Bible Studies

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To the Uttermost Panteles
“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” KJV

I had a feeling this was the word my friend was most interested, and at the completion of the word study, I found this word taught me a lot about Jesus, prayer, and receiving answers to prayer. I hope in sharing this study, you will also gain insight into the Divine and his ability to answer seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened to you.

Uttermost is not a word I use every day, and actually, not a word I think I use in my day to day communications. The first time this word is known to appear in the English language is the 14th century, and to my surprise, appears in the King James Version several times. When I read this word in the verse, I think of a finite distance between two points, or two locations. What comes to your mind?

Due to the request, this was the most important word in the verse to review, so a more technical approach, okay more boring approach, was used to dig down into the meaning of this word. To quote my 4 year old, “I’m just kidding.” I did conduct a rather in depth technical review of the use of this word to paint an encapsulating picture in my mind, but in the end and through prayer, I was enlightened to the meaning of uttermost in a view I had not arrived at in my mind or in my technical approach. No Hebrew word plays arrived at a deeper meaning. No, this lesson came from a place we, okay I, sometimes overlook.

By definition, uttermost means the greatest degree or amount, the most or best of one’s ability, powers, the extreme limit or extent. Strong’s defines as all completely, perfect, unto completeness, as a noun, completion. This word comes from two words, utter; complete, total, absolute, and most; to the greatest or highest degree.

The Greek word from which uttermost comes from is Panteles which comes from two root words:

Pas: All, all things, every, whosoever, everyone, whole, always
telos: End, custom, uttermost, finally, ending, continual
A. termination, the limit at which a thing ceases to be (always of the end of some act or state, but not of the end of a period of time)
B. the end, the last in any succession or series, eternal
C. that by which a thing is finished, its close, issue
D. the end to which all things relate, the aim, purpose

Panteles is only used twice in the New Testament, yet the English word uttermost is found multiple times. The other verse using the specific Greek word Panteles is Luke 13:11, which may provide another insight for the use of the word.

“And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could no wise (Panteles) lift up herself.” KJV

I had over two pages of technical information for the word uttermost and panteles, but I was bogged down in all the technical jargon of the languages and couldn’t get my arms around the use of the word in the subject verse. I knew I was missing something. I was drawn to understand there was more to this word. Not knowing what else to do, I prayed. During my prayer the Holy Spirit informed me to ask God what the definition is, so I simply prayed, “God what is the definition of uttermost?” The answer came immediately. He pointed me to the cross. Look at the directions the cross points, (N,S,E,W) Up, Down, Left, Right. A man, hanging on a cross with open arms, ready to embrace all that come unto him. You want the definition of uttermost, look at Him! He was taken to the extreme limits of death, greatest degree or amount of pain physically and spiritually, to the extent of his abilities and powers, unto the completion of God’s plan. For an eternal sacrifice for everyone, in any place at any time, for our sins, past, present and future. With all he endured, was still uttermost to lift himself up on the cross, to live until He decided. “It is finished!” He is the image of uttermost!

I cried for almost an hour. This moment would change how I study the Bible, how I conduct word studies. In today’s world we have all the technical translations of each word in the Bible, yet there is an emotional content where a word, verse or chapter becomes alive and means something different to each and every one of us. The Holy Spirit will guide us, will draw us to words, and I have learned when I put forth the effort to study, I can pray and God will show me the hidden meaning or the part I am missing or He wants me to see. What an amazing experience!

Afterthoughts:
Wow! Letting this lesson sink in, I viewed the other location of pantales in a different view.

In Luke 13:11 the lady did not have the uttermost (pantales) to lift up herself. As people have reconstructed the cross and studied the “science” behind this torture device. One must continually lift themselves up to be able to breath, as the position is one of suffocation. The cross was designed to inflict as much pain as possible. Image being scourged and nailed to it! But through it all, Jesus nailed to a cross was uttermost to lift himself up, to be able to breath until the completion.

My wife had shared a Spanish song a few weeks before I did this word study called, “Cruz de mis Ancestros”, “The Cross of my Ancestors.” This song tied into my study and experience. Here is the lyrics in English.

Today, I looked at the cross of my ancestors.
With my science eyes.
With the light of my conscience.
With sinister eyes that doubted.

And I saw a vertical column
That engulfed the human race.
In the horizontal axis,
Defending the Christian religion.

And my “science” saw a wooden axis,
That coordinated a Holy Body
And then, I understood, why the axis is called a cross,
In which they nailed Jesus.

In which they killed Jesus.

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