Real meaning of John 8:51.

Never Die? According to some Bible Translations, Jesus said (as recorded at John 8:51): ‘Most truly I say to you; If anyone observes my word, he will never see death at all.’ However, all of Jesus’ faithful Apostles and disciples (who had certainly observed his word) died, for the Bible tells about the deaths of some of them, such as Stephen and James. So, did Jesus lie? No! Rather, the way that those words are translated in other Bibles is what is wrong. Notice that in Greek, John 8:51 actually reads: ‘Amen, amen, lego hymin; ean tis ton emon logon terese, thanaton ou me theorese eis ton aiōna,’ or, ‘Amen, amen (truthfully) I/say to/you; if/ever anyone the my word should/observe, death not not he/shall/behold into the age.’ As you can see, the Greek word thanaton (death) precedes aiōna, and here it is found in the singular accusative tense. So, Jesus was really saying that they wouldn’t know death through the era or age, or that they wouldn’t always remain dead. This is the same sentence structure as that which Jesus used at John 11:26, where he said: ‘Kai pas ho zon kai pisteuon eis eme ou me apothane eis ton aiōna. Pisteueis touto?’ or, ‘And all the living and believing into me not not should/die into the age. Believe/you this?’ Note that Jesus actually explained what he meant when he said this at John 6:40, where we read: ‘Yes, it is the Will of my Father that everyone who pays close attention to the Son and believes in him should have age-long life. For I will resurrect him… [yes] me, on the Last Day!’ As you can see, Jesus wasn’t really saying that his disciples wouldn’t die; rather, he was telling them that they wouldn’t stay dead through the age or ages, because he would resurrect them on the last day. Therefore, we have translated John 8:51 as saying: ‘I truthfully say that those who obey my words will not see death into the age. Do you believe this?’ For more information, see the subheading, ‘The Promise of Jesus,’ in the linked document, ‘The Hereafter.’ New JeruSalem