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CHAPTER 1Christ is the Word of God—He created all things and was made flesh—John baptizes Jesus and testifies he is the Lamb of God—John, Andrew, Simon, Philip, and Nathanael believe in Christ and follow him. |
Christ is the WORD, meaning the 'Word of God'—While still a spirit being, having been anointed with the fulness of the power of the Father, He created all things—Later He was also make flesh, taking upon his spirit being a body of flesh and bone—John the Baptist baptizes and witnesses that Jesus is the Lamb of God—John, Andrew, Simon, Philip and Nathanael recognize Him and believe He is the Messsiah, the Son of God, who was prophesied to be 'Jesus of Nazareth the Son of Joseph', meaning his name was known that it would be Jesus (Jehoshua), he would be of Nazareth and that he would be the Messiah Ben Joseph, heir of Joseph of Egypt as revealed to Rachel who would come of her rightful descent. |
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1 aIN
the bbeginninga
was the Word, and the cWord
was with God, and the dWord was
eGoda.
2 The same was in the abeginning with God. 3 All things were amade by hima; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was alife; and the life was the blight of men. 5 And the alight shineth in bdarkness; and the darkness ccomprehended it not.
Also there is the concept preceived by Lehi, Nephi and John the revelator in ' their share vision which many prophets has had, but which John has given more of the particulars concerning the latter days. In both John's writings and in those contained in the Book of Mormon Jesus Christ as the Word has a particular perspective in what is therein called the Iron Rod which is defined as the Word of God. There is another very Jewish traditional perspective of using the discription of Jesus Christ a merely being 'The Word'. It is found in the related concept that Christ is know by a particular holly and sacred name not spoken verbally by any Jew except by the Priest of the temple in the Holy of Holies and on a certain and particular ocassion. This is the Jewish vernacular is often referred to a 'Hashem' of 'The Name' meaning the Holy Name of God. That name is a form of the name which is has been tranliterated into the English as Jehovah. Yet another further form of that name is also the same name as given the son of Nun as Jehoshua or Joshua, which is the same name in our English transliterated Greek into the name of Jesus. That name means 'Jehovah Saves' or 'Jehovah Redeems or Delivers' meaning that Jehovah is our Redeemer. Another perspective can be considered in refernce to D&C 93:21 where Christ himself states, "I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn" Christ was the first of the Father's spirit children. The heir to the Father's kingdom. And as such our dully appointed creator, savior and king in terms of this time which has a beginning and ending in him and only in him. He, though the Great Jehovah, is also he who is our eldest brother. On the one hand we have an intimate relationship to him as being our brother. On the other hand his magnificence defies human complete comprehension and understanding. But both perspectives of intimate relations and his divine expansiveness as God are but the range which our relationship to him spans, both to be understood and considered in our standings before him. In summary Christ is our all in all. All creations finds definition and meaning in and through Him, he being the Creator and thus also the Redeeming force behind all of that Creation. All in all, Jesus Christ as the Logos of Creation, the Hashem of our Redemption, who is to be seen in all things, is our Lord and our Savior, the Holy One of Israel, our God and King, our only True God of Heaven and Earth, our First and our Last, and our only means of returning back to the presence of the Father in the Kingdom of Heaven. |
1a In the beginning The very
words which begin the account of the creations are used here by John
purposefully as they relate directly back to that occasion. Now one must
consider when the 'beginning' was, for eternity has no beginning and no
end. Thus is CANNOT be in reference to eternity but MUST be
concluded to be solely in reference to the beginning of 'time'.
And TIME only has a perspective of definition in relationship to this
sequence of 'Courses' of events including our First
Estate or the 'First Course' of our premortal existance and our
subsequent temporal existance, this mortality, this Second Estate or
'Second Course'. Now one would argue that having our origin in
intelligence, we were without beginning, and so we are. But our 'beginning'
in relationship to God the Father of our spirits comes with each of our
spiritual births. And in that order of reckoning, Jehovah was the first born
of the Father. Thus we readily see that he was indeed with the Father from
the very beginning, being the Firstborn of the Father (D&C 93:21). And this
is that beginning to which both Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 do reference, and
this is the beginning of time. And Christ was and is the First, the Alpha,
the Beginning. He stands at that theshold of all of our spiritual beginnings
as the spirit children, the sons and daughters of God the Father, Christ
being our Elder Brother indeed.
1b and the Word was God Being the Firstborn of the Father in the Spirit, Christ Jehovah was the proper heir to the throne of his Father. He was the heir of God. And his Father so anointed and ordained him from the beginning with all the rightful powers of the Father. Thus the Firstborn Son was made God with the Father. By that power, the Son, the Word, Jehovah the Christ was the creator of all things pertaining to this temporal mortality, the heavens and the earth thereof in preparation for the 'Second Course' or the 'Second Estate' for us to come and dwell therein. And those of us who kept our First Estate gained access to this our Second Estate. And God the Son being its Creator also became its rightful Redeemer. Now the Father was already an exalted being of flesh and bone of the Celestial Order. Thus He had advanced beyond being a part of any such temporal mortal estates as is this Second Estate of man. And this Christ Jehovah became appointed and ordained to be our God of this Second Estate and thus we had a God from among us, Emmanuel, who could so minister unto this Estate, acting in the stead of the Father in all things as only those who do so pertain unto this estate can so administer unto it (D&C 130:5). And thus, though we are the spirit sons and daughters of the Father of Spirits, that Great Celestial God who Fathered us all—in terms of this earthly probation, we have but one God of this mortality that we do all worship as the 'One True God of Heaven and Earth', and that is but Jehovah, the same is Jesus Christ. Our ministering God of this Second Estate. And he it is who acts under the direction of the Father, as the mediator and our advocate with the Father, standing as it were between us and the Father, between us of this Second Estate and God the Father of our Spirits. There is no other way, there is no other God by whom we may so return to the Father and to His Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven. 3a All things were made by him Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ, whom John identifies as 'The Word', is he who is the creator of all things pertaining unto the temporal creation relative to this Second Estate. Of course the Celestial Heavens of Eternity were not so created by him. This statement therefore is to be understood to be qualified as pertaining to the 'temporal physical creation' of the worlds which pertain unto the telestial Second Estate (These worlds may be advanced into celestial relms as they so qualify through Jesus Christ and are so accepted of God the Father). Jesus, who is Jehovah, is and was the same as the God of the Old Testament. Of course we understand that while the Son is the Creator of Heaven and Earth, he does so perform such creation under the direction of the Father in a manner which is so presented in the holy convocation of instrution receive in the temple endowment. |
1a
D&C 128:20; 2a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
This quotaion with its insertied LDS concept parallels in brackets [ ], is taken directly from the Bishop's history without the muddling of those interpretations upon it by Traditional Christiantity. In its direct quote status it yields a very riviting testimony by the historian Bishop of 325 A.D. And though it must be considered that there was no longer proper priesthood authority remaining in the church by this date, it is of some consideration that the doctrine so unmuddled was still present in the words and the thoughts of Bishop Eusebius. |
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6 ¶ There was a man sent from God, whose name
was aJohn.
7 The same came for a awitness, to bear bwitness of the Light, that all men through him might cbelieve. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true aLight, which blighteth cevery man that cometh into the world. |
1a
D&C 128:20; 2a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of; |
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10 He was in the aworld, and
the bworld was cmade by
hima, and the world
dknew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own areceived him not. 12 But as many as areceived him, to them gave he bpower to become the csons of Goda, even to them that believe on his dname: 13 Which were aborn, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made aflesh, and bdwelt among us, (and we cbeheld his dglory, the glory as of the eonly fbegotten of the Father,) full of bgrace and truth. |
10a the world was made by him
This is a second witness to Jesus Christ as the creator of this world (see
verse 3). It is more directed to that account of the creation of this earth
as set out in Genesis and the book of Moses. Thus the word 'made' may be so
qualified in terms of that particular creation as so noted to have been an
'organizational creation' of so ordering the elements into an acceptable
envioronment for the spirit children of God from that which was already at
that point existant but 'void' of such an acceptable form or formation as so
established by Abraham's account as presented in the book of Abraham.
12a gave he power to become the sons of God Only in and through Christ does men come unto God, through and in him are they again made the sons of God, if they will live according to the ways of God, following after the course of Jesus Christ. |
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15 ¶ John bare awitness of him,
and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is
preferred before me: for he was before
mea.
16 And of his afulness have all we received, and bgrace for grace. 17 For the alaw was given by Moses, but bgrace and ctruth came by Jesus Christ. 18 No aman hath bseen God at any timea; cthe only begotten Sonb, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath ddeclared him.b |
15a he was before me Now John
was born in the flesh some months before Jesus was born, thus according to
the flesh John was before Jesus. Thus John must be speaking of the pre-mortal
existence when he states the Jesus was before him. And thus it is so, Jesus
was the Firstborn of the Father in the spirit as pertaining to Jesus
generation, and as for pertaining to all those who therefore belong unto him
as given him of the Father.
18a No man hath seen God at any time This statment is often taken out of context to imply that no man hath seen the God of the Old Testament during the times before Jesus Christ. Events recorded in the Old Testament are numerable which refute that notion. In context what is being stated here is that God of the Son, Jesus Christ, that is God the Father of Spirits, Our Heavenly Father Elohim, had not appeared unto any man prior to the times of Jesus and when John so records this point. Thus we are left to understand that it was Jehovah, the Son, in all instances which had so appeared unto man in the Old Testament. Now as to when if ever the Father hath since appeared, we need but turn to the scriptures. After the fulfillment of the atonement, Stephen did see the glory of the Father and Jesus Christ the Son standing at his right hand. And there are other visionary statements of so seeing Jesus Christ the Son appearing at the right hand of the glory of God the Father. Furth we have the latter day revelation of the restoration wherein Joseph Smith did see both the Father and the Son standing before him in that first vision which he received. Yes, now since the completion of the atonement and the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son, God the Father has appeared unto man. Perhaps until after that completed requirement man was held withouth the vail of ever seeing the Father since the day that Adam was cast out of the garden until when Jesus had re-established the path and the way back into the eternity of God the Father's heaven. That is when the veil of the temple was rent in twain as it was again open unto men. And then justifiably when occation would present itself, was it proper for man to again behold the face of the Father Elohim and not just the Son in the person of Jehovah. 18b the only begotten Son ... he hath declared him Since until the birth of Jehovah as Jesus Christ and his ministry, the plan of the atonement of the Son was not being effected, it was a particular matter that a part of the mision of 'The Son' was to plainly declare unto man God the Father, who was according to David's Psalm (Psalms 110:1) so stated under the influence of the Holy Ghost, was the LORD of our Lord Jehovah. There have been times in which this relationship of the Father and the Son were understood such as in the times of Adam and Noah as recorded in the book of Moses. And there are the various reference to this relationship in the Book of Mormon. Thus men had previously known of the Father, the LORD of our Lord Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ. But as the children of Israel dwendled in unbelief and did reject and kill the prophets, they had lost such advanced understandings and it became a part of the mission of Jesus Christ to declare the doctrine of the Father to the glory of the Father and reintroduce that relationship unto the children of men so that they might once again have that understanding. Also in a complementary parallel to the Son declaring the Father unto man, as he spoken continuously concern God the Father and did frequently pray to him and even taught how we were to all pray unto the Father; it is also the Father who doeth declare the Son. He did this in vocal declaration at the baptism of Jesus his Son by the hand of John Baptist. He also so declared the Son to Peter, James and John at the time of the transfiguration in a testament which established by the very voice of God the Father that Jesus Christ was much more than another mere prophet, but that he was indeed the very Son of God the Father. |
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The Record of John the BaptistJohn the Apostle was one among those who were first a disciple of John the Baptist and he evidently had access to the actual testimony of John the Baptist of Jesus Christ, either hearing it first hand of John or from a written record of John the Baptist, either written or dictated by by him, John the son of Zacharias the Priest of the Temple. |
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19 ¶ And this is the record of
aJohna, when the
Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou aElias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. |
19a this is the record of John The apostle John speaks very creditably concerning his gospel of Jesus Christ and most all that he has written in particularly a first hand witness. John the beloved apostle did not witness the baptism of Jesus, but he may have heard of it first hand from John the Baptist or did obtain the record of it from him as is placed in his gospel at this point. | |
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22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
23 He said, I am the avoice of one crying in the wilderness, Make bstraight the cway of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. Isaiah 40:3 |
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24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with awater: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose ashoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These things were done in aBethabara beyond Jordana, where John was baptizing. |
28a Bethabara beyond Jordan Bethabara means 'house of the ford'. Traditionally it is the place where Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land across the river Jordan on dry ground, having parted the water even as Moses had done to the Red or Reed Sea. It is the lowest place on earth where there is a fresh water river, being below sea level. Thus the significance of both the parting of the water for Israel to enter into the promised land and the performance of John's Baptism as entrance into the kingdom of God, particularly associated with that baptism of Jesus Christ who was also baptized there, having descended below all things. | |
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29 ¶ The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto
him, and saith, Behold the aLamb of God, which taketh away
the bsin of the world.
30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. |
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32 And John abare record, saying, I
saw the bSpirit descending from heaven like a
cdove, and it abode upon him.
33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the aHoly Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare arecord that this is the Son of God. |
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35 ¶ Again the next day after John stood, and
two of his disciplesa;
36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the aLamb of God! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. |
35a two of his disciples One of these two was John the beloved for John was there to make the firsthand personal account of the events. The other was Andrew, the brother of Peter. John often speaks of himself in the third person throughout his gospel, one other such significant ocassion is when John accompanies Jesus into the trial chambers of the Sanhedrin while Peter stands without. | |
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38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and afollowed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brothera. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called aCephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. |
40a One of the two which heard John speak and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother Now later in Galilee it will be further revealed that these brothers are fishing partners, that is James and John and Peter and Andrew. Thus here we have the first meeting of John, Andrew and Peter the brother of Andrew with the Christ. Thus later when Jesus comes to them while they were working at fishing and called them to come and follow him, he had had prior acquaintances with them. | |
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43 ¶ The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom aMoses in the law, and the prophets, did awrite, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Josepha. 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
As a common completion of identification some will argue that Philip was merely including Jesus' 'surname' which was 'BarYosef' as Jesus' complete name rather than stating that which Moses and the prophets had anciently written, and that it was but the name/title of 'Jesus of Nazareth' which was implied as having been actually prophesied and written by Moses and the prophets of old. And further some will argue that even if it stated that the prophets and Moses knew to write that he would be the son of Joseph, it was but a forward prophecy of his consigned 'father' of his age in mortality, Joseph the Carpenter. And in response a counter argument might point out that in such a sense, if Nathanael was then to recognize in him that he was the 'Son of God' then the immediate appelation of Jesus BarYosef would not properly apply in either case and it is only proper if indeed the 'son of Joseph' application was that in reference to such a fact that it was 'son of Joseph of Egypt' which was being 'properly' pronouced whether by Moses and the prophets or even by Philip. Such is the way of debate and argument and nothing is solved by it. Perhaps at the coming out of the plates of brass a better answer will appear for neither is Jesus of Nazareth or son of Joseph found in today's Jewish Old Testament Bible remnant though it seemed to be there at the time of Christ. Perhaps the greatest answer that can be obtained today is to search out if indeed there is such evidence available which will help to substantiate that Jesus the Messiah need or ought to be son of Joseph of Egypt in associating him as the promised Son of God, the King of Israel (see Messiah ben David ~ Messiah ben Joseph). |
45a Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph Many of the writings and prophecies of Moses and the other prophets have been removed and edited out. At the time when Philip told Nathanael that they had found the one written of by Moses and the prophets as being, 'Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph', he was referencing what was at that time well known prophecies which Moses and other prophets had written and were then in the Hebrew scriptures concerning the coming of the promised Messiah. From those writings the Jews knew that he would be named 'JESUS' or JEHOSHUA/JOSHUA in the Hebrew language. They knew from prophecy that He would come out of Nazareth. And they also knew that while being the 'Son of David', that he was legally and rightfully the promised heir, the 'Son of Joseph', meaning Joseph of Egypt even Messiah Ben Joseph, the promised descendant of that Joseph of Egypt as so written and prophesied by Moses and the prophets and also by Rachel the true mother of Israel (Matthew 2:17-18). Jewish compilation and editing and commentary have almost washed out that the House of David was in fact the heirship house of Elimelech and Mahlon, Ephrathites, meaning Ephraimites, which Ephraim was the hier of the covenant, even the very Firstborn of Israel (Jeremiah 31:9). Jesse, David's father, was known as that Ephrathite of Bethlehem as he was the son of Obed, who was the first born of Ruth by the surrogate father Boaz who was raising up seed to the dead house of Naomi, Elimelech and Mahlon, Ephrathites. (See Messiah Ben David ~ Messiah Ben Joseph) | |
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47 Jesus saw aNathanael coming to
him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no
bguile!
48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the aSon of God; thou art the bKing of Israela. |
49a Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel While Peter gets much recognition when he answers Jesus' question as to who his disciples say that Jesus was, it is Philip and Nethanael here who have already so stated it of him. Likewise, it would seem that John the beloved would have also so recognized him as is likely of other apostles as well. Peter's later response is likely one which then represents the consensous of the apostles as a whole though Jesus recognizes Peter's testimony as coming from the Holy Ghost. | |
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50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. |
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