Chapter 17
Verses 1-5 is the first of three parts in the Lord’s prayer—Jesus prays for Himself. When Jesus prayed for Himself He had in view not His own person but the plan of God the Father, and specifically phase one.
Verses 6-19, Jesus prays for the apostles because they would be the instruments in beginning the Church Age.
Verses 20-26, Jesus prays for the Church. The Church will complete the work of God’s plan for this dispensation.
This prayer came at the end of His message, the Gethsemane discourse. “These words spake Jesus” – the word for spake is lalew which means to communicate doctrine. Lalew refers to John chapters 15 & 16 which constitutes the Gethsemane discourse. Chapters 14 & 15 is the upper room discourse. “Spake” is an aorist active indicative. The aorist tense is the point of time when he gave it. Active voice: Jesus did the communicating. The indicative mood is the reality of the communication of doctrine to the disciples.
“and lifted up his eyes to heaven” – aorist active participle for e)pairw. He doesn’t kneel, He lifts up His eyes. He doesn’t bow His head, He looks up. E)pairw means to open the eyes. This means His eyes are open and His head is upward, not downward. He is praying to the Father, so He is praying from His humanity.
“and said” – now, instead of lalew we go to legw for prayer. Lalew is for communication of doctrine. Now He is speaking, addressing Himself to God the Father throughout this entire chapter. This entire chapter is a prayer.
He begins His prayer with the word “Father,” a vocative addressed to the first person of the Trinity. It must be remembered that Jesus Christ is God and has all of the essence of the Godhead. He is coequal and coeternal with the Father. He is also humanity. As a member of the human race He is a priest, in fact the high priest.
He is speaking from His humanity as He addresses the throne of grace and says “Father.” In His deity He is coequal but He is speaking from His humanity at this particular point. This is going to be a precedent because throughout the Church Age all prayer is addressed to the Father in the name of the Son, in the power of the Spirit.
The first thing that Jesus says to the Father is, “the hour is come.” The hour refers to the Father’s plan, a specific moment. It refers, of course, to the cross—
John 12:23; 13:1; Mark 14:41. This is a perfect active indicative of e)rxomai. The perfect tense means that this hour, the cross, is going to occur in a point of time but the results will go on forever. The results affect the angelic conflict; the cross is the victory of the angelic conflict—Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 2:15. Also, it has an effect on humanity as the basis of salvation in the human race. Active voice: the hour itself is there. The indicative mood is the reality of the cross. God’s plan in eternity past is based upon Jesus Christ going to the cross and being judged for the sins of the world. “The hour has come [not, is come]” with the results that will go on forever.
Now Jesus presents His first petition. He puts His petition in the imperative mood because He is sure of His ground. When a person is on praying ground he can demand things from God. The word glorify is an aorist active imperative; He is demanding something from God. There is a place for demanding from God if you are on praying ground, if it is compatible with the plan and will of God. This is a principle of prayer. When you are on praying ground you can actually offer petitions to God in the form of the imperative mood and God the Father must obey them because it is within the framework of His plan, it is within the framework of His will. This is not audaciousness on the part of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is cognisance. Here is a person praying who possesses an ECS. With that ECS He has a fantastic orientation to the plan of God. He understands His ground and He actually orders God the Father to do something.
The verb “glorify” is docazw, and the aorist tense means in the point of time, the cross. Active voice: the hour itself has come and therefore the demand is here, and He demands glorification. The active voice indicates that God the Father, to whom the prayer is addressed, must do the glorifying.
In going to the cross to complete the plan of the Father Jesus is demanding something beyond the cross as well. So the aorist tense must gather up in certain points of time involved in the glorification of Christ. First point of time is the cross, second point of time is the resurrection, third point of time is the ascension, fourth point of time is the session. All of this is pulled into one entirety, and that entirety is the aorist tense. This is what Jesus Christ is demanding. There is no audaciousness here. Jesus Christ knows the plan of the Father and demands the plan of the Father. He knows the will of God the Father and He demands the will of the Father, and you can’t be on any more solid praying ground. This tells us something about prayer. The more doctrine you know the more effective your prayer life must become. This is because if you know doctrine you know the will of God. If you know the will of God you know the plan of God. If you know the will and plan of God you have the right and are on solid ground to demand certain things from God.
“thy Son” – the title for Christ in hypostatic union. Christ had to become man to fulfil the Father’s plan. The Son must be obedient to the Father and that is why He is called the Son—because of His obedience to the plan. The Father planned the cross; the Son will execute the cross.
“that” introduces a purpose clause; “they Son [the Lord Jesus in obedience to the Father’s plan, the cross] may glorify thee.” May glorify is an aorist active subjunctive this time. Same verb, docazw, and this time not aorist active imperative but aorist active subjunctive. The aorist tense at this point refers to obedience. How is the Son going to glorify the Father? By being obedient to the cross—Phil. 2, “…obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” So the aorist tense is the point of time when the Son was obedient to the Father’s plan, and that obedience was the cross. Active voice: Jesus now produces the action. The subjunctive mood recognises the volition or the free will of the humanity of Christ.
Verse 2 – “As” is an adverb, kaqwj, which means according as. The adverb recognises the advance of Jesus Christ in His life to this particular moment.
“thou hast given him power” – the word power is not there in the Greek. The word used here is e)cousia which is not a word for power at all, it means authority. The word authority here means a commission, a right. By the work of the cross Jesus Christ will have authority over the human race. He will have authority to save those who believe and He will have authority to judge those who reject Him. This same word is mistranslated in John 1:12 [KJV], where He gave them “authority to become the sons of God.” How does Jesus Christ have authority over all flesh [the human race]? He has authority over all flesh to win the victory of the angelic conflict. The conflict is won at the cross and this is where Jesus Christ gets His authority for victory.
“that” introduces a purpose clause; “he should give” – 2nd person singular, perfect active indicative of didomi. This should be translated you. But the KJV has translated this he, which is 3rd person singular. This changes up the whole purpose clause. The corrected translation is: “that all that whom you have given to him [Christ], he should give to them eternal life.”
“have given” is a perfect tense—have given in the past with the result that they are his; “to him [Christ], he [Christ] should give them [believers] eternal life.”
“should give” – aorist active subjunctive. Aorist tense: the point of time in which a person believes in Christ. Active voice: Jesus gives to them eternal life at that time. Subjunctive mood: eternal life is potential until they believe. Even though God the Father knew in eternity past that they would believe, it isn’t theirs until the moment they believe. This means that every believer is a gift from God the Father to God the Son.
a) The Father gave to Jesus Christ for His bride all believers of the Church Age.
b) If a believer a believer in the Church Age is going to be in the bride of Christ he has to live with Christ as long as Christ lives—forever. So Jesus gives them the life they need to live with Him forever—John 10:28.
c) Application: Do you as a single believer pray for your future spouse?
d) While on earth the Church is the body of Christ—Ephesians 2:16; 4:4, 5, 12; 5:30-32; Colossians 1:24; 2:19, etc.
e) After the Rapture of the Church believers of the Church Age become the bride of Christ—2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:6-8.
f) While Christ is glorified in heaven the bride is being prepared on earth. The preparation of the bride is called the body.
g) Corrected translation and summary: “According as you have given to him authority over all flesh, that all whom you have given to him [Christ], he [Christ] should give to them [believers] eternal life.” The Father gives Jesus the bride. Jesus has the authority to give the bride eternal life.
Verse 3 – the revelation regarding eternal life. “And this is” – present active indicative of e)imi, present linear aktionsart, this keeps on being eternal life.
Eternal life is a part of the essence of all three members of the Trinity.
“that” – purpose clause; “they [believers in time] might know thee” – present active subjunctive of ginwskw, the experience of study. You know the Father by studying the Word, by learning Bible doctrine. He is known only through the Word.
“the only true God” – the only unique [or genuine] God, literally. The Father is called the only genuine God because He is the author of the plan, and we must come to know the designer.
“and Jesus Christ” – also we must come to know His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the revealer of the Father—John 1:18; 6:46; 1 Timothy 6:16; 1 John 4:12. Notice: Jesus is before Christ, emphasising His humanity. Christ is added to show His commission.
“whom thou hast sent” – aorist active indicative; point of time, incarnation.
Notice: We must know the Father who is the author of the plan. We must know the Son who is the revealer of the Father and the executor of the plan. But nothing is said about the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit in the Church Age is responsible for teaching doctrine to the believer from the point of salvation on. It is His job to glorify the Son—John 16:14. Therefore, in passages like this the Holy Spirit stays in the background.
Verse 4 – the completion of the incarnation. “I have glorified thee on earth” – aorist active indicative of docazw. This means that Jesus Christ will fulfil the Father’s plan in the cross [aorist tense]. From there on it is the Father’s work to glorify Him. The Father resurrects Him. The Father permits ascension, and the Father commands that He be seated at the right hand of the Father. “On earth” refers to the incarnation and is the fulfilment of Hebrews 10:5-10.
“I have finished the work” – aorist active participle of teleiow which means to complete a project or complete a plan. The plan of the first advent calls for the cross and Jesus Christ will complete it in a point of time—the cross. The action of the aorist participle precedes the action of the main verb: “that they might know.” They will know the only true God after the cross.
“thou gavest” – perfect active indicative. He gave it in eternity past with the result that it is completed in time. Active voice: the Father did the planning. The indicative mood: the reality of the divine decrees.
“to do” – the Greek says, that I might do it. Doing here is the aorist active subjunctive of poiew, which means mission accomplished. The subjunctive mood is the free will factor. He is free to do it or free not to do it, and He does is.
Verse 5 – a second petition for glory: “glorify thou me” is the aorist active imperative of docazw again. Between the two aorist active imperatives He has told us why He has made the demand.
“with thine own self” – the word with is wrong here, it is actually the preposition para which is the preposition of immediate source, also the preposition which means side by side or by side of. It should be translated: “glorify thou me by your side.” In other words, He is demanding this time that He be seated at the right hand of the Father; “which I had beside you before the world existed.” The glory He had before the world existed was the glory of His deity. He had the same glory as the Father. Now He is demanding from His humanity that He have the same glory that He had when He was God before the incarnation. He is demanding that His humanity have equal glory.
Translation: “And now, Father, glorify me beside yourself with the glory which I always had beside you before the world existed.”
Verses 6-19, Jesus praying for His disciples. He anticipates in this prayer that all of them very shortly will have an ECS. They have failed up to this point and they are going to fail to a greater extent in the very near future—at the cross, but after they reach maximum failure they will recover and they will grow in grace.
Verses 6-8, the fulfilment of the teaching ministry of Jesus Christ.
Verse 6 – “I have manifested.” The subject is the Lord Jesus Christ. Manifested is an aorist active indicative of fanerow, which meant originally to shed light on something. It means also to make the invisible visible. This is accomplished by means of teaching. Jesus Christ is not only the manifestation of God but He is also the revealer of God during the period of His incarnation. The aorist tense gathers up into one point the entire teaching ministry of Jesus during the incarnation. He wasn’t teaching all of the time that He was on this earth during the thirty-three years, but during that time He was learning, learning, learning. Then He had an ECS and from that point it was teach, teach, teach, terminating with this great message in the garden of Gethsemane, followed by this prayer.
“thy name” – the word name refers to the person, and the person is God the Father, the author of the divine plan. He has done this in the most difficult field…
“unto the men” – this means humanity in general, the disciples specifically. The word men does not refer to the male of the species, it is a)nqrwpoj which means mankind, male and female.
“which” is the relative pronoun referring to the recipients of our Lord’s ministry; “thou gavest me” – aorist active indicative. The aorist here means an occurrence in eternity past. In the doctrine of divine decrees God the Father gave to God the Son a bride at that time. That bride was made up of believers only in the Church Age. Before there can be a bride there has to be a body, and the body is every person who accepts Christ during the Church Age. Then by resurrection that body will become a bride in phase three. Active voice: the Father produced the action in eternity past. He made full provision for the eleven disciples and for all believers. He had to make this provision because in the Church Age there is an intensification of the angelic conflict. This intensification means that every believer is an ambassador representing Christ on the earth; every believer is a priest representing himself before God. And since Christ is absent He is no longer the target and therefore Satan makes a target out of every believer. Obviously, not every believer receives the same attention and apparently the targets are lined up this way: the primary target is the believer with an ECS; the second targets are the believers who are forming an ECS; then come the believers minus the ECS. So this is about the order in which this intensification is conducted. It is very important for us to realise that Satan is especially interested in hindering the angelic conflict. The indicative mood is the reality of every believer entered into Christ during the Church Age.
“out of the world” – believers are snatched as brands for the burning. The preposition out of is e)k which means they are literally delivered from the kosmoj, and the deliverance is first brought to our attention by positional truth, every believer is in union with Christ. He is on the earth but he is out from the world. The kosmoj here is Satan’s rulership of the world. Every believer is entered into union with Christ and that is the break with the kosmoj. So positionally all believers have broken with the kosmoj; experientially, everything depends upon the erection of an ECS.
“thine they were, and thou gavest them to me” – thine they were means that every positive volition at the point of gospel hearing belongs to the Father. This is the imperfect tense which is linear aktionsart in past time. This is a culminative aorist. The disciples have not yet come into the Church Age, it is still 40 days off, but they are going to be given to Christ on the day of Pentecost, the moment from which every believer is entered into union with Christ. It is accomplished by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. “Thou gavest them me” anticipates the baptism of the Spirit.[1]
“and they have kept thy word” – they refers to the disciples, not all members of the body of Christ during this age. They have kept is a perfect active indicative of terew and it means to guard that which belongs to them, and when John uses terew it has to do with the erection of an ECS. It means Bible doctrine in the human spirit feeding into an ECS. To keep the Word is a technical phrase for the construction of the ECS and the perfect tense here has a prophetic implication. It guarantees the fulfilment of an ECS to the eleven disciples. Every one of them will start to take it in after the resurrection of Christ when the Church Age begins. They will have gnwsij through the filling of the Holy Spirit. They will transfer it down to the human spirit where it will become e)pignwsij and they will cycle it back for frame of reference. They will start building on that foundation of residual doctrine the ECS.
Verse 7 – “Now,” i.e. at this moment, at the time of the upper room discourse, at the time of the Gethsemane discourse; “they have known” – perfect tense of ginwskw, which means to know from experience, the experience of study. Perfect tense (prophetic): to know in the past that they will eventually have an ECS Active voice: each one will have it. Indicative mood: the reality.
“that all things whatsoever thou hast given me is from the immediate source of you [“of thee” – para, immediate source].” They know that they have been given to me and they know that you have done it.
a) “Of thee” is para, which should be “from the immediate source of thee.” The pronoun refers to God the Father.
b) In John 16:12 the Lord accuses the disciples of not bearing this truth in their souls—they aren’t able to carry it. That means that at this time the disciples do not have an ECS; they are weak and unstable. But they are going to be given by God the Father to God the Son through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And as we have seen from the prophetic perfect they are going to have in the Church Age an ECS. They will get it the way that anyone gets it—through GAP.
c) This is a grace prayer. The disciples have learned so little, they are so unstable, they are about to desert at the cross, their knowledge is sporadic and non-applicable, they do not have any doctrine in the human spirit, at this point they are no erecting any ECS: the disciples are hopeless, helpless, useless.
d) In a few hours most of the disciples will deny and desert the Lord Jesus Christ. They will be filled with instability, vacillation, and desertion. This amplifies the helplessness of human ability.
e) It sometimes takes years for believers exposed to doctrine to appreciate what they are getting. It took the disciples ten days—they were quick to snap to it.
f) At the point of the beginning of the new dispensation, the day of Pentecost, they received additional help on GAP—the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The function of GAP is intensified in the intensified angelic conflict by the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
g) Jesus, knowing their immediate failure, prays for their future victory.
h) After the resurrection the disciples will go on a crash program regarding doctrine.
Verse 8 – “I have given” is the perfect active indicative of didomi. Perfect tense: summary of His three years of ministry. Active voice: Jesus taught.
Indicative mood: the reality of the communication of doctrine.
“unto them” – dative of advantage, it is to their advantage to have them; “the words” – r(hma, which means mandate through doctrine.
“thou gavest” – the words were given to Jesus Christ, and r(hma was given to Jesus Christ which means GAP in the humanity of Christ—doctrine in the human
spirit which was exhaled in communication. These words were given to Jesus by God the Father, which means GAP. That is how He constructed the ECS and how He exhaled doctrine in teaching.
“and they have received” – GAP in the disciples, aorist active indicative of lambanw. They haven’t received it yet because Jesus said they weren’t carrying
it—but they will, This is, again, prophetic. They received it through GAP.
And because of this, “and known” – gnwsij in their mind, ginwskw, aorist active indicative. This means they have it in their minds. But here is why the disciples are going to fall apart. Already they have gnwsij, a lot of it; but you can’t apply gnwsij. Gnwsij is in the mind and doctrine in the mind cannot be applied. You cannot apply doctrine from intellectual comprehension. God has designed a system whereby doctrine cannot be applied from the mind. That eliminates human IQ. That means grace. The mind is a stage area for doctrine. It is application area for any other type of human phenomena, but God has activated the human spirit for the believer and all doctrine must be transferred to the human spirit before it can be applied or exhaled. It must be e)pignwsij. The disciples had gnwsij but they did not have e)pignwsij, and that is why they are going to run away. That is why they can’t apply anything.
“and have known surely that I came out from thee” – they know, they have an intellectual comprehension of it, gnwisj, aorist active indicative; “from thee” is para, again, from the immediate source of thee.
“and they have believed” – this is futuristic and should be translated, they will believe. This is the transfer, the rest of the process and which they have failed to do so far. The words, they have believed, does not refer to their salvation, it has to do with transferring doctrine down into the human spirit. This is the eventual victory of the disciples. They have doctrine now but it hasn’t been transferred, though it will be. We have a futuristic aorist here, and it is in a line of aorists—there are two aorists before it: a) they have received it—aorist tense; b) they know it—aorist tense, the doctrine is in the staging area; c) then the futuristic aorist—they will believe would be a better translation here. The interim defeat does not hinder the eventual victory of these disciples.
Verse 9 – the triumph of grace. In this verse Jesus prays for the disciples just before their disastrous failure. Not only does He pray for them but it is present linear aktionsart, He keeps on praying. This means to make a request and it also means to interrogate, so it is an intensive word—e)rwtaw. The verb anticipates the failure of the disciples. Fervent prayer is necessary and fervent prayer comes from the Lord.
“for them” – should be concerning them; “I do not have any intensive prayer concerning the world” – the world is Satan’s kingdom.
“but concerning them” – Jesus prays for believers only, here for believers who within 24 hours will be colossal failures. With the possible exception of John every one of these disciples is going to fail in a fantastic way. Unbelievers fail too, that is obvious, but they are not in the plan of God. Jesus Christ as the high priest prays for His own.
“which thou hast given me” – He makes it very plain that He prays for those who are gifts to Him. This is a perfect tense of didomi which means they have been given at the point of salvation with the result that they belong to Christ forever. It is anticipates positional truth. Given at the point of salvation, in union with Christ forever, and they are a special gift from God the Father to God the Son. But they also belong to the giver. You cannot give what does not belong to you. And when you give it is always a manifestation of your character. God the Father possesses every believer at the moment of salvation and He gives His possession to Jesus Christ. Yet they still in a special way belong to God the Father because they are in His plan. These are believers of the Church Age, a reference to the body of Christ, later to become the bride of Christ.
“for they are thine” – they keep on being thine. This is the basis of the prayer. The disciples belong to God, they are about to fail, but their failure does not hinder the plan of God.
Verse 10 – “And all mine” refers to all believers in the Church Age, not just the disciples. This also includes the principle that even though we fail we are still His. This is present linear aktionsart of e)imi. All believers are in union with Christ; all believers belong to God the Father. Whatever belongs to the Father belongs to the Son because God the Father has given it to God the Son.
“I am glorified in them” – perfect passive indicative of docazw, glorified in the past with the result that the glory goes on. There are two kinds of glory. One is the reflected glory of the ECS, but that is for phase two. Secondly, in phase three there is the glory of the rewards of grace. These are the result of having an ECS. This is literally, I have received glory in them—perfect passive indicative. Passive voice: God receives glory through the ECS. So in spite of the immediate failure of the disciples God the Father has a plan for them and His plan will go on in spite of the failure. Principle of doctrine: You may fail in a colossal way but if you are still alive when it is all over God still has a plan for your life, so you get up and move on.
Verses 11, 12 – prayer for the believers’ protection.
Verse 11 – “And now” is not found in the original. It just says, “I am no longer in the world.” I am is present linear aktionsart, it means no more. This is the anticipation of the Church Age in which Christ is absent from the earth. This anticipates His death the next day, His burial, resurrection, ascension and session.
“but these [the disciples] are in the world” – present linear aktionsart, these keep on being here.
“and I am come to thee” – proj plus the accusative, I have come face to face with you.
“Holy Father” – this means set apart Father. The whole point of the word Holy, which is an adjective, means that in eternity past God the Father had a plan, and that plan is set apart in every believer. First at salvation in union with Christ, experientially with an ECS, and in phase three with the rewards that come from that ECS.
“keep” – terew, which means to guard that which belongs to you; “though thine own name” – literally, by means of your person. The word name refers to the essence of God the Father. That is all that is protecting the believer. We belong to Him and therefore the character of God is on the line, and God has never lost one believer.
The purpose clause which follows in this sentence anticipates the Church Age: “that they may be” – present active subjunctive of e)imi, present tense, linear aktionsart. Active voice: every believer in the Church Age is in union with Christ. Subjunctive mood: this goes with the purpose clause, it is not potential.
“one as we are” – God the Father have the same essence, identical characteristics all the way through. They are two separate and distinct persons but their essence is identical. It is the humanity of the Father which is praying to the Father, and He says, “We are one” – i.e. we have identical essence. This time when He says “as we are,” we includes God the Father and God the Son in hypostatic union. At the point of salvation and the baptism of the Spirit we enter into union with Christ and we are now one with Jesus Christ.[2]
Verse 12 – “While I was with them,” imperfect tense of e)imi, I kept on being with them. Jesus never deserted the disciples during those three years, “in the world.”
“I kept on guarding them in thy name” – in the power of God the Father. This is the Father’s plan; “those thou [God the Father] gavest me [Jesus Christ]” – perfect tense, You gave them to me in the past with the result that they belong to me forever.
“I have kept” – fulassw, which means to mount guard against a known enemy, and the word is used here for angels. He protected them against the angels. Aorist tense: this has to do with the angelic conflict.
“and none of them is lost [destroyed]” – aorist middle indicative of a)pollumi which means to destroy.
“but [except] the son of perdition” – the word for perdition is a)pwleia and it means the son of destruction. It is a title for Judas Iscariot. It is a title used for only two people in history, and a title for someone who is personally Satan-possessed. The second person will be the dictator of the revived Roman Empire in the Tribulation—2 Thess. 2:3. Two different people: one just before the Church Age begins and one is at the end, after the Church Age when the Church has been raptured destroyed.
“that” introduces a purpose clause: “the scripture might be fulfilled” – plhrow. The scripture is Psalm 41:9 which is actually quoted in John 13:18. Here it is just mentioned as being fulfilled. Plhrow means to fill up a deficiency, so prophecy is fulfilled in the sense of being historically completed, as specified in the prophecy. The word means to fully possess, and the Bible will stand forever and it possesses within its own writing the fulfilment of every prophecy. It means to fully influence: doctrine in the Bible is the greatest and most complete influence for the spiritual one, the believer. It means to fill with a certain quality and that quality is Bible doctrine in the human spirit from which the ECS is erected. These are some of the concepts behind the scripture being fulfilled.
Verse 13 – “And now come I to thee.” Now refers to the fact that Christ’s ministry is about to terminate; come I has to do with the ascension; to thee means face to face with you. However, before He does He goes on with His prayer.
“these things I speak [communicate] in the world” – Jesus Christ has already communicated [lalew] doctrine for three years. Present tense: I have kept on doing this; in the world means the place for His incarnate ministry. He spoke these things from His ECS because He had one.
“that” – purpose clause; “they [disciples, believers] might keep on having and holding [e)xw].”
“my joy” – inner happiness. Inner happiness is designed for the believer to have all of the time that he is on this earth. The subjunctive mood: that happiness is potential. Whether you are happy or not as a Christian is strictly potential.
“fulfilled” – plhrow. This is a perfect tense, which means a past action with continuous results. Past action: inhale of Bible doctrine through GAP. Continuous results” the erection of an ECS. The erection of an ECS means continuous happiness. Passive voice: the believer receives inner happiness through GAP. The participle sets up a law, a system. There is a law from God by which we can have as believers, inner happiness.[3] This is the operation of GAP under an intensified form resulting in an ECS.
“in themselves” – locative of sphere, in the sphere of themselves. Notice where they can have this happiness: inside.
Plhrow means to fill up a deficiency. Inner happiness [joy] fills up a deficiency in life—Philippians 4:11,12; Hebrews 13:5,6.
Plhrow means to fully possess. Inner happiness fully possesses the believer during the various functions of his priesthood. It fully possesses in the ECS.
Plhrow means to fully influence. The ECS and its resultant happiness can fully influence you.
Plhrow means to fill with a certain quality. Inner happiness is a certain quality. It comes from the filling of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22, and it comes from the ECS – John 17:13.
Verse 14 – in this verse we have residual doctrine versus cosmos diabolicus. “I have given” – perfect active indicative of didomi, the ordinary verb to give, and it is the verb of grace. Grace expresses itself in this manner, through giving. The perfect tense has to do with the completed canon of scripture plus GAP, the principle of taking it in. Remember that the perfect tense means to give something in the past with the result that you keep on having it. So the prefect tense means thew canon of scripture is completed and available. Notice that the canon of scripture was completed at the time when the angelic conflict actually began. Since the intensification of the angelic conflict began in the Church Age (there is a little overlap) and we have the completion of the canon God has given us something permanent—the Word of God. But the Bible itself is absolutely no good to the believer unless the doctrines that are found in the Bible are actually transferred into the human spirit. “I have given” includes everything involved everything involved in giving the Word of God, because it will be noticed that the object here is “thy word.” It has to be remembered that the Word has existed in two forms. The Word, first of all, pre-existed. In eternity past there was no written Word so the Word existed in the mind of God. Specifically, the Word is called the mind of Christ—1 Corinthians 2:16. It is called the voice of God [the Father]. In eternity past it existed in the mind of Christ, it existed in the mind of God the Father, because it is called the Word of God or the voice of God. In other words, logoj means the speaking, the word, the thinking, and so on. So it actually existed in eternity past but not in written form. Then there was a long period of time, at least two thousand years, when there was no written Word of God at all—until Moses. During that time God revealed himself in many ways, but His revelation to people at that time was limited.
Not only has God given the Word but He has given it to us on a permanent basis, which means the Bible is permanent and also that the system for perception is permanent. In the believer is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and also the human spirit. Therefore there is the permanent means of taking in the Word. However, there are still things that keep the believer from getting the Word. There must be the positive volition toward doctrine, the fulfilling of the grace principles of the filling of the Spirit, the function of the inhale of faith, and so on, for faith to function. The objective is to get doctrine into the human spirit. So when Jesus says, “I have given them thy word,” and He puts it in the perfect tense He is recognising everything involved in making the Word of God available. He doesn’t say, “I have spoken them thy word.” The word “given” actually has to do with a lot more than simply the fact that Jesus taught for three years. Active voice: Christ produces the action of the verb. In other words, the glorification of Christ is the key for the completion of the canon of scripture. Jesus Christ must be seated at the right hand of the Father for the Church Age to begin, so the active voice here recognises that Christ will proceed and continue and the Church Age will actually begin. The indicative mood is the reality of doctrine in existence and available. This is the thing that people do not realise: doctrine is available to every believer priest and anything that is found in the Bible is written to be understood. That means revelation. There is nothing in the Bible that cannot be understood. There is no such thing as instant understanding: the advanced is built upon the less advanced, and you go right down to the basic concepts which must come first. GAP is designed so that the believer can take it in. There isn’t anything that can’t be taken in but we all have to start at the beginning.
“them” is dative plural, every believer; “thy word” refers to the completed canon of scripture, the Word of the Father in permanent writing.
This introduces the concept of setting up an ECS. Since they have the Word …
“the world” – o( kosmoj, a concept for the angelic conflict development and Satan being the ruler of this world. So kosmoj is an organised system and it is Satan’s organised system to refute doctrine. What Satan really hates and what his system rejects is the Word.
“hath hated them” – them refers to believers with the Word. The world does not hate believers without the Word, it welcomes them because the power of the believer is in his ECS. It is the ECS which reflects the glory of God and to have an ECS requires a lot of the Word, a lot of doctrine in the human spirit. The kosmoj system does not hate believers minus doctrine. In fact, they are very helpful to Satan’s kosmoj. In a sense, in the angelic conflict when you do not take in the Word you are giving aid and comfort to the enemy—Satan. When it says the world “hateth,” it means to detest. Aorist active indicative of misew. The aorist is used to show a point of time when an ECS is discovered. The hatred continues but there is a point at which the hatred begins and that point is when the ECS is erected.
Because of this fantastic hatred, the persecution that follows it, and the pressure from Satan as a part of the angelic conflict, obviously the believer needs phase two protection from the kosmoj. This is the subject of verses 15-17—phase two protection from the cosmos.
Verse 15 – “I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world” indicates that Jesus is still praying. It would be easy for Jesus to say. “Protect every believer the moment he gets an ECS, take him home. But He doesn’t pray that, and He is making that clear. It is necessary for believers to function with an ECS but if they do have one it doesn’t mean that the Lord is going to take them home.
“but” – purpose clause; “thou shouldst keep them.” The word for keep here means to keep that which belongs to self—terew. Aorist tense, referring to a point of time. In this particular case it refers to the believer from the time he gets an ECS to the time He departs from this life, and that is all gathered up into one entirety.
“from the evil one” – Satan.
Verse 16 – they are not out from the world. Though once part of the world’s system they have been snatched as brands from the burning. Regeneration removes mankind from Satan’s system but it take the growth in grace and the completion of the ECS to fulfil this principle.
Seven ways in
which believers are not of the world
a) The believer has a different position—1 Corinthians 15:22. The position of the world: “In Adam all die [The world is under spiritual death] but in Christ shall all be made alive.” The believer has eternal life and so is “not of the world” – present linear aktionsart of e)imi. The believer’s position is “in Christ.” The world’s position is “in Adam.”
b) There is a different birth—John 3:5-7; Titus 3:5. This is natural generation versus regeneration. The world of humanity is made up of those who are born into the world, of which we are all a part, but while they are born into the world the believer is born again and that rebirth places the believer outside of the framework of cosmos diabolicus (at least by birth it does). So the believer is born into a kingdom in this world but not of this world.
c) There is a difference of service—John 8:44. The unbeliever serves his father the devil; the believer [in principle] serves Christ—John 13:16; 15:20.
d) There is a difference of purpose—1 Corinthians 6:19,20; Romans 15:6. The unbeliever in the cosmos system is seeking some form of self-gratification, but the believer is under a system of God-glorification, the erection of the ECS.
e) There is a difference of power—Galatians 5:16. In this difference we have the energy of the flesh versus the power of the Spirit, the satanic doctrine versus the power of the Word.
f) There is a different way of life—Ephesians 4:22; 2:13. The world’s way of life is religion and legalism; the Christian way of life is a supernatural grace-oriented system.
g) There is a difference of destiny—John 3:18, 36. The unbeliever [the world] is headed for the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels; the believer is headed for heaven.
a) The world emphasises reformation and self-improvement while the Word of God emphasises grace, regeneration, spiritual growth.
b) There can be no compromise between the world and Christianity. They have different objectives; they have a different destiny.
c) The world can only compromise the believer by the infiltration of his soul. This is accomplished only when a believer is negative toward doctrine. Believers who are victimised by this infiltration of the soul are believers who have rejected doctrine.
d) The soul can only be infiltrated when the believer is negative toward Bible doctrine. This results in scar tissue of the soul which opens the vacuum of Ephesians 4:17.
e) Through this vacuum comes the doctrine of demons—1 Timothy 4:1. Demon possession is impossible because the believer is indwelt by the Spirit, so there is such a thing as thought possession. There is a Satanic thought-possession attack.
f) However, when the believer priest inhales the Word of God daily—operates, under GAP—and transfers doctrine to his human Spirit, this is a sign of positive volition. Not only does it result in an ECS but it also results in protection while the believer is growing up spiritually.
Verse 17 – the mechanics of the protection. “Sanctify” is an aorist active imperative of a(giazw which means to set apart. Aorist tense: the point of time when
the believer is progressing, not retrogressing. The difference between progressing and retrogressing is the believer’s attitude toward doctrine on a daily basis. Active voice: the believer makes a decision to take in doctrine daily which puts him on progression. Imperative mood: Jesus Christ is commanding God the Father to protect such believers.
“them” – accusative plural pronoun: believers positive toward doctrine.
“through” – the preposition e)n plus the instrumental case: by means of; “thy truth”—Bible doctrine is the means of being set apart. The Greek word a)lhqeia
means the whole system of doctrine. The believer is protected by the daily function of GAP, and that means he is progressing. If the believer is not protected that means he does not want protection because he is negative toward doctrine. It is negative volition toward doctrine that puts one out from under protection.
“thy word is truth” – Bible doctrine is the truth, keeps on being the truth, always will be the truth. This is the basis for protection. We are set apart by the daily function of GAP, the intensity of our study of the Word, and the process or completion of the erection of an ECS. Once an ECS is erected that isn’t the end of the line, it is the beginning of a glorious life.
In verse 17 Jesus Christ is recognising the doctrine of divine decrees,[4] the fact that God the Father had a plan for believers during the intensified stage of the angelic conflict. This means that, first of all, GAP is provided for all believers in this age. Jesus Christ commanded God the Father in prayer to provide what had already existed in the divine decrees. That is why it is in the imperative mood: it was already a part of the plan of God and Jesus Christ is now commanding that the plan of God go into operation for the intensified stage of the angelic conflict. The word sanctify[5] means to set apart, and believers are set apart from the cosmos by means of the ECS. No unbeliever can produce this; no carnal believer can produce this; only the believer who functions under GAP consistently, day by day, can have an ECS in the cosmos. This is one of the most vital things in the world. He is demanding sanctification, and sanctification in phase two is the ECS constructed and the reflected glory of God from the soul. Jesus Christ is demanding this sanctification because He was there when the plan was set up, and He is recognising that God made provision for each believer in eternity past to glorify Him in time.
Verses 18 & 19, the purpose and function of the Church Age.
Verse 18 – the statement of purpose. “As” is the adverb kaqwj, according as or just as. Here again we have the doctrine of divine decrees. In fulfilment of the divine decrees we have the first advent, and everything was right on schedule—Christ had to come in the fullness of time. The fullness of time is the beginning of the Roman empire with all of its fantastic stability and framework of divine institution #4. It was decreed in eternity past that He would come at the right point in history. Secondly, He had to be virgin born. Why? Because only through the virgin birth could His humanity be minus the old sin nature and minus the imputation of Adam’s sin.
“thou hast sent me” – aorist active indicative of a)postellw which means to sent forth with a commission; “me” is an accusative singular pronoun referring to Jesus Christ in His first advent. He was sent to fulfil the main section of the divine decrees.
“even so have I also sent them” – Who is sent? First the apostles, but also every believer. Jesus Christ in His humanity is now absent from the earth. He is in a resurrection body at the right hand of the Father—glorified. But we are present on the earth and God has a purpose for our life. The only thing holding it up is the ECS. God’s purpose for the believer’s life cannot be fulfilled apart from the ECS.
Verse 19 – “And for their sakes I sanctify myself.” There are two substitutions of Christ on the earth. The preposition for substitution is u(per. It is used at the cross on behalf of our sins. But it is u(per, on behalf of you all, after you are saved. He did something here, ahead of us, to show that it can be done in humanity. He erected an ECS. From the humanity of Christ He glorified the plan of God the Father with an ECS, and the one who went to the cross had an ECS. Literally He said, “And on behalf of them.”
“I sanctify myself” – the present tense means continuous and progressive action. Active voice: Christ did it because He was positive toward the Word. Indicative mood: the reality of the construction of the ECS. John 1:14—“… and we beheld his glory.” The glory was the ECS. He sanctified Himself by the erection of an edification complex in His human soul—“myself,” Christ learned doctrine daily in preparation for His ministry. Present tense: His sanctification was a process of inhale, inhale, and the building of an ECS. Active voice: Jesus Christ in His humanity was positive toward doctrine. Indicative mood: the reality of the construction of an ECS through GAP.
“that” introduces a purpose clause; “they also might be sanctified” – perfect passive subjunctive of a(giazw. Perfect tense: the permanent results of the ECS. When you build an ECS the results are permanent. Passive voice: the believer receives this ECS or sanctification through the daily function of GAP. (Remember that GAP cannot function without the filling of the Spirit). Subjunctive mood: an ECS is phase two is potential. What are the potentialities?
a) Your volition. Are you positive toward doctrine or negative (Apathy is also a negative)?
b) If you are positive, will you have the self-discipline to concentrate and to exclude other things that are important to you?
c) Is there a place where you can get doctrine consistently (Is there a pastor-teacher)?
d) Will you continue to take in, to GAP, under conditions of adversity?
e) Will you rebound consistently, have the filling of the Spirit consistently, in order to make GAP function?
f) If you do, then over a period of time you will erect an ECS.
The beautiful thing about the ECS is that it is a series of literally thousands of decisions. One decision won’t cut it! You have to stay with it.
“For their sakes I have sanctified myself that they also might receive sanctification [an
ECS] …”
“through the truth” – or literally, by means of the truth. This is the preposition e)n plus
the instrumental case: by means of truth—a)lhqeia, Bible doctrine categorically presented.
Verse 20 – the recipients of the third petition. “Neither pray I for these.” The word for is peri—concerning. Literally, “Neither do I make request concerning these alone,” i.e. the disciples who are with Him in Gethsemane.
“but” – now we have a contrast between the disciples and believers of the Church Age; “concerning them who shall believe on me through their word.”
“shall believe” is a present active participle of pisteuw, and it indicates once again that a change in dispensation does not change the way of salvation. Jesus is speaking in the dispensation of Israel and in the dispensation of Israel people were saved by faith in Jesus Christ. He was not revealed historically because of the incarnation; they anticipated the incarnation. The present tense is a futuristic present, it recognises that many decisions for Christ will be made during the Church Age. Active voice: each person must believe for himself. The participle indicates that all people are saved in the same way. It indicates a law of God: that people will always be saved through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in no other way.
“on me” – the preposition e)ij is used here, a directional preposition. The direction of faith must be Jesus Christ. He is the only saviour, the only source of salvation. Faith must have a direction.
“through their word” – in other words, there has been a perpetuation of the Word, gospel type, and there has been a perpetuation of response. People have continued to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; they have continued to receive Him as saviour.
Verse 21 – the petition for positional sanctification. “That” introduces a purpose clause. The purpose clause indicates that God has a plan and that Jesus Christ recognises this plan. As God He was there; from His humanity’s ECS He knows the will of God.
“they may all be one” – those who believe in Christ during the Church Age; “may be” is a present active subjunctive of the absolute status quo verb, e)imi, and it means always to be in the present tense: “that they may always be one.” The subjunctive mood is used here because of the purpose clause and not because union with Christ is potential. The word one here would emphasise the baptism of the Spirit whereby at the point of salvation God the Holy Spirit takes each one of us and enters us into union with Christ.
Then we have an analogy: “as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee.” This means they have identical of essence and yet they are two separate and distinct persons. There is a relationship between the Father and the Son, as there always has been and always will be. This does not say that there is one God, it says that they share the same kind of essence. They have identical characteristics. At this particular point these characteristics are emphasised. In the actual function and formation of the plan whereby the Father sends the Son a relationship is established on the basis of the doctrine of divine decrees, and this relationship is emphasised. It is a permanent relationship, a perfect relationship because it involves perfect people. The perfection of the relationship of God is demonstrated by positional truth.
“that they also may be one in us” – this emphasises again the doctrine of positional truth. The Father is in the Son and we are in union with the Son—we have certain things on a permanent basis which belong to us by being one. We have eternal life—1 John 5:11,12. We have righteousness—2 Corinthians 5:21. We share the same election—Ephesians 1:4; destiny—Ephesians 1:5. We share His sonship—2 Timothy 2:1; His heirship—Romans 8:16,17; His sanctification, priesthood—Hebrews 10:10-14.
The third clause in this verse is based on that: “that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” The world here refers to the kingdom of Satan and this brings us down to the intensification of the angelic conflict. During the intensification of the angelic conflict Christ is not on earth; there will be no performance of miracles—miracles are set aside. No miracles are necessary. In the intensified stage of the angelic conflict the power is in the Word, in the plan of God, in His designs. Jesus, therefore, prays along this line.
“that the world may believe” – present active subjunctive. This is a potential subjunctive. Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship. The world goes for religion because religion is of the devil. Jesus said to the religious crowd, the Pharisees: “Ye are of your father, the devil.” The ECS is going to play a major part in bringing the world around to where they will actually sit up and take notice.
“that thou” – God the Father, the author of the plan; “hast sent me” – aorist active indicative of a)postellw, which means to be sent on a mission. The aorist tense refers to the incarnation. Active voice: the Father sent the Son. Indicative mood: the reality of the incarnation in the plan of God the Father.
Verse 22 – a petition for the perpetuation of glory into the Church Age. The reason being that the angelic conflict will shift gears very shortly after Jesus prays this. Therefore there is a need for a new type of glory. The glory of the person of Jesus Christ will be gone. He will be seated at the right hand of the Father and therefore not visible to people on the earth. This is the glory of His deity and the glory of His humanity. Here Jesus is praying for our glory.
There are two kinds of glory which are found in this passage. First of all, there is phase two glory—the ECS. There is also phase three glory: the resurrection body which we will receive at the Rapture of the Church, ultimate sanctification.
“And the glory which thou gavest me” – this glory which was given to Jesus Christ is actually in two phases. There is the glory of the incarnation—the ECS. Then there is the glory of the resurrection, the result of which sees Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father. Gavest is a perfect active indicative of didomi. The perfect tense means that this glory was provided in eternity past as a part of the doctrine of divine decrees. The results are found in the incarnation—ECS and resurrection. The first glory He acquired through the ministry of the indwelling of the Spirit and the function of GAP—Luke 2:40, 52— and in the second glory God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are both said to have given Him a resurrection body.
“I have given them” – perfect active indicative of didomi. So the glories which were given by God the Father to God the Son during His incarnation (ECS and resurrection body) are given to us. The phase two glory is given to the believer during his lifetime. Just as the Holy Spirit sustained the humanity of Christ during His earthly ministry, so the same indwelling Holy Spirit sustains the believer during his priesthood on earth—John 14:12. The power of the indwelling Spirit depends on being filled with the Spirit—Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:16.
“that they may be one” – present active subjunctive, and the subjunctive has to do with the purpose clause; “even as we are one” – they have identical essence. This is fulfilled through the construction of an ECS.
Verse 23 – the petition for the accomplishment of the goal repeated. “I in them, and thou in me” – reference to the fact that Jesus Christ also indwells us, and that the Father is one with Christ.
“that” – purpose clause; “they may be made perfect” – this is a periphrastic. A periphrastic is made up of two verbs. There is the present active subjunctive of e)imi which is the first verb. This means to keep on being in this status. Then there is also a perfect passive subjunctive of teleiow. Teleiow means to be completed, and the passive voice means this completion is received. The subjunctive mood goes with the purpose clause and therefore it just simply means that this is a part of God’s purpose: that we might be completed. Literally, “that they may have received completion [or, have completeness].” This fulfils what Jesus is saying in this passage. How are we completed? First, there must be the function of GAP; gnwsij must become e)pignwsij.
“in one” – e)ij is a preposition which has many meanings. One of them is because – “because of one.” The one who will be the cause is the Holy Spirit who makes GAP function, who causes the cycling to the frame of reference and who makes it possible for the construction of the ECS.
“that” – the sixth purpose clause; “the world may know that thou hast sent me.” The purpose here is that the ECS fulfils a slightly different purpose in the Church Age. In the Church Age, the intensified angelic conflict, the ECS is the only thing the believer has which Satan cannot counterfeit and cannot duplicate, and therefore it becomes a way in which the world knows that the Father sent the Son, that the Father has a plan. In other words, the manifestation of the Father’s game plan for the intensified angelic conflict is the ECS.
“and hast loved me” – aorist active indicative of a)gapaw. How can the world know that the Father loves the believer? The ECS reflects the glory of God in cosmos diabolicus and makes the world aware of the Father’s love.
Verse 24 – “Father.” Jesus is addressing the Father is prayer which continues. “I will” – present active indicative of qelw and means I desire.
“that” – purpose clause; “they also, whom thou hast given me” – believers in the Church Age – “be with me” – present active subjunctive of e)imi, keep on being with me. He wants all believes with Himself.
“where I am” – where I keep on being. So Christ is in heaven and believers in the Church Age are going to live in heaven forever. Old Testament saints are going to live on the new earth, but we are His body and will be His bride. As the bride the Church lives with the groom, therefore we will live in heaven.
“that they may behold my glory” – the word to behold means to observe with interest and attention, qeorew, present active subjunctive: that they may keep on contemplating my glory.
“which thou hast given me” – reference now to the resurrection body. Why was this glory given?
“for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world” – in other words, this was a part of the Father’s plan and the Father’s love. The Father’s love came first, and then the Father’s plan.[6]
Verses 25 & 26, the legacy of Jesus Christ:
a) He left a new organization to replace the organization of Israel—the Church.
b) Once Jesus Christ is ascended He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men—spiritual gifts.
c) He left everything that is revealed in the Church Age in writing—the canon of the scripture.
d) He left every believer with a priesthood, an ambassadorship, and GAP.
e) He left the indwelling Holy Spirit so that GAP could function.
f) He provided the assembly of believer priests under the concept of the local church.
g) He provided as an extension of GAP the operation of the frame of reference.
Verse 25 -- O righteous Father.” The word for righteous here means absolute righteousness, and it indicates that God is perfect, therefore His plan is perfect.
“the world hath not known thee” – this is the world/kingdom of Satan, the kosmoj; ‘hath not known’ is an aorist active indicative from ginwskw which means to know from the experience of study, and it means that the unbeliever cannot function under GAP, he is minus the human spirit.
“but I have known” – Jesus Christ knew the plan of the Father in two ways. As God there never was a time when He didn’t know it; as humanity He learned it through GAP and the frame of reference His humanity acquired.
“and these have known that thou hast sent me” – they don’t know everything yet, in fact very little, but they do know I am part of the plan and that You have sent me.
Verse 26 – “And I have declared unto them thy name.” The word for declare is the word gnwrizw which means to make it known. I have made it known; I have revealed it. Jesus Christ has actually revealed the Father’s plan. This is an aorist tense which gathers up into one entirety the three years of His ministry, whenever He taught them.
“unto them” – dative of advantage; reference to the eleven disciples.
“and will declare it” – future tense of the same verb, gnwrizw. However, the declaration is going to take on a different form. This is future tense, and now that Christ is absent it refers to the mind of Christ on earth, and/or the canon of scripture. This is the legacy which Jesus Christ left us on this earth—the Word of God in permanent form, the canon of scripture, and the ability to comprehend it and master its content. (There is no part of the Word which cannot be mastered)
“and will declare it” – here is the final purpose clause: “that the love” – a reference to a)gaph love; “wherewith thou hast loved [a)gapaw] me” – aorist active indicative. This love has existed as the Father’s love; the aorist tense refers to eternity past. Active voice: the Father loved the Son in eternity past. Indicative mood: the reality of that love.
“may be in them” – the believer can actually have something, present active subjunctive of e)imi. Present tense: always be there; active voice: you will have it; subjunctive mood: this love which existed in eternity past is potential—you may have it. The very floors of the ECS are actually constructed of things that existed in eternity past. And how does the believer get this love? Through Bible doctrine.
“and I in them” is a reference to the ECS.