Section 12
source comes with Him. This Spirit, sent by the Son coming with the Father, will testify concern ing the Son. Therefore, His testimony concerning the Son is a matter of the Triune God.
This Spirit of reality testifies concerning the Son as the vine. It testifies in front of the perse cuting religion. Furthermore, the Spirit testifies to the branches and through the branches to the world. Religion may persecute, but the Spirit of reality testifies that the Son is the vine. Through the believers as the branches this testimony will go forth throughout the whole world. It is going on today.
RELIGION'S PERSECUTION FORETOLD
In 16:1-4, religion's persecution of the vine and the branches is foretold. Firstly, religion will excommunicate the branches of the organism (the vine) from the organization (the synagogue, v. 2). In verse 2 the Lord said, "An hour is com ing when everyone who kills you will think that he is offering service to God." Religion thinks that it is offering service to God by killing the branches of God's organism. As we have seen, in this Gospel religion is revealed as the enemy of life. In the Gospels, Judaism opposed and per secuted the Lord Jesus. In the Acts, Judaism