Mark Sanguinetti

Steve you are quoting from John 6:63. Below is a commentary from Barnes Notes, that seems fine. This is a quote from Jesus. Stated simply people can follow true thoughts or they can follow false thoughts. Jesus says following his words will give life, for example the nine fruits of the spirit one of which is love. And yes, Jesus did promote love. He said love God and love your neighbor as yourself. John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. [it is the Spirit that quickeneth] These words have been understood in different ways. The word "Spirit," here, evidently does not refer to the Holy Spirit, for he adds, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit." He refers here, probably, to the doctrine which he had been teaching in opposition to their notions and desires. "My doctrine is spiritual; it is fitted to quicken and nourish the soul. It is from heaven. Your doctrine or your views are earthly, and may be called flesh, or fleshly, as pertaining only to the support of the body. You place a great value on the doctrine that Moses fed the body; yet that did not permanently profit, for your fathers are dead. You seek also food from me, but your views and desires are gross and earthly." [Quickeneth] Gives life. See the notes at John 5:21. [The flesh] Your carnal views and desires, and the literal understanding of my doctrine. By this Jesus shows them that he did not intend that his words should be taken literally. [Profiteth nothing] Would not avail to the real needs of man. The bread that Moses gave, the food which you seek, would not be of real value to man's highest wants. [They are spirit] They are spiritual. They are not to be understood literally, as if you were really to eat my flesh, but they are to be understood as denoting the need of that provision for the soul which God has made by my coming into the world. [Are life] Are fitted to produce or give life to the soul dead in sins. (from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997 by Biblesoft) And below is the context of the above quoted verse. The context is many disciples turning away. And yes sometimes we see this today and this includes this web site. John 6:60-69 From the Living Standard Bible. 60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

If they mix religion with politics then they are today's equivalent of the first century Scribes, Pharisees and Sanhedrin. And we know who opposed Jesus in the first century and who had him murdered. Yes, it was the Scribes, Pharisee and Sanhedrin and today's political equivalents are today tied in with the bankers. In the first century they were much less fiscal than they are today and were then called the money changers. Here is information that I have written on the money changers. Jesus Christ was a very productive person before he started his ministry and was a carpenter as this was his natural family's business with his adopted father being a carpenter. He appreciated the productive capacity of individual people. In contrast, people making money using the equivalent of currency manipulation or using deceptive religion to increase their wealth, Jesus opposed strongly. Matthew 21:12 states, "Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves." New Living Translation Who were the money changers during Jesus' natural life? They were bankers who exchanged one nation's currency, or one size of coin, for another. And with this charged a fee, which was often exorbitant. And what were the doves used for? As a family’s or person’s pet? To actually eat and for nourishment? No, for religious sacrifice with the sellers making a profit on religion Regarding the actual biblical study that I attached a link to. I merely read it last night. It seemed OK or at least to be considered.

Here is some information on the Gospel of Luke with an analysis of some information that is written in it. Unlike the Pauline epistles, the actual author of this gospel is not directly written in Luke. However, Luke is mentioned in the bible as a friend of Paul and someone who worked with him. Luke was also known as Paul's doctor. Obviously, actual written content should be considered in this analysis. The Gospel of Luke And if anyone here does not believe that Luke wrote this gospel, then I really don't care. The main point of this forum is, is the content of the bible "God breathed" and what does that mean? And this obviously should imply truthfulness. Is the content of the bible truthful? I at least see most of it as truthful. However, much of it is figuratively written and not literal. It is speaking spiritual truth and can even sometimes be the equivalent of a TV show. The content may be mystical, but the message can still be for our learning.

The Way Ministry regarding what they taught from the bible was above average. They spent time, especially Victor Wierwille copying the writings of other authors, for example E.W. Bullinger, or perhaps also doing some of their own research. The main problem with the Way Ministry was and perhaps still is not applying and living God's word. Some examples of not applying God's word for the religiously high Way ministry people was their adultery while perhaps also being married, while being critical of lower people in the way ministry regarding who they could even date. I experienced this while in the Way minstry in my late teens to early to later 20s. Of course, we also had to pay a non-biblical equivalent of a minimum 10% tax on our income to the Way ministry to even be involved with them. In contrast, I am glad that Steve Lortz is applying God's word and is a true follower of Jesus Christ. As an example after teaching he says "I love you all". Yes, Steve like everyone else does not know everything. As Paul explains in his 1 Corinthians letter, we know only in part and none of us knows everything. We would have to be God the creator of life to know all things.

Only asking you a question Oakspear. We all forget things from time to time. I am glad that you remember this that Paul changed from a hateful pharisee to a loving follower of Jesus Christ. Now Waysider, do you remember that Paul changed from a hateful pharisee to a loving follower of Jesus Christ? Why do you want to bury a follower of Jesus Christ? Yes, he did die or was murdered. And previously Paul did work with the murderers, but he only was murdered himself after he changed and no longer participated with the murderers.

That is a lot of scriptures that are being deliberately ignored here from the bible. It sounds like people here, especially Raf, want to try to get people to ignore the entire writings of the bible. The church epistles written by Paul are very well written. Yes, as Steve Lortz has explained here Paul may have dictated some of these writings to another person. However, with so many mentions of Paul in the book of Acts, it was well known that Paul and perhaps only Paul as a follower of Jesus Christ had the knowledge to explain what was written in the church epistles. Below are links to commentaries that I have written on 3 of the chapters. And Oakspear, Paul CHANGED from one of the pharisees that opposed Jesus Christ to one of the followers of Jesus Christ. Do you remember that from the book of Acts? And this follower, Paul was one of the few people with enough knowledge to quote from the Old Testament as it relates to the content we see in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 1 Corinthians chapter 13 1 Corinthians chapter 14

Anyone saying Paul was not the author of many of the writings of the New Testament shows NO sense whatsoever. I hope people at least try to show common sense here. There are 156 usages of Paul in the New Testament New King James Version most of which are in the book of Acts. Here are some of the verses that mention Paul in his own writings. Romans 1:1 1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God New King James Version 1 Corinthians 1:1 1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, NKJV 1 Corinthians ends in verse 24. 1 Corinthians 16:21 21 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. NIV 2 Corinthians 1:1 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia: NKJV 2 Corinthians 10:1-2 1 Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ--who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. NKJV Galatians 1:1 1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), NKJV Galatians 5:2 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. NKJV Ephesians 1:1 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: NKJV Ephesians 1:1 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: NKJV Ephesians 3:1 1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles-- NKJV Philippians 1:1 1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: NKJV Colossians 1:1 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, NKJV The final verse of Colossians. Colossians 4:18 18 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. NIV 1 Thessalonians 1:1 1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. NKJV 2 Thessalonians 1:1 1 Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: NIV 2 Thessalonians 3:17 17 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write. NIV 1 Timothy 1:1-2 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, 2 To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. NKJV 2 Timothy 1:1-2 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. NKJV Titus 1:1-2 1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, NKJV Philemon 1:1 1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer, NKJV Philemon 19 19 I, Paul, am writing with my own hand. I will repay--not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self besides. NKJV 2 Peter 3:15 15 and account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, NKJV

I wonder if Raf will ever want to remove blinders on this subject? No, I think pertaining to the bible he likes blinders and wants to promote them. There are people that have studied the bible along with needed reference texts more than Raf and other people. The mentioning of Paul in the first verses of 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus should be obvious as to the original authors of these. However, as Steve Lortz has mentioned in previous posts here, Paul did have help and assistance in the writing of these letters that include mention of Paul. I wonder if Raf will now pretend that the entire content of these letters have all been plagiarized by Paul, who history shows us was a very knowledgeable man? Raf, does anyone ever plagiarize what you have originally written? 1 Timothy chapter 1 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, 2 To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. New King James Version 2 Timothy chapter 1 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. New King James Version Titus chapter 1 1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, New King James Version And thanks for the good historical and good sense biblical posts here Steve. I am nominating you as a teacher. And a study of what god breathed is and your explanation is a good biblical subject. The very important main part of any written work from the bible should be the truthfulness, reason and logic and whether or not it is seen in these writings?

Thank you for the history lesson Steve. Perhaps you should be one of the teachers at the christian university that you have been attending. And certainly hand written text, written after hearing from another person increases the chances of textual errors. However, I am confident that through reading, study and godly inspired logic and reason that we can see the possible errors. And this does not discredit the scriptures as a whole. A lot of translation work has gone into this. From your above post even more than I was previously thinking. And ancient times compared to today, using today's software to record thoughts and ideas would at least correct spelling errors and likely more.

When the original writers wrote their sections in what we see in today's bible. I wonder how many times they needed to edit their writings for truth, clarity and grammar? And as an example, I just edited this short writing. I had to look up the word spelled grammar to see if it was spelled grammer or grammar. The spelling as grammar won the debate. We all need to do this and I now see this as also including the original biblical writers. Otherwise, we would have the equivalent of puppets on strings. And yes, God's help of inspiration does help a great deal. However, a period of learning is still required for all people. And this is why Paul wrote most of what we see in the New Testament. He did the most study and learning in preparation to his writings.

That so called prof that you mention above Steve, sounds like the equivalent today of one of the scribes and pharisees of the 1st century church. Jesus used to devour dishonest people like this all the time in the first century in debates. These were the only people Jesus actually opposed after they first opposed Jesus Christ. And with my knowledge and very good biblical study software if a person like this was dishonest and bias biblically he would get devoured by me also today. As long as I had time from my busy as a bee worker schedule I might consider that recreation.

1 Corinthians 14:32-33 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. King James Version Anyone who speaks or writes for God has at least some control of what they speak or write. Otherwise you would have the equivalent of people being puppets on strings. Yes, inspiration is part of what God believing people will write. However, it also takes some motivation, incentive and will of common people. One of the main reasons that Paul wrote a lot of godly content that is now found in what today are called the church epistles is because he did a lot of work and study. Yes, inspiration was part of this, but Jesus Christ needed to inspire a person with much knowledge for some of the writings that we can read today from the New Testament. This is why he chose Paul.

One of the things that Raf is ignoring is that the story of the good Samaritan is seen in only one gospel. This is only seen in the gospel of Luke. This is ignored by the other gospels and their Jewish writers. It is late at night for me to write and below I have copied and pasted logical information on this that I see in Wikipedia. In addition to the below it should be obvious that people of Jewish religious backgrounds are more likely to ignore the story of the Good Samaritan than a gentile converted to following Jesus Christ. Do you remember how long it took one of the apostles to communicate with gentiles regarding Jesus Christ? His name was Peter. And people like Peter communicated with the Jews primarily and not the Gentiles. In contrast, Paul and his doctor friend Luke communicated with the Gentiles about Jesus Christ. Please at least try to follow logic. The story of the good Samaritan will be easier to follow for Gentiles converted to Christ than Jews converted to Christ. This would be a challenge for the Jewish people even those converted to following Jesus Christ. And it should be obvious that a Gentile converted to Jesus Christ would want to teach this more than a Jew converted to Jesus Christ. And I just noticed the above copied quote from Wikipedia could use some editing, but not tonight for me.

Raf, your last post shows bias and nothing more. Below is what I originally wrote a few years ago pertaining to Luke chapter 10. Logic and reasons tells me that this is a very good example of someone who was not Jewish writing the gospel of Luke. And the friend of Paul named Luke from what I have read was not Jewish. This should at least state the possibility that the friend of Paul named Luke wrote what is now called the gospel of Luke. And the actual author is secondary to me. What I am more interested in and concerned with is the logic and reasoning behind it. And for anyone who sees God as a god of love and justice this would be in harmony with something written that is inspired by God. And I do see logic, reasoning, love and justice from Luke chapter 10 and the story of "the Good Samaritan". I hope that you do also.

Whoever wrote the gospel of Luke to me shows love and compassion for all people regardless of their country of origin or religious beliefs. This is seen in the figurative story of "the good Samaritan" written in Luke 10:25-37. This would be in harmony with the friend of Paul named Luke who was the only possible writer of the New Testament that I now know of who was never a believer in Judaism or a citizen of the nation of Israel. Here is a teaching that I wrote and posted on one of my web sites. It covers some of the gospel of Luke. http://www.christian-universalism.info/

One simple point, when reading the bible for interpretation I am going to follow logic and reason mixed with study and not study alone. Otherwise I would turn into Fortunately I do see logic and reason in Paul's writings. However, for the parts of the bible that are figurative I have to use my logic or I have to ignore them. A simple example of this is in Genesis. Did we have a literal serpent while crawling on the earth was talking to Eve? That shows no logic and reason. Instead I see this as figurative. Something we all get today is we get truthful thoughts and untruthful thoughts. We simply need to see the truthful and honest thoughts and follow them instead of the untruthful and dishonest thoughts of deception, which we see a lot of in for example politics. And yes, the only real people that Jesus opposed in the first century were the people who strove for power instead of service to humanity. They were the people who mixed religion with politics, the Scribes, Pharisees and Sanhedrin. They used and still use today deception, which spiritually is descriptive of the God of this world called Satan or the devil with the demons. I refer to them as spiritual pis s ants. That is an example of my figurative language. What is yours? And sorry, I don't mean this to insult ants. I like all animals and even insects.

In a brief reply to what god-breathed means. There is only one usage in the entire Greek to English New Testament. For the Greek word this is Strong's number 2315. This makes it more difficult to understand the meaning, when only used once in the entire New Testament. This one usage is in 2 Timothy 3:16. Below is the verse with some context. Using the word breathed mixed with God it looks figurative as God does not need to literally breath like you and I. A simple definition of god-breathed is "inspired by God" as read in Thayer's Greek Lexicon. 10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

I have been a biblical student, mostly from the writings of the Apostle Paul and now Luke sounds very interesting also. It sounds like Luke was a personal student of the apostle Paul, spent time with him and was his friend and doctor. See this in Colossians 4:14, "Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings", NIV. Here is information from what I consider the equivalent of a biblical encyclopedia. LUKE A "fellow laborer" of the apostle Paul (Philem 24) and the probable author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. By profession he was a physician (Col 4:14). During one of Paul's imprisonments, probably in Rome, Luke's faithfulness was recorded by Paul when he declared, "Only Luke is with me" (2 Tim 4:11). These three references are our only direct knowledge of Luke in the New Testament. A bit more of Luke's life and personality can be pieced together with the aid of his writings (Luke and Acts) and some outside sources. Tradition records that he came from Antioch in Syria. This is possible, because Antioch played a significant role in the early Gentile mission which Luke described in Acts (Acts 11; 13; 14; 15; 18). Luke was a Gentile (Col 4:10-17) and the only non-Jewish author of a New Testament book. A comparison of 2 Cor 8:18 and 12:18 has led some to suppose that Luke and Titus were brothers, but this is a guess. Luke accompanied Paul on parts of his second third, and final missionary journeys. At three places in Acts, the narrative changes to the first person ("we"). This probably indicates that Luke was personally present during those episodes. On the second journey (A.D. 49-53), Luke accompanied Paul on the short voyage from Troas to Philippi (Acts 16:10-17). On the third journey (A.D. 54-58), Luke was present on the voyage from Philippi to Jerusalem (Acts 20:5-21:18). Whether Luke had spent the intervening time in Philippi is uncertain, but his connection with Philippi has led some to favor it (rather than Antioch) as Luke's home. Once in Palestine, Luke probably remained close by Paul during his two-year imprisonment in Caesarea. During this time, Luke probably drew together material, both oral and written, which he later used in the composition of his gospel (Luke 4). A third "we" passage describes in masterful suspense the shipwreck during Paul's voyage to Rome for his trial before Caesar. Each of the "we" passages involves Luke on a voyage, and the description of the journey from Jerusalem to Rome is full of observations and knowledge of nautical matters. Luke apparently was a humble man, with no desire to sound his own horn. More than one-fourth of the New Testament comes from his pen, but not once does he mention himself by name. He had a greater command of the Greek language and was probably more broad-minded and urbane than any New Testament writer. He was a careful historian, both by his own admission (Luke 1:1-4), and by the judgment of later history. Luke's gospel reveals his concern for the poor, sick, and outcast, thus offering a clue to why Paul called him "the beloved physician" (Col 4:14). He was faithful not only to Paul, but to the greater cause which he served-the publication of "good tidings of great joy" (Luke 2:10). Also see LUKE, GOSPEL OF; ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. (from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright ©1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

Just to add one more statement about Jesus Christ as it is related to Steve Lortz and his final statements. If it was not for the life of Jesus Christ, and for someone of faith, Like Steve, this includes his life, death and resurrection. We would not know who God is or our understanding of God would be limited at best. But thanks to the life of Jesus Christ we can know God at least in part. For example, like Jesus Christ his Son, God's goal is the salvation of mankind. And as 1 Corinthians 15:26-28 states "the last enemy that will be destroyed is death". With the goal of Jesus Christ, "that God may be all in all."

Interesting that Steve Lortz has described some of the OT writings as mystic. I have described this as figurative and not literal. The source of this sounds like the equivalent of using characters from a cartoon or TV show to teach spiritual truth. The cartoon or TV show could be from today or from past years such as Top Cat, Yogi Bear, Star Trek or Get Smart. Giggling is also required for these shows. Of course Steve also mentioned actual historical events that did actually take place and also using these to teach spiritual truth. Sounds like a very mystic culture that they may have had in the Old Testament times. However, for the New Testament Paul takes this mystically written information and makes it more clearly understood. Hence, I learn from his writings more that from other people's writings. However, for the book of Revelation, the last book of the bible we have the most non-literal and figuratively written in the entire bible. We can learn from this writing, but it has also been used to promote false doctrines and false prophetic events. Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 9, explains this more clearly, "For we know in part and we prophesy in part". Our overall knowledge is limited. Today we know only in part and certainly don't know everything.

I will be praying for the good or improved health of our friend Steve Lortz. Let's all pray for him now. Regarding this subject, the bible is often figurative and not literal. Sometimes if it is taken literally and not figuratively it will contradict itself. What we need for understanding and then interpretation is the mind of Jesus Christ. Below is an example from the scriptures of different interpretations by different people. And the original sin of mankind from the first chapters of Genesis written in a figurative manner showed the different mindsets that we can all have at times. Sometimes we follow the deception of the God of this world and sometimes we follow the mind of Jesus Christ the saviour of mankind. Fortunately, Jesus Christ is referred to as the second Adam for our mindset example to follow now. John 8:1-15 New King James Version (NKJV) 1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.”And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. ”Jesus Defends His Self-Witness 13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.

Deleted this because of an unintentional duplication of my post above.

Regarding the book of Revelation again. I have stated this a number of times. This book is written in figurative and not literal language. When I mention the word literal above it relates to the bible version that I quoted from. Specifically, the two usages of the word ages in verse 10. From the Greek this is aioon which is often translated "age". The first usage is plural and the second singular. The only usages of age that can be translated as eternal relate to God. All usages, and there are many, that relate to mankind and the sin nature of this time period have a time limit and should of course be translated "age". I have written an article on this which I have previously on this site posted links to. Here is a good commentary on Revelation 20:9, called Barnes Notes. Revelation 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. [And they went up on the breadth of the earth] They spread over the earth in extended columns. The image is that of an invading army that seems, in its march, to spread all over a land. The reference here is to the hosts assembled from the regions of Gog and Magog; that is, to the formidable enemies of the gospel that would be roused up at the close of the period properly called the "millennial" period-the period of the thousand years. It is not necessary to suppose that there would be "literally" armies of enemies of God summoned from lands that would be called lands of "Gog and Magog"; but all that is necessarily implied is, that there will be a state of hostility to the church of Christ which would be well illustrated by such a comparison with an invading host of barbarians. The expression "the breadth of the land" occurs in Hab 1:6, in a description. of the invasion of the Chaldeans, and means there "the whole extent of it"; that is, they would spread over the whole country. [And compassed the camp of the saints about] Besieged the camp of the saints considered as engaged in war, or as attacked by an enemy. The "camp of the saints" here seems to be supposed to be without the walls of the city; that is, the army was drawn out for defense. The fact that the foes were able to "compass this camp about," and to encircle the city at the same time, shows the greatness of the numbers of the invaders. [And the beloved city] Jerusalem-a city represented as beloved by God and by his people. The whole imagery here is derived from a supposed invasion of the land of Palestine-imagery than which nothing could be more natural to John in describing the hostility that would be aroused against the church in the latter day. But no just principle of interpretation requires us to understand this "literally." Compare Heb 12:22. Indeed, it would be absolutely "impossible" to give this chapter throughout a "literal" interpretation. What would be the "literal" interpretation of the very first verses? "I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the "key" of the bottomless pit, and "a great chain" in his hand; and he laid hold on the "dragon and bound" him." Can anyone believe that there is to be a literal "key," and a "chain," and an act of seizing a "serpent," and "binding" him? As little is it demanded that the passage before us should be taken "literally"; for if it is maintained that this should be, we may insist that the same principle of interpretation should be applied to every part of the chapter, and every part of the book. [And fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them] Consumed them-fire being represented as devouring or eating. See the notes on Rev 17:16. The meaning is, that they would be destroyed as if fire should come down from heaven, as on Sodom and Gomorrah. But it is not necessary to understand this literally, anymore than it is the portions of the chapter just referred to. What is obviously meant is, that their destruction would be sudden, certain, and entire, and that thus the last enemy of God and the church would be swept away. Nothing can be determined from this about the "means" by which this destruction will be effected; and that must be left for time to disclose. It is sufficient to know that the destruction of these last foes of God and the church will be certain and entire. This "language," as denoting the final destruction of the enemies of God, is often employed in the Scriptures. See Ps 11:6; Isa 29:6; Ezek 38:22; 39:6. (from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997 by Biblesoft)

What scriptures are you referring to? Is Revelation chapter 20. verses 1-10 part of this explanation? Here is one of the bible versions, a more literally worded one. The book of Revelation has a lot of symbolic wording and requires additional scriptures for understanding and/or clarity. What scriptures are you referring to? Revelation 20 Young's Literal Translation (YLT) 20 And I saw a messenger coming down out of the heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain over his hand, 2 and he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, who is Devil and Adversary, and did bind him a thousand years, 3 and he cast him to the abyss, and did shut him up, and put a seal upon him, that he may not lead astray the nations any more, till the thousand years may be finished; and after these it behoveth him to be loosed a little time. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them, and the souls of those who have been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus, and because of the word of God, and who did not bow before the beast, nor his image, and did not receive the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand, and they did live and reign with Christ the thousand years; 5 and the rest of the dead did not live again till the thousand years may be finished; this [is] the first rising again. 6 Happy and holy [is] he who is having part in the first rising again; over these the second death hath not authority, but they shall be priests of God and of the Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 7 And when the thousand years may be finished, the Adversary shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 and he shall go forth to lead the nations astray, that are in the four corners of the earth -- Gog and Magog -- to gather them together to war, of whom the number [is] as the sand of the sea; 9 and they did go up over the breadth of the land, and did surround the camp of the saints, and the beloved city, and there came down fire from God out of the heaven, and devoured them; 10 and the Devil, who is leading them astray, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where [are] the beast and the false prophet, and they shall be tormented day and night -- to the ages of the ages.

A good question, but it is clear to me that these religious people, primarily wanted to preserve their own political/religious power. Secondary would be to preserve their own nation of Israel. However, unlike these religious ruling people, Jesus did not have a goal of gaining political power like they feared. He was there for service. With these people under the Sanhedrin having the highest religious authority during Jesus' earthly life seeing his service and people appreciating it. They feared that Jesus would be able to start his own nation and not be under their religious authority and not be under the nation of Rome. The Romans wanted Israel under them and Caiaphas allowed for this, which was why the Roman authorities chose him as high priest. However, Jesus did not have this goal during his earthly life of starting his own nation with all under him. Regarding the fear these Jewish religious people showed here, the opposite happened and the Jews lost their temple of worship and their nation with a war against the Romans in A.D. 70. The first revolt against the Romans by the Jews was in A.D. 66. Four years later in A.D. 70, the Romans under emperor Titus marched into Jerusalem, and destroyed their temple and city and brought the Jewish state to an end. Thereafter the Jews became a religious group that was scattered across Europe and Asia, while God's message of redemption and salvation was committed to the Christian church spiritually seen by Paul as the body of Christ. Years later the Romans lost their nation also. Here is Jesus' prophetic prediction of this. Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple 13 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!” 2 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” NKJV