Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                  Chapter Three

                                                                                                                                      Verses 28-30

John the Baptist formally informed the Jews that He was not the Messiah, but God sent him to be the forerunner of the Messiah. John's ministry connected the Old Testament to the New Testament. The Jews should have understood him had they properly read the prophets. Malachi 3:1.

John then began to preach about his new understanding of the higher form of salvation that Jesus came to give humanity. The Holy Spirit inspired John to understand that Christ came to form a Bride for Himself which had to be a higher form of salvation than the one which the Old Testament provided. John saw himself as being a kind of best man for Christ's marriage to His Church. John probably did not understand much about this new revelation from God, but it gave him a lot of joy.

When John said, "He must increase, but I must decrease," he did not mean that the Old Testament, which he represented, would become any less in value than the new revelation he had just received. Both are the inerrant and infallible Word of God, equal in value. John simply meant that Jesus, as God in human form, would bring to humanity such a greater form of salvation that the infinite depth of God's Love would become real to all who would believe in Him while still alive in the flesh. John 5:24; I Peter 1:1-5.

All of God's judgments are temporary as applied to humans except His final judgment which is eternal. But even His temporary judgments are eternal as recorded in His Word. Revelation 20:5; Revelation 21:1-5; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 22:11-12. In the Old Testament, God consigned all sinful humans who died to one of the regions of death except those Old Testament saints who had some faith that the coming Messiah would provide a higher form of salvation. God consigned those saints to be in Paradise next to Hell. Those saints did not suffer. The Holy Spirit comforted them. Ezekiel 31:16-18; Luke 16:19-31. This passage in Ezekiel teaches that God sent Paradise, which is the garden of Eden, into the depths of the earth for the comfort and safety of His saints whom He sent there. But Pharaoh and his hosts, which symbolize evil humans, will be tormented in Hell. The Bible (KJB) uses Hell as a general term for all three of the regions of death. Revelation 20:13. All three are hellish places. Jesus' Spirit went to the Old Testament saints in Paradise and preached the gospel to them, and when they all fully believed, He resurrected and recreated them to ascend with Him to live in Heaven with Him forever. Ephesians 4:7-10; Matthew 27:51-53.

But the Old Testament also plainly teaches that in God's final judgment, He will effect a general resurrection of all living humans created in His image for Him to recreate to live on His new earth. When that time comes, God will use His fiery wrath against evil to dissolve all living human systems on the earth and within the regions of the dead for Him to separate the living from the dead. God will cleanse His living humans from all sin and evil for them to live on His new earth, and He will cast their separated, evil natures into the lake of fire. Daniel 12:2-3; Isaiah 66:15-24; I Corinthians 3:11-15; I Peter 3:9-13; Psalm 75:3; Revelation 20:5; Revelation 20:11-15; John 5:28-29. Just before this general resurrection, God will cause all living humans on the earth and under the earth to repent and believe in the Lamb of their own free will in a great worship service. Isaiah 45:21-25; Revelation 5:11-14. All of the Old Testament burnt offerings symbolized this lesser form of salvation. Genesis 8:20-21; Leviticus 1:3-4; Job 42:7-9; Leviticus 5:10. Even the most evil humans have done some good in life that God gave them to do. God will resurrect and recreate even their small souls and spirits to live on His new earth although their rewards will be few, and their recreated lives will not enjoy the best that God has to offer. Jesus taught that He will reward even the least good work. Matthew 10:42; John 5:28-29; Revelation 22:11-12.