BIBLE: John Chapter 1 – Headline “Say the Word”

Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.

John 1

What should I learn from this chapter?

The Eternal Word

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

How can Jesus be both: with God and God? The answer can only be explained by Trinitarian Spiritual Physics which man cannot fathom except by studying the patterns in God’s creation. Read Genesis 1:1 for a deeper study into this phenomenon. Also see John 16:28.

The Word that you are looking for (Jesus) is the Word that was there before the word was written.

See: Genesis 1

^{Psalm 33:6 By the Word (Jesus) of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath (Holy Spirit) of His mouth.}

John 1:2He was in the beginning with God.

The Word is that which God says it is: absolute undeniable reality.
The Word is Light, Truth, and Jesus.
The Truth is standing before Pilate, when he asks “What is truth?”
The Word is a “Him”, Jesus.

^{John 18:38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.}

The use of the concept “beginning (Greek: archḗ)”

There was a time when time did not exist. Then God created the heavens and the earth. At creation “time” itself was created along with matter (earth) and space (heavens). For more on this concept, see Genesis 1:1.

There are a multitude of understandings in this one word Archḗ which is translated “beginning”.

Archḗ, from Strong’s G756; a commencement, or chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank):—beginning, corner, (at the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule.

One of the definitions of archḗ is the chief, or head. At the head of all things God created the heavens and the earth.
Two of the definitions of archḗ are also are: “chief” and “corner”. Note that “Jesus is the “chief” “corner” stone.

Reference Verses on Chief Cornerstone:

^{Psalm 118:22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.}
^{Matthew 21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?}
^{Mark 12:10 Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.”}
^{Luke 20:17 Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone’?}
^{Acts 4:11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’}
^{1 Peter 2:6-7 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”}
^{Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,”}

3. Other definitions of “archḗ” are: power, principality, and rule (thrones).

^{Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. (The beginning was created through Him and for Him (Jesus). “The beginning” in Colossians 1:16 is defined as “all things”.)}

Summary:

The beginning sometimes refers to time, and sometimes to status.

God created that which He already is. He is the head, the preeminence (status) of all things created in the beginning. This includes all things in man’s physical universe (visible), and all things in other spiritual dimensions (invisible).

John 1:3All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

To clarify – “Nothing” cannot create “Something”.
Jesus, as creator, created everything, with the exception of Himself.

^{Corinthians 15:27 For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.}

Reference Verses concerning creation:

^{Psalm 33:6 By the Word (Jesus) of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath (Holy Spirit) of His mouth.}
^{Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.}

^{John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.}

Our “Life” is in His blood. Jesus saves man’s sinful, spiritual life by giving his own sinless, blood so that we can have eternal life.

^{Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’}

He is the source of eternal life through resurrection from the dead.

^{Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.}

John 1:5And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend (overcome) it.

Sin is darkness. Sin-lessness is Light. Light and Dark CANNOT dwell together. If Light appears then the darkness MUST retreat; even as the morning light causes the night to fade away.

Jesus is the “revealer” of secrets and men with secrets don’t like it.

The “Light of men” is truth. Light reveals everything hiding in the darkness. When light invades darkness all things are revealed.

^{John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”}
^{John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.*}
^{John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”}

Think about two rooms, side by side, one in total darkness and the other abounds in Light.
The door between the two rooms slowly opens as light streams into the dark room, invades the darkness and overcomes it.

Since darkness never invades Light, darkness can never win.

@Personal application: When you feel like your world is saturated with darkness, call down the Light.

^{Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’}
^{Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.}

Every person is a dark lantern, who, upon encountering the Holy Spirit (the oil of the lantern), either becomes a burning Light, or are blinded by the Light and choose to turn back into their darkness, putting out the flame

A lit lantern can see through the dark, discerning reality from twisted non truths. But he who is without light is blind and is led by the darkness.

^{Psalm 119:105 Your word (Word) is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.}
^{Job 12:25 They grope in the dark without light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.}
^{Matthew 5:14-15 “You are the light of the world (a lantern). A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.”}
^{Ephesians 4:18 Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;}

Blindness (the lack of light) leads to ignorance. Ignorance is the opposite of wisdom. Ignorance leads to pain, suffering, and destruction.

^{Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.}

John’s Witness: The True Light

John 1:6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

Note: This verse speaks of John the baptizer, not the writer of this book of John, the disciple of Jesus.

John 1:7 This man (John the baptizer) came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light (Jesus), that all (men) through Him (Jesus) might believe.

John was a witness to Jesus’ identity.
They were to believe the Jewish Messiah (Savior) foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament was on the horizon.
That Israel would be saved from her enemies.
That the kingdom of heaven was about to be set up on earth.

John 1:8He (John) was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

John 1:9That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

“Every person who encounters the true Light is either blinded by the light, or accepts it and becomes a container of light.”

John 1:10He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

The creation who had been the Creator was not recognized by those He had created.

ie: The creation (Jesus the man) who had been the Creator (Jesus the Son) was not recognized by those He had created.

John 1:11He came to His own (domain), and His own (people) did not receive Him.

Generally, mankind. Specifically, the Jews.

John 1:12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right (the authority) to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

To believe in His name is to receive Him.

To believe in His name is to believe in His identity: 1) Conceived by the Holy Spirit, 2) The Son of God, 3) The sacrificial sinless Lamb of God offered for the sins of the world, 4) who died on the cross and 5) was resurrected bodily on the third day.

^{Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;
And the government (rule, dominion) will be upon His shoulder (the member of the body on which a burden is laid)
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God (EL),
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.}

Note 1: The Father and the Son (the Prince) are one and the same.
Refer to notes in Genesis 1:1 How can Jesus be both: with God and God?

Note 2: The shoulder is the member of the body on which a burden is laid. Refer to Matthew 11:29-30 Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle (meek) and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Without Jesus, men’s yokes are enslaving and the burden is crushing. But with Jesus, his yoke is easy. To accept His yoke is to lighten your burden.

Note: When Jesus said that his Yoke is easy it is because He is gentle and lowly in heart. He is not interested in forcing His power over others. Therefore, to learn from Him is to learn His humility, the outcome of which will result in the easing of others burdens.

Note 3: The shoulder is the member of the body on which blows are inflicted.

^{Isaiah 9:4 You have broken the yoke of his burden (captivity) and the staff of his shoulder,
The rod of his oppressor,}

God has broken the whip (rod) of the oppressor who is beating his captive, and lifted the oppressor’s yoke off the captive’s back (shoulder). Instead, God is willing to put that yoke on Himself to carry the burdens of those who have been enslaved (to sin).

Note 4: God’s name “EL” means “The strength of the Ox (a burden bearer) yoked to men” in order to carry their burdens. The two letters are “A” also called “E” (an Ox) and L (a yoke). The thought behind this name “EL” is an Ox and a Yoke where God yokes Himself to men in order to carry the weight of man’s burdens.

Matthew 11:²⁹Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am ^[a]gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Jesus is referring to Himself as “EL”)

Man’s burdens are separation from God, riddled by abandonment and rejection from others, constant fear of death, buried in Satan’s lies, and lost in the meaningless of darkness, all of which are the curses of life. The origin of this burden is the sin in Genesis chapter three by the deception of Satan, the reptilian serpent.

^{Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;}
_{Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.}
^{5 But He was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions,
He was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities;}
^{The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes (cutting blows) we are} ^healed^.

There is no spiritual vacuum. If you deny Jesus, you get Satan. You are either in the Light of Jesus or in the Darkness of Satan. Satan is the oppressor who drives men, but Jesus, a shepherd, leads them.

^{Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.}

John 1:13who (those who receive Him and believe in His name) were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (Greek: Theos).

Those who receive Him and believe in His name are born as children of God, not by natural means, but supernaturally by the Spirit and the will of God.

The Word Becomes Flesh

^{John 1:14 And the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.}

► The Word:
* ^{Revelation 19:13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.}

► The Only Begotten: The term “only begotten” is also used in John 3:16
*^{John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.}

► Grace: Grace is not stoning another person for the sins they’ve committed.

► Truth: Truth is Reality. Reality is what God says it is. The natural man does not have the capability to recognize truth.

Jesus called the Pharisees and Leaders “the blind who are leading the blind”.

John 1:15John bore witness of Him (Jesus’ identity) and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was (existed) before me.’ ”

Or: “This was He of whom I said ‘He who has arrived in this world after me ranks higher than me because He existed before me.’”

In the physical world, John was born first, then Jesus (~3 months after John).
In the spiritual world, Jesus always existed and was John’s Creator.

John 1:16And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

^{Colossians 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;}^{(The spiritual DNA duplicated in the Son and the Holy Spirit)}
^{John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.}

► Law and Grace; He who keeps the law is a brother (of Ishmael) from another mother: Hagar. Hagar is not the mother of the promise.

Be the brother of Isaac from the promised mother: Sarah.

► Can the law (the old covenant) and grace (the new covenant) dwell together? Can darkness dwell with Light? Can a curse and a blessing come from the same mouth? Could Ishmael and Isaac dwell together? No. Hagar and Ishmael were cast out until Hagar submitted to Sarah. Law submits to Grace. Grace does not submit to law. The law is kept through Grace because He who is Grace has kept the law.

^{Mark 14:24 And He (Jesus) said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.}
^{2 Corinthians 3:6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter (of the law) kills, but the Spirit gives life.}
^{Hebrews 8:13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first (covenant) obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.}
^{Galatians 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.}
^{Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered that the offense (sin) might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,}
^{Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.}
^Ma^{rk 2:22 And no one puts new wine (the new covenant) into old wineskins (the law); or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine (the new covenant) must be put into new wineskins (grace).”}
^{Galatians 3:10 [The Law Brings a Curse] For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”}
^{Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),}

The law is perfect for those who are perfect. But all men (except the Creator who came in the flesh) have sinned and have come short of the law, making the law their accuser and a curse to them.

When Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly, He fulfilled the law for everyone who believed in His name; those who covered themselves with His blanket of blood.

In a game of cards, the (Jewish) law is the strong suit that trumps other (Gentile)suits, but grace is a wild card that exceeds a trump card.

Jesus is Truth:

^{John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”}

If Jesus is the “Word” and the “Truth”, then these terms are synonymous and exchangeable. One cannot speak a Word of Truth without it also referring to Jesus.

Furthermore, Jesus is also “Life”. Without Jesus, there is no Life, no Truth, and no Word of God.

In the book of John we learn that Jesus is 1) Light, 2) Life, 3) Truth, and the 4) Word of God, all of which point to the reality that He is also the 4) “Way” to the Father and eternal life.

“Real” reality is revealed through Jesus. This is truth. Distorted reality is the result of the darkness of lies.

The Truth of God, is pure and polished; without a blemish. There is no revisionist history, no fake news, and no personal interpretation.

Reality is what God says it is.

John 1:18No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son (God), who is in the bosom of the Father (a part of the Father), He has declared Him.

Concerning “No one has seen God” means God exists in dimensions unavailable to man’s five senses. He is undetectable except by the Spirit. That is, until Jesus became man as the visible form of the invisible God.

“Only begotten” not only refers to Jesus’ birth, but His resurrection as well. Jesus was the first to rise from the dead never to die again. He is called the “First fruit” of the resurrected.

1 Corinthians 15:20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (died).

1 Corinthians 15:23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

A Voice in the Wilderness

John 1:19Now this is the testimony of John (the baptizer, not the author of the book of John, the disciple of Jesus), when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him (John the baptizer), “Who are you?”

The testimony of John as a witness to Jesus’ identity and his own identity.

John 1:20He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

The Priests and Levites were asking him if he was the prophesied Messiah.

John 1:21And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

Note: John the baptizer had the spirit of Elijah.

^{Luke 1:1 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah,}

^{Mark 9:11 And they (the disciples) asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”}

^{Mark 9:12 Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?}

^{Mark 9:13 But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”}

“Are you the Prophet?”

Note: They are asking if he is Isaiah the prophet.

And he answered, “No.”

John 1:22Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

John 1:23He said: “I am

‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’

as the prophet Isaiah said.”

Note: John the baptizer was not Isaiah, but he was the prophecy given by Isaiah.

John 1:24Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.

John 1:25And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet (Isaiah)?”

Who was John the Baptizer? He was the son of the Zechariah and Elizabeth who had been barren. Zechariah was one of the priests who served in the temple according to the alternating order set up by King David.

An angel of the Lord appeared to him as he was serving in the temple, announcing that his wife would give birth to a son, whom he was to name John, and that this son would be the forerunner of the Lord Luke 1:12–17

Note: “The forerunner of the Lord “is a direct reference to Elijah.

Also, their dress was similar:

John wore clothes of camel hair and a leather belt around his waist. Matthew 3:4, Mark 1:6.

^{2 Kings 1:8 So they answered him, “A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”}

John 1:26John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.

They did not know Jesus, His identity, His power, or His agenda.

John 1:27It is He who, (will be) coming after me, is preferred before me (ranks higher than I), whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”

Notes concerning the sandal:

A sandal represents authority, as when one man puts his foot on another man’s neck to subdue him.

^{Psalms 60:8 and Psalms 108:9 Over Edom I will cast My shoe (sandal).}

^{Exodus 3:5 Then He (God) said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your (Moses’) sandals (authority) off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”}

Note: Moses was not allowed to claim authority that belonged to God. Likewise, John the baptizer was not worthy to supersede Jesus’ authority.

^{Joshua 5:15 Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.}

The sandal, when removed, was a sign of removing that person’s authority and ownership.

^{Deuteronomy 25:9-10 Then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s house.’
And his name shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal removed.’}

The sandal on the foot gave ownership of land.

^{Joshua 1:1 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you}

The sandal exchanged moved ownership from one to the other.

^{Ruth 4:7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.}

John the Baptizer expresses that Jesus’ authority as the Creator far exceeds his own authority.

John 1:28 These things were done in Bethabara (Bethany)beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The Lamb of God

John 1:29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

It appears John the baptizer knew that Jesus was to be sacrificed since that was part of the process for a lamb of God in the temple who takes away the sins of the Jews.

The Word is the sinless Lamb, without spot or blemish, to be sacrificed just as the lambs in the temple were sacrificed for the sins of men.

The word “Behold!” is significant. It is the letter “Hey” in the Hebrew alphabet representing something so supernatural and fruitful it causes men to become awestruck. It was supernatural when God added the “Hey” to Abram and Sarai’s names, causing their names to change to Abraham and Sarah. Sarah had not only been barren, but was well beyond her age bearing years. But God promised them a son, and God delivered a son (just as God had delivered His own Son miraculously to the human race. Behold!)

Likewise, the Son of God bore much fruit.

^{John 12:24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.}

^{John 12:33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.}

John 1:30This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me (ranks higher than I), for He was before me.’

John was called to be the forerunner of the Messiah. Therefore Jesus the Messiah came after the forerunner.

John was born first, then Jesus was born in the flesh (about 3 months apart).

However; Jesus existed before John as the Creator and as the Head of all things.

John 1:31I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water (of repentance for sinning against God’s law).”

John could not identify Him until he saw the Spirit descending on Him from heaven.

John 1:32And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.

Note: The Dove is symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

John makes note that the Spirit remained upon Him (throughout His ministry).

John 1:33I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (of death to self to be filled with grace).’

Note: To be baptized with the Holy Spirit is to be baptized in “death to self” in order to serve God.

Note: in the following verses, the disciples do not realize that Jesus is not only speaking of death to self, but literal death.

^{Matthew 20:22 But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.”}

^{Mark 10:38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”}

^{Mark 10:39 They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized;}

^{John 1:34 And I have seen and testified that this IS the Son of God.”}

John the Baptizer not only calls Jesus the Lamb of God but the Son of God.

The First Disciples: Andrew and Peter (brothers)

John 1:35Again, the next day, John stood with two of his (John’s) disciples (One was Andrew).

The next day: The day after Jesus was baptized (unto death of self).

John 1:36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

Note: John the baptizer knew the meaning of “the Lamb of God” for Jesus’ future. He truly understood God’s plan for mankind. Jesus would be sacrificed for the sins of man, a Lamb without blemish.

^{Ezekiel 46:13 “You shall daily make a burnt offering to the Lord of a lamb of the first year without blemish; you shall prepare it every morning.}

^{1 Peter 1:18-19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He (Jesus the Christ) indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest (revealed) in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.}

Note: Jesus is “the Way” to the Father. He is the one and only way to God. The plan, pact, or covenant, was made between the Father, the Son and the Spirit even before creation itself.

The following is taken from “One Angel’s Opinion” Volume One by Barbara Grover

A book of fiction describing this event from the writings of God’s scribe.

“In the days of old, before the beginning, God met in the holy of holies to make a Pact. This Pact was written by the Holy Spirit, for it is He who will engrave it upon the hearts of men. It was signed in blood by the Son of God, destined to become the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and authorized by the Father, the divine Judge over all who upholds the Laws and Ordinances of heaven. This Pact became God’s covenant with man whom He had not yet created.

Thunder and Lightning shook the heavens as the Father and the Spirit witnessed the Son of God morph into a lamb; it was violently split in half, covered in blood, and laid out. The Father and the Spirit walked between the pieces of the splayed Lamb to seal the Pact which all had agreed to; a covenant of death never to be broken. This Pact was then sealed with seven seals, such that none of God’s creatures could ever open it, not even Lucifer who walked among the stones of fire.”

John 1:37The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

I wonder what Jesus said.

John 1:38Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”

They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”

John 1:39He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

John 1:40One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

John 1:41He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah (Literally: the Anointed One)” (which is translated, the Christ).

John 1:42And he (Andrew) brought him (Simon Peter) to Jesus.

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas (Peter).

Cephas (Aramaic) is translated “A Stone”, the Greek word is Petros ie: Peter.

Andrew and Simon Peter are Jesus’ first two disciples.

Philip and Nathanael

John 1:43The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”

Is Jesus looking for Philip, or did he run into him?

John 1:44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

John 1:45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

They were looking for the Messiah.

Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip and Nathanael are Jesus’ first four disciples.

John 1:46And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Note: Nazareth had a bad reputation, much like Las Vegas today. When Jesus was called a Nazarene, it would be with a sneer.

^{Acts 24:5 For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.}

Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

John 1:47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit (guile)!”

John 1:48Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

John 1:49Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You ARE the Son of God! You ARE the King of Israel!”

Nathanael understood that the Son of God would also be the King of Israel.

John 1:50Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”

John 1:51And He said to him, “Most assuredly, (Truly, Truly) I say to you (Nathanael), hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

“Most assuredly” or “Truly Truly” which literally means “Amen, Amen”