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Communion Verses and Notes

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“As Moses lifted up the serpent [the serpent made of bronze described in Numbers 21:8–9] in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whosoever believes in Him will have eternal life, for God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten [uniquely born] Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

“…for by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, lest any man should boast.”

Above is the content of John 3:14–16 and the content of Ephesians 2:8–9, respectively.  Itʼs worthwhile to refrain from receiving the mark referenced in Revelation 13:11–18 and to instead receive eternal life for free by believing that Jesus is the Savior. 

Before doing any Bible studying, it is useful to try to think of any sins that one might have committed since one last confessed oneʼs known post-salvation sins to God the Father, and if one has indeed committed any, to then silently confess those sins to God the Father—confessing only one time for each sin—in accordance with what is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This webpage could be periodically updated.  If there is a mass disappearance of people professing to be Christians, and if the original author of this webpage is amongst those people disappearing en masse, then it is possible that this webpage will no longer be updated.  Also, if there is a mass disappearance of people professing to be Christians, it is worthwhile to consider the possibility that those people have exited from the earth on the occasion known as the Rapture instead of assuming that that mass disappearance involves extraterrestrials abducting those people or involves the annihilation of those people or involves anything else other than the Rapture.  

Below are links related to archived copies of this webpage.  

archive.is/John314-16.com/Communion.html

archive.ph/John314-16.com/Communion.html

web.archive.org/*/John314-16.com/Communion.html

Also, it is possible that it is worthwhile to print this content in case of of time periods involving lack of Internet connectivity.  

When studying the Word of God, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of Hebrews 4:12:  

“Indeed, the Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit and of the joints and the marrow and is a critic of thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Note:  The heart refers to the mind.  

It is also beneficial to keep in mind the content of 2 Timothy 3:16–17 when studying the Word of God:  

“All Scripture is God breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God might be mature, having been thoroughly furnished unto all good work.”

It is the responsibility of a pastor-teacher to endeavor to correctly understand the Word of God and then to accurately teach the Word of God, as per the content of 2 Timothy 2:15:  

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of Truth.”

A pastor-teacher is a communicator rather than a crutch on which to be leaned.  In that regard, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should refrain from putting oneʼs trust in and thereby serving as a devoted follower of and thus worshiping a pastor-teacher.  Likewise, a believer should refrain from putting oneʼs trust in and thereby serving as a devoted follower of and thus worshiping anyone other than the Trinity [God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit], as per Joshua 24:15, the content of which references Joshua speaking to the Israelites:  

If it is disagreeable/bad/evil/wrong/wretchedness/displeasing in your sight to serve/worship Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, choose for yourselves today whom you serve/worship:  whether the gods ['elohiym / false gods] which your fathers have served/worshiped which were beyond the river or the gods ['elohiym / false gods] of the Amorites in whose land you are living.  As for me and my house, we serve/worship Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One.

Note:  Joshua, the leader of the Israelites after Joshua had been serving as the assistant of Moses while Moses was the leader of the Israelites, set the example for the Israelites.  Joshua chose to put his trust in and thereby serve as a devoted follower of and thus worship God the Father rather than Joshua choosing to put his trust in and thereby serve as a devoted follower of and thus worship the lesser of multiple evils amongst multiple choices of 'elohiym [el-oh-HEEM].  The word 'elohiym with a lowercase e can refer to false gods, to angels, or to human rulers or judges.  The word 'Elohiym with a capital E refers to the Trinity.  The word 'elohiym can also be used to refer to might as in mightiness.  In that regard, the use of the word 'elohiym in reference to false gods, to angels, or to human rulers or judges involves the connotation of mightiness in comparison to an average human.  When a person puts oneʼs trust in and thereby serves as a devoted follower of and thus worships an angel or human, that angel or human is that personʼs false god.  Regarding the foregoing, the content of Joshua 24:15 involves Joshua calling attention to the choices that the Israelites had, and that content involves Joshua permitting the Israelites to make their choices while Joshua led by example with his choice.  

The gift of pastor-teacher is for the purpose of each pastor-teacher functioning as a messenger who communicates the Word of God rather than functioning as a priest between the Trinity and mankind.  In that regard, the time period that can be referred to as the Church Age started fifty days after the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected, and all Church Age believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are priests.  The Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest of Church Age believers, and believers should be willing to acknowledge/confess/profess to people the believersʼ faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as per Hebrews 4:14–15:  

Therefore, since we have a great High Priest Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast the acknowledgment/confession/profession.  Indeed, we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One Who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Also, the Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek [mel-KIZ-uh-dek], who was the ruler of Salem when Abraham was still named Abram.  Melchizedek was both a king and a priest, as per Genesis 14:18, which references Melchizedek greeting Abram:  

Then Melchizedek king of Salem has brought out bread and wine, and he is a priest of 'El [AYL] 'Elyown [el-YOHN] / God [focusing on God the Fatherʼs power] Most High.

The Lord Jesus Christ is also both a king and a priest because the Lord is the Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, as per Hebrews 7:14–17:  

Indeed, it is evident that our Lord has arisen from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.  Also, it is still much more evident:  that according to the similarity of Melchizedek, Another of a different type of priest arises, Who has become such not on the basis of a law of fleshly command / physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.  Indeed, it is attested:  “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER, ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”

Note:  The Lord Jesus Christ is from the tribe of Judah.  Also, the Lord Jesus Christ is qualified to be a priest because He was resurrected and therefore has an indestructible body.  The above content in all capital letters is a reference to Psalm 110:4.  

Because a king is royalty, a king who is a priest is a royal priest.  In that regard, Church Age believers are royalty because they are members of the Lord Jesus Christʼs family.  Therefore, all Church Age believers are royal priests, as per 1 Peter 2:9–10:  

However, you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR ACQUISITION/PRESERVATION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are GODʼS PEOPLE.  You had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

Note:  Before the Church Age, Gentiles were not Godʼs people.  In the Church Age, both Jewish and Gentile believers are Godʼs people.  The content of 1 Peter 2:10 references Hosea 2:23.  In that regard, Peter uses references involving Israel in the Old Testament to refer to Church Age believers.  

Itʼs the message rather than the messenger that should be the focus of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Put succinctly:  itʼs the message rather than the messenger.  In that regard, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of Revelation 22:8–9, which was written by the apostle John, who, in addition to writing The Revelation to John, wrote The Gospel According to John, The First Epistle of John, The Second Epistle of John, and The Third Epistle of John:  

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things, but he says* to me, “Do not do that.  I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book.  Worship God.”

*Note:  The word says is in the Greek historical present tense.  By means of the Greek historical present tense, past action or future action can be described from the perspective of someone seeing the action as it occurs.  

Regarding messages, believers should use the Word of God to examine what is being communicated.  That is what the Bereans who are mentioned in Acts 17:10–12 did:  

The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, who, when they arrived, went into the synagogue of the Jews.  Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with all eagerness / readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.  Therefore, many of them believed, and not a few prominent Greek women and men.

Note:  The phrase not a few means “quite a few.”  

Today, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to meet believers in the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds on the occasion of the Rapture is one day closer than it was yesterday.  The Rapture involves both deceased and living believers in the Lord Jesus Christ meeting the Lord in the clouds in the atmosphere of the earth, receiving glorified immortal resurrection bodies similar to the Lord Jesus Christʼs glorified resurrection body, and going to Heaven with those resurrection bodies.  Before the Rapture occurs, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are in Heaven without glorified bodies.  While it is possible that the Rapture will occur on the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh]—which is what some people call Rosh Hashanah and which some people celebrate for two days—the next occurrence of which will possibly be during September or October of 2025, it is worthwhile for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to get into the habit of being prepared every day for the return of the Lord, just in case the Rapture will occur on a day other than the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah.  Furthermore, it is worthwhile to be in the habit of being prepared for the Rapture so that if it does occur on the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah, one can be prepared for that day because of already being in the habit of being prepared.  Examples of being prepared for the Rapture include applying the content of 1 John 1:9 whenever one sins, being unselfish, and whenever circumstances are such that an opportunity arises, sharing the gospel—the good news that believing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior Who was judged on the cross for the sins of humanity is the means by which a person is able to have eternal life.  Regarding sharing the gospel, one could also have a written or printed message containing the gospel with that written or printed message located somewhere where it could be easily noticed so that if a person or people were to read or hear that written or printed message either before or after the Rapture occurs, that person or people would thereby read or hear the gospel by means of that written or printed message.  

Regarding information about the Rapture, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52:  

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again—and we do indeed believe that Jesus died and rose again—so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.  Indeed, this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive who remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep, for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout of command, with a voice of an archangel and with a trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive who remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:51–52

Behold, I tell you a mystery:  we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for a trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

After the Rapture will be the seven-year Tribulation.  The believers who will be alive on the earth when the Rapture occurs will escape the Tribulation.  1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 covers that topic.  In that regard, in the book 1 Thessalonians, the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 is immediately followed by the content of 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11.  

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you, for you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night.  While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.  However, you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief, for you are all sons of light and sons of day.  We are not of night nor of darkness; therefore, let us not sleep as others, but let us be alert and sober.  Indeed, those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.  However, since we are of day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and benevolence/goodwill, and as a helmet, the hope / absolute confidence of deliverance, for God has not destined us for wrath but for obtaining deliverance through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.  Therefore, comfort one another and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Note:  In this context, the day of the Lord is the time period that consists of the Rapture, the seven years of the Tribulation, and the Second Advent.  In that regard, deliverance from the Tribulation is the deliverance in this context.  Also, unspecified is who will be saying “Peace and safety!”  In this context, sleeping refers to a lack of alertness.  The alertness in this context involves being ready for the Rapture.  In order to be ready for the Rapture, a believer needs to be filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and to pay attention for historical trends such as people saying “Peace and safety!” and for historical trends that match the pattern of the world being on the brink of tremendous calamities like those that will occur during the Tribulation.  Regarding being filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit, once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1.  Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30.  In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit.  Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19.  In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer.  After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again and in fellowship with the Trinity again.  

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ should periodically do Communion.  Unspecified in the Bible is how often believers should do Communion.  Communion involves remembering the Lord Jesus Christ being judged on the cross for the sins of humanity.  In that regard, once a month is a good frequency with which to do Communion in order to help with remembering the Lord Jesus Christ being judged on the cross.  Of course, a believer can do Communion at a different frequency than monthly as long as the believer is able to do Communion often enough to help with remembering the Lord Jesus Christ being judged on the cross.  Also, it is worthwhile to do Communion on the annual occasion of celebrating the Lord being resurrected after He was judged on the cross.  

Communion can also be called the Lordʼs Supper.  In addition, Communion can be called the Eucharist.  The English noun Eucharist is derived from the Greek noun εὐχαριστία [pronounced yoo-khah-ree-STEE-ah and transliterated as eucharistia].  The Greek noun transliterated as eucharistia can be translated as “gratitude,” “thankfulness,” or “the giving of thanks.”  The Greek noun transliterated as eucharistia is derived from the Greek adjective εὐχάριστος [pronounced yoo-KHAH-ree-stahs and transliterated as eucharistos].  The Greek adjective transliterated as eucharistos can be translated as “grateful” or “thankful.”  In Matthew 26:27; Mark 14:23; Luke 22:19; and 1 Corinthians 11:24, the Koine [KOI-nay] Greek verb translated as “given thanks” is εὐχαριστήσας [pronounced yoo-khah-ree-STAY-sahs and transliterated as eucharistēsas].  That verb is an inflected form of the root word εὐχαριστέω [pronounced yoo-khah-ree-STEH-oh and transliterated as eucharisteō].  The Koine Greek verb transliterated as eucharisteō is derived from the aforementioned Greek adjective transliterated as eucharistos.  

It is very important to be in fellowship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit when participating in Communion.  In that regard, once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is out of fellowship with the Trinity and is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1.  Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30.  In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit.  Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19.  In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer.  After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again and in fellowship with the Trinity again.  Being out of fellowship with the Trinity while participating in Communion is disrespectful toward the Trinity.  In that regard, if a believer participates in Communion while that believer is out of fellowship with the Trinity, that believer will receive divine discipline.  

Unleavened bread lacks leaven.  Leaven causes dough to rise.  For example, yeast is one of the forms of leaven.  In the Communion service, believers are supposed to eat unleavened bread.  Eating of unleavened bread helps a believer remember that the Lord was conceived without an old sin nature (OSN) and that He never acquired an old sin nature.  Every human except the Lord Jesus Christ has acquired an old sin nature, and each humanʼs old sin nature is in the body of that human.  The old sin nature, which is referenced in Ephesians 4:22 with the term old man, can also be referred to as the sin nature.  It is also referenced using the word flesh in Ephesians 2:3 and Galatians 5:16.  The content of Romans 6:6 associates the sin nature with peopleʼs bodies, and the content of Romans 7:17–18 references the sin nature being in peopleʼs bodies.  Adam and Ishshah [ish-SHAW] (the name of Eve before Adam renamed her Eve) were created without old sin natures, and they acquired old sin natures when they sinned.  All other human beings have been conceived.  Only the Lord Jesus Christ was conceived without an old sin nature.  All the other humans that were conceived have been conceived with old sin natures.  Likewise, all humans in the future will be conceived, and the conceiving of each of them will involve each of them receiving an old sin nature at the moment that each of them will be conceived.  Below are the conditions of alertness of the mindset color code and descriptions of them.  

Unspecified in the Bible is any indication regarding how big the piece of bread should be.  An example of a useful size is one approximately the size of a thumbnail.  Such a size is useful because it is large enough for the flavor of the bread to be noticeable and small enough to be eaten in a short enough period of time to maintain focus on the topic of the Lordʼs sinlessness.  

Below are verses related to the eating of the unleavened bread.  A useful procedure for doing Communion involves everyone present receiving a piece of bread, listening while someone reads the below verses and the notes associated with those verses, and then eating the bread.  The piece of bread can be nearby or held while the verses and notes are read.  If only one person is participating in a Communion service, that person can have the piece of bread nearby or held in his or her hand while he or she reads the below verses and the notes associated with those verses.  In such a circumstance, that believer can read the verses and notes silently.  Of course, he or she could read them out loud if he or she would like to do so.  

Note:  In Matthew 26:26, the pronoun they refers to the Lord and the remaining eleven disciples of the Lord on the occasion of the Last Supper and after Judas Iscariot, departing from the room where the supper was held, went to betray the Lord.  Also, the eating of the bread is a teaching illustration.  In that regard, rather than the bread literally being the Lordʼs body, the bread instead is an illustration that metaphorically teaches that the Lord has never had a sin nature.  In addition, eating is a non-meritorious act, just like believing in Jesus Christ as the Savior for eternal salvation is a non-meritorious act.  In a non-meritorious act, the person doing the action receives zero merit.  In other words, there is nothing about which a person can boast with regard to that action.  The same applies to faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior for eternal salvation.  Ephesians 2:8–9 covers that subject matter:  “…for by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, lest any man should boast.”  Also, because the process of eating the bread involves various senses, that process of eating can be memorable.  Therefore, the memorableness of eating the bread can help a believer remember the fact that the Lord is sinless and therefore was qualified to be judged for the sins of humanity.  

Matthew 26:26

While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after having blessed, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

Note:  As with the pronouns they and them in Matthew 26:26, the pronoun they in Mark 14:22 refers to the Lord and the remaining eleven disciples of the Lord after Judas Iscariot had departed to betray the Lord.  

Mark 14:22

While they were eating, He took some bread, and after having blessed He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.”

Note:  In Luke 22:19, the pronouns them and you refer to the Lord and the remaining eleven disciples of the Lord after Judas Iscariot had departed to betray the Lord.  

Luke 22:19

Then when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

Note:  The content of 1 Corinthians 11:23 involves the apostle Paul communicating to believers in the city Corinth.  Paul became a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ after the Lord had ascended to Heaven.  

1 Corinthians 11:23

Indeed, I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed took bread, 

1 Corinthians 11:24

and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

The drinking of the cup can involve a reddish-colored juice such as grape juice because the drinking of the cup is a reminder about the blood of animals that had been sacrificed in accordance with the Mosaic Law and also before the Mosaic Law, and the remembrance of those animal sacrifices is a reminder that the Lord Jesus Christ was judged on the cross for the sins of humanity.  The term Mosaic Law refers to the laws communicated by Moses to the ancient Israelites.  Because Moses communicated those laws, they are known collectively as the Mosaic Law.  The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the Mosaic Law by being judged on the cross for the sins of humanity.  Now that the Lord Jesus Christ has fulfilled the Mosaic Law, no believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are under the regulations of the Mosaic Law; therefore, people should refrain from sacrificing animals because such sacrifices have been invalidated by the Lord Jesus Christʼs fulfilling of the Mosaic Law when He received the judgment for the sins of humanity.  During the three-hour time period during which the Lord was being judged on the cross for the sins of humanity, the Lord experienced spiritual death.  His spiritual death on the cross involved Him being judged for all of the sins of humanity.  The Lordʼs spiritual death while being judged on the cross for the sins of humanity is known as the blood of Christ.  Rather than referring to the literal blood of the Lord, the term blood of Christ is a metaphorical reference to His spiritual death.  The term blood of Christ is also a circular reference because it calls to mind the sacrifices of the animals in the past and because the sacrifices of the animals helped believers look forward to the Lord being judged for the sins of humanity.  

Unspecified in the Bible is what type of juice to use.  In that regard, an example of a useful type of juice is grape juice because it has a reddish color that can help maintain focus on the topic of the Lord being judged for the sins of humanity.  Also, unspecified in the Bible is any indication regarding how much juice should be drunk.  An example of a useful amount is approximately one ounce.  Such a size is useful because it is large enough for the flavor of the juice to be noticeable and small enough to be drunk in a short enough period of time to maintain focus on the topic of the Lord being judged for the sins of humanity.  

Below are verses related to the drinking of the cup.  A useful procedure for doing Communion involves everyone present receiving a cup of juice, listening while someone reads the below verses and the notes associated with those verses, and then drinking the cup of juice.  The cup of juice can be nearby or held while the verses and notes are read.  If only one person is participating in a Communion service, that person can have the cup of juice nearby or held in his or her hand while he or she reads the below verses and the notes associated with those verses.  In such a circumstance, that believer can read the verses and notes silently.  Of course, he or she could read them out loud if he or she would like to do so.  

Note:  As with the eating of the unleavened bread, the drinking of the cup is a teaching illustration.  In that regard, rather than the liquid in the cup literally being the Lordʼs blood, the liquid instead is an illustration that metaphorically teaches that the Lord was judged for the sins of humanity.  In addition, drinking is a non-meritorious act, just like believing in Jesus Christ as the Savior for eternal salvation is a non-meritorious act.  In a non-meritorious act, the person doing the action receives zero merit.  In other words, there is nothing about which a person can boast with regard to that action.  The same applies to faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior for eternal salvation.  Ephesians 2:8–9 covers that subject matter:  “…for by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, lest any man should boast.”  Also, because the process of drinking the cup involves various senses, that process of drinking can be memorable.  Therefore, the memorableness of drinking the cup can help a believer remember the fact that the Lord was judged for the sins of humanity.  

Matthew 26:27

Then when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, 

Matthew 26:28

for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”

Mark 14:23

Then when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

Mark 14:24

Then He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.”

Luke 22:20

Then in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”

1 Corinthians 11:25

In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

1 Corinthians 11:26

Indeed, as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lordʼs death until He comes.

Note:  Even if there is an absence of any other humans to see when a believer does Communion, that believer is still proclaiming the Lordʼs death because angels and the Trinity can see the believer doing the communion.  In that regard, doing Communion involves communing with the Trinity; therefore, a believer can do Communion without any other humans present.  Of course, believers can also do Communion with other believers present.  

On the occasion of the Lord and His remaining eleven disciples eating the bread and drinking the cup, the Lord prophesied about the Millennium, which is the time period of 1,000 years during which He will reign on the earth.  

Matthew 26:29

“However, I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Fatherʼs kingdom.”

Note:  In Matthew 26:29, the phrase My Fatherʼs kingdom is a reference to the 1,000-year Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth.  In that regard, below is a synopsis of human history as categorized into time periods known as dispensations.  In the below synopsis, there is the term hypostatic union [high-PUH-stat-ick YOON-yuhn].  This refers to the Lord Jesus Christ being 100% Deity and 100% humanity.  The English word hypostatic is derived from the Koine [KOI-nay] Greek word ὑπόστασις [pronounced hoo-PAH-stah-sees and transliterated as hypostasis].  After the Lord Jesus Christ was judged for the sins of humanity, His body was in the grave for three days and three nights.  He was then resurrected, and He was on the earth for forty days after He was resurrected.  He then ascended to Heaven, and ten days after that, the Day of Pentecost [PEN-tih-kahst] occurred.  The Day of Pentecost was the beginning of the Church Age.  The word Pentecost is derived from the Koine Greek word πεντηκοστή [pronounced pen-tay-kah-STAY and transliterated as pentēkostē].  That word is derived from the Koine Greek word πεντήκοντα [pronounced pen-TAY-kahn-tah and transliterated as pentēkonta], which means “fifty.”  Therefore, the word Pentecost is derived from the fact that that day occurred fifty days after the Lord was resurrected.  In that regard, the Church Age began fifty days after the Lord was resurrected.  The Church Age will end with the Rapture.  The Rapture involves both deceased and living believers in the Lord Jesus Christ meeting the Lord in the clouds in the atmosphere of the earth, receiving glorified immortal resurrection bodies similar to the Lord Jesus Christʼs glorified resurrection body, and going to Heaven with those resurrection bodies.  Before the Rapture occurs, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are in Heaven without glorified bodies.  Absent from the Bible is anything specifically indicating the precise date and time when the Rapture will occur, although it is possible that the Rapture will occur on the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh]—which is what some people call Rosh Hashanah and which some people celebrate for two days—the next occurrence of which will possibly be during September or October of 2025.  

Regarding the word judgment, the proper way to spell that word is without an e between the dg and the m.  In that regard, the e of the root word judge is dropped when the suffix ment is added to that root word.  The formation of the word judgment is shown below.  

judge −e +ment

= judg +ment

= judgment

Another way to categorize human history is by means of civilizations.  Civilizations begin only with believers.  Regarding the timing of civilizations and dispensations, the first civilization began with Adam and ended on the occasion of the Great Flood (also known as the Flood).  That civilization is known as the antediluvian civilization and the predulivian civilization.  In that regard, the prefixes ante and pre mean “before.”  Also, there are various spellings of the adjectives that refer to the time before the Flood.  Those spellings include antediluvian, ante-diluvian, prediluvian, and pre-diluvian.  

After the Flood, there were only eight believers on the earth:  Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their sonsʼ wives.  With the removal of the unbelievers from the earth on the occasion of the Flood, a new civilization was started.  That civilization is known as the postdiluvian civilization (also known as the postdiluvial civilization).  Regarding the terminology, the prefix post means “after,” and the adjectives diluvian and diluvial mean “having to do with a flood.”  Also, there are various spellings of the adjectives that refer to the time after the Flood.  Those spellings include postdiluvian, post-diluvian, postdiluvial, and post-diluvial.  The postdiluvian civilization will end on the occasion of the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.  On the occasion of the Second Advent, the Lord will remove all unbelievers from the earth.  Their removal will be by means of physical death just as the removal of all unbelievers was by means of physical death on the occasion of the Flood.  This is called the Baptism of Fire, which is either a metaphorical description because fire can be used to represent judgment or a literal reference to the use of fire in the judgment of unbelievers on the occasion of the Second Advent.  The Baptism of Fire is referenced in Matthew 3:11–12; Luke 3:15–17; and 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9.  

Just as a new civilization started after the Flood, so also a new civilization will start after the Baptism of Fire.  That civilization is called the Millennium.  The Millennium is both a civilization and a dispensation.  The Eternal State is also both a civilization and a dispensation.  

Mark 14:25

“Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Note:  In Mark 14:25, the phrase kingdom of God is also a reference to the 1,000-year Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth.  

After the Lord and His remaining eleven disciples ate the bread and drank the cup, they sang a hymn.  

Matthew 26:30

After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Mark 14:26

After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Believers in the Church Age can also sing a hymn after eating the bread and drinking the cup.  A useful hymn for Communion is “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”  Below are links to sound files with the music of that song.  The first file has a higher-quality sound.  If that file is unplayable on the device that one uses to access the file, maybe the second file will be playable.  The names of the files contain the word hamburg because the name of the song that is used for the singing of the words of this hymn is “Hamburg.”  

http://www.hymntime.com/tch/mid/h/a/m/b/hamburg.mid

http://www.hymntime.com/tch/ogg/h/a/m/b/hamburg.ogg

Below are lyrics for four stanzas of the hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”  The third stanza can be sung without music playing.  The music can be resumed for the fourth stanza.  

When I survey the wondrous cross

on which the Prince of glory died,

my richest gain I count but loss

and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

save in the death of Christ my God!

All the vain things that charm me most—

I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,

sorrow and love flow mingled down!

Did eʼer such love and sorrow meet,

or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

that were a present far too small;

love so amazing, so divine,

demands my soul, my life, my all.

It is respectful towards God the Father to finish the Communion service with a prayer.  That prayer can involve thanking God the Father for sending the Lord Jesus Christ to be judged on the cross for the sins of humanity.  That prayer can also involve thanking God the Father for the opportunity to participate in the Communion service.  In addition, that prayer can involve asking God the Father that the participants in the Communion service will benefit from participating in it.  At the end of any prayer, it is good to say something like the following:  “In the Lord Jesus Christʼs name, amen.”  The word amen can be translated into English as “I believe it.”  If the Lord Jesus Christ had not been judged on the cross for our sins, we would be unable to pray to God the Father.  When one prays in the Lord Jesus Christʼs name, one is calling attention to His work on the cross that made praying to God the Father possible.