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 came to be, ⁴ and this life was the light of all men. ⁵ [Now] the light is shining in darkness, and he 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 through him the world came to be – but the world didn’t know him. ¹¹ He came to his home, but his own people offered no welcome. 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 only generated one 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 No one has ever seen God, but the only-generated god (the one in the bosom 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 IsaiJah 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 someone is standing in your midst who you don’t know. ²⁷ He’s the one coming behind me, the laces of whose sandals I’m unworthy to untie.’

²⁸ These things happened in BethAny across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

²⁹ The next day he 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, The one 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 John also testified to this: ‘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 the One who sent me to baptize in water told me, Whoever you see the Breath coming down on 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 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 Then 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 He said, ‘I tell you men the truth; You will see the heavens open up and messengers of God ascending and descending to 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 fifteen gallons. ⁷ Then Jesus told them to fill the jars with water, and they were filled to the brim. ⁸ Then 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 CaphernaUm, 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, and there were also currency exchangers 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 told 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 While he was in Jerusalem for the Passover and its festival, many people started believing in his name 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 [God’s] Breath, 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 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 are saying and we are 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 tell you 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 get life in the age.

¹⁶ ‘This is how [much] God loved the world: He gave His only-generated Son so that everyone who believes in him won’t be destroyed, but will get life in the age. ¹⁷ 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 only-generated Son, ¹⁹ since this 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 with 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 (who 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, 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 things that are earthly. He who comes from heaven is above all the others, ³² for he tells about things that he’s seen and heard. However, no one is accepting his testimony; ³³ yet he who welcomes his testimony is proving God to be true. 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 all things into his hands; ³⁶ so he who believes in the Son will have life in the age; but those who disobey him won’t see life, for God remains angry with 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 really 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.

Now, Jesus was tired from the journey, so 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 Meanwhile, 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 (because Jews didn’t have anything to do with Samaritans)?

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 Then 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 up life through the age.’

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 Then he said to her, ‘Go and call for your husband to come here.’

¹⁷ But the woman said, ‘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 And 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 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. 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 At that point, 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 Then 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 are unaware of.’

³³ So the disciples started asking each other, ‘Nobody has brought him anything to eat, has he?’

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? Look, 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 life in this age; 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… 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 has no honor in his hometown. ⁴⁵ Yet, when he [first] arrived in Galilee, the Galileans had welcomed him, because they had 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 CaphernaUm 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 At that, the father recognized it was the same time that Jesus told him, ‘Your son is alive.’ So he and his whole household started to believe. 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 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 those with physical handicaps 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 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 is the Sabbath, and 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 So the man went off and told the Judeans 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 on his own, 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 whoever 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 life in this age… he won’t have to be judged, for he has crossed over from death to 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. This is because he is 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 bad 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 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 who He sent. ³⁹ Yet you search the Scriptures, because you think they will give you life in the age; and though they testify about me, ⁴⁰ you still refuse to come to me so you can have life!

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 It was there that Jesus went up a mountain and sat down with his disciples. ⁴ It was also close to the time of the Jewish Passover festival, ⁵ so 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.’

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 leftovers from 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 who 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 CaphernaUm. Well, by then it had grown dark and Jesus hadn’t come to them yet. ¹⁸ And meanwhile, a strong wind came up and the seas 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 CaphernaUm 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 God and Father.’

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

²⁹ And Jesus answered, ‘This is what God’s work 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 to eat from heaven.’

³² Then Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth; Moses didn’t really give you the bread from heaven, but my Father will give you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For, God’s bread is the one 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’m the bread of life, and whoever 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 Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I won’t reject anyone who comes to me, ³⁸ because I didn’t come from heaven to do my will, but [to do] the will of the One who sent me.

³⁹ ‘This is what the will of the One who sent me is: That I shouldn’t destroy anything He has given me; but rather, that I should resurrect it on the Last Day. ⁴⁰ This is what my Father’s will is: That everyone who pays close attention to the Son and believes in him should have life in the age, and I will resurrect him on the Last Day.’

⁴¹ At this, the Judeans started to grumble about him, because he was saying that he’s the bread that came from 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 tells us he came down from heaven?

⁴³ Then Jesus replied, ‘Stop your grumbling! ⁴⁴ Nobody can come to me unless the Father who sent me attracts him [to me] and then I will resurrect him on the last day. ⁴⁵ The Prophets wrote, They will all be taught by God. So, everyone who listens to the Father and learns comes to me.

⁴⁶ ‘Of course, no one has seen the Father, other than the one who was with God… he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ I tell you the truth: He who believes has life in the age.

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 gain life in the age. The bread that I will give is my flesh, and it will provide life to the world.’

⁵² 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 or drink his blood, you won’t live. ⁵⁴ For if you chew my flesh and drink my blood, you’ll have life within yourselves, and then I’ll resurrect you on the Last Day, ⁵⁵ because my flesh is truly food and my blood is truly drink. ⁵⁶ Those who chew on my flesh and drink my blood will stay in me and I [will stay] in them.

⁵⁷ ‘The living Father sent me and I’m alive because of the Father. Likewise, the one who chews on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. It’s not [the same thing] that your fathers ate and then died, for he who chews on this bread will have life in the age.’

⁵⁹ Now, these are the things he said while he was teaching in the synagogue at CaphernaUm.

⁶⁰ Well, when they heard this, many of his disciples said, ‘Those are tough words. Who can listen to them?’

⁶¹ But 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 The Spirit is what makes you alive, for the flesh is useless. And these things that I’ve told you are Spirit and life, 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 the Father allows him.’

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, who should we go off to? You say the words of life in the age, 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 Tents 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 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 world 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 [a while] after telling them this.

¹⁰ However, after his brothers went to the festival, he also went (not openly, but in secret). ¹¹ And 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, but belongs to the One 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 making this up myself. ¹⁸ The one who tells things that he made up himself is trying to glorify himself. But, he who wants 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! 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, 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 looking 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 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 come.’

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 come?’

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 those who’ll put faith in me: Rivers of living water will flow from him.’ ³⁹ [Of course] when he said this, [he was talking] about the Breath [of God], 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 yet.

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 that David came from?’ ⁴³ So the crowd became divided over him.

⁴⁴ And although there were some [who 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 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, ‘You aren’t a Galilean too, are you? 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 are from this world, but I’m not from this world. 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 at all? ²⁶ I have so many things to tell and to judge about you, but the One who sent me is truthful, and I’m telling the 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 that the Father taught me. ²⁹ The One who sent me is with me, and He didn’t send me off alone, because I always do things to please Him.’

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

³¹ Then Jesus addressed the Judeans who believed 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 are the seed of Abraham and we’ve never been slaves to anyone. So, why are you saying 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 will 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 are 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 in 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 in 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… the One who 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 born.’

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 he was born. ² So his disciples asked, ‘Rabbi; Who sinned, this man or his parents, that [caused him to be] born blind?’

³ Jesus answered, ‘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 (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 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’s 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 to him insultingly, saying, ‘You are 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 is 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 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of those sheep. ³ This one is the doorkeeper 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 voice of strangers.’

⁶ Jesus gave 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 are 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 life in the age… 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 a sick man, 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 sick, ³ so his sisters sent word [to Jesus] saying, ‘Lord, {Look!} the one who you care for is sick.’

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 sick, 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 will bump 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 has just lain down, he will 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 too 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, I know now that whatever you ask God for, He will give you.’

²³ And Jesus told her, ‘Your brother will stand again.’

²⁴ Then Martha said, ‘I know that he will 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 that believes 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 But 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 to undergo ceremonial cleansing. ⁵⁶ And 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 could grab him.’

Chapter 12

¹ Well, six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at BethAny (the place where he 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 moneybox and used to take 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 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 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. Then they started 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 a burro’s colt.’

¹⁶ 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 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 world will keep it safe, and they will live through the age.

²⁶ ‘If anyone wants to serve me, let him follow me, so that wherever I am, is where my servant will be… 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 world will be judged; now the ruler of this world 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 throughout 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, and 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 was so that the words of the Prophet IsaiJah were fulfilled that 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 IsaiJah 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 IsaiJah 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 have one that 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 life through the age, 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… and 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 in 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 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 is, 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 So this one leaned back against Jesus’ chest and asked, ‘Lord, who is it?’

²⁶ And Jesus replied, ‘It’s the one who 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 moneybox, 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 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… and 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 there weren’t I would have told you, because 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 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 nobody 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 yet you 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 and if you ever ask anything of me in my name, I will do it! ¹⁵ But 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. The world can’t receive it, because they can’t see it or understand it… but you will 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 will 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 will 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 [One Who] Calls, 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 the world offers it.

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

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 World is coming and he has nothing on me. ³¹ But, so the world will know that I love the Father; whatever commandments the Father gave me, I have done.

‘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 one with 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, whenever someone doesn’t remain in me, his branch is removed and it withers. Then men gather up such branches and throw them in the fire where they’re burned. ⁷ But if you remain in me, and if the things I say stay 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 keep proving that you are my disciples. ⁹ And as the Father has loved me and I 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 if you do what I’m telling you, you’re my friends.

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 world hates you, you know that it hated me first. ¹⁹ For if you were from the world, 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 will also persecute you. And if they have obeyed my words, they will also obey yours. ²¹ But 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 [One Who] Calls (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 didn’t know either the Father or me.

⁴ ‘I’ve told you these things, so that when their time comes, you’ll remember that I told them to you. But, here are some things I didn’t tell you at first, because I was with you then: ⁵ Now I’m going to the One who sent me (yet none of you asks where I’m going), ⁶ but because I’ve told you these things, your hearts are filled with grief.

⁷ ‘I tell you the truth when I say that my going away is for your own good. For, if I don’t go away, the [One Who] Calls won’t come to you. But if I go, I’ll send him to you. ⁸ And when that one gets here, he’ll scold the world about sins, righteousness, and 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 World 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. This is because he won’t speak on his own; he will just tell you what he hears and then 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 For in a little while, you won’t see me. Yet in a little while, you will see me.’

¹⁷ Well at that, some of his disciples started asking each other, ‘What does he mean when he says that in a little while you won’t see me, and in a little while you will see me, 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 Jesus knew they wanted to ask him, so he said, ‘Are you asking each other questions because I said, In a little while you won’t see me, and in a little while you will see me? ²⁰ I tell you the truth; You will cry and bawl while the world rejoices… you will be very sad, but then your grief will be turned into joy.

²¹ ‘When a woman is having a baby, she’s grief-stricken because her time has come. But after the child is born, she forgets the difficult time she had, because of her joy that a person was born into the world.

²² ‘So, you’re now 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 will 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 in illustrations. But the time is coming when I won’t talk to you in illustrations anymore; I’ll talk to you openly and bring back reports to you about the Father. ²⁶ And 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 ‘The Father cares for you, because you cared for me, and you believed that I came out [from my position] beside the Father… 28 I’m from the Father and I came into the world; but I’m also leaving the world and returning to the Father.’

²⁹ 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 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 the world you’ll only find hard times. But take courage, because I have conquered the world!’

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 have put him over all flesh, so he can give life in the age to all those who You’ve given to him. ³ For knowing You (the only true God) and the one who You sent (Jesus the Anointed) means life in the age.

⁴ ‘I’ve glorified You on the earth, and perfectly completed the work that You assigned 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 And they know 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 out from [my position] beside You. Yes, they believe it was You who sent me. 

⁹ ‘So it’s on their behalf that I’m asking – I’m not asking it on behalf of the whole world, just for those whom You’ve given to me, for they’re Yours – ¹⁰ all that’s mine is Yours, and all that’s Yours is mine; and I’ve been glorified among them.

¹¹ ‘Since I’m no longer in this world (but they are), and I’m coming to You, Holy Father; watch over these that You’ve given me because of Your Name, so they can 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. And I’ve watched over them so that none were destroyed (except for the son of destruction), so the Scriptures might be fulfilled.

¹³ ‘But now I’m coming to You, and I’m saying these things in the world so they can be filled with my joy. ¹⁴ I’ve given them Your Words, because they are hated by the world… because they’re no a part of this world, as I’m no part of the world.

¹⁵ ‘I’m not asking You to take them out of the world, but to guard them because of the Wicked One; ¹⁶ for they’re no part of the world, just as I’m no part of the world.

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 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), that they can also be in us, so the world can believe that You sent me.

²² ‘I’ve given them the glory that You gave 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 me; I want them to be where I am, so they can see the glory that You gave me, because You’ve loved me since before the founding of the world.

²⁵ ‘Righteous Father; The world never knew You, but I know You… and these that You’ve sent me have come to know [You]. ²⁶ To them I’ve made Your Name known (and I will 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 this place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. ³ So Judas brought along a group 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 told them ‘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 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 They took him first 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 Jews meet, so 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 that was wrong. But if [what I said was] right, then why did you hit me?’

²⁴ Then 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 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 answered, ‘Is it your idea to ask this, or did others tell you about me?’

³⁵ Then Pilate answered: ‘I’m not a Jew am I? Your own people and Priests handed you over to me… what did you do?’

³⁶ So Jesus replied, ‘My Kingdom isn’t from this world. Why, if my Kingdom were from this world, my followers would likely have fought so I wouldn’t be handed over to the Judeans. But my Kingdom isn’t from here.’

³⁷ Then Pilate said, ‘You aren’t a king… are you?’

And Jesus answered, ‘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 out to the Judeans again and told them, ‘I haven’t found a single reason [to hold him]. ³⁹ So, since it is 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, and 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 one more time 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 outside 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 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, saying, ‘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 I’m King of the Jews.’

²² But Pilate answered, ‘What I wrote is what I have 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 was 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 scripture 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 quit breathing.

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 can be fulfilled, ‘Not a bone of his will be crushed.’ ³⁷ And another scripture says, ‘They will look to the one who they pierced.’

³⁸ After that, Joseph from AriMathea (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 came to him at night the first time) came bringing 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 Sabbaths, 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 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 in.

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 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 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 [of God]. 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 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 have 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 Zebedee, and two other disciples. ³ And 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 Jesus). 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 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 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 the 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 was 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 wanted. 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 following me!’

²⁰ Well, when he turned around, Peter saw the disciple who Jesus used to love 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 following me!’

²³ But because of that, word was spread among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. However, Jesus didn’t say 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 witness he provides is true.

²⁵ -- --

Notes

The Word

The Greek word logos is often rightly translated as word. However, logos implies a greater meaning than that; it means the expression of a thought. So Jesus is truly the complete expression of God’s thoughts.

People have often wondered why John used such unusual wording to start this, his literary masterpiece. Yet, it is obvious he was explaining Genesis 1:1-3. For, notice how that scripture reads, ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. But the earth was unsightly and unfinished, darkness covered its depths, and God’s Breath moved over its waters. Then God spoke (gr. eipen), saying, May there be light, and light came to be.’

So, you can see that 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). He was with God long ago, 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 (with God’s power) when God ‘spoke’ the heavens and earth into existence.

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 inspired play on words to draw attention to the phrasing of Genesis 1:1. Jesus’ pre-human name was likely Michael, which means: Who is Like God (not a question but a statement). And John called him ‘the Word’ to point out Jesus’ most ancient high position as a co-worker with God, who created whatever things God spoke.

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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 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 referred to a large group of individuals who were simply more powerful than men. So theos just meant powerful one, not 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 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, 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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Only-Generated God, Only-Generated Son

The scriptures at John 1:18, where Jesus is referred to by John as the only-generated god (gr. monogenes theos), and at John 3:16 and 1 John 4:9, where he is referred to as the as the only-generated son (gr. uion ton monogene), are very difficult to translate honestly and still make any sense. The Greek word that John used in each instance (and which we have translated as only-generated) is monogenea (mono means only; genea means generated). In the past we have rendered monogenea as only created, and other translators have rendered it only-begotten, only-fathered, only-conceived, etc. However, it appears as though a proper rendering, which might be easier to understand, would require the addition of extra words that are not in those verses.

It is a fact that Jesus was the only son ever born through a woman to God, so that could possibly be what John was referring to in these verses, and it’s what other translators have concluded. However, his being called the only-generated god at John 1:18 brings such a conclusion into doubt, for Jesus clearly wasn’t a god-man when he was on the earth (see the linked document Who Was Jesus?). And for an explanation of why Jesus was called a god, see the linked Note in Exodus; What Is a ‘God?’

Yet, he does appear to be the only creature (son, god, or powerful one) that was directly created by God, for John went on say concerning Jesus at Revelation 3:14, ‘This is what the Amen (the faithful and true witness, the beginning of creation by God) has said …’ In Greek this reads: he arche tes ktiseos tou Theou – or – the beginning creation of/the God. So, there is no doubt that this conclusion (that he is the only son created by God) is correct. And John explained how all other things thereafter came into existence through Jesus at John 1:3, where he wrote: ‘Everything [else] came into existence through him’ (gr. panta di autou egeneto – or – all by him generated).

The problem with translating those verses as saying that Jesus was the only-created, is that we would have to add the parenthetical words (by God), since all other things were also created by Jesus. So, we have chosen instead to faithfully render John’s words as only-generated, and allow this linked Note to explain the apparent true meaning.

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Forever or for the Ages?

Two words imply infinite states in the Bible; one is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus as having received 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 (pronounced ai-on-oss), which is used throughout the Bible and is often translated as forever and everlasting, 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(s) or era(s). Where the plural form of the word (ages) is used, it refers to a long time… at least multiple generations. However, where the singular form is used (age or era), this appears to mean a much shorter period, such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the term ages of ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to 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, ‘What will be the signs when you are near and this age will come to its conclusion?’ You can see that the word 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 at Jerusalem would be destroyed, because that’s what Jesus had just told them.

The word aionos (which we have translated as age here) is also translated as world (KJ) and as system of things in other Bibles. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those words, they would have used the Greek word cosmos, not aionos, for world or system of things.

The ancient Hebrews viewed everything (and rightly so) as having a beginning and an end. For that reason, you will only find three places in the Bible where words are used that imply no end and none that imply no beginning. An interesting possible insight on the reason for this can be found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says: ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and your hands made the heavens. They will destroy themselves, but you will remain. They will grow old just like clothes do. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them like clothes. Yes, you are the one, and your years will never run out.’

The problem with most Bible translations is that when they encounter the word aionos in all its different tenses, they interpret it according to accepted doctrine, not according to the way that Jesus and his disciples used it. So the common renderings forever, eternal, and everlasting are used even when the word is in its singular forms (aioni, aiona, aionos, aionion, aionian, aionios, aioniou), and this totally distorts the meaning of the text.

Take for example, the scripture at John 5:24, where Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth; the one who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me will have life in this age. He won’t have to be judged, but has crossed over from death to life.’

Most Bibles translate Jesus as saying that those who believe in the One who sent him will have everlasting life (or the equivalent). However, the words that Jesus used there were, zoe aionos (life age – singular), not zoe aionion (life ages – plural).

Notice how Jesus explained the meaning of these words with his next statement, ‘He won’t have to be judged, but has crossed over from death to life.’

So what Jesus was saying here, wasn’t that they would have everlasting life, but that they in their current life would be considered among the living, not among the dead (see Revelation 20:12).

This doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t live forever… it’s just that Jesus wasn’t really saying that. What we find (from consideration of the evidence found in the bulk of Jesus’ words about life) is that he never taught the hope of ‘life eternal,’ ‘everlasting life,’ or ‘immortality,’ in those specific words. However, the concept is still there. What he taught was that righteous people will receive ‘life in the age,’ or be considered worthy of (possibly everlasting) life by God during their current lifetimes… that their names would be written in ‘the scroll of life,’ and that they would not have to be judged, but will have already ‘crossed over from death to life,’ as Jesus said at John 5:24.

Yes, we know that this is a difficult concept to understand, but it’s what Jesus actually said.

For more information, select the linked documents, The Hereafter and Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Soul or?

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 crept into the Christian religions. Please see the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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. The 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. 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.

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). Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both the person 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 here, 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.

The most common use of the word pneuma in the Bible is to imply an unseen force (such as breath or wind). And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost is that many people have started believing that the unseen force that is called [God’s] Holy Breath herein, is another God-like person and part of a Divine ‘Trinity.’ This can’t be true, because the only scripture that can be used to support this theory (that is, where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Breath are supposed to be ‘one’) is found at Matthew 28:19, which simply says that baptism should be done ‘in the name of’ (or, in recognition of) these three. All other scriptures that are used to prove the Trinity theory fail to mention the Holy Breath as part of that group. And the King James wording of 1 John 5:7 (which was used for years to attempt to prove the Trinity) is spurious (something that was added to the Bible). In fact, the reference to the Holy Breath at Matthew 28:19 may also be spurious, and if so, then there are no actual Bible references that mention God’s Holy Breath along with the Father and the Son.

However, the words of John 16:7-16 do strongly indicate that this Holy Breath or Spirit is a personality.

So 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 means more than just breathing; it refers 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 in this case, not to a person or to an unseen force. He was talking about that which comes from God and caused him to breathe… the Breath of Life.

It is interesting that at Genesis 6:3 God says, ‘I won’t allow My Breath to stay with these men through the 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 Adam. So it appears as though what He 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 attached link ‘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 quit breathing’ (gr. kai klinas ten kephalen paredoken to pneuma, or, and inclined his head giving/up the breath).

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What does In Mean?

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, in most Bibles.

Especially in the book of John do we find the question raised, ‘Was Jesus really the same person as the God?’ This question is 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.’

However, the text above is often translated as, ‘I and my father are one.’ Is this the true sense of what John wrote? Is Jesus ‘one with’ (the same as) the Father?

That could be a correct translation, but not in the context of the way the book of John was written. For example, notice how John 14:20 reads: ‘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 impaled (put on a pole or stake) here, because that’s what it means.

Does any of this really make any difference? No, for whether the Romans used just an upright pole or one with a crossbeam as a means of torture and execution is unimportant. However, if one views such a thing as an object of worship, 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 this Kingdom 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). These words are then translated as, ‘for God’s Kingdom is within you.’ However, this couldn’t be the correct meaning, because, notice that (at Luke 17:20) Jesus said these words in reply to a question that was raised by the Pharisees, and he certainly didn’t believe that the Kingdom was in their hearts.

So, what did Jesus mean? 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. And while it’s true that real Christians ever since that time have in fact been members of that Kingdom in their hearts, the word Kingdom (an area of rule) implies that there will be an actual time of rule and a realm for Jesus and his faithful servants. And, since it appears as though some of these kings will rule from heaven, the place where they rule from is called ‘the Kingdom of Heaven.’

However, Kingdom of Heaven appears to refer to the rule from heaven and not to the place where those who are ruled will live. We draw this conclusion from Jesus’ words as found at Matthew 8:11, which reads: ‘Many from the sunrise and sunset will come and recline [at the table] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven.’

That such faithful individuals as Abraham weren’t really in heaven at the time Jesus spoke these words (but they were alive in God’s memory), is confirmed by what Jesus said at John 3:13, ‘Nobody has gone to heaven other than he who came from heaven, the Son of Man.’

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 made with his Apostles just prior to his arrest and execution.

Notice 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.’ Then Jesus told about a man who made a long trip to a distant land to receive kingship. So, a long period of time was obviously involved between when Jesus would leave on his journey (to receive kingship in heaven), and the time when he would return to reward his faithful slaves.

There is a definite time for this Kingdom to start its rule, which is made clear by the words of Revelation 12:10. For there 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 began. Because the one who has been accusing our brothers has been thrown down… the one who has been complaining about them day and night in front of our God!’

So, when the Opposer and his messengers are/were expelled from heaven, God’s Kingdom begins there. However, it must await the end of the ‘short period of time’ before God’s opposers are destroyed at ‘Armageddon’ and any of its effects will be seen on earth.

Then, what IS the Kingdom? The term appears to refer to a coming rulership of the earth by God, Jesus, and a spiritual Israel that originates in the heavens but extends to those in charge on the earth, for John wrote at Revelation 1:6, ‘[Jesus] made us to be a Kingdom of Priests to his God and Father.’ And he wrote that a heavenly group sang this song to him about Jesus (at Revelation 5:9, 10):

‘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 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, a smart person who does things to serve his own interests, and/or a person who can’t be fooled. It was applied to the Evil One because of his opposition to God. To prevent people from thinking of it 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. Bolos means throw (it’s where we get the English words ball and bowl). So, Devil means one who throws through, which implied Slanderer in Greek, so that’s the way it’s translated herein.

Lucifer: The name Lucifer is commonly tied to the Biblical Opposer, however the name doesn’t appear in most versions of the Bible. It does appear once in the King James Bible, at IsaiJah 14:12, in which the King of Babylon is referenced as Lucifer, Son of the Morning, which is translated from the Hebrew words Helel ben Shahar – Day Star, Son of the Dawn. This term was used there, because Lucifer is the Latin term for the planet Venus, which is also known as the morning star.
So, there is no direct link in the Bible between the entity known in Hebrew as Satan and the person who was referred to as Lucifer. This was a myth that was created by Augustine after he translated the text in IsaiJah from the original Hebrew into Latin.

BeelZebub: There are eight references in the Bible to this Hebrew word, 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 messengers 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).

And the idea that the Slanderer isn’t real raises other questions. For example, while Jesus was being tempted in the desert, was he simply struggling with the bad inside himself rather than against a real, evil personality? If so, we would have to conclude that there was bad in Jesus.

Also, was the battle in heaven (as spoken of at Revelation the Twelfth Chapter) just figurative and not a real war against the Opposer and his messengers? If so, then there are still ‘evil thoughts’ in heaven prior to that battle. And, in what sense would ‘the Opposer’ and his ‘messengers’ lose the battle and be confined to the earth? Also, why would 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 (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). First, 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). But the text seems to imply that a slanderer (or resistor), not the Slanderer, had come to David. And we would have to assume it to be a satan or resistor that came to him. So, we don’t really know if the text implies that the Evil One came to him, if it was just an evil spirit that came over him, or if someone bad 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 from the dead, because the Hebrew word, which might be translated as resurrection, is never translated that way in most other Bibles. Yet, in the Greek Septuagint, the same word that is usually translated as resurrection in the Christian Era Scriptures (New Testament), anastasia (in its many conjugated forms) appears frequently.

We find its use in the song that HanNah sang to Jehovah after offering her son SamuEl to serve at God’s Sacred Tent (in the Second Chapter of First SamuEl) 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 which is still being fulfilled in our day and into the future. Why, resurrections had never been seen on earth before her time, but she spoke of them as reality. And although there was no previous prophecy that spoke of those who are resurrected as sitting on thrones, we find them doing that here. For, more information, see the linked document, The Resurrection.

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Scroll of Life

The first mention of the Scroll of Life can be 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.’

So, we must assume that as early as the Eleventh Century B.C.E., God’s faithful worshipers had some concept of a record that God keeps of people who He counts among ‘the living.’ And as David pointed out, their names can be erased from God’s record once they are put there.

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 book to remember His faithful, the phrase ‘the Scroll (or Book) of Life’ is mentioned enough times in the Bible to assume that God does remember or record the names of those righteous who He counts among ‘the living,’ as opposed to those He numbers among ‘the dead.’

Who are ‘the living?’ They are likely the same as the ones who Jesus spoke of at John 5:24, when he said, ‘I tell you the truth: The one who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me has life for the ages. He won’t have to be judged, but 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.

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 came to worship and sacrifice at Jehovah’s Sacred Tent. And their names remained there as long as they remained faithful.

Notice that the Revelation speaks 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, by the time this happens, the series of events indicated there shows that all the resurrections will already have taken place (see Revelation 20:4-6), so these individuals aren’t dead any longer, for they are seen to be standing. As the result, this must mean that although they are no longer literally dead, but they are still counted as dead or dying and needing to be judged, and their names have yet to 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.’

So from the above, 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 among ‘the living’ by God. Then, when they are resurrected, they will be counted as living, and there will be no need for them to be judged thereafter.

As for ‘the dead’ who the Revelation says are ‘judged by the things written in the scrolls,’ this likely means that they too will be resurrected, but they will likely 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, 3 and verses 5, 6).

Demons

2 Peter 2:4 speaks of ‘messengers’ 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 and by almost all of its religions, both modern and primitive. Such universal acknowledgement by diverse people 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 that 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’re a lot more afraid of the demons than others are.’

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 lifeless objects through ‘possession’ by their gods.

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The Day of ‘the Lord’ and of Jehovah

Throughout the Bible, we find references to ‘the Day of Jehovah,’ and ‘the Day of the Lord.’ 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), ‘This is the moment when the salvation, the power, the Kingdom of our God, and the authorization of his Anointed One began.’

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 authorization for Jesus (the Lord) to 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 ‘Babylon the Great’ (See Revelation 17, 18). Then in rapid succession there comes the ‘marriage of the Lamb’ (acceptance of the rest of the Anointed ones to heaven?), the Battle of Armageddon, the abyssing of the Opposer and his messengers, 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 which 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 (the destruction of Babylon the Great?), and this is followed by the destruction of the worldly armies, in Joel Chapter Three (Armageddon?). And in between these two events, we read of the marvelous outpouring of God’s Breath upon His faithful servants (Joel 2:28-32).

Peter wrote in length about this period, and at 2 Peter 3:7 he wrote: ‘It was also promised that; What’s [now] in store for the earth and sky is fire, which [will come] during the Judgment Day, when godless men will be destroyed.’ And although many misinterpret these words as describing just the destruction of the wicked at Armageddon, the context shows that he was looking at a much longer period of time, the total ‘Lord’s Day’ or ‘Judgment Day’… the ‘thousand-year’ period spoken of at Revelation Chapter Twenty. For what he said about the burning of the earth and sky and of the ‘new earth and sky’ corresponds exactly with the end of the thousand years and the promises found at Revelation 21:1.

So, from the periods described in the Revelation, near the end of Jesus’ thousand-year reign there will be a judgment of the wicked (those who join with Gog of Magog) and they will be destroyed. Then there will be a ‘new earth and sky.’ What does that really mean? Perhaps we’ll all have to live to see it to be sure.

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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 this word 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 many 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.

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). 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 will pour out some of my Breath on all flesh, and your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will have visions and your old men will dream dreams. In fact, I will pour out some of my Breath in those days, and my male and female slaves will prophesy. And I will send omens from the heavens above and signs to earth below, blood, fire, and a smoky mist. Before the great and shining day of Jehovah arrives, the sun will be changed into darkness and the moon into blood. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Peter’s application of this prophecy clearly indicates its fulfillment as happening during the time that he was saying this, during and after Pentecost 33-C.E. So, many religions teach that Joel’s prophecy concerning the last days had its application just in 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, these 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 this prophecy also mentions its fulfillment as happening during ‘the great and shining day of Jehovah,’ 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 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 life in this age, and I will resurrect him on the Last Day.’

It is noteworthy that John didn’t then go on to explain that the resurrection had already started with the destruction of Jerusalem. So, apparently it hadn’t and the resurrection was still to come during some future last day. In fact, John’s writing of the Revelation indicates that the resurrection wouldn’t come until after what is referred to as ‘the battle of Armageddon’ (Revelation 16-20). 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 in which we could now be living.

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 in these last days? Although every religion has reached strong but differing opinions and doctrines on this, the answer isn’t totally clear.

That there will be (or has been) some special outpouring of God’s Breath in these last days appears to be clearly indicated by Joel’s prophecy. However, while many religions that 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 (more so than giving interpretations of Bible doctrines) and on an unusual expression of 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 have been praised by my Father, inherit the Kingdom that has been prepared for you from the founding of the world.’

In Greek, the words we have translated as founding of the world are katabole cosmou, or down-throw arrangement. You may recognize that the English word cosmos is a derivative of cosmou. And cosmos (which we pronounce as cas-mose, but the Greeks pronounces as cas-mas) is the word that modern peoples usually use when referring to the universe today (thank you Mr. Sagan). So, why have we translated it as world, and what is meant by the term, founding of the world?

Actually, cosmos is used many times in the Bible and in many different ways. For example, when Paul urged Christian women to dress modestly, he used the word cosmos to describe well-arranged clothing, and arrangement is probably the closest English meaning of the word. So, it isn’t always translated as world.

And although it has been said that the word world doesn’t appear at all in the Hebrew texts of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (Old Testament), it really does appear there several times in the Greek Septuagint. And the reason why they say that world doesn’t appear there is because the equivalent Hebrew word is 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 cosmos appears several times, it is usually translated as world… such as the world of Noah, the light of the world, the field is the world, etc. So, the term doesn’t seem to apply to the earth, but rather to the arrangement of human society on the earth.

Actually, two different Greek words are often translated as world in the Septuagint, cosmos and oichonomeo; and oichonomeo does appear to refer to the earth, because it means the habitation, or, the place where [man] dwells. So the Septuagint (OT) clearly delineates these two words (that are both commonly translated as world).

But notice how the word cosmos was used by Paul at Romans 5:12, ‘Sin entered the world (cosmos) through one man, and this sin resulted in death. So, death spread to all men and everyone has sinned.’

So, 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 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 in a negative context, and the fact that it (the current set of negative circumstances) will soon be done away with.

Yet, the Scriptures also indicate that the present world (arrangement) began after the Downpour of Noah’s day, and Noah inherited the world 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 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 world. Yet, He guarded Noah (who was a preacher of righteousness) along with seven others, when He brought a downpour on a world of godless people.’

So, apparently there have been two different worlds or arrangements; the one that Noah inherited that started before the Downpour, and the second one that we are now living in, and which the righteous will inherit at its destruction. For we read at 1 John 2:17, ‘And the world with all its desires is passing away, but the one who does what God wants remains through the age.’ And Romans 4:13 says, ‘Abraham and his seed weren’t given the promise of inheriting the world because of the Law; it was because of his righteousness, which came from his faith.’

Thus from the above, we have concluded that what Jesus said about the Kingdom having been prepared for the sheep since the founding of the world must 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.

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Jehovah

Although there are no existing ancient Christian Era Scripture (New Testament) manuscripts that contain the full name Jehovah, there are four reasons why we (and other Bible scholars and translators) believe that it existed in the original text. They are:

1. The Name is found in many of the Hebrew Scripture texts that are quoted by Jesus and his disciples

2. Jesus mentioned God’s having a Name in ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ and at John 5:43, 10:25, 12:13, 17:26, and in numerous other places

3. The Name still appears in a combined form in Revelation where the word hallelujah is used (Hallel means praise, u implies second person, and Jah is a shortened form of Jehovah.)

4. The fact that Christians who lived in Jerusalem were still worshiping at the Temple of Jehovah late in Paul’s ministry proves that they still viewed Jehovah as their God (see Acts 21:20-26).

So, this Bible is one of two that we are aware of that uses God’s Name in the Christian Era Scriptures, which makes it quite unique. However, you will see that we have avoided using it in places where the Greek words ho Kyrios could have been speaking of Jesus, using the Name Jehovah mostly in quotations from Hebrew texts which were clearly speaking of The God.

That the Name Jehovah (which means, He who Causes to Be, or, The Creator) was originally in the Bible, is documented in all ancient Hebrew texts. And it is most likely that the Septuagint translation which Jesus and his Apostles used (most quotations they gave seem to have come from an ancient Septuagint) carried that Name, but probably in the four Hebrew characters that represent the English consonants YHWH.

Notice this comment by Robert Hanhart, who contributed the Introduction to ‘The Septuagint as Christian Scripture.’ He stated therein that, ‘All Greek biblical texts of Jewish origin found to date, whether from pre-Christian or Christian times, transmit the name יהוה Jehovah not in the form κύριος [Lord] encountered in all the LXX [Septuagint] manuscripts of Christian origin, but in some form of the Tetragrammaton.’ (See: ‘The Septuagint as Christian Scripture,’ 2002, book, p.7, by Martin Hengel. Introduction by Robert Hanhart, published by Baker Academic. ISBN 0-8010-2790-X).

You will see how in the book of IsaiJah, for example, God is often referred to in Greek as Kyrios ho Kyrios, or, Lord the Lord (see IsaiJah 48:16 LXX). And these are obvious examples of texts where God’s Name was omitted, for such sentences should clearly read Jehovah the Lord, or Lord Jehovah.

Since the words God and Lord both seem to have been substituted in the text wherever God’s Name originally appeared, it is difficult to know where to reinsert the Name in place of the titles. We could refer to the Hebrew texts and insert it wherever the Name appears there, but that would be out of harmony with the purpose of presenting this translation of the Septuagint on its own merit. So, wherever the term the Lord appears in obvious reference to God, we have decided to insert the Name Jehovah.

The rule that other translators have adopted for inserting God’s Name is to simply use it wherever the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) appears in the oldest existing Hebrew texts (which aren’t that old). However, it can be proven that these texts and such insertions are unreliable. For example, there is the instance when Abraham was talking to three ‘men,’ one of whom he referred to as the Lord (יהוה). In this case, Abraham was obviously speaking to a messenger from God (likely His representative, Michael), because, as God told Moses, ‘No man can see God and live.’ So in such instances we have left the term ‘Lord’ unchanged, because that is likely the actual word Abraham used.

Also, in the writings of many of the Prophets, you will notice that they were often spoken to by God’s messengers, who the Prophets referred to as the Lord. And these messengers (angels) thereafter went on to give them messages from Jehovah. For example, notice the wording of Jeremiah 2:1: ‘Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, Go and yell in the ears of Jerusalem! Tell them that thus says Jehovah …’ So in this Bible you’ll see an interspersing of the term the Lord, when it appears to be referring to the angel messenger, and as Jehovah, when it appears to be referring to God.

Notice again the wording of Amos 4:13, where the one who gave the message to that Prophet (the Lord) definitely put Jehovah in the third person (though he is apparently saying that he did much of the work of creating) for there he said: ‘{Look!} I brought the thunder and I made the wind; and I report to men of His caring. For He produces the dawn and the fog, and is mounted on the heights of the earth… His Name is Jehovah God the Almighty!’

Then look at the words of Zephaniah 1:9, where the Prophet wrote: ‘And I asked, What are these, O Lord? And [God’s] messenger replied (he who was speaking to me), I will show you what all these things mean.’

So, it appears as though the Greek word kyrios should be translated as Lord or the Lord when it is referring to the angel who was speaking, and as Jehovah in many cases when it is speaking of God… regardless of how modern Hebrew texts may read, for from the context you can clearly see that these verses are quoting someone other than God.

However, the Lord (kyrios) would also have been used by Hebrew writers when speaking of God in poetry, where the previous or following verse uses the Name Jehovah; for the rule for a following verses is to use a simile.

Another important place where it appears as though the term the Lord should be used instead of the name Jehovah, is where people do something in His Name, as in James 5:10, which speaks of ‘Prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.’ For, since Jehovah is God’s Name (in English), they would not be speaking in the Name of Jehovah (which is His Name), but in the Name of the Lord (Jehovah). Yes, this could be an arguable point, but where there is some question and the understanding isn't changed, we believe it is better to take a cautious approach.

Probably the most striking and confusing reference to the Lord is found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says: ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth, and you made the heavens with your hands. But they’ll pass away while you still remain. For like clothes they will grow old. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them. Yes, you’re the one and your years will never expire.’

As you can see, the reference to the Lord here appears to be speaking of God (Jehovah). And if you go back to the scripture Paul was quoting (Psalm 102:25-27), you’ll see (from the context of the surrounding verses) that it appears to be speaking of Jehovah there also, and this is the conclusion of many, because the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) appears there in both the ancient Hebrew and Greek texts. Yet, the entire First Chapter of Hebrews is discussing Jesus and his special position before God. And Paul is clearly quoting Psalm 102:25-27 to make the point that Jesus made the heavens and the earth, that he will remain through the ages, and that he will eventually rebuild (repair) them after they grow old.

So, either Paul misapplied this scripture, which seems unlikely, or both Hebrew and Greek versions of Psalm 102 have been badly corrupted through the years, which our research proves is possible. As the result (because the answers are unclear), we have deviated from our rule of capitalizing the first letter of the words You and Your in many places in Psalm 102 and Hebrews 1, and from inserting the Name Jehovah where its use may be in doubt. However, this opens another can of worms, for it brings into question the accuracy of major portions of the Hebrew text and the use of the Tetragrammaton rule altogether.

It has also been suggested that since Jesus ‘shines with the same glory, is the exact image of His (God’s) being, and is responsible for everything that’s said through His power,’ as we were told at Hebrews 1:3, anything that is said about God also applies to Jesus… perhaps.

Of course, the easy answer to why Paul used Psalm 102 in reference to Jesus, is because Jesus is actually Jehovah, as many theologians claim. But this is proven untrue by the other words in the same First Chapter of Hebrews. For notice the following verses:

• Hebrews 1:3 ‘He sat down at the right hand of the Great One in the highest places.’
• Hebrews 1:4 ‘He has become so much greater than the [other] messengers [of God] and so different, that he has inherited a [special] name among them.’
• Hebrews 1:5 ‘For example, to which of His [other] messengers did He ever say, You’re my son. Today I’ve become your Father. Or, I will become his Father and he will become My son.’
• Hebrews 1:9 ‘You loved righteousness and hated wickedness. That’s why God (your God) anointed you with the oil of great joy among those who are your partners.’
• Hebrews 1:13 ‘And to which one of His messengers did He ever say, Sit here on My right until I set your enemies as a stool for your feet?’

(For more information on this subject, please see the linked document Who Was Jesus?)

The word that is translated lord (gr. kyrios) is found throughout the Bible in Greek texts and is usually used as a term of respect for men, such as a king, governor, or homeowner… and it is also frequently translated as master. So, whenever you see the term master used in the Bible, recognize that it is translated from the same Greek word as lord. And as translators, it’s easy to see how inappropriate it is to always refer to God as ‘the Lord.’ This was something that was started by later Jewish copyists, and the custom was adopted in English Bibles in the Fifteenth Century. Yet, even then the translators showed where God’s name once appeared in the Hebrew text by capitalizing all the letters, as in LORD (see Exodus 6:1). And in the King James Bible, the name Jehovah still does appear in four texts (see Exodus 6:3).

Some have objected to putting the name Jehovah in the Greek text, for they say that that use of the Name would have been offensive – and might have resulted in stoning – if Jesus and his disciples had actually spoken it. Yet, the Name had to be used when preaching to the Gentiles, or they simply wouldn’t have known which Lord the disciples were talking about (remember, they were polytheistic). And to call God the Lord when most gods (and many men) were also called lord, would have been very confusing to everyone that Jesus’ disciples preached to, both Jews and Gentiles. So we question whether the use of God’s Name was considered as offensive prior to Jerusalem’s destruction by the Roman armies (70-C.E.).

The reason why the Name was removed from later copies of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel was because Jewish Scribes had become so awed with God’s Name that they refused to write it or say it, so, they started substituting the term ‘the Lord’ (the Master) wherever His Name was found. And since all existing versions of the Septuagint come from the Second Century or later, it isn’t surprising that God’s Name has been omitted from such modern texts. The fact that the name Jehovah was once there is well substantiated from ancient Bible manuscripts, both Hebrew and Greek. In fact, a verse in the Jewish Talmud claims that Jesus received his miraculous powers because he had sewn the Holy Name (Jehovah) into his skin, which indicates both their (his enemy’s) recognition of Jesus’ miraculous powers and the common view of God’s Name.

Forgetting God’s Name is a practice that has had a long history with the Jews, for apparently they were trying to do this during the time of the Prophet Jeremiah (sometime in the early Seventh Century B.C.E.), for we read at Jeremiah 23:27: ‘They’ve devised ways to forget My Name, then they use their dreams to describe to their neighbors, how their fathers were the ones who’ve forgotten My Name, and turned to the service of Baal.’

What about the Christian Era Scriptures? Recognize that most early Christian Congregations (and especially those in Judea) were predominantly made up of Jews, and their traditions seemed to have had a strong negative effect on Christian conduct and doctrine throughout the world. For example; almost all of Paul’s letters (Romans through Hebrews) contain strong references to Judaizers in the congregations, and this influence likely led to substituting Lord for God’s Name in Christian writings after the deaths of the Apostles.

Perhaps Christians would more deeply appreciate the need to use the name Jehovah, rather than the title ‘Lord,’ when referring to God, if they understood that the term ‘the Lord’ in the language of the Canaanites was ‘Baal’ or ‘Beel.’ And the same term in modern-day Arabic is ‘Allah.’

Then, what of those who prefer a more exact Hebrew pronunciation of the Name, which can be Yahweh (Yah-h’-Wĕh), Yahwah (Yah-h’-Wah), or Yehwah (Yĕh-h’-Wah)? That is commendable if their reasons are consistent. For, if their concern is to properly pronounce Bible names (not a hatred for God’s name as it is pronounced in English), they will also be found promoting the proper Hebrew pronunciation of His son’s name, Ieshuah (Ye-Shuah), or Iehoshuah (Yĕ-h’-shuah)… or at least the proper pronunciation of his name in Greek, Iesous (Yay-sous).

But then they would also have to start changing hundreds of other Bible name containing a J (such as John, Jeremiah, Jonah, Jerusalem, etc.), and they would find that almost every other Bible name is currently mispronounced in the English language.

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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, they were referred to by the Judeans as 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, he wasn’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, such 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, ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem: The killer of Prophets and the one who stoned those who were sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, 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. The account says, ‘So, he sent his army to destroy the murderers and burned their city.’ Then he sends 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 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 the earthly city of 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, 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.

But what of Paul’s statement, found at Romans 11:25, 26, ‘Israel was allowed to become calloused until the full number of people from the nations came in. This is how all Israel is going to be saved.’

Doesn’t this mean that the entire nation will eventually be saved? No, for notice what Paul said 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, ‘IsaiJah 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.’

So, it appears as though Israel will be saved mostly through those ‘ethnics’ who have become Israel by accepting Israel’s God as their God.

And the fact is; Those who believe that all of Israel will be saved also believe that this hope applies just to the Jews. However, ‘all of Israel’ covers all twelve of the tribes that are now scattered and intermarried throughout the nations of the world, whereas the Jews represent just two of the tribes (plus some of the Priestly tribe of Levi). So, for ‘all of Israel’ to be saved, countless millions – or even billions – who have traces of bloodlines to the other ten tribes of Israel would have to be included in this number, for such pure bloodlines no longer exist – even among the Jews.

But, couldn’t ‘all of Israel’ just refer to the Jews and/or to those who still practice Judaism? Notice what Paul wrote at Romans 9:30-33, ‘So, what can we 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 (who 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 ashamed.’

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

At Jesus’ ‘Last Supper,’ which fell on the first day of the Jewish celebration of the Passover, Jesus instituted a ritual that he told his Apostles to continue to do in memory of him and 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 were obviously just symbols. Partaking of Jesus’ ‘flesh and blood’ symbolizes that those who do so are expressing their desire to become a party to the ‘New Sacred Agreement.’

Speaking ahead of time of 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.’

This was revolting talk to most Jews, whose dietary regulations (from the Law) forbade drinking any blood or eating human flesh. As the result, many of Jesus’ disciples stopped following him at that time. Surely, this was done as a test to cull out those who believed in his miracles, but wouldn’t understand his death and resurrection. However, Jesus’ Apostles stayed, because, as Peter said, ‘Lord, who should we go off to? You say the things [that lead to] life for the ages.’

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 new 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 on 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 ‘life in the age’ 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 many not have written the books attributed to him because of language and style, remember that when he did his writing he was almost 100 years old, so like Paul, he likely used others as a secretaries to do the actual writing.

John and his brother James, who were later appointed to be 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).

Although Jesus was particularly fond of John, and some Bible critics often think of John as a laid-back dreamer, Jesus referred to him and his brother as ‘the Sons of Thunder.’ 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, or because John was tongue-tied or shy. Rather, it seems that John deferred to Peter because he was older, and a friend and partner of his father. 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’ (or the leaders) of the early Christian Congregation. Thereafter, James served as the spokesman for the three when the matter of circumcising the gentiles had to be decided.

As Jesus prophesied, John lived the longest of all the Apostles, dying at around the age of 100, either by execution or as the result of 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 only created’ 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 told Christians not to have anything to do with such individuals.

The book of Revelation that John wrote, 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, Revelation provides a fitting climax to the entire Bible by bringing together the four mysterious characters mentioned in the first prophecy in the Bible (at Genesis 3:16): the snake, its seed, the woman, and her seed. Then if fills in all the gray areas as to who each of these individuals 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.

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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 in front of God, due to inherited (and their own) sins. Thus the scriptures in the Revelation Twenty appear to be speaking of living people (who will already have been resurrected) that will stand before God and be judged either to life for the ages, or to the permanent destruction of the ‘lake of fire.’

However, from the promises of Jesus, it does appear that 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, has life for the ages. He won’t have to be judged, but has crossed over from death to life.’

And Paul wrote at Romans 5:17, ‘And if (because of that one error) death started its reign through [Adam]; then those who receive His caring and the gift of righteousness during this life will even be more sure to rule as kings through Jesus the Anointed One.’

So, it appears as though a person is considered no longer ‘dead’ as of the time 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’ll 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.’

And then consider Jesus’ words to the unrighteous Judeans, found at John 8:23, 24, where he told them, ‘You come from the things below and I come out of things from above. You are from this world, but I’m not from this world. 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.’

So from those words, we must assume that the unrighteous Judeans would be considered the dead, while those who accepted him were counted as the living.

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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:

1. Because Christ has almost totally lost its meaning to most Bible readers today, and most have come to believe that ‘Christ’ was part of Jesus’ name. It wasn’t.

2. Because Christ is 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 (anointed) 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 who God chose to be kings 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 David and Solomon were Christs, for you can’t have it both ways.

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 over the earth’ (Revelation 5:10).

Also, notice what can be learned from a proper understanding of the Greek words by looking at Matthew 24:24. For 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.

At Exodus 29:29 we find that Aaron and his sons were to be ‘anointed’ as Priests to Jehovah, and that this action would make them ‘holy,’ or clean. It also signified that had been ‘chosen’ to this office by God. And in Leviticus, when we read of the ‘anointed’ Priest, the reference seems to be to the one who had been chosen for the special office of what later became known as the High Priest, which gives credence to our translating Christos as Anointed One, rather than Christ, in the Christian Era Scripture (NT) portion of this Bible. However, at least in the case of Aaron and his sons, fragrant herbs were added to the oil to give it a pleasing odor. This is implied at Exodus 25:7 where the Israelites were asked to donate ‘fragrances for anointing oil.’ And we find the exact formula for the anointing oil at Exodus 30:34, where we read that it was to be made of ‘sixteen pounds of choice myrrh flowers, eight pounds of sweet-smelling cinnamon, eight pounds of sweet-smelling calamus, sixteen pounds of cassia (for the Holy Place), and a gallon of olive oil.’

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Did Jesus Lie?

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?’

So, although other Bible translations render these words as ‘and everyone that is living and exercises faith in me will never die at all. Do you believe this?’ 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 certain places (such as the Temple in Jerusalem) would soon end. And that 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 you can see that the word spirit doesn’t really appear there, since it is an Anglicized word that came from the later Latin language. And because the word breath doesn’t make any sense in English when speaking about God’s form, it helps to understand what the word πνευμα (pneuma, as in pneumonia) meant to Greek-speaking people, such as the Christian Bible writers.

To arrive at the true meaning, it is best to think like ancient people who didn’t have the benefit of our modern scientific discoveries; for to them, the movement of air (in wind or breath) 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 he went on to argue that since God is an unseen force, such tangible things as temples were no longer necessary, but God would thereafter be worshiped in unseen ways, without the need of tangible aids.

But what about 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 [God’s] Breath, 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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One Who Calls, Helper, Comforter, or Savior?

The Greek word Paracletos (pronounced: para-clay-toss) has been translated many ways, and we aren’t implying that these translations are wrong. However, the two words that make up this combined word are para (like) and cletos (caller), so we have chosen to translate it as [One Who] Calls. An online search for other meanings of ParaCletos turned up the word Lawyer, which could be accurate, but we have chosen a more literal translation here.

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. However, we are unsure that this is the meaning implied in the Bible text of John… some translators say that John and most other NT Bible books were written in Aramaic, but we question this conclusion.

One argument that we found online, presented Jesus as being the ParaCletos; however, the words of Jesus himself at John 16:7 seem to dispel that theory, for he said: ‘For, if I don’t go away, the [One Who] Calls won’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.’

Of course, much has been made of Jesus’ use of the personal pronoun him, when speaking of the ParaCletos or God’s Holy Breath. 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.

We would like to point out that while our research seems to unequivocally dispel the idea of a Trinity, we have some question as to whether the ParaCletos spoken of by Jesus is truly a him or an it, because Jesus (at John 16:7-16) strongly implies a personality. And the ParaCletos, which Jesus defines as God’s Holy Spirit or Breath, appears to be something more than the Holy Spirit or Breath that the Apostles used earlier when doing healing and casting out demons.

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People or Men?

The Greek word anthropois, though usually 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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