A layman's commentary on John chapter 3. Nicodemus and the incredible assertion.

 Previously, in John's gospel, we watched as Jesus chased the sellers out of the court of the Gentiles. I imagine that the word Gentiles is hard for many of you to understand, as you seem to refuse to apply a Jewish understanding to it.

In scripture, you won't find a reference to the court of the Gentiles, but you will find this:

Revelation 11:2 NASB "Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.

Nations is the Greek word ethnos and is interchangeable with gentiles.

We also talked about Jesus' genealogy, or bloodline, and how that in Nazareth, where Mary and Joseph both came from, Mary did something no one had ever done before, she stuck to her “story” of how this pregnancy was God's baby; and by the way, we already know His name, Yeshua.

It is easy to be negative and say, " We have nothing in prophetic scriptures that would validate your having God's baby". But they did have an announcement of this very thing.

Isaiah 7:14 NASB "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

How easy it would have been to say, " Okay, Joseph and I gave in to sexual desire," but that did not happen.

Matthew 1:21 TLV “She will give birth to a son; and you shall call His name Yeshua, for He will save His people from their sins.”

If Mary told those gossips, who would have gladly stoned her for her sins, that they would refer to this baby as Yeshua, it would have been another reason to stone her.

Look at the predictive words in the Prophet Micah, and think about the fact that when the scribes and chief priests were brought before Herod and questioned concerning this prophesied King of the Jews, a two-year-old child at this point.

Micah 5:2-4 NASB "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity." 3) Therefore, He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren will return to the sons of Israel. 4) And He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth.”

Notice that scribes and chief priests did not deny that scripture spoke of Yeshua, but they would NOT recognize or acknowledge Him. It is interesting that the wise men from another nation, who had followed His star, came to see this child King.

In the world of theatrics, there is a team of people who set the stage for the next scene. We are not given a time frame, and so neither can I tell you how much time has passed between the cleansing of the temple, the confrontations with the scribes and chief priests, and Nicodemus emerging onto the stage. When we watched the Chosen Nicodemus was clearly understood to be a strong presence, but as He comes to Jesus, we find a touch of humility.

John 3:1 NASB “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;”

The NET Bible commentary simply tells us that Nicodemus was "a ruler of the Jews" (denoting a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

Finis Dake's commentary makes this unusual statement: “a)[There was a man] One would be as justified to make this a parable, or any other passage where 'there was a man' is used (Mat_12:10; Mrk_3:1.

While there are numerous scriptural references, Dake ends this paragraph by simply stating, All these passages are plain historical ones.

Within Dake's commentary is a piece of information that I was not aware of,
“b)[Nicodemus, ruler of the Jews] A Jewish Rabbi, member of the Sanhedrin, and one of the three richest men in Jerusalem.

I had no idea of his wealth.

John Gill's Exposition of the Bible informs us that this leader, Nicodemus, was frequently mentioned as “Nicodemon ben Gorion", the brother of Josephus ben Gorion (p), the writer of the Wars and Antiquities of the Jews; and there are some things which make it probable, that he was the same with this Nicodemus; for the Nicodemon the Jews speak so much of, lived in this age; as appears, not only from his being the brother of Josephus, but also from his being contemporary with R. Jochanan ben Zaccai, who lived in this time, and until the destruction of the temple; since these two are said (q) to be together at a feast, made for the circumcision of a child. Moreover, he is represented as very rich, and is said to be one of the three rich men in Jerusalem (r), and who was able to have maintained a city ten years

The verse (John 3:1) testifies that Nicodemus was of the Pharisees.

Did you forget that Paul, who used to be called Saul, was, too, a Pharisee?

Philippians 3:4-5 BSB “though I myself could have such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5) circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;”

“A ruler of the Jews.” Ruler is the Greek word archōn, and according to the Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary, this word means that Nicodemus carried any one of these titles: one invested with power and dignity, chief, ruler, prince, magistrate.

Considering that Nicodemus was this powerful, it is puzzling that he came to Jesus in humility and that he could not understand what Jesus was trying to tell him.

As I sit here pondering my statement above, I am reminded that the scribes and Pharisees, for the most part, wanted Jesus and anyone who followed Him dead. There is no way that Nicodemus would have been unaware of such emotions among his subordinates, and what would have stopped them from killing Nicodemus?

John 3:2 NLT “After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Just moments ago, I posed the question, why did such a powerful man come to Jesus in humility?

As you should see from the New Living Translation, Nicodemus waited until it got dark. The majority of translations casually proclaimed, “The same came to Jesus by night.” To point out that Nicodemus waited demonstrates apprehension and planning.

If you watched The Chosen, a Television series that elaborates on situations, such as the meeting between Nicodemus and Jesus, with details that the Bible does not give us, you would have seen two things: 1.) The disciples, generally, did not know where Jesus was as He would go off by Himself, to pray until He was done. That type of communication leads to scheduling problems. It seemed as if, knowing that Nicodemus wanted to have a talk with Jesus, one of the disciples was fortunate enough to make contact with Jesus, and, therefore, made the arrangements, such as setting up the location, some lovely candles, and a table with two chairs. 2.) Note what Nicodemus said: “ Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Nicodemus declared Jesus a Rabbi.
Pause for a moment because that is an incredible assertion.

What did the thief on the cross say to Jesus?

Luke 23:39-43 NKJV Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us." 40) But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41) And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." 42) Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." 43) And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

Nicodemus also professed that Jesus was a “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

If Nicodemus had the briefings about Jesus, then he would have understood that the gossips in Nazareth would have declared that Jesus was a Mumzer; and according to Levitical law, he would have been banned from access to the temple, and Sabbatical schooling. There would have been questions about where and how He was educated. The problem with all this was undone by a portion of Nicodemus' assertion, “Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Jesus was not the son of an undeclared father; He was the Son of God, by declaration of the angel Gabriel.

Luke 1:26-33 NAS95 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27) to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28) And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." 29) But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30) The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31) "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32) "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33) and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end."

Joseph, a good man, that statement alone carries more weight than pastors or bible teachers care to communicate, was also informed, in a dream, that this was God's baby.

Matthew 1:18-24 NASB Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19) And Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20) But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21) "She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." 22) Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23) "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US." 24) And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,

Is it possible that Joseph could not have understood the concept of a Holy Wind from God?

Let's falsely assume for a moment that this concept of the Holy breath of God is a new thing to Joseph's ears.

First, I must tell you I was told, by multiple speakers over the years, that Hebrew had been banned during the era of Roman rule. Apparently, that was not the case. A website entitled, Why did Jesus primarily speak Aramaic instead of Hebrew? gives us this information:

“Aramaic, a Semitic language closely related to Hebrew, emerged as a lingua franca in the Near East long before the time of Jesus. Its rise to prominence can be traced back to the Assyrian and Babylonian empires. When the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 8th century BCE, they brought with them their administrative language, Aramaic. The subsequent Babylonian Exile in the 6th century BCE further entrenched Aramaic in Jewish life, as the Jewish people were taken to Babylon, where Aramaic was widely spoken. Upon returning from exile, the Jews brought Aramaic back to Judea and its surrounding regions. Over time, Aramaic became the common spoken language among the Jewish population, while Hebrew remained the language of religious texts and liturgy.”

In “The Chosen,” there was the logical implication that the Romans, by mandate, only spoke Greek. “The Chosen” even had Jesus speaking to some travelers in Egyptian; when questioned about that, He merely replied that He spent some time in Egypt; we know that is true because the angel warned Joseph to flee Bethlehem and go to Egypt when Jesus was around two years old. Having been told that Hebrew was banned and “printed documents – scrolls were destroyed, you would think that this would clearly have a detrimental impact on education. If anyone should have had problems getting educated, it would have been Jesus, and yet “The Chosen” showed Jesus, on several occasions, in Synagogues, where, in one case, the scroll of Isaiah was read from.

Honestly, I am not sure what to believe.
Secondly, even if these scrolls were not banned, the expense of having a scroll copied would have been such a large expenditure that the only copies would have been kept in the Synagogues. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that impoverished communities, like Nazareth, might have been able to only afford one scroll; since Deuteronomy played a significant role in Jesus' conversations and responses, this could have been the primary option for a large, expensive purchase.

What does any of this have to do with Bible study?

Because our “Bible teachers” incessantly make foolish assertions that imply they all had individual Bibles, which borders on the impossible. If I could imply that the disciples would go and grab their Bibles, it would have been the Old Testament only, and they certainly would not have called it that. The “New Testament” was being written in their daily lives.

Holy is the Greek word hagios, and has meanings (according to Mounce) like this: dedicated. Luk_2:23; hallowed; used of things, τὰ ἅγια, the sanctuary; and of persons, saints, e.g., members of the first Christian communities; pure, righteous, ceremonially or morally; holy.

Spirit is the Greek word pneuma and has meanings (according to the NASEC) along the line of: wind, spirit: — breath (3), Spirit (239), spirit (103), spirits (32), spiritual (1), wind (1), winds (1).

The following information comes from a Website called “Hebrew Name for God – The Holy Spirit. It is sub-titled, The Holy Spirit as revealed in the Brit Chadashah.

Their website can be found here by clicking Hebrew Names for God - Ruach HaKodesh.

Ruach Ha-Kodesh is the Holy Spirit.

The Hebrew version, found when I did a translation comparison, reads, Ruach HaKodesh.

Note: HaKadosh is a substantive that means "The Holy One" (as in Ha-Kadosh baruch hu, "the Holy One, blessed be He").

The accent falls at the end: ha-ka-DOSH.

Ruach HaKadosh (Note the spelling,) would mean "the spirit of the holy one" (as in a saint).

It is NOT used for the Holy Spirit... Ruach HaKo'desh means "the holy Spirit," just like har ha-ko'desh means "the holy mountain," admat ha-ko'desh means "the holy land," ir ha-ko'desh means "the holy city," and so on.

So, the virgin girl, Mary, has now been impregnated by the spirit of the holy one; and it is a term that was familiar to the Jewish community.

If it were not for the uneducated, willing to give the new family, with Joseph playing the role of step-dad, a dreadful time, the revulsion of how Joseph and Mary felt would not be known to us. Jesus intentionally placed Himself into the earth's atmosphere, where some would say He had no hope. And yet, the young Jesus, at an age just before He would be brought into manhood, stood His ground, exercising His apologetic with the scribes and Pharisees in the temple at Jerusalem.

The day the Mormons came to my door.

I don't like confrontation, nor do I like to embarrass myself, so typically, I tell the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witness that I am not interested, and they leave, but not today.

For years I have heard others talk about how they have disarmed every statement that the Elders have made. Few ever tell you that the elders gave their hearts to Jesus, but there is some twisted sense of pride, knowing that they dissembled their arguments.

As I stood there, merely trying to be polite, I heard my spirit crying out, God, I have no clue as to what to say. So, I simply listened to their pitch, which was well-rehearsed, about how Jesus called disciples to himself, anointed them to be Apostles and prophets, and how that church grew out of their ministry. But the church went a tremendously long dark time because there were no prophets. At this point, the red flags went up, but I was still constrained by the Holy Spirit.

The two elders alternated in sharing their parts of the story, but essentially, they said that "John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and conferred upon him the Melchizedek or higher priesthood. After this Joseph Smith was directed to organize the Church of Jesus Christ again on earth, ... and that through Joseph Smith, Jesus again called forth the twelve Apostles." (I got the quote directly from their pamphlet, The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.)

They then asked me if I wanted more information on Joseph Smith - the prophet, to which I replied, it isn't about Joseph Smith; it's about Jesus. While it is true that the church did go through a dark time, I made a point of talking about how there were four hundred years between Malachi and Matthew where no one seemed to hear God's voice. But you need to understand something, Mr. Smith is not and was the only prophet on earth. To prove my point, what do you do with the instructions God gave to Moses when Aaron and Miriam rose against him, for they, too, wanted to be deemed prophets.

Numbers 12:6-8 NASB He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. (7) "Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; (8) With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?"

I then told them how Jesus had appeared to me in a dream or a vision and laid out my life before me. Shouldn't that, according to God's standard, make me a prophet as well? But don't ask me to tell you what that title prophet means because no one listens to me.

At this point, I brought up the most recent turn of events, as we found out about a year ago that my mother may have had pancreatic cancer. The Doctor would not say affirmatively without a biopsy, and my mother refused the biopsy. The Holy Spirit spoke to me and told me that, at best, I would only have her for six months. Well, no one was willing to hear that. Two months later, the Holy Spirit told me to go say my goodbyes to her as she would be going home within the week. I called one of my brothers, who lives a distance away, and told him that he needed to come quickly. Although he berated me, he still showed up the next day to say his goodbyes to Mom. She died the following Sunday.

As for false prophets and teachers, I know one personally, and today, he espouses that the church MUST suffer through God's wrath - that event in which He pours out His wrath upon Israel and the nations. This conversation then evolved into how I believe that God is out to save people and bring them into the kingdom. This can be seen in Matthew 24 and 25, where the Shepherd calls all the dead to Himself; these are people who were not part of the church and, by church standards, not worthy of God's mercy. He separates the group into those he designates sheep and those he terms goats. The sheep are then invited into the kingdom. Stunned, they ask why? To which Jesus says, because when I was thirsty you gave me water; when I was hungry, you fed me; and, when I was in prison you visited me. In reality, these people lived outside of their selfishness. The goats did none of those things and were cast off into outer darkness to follow their chosen leader - Satan.
I then told the two young Mormon men that I pray for them often, as I do not wish for them to have to endure God's wrath when merely believing in Jesus Christ as their savior was the way into God's eternal kingdom.

This led me to talk about the parable that Jesus told about the ten virgins. Do you realize that He was talking about the church today? I said, in a sense, you and I sit by some of those that make up the fifty percent. I looked into both their eyes. I asked, how is it that upon getting an invitation you would not prepare yourself, especially if you have a written invitation? These virgins ran out of oil, but did they ask politely? No, they demanded oil from the others, and not getting it, they went out into the night and tried to obtain oil from any of the households they could wake up. Obviously, they missed the entrance into the party, and I suppose, had to endure the potential wrath that is to come. I told them, that by the voice of the Holy Spirit, who speaks to me all the time, that I know that they have a comprehension of this Jesus I speak of. I also said I believe you have the potential of being one of those who will be caught up.

There is no Joseph Smith; it is all about Jesus and His word. I love His word, but I don't waste my time with false prophets.

They asked me if I would like them to come back with a book of Mormon, to which I said no, I can get several of those at the second-hand store if I needed one, but I don't because I have Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

I told them that I had chosen to be polite and friendly, just as I must choose Joy or not to be bitter. I told them how my small group had broken up over bitterness and how the remaining brother, because of the Word of God, has talked lately about the changes he perceives God is making in his life.

I thanked them for indulging me and wished them a great day. As they walked away, I wiped a tear from my eyes because having the Holy Spirit speak through me so powerfully always does that to me. I then prayed a prayer out loud that I do not expect you to understand, but I said, God, just wreck their day. To me, that is when He steps into the middle of your life, changes everything, and turns your heart toward Him.

I noticed something about this entire process. Within moments of answering the door, the fear and intimidation left me. All the questions I had in my mind just went away as the Holy Spirit began to speak through me. Honestly, it was such a short time ago and I am struggling to remember what and how I said it. To me, that is a pretty good indication that it was the Holy Spirit because I am not that clever.

But exclude the courtyard outside the temple _ a laymen's commentary. John 2:18-25

 The last time we spoke, we covered verses in John 2:11-18.

Having cleared the outer courts of money changers and merchants, the Jews then said to Him,

John 2:18 NASB “The Jews then said to Him, 'What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?"

I could picture Jesus popping His hand against His chest, as He countered,

"Destroy this temple," Jesus answered, "and in three days I will build it again!"
John 2:19 CEV

He wasn't stupid; as a craftsman, He knew how long it took to make certain things, such as a 32-gallon granite water storage container, especially if it was lathed, or to construct a temple where many of its stones are considered by many to be megalithic.

(This lathing aspect has been substantiated through Archaeologists, in Israel, as about five years ago, they uncovered a stone lathing shop about a quarter mile outside of Nazareth; it may have been a source of income for Jesus while He was living there.)

Why did they challenge Him about His authority?

Because He had made a scourge, a short, multi-stranded whip, and with that whip He drove the money changers and merchants out of the outer courts of the temple. This is comparable to when He permitted the demons to go into the herd of swine, which immediately ran off a cliff and into the sea of Galilee, where they drowned. His actions negatively affected the local economy, not to mention it humiliated those challenging Him, and they, like the pig farmers, responded with anger and drove Jesus out of their region. It is also rather obvious that the chief priests and scribes had condoned having those vendors there because they were getting their share of the profits.

Jesus, who, by the standards of the gossips in Nazareth, was an illegitimate child. Now it may not have played a role in what transpired that day at the temple, but since I came to this realization, it has not left my thinking.

Deuteronomy 23:2 NASB "No one of illegitimate birth shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall enter the assembly of the LORD.”

The biblical “law” would have prevented Jesus from entering the Temple, a Synagogue, or a Rabbinical school, where most of us assume Jesus got His training in the Law and the Prophets. Oddly, this outer court distinction is rarely explained to us, but it would have allowed Jesus to go where these vendors were. These outer courts are also referred to as the court of the Nations.

For a moment, I referred to the courtyard outside the temple as the courtyard of the Gentiles. I thought I should substantiate this statement, but I could not find a direct quotation. Revelation 11:2 is translated as nations. Several of my concordances define nations as éthnos, and that leads us back to the Gentiles.

Nations, according to Strong's, is the Greek word éthnos, and its meanings include: A multitude, people, race, or belonging and living together.

The Word Study Dictionary states that: "In the Jewish sense, the nations, means the Gentile nations or the Gentiles in general as spoken of all who are not Israelites and implying idolatry and ignorance of the true God, i.e., the heathen, pagan nations."

So, it is safe to say that the outer courts have been given to the Gentiles.

Revelation 11:1-2 BSB Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there. 2) But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.

Revelation 11:2, which has its context enveloped within the first 42 months of the seven years that most deem to be the great tribulation.

How do I know that this is the time of the “Great Tribulation”?

The answer is embedded in time indicators.

Revelation 11:3-15 BSB “And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4) These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5) If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed. 6) These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish. 7) When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them. 8) Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified. 9) For three and a half days, all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will view their bodies and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb. 10) And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them. 11) But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who saw them. 12) And the witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched them. 13) And in that hour, there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand were killed in the quake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14) The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming shortly. 15) Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.”

What do you see beginning in verse three?

When Jesus says, “I will empower my two witnesses,” He is affirming that they are His. He sends these two witnesses directly to Jerusalem, most likely upon the steps of the newly built temple. This understanding is validated by Revelation 11:1-2, and this alone conveys the idea that the temple will be built swiftly after the church is caught up. 1,260 days is equal to 42 months, and that is three-and-one-half years.

The other thing you see jumps out at you when you get to verse five.

“If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed.”

It only stands to reason that, with the outer courts being given to the nations, the attempts upon the lives of these two witnesses would be constant. Those who try to kill them are killed in the same manner. We, the church, will not be here to witness any of this, so our relating or telling someone else about what is to come would be thought of as a deterrent for anyone longing to live outside of God's grace and mercy.

Notice verse 10.

10. “And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts.”

If you know anything about Muslims, then you know that, even the most bloody of actions against the Jews, no matter if it is young children, are celebrated by giving sweets/gifts to each other. 

Does verse ten surprise you?

When the false prophet comes on the scene he performs signs comparable to what the two witnesses have been doing; such as what we see in Revelation 11:6. “These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.”

Where did the false prophet get the idea that he could do such things?

That implies that the false prophet is paying attention to the things that they do.

When you are giving serious consideration to Biblical study, then you have to understand that ONLY three people groups are being considered: The Jews, the nations, and the church.

The church is the body of Christ and includes anyone from the other two groups who have accepted Jesus as the Messiah who lived, died, and rose again from the dead so that we can live eternally with the Father/God.

The Jews - you should understand that the Jews, along with the Arabs, were descendants of Abraham; however, only the descendants of the promised son, Issac, would be considered the descendants of the promise. Don't get me wrong, we, like as in me, get to be grafted into the vine when we choose to believe.

This leaves the nations. The nations cover a vast and wide territory, effectively all those outside of the church, the bride of Christ. So we are talking about the Gentiles, the Arabs, and all those that fall between the cracks. No one is excluded, especially when we are talking about acceptance into the “family of God.”

Remember when I asserted that Jesus may have popped His hand against His chest when He spoke about raising up this temple in the last days?

Well, John tells us explicitly that He was talking about His own body.

John 2:21 NASB “But He was speaking of the temple of His body.”

John goes on to validate this claim by including so many of the disciples who witnessed Jesus alive after being laid in the tomb.

John 2:22 NASB “So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.”

Since it is obvious that Jesus' time in Jerusalem was nothing short of tumultuous, you might think it is safe to ask, did Jesus have a positive effect on the people?

John 2:23 NASB Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.

Ah, but here is the flaw: people are spectators, much like with a horrific car crash.

John 2:24-25 NASB “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25) and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”

Entrust is the Greek word pisteuō and can also be translated as trust, believe, or commit.

Jesus, knowing their shallow little hearts, would not commit to these people. They were really there for the snacks. John 2:24 tells us that He knew all men; that includes women.

Know is the Greek word ginōskō, which also means to perceive, understand.

Another example of knowledge comes from Paul's second letter to Timothy. Consider the depth and definition of this paragraph, as Paul explains that it is essential for “young” Timothy to comprehend not only what is to come but also what surrounds us on a daily basis.

Read the passage below. It opens with the term ginōskō and then defines, with multiple terms, what this looks like. 

Then ask yourself: if Timothy or Paul is dealing with people in the church and they are acting like this, what is the problem?

2 Timothy 3:1-9 NASB “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2) For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3) unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4) treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5) holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 6) For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7) always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8) Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. 9) But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes's and Jambres's folly was also.”

The problem is, they came for the snacks. Obviously, they put on a good show for a time, but like everything else that this world has to offer, they got bored. Getting bored can happen to anyone, and like physical exercise, sometimes you just have to do it. 

Do what? 

Invest ourselves in the truth of God's word. If you have stumbled upon this, and you are silly enough to say, I don't have God's word to study, well, guess what, I have included portions of scriptures in everything I have posted. If you have internet, then you have access to the Word. Try the Blue Letter Bible (Bible Search and Study Tools - Blue Letter Bible) or Bible.com (John 2 | NASB1995 Bible | YouVersion )