Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                  Chapter Two

                                                                                                                                       Verses 1-12

This chapter begins with the phrase, "And the third day." Since the Bible (KJB) does not relate what "the third day" means, then one can assume that this phrase has some symbolic reference to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.

With Jesus' miracle at this wedding, He turned water into wine for a specific purpose. Since water in the Bible usually symbolizes both the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, then Jesus' miracle could mean that after His resurrection the Word of God and the Holy Spirit would impart to all believers saved by grace the spiritual blood of Christ that will cleanse them of all sins and evil, which the wine symbolized. Matthew 26:28; John 6:63. When some people hear or read the gospel, the Holy Spirit convinces them that they are sinners separated from God's salvation but not from His Love. John 16:7-11. If they humble themselves to God, and repent and believe that only Jesus Christ can save them, then the Holy Spirit immediately comes into their inner beings and washes all of their sins away with the blood of Christ, annuls their spiritual deaths which is the evil inside of them that causes them to sin, and imparts to them the righteousness of Christ Himself by means of which they can be accepted by God to live with Him in Heaven forever. I Corinthians 6:11; II Corinthians 5:21.

Jesus' mother informed Him that the guests at the marriage ceremony had run out of wine. This fact could symbolize that sinful humans cannot save themselves. Humans need a miracle from God in order to be saved from the eternal effects of sin and evil. Romans 5:6.

In verse four, Jesus' reply to His mother seems to indicate that He felt that the time of His ministry to the world had not yet begun. But Jesus soon realized that His Father had inspired His mother to give Him the sign that His ministry must begin at that marriage feast.

Evidently, Jesus' mother already knew that her Son could perform miracles because she had seen Him do private miracles within her family. Jesus' mother forced His hand when she told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. Jesus then realized that His Father had inspired His mother to cause the beginning of His ministry to the world. Jesus knew all this because He had to obey His mother in accordance with the fifth commandment. Exodus 20:12.

Jesus commanded that the servants fill six huge waterpots with water. But He did not turn the water into wine until the servants began to bring the wine to the guests. The water in the waterpots remained water. This miracle could symbolize that the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God, symbolized by the water, to convince sinners that they need to repent and believe in Jesus, and when they do, the Holy Spirit then imparts the spiritual blood of Jesus to their inner beings for their salvation by grace. I Corinthians 6:11; John 6:63.

Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                      Chapter One

                                                                                                                                     Verses 43-51 continued

Philip found Nathanael and by his personal witness brought him to Jesus. When Nathanael heard Philip say that Jesus came from Nazareth, Nathanael made a little joke about Nazareth. When Jesus first saw Nathanael, He described him as a person who had "no guile." The fact that Nathanael seemed to be prone to make little jokes, and the fact that Jesus described him as being scrupulously honest demonstrates that Nathanael was already a lighthearted and good person who adhered to the practice of the righteousness that God had put into him when He created him. Even so his righteousness was not enough for Nathanael to become saved by grace. Like all humans, Nathanael still had an evil and dead part of his inner nature instilled into him by the Devil.

Nathanael wanted to know how Jesus could describe his character having never met him. Jesus told Nathanael that He had seen him sitting under a fig tree before Philip ever called him. When Nathanael heard Jesus relate about His miraculous sight into the far distance, he immediately believed in Jesus and became saved by grace. Jesus told Nathanael that as he followed Jesus, Nathanael would see greater miracles than Jesus' sight into the far distance. This story demonstrates that even very good people still need to become saved by grace because of the foreign sin and evil that happens to be a part of their inner being.

The Bible (KJB) relates that most people who become saved by grace happen to be good and honest people already. Matthew 11:25-27; I Corinthians 1:26-31. However, God is perfectly able to save by His grace even the worst and most evil persons. God proved this when He saved Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. Acts 9:1-6.

Jesus went further to tell Nathanael that a time will come when Nathanael will see "Heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." Jesus' prophecy referred to His final coming when He will judge the world in His Great White Throne Judgment. Revelation 20:11. As a general rule, when the Bible(KJB) speaks of Jesus coming with His saints, that means the Rapture of the Church. I Thessalonians 4:14; II Corinthians 5:1-4. When the Bible speaks of Jesus coming with His armies, that means when He comes to rescue Israel in the battle of Armageddon. Revelation 19:11-14. When the Bible speaks of Jesus coming with His angels, that means His final Great White Throne Judgment. Matthew 25:31.

Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                   Chapter One

                                                                                                                                          Verses 43-51

Jesus went to Galilee and found Philip and called him to follow Him. Philip immediately did so which indicates the exact type of conversion of all saints saved by God's grace. When any person hears or reads the gospel, the Spirit of God can come to them and convince them that they need to repent and follow Jesus. Those who repent and follow Jesus become saved by grace immediately when the Holy Spirit enters into their hearts, cleanses them of all their sins and evil by the blood of Jesus, and they become a saint saved by God's grace. Just as water baptism which symbolizes spiritual baptism happens immediately, so spiritual baptism happens immediately. John 6:63; Acts 11:15-17; I Corinthians 6:11.

Should they ever obtain a Bible (KJB) to read, they will learn that Christ also commands them to make a profession of faith, get baptized in water, and join a true, Christian Church. Matthew 28:18-20. But if a saint disobeys God and refrains from joining a true local church, they do not lose their salvation by grace. No person saved by grace can ever lose their special salvation. Romans 11:29. The true universal Church is the Bride of Christ which will enjoy special rewards and privileges in Heaven. Revelation 19:7-9. Those saints saved by grace who never, for whatever reason, learn about the Church but never join one will live forever in Heaven, but they will never enjoy the rewards and privileges of the Bride of Christ. Christ may not Rapture them with His true Church. They may have to become Tribulation saints. The Bible (KJB) relates that there were some of the rulers of the Jews who believed in Jesus, but they did not confess Him or join a local church because they were afraid that the Pharisees would put them out of the synagogue. These types of saints never become a part of the Bride of Christ. John 12:42-43; Luke 9:26.
In Luke 9:26, Jesus taught that in His final Judgment in the end of the world, he would be ashamed of all His believers who were ashamed of Him, but He did not say that they would lose their salvation by His grace.

Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                     Chapter One

                                                                                                                                       Verses 30-36

John the Baptist testified that Jesus "was before me," which combined with that which John said in verse 34 can only mean that John bore record that Jesus is the eternal Son of God.

John reaffirmed that he baptized with water to witness to the fact that the coming Christ would baptize with the Holy Ghost. John recognized Jesus as the coming Savior when he saw the Spirit of God descend like a dove and remain on Jesus after John had baptized Him.

The next day John witnessed to two of his disciples that Jesus is the Lamb of God.

                                                                                                                                    Verses 37-42

These two disciples of John turned to follow Jesus which meant they believed that Jesus was the Savior. Jesus allowed them to come to Him and stay with Him which meant that He accepted them as His believers. Jesus does the same with all believers saved by His grace. One of the two disciples named Andrew went and found his brother, Simon Peter, and witnessed to him that they had found the Savior, and he brought Simon to Jesus. This was the first time that someone came to Jesus by means of a personal witness. John the Baptist's witness of Jesus came by direct revelation from God to be recorded in scripture which made it a witness to the world.

When Jesus saw Simon Peter, He immediately gave him the nickname Cephas which means "a stone." Jesus prophesied that Simon Peter would be the first living human to make a public profession of faith in Christ as his Savior. In order for a believer to become an official member of the universal Church of Christ, that believer must witness to his faith by public confession and water baptism that he believes that Jesus is the Son of God and that believer's personal Savior. John 6:67-69. Many believers saved by grace never even have an opportunity to join a local church. For this reason, believers who are members of a local church should strictly obey the command of Christ in Matthew 28:18-20. Only members of the Church of Christ will be His Bride. Revelation 19:7-9.

Jesus told Peter when he confessed his faith that he had become the first "stone;" that is, the first member of His Church, Jesus Himself being the chief cornerstone. Matthew 16:17-18. Peter himself wrote that Christ's Church is like "lively stones" built upon the "chief cornerstone." I Peter 2:3-8.

Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                 Chapter One

                                                                                                                                          Verse 29

Special attention must be given to exactly that which John the Baptist said about Jesus in this verse. John said that Jesus came as the sacrificial Lamb of God "which taketh away the sin of the world," not living humans. The meaning of the word "world" here includes every human who ever lived. Jesus came to take the sin and evil away from every living human whom He ever creates and loves, never to cast living humans into a lake of fire. In fact, Revelation 20:11-15 clearly teaches that Christ will cast only dead and evil humans into the lake of fire. God made a similar statement in Proverbs 10:12. "But love covereth all sins" has to be a promise from God that He will provide a means to take away the entire set of sins ever committed by all humans and the evil that causes those sins.

Every human possesses both a living and a dead inner nature. Genesis 2:7; Genesis 2:17. All humans saved by grace while still alive in the flesh, Christ cleanses them of all their sins and annuls their spiritual deaths with His blood and water that He shed on the cross. All other living humans whom He must confine to the regions of death or who live on the earth, Christ will save with a lesser form of salvation when He uses His fiery wrath against evil to dissolve their systems to separate their cleansed living natures from their dead, evil natures. Psalm 75:3; Psalm 107:9-15; John 5:28-29; I Corinthians 3:11-15; II Peter 3:9-13. All humans must repent and believe in Christ of their own free will in order to be saved with a higher or lower form of salvation. But the Infinite Intellect of God knows exactly how to cause every human who ever lived to repent and believe of their own free will. In the end of the world in a general resurrection, Christ will prepare all living humans on earth or within the regions of death to receive His lesser form of salvation by His fiery wrath when He causes them all to repent and believe of their own free will in the Lamb of God as recorded in Revelation 5:11-14. Once Christ has dissolved all of their systems by His use of His fiery wrath, He will raise all of their separated, living natures from the dead for Him to recreate to live on His recreated earth, and He will confine all of their dead, evil natures to the lake of fire. Revelation 20:5; Revelation 20:11-15.

Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                 Chapter One

                                                                                                                                         Verse 18

Although some humans have seen God in human form and in angelic representations, no human has ever seen God in the majesty of the Oneness of His Being. The Holy Spirit is invisible, but humans saved by grace can feel His presence at times. Jesus came as God in human form to show that His Father loves all living humans and that He desires to forgive and save every one of them. John 14:7-9; John 12:47; Luke 19:10; Luke 20:38; Luke 23:34; John 12:31-32.

                                                                                                                                          Verses 19-28

John the Baptist was like an Old Testament prophet who bridged the gap between the Old and the New Testaments. God sent John to introduce God in human form to the world. John had no miraculous powers. He could only baptize with water which only represented being cleansed of sins. But he introduced the One who could truly cleanse living humans of all their sins by baptizing them with His Holy Spirit. Christ's spiritual baptism saves lost sinners by His grace forever. Water baptism only represents this spiritual salvation. John 1:33; I Corinthians 6:11. But Jesus also came to save the rest of His living humans that He creates and loves by His baptism with fire. Matthew 3:10-12. The Old Testament promised forgiveness of sins by the sin offerings of shed blood and by the burnt offerings. Leviticus 5:7-10. The Spirit of Christ descended into Hell to leave behind there all of the sins and evils of all of humanity not saved by grace that Christ bore on the cross. Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27. The Holy Spirit rose immaculate from Hell to reanimate the perfect body of Jesus and raise Him from the dead victorious over Hell and all sin and evil. Romans 8:11; Revelation 1:17-18. Christ will appear to all living humans that He had to consign to the regions of death in a great worship service, and He will cause them all to repent and believe of their own free will when they see Him and worship Him as the Lamb of God. Revelation 5:11-14. Christ will activate their lesser from of salvation in His final Judgment and resurrection in the end of the world. Christ will use His fiery wrath against evil to separate their cleansed, living souls and spirits from their evil, dead natures that He will cast into the lake of fire. Matthew 3:10-12; I Corinthians 3:11-15; II Peter 3:9-13; Psalm 75:3. Christ will raise from the dead all of His cleansed and forgiven living souls and spirits, and He will recreate them in body, soul, and spirit to live righteous lives on His recreated earth. Revelation 20:5; Revelation 21:1-5; Revelation 22:11-12. God's Love can never fail, and God can never lose anything He has ever created. I Corinthians 13:8; Ecclesiastes 3:14.

Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                Chapter One

                                                                                                                                         Verses 15-17

God sent John the Baptist to introduce God to the world as a human being.

John the Baptist witnessed that "of His fulness have all we received." John witnessed about a gift that God has given to every human. The word "fulness" can only mean the image of God that He has put into every human He has ever created, and the phrase "all we" can only refer to every human who has ever lived. In his statement, John the Baptist taught the same doctrine that the Apostle John taught in John 1:9. Jesus Himself taught this same doctrine when He told the Jews that their own scriptures had taught them that they were "gods." Psalm 82:6. Jesus could only have meant the image of Himself that He puts into every human He has ever created. John 10:34-35. Jesus taught this same doctrine to a group of unbelieving Pharisees when He told them "the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:20-21.

John the Baptist continued in his teachings that Jesus gives "grace for grace." Since God gives His image to every living human that He creates, then that same gift would be a kind of initial grace, but the salvation by grace that Christ supplies, He gives as an additional grace to that initial grace. Christ can never lose anything He has ever created. Ecclesiastes 3:14.

God gave Moses the Law for him to give to the world. Israelites who faithfully practice Judaism in that they try to obey the Law, and who believe that the priests made the animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sins will repent, along with the rest of humanity, in a great worship service as recorded in Revelation 5:11-14. God will resurrect and recreate these faithful Jews to live forever in the land that He promised them. This future nation of Israel will rule the world, and Jerusalem will be the capitol of the world. These faithful Jews will enjoy special blessings and privileges given by God. Unfaithful Jews will also repent and be resurrected and recreated, but God will demote them to life with the recreated Gentile nations. Deuteronomy 4:40; Numbers 18:8; Isaiah 66:18-24; Ezekiel 20:33-44.

Moses also gave the Law to the world so that the world could learn that they all are hopeless sinners incapable of obeying the Law. Romans 5:6. Some humans who hear the gospel and learn by the conviction of the Holy Spirit that they are hopeless sinners will repent and believe while still in the flesh that Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross to take away their sins and that He rose from the dead to give them His life and righteousness by which God can accept them to live with Him forever in Heaven. Romans 3:19-28; John 17:24. The souls and spirits of believers saved by grace go directly to Heaven following their physical deaths. II Corinthians 5:8. God must consign all humans not saved by grace to one of the regions of death following their physical deaths. Hebrews 9:27. This gospel happens to be the "grace and truth" that "came by Jesus Christ." Jesus is the living Truth of the Word of God. John 14:6.

An Argument against the Nihilists

 Absolutely everything of which consciousness can be conscious must be real. This has to be true because illusions are always systems which comprise real objects, whether abstract or concrete. An abstract representation of something in the mind is just as real as is the outer object just as a picture of something is as real as is the outer object in the picture. These are just two different forms of reality.

Illusions never appear to consciousness. Illusions always hide behind real systems. All that is real is useful to consciousness. Illusions are always useless except as entertainment systems in fictional stories. A unicorn comprises two real objects to consciousness which are a combination of a horn and a horse, even if only imaginary. If a person imagines something that is real, then the imagination makes it real in abstraction. Abstract ideas and objects are just as real as are concrete objects. Unicorns are useful in fictional stories, but the illusion of the unicorn never appears to consciousness. The real representation of the combination of a horn and a horse appears to consciousness, but not the unicorn itself. A straight spoon may appear bent in a glass of water. But the "bent" in the spoon has to be a real, abstract object in the mind because that mind has observed real, bent outer objects. This real "bent" in the spoon covers up the optical illusion. The optical appears, but the illusion does not.

The nihilists contend that consciousness equals nothing and that all of reality is but an illusion. But consciousness cannot equal nothing because nothingness can only be a real idea in consciousness. The idea of nothing cannot exist without consciousness. Only consciousness can tell the difference between something and nothing. Without consciousness, no difference can exist between something and nothing.

The nihilists who contend that consciousness evaporates into nothing following physical death forget that consciousness is required for the idea of nothing to exist. What they really mean is that consciousness evaporates into an absolute nothingness; that is, a state of no difference whatsoever between something and nothing. This means that they must contend that an absolute nothingness can produce a consciousness which equals nothing which, in turn, produces an illusion of reality. This idea begs the question: From where did absolute nothingness obtain all that power?

The nihilists may counter with the argument that consciousness is the same as brain activity which evaporates following physical death. But if all that appears to brain activity can only be an illusion, then brain activity itself must be an illusion since brain activity is conscious of itself. This idea means that they advance the absurd argument that an illusion can produce other illusions.

A person in a coma possesses no consciousness of the difference between something and nothing except that the sub-conscious keeps the heart and lungs functioning.

If consciousness must be real, then all of the objects of consciousness must also be real. All of the contents of consciousness, whether abstract or concrete, provide creative ideas and objects that consciousness can use to create useful systems. Illusions never appear and are useless except as real entertainment systems. A unicorn can appear in fiction comprised of a real horn and a real horse, but the illusion of the unicorn never appears because it equals absolute nothingness; that is, no difference between something and nothing.

If absolute nothingness can produce only absolutely nothing, then an Absolute and Infinite Consciousness must exist Who creates an infinite reality. If the universe were without consciousness prior to the emergence of life in the false theory of evolution, then it would be the same as a dead person's body; that is, in a state of absolute nothingness that can tell no difference between something and nothing. Reality can only be infinite because a finite reality could only begin and end in absolute nothingness which is absurd. The universe could only be real prior to God's creation of life because God created it and observes it. Genesis 1:1. 

Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                   Chapter One

                                                                                                                                              Verse 14

To any honest reader of the Bible (KJB) who diligently searches for the truth, this verse should dispel all doubt that Jesus was anything less that God Himself in human form. Verse one clearly states that "the Word was God." Verse 14 clearly states that this same "Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." Anyone who teaches that Jesus was less than God or another god simply does not believe the unmistakable teachings of these verses in the infallible and inerrant Word of God.