we have quite literally translated this verse as, 'for God's Kingdom is within you.' However, some object to our translating his words this way, because, notice that (at Luke 17:20) Jesus said this in reply to a question which was raised by the Pharisees; and he probably didn't think that the Kingdom was in their hearts (although some Pharisees did become his followers).

So, what did Jesus really mean? Well, some religions have concluded he was saying that: He, the king of that Kingdom, was there in their midst, and that the hope of becoming kings in that Kingdom was being offered to them. But it's also true that real Christians ever since that time have believed and acted as members of that Kingdom in their hearts. So, the Kingdom of God was truly within some of them… but this doesn't necessarily mean (as some religions have concluded) that the Kingdom won't come at some actual future time and become the realm of the kingship of Jesus and his faithful followers.

Notice, for example, Jesus' own words found at Luke 22:16, where he told his disciples (concerning the fermentation-free bread), 'Because I say to you; I won't eat it again until it's fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.' So, he was clearly saying that the Kingdom was to be a future thing, and thus is was not just an existing frame of mind.

Also notice that; Since it appears as though he and his elected ones will rule from heaven, the place from which they will rule could be called 'the Kingdom of Heaven.' However, the term, the Kingdom of Heaven appears to refer to the rule from heaven, and not to the place where those who are ruled will all live. We draw this conclusion from Jesus' words as found at Matthew 8:11, where it is recorded that he said: 'Many from the sunrise and sunset will come and recline [at the table] with AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven.'

Although those words would seem to confirm the thought that faithful ones such as AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob would rule from heaven; realize that AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob weren't really in heaven at the time when Jesus said that. This is confirmed by what Jesus said (at John 3:13), 'No one has gone to heaven other than he who came from heaven, the Son of Man.' And while not being dogmatic on this point, we understand that the ancient patriarchs were never promised life in heaven (for more information, see the linked document The Hereafter)

So, Matthew 8:10-12 must be referring to AbraHam and his descendants living under the rule of a heavenly Kingdom government. These faithful ones don't appear to qualify to be rulers in heaven themselves, because they weren't 'born again' to receive the value of a spiritual life, nor were they part of the 'Sacred Agreement for a Kingdom' (Luke 22:29) that Jesus had made with his Apostles just prior to his arrest and execution.

Notice again, how Jesus showed that the Kingdom of God hadn't already arrived at the time he was speaking; for we are told at Luke 19:11, 'While they were listening to these things, he told them another illustration, because he was getting close to JeruSalem, and they all thought that the Kingdom of God was about to happen instantly.' So, although the Kingdom of God (or as Matthew describes it, 'The Kingdom of Heaven') may have been in their hearts, there was still to be an actual Kingdom rulership over IsraEl and the earth.

Then Jesus told the parable about the Kingdom (in Luke 19:12-27)) of a man who (like himself) made a long trip to a distant land to receive kingship. So, this parable shows that there was to be a long period between the time when Jesus would leave on his journey (to receive kingship in heaven), and the time when he would return to reward his faithful slaves.

Therefore, there is a definite time for this Kingdom to start its rule, and this is made clear by the words of Revelation 12:10, where we read: 'Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, This is the moment when the salvation, the power, the Kingdom of our God, and the authorization of His Anointed begin. Because, the one who has been accusing our brothers has been thrown down… he who has been complaining about them day and night in front of our God!'

So, when the Opposer and his messengers are expelled from heaven, God's Kingdom begins there.

Then, what IS the Kingdom? The term appears to refer to a coming rulership of the earth from the heavens by Jesus and his elected, who will rule on the earth, for John wrote at at Revelation 5:9, 10, that a heavenly group sang this song to him about Jesus:
'You bought people for God with your blood,
From every tribe, language, ethnicity, and country.
Then you made them rulers and Priests to our God,
And they'll rule as kings on (gr. epi) the earth.'

Then at Revelation 2:26 it's recorded that Jesus promised: 'I'll give he who conquers and obeys whatever I tell him to do down to the end, power over the nations.' And again (at Revelation 3:21) Jesus promised: 'Then I'll allow the one who conquers to sit down with me on my throne, just as my Father has allowed me to sit on His throne, because I have conquered.'

For more information, see the linked document, The 'Seed' – God's Kingdom.

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Satan, Devil, Lucifer, BeelZebub

It is appropriate that the heavenly name of the great Opposer and Slanderer of God is never given in the Bible. However, several terms (and one mistakenly) have been used to describe him. Here is a list of those descriptions:

· Satan: This is a Hebrew word meaning, opposer, resistor, and a wily person who does things just to serve his own interests. It was applied to the Evil One, because of his opposition to God. And so, to keep from misleading people into thinking of Satan as a name, it is translated as 'the Opposer' herein.

· Devil: This is the only Greek word (Diabolos) used in the Bible to describe the evil one. The first part of the word, dia, means through, and bolos means throw (it's where we get the English words ball and bowl). So, Devil means one who throws through, which amounts to being a slanderer (using the Greek colloquialism), so that's the way it's translated herein.

· Lucifer: Lucifer is commonly thought of as another name for the Biblical Opposer. However, this word doesn't appear as a name in most translations of the Bible. It does appear once in the King James Version, at Isaiah 14:12, in which the King of Babylon is referred to as Lucifer, Son of the Morning. However, the original Hebrew words were: Helel ben Shahar or, Day/star, son/of the/dawn. So, there is no direct link in the Bible between the entity known in Hebrew as Satan to Lucifer. Changing the description day star son of the dawn into a name (Lucifer) was done by Augustine, when he was translating the text in IsaiAh from the original Hebrew into Latin.

· BeelZebub: There are eight references in the Bible to this Hebrew noun, and it does refer to the Slanderer. However, once again, this is not a proper name. It appears to be a title. Beel (like Baal) means Lord, and Zebub appears to refer to flies (the insects). So, BeelZebub likely means Lord of Flies.

Is the Opposer (Slanderer or BeelZebub) a real person? All one has to do is look at the titles he was given above to realize that he is. To deny his existence negates the rest of the Bible. For example, when dealing with Adam's sin, why did God adhere so closely to a law, when other options were available to Him? Why didn't he just destroy rebellious Adam and create another man?

The fact is, He created men and His spirit sons (messengers or angels with the ability to choose whether to serve Him or not; so none are automatons. And as a man failed in the Paradise of Pleasure, we can assume (and as the Scriptures support) that there were failures (and rebels) in the heavens also. This is the reason why it became necessary to have a law that clearly outlined what rebellion against God constituted, and what the consequences for violating that law would be. It was obviously for the sake of the millions of millions of heavenly spirit (breath) creatures that the issue of rebellion here on the earth had to be resolved by legal means, and in a way that demonstrated the love and loyalty of God's first-born son, which resulted in the painful need for a 'ransom' (Jesus' death).

The idea (which some religions have promoted) that the Slanderer isn't real, but only a state of mind, creates some conundrums. For example:

· When Jesus was being tempted in the desert, was he simply struggling with the bad within himself rather than against a real, evil personality? If so, we would have to conclude that there was bad in Jesus.

· Is the battle in heaven that is spoken of at Revelation the Twelfth Chapter to be just figurative, and not a real war against the Opposer and his messengers? If so, then in what sense would 'the Opposer' and his 'messengers' lose the battle and be confined to the earth? Also, why would this entity, if just internal evil be 'angry' in knowing that he just has 'a short period of time left?'

· And lastly, when the Opposer entered God's presence and spoke to Him (as spoken of in Job the First Chapter), could we assume that this inherent evil was found in God? That isn't likely.

However, there is some question as to the use of the Greek word Diabolos found at 1 Chronicles 21:1 (in the Greek Septuagint), where 'a slanderer' had urged King David to take a census of Israel. Since Diabolos is a Greek word and First Chronicles was written in Hebrew, we would assume that Diabolos (Slanderer) was substituted for the Hebrew word Satan (Opposer) when the Bible was first translated into Greek. But the text seems to imply that a slanderer, not the Slanderer, had come to David. So, we don't really know if the text implies that the Evil One came to him personally, if it was just an evil spirit that came over or to him, or if some bad human had urged David to defy God and take a census of IsraEl.

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Resurrection

It has often been said that the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl (Old Testament) don't really speak of the hope of a resurrection of the dead. However, the Hebrew word, which might be rendered as resurrection, is simply never translated that way in most other Bibles. But in the Greek Septuagint version of the OT, the word for resurrection (anastasia) appears several times.

For example: we find it first used in the song that HanNah sang to Jehovah after she had offered her young son SamuEl to serve at God's Sacred Tent (in First Samuel 2:8). This is particularly interesting, for, although most would consider her words just a record of an unimportant song, the woman spoke a truly inspired and important prophecy, which applied back then and is still being fulfilled in our day. Yet, resurrections had apparently never been seen on earth before her time. For more information, see the linked document, The Resurrection.

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Scroll or Book of Life

The first place in the Bible that speaks of the Scroll of Life (in those words specifically) is found in one of the songs of King David (Psalm 69:28), where he wrote, 'From the Scroll of the Living may their names be erased, and among the righteous may their names not be written.' However, the first actual mention of such a scroll timewise, is found in Exodus 32:33, where God said to Moses, 'I'm going to erase [the names] of all those who have sinned against Me from My scroll.'

So, we must assume that as early as the early fifteenth Century B.C.E., God's faithful worshipers had some concept of a record that God keeps of people whom He counts as being 'the living.' And as God Himself pointed out, their names can also be erased from His scroll after they had been written there (so much for the concept of once-saved, always-saved).

What is this Scroll, how does a person get his or her name written in it, and what does this mean for them?

Although God surely needs no actual written record to remember His faithful ones, the phrase 'the Scroll of Life' is mentioned enough times in the Bible to assume that God does remember (or record) the names of those righteous whom He counts among 'the living,' as opposed to those whom He numbers among 'the dead.'

Who are 'the living?' They are likely the same as the ones of whom Jesus spoke at John 5:24, when he said, 'I tell you the truth; He who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me, will have age-long life… he won't have to be judged, for he has crossed over from death to life!'

So, we must assume that some conscious act of faith by each individual causes him or her to cross over 'from death to life,' and that is likely the time when a person's name is written in the Scroll of Life. Then, as Jesus said, 'He won't have to be judged' thereafter, when he (or she) is resurrected.

What is this act of faith? Today, it would surely be the conscious act of choosing to be baptized. However, since baptism wasn't practiced during the time of David, it appears as though all IsraEl had their names written in that Scroll when they were born into that nation which was chosen by God; and their names remained there for as long as they were faithful. Notice how this concept fits into David's words about their names being erased.

Then at Revelation 20:11, 12, we read of several 'scrolls' being opened and of the 'dead' being judged by the things that are written in those scrolls. Who are these 'dead?' Well, remember that those whose names are written in the Scroll of Life will not be judged, so they aren't the dead. And that (following the order of the series of events described here), all the resurrections will already have taken place before these scrolls are opened (see Revelation 20:4-6); so these dead individuals aren't physically dead any longer, for they are seen to be standing. As the result, this must mean that; Although they are no longer literally dead, they are still counted as dead (or dying). And so they must be judged before their names can be written in the Scroll of Life.

So with this understanding, notice again the exact words of Revelation 20:12: 'Then I saw the dead – the great and the small – standing before the throne, and several scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, which was the Scroll of Life. And the dead were then judged by the things that were written in the scrolls, according to the things that they did.'

Therefore, we must assume that those who remain faithful worshipers of God have their names permanently sealed in God's Scroll of Life upon their deaths and are considered 'the living' by Him. Then, when they are resurrected, there is no need for them to be judged thereafter.

As for 'the dead' whom the Revelation says are 'judged by the things written in the scrolls;' this likely means that they too will be resurrected, but they will be judged by the things they do after the resurrection and during the thousand-year period that the Slanderer is bound and in the pit (See Revelation 20:2-6).

Demons

2 Peter 2:4 speaks of 'messengers' or 'angels' who were put into 'Tartarus' for bad acts they committed during the time of Noah. Genesis 6:3 speaks of these as 'sons of God' (gr. uioi tou Theou) and it tells of their coming to earth to marry 'the daughters of men' (gr. thygateras ton anthropon). However, these 'sons of God' don't appear to be quite the same as the 'messengers' who are to be thrown out of heaven during 'the Lord's Day,' mentioned at Revelation 12:7-9. Since the 'sons of God' who came to earth and assumed human bodies in Noah's day couldn't be destroyed by the downpour (flood) and they had forsaken heaven, they were apparently put into a prison-like state here on the earth, where they are no longer able to roam. This group is specifically referred to as the demons in the Bible.

It is interesting that; except among modern materialistic and scientific societies, demons are recognized as real throughout the world by almost all of its religions. And such universal acknowledgement by diverse peoples with no cultural ties, is one of the strongest arguments for their existence.

Demon is a Greek word that seems to be derived from diameno, which means, fixed in one place. From other Bible accounts about demons, it appears as though this 'fixing in one place' means that they must be associated with either living or non-living things, which is referred to as 'possession.'

At Acts 17:18 the Epicureans and Stoic Philosophers of Greece asked about Paul's teaching a 'foreign demon.' And although most translations render his words as 'foreign god,' they truly said 'demon' (gr. daimonion). This is also true of Paul's reply found at Acts 17:22, 'Men of Athens; I see that you have a greater fear of the demons than do others.'

The reason why this term was used is obvious: The many pagan idols and Gods of Athens, although made of metal and stone, had the backing of demons. And the people recognized the power that was given to these lifeless objects through 'possession' by their gods.

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Day of the Lord

Throughout the Bible, we find references to 'the Day of Jehovah,' and 'the Day of the Lord' (Jesus). Are both of these references to the same time, and if so, how do we know?

There is no conflict between the two Days; in fact, they appear to be the same. Notice what we are told in the Revelation, when it is speaking of the beginning of that Day (at Revelation 12:10), 'Now it has come to pass; the salvation, the power, the Kingdom of our God, and the empowerment of His Anointed One!'

As you can see, the purposes of that Day are tied together. For, the establishment of God's Kingdom (with the battle in heaven and the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers) and the empowerment for Jesus (the Lord) to begin his rule, appear to begin at the same time.

So, does the Lord's Day begin when the things spoken of in the Revelation start to happen? It appears to be so, because it starts out with John's words (at Revelation 1:10), 'Through the Breath [of God] I found myself in the Lord's Day.'

What are some of the features of that Day? Well, they appear to start with the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers from heaven (See Revelation 12), which is followed by the destruction of 'The Great Babylon' (See Revelation 17, 18). Then in rapid succession there comes the 'marriage of the Lamb,' the Battle of Armageddon, tossing the Opposer and his messengers into the abyss, and the resurrection (see Revelation 19, 20). And finally, the Opposer is released for a short time, which precipitates the battle against Gog of Magog , and is thereafter followed by the descent of 'New JeruSalem' to the earth and the making of the 'new earth and sky' (see Revelation 21).

Also, in the prophecy found at Joel 2:1-12, 'the Day of the Lord' appears to start with the destruction of JeruSalem by worldly armies, and this is followed by the destruction of the worldly armies (see Joel Chapter Three). Then, in between these two events, we read of the marvelous outpouring of God's Breath upon His faithful servants (Joel 2:28-32).

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Bless or Praise?

This is a tough one, and we won't say that our position on the translation of this word can't be changed. The Greek word that we are struggling with is eulogetos. The first part of the word eu, is Greek for good. The last part of the word, logetos, means words (or expressions). So, a literal translation of eulogetos is good words. And our question is: Is this all that a blessing amounts to?

Yes, we know that eulogetos has been translated as bless, blest, and blessing in other Bibles. So why rock the boat? Because these translators have simply found too many errors in a lot of commonly-accepted renderings. And here, for example, if eulogetos is properly translated as blessing each time (which carries the English nuance, 'causing good things to happen'), then, how can humans 'bless God?' We do know that we can praise God, however.

Eulogetos is the word that we derive the English word eulogy from… that is, the kind words that are said of the deceased at a funeral. Such words are never said as a blessing (it's a bit late for that); they are said in praise of the deceased individual. However, there are definitely places where eulogetos can't be translated as praise or praising.

So, perhaps the real meaning is (or is at least is similar to) praise. And when praises come from God, this means blessings to humans.

This isn't the same word that we have rendered as blest in other portions of this translation (for an example, see Matthew 5:5). The word in question there is makarios, which is rendered as happy in certain other Bibles. However, we believe that blest is the proper way to translate that Greek word.

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The Last Days

Throughout the Christian Era Scriptures (New Testament), we read of a time that is referred to as 'the last days' (gr. tas hemera eschata). And in each case, these words seem to be speaking of the same period or periods; however, many religious groups prefer to identify them as separate and distinct eras. Take for example, the prophecy of Joel that Peter quoted on the day of Pentecost, 33-C.E. There we read (at Acts 2:17-21):
'In the last days
I'll pour some of my Breath on all flesh,
And your sons and daughters will then prophesy,
Your young men will have visions,
And your old men will dream dreams.
I will pour out some of My Breath in those days,
And My male and female slaves will then prophesy.
And from the skies above I'll send omens and signs,
And to the earth below, blood, fire, and smoky mist.
Before the great and shining day of the Lord,
The sun will be changed into darkness
And the moon into blood.
And all calling on the Name of the Lord will be saved.'

Peter's application of this prophecy clearly indicates that it was fulfilled (at least initially) at the time he was saying this… during and after Pentecost 33-C.E. So, many religions teach that Joel's prophecy concerning the last days only applied to the last days of ancient JeruSalem… before its destruction by Roman armies in 70-C.E. On the other hand, where these same words (last days) are found in other Bible verses, the same religions teach that the fulfillment comes just during 'the Lord's Day.' For example, notice the words found at 2 Timothy 3:1-5:
'Recognize that the last days will bring fierce times. People will love themselves and money. They will be braggers, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to their parents, unthankful and disloyal. They won't love their families or be willing to agree on anything. They will be slanderers who don't have any self-control. They will be wild and won't love anything that is good. They will be betrayers who are headstrong and proud. They will prefer pleasures to caring about God. They will have some form of religion, but they won't follow it.'

Obviously, at least in the prophecy of Joel, the last days do refer to the time between Pentecost of 33-C.E. and 70-C.E. However, notice that the prophecy also mentions its fulfillment as happening during 'the great and shining day of the Lord;' so it seems to also indicate another fulfillment as coming in some future last days.

That there would be such a future period of last days (which would come after JeruSalem's destruction), appears to be indicated by Jesus' words as found throughout the Bible book of John. For example, John wrote (some 29 years after JeruSalem's destruction) that Jesus said (at John 6:39. 40), 'This is what the Will of the One who sent me is: That I shouldn't destroy anything He has given me, but that I should resurrect it on the Last Day. This is what my Father's will is: That everyone who pays close attention to the Son and believes in him should have age-long life, and I will resurrect him on the Last Day.'

It is noteworthy that John didn't thereafter add any comment to explain that the resurrection had already started back on Pentecost 33-C.E. (before JeruSalem was destroyed). So apparently it hadn't, and the resurrection was still to come in some future last day. In fact, John's writing of the Revelation indicates that the resurrection wouldn't come until after 'the battle of Armageddon' (Revelation 16-20) is fought. Such conclusions lead us to believe that there are actually two periods referred to in the Bible as the last days:

1. The last days of JeruSalem

2. The Lord's Day.

That both last days would see similar fulfillments is indicated by Jesus' words as found in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. If you read these chapters and reference the linked Notes, it seems clear that both last days would see the fulfillment of many (but not all of the same) prophecies. So, is there to be some future fulfillment of the outpouring of God's Breath and its gifts as seen at Pentecost? Although every religion has reached strong (but differing) opinions and doctrines on this, the answer isn't totally clear.

That there will be some special outpouring of God's Breath in the last days, is clearly indicated by Joel's prophecy. However, while many religions that already claim to experience these gifts usually express it through healing, snake handling, and speaking in tongues; notice that Joel's prophecy speaks specifically of miraculous prophesying. And Paul, when speaking of such gifts at 1 Corinthians 12, 13, 14, actually discouraged speaking in tongues, putting prophesying and developing Christian love as foremost. Also, although the early Christians actually did Divine healing, this gift isn't mentioned in Joel's prophecy. So, if there is to be some modern fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, it seems to center on prophesying (something more than sharing our personal interpretations of Bible doctrines) and on an unusual outpouring of brotherly love.

See also the linked documents, The Last Days, and The Powers of God's Holy Spirit.

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Cosmos or World?

In Jesus' discussion about the sheep and goats, found at Matthew 25:34, he said, 'Then the king will tell those on his right, Come, you who've been praised by my Father, inherit the Kingdom that's been prepared for you from the founding of the arrangement.'

In Greek, the words we have translated as founding of the arrangement are katabole kosmou. You may recognize that the English word cosmos is a derivative of kosmou. And cosmos is the word that modern peoples usually use when referring to the universe today. So, why have we translated it as arrangement, and what is meant by the term, founding of the arrangement?

Actually, the closest English meaning of Greek word kosmos is arrangement. For example, when Paul urged Christian women to dress modestly, he used the word kosmos to describe well-arranged clothing. However, in other Bibles kosmos is usually translated as world.

Although it has been said that the word world doesn't appear at all in the Hebrew texts of the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl (OT), the word kosmos does appear there several times in the Greek Septuagint. The reason why some say that world (or kosmos) doesn't appear there, is because the equivalent Hebrew word (te·vel) is often translated (in different Bibles and in different places) as arrangement, ornamentation, honor, delight, universe, earth, army, etc. Yet, in the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), where kosmos appears several times, it is usually translated as world… as in the world of Noah, the light of the world, the field is the world, etc. However, there are some fifteen definitions given to the word world in English dictionaries, and most don't carry the same meaning as the Greek word. So, world is a poor choice when translating kosmos. For example: kosmos never seems to apply to the earth (which is how we often think of it). Rather, it often applies to the arrangement or situation of human society… system of things might be a better word choice.

Actually, two different Greek words are often translated as world in the Septuagint, kosmos and oichonomeo; and oichonomeo does appear to refer to the earth, because it means the habitation, or, the place where [man] dwells. So the Greek text clearly delineates the two meanings, which are both commonly translated as world in other Bibles.

Notice how the word kosmos was used by Paul at Romans 5:12, 'Sin entered the arrangement (kosmos) through one man, and this sin resulted in death. So, death spread to all men and everyone has sinned.'

Thus, it seems likely that the arrangement we call 'the world' started around the time of Adam's sin in Paradise, when man created for himself (and for all life on earth) a new arrangement or set of circumstances… which was something other than what God had planned. We have come to this conclusion based on the many scriptures that refer to the world (or kosmos) in a negative context, and that it (the current set of negative circumstances) will soon be done away with.

Yet, the Scriptures also indicate that the present worldly arrangement or system of things began after the Downpour of Noah's day, and that Noah had inherited the arrangement prior to that time. For, notice what we are told at Hebrews 11:7: 'Because of his faith, Noah (after being given a divine warning of things he hadn't seen yet) trusted in God and built a large chest to save his family. And due to this righteous faith, he condemned the arrangement (or world) and became its heir.'

Also notice what was said at 2 Peter 2:4, 5: 'Why, God didn't spare the messengers who sinned, but by threw them into the dark pits of Tartarus, where they are awaiting His justice. And He didn't spare the first arrangement. Yet, He guarded Noah (who was a preacher of righteousness) along with seven others, when He brought a downpour on a system (kosmos or world) of godless people.'

So, apparently there have been at least two different worlds or arrangements; the one that Noah inherited and which started before the Downpour, followed by the second arrangement or system of things that we are now living in, which will also be destroyed. For, we read at 1 John 2:17, 'The system (kosmos) with all its desires is passing away, but he who does God's Will lives for the age.' And Romans 4:13 says, 'AbraHam and his seed weren't given the promise of inheriting the arrangement because of the Law, but because of his righteousness, which came from his faith!'

Thus (from the above), we may conclude that: What Jesus said about the Kingdom having been prepared for the sheep since the founding of the arrangement could mean that the Kingdom was God’s plan for the righteous since at least the time of the Downpour, and possibly since the time of Adam’s sin in Paradise.

However, the words of Revelation 13:8 could indicated that a third world began with the death of Jesus. For, there it says concerning him: 'he who had been slaughtered from the founding of the arrangement' (gr. esphagmenou apo kataboles kosmou or, who/was/slaughtered from foundation – or down-throw – cosmos). Therefore, we could be living in an entirely new world, arrangement, or system of things since the time of Jesus' death. And if so, then what Jesus may have been foretelling at Matthew 25:34, is that people would start being selected as 'Kingdom inheritors' after his death, or after the latest 'founding (or down-throwing) of the world.'

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What did John Mean by Jew?

First, understand that the word 'Jew' is a unique English pronunciation of 'Judean.' And when Mark and John spoke of the Judeans, they were usually referring to people who came from or lived in the Roman Province of Judea. Since Jesus and eleven of his Apostles (although of the Tribe of Judah) lived in the (northern) Province of Galilee, the Judeans called them Galileans (see Mark 14:70), and the Galileans referred to the people around JeruSalem as Judeans (or Jews).

With the above said, it becomes easier to understand what the scriptures mean when they speak of the water jars at wedding reception at Cana being there for the 'Judeans' to wash in, and that the 'Judeans' were looking to kill Jesus, and that the 'Judeans' rejected Jesus. In these cases, the texts aren't referring to the nation as a whole, but to the people who lived in Judea and JeruSalem specifically.

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God's Chosen People

The idea that the Jews are still God's chosen people and that they will eventually rule over the earth from the City of JeruSalem, is becoming popular among many fundamentalist religions today. However, this concept appears to disregard the promises and teachings of the Bible.

For instance, notice Jesus' words to the people of that city as found at Matthew 23:37, 38, 'O JeruSalem, JeruSalem… you killer of Prophets and stoner of those who were sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you didn't want it. Look! Your house has been taken from you!'

So, their 'house' (the position of special favor with God) was removed from them due to their repeated rejection of God's ways and His Prophets, and for murdering His Son.

Notice how Jesus pictures this rejection of the Jews as God's chosen people in his parable of the king who hired laborers to work in his vineyard (at Matthew 21:33-41). The story ends when the cultivators killed the king's son. And what was the result? Verse 41 says, 'Then he will hire others to cultivate the vineyard who will give him the fruit when it's due.'

In Chapter 22 (verses 1-10) Jesus repeats this theme with the parable of the king who invited guests to a grand meal, but none of those who were invited (the Jews) showed up. In fact, they killed his messengers, and then his son. The account says, 'So, he sent his army to destroy the murderers and burned their city.' Then he sent his attendants out to invite 'others' to this great feast.

Who are these 'others?' Well, out of respect for His Sacred Agreement with AbraHam, God continued to offer the opportunity to be 'kings and Priests' in the Kingdom exclusively to the Jews and the related Samaritans for the next 3-1/2 years. Then the opportunity to become 'Spiritual Jews' was offered to the first 'Gentile' converts, Cornelius and his family. Thereafter, the Bible speaks of growing numbers of Gentile converts, as Paul was appointed the 'Apostle to the Nations.'

Also, notice Jesus' words as found at Matthew 8:12, where he foretold, 'However, the Sons of the Kingdom will be thrown into the darkness outside. There they will cry and grind their teeth.' Since the Jews were 'the sons of the kingdom' or the sons of the AbraHamic promise, the indication here is that they as a nation were being rejected.

Then in the letters of Paul, we read scripture after scripture that shows these Gentiles were thereafter included in the promise to AbraHam, and that they comprised a 'New JeruSalem.' Notice what Paul wrote at Romans 2:28, 'So, a Jew isn't what you are on the outside, nor is circumcision something that's outside on the flesh.'

In other words, the faithful Gentiles had become 'spiritual Jews,' or the symbolic 'twelve tribes of IsraEl.' So, it was to this 'new nation' that all the promises and Sacred Agreements apply, not to the earthly city of JeruSalem, for JeruSalem had been rejected. Why? Well notice what the people in that city replied to Pilate's question when they were calling for the murder of God's Son (at Matthew 27: 25): 'At that, all the people said, 'May we and our children be responsible for his blood.' And (at John 19:15), 'We have no king but Caesar.'
So, the Jews were not only rejected by God, but they verbally rejected God and asked for the blood of Jesus to be on them and their children (all future generations). This is why the prophecies regarding JeruSalem appear to have nothing to do with a literal city in Palestine today.

Also, notice how Paul addressed the non-Jews in the Congregation at Corinth, Greece (1 Corinthians 12:2): 'You know that when you were people of the nations, you were led to be followers of dumb idols.' As you can see, he clearly viewed 'gentile' Christians as Spiritual Jews.

Paul also wrote (at Romans 9:6-8): 'Now, the word of God didn't fail; because, not all who came from IsraEl are really IsraEl, nor are all of AbraHam's seed his children. For [it's written], That which will be called your seed will come through IsaAc. However, [IsaAc's] fleshly children aren't the children of God. The children of the promise are that seed.'

Then he added at Romans 9:27, 'Isaiah shouted this about IsraEl: Although the sons of IsraEl may become as many as the sands of the sea, only a few will be saved.'

And again, Paul wrote (at Romans 9:30-33): 'So, we can say that people of the nations (although they weren't trying to become righteous) became righteous with the [type of] righteousness that comes from faith, while IsraEl (which was following a righteous Law) just didn't make it! And why was that so? Because [IsraEl] didn't look for it in faith, but in the things that they were doing… they tripped over the stumbling stone! As it is written: {Look!} I'm putting a stumbling stone and a rock to trip over in Zion. But he who has faith in him will never be shamed.'

So, the Jews (those who practice Judaism) can never be considered righteous as long as they continue to trip over the 'stumbling stone,' their promised Messiah, Jesus.

For more information, see the linked document, JeruSalem and the IsraEl of God.

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Eating Jesus' Flesh and Drinking His Blood

At Jesus' 'Last Supper,' which fell on the first day of the Jewish celebration of the Passover, he instituted a ritual that he told his Apostles to continue to do in memory of him and of his death. At Luke 22:19, 20, we read: 'Then he took a loaf [of bread], gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them saying, This is my body, which is being handed over for you. Keep doing this in memory of me. And he did the same thing with the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new Sacred Agreement of my blood, which is being poured out for you.'

Notice that he didn't say this means; he said this is (gr. tauto estin). However, contrary to the beliefs of some (that these emblems actually become flesh and blood), they appear to have been just symbols. So, partaking of Jesus' 'flesh and blood' likely symbolizes that those who do so are expressing their desire to become a party to the 'New Sacred Agreement,' which he had just inaugurated.

Speaking ahead of time concerning this ritual, Jesus said (at John 6:53-56), 'I tell you the truth; If you don't eat the flesh of the Son of Man or drink his blood, you won't live. For, if you chew my flesh and drink my blood, you'll have life within yourself, and then I'll resurrect you on the Last Day, because, my flesh is truly food and my blood is truly a drink. Those who chew on my flesh and drink my blood will stay in me and I [will stay] in them.'

It is isn't surprising that these words of Jesus were considered disgusting to most Jews that he was speaking to, for their dietary regulations (from the Law) forbade drinking any blood or eating unclean (human?) flesh. As the result, many of Jesus' disciples stopped following him at that time. So surely, Jesus said this to test and cull out those who believed in his miracles, but wouldn't understand his death and resurrection. However, Jesus' Apostles stayed, because, as Peter said (in verses 68, 69), 'Lord, whom should we go off to? You say the words of age-long life, and we have known and believed that you're the Holy One of God!'

When should this Memorial of Jesus' Death be observed? The fact that it was instituted on the Passover, gives us a clue. This Jewish Observance was held annually on the night of the full moon closest to the Spring Equinox in JeruSalem. And what the Jews were celebrating was symbolic of Jesus' death, namely, the saving of the IsraElite 'firstborn' when God's messenger brought the last plague upon Egypt (which resulted in God's people being set free). For more information, see the linked document, The Passover and the Lord's Evening Meal.

Who should partake of the symbolic bread and wine at that time? The Scriptures say, those who want 'age-long life' and who wish to be resurrected 'on the Last Day.'

For more information, see the linked document, 'The New Covenant.'

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John

John (who wrote the Bible books of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation) was apparently one of Jesus' earliest followers. And although many Bible critics and commentators have pointed out that John my not have written the books attributed to him (because of language and style differences), remember that; when he did his writing he was almost 100 years old, so like Paul, he likely used others as secretaries to do the actual writing, and this would explain the variations in writing styles.

John and his brother James, whom Jesus had appointed to be his Apostles (or Sent Ones), were Galileans (considered 'country bumpkins' by people in Judea) who worked as fishermen for their father in a business that seemed to be co-owned by Peter (Simon).

Some Bible critics have describe John as a laid-back dreamer. However, notice that Jesus referred to him and his brother as 'the Sons of Thunder' (at Mark 3:17). So this common view of John's passive personality doesn't seem to be well founded.

It is interesting that John appears to have been known and liked by the Jewish Chief Priest, CaiAphas. For, notice what the account at John 18:15, 16 tells us, 'Now, Simon Peter (and another disciple) followed Jesus. The Chief Priest was familiar with that disciple, so he went into the High Priest's courtyard along with Jesus, but Peter stood outside at the door. Then the disciple who knew the High Priest went outside and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.'

So, many of the things that happened and were said inside the Chief Priest's house (as well as in the palaces of Pilate and Herod after Jesus' arrest) seem to have come to us as the result of John being there and serving as an eyewitness. Therefore, Peter wasn't the only disciple who stayed with Jesus after his arrest.

So, why was John (a disciple of Jesus) allowed into this important meeting? It appears as though John was a relative of the High Priest, for Acts 4:5, 6 tells us: 'Then the next day, they held a meeting in JeruSalem that included the rulers, elders, and Scribes, as well as AnNas the Chief Priest, CaiAphas, John, Alexander, and all the rest of the Chief Priest's relatives.'

It's a fact that; whenever Peter and John were together, as when they stood before the Jewish High Court, Peter did most of the talking. However, this doesn't appear to have happened because Peter outranked John in the Congregation, or because John was tongue-tied or shy. Rather, it seems as though John deferred to Peter because he was older, and a friend and his father's business partner. You will notice that later on, John, Peter, and James (not John's brother, who was an early Christian martyr, but James the half-brother of Jesus and the writer of the book of James) were referred to by Paul as the 'pillars' of the early Christian Congregation in JeruSalem. And thereafter, James served as the spokesman for the three, when the matter of circumcising the gentiles had to be decided.

As Jesus prophesied, John appears to have lived the longest of all the Apostles, dying at around the age of 100, either by execution or as the result of old age, or poor health (from his long stay in an ancient prison). And it was shortly before his death that he did all his writing. So, the book of John is quite different in its format from the Gospels of Mark and Luke, which seem to be more based on and influenced by the book of Matthew.

For this reason, the Gospel of John provides us a far greater insight into who Jesus actually was and the things that he thought and did. John was obviously very impressed with the privilege he had of being 'the loved Apostle' of the most important individual who ever walked this earth, and of the privilege that he and others would have of becoming 'one' with Jesus and his Father in heaven. So, the opening words of the book of John reflect that awe, as he poetically tried to impress us with the full meaning of who Jesus actually was in his pre-human life as 'the one-and-only' son of God.

John's three epistles (letters) were written to congregations to warn of the dangers that they were facing from within. This is because 'the great turning away' that Paul foretold was already in progress. For, 'Christians' were starting to deny that Jesus was the 'Promised One,' or perhaps that there ever was a Jesus. So, John labeled them as the 'Antichrists,' and he told Christians not to have anything to do with such individuals.

In John's book of Revelation, he recorded a vision of 'the Lord's Day,' which he received from God through Jesus. And although some critics have concluded that this was some sort of hallucination, the Revelation provides a fitting climax to the entire Bible by bringing together the four mysterious characters mentioned in the first Bible prophecy (Genesis 3:16) about the snake, its seed, the woman, and her seed. There it fills in all the gray areas as to who each of these individuals would prove to be, and it shows the full meaning of the roles they will play in God's purposes. Far from a hallucination, the Revelation explains in detail what is really happening to us today, what will soon happen, and what hope there is for all obedient mankind. For more information, see the linked document, The Seed - God's Kingdom.

We have noted that some 'Bible scholars' have concluded that there were actually three Johns who wrote the Bible books… one who wrote the book of John, one who wrote the epistles, and a third one who wrote the Revelation. Part of the reason for this conclusion is that John didn't identify himself by name in the books bearing his name, but he uses his name frequently in the Revelation. However, certain common words that are used in each of the writings clearly identify John as their author, and they show that each of the works were written at about the same time. The unique description of Jesus as the Word at John 1:1 and Revelation 19:13, ties both of those writings to the same John. And the number of similar words and phrases between the book of John and his epistles are too numerous to discuss here. So, there was definitely only one Bible writer named John.

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The Dead

Revelation 20:12 speaks of the 'dead' 'standing before the throne' and 'being judged.' Since they are able to stand for judgment, in what sense are they dead?

Note that at Matthew 9:60, Jesus said, 'Let the dead bury their dead.' And at Romans 8:10, Paul speaks of the body being 'dead' because of sin. Then at 1 Corinthians 15:22 he explains that, 'Because of Adam, all men are dying.'

So the conclusion we must reach is that all men are considered as dead and dying before God, due to inherited (and their own) sins. Thus, the scriptures in Revelation Twenty appear to be speaking of people who are no longer physically dead (for they will have already been resurrected), that will stand before God and be judged either to age-long life, or to the permanent destruction of the 'lake of fire.'

However, from the promises of Jesus, it does appear as though people can be considered no longer dead even before the resurrection. For, notice what is recorded that he said, at John 5:24: 'I tell you the truth; He who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me, will have age-long life… he won't come into the judgment, for he has crossed over out of the death and into the life!'

And John wrote again at 1 John 3:14 'Because we love our brothers, we know that we've crossed over from death to life. However, those who don't love stay dead.'

So, it appears as though a person is no longer considered to be 'dead' by God, when his/her name is written in 'the book of life.' This doesn't mean that they won't die, but that they are considered as 'alive' in God's eyes, and they will not be counted among the dead who are raised in the resurrection (for more information, see the linked document, The Resurrection).

This appears to be the meaning of Jesus' words at Matthew 22:32, which say, 'Haven't you read what God told you about the resurrection of the dead, [when he said], I am the God of AbraHam, the God of IsaAc, and the God of Jacob? He isn't the God of the dead, but of the living!'

Also, this appears to be the meaning of his words as found at John 6:54-56, where he said, 'For, if you chew my flesh and drink my blood, you will have life within yourselves, and then I'll resurrect you on the Last Day, because my flesh is truly food and my blood is truly drink. Those who chew on my flesh and drink my blood will stay in me and I [will stay] in them.'

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Who Are the Anointed?

Notice that in this Bible translation, 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22 (for example) says, 'The One who guarantees that we all belong to the Anointed One, and He who anointed us, is God.'

So, why didn't these translators just go ahead and render the word (Anointed) as Christ – as countless other translators have done? For two reasons:

· Because Christ has almost totally lost its meaning to most Bible readers today, and most have come to believe that 'Christ' was Jesus' last name. It wasn't.

· Because Christ is a word that was made up by early Bible translators and is only used in that form when they think that the Bible was speaking of Jesus. In other places it is correctly translated as anointed.

If you look at the above verse in Greek, you'll see that it reads, 'Ho de bebaion hemas syn hymin eis Christon kai chrisas hemas Theos,' or, 'The of stabilizing us with you into Anointed and anointing us God.'

You will notice here that Christon (Christ or Anointed) and chrisas (anointing) are both derived from the same root word, which by the way, is Greek for olive oil. Why olive oil? Because that substance was traditionally poured over the heads of those whom God chose to be kings or priests over IsraEl. For example, David and Solomon were both anointed (oil was poured over their heads) in proof of the fact that they had been chosen by God to be kings over IsraEl.

So, the word means anointed. But if you prefer the word Christ, then Saul, David, and Solomon were Christs, for you can't have it both ways. As an example; look at the words that David spoke about Saul, as found at 1 Samuel 24:6 LXX): 'Kai eipin David pros tous andras autou: Medamos moi para kiriou ei poieso to hrema touto to kyrio mou to christo kyriou epenegkai cheira mou ep auton hoti christos kyriou estin autos,' or 'Said David to the men of/his: By/no/means of/me from the/Lord if I/should/do this thing to my/Lord to/the Christ (Anointed) of/the/Lord to/raise my/hand against him, for the/Christ (Anointed) of/the/Lord this is.'

So as you can see; if Christos should be translated as Christ, then unrighteous King Saul was also Christ. However, almost all Bibles translate christos as anointed in this case (one of many instances).

Such a physical anointing with oil appeared to picture receiving God's Holy Breath, which happened to Jesus at his baptism, to 120 of Jesus' disciples at Pentecost of 33-C.E., and to other First-century Christians. So Jesus didn't really become the Christon (Christ, Anointed, or Chosen One) until he was anointed with Holy Breath at his baptism (when the 'dove' came down on him).

If you understand this nuance, you get the true meaning of the word Christ (Anointed) as it applies to Jesus; it means that he was the one who God chose to be king over His people. Also, Paul was telling the Christians in Corinth that they too would be anointed… become 'christs.' For, when they were 'anointed' and sealed in their hearts by God's Holy Breath, they were selected to be 'kings on the earth' (Revelation 5:10).

Notice what can be learned from a proper understanding of the Greek words by looking at Matthew 24:24. For there, many Bibles say that Jesus foretold the coming of false Christs and false prophets. But what he actually said was, 'Because false anointed ones and false prophets (gr. pseudo christon kai pseudo prophetai) will arise and they will perform great signs and omens to mislead (if possible) even the elected.'

So, Jesus wasn't necessarily saying that people would come claiming to be him, but people would come falsely claiming to be the anointed and prophets. For more information, see the linked document, False Anointed and False Prophets.

Another example of the poor use of the title Christ (implying Jesus) by Bible translators can be found at 1 Peter 1:10, 11, which reads in this Bible: 'When it comes to salvation, the Prophets looked and searched for this loving-care that's being shown to you. They tried, through the spirit of anointing that was in them, to determine the exact time and circumstances of the sufferings of the Anointed One and of his being glorified, which they knew about even back then.'

Other Bible say that it was the Spirit of Christ that was in the ancient Prophets. However, as we pointed out above, Jesus didn't become the Christ or the Anointed until after his baptism.

So, what Peter was saying in those verses, is that those ancient Prophets tried through the power of God's Breath which had anointed them to be Prophets, to determine the time and circumstances of the glorification of Jesus. For, if you check the wording of those verses in Greek, you'll see that there is no definite article preceding the first christou (anointed), which would be required if it was saying that the Spirit of the Christ (or the Anointed One) was in them.

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Never Die?

According to some Bible Translations, Jesus said (as recorded at John 8:51), 'Most truly I say to you, if anyone observes my word, he will never see death at all.' Yet, all of Jesus' faithful Apostles and disciples (who had certainly observed his word) died, for the Bible tells of how some of them did die. So, did Jesus lie?

No, rather, the way those words are translated in other Bibles is what is wrong. In Greek, John 8:51 reads, 'Amen, amen, lego hymin, ean tis ton emon logon terese, thanaton ou me theorese eis ton aiōna,' or, 'Amen, amen (truthfully) I/say to/you, if/ever anyone the my word should/observe, death not not he/shall/behold into the age.'

Notice that the word death (thanaton) precedes age (aiōna), and the word for age is in the singular accusative tense; so he was saying that they wouldn't know death through the era or age. In other words, they would die, but they wouldn't be counted as dead through the age.

You will notice that Jesus used the same sentence structure at John 11:26, where he said, 'kai pas ho zon kai pisteuon eis eme ou me apothane eis ton aiōna, pisteueis touto?' or, 'and everyone the living and believing into me not not should/die into the age. Believe/you this?'

Therefore, we have translated the verse as, 'and all the living who believe in me won't be dead through the age. Do you believe this?'

For more information, see the linked document The Hereafter.

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Worshiping God in Spirit and Truth

What did Jesus mean when he told the Samaritan woman at the well (at John 4:24): 'For God is spirit, so those who worship Him must worship him in spirit and truth?'

To understand the meaning of what he was saying, it's best to look at the context. For, you will see that she had just said to him (in verse 20): 'Our ancestors worshiped here on this mountain, but you people say that JeruSalem is where people must worship.'

And Jesus then told her (verse 21), 'Believe me, woman; The time is coming when you won't worship the Father on this mountain or in JeruSalem!'

So what he was saying, was that the old form of worshiping God in designated places (such as at the Temple in JeruSalem) would soon end. And this was the setting for his words that followed (in verses 23, 24), where he said: 'The time is coming (and it's now), when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth… because the Father is searching for people like this to worship Him. For God is spirit, so those who worship Him must worship him in spirit and truth.'

Notice that in Greek, verse 24 reads: 'πνευμα ο θεος και τους προσκυνουντας αυτον εν πνευματι και αληθεια δει προσκυνειν,' or, 'breath is/the God and those worshiping him in breath and truth need him/worship.'

So, what did Jesus mean when he spoke of worshiping God in spirit (πνευμα pneuma – as in pneumonia)?

To arrive at the best meaning in this case, you have to think like ancient peoples who didn't have the benefit of our modern scientific discoveries; for to them, pneuma referred to the movement of air (as in wind or breath), which was a mysterious unseen power. And when Jesus spoke of God as being pneuma, he was simply saying that He is an unseen force. Then (in John 4), he went on to argue that since God is an unseen force, such tangible things as temples were no longer necessary, so God would thereafter be worshiped in unseen ways, without the need of tangible aids.

But, what about truth (as in spirit and truth)? Perhaps the best definition of what Jesus was saying can be found in his own words. For Jesus said (as recorded at John 17:17), 'Your Word is the truth.' And Paul wrote at Ephesians 6:17, 18, 'Also, accept the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, God's word.'

So from those scriptures, we see that truth is found in God's word (the Bible), and that it is the sword of God's Breath (or Spirit). And the conclusion that could be logically reached, is that Jesus was telling us that the present arrangement for worshiping God must be based on our personal relationship with Him and on an intense study of the Bible.

For more information, see the linked document What Is Truth?

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Advocate, Helper, Comforter, or Savior?

The Greek word ParaCletos (pronounced: para-clay-toss), as found at John 16:7, has been translated many ways, and we aren't implying that these translations are wrong. However, the two words that make up this single combined word are para (next to) and cletos (caller), so this combination of words appears to refer to an entity that stands next to us and calls out to God on our behalf. An online search for other meanings of ParaCletos turned up the word Lawyer, which implies someone who represents us legally, but we have chosen to translate it as Advocate there, as we also did at 1 John 2:1, 2.

Another view of the meaning of ParaCletos comes from an Aramaic translator, who claims that the word is of Aramaic origin, and means Savior, or, Another Savior. And we will allow that this quite different translation could be correct, because we know that Jesus likely spoke Aramaic to his Jewish disciples.

One argument that we found online, presented Jesus as being the ParaCletos, because he was called the paraclete at 1 John 2:1, 2. However, the words of Jesus himself at John 16:7 seem to dispel that theory, for he said: 'For, if I didn't go away, the Advocate wouldn't come to you. But if I go, I'll send him to you.' In Greek this reads: 'εαν γαρ μη απελθω ο παρακλητος ου μη ελθη προς υμας εαν δε πορευθω πεμψω αυτον προς υμας,' or (literally), 'if/ever for not I/should/go/off the ParaCletos not not would/come toward you. If/ever but I/should/go I/shall/send him toward you.' And if Jesus was the ParaCletos, he would simply have said, 'I will come to you.'

Therefore, we have assumed that the reference to Jesus being the ParaCletos in First John was not implying that Jesus was the Holy Spirit, but this is a simple reference to the fact that Jesus is also our advocate before God.

Of course, much has been made of Jesus' use of the personal pronoun him, when speaking of the ParaCletos or the Holy Spirit. This is because Trinitarians, in an attempt to tie him (or it) into a triune relationship with God and Jesus, like to speak of the ParaCletos as a person. So, the use of the word him here is a hotly-debated topic.

Then, what is the ParaCletos? It appears to be the Breath (or Spirit) of Jesus, and the power that makes faithful Christian one with him. We have concluded this from Paul's words at Romans 8:9, 10, where he wrote: 'However, if God's Breath lives in us, we aren't fleshly but spiritual… and whoever doesn't have the Spirit of the Anointed One doesn't belong to him. So, if the Anointed One is in you, your body is indeed dead through sin, but the spirit is alive through righteousness.'

So, since Jesus' Apostles already had God's Spirit or Breath, as did many other ancient faithful Prophets and leaders, we must assume that this Advocate (ParaCletos), which arrived on Pentecost of 33-C.E. was the Spirit of Jesus, and that it performed in an even more powerful way on behalf of early Christians, literally calling out to God on their behalf, and making them one with Jesus. However, at Acts 1:4, this Spirit or Breath was said to have come from the Father.

But then, Jesus gave a further description of this special Spirit at John 14:16, where he called it the Spirit of Truth. And at Acts 1:5, Jesus said that his disciples would be baptized in it. So, similar to the visible outpouring of God's Spirit or Breath on Jesus at his baptism (which appears to be the point of his anointing and receiving special powers), the outpouring of Holy Spirit on Pentecost appears to be the point where the disciples were anointed, given special powers, and it is when they were born from above (John 3:3).

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People or Men?

The Greek word anthropois, which is usually (correctly) translated as men, actually refers to man as the species, not necessarily to the gender; so we have often translated it as people, to show that gender may not be implied.

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Tent

The statement found at Leviticus 26:11 ('I will pitch My tent among you') may sound unusual to most people. For, why would God refer to Himself as living in a tent?

The Greek word that we have translated as tent is skene (pronounced skaynay). This word is used throughout the Bible and may also be translated as booth and as tabernacle. But really, none of these words (tent, booth, or tabernacle) is an accurate description of what skene means in the English language. It implies a temporary-type dwelling that can be made of cloths, skins, or sticks and branches. For example, God's Sacred Tent in the desert was made of cloth and covered with skins, while the tents that the IsraElites were to live in during what has become known as 'the Festival of Booths,' was made of sticks and branches.

The Greek word oikos (pronounce oy-koss), on the other hand, refers to a permanent dwelling, and it is usually translated as house. For example; When the IsraElites were wandering in the desert, the Sacred Tent of Jehovah was to be temporary, but Solomon later built His Temple, which was often referred to as a House, since it was a permanent structure. However, house in this case doesn't mean home, because God never really lived there. And that may be the reason why He refers to His coming to 'tent' with mankind (as at Revelation 21:3). The term likely refers to His temporary presence or representation, not to His coming to the earth to live among us.

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Gods

At Psalm 82:1 we read, 'Our God has stood in the gathering of gods, and in the midst of the gods He judges.'

This verse – in fact, this entire Chapter – is usually not (or is only vaguely) understood. Who are the 'gods' that God meets with and judges? Psalm 82:6 tells us, 'I said You are gods; of the Most High you're sons.' So, these words seem to apply to individuals who were created directly by God… His messengers (angels), and what became known as the demons (spirits who had receive God's adverse judgment).

The usual explanation of Psalm 82:6 is that God was speaking to humans, for Jesus quoted this scripture at John 10:34-36, when he said, 'Isn't it written in your Law, I say that you are gods? If He called those who were spoken against in God's Word gods (and you can't void the Scriptures), how can you tell me (one who was made holy and sent into the world by the Father) that I blaspheme because I say I'm God's Son?'

However, notice that Jesus wasn't saying that his listeners were gods; he was saying that those who God met with and judged (as mentioned in the Psalms) were called gods. And these were not only God's sons (direct creations of God), but they lived in 'dark places' or Tartarus (see Psalm 82:5).

God has not come and met with gatherings of men, but He has met with all His spirit creation, as Job 1:6 tells us. So from the context, we must assume that God was calling His wicked spirit sons gods, and He was warning them that when the old 'lands and skies' pass away (see 2 Peter 3:12, 13), they too will be destroyed.

Notice that at Exodus 7:1 God told Moses, 'Look! I've made you a god to PharaOh, and your brother Aaron is your Prophet.' So, was Moses literally turned into a god? Yes he was, if you understand what the word really means.

We recognize that this concept may be a bit difficult to grasp for people who were raised in a monotheistic society where the word god refers to just one individual. However, remember that the Greeks (whose language we are translating) were a polytheistic society (they worshiped many gods), and to them the word theos (god) referred to a large group of individuals who were more powerful than men. So in Greek, theos just means powerful one, not Creator (which is what the Hebrew Name Jehovah implies – He who causes to be).

Also, notice how God again used the word gods at Exodus 22:28 to refer to men. In Greek this verse reads, 'theous ou logeseis,' or, 'of/gods not speak/badly.' But if you read the context, you will see that God was telling the IsraElites not to speak badly of powerful humans here.'

Therefore, recognize that the terms god and gods just refer to the powerful. And even men can be gods… that is, in the truest sense of the word's meaning (powerful ones). So a word-for-word literal translation of John 1:1 (for example) can read, 'In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was toward the Powerful One; and powerful was the Word.'

Then, why did we use the term God, rather than Powerful One at John 1:1 to describe The God? We've left the first term (God) in place, because that's what people call the Divine One today.

So, is the Logos the God or just god (powerful)? From the context of John 1:1, it appears as though Jesus (the Logos) is theos – powerful – but not The God (gr. ton Theon). For, notice that Jesus described himself as simply God's son (gr. Uios tou Theou eimi) at John 10:36.

Also, notice that at John 1:1, the words Logos (λογος) and Theon (θεον) are both preceded by the definite article the (ο λογος and τον θεον), except in the case where the Logos is referred to simply as theos (θεος). By employing such wording, John was obviously differentiating Jesus from The God. You can clearly see the differences in the words when you read John 1:1, 2, which says in Greek: 'Eν αρχη ην ο λογος, και ο λογος ην προς τον θεον, και θεος ην ο λογος. Oυτος ην εν αρχη προς τον θεον.'

That the early Christians didn't view Jesus as The God is supported by the fact that Christians still worshiped at the Temple of Jehovah in JeruSalem until shortly before it was destroyed in 70-C.E. (see Acts 3:1-3). This is because Christian Jews didn't consider Christianity to be a new religion with a new god, but rather, that it was the natural outgrowth of the old, and Jesus was the promised 'Messiah' or 'Anointed One of God' who was to assume 'the throne of David his father.'

As you can see, Jesus (who is referred to as 'the Word' here) was called 'powerful' (or godlike), but the following verses show that he wasn't 'The powerful one' (The God). Rather, he was just powerful like (but greater than) Moses. It is the same as in the case of God's words to Moses at Exodus 7:1, where He said that Moses was to be PharaOh's god. Moses was given a position of power over PharaOh.

For more information, see the document, Who Was Jesus?

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