Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                Chapter Three

                                                                                                                                      Verses 22-23 continued

Before John the Baptist recognized Jesus as the Savior who would save by His grace as well as by His being able to recover all of His goodness that He puts into every human He ever creates, John preached a different message. John preached that God sent him to baptize in water to demonstrate "repentance for the remission of sins." John did not preach salvation by grace before he recognized Jesus as the Savior. Since God sent John to baptize in water to symbolize remission of sins upon repentance, then God must have forgiven all who repented and were baptized by John. This fact can only mean that God will provide a lesser form of salvation for all humans in the end of the world because He will cause all humans on the earth and within the regions of the dead to repent and believe in the Lamb of their own free will. God has predestined all humans to be saved by a higher and lesser form of salvation, and at the same time, all humans will choose of their own free will to be saved. Luke 3:3; John 1:33; Revelation 5:11-14; Acts 15:18; Luke 20:38; Romans 11:29.

John quoted Isaiah's prophecy in Isaiah 40:3-5 who expressed, in poetic form, that when God's glory is fully revealed, which can only happen in the end of the world, that everything that is wrong will be made right. Luke 3:4-6. Isaiah also prophesied that "all flesh shall see it together" which can only be a prophecy about God's revelation of Himself for the recovery and repentance of all living humans as recorded in Revelation 5:11-14. Isaiah made similar prophesies in Isaiah 45:20-24 and in Isaiah 66:18-24.

John also prophesied, "And all flesh shall see the salvation of God," which, in light of Isaiah's prophesies, can only mean that God will cause to repent, resurrect and recreate every living human whom He has ever created. Luke 20:38; I Corinthians 15:22; Luke 3:6; Ecclesiastes 3:14. John called those who came to repent "vipers" which could only refer to their evil, spiritual natures. Luke 3:7. John taught that these people were not good just because they were the children of Abraham. God could create children of Abraham out of stones. John preached that they all needed to repent and be baptized. Luke 3:8.

John further taught that God will cut down every "tree" that bears no good fruit whatsoever, and He will cast it into the fire. This "tree" that bears no good fruit can only symbolize the evil, spiritual nature of humans. John actually prophesied that God will cast only the dead and evil natures of humans into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15. God creates all humans in His image to be good and to do some good works. All humans have done some good works, even the worst humans. Genesis 1:27; Genesis 1:31. All of God's good creations belong to God and will return to God. Ecclesiastes 3:14; Romans 11:36. Jesus promised that even the least good work will not lose its reward. Matthew 10:42. God will have to recover and recreate all living humans for that to be true. Revelation 22:11-12. The evil, spiritual nature of humans can do no good whatsoever. John actually prophesied, in parabolic form, that God will cut out from its roots every evil spiritual nature of every human for Him to cast into the eternal lake of fire. Luke 3:9; Revelation 20:15.