<p>17:2 <i>Even as You gave him authority over all flesh, so that he should give eternal life to all whom You have given him</i>- The connection between the universal authority of the Lord and the need to preach it is made in Jn. 17:2,3 AV: &ldquo;Thou hast given him power over all flesh, <i>that</i> he should give eternal life to men... and this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent&rdquo;. The great commission says that because He has power over all flesh, therefore we must preach Him to all flesh (Mt. 28:18,19). Jn. 17:2 says that because He has this power, He can give men eternal life through the knowledge of Him. But that giving of eternal life is through the process of our obedience to the great commission to go out and offer it to all flesh. The extent of our obedience to the preaching commission is the extent to which eternal life is given to men. Their eternal destiny is placed in our hands. The authority to save all men and women has been given to the Lord, but the extent to which this becomes reality depends upon our preaching it. And yet the gift of eternal life cannot be limited to the gift of immortality at the Lord's return; for throughout John, the gift of the life eternal is a present experience. The Lord gives us His life, through the gift of His Spirit into our spirit and living. It is this which we offer to &quot;all flesh&quot;, and it shall surely have its issue in the gift of immortality at His return.</p>