The Godhead and The Deity of Christ Part I
The Godhead and The Deity of Christ Part I
This is a study of the Godhead; also called the Trinity, or the Tri-unity of God. The best
definition of the Trinity is that there is only one God, but in unity of the divine and
infinite Godhead there are three personalities, the Father, the Word (or Son), and Holy
Spirit, of one substance, power and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet
the essence undivided.
Again in simpler terms; There is only one God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are
three eternal and co-equal Persons; the same in essence but distinct in existence.
Throughout the history of Israel and the church, there has been vast opposition to the
concept of the Trinity of God. The question is; how can God be one, and how can God be
three? Is this a contradiction? The doctrine of a triune Godhead is a stumbling block for
many believers, but it is important to understand, because it is central to the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit anticipates every single heresy that may arise concerning scripture, so
that the saints of God are thoroughly furnished by the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God, to discern both good and evil.
II Timothy All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
3:16 reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
II Timothy That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
3:17
In church history, there have been five major errors concerning the doctrine of the
Trinity. I’m going to discuss each one, and hopefully shed some light on any confusion
about the doctrine of the triune Godhead and the deity of Jesus Christ.
Lord: 2962
κύριος Kurios (koo'-ree-os); Noun Masculine, Strong #: 2962
In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures translated in the third
century BC by seventy Jewish scholars, the Greek word, “Kurios”, is used as the Greek
equivalent to Jehovah 6,156 times of the 6,832 times that Jehovah appears in the Old
Testament. Also there are a number of Old Testament scriptures that speak of Jehovah,
the personal name of God, which when they are quoted in the New Testament, are
applied to Jesus. For instance:
Isaiah The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the
40:3 LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
When that same verse is quoted in the New Testament, the personal name of God is
applied to Jesus. John the Baptist declares that the same Jehovah that is spoken of in
Isaiah 40:3, which is also called our God, is Jesus in Matthew 3:3.
Matthew For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of
3:3 one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths
straight.
Also let us look at the prophecy in Joel chapter 2 and the fulfillment in Acts chapter 2:
Joel And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and
2:28 your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams,
your young men shall see visions:
Joel And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out
2:29 my spirit.
Joel And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars
2:30 of smoke.
Joel The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and
2:31 the terrible day of the LORD come.
Joel And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD
2:32 shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the
LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
The book of Acts declares that that Jesus is Jehovah spoken of in Joel 2:32. When
quoting Joel chapter 2 and speaking of Jesus, Acts 2:21 reads:
Acts But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
2:16
Acts And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit
2:17 upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young
men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Acts And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my
2:18 Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Acts And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood,
2:19 and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Acts The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great
2:20 and notable day of the Lord come:
Acts And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord
2:21 shall be saved.
The book of Acts makes it clear that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the only name that saves:
Acts Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and
4:8 elders of Israel,
Acts If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what
4:9 means he is made whole;
Acts Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus
4:10 Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by
him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Acts This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head
4:11 of the corner.
Acts Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under
4:12 heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
In I Corinthians 12:3, where it says that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the
Holy Ghost, there is an emphasis on the fact that Jesus is God. Unsaved men might
mouth the words in order to call him Lord as in master, and as we see from reading the
book of Jude, some may even mouth the words for the purpose of deceiving a
congregation about where their heart really is, but in order to recognize the deity of Christ
and call Jesus the Lord our God, this can only be done with the ministry of the Holy
Spirit. The Arian doctrine denies that Jesus is the Lord.
The Arian doctrine is still around us in various sects, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses (which
is also called the watchtower bible and tract society) and also with Mormonism, which
deny the eternal pre-existence of the Son by teaching that the Son was a created being,
created by the Father. The watchtower society teaches that Jesus is the arch angel
Michael.
Hebrews For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day
1:5 have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to
me a Son?
Hebrews And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And
1:6 let all the angels of God worship him.
Jesus was never an angel. Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The
significance of Jesus being the "firstbegotten" over all creation means that while he is still
fully 100% God, he also came as a man, and in eternity, he was always the Son of God
and the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
When Michael the archangel contended with the devil over the body of Moses, he
couldn’t do it on his own; he needed the help of the Lord. If Michael the archangel was
the Lord, then he would be able to rebuke the devil in his own name.
Jude Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the
1:9 body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The
Lord rebuke thee.
In light of the watchtower claim that Jesus is the arch angel Michael, and the claim that
Jesus is not eternal, let’s look to the scriptures to see if this claim is biblical. God’s nature
is first revealed in the Old Testament, and nothing about it changes as the New Testament
adds more light. The attribute of being immutable, which means not susceptible to
change, is an attribute that is only ascribed to God. As we study scripture, we see this
attribute is applied to both God the Father and to Jesus.
Psalm Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the
102:25 work of thy hands.
Psalm They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a
102:26 garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
Psalm But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
102:27
When we read that passage in Psalm 102, it tells us that God is the creator, and that God
does not change. But when Psalm 102:25-27 is quoted in the Hebrews 1:10-12, it is
attributed to Jesus thus showing that Jesus is God the creator, and that Jesus is God in His
attribute of being immutable. When speaking of Jesus, and quoting Psalm 102:25-27,
Hebrews 1:10-12 reads:
Jesus was never an angel. Angels are NOT to be worshipped. Even John, the beloved
apostle of Jesus Christ, wrote concerning an angel in Revelation 19:10:
Revelation And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it
19:10 not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of
Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
And Revelation 22:8-9:
Revelation And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and
22:8 seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me
these things.
Revelation Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant,
22:9 and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this
book: worship God.
If we are only to worship God, and Hebrews 1:6 tells us, “And let all the angels of God
worship him,” then Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
All the disciples worshipped Jesus in Matthew 28:17 and none of them were rebuked for
worshipping Him.
Matthew Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where
28:16 Jesus had appointed them.
Matthew And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
28:17
Matthew And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in
28:18 heaven and in earth.
Matthew Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
28:19 Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Matthew Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and,
28:20 lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Jesus is worthy of that worship. And again; none of the disciples were rebuked for
worshipping Him. On the other hand, there is a penalty for worshiping angels:
Colossians Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and
2:18 worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen,
vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
Colossians And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands
2:19 having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the
increase of God.
While speaking with Adam and Eve and Satan, God tells Satan in Genesis 3:15:
Genesis And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art
3:14 cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt
thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
Genesis And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and
3:15 her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Genesis Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception;
3:16 in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband,
and he shall rule over thee.
Jewish Scholars agree that Genesis 3:15 is a Messianic prophecy. A Messianic prophecy
is an Old Testament prophecy of or relating to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. Genesis
3:15 was the first Messianic prophecy.
In the context of biblical teaching, the statement, the seed of the woman, is very unusual.
Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, lineage was never reckoned after the woman, only
after the man. In all the genealogies that we have in biblical record, women are virtually
ignored because they are irrelevant in determining genealogy. Yet, the future person who
would crush the head of Satan while suffering only a slight heel wound Himself, would
not be reckoned after a man, but after a woman.
Centuries later, it was the prophet Isaiah who explained why the Messiah would be
reckoned after the woman. In Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah writes:
Isaiah Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall
7:14 conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
The fact that the birth spoken of in Isaiah 7:14 was a sign, showed that God wanted to
make a statement by using a miracle or a distinguishing mark in order to show a
perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent. If this was a normal birth,
it would not fulfill the requirement of being a sign.
The very existence of the Jewish people derived from a sign of a miraculous birth.
Both Abraham and Sarah were both far beyond the point of bearing children. Abraham
was ninety-nine years old, and Sarah was eighty-nine years old and far past menopause,
when God promised that Sarah would conceive and bear a son within one year.
This miraculous birth would be the sign that God will keep his covenant with Abraham
and will make a great nation from him. A year later this sign took place with the birth of
Isaac, through whom the Jewish people came. This miraculous sign authenticated the
Abrahamic covenant.
• Isaac
The miraculous son of Abraham
Genesis 17:15-19; 18:1-15; 21:1-8; Joshua 24:3; I Chronicles 1:28; Galatians 4:28;
Hebrews 11:11
The birth of the son born of a virgin prophesied about in Isaiah 7:14 was also to be a
miraculous sign; a birth taking place in an unusual way. This time the miraculous sign
was not the age of the mother, it was the fact that the child was going to be born of a
virgin.
Area of Conflict?
So now we have another area of conflict. There are those who want to teach that the
Hebrew word, almah, does not mean “virgin”, but “young woman” or “maid” when
translated in Isaiah 7:14.
virgin: 5959
` עלמהalmah (al-maw'); Noun Feminine, Strong #: 5959
But what they fail to explain is how this would be used as a sign. A young woman giving
birth to a child is not a sign because it happens all the time.
In other passages where the Hebrew word “almah” is used as virgin, it clearly means
virgin, like in Genesis 24:43 when referring to Rebekah, but Isaiah 7:14 is the only verse
that seems to attract the attention of those that want scrutinize the language. But the
Greek word “Parthenos” used for virgin in Matthew 1:23 & Luke 1:27 clearly means a
woman who has never had sexual intercourse with a man.
Matthew Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord
1:22 by the prophet, saying,
Matthew Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they
1:23 shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
virgin: 3933
παρθένος Parthenos (par-then'-os); Noun Feminine, Strong #: 3933
The Jewish scholars, who first translated the Torah into Koine Greek in the third century
BC, when translating the Hebrew word “almah”, used the same Greek word “Parthenos”
in Isaiah 7:14 that was used in Matthew 1:23, which clearly indicates a woman who has
never had sexual intercourse with a man. So clearly the Jewish scholars who translated
the Septuagint recognized that the correct translation of the Hebrew word “almah” to
mean a woman who has never had sexual intercourse with a man. Matthew and Luke
were quoting directly from the Septuagint when writing their Gospels.
The only other Hebrew word used for virgin, bĕthuwlah, is also translated as maid seven
times, and maiden five times in scripture. And when bĕthuwlah was used for virgin in
Genesis 24:16, the words “neither had any man known her” had to be added in order to
reiterate her virginity. In Joel 1:8, bĕthuwlah refers to a widow grieving for her husband.
Those who deny the virgin birth claim that if Isaiah 7:14 were speaking of a woman who
never had sexual intercourse, it would have used bĕthuwlah instead of almah. But if
bĕthuwlah were used in Isaiah 7:14 instead of almah, then those who would want to deny
the virgin birth would simply apply the other definitions of the word bĕthuwlah instead of
virgin.
virgin: 1330
בתולהB@thuwlah (beth-oo-law'); Noun Feminine, Strong #: 1330
Before I go on, if this sounds too confusing, I’m going to break it down and simplify it.
There are two Hebrew words, and one Greek word that we should learn when it comes to
being familiar with this argument.
Some of the adversaries to the virgin birth have even attacked the scholarship of Matthew
and Luke for using the Greek word Parthenos when referring to the prophecy in Isaiah
7:14 because Parthenos truly means virgin, but that was the exact word chosen by the
Jewish scholars who translated the Septuagint from the Hebrew language to the Koine
Greek, three centuries before the birth of Christ, which means that every Jew at the time
who studied scripture knew that the Messiah was going to be brought into the world by a
virgin birth.
The difference between almah and bĕthuwlah, the two Hebrew words that are used for
virgin, is that “almah” is used for a virgin that is mature and ready for marriage, and
“bĕthuwlah” is used for a virgin living with her parents or not betrothed, or pledged to be
married. In the case of Joel 1:8, bĕthuwlah refers to a widow grieving for her husband, so
a grieving widow would not be someone considered to be betrothed or pledged to be
married.
There is one more Hebrew word, na`arah, which is used as damsel, maid, maiden, and
young woman, but does not indicate weather the woman being spoken of is a virgin or
not, so this word would not be used to describe a miraculous sign. It would be like saying
“young woman” in the English language.
Is any thing too hard for the LORD? That is the question that is asked in Genesis 18:14.
How powerful is your God? The true and living God is omnipotent which means he is all
powerful. So the question isn’t could He? But did He make a virgin conceive? The
answer to that question is yes.
The prophecy of the miraculous birth in Isaiah 7:14 was the explanation of the mystery in
Genesis 3:15. The Messiah will enter the world by the means of a virgin birth.
Also His name was to be called Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. In
the Hebrew Scriptures, whenever a parent names a child, it shows the mindset of the
parents. The name indicates what character or accomplishments that the child is expected
to have. With human parents this may or may not be true of the child, but when God
gives a name to denote character, it is 100% accurate. Jesus is God with us.
Christ was the fulfillment of the prophecy in Genesis 3:15 and Isaiah 7:14. God sent forth
his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.
Galatians Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of
4:3 the world:
Galatians But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made
4:4 of a woman, made under the law,
Galatians To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption
4:5 of sons.
Also, According to Revelation 12:17, those which keep the commandments of God, and
have the testimony of Jesus Christ, are also the seed of the woman and the fulfillment
of Genesis 3:15. The church is His body according to I Corinthians 12:12, 27; Ephesians
5:30.
Revelation And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with
12:17 the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have
the testimony of Jesus Christ.
And of course; the woman being spoken of in Revelation 12:17 is Israel.
Isaiah 9:6 spoke of the Messiah and predicted that He would some day rule from the
throne of David in Jerusalem and would fulfill the covenant that God made with David.
The Messiah would come into the world as a human child through the virgin birth.
Isaiah For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be
9:6 upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The
mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
As a child he was born, but as a son he was given. Through the virgin birth He is a child
born, with reference to his human nature. But as the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world He is a son given, with reference to his divine nature.
John For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
3:16 believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Let’s take a look at the titles given to the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6:
- His name shall be called Wonderful. The Hebrew word for Wonderful, “Pele”, in
Isaiah 9:6 is a word that is ONLY used of God.
- Wonderful: 6382
פלאPele' (peh'-leh); Noun Masculine, Strong #: 6382
wonder, marvel
wonder (extraordinary, hard to understand thing)
wonder (of God's acts of judgment and redemption)
You can not grieve someone that doesn’t love you. The Arian doctrine teaches that the
Holy Spirit is an impersonal force, but God the Holy Spirit loves you, and He is our
Comforter and Teacher in His ministry to be our Counsellor.
Counsellor & Comforter: John 14:16; John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7; I John 2:1
John And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may
14:16 abide with you for ever;
John Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not,
14:17 neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in
you.
- His name shall be called The mighty God. The term “The mighty God” is a term
that is only used of God.
- His name shall be called The everlasting Father. The term “The everlasting
Father” is a term that is only used of God. It means father of eternity.
- His name shall be called The Prince of Peace. The term “The Prince of Peace” is
a term that can be used for both God and man, yet it is something that only God
can accomplish.
Isaiah Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the
9:7 throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with
judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of
hosts will perform this.
In a recent conversation with a person from the watchtower society, I was told that there
is a difference between mighty God and Almighty God. This is the argument they use to
discredit Isaiah 9:6, but it is also the closest that they will come to actually admitting that
Jesus is the Mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace spoken of in
Isaiah 9:6.
I’ve never encountered this argument before; but Scripture clearly states that the mighty
God is the LORD God Jehovah. Three examples that prove this is scripture are:
Psalm A Psalm of Asaph. The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called
50:1 the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
In Jeremiah 32:18 Jehovah is called “the Great” and is also called “the Mighty God”:
Jeremiah Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son
32:16 of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying,
Jeremiah Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great
32:17 power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
Jeremiah Thou showest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity
32:18 of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the
Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name,
Jeremiah Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the
32:19 ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and
according to the fruit of his doings:
Jeremiah Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, and
32:20 in Israel, and among other men; and hast made thee a name, as at this day;
Jeremiah And hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs,
32:21 and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and
with great terror;
Jeremiah And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give
32:22 them, a land flowing with milk and honey;
Jeremiah And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither
32:23 walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them
to do: therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them:
Jeremiah Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given
32:24 into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and
of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to
pass; and, behold, thou seest it.
In Habakkuk 1:12 we see mighty God being applied to the personal name of God.
Habakkuk Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall
1:12 not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God,
thou hast established them for correction.
Those are just three examples that show that their argument is incorrect. If you do a word
search, you will see more examples of where mighty God and Almighty God are used
interchangeably.
Even though the Mighty God vs. the Almighty God argument is new to me, the Holy
Spirit anticipated this heresy thousands of years in advance through scripture.
Revelation Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also
1:7 which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.
Even so, Amen.
Revelation I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord,
1:8 which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Jesus Christ is the Almighty. Clearly both Almighty God & Mighty God are both used of
Jehovah in the Old Testament, and Almighty is used of Jesus in the New Testament. This
argument appears to be a desperate attempt to handle the word of God deceitfully.
II Corinthians Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we
4:1 faint not;
II Corinthians But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in
4:2 craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by
manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience
in the sight of God.
II Corinthians But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4:3
II Corinthians In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which
4:4 believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them.
II Corinthians For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your
4:5 servants for Jesus' sake.
God told Christians to witness to the Jew first (Romans 1:16). The Jews believed in the
deity of the coming Messiah. The deity of the Messiah was never a question in the early
church. The Jews were able to recognize the signs of the Messiah, and were able to look
at the works of Jesus to see if Jesus was really the true Messiah. For instance in Matthew
11:2-6:
Matthew Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his
11:2 disciples,
Matthew And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
11:3
Matthew Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things
11:4 which ye do hear and see:
Matthew The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and
11:5 the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to
them.
Matthew And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
11:6
The Jewish people, who studied the scriptures, recognized that Jesus fulfilled these
Messianic signs in Isaiah 35:5-6:
Isaiah Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be
35:5 unstopped.
Isaiah Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in
35:6 the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
Q. What were some of the signs that the coming Messiah was really the Messiah?
The Bible tells us the "I.D." of the Messiah. His ethnic background, His place of birth,
the time frame of His arrival and other identifying characteristics are given. These
credentials enable us to identify the Messiah, and to recognize imposters. What, then, are
some of the credentials of the Messiah? There are over three hundred and forty
prophecies about the first coming of the Messiah, and ALL of them were fulfilled by
Jesus. For instance:
• Messiah was to be born at Bethlehem: Micah 5:1-2 Fulfilled Matthew 2:1; Luke
2:4-6
• Messiah would be from the tribe of Judah: Genesis 49:10 Fulfilled Hebrews 7:14
• Messiah would present himself by riding on an ass: Zechariah 9:9 Fulfilled John
12:14-15
• Messiah would be tortured to death: Psalm 22 Fulfilled Matthew 27:34-50; John
19:17-30 (Psalm 22 contains 11 prophecies)
• Messiah would arrive before the destruction of the Second Temple: Daniel 9:24-
27 Fulfilled in 70 AD and prophesied about by Christ Matthew 24:2; Mark 13:2
All of these passages were recognized by the early Jewish scholars as referring to the
Messiah. In detail as to His lineage, His birthplace, the time frame of His arrival, and
lifestyle, it was Jesus who matched the Messianic expectations of the Hebrew Scriptures.
The record of the fulfillment of these Messianic prophecies is found in the pages of the
New Testament.
• Jesus told the Samaritan woman that he is the Messiah (John 4:25-26)
John The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ:
4:25 when he is come, he will tell us all things.
John Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
4:26
• Jesus affirmed Peter's statement that he is the Messiah and Son of God (Matthew
16:15-17; Mark 8:29-31; Luke 9:20-23)
• Jesus told the high priest that he is the Messiah and Son of God (Matthew 26:63-
64; Mark 14:61-62; Luke 22:70-71)
Mark But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him,
14:61 and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
Mark And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right
14:62 hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Mark Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further
14:63 witnesses?
Mark Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be
14:64 guilty of death.
Jesus told us that He is the Messiah that was sent to die for the remission of our sins
(Matthew 26:28), but we have to believe Jesus in order to have salvation. As a Christian,
faith is very important, but salvation comes from what we believe in.
John For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
3:16 believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
3:17 through him might be saved.
John He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
3:18 condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God.
John He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the
3:36 Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
In John 5:17-18, the Jews understood that Jesus was equating himself with God: "he was
even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God" (John 5:17-18).
John The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him
5:15 whole.
John And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he
5:16 had done these things on the sabbath day.
John But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
5:17
John Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken
5:18 the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with
God.
After Jesus tells the scribes and Pharisees if ye had known me, ye should have known my
Father also, in John 8:19, Jesus tells them:
John I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that
8:24 I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
The italics in the King James Bible are the marks of an honest translation. No one added
these words to mislead us, or to change the word of God. Whenever the translators added
a word, when translating from one language to the next, they put it in italics to inform the
reader that the word was added. In John 8:24 the word “he” was added because it is in
italics, so when we remove that added word we see the words of Jesus read; for if ye
believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins.
Abraham knew Jesus and rejoiced to see Jesus’ day. Abraham knew that God would
provide “Himself” as a sacrifice.
Genesis And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said,
22:7 Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the
lamb for a burnt offering?
Genesis And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
22:8 offering: so they went both of them together.
As a person who used to write songs and poems, I like wordplay, and cleaver use of
words. For example:
Paronomasia
Noun
1. A humorous play on words; Know Jesus Know peace. No Jesus No peace.
A pun (also known as paronomasia) is a play on words that transposes the meanings of
words with similar sounds. This is usually for humorous effect, although one well known
pun of serious intent is found in the Bible.
In the English language we use puns for the purpose of humor, but the bible uses puns
through out scripture.
In Genesis 22:8, I like the word play that is used. It is saying one thing, but it has two
totally different meanings. God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. Not
only will God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering (We see that in the
ram caught in a dense growth of bushes by his horns in Genesis 22:13), but God will
provide Himself as the lamb for the burnt offering. We see that in Hebrews chapter
seven, which tells us that God offered up Himself as the sacrifice.
Hebrews For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled,
7:26 separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Hebrews Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his
7:27 own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up
himself.
We must believe on Jesus, the son of God, in order to have salvation. Hebrews 11:6 tells
us just how important faith is:
Hebrews But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God
11:6 MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him.
Hebrews chapter eleven lets us know how important faith was to the Old Testament
saints, as well as in our present day. The fact that we needed a redeemer was something
that was also known by the Old Testament saints, so the coming of a future Messiah was
something that the Old Testament saints were looking forward to.
John Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
8:56
John Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen
8:57 Abraham?
John Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
8:58
John Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the
8:59 temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
Abraham recognized Jesus as Almighty God in Genesis 17:1, Jacob recognized Jesus as
having the face of God in Genesis 32:30, Joseph recognized Jesus as the God of his
fathers in Genesis 48:15, Gideon recognized Jesus as the God of peace and built an altar
there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom in Judges 6:24, Manoah and his wife
recognized Jesus as God in Judges 13:22, and Job recognized Jesus as the redeemer in
Job 19:25-27.
Jesus is the God of peace, Jesus is our redeemer, and Jesus is God.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God.
Seven times in scripture, God tells us that He is the first and the last.
When encountered with question of the deity of Jesus Christ, I want to
point out these eight verses: (These verses point out the deity of Christ
in any translation; even the New World Translation which is the bible of
the Watchtower Society.)
• 1.
Isaiah Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the
41:4 LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.
• 2.
Isaiah Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I
44:6 am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
• 3.
Isaiah Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also
48:12 am the last.
• 4.
Revelation Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest,
1:11 write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto
Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto
Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
• 5.
Revelation And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon
1:17 me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
Revelation I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
1:18 Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
• 6.
Revelation And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the
2:8 first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
• 7.
Revelation I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
22:13
- Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, Jesus is the first and the last, and Jesus is God.
Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Today this is taught by different segments of the Christian population like the “Jesus
Only Movement” or “Oneness Pentecostals”. Modalism churches often accuse those that
believe in the Tri-unity of the Godhead of teaching three gods or Tritheism. This is not
what the Trinity is. The correct teaching of the Trinity is that there is one God in three
eternal coexistent persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
I John For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
5:7 Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
These three are one because there is only one God. Modalism denies the three, just like
Arians deny that the three are one. Jesus is one with the Father, but when referring to the
Father, He says that there is another that beareth witness of me:
John I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I
5:30 seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
John If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
5:31
John There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he
5:32 witnesseth of me is true.
In the New Testament Scripture, Jesus and the Father are counted as two witnesses:
John Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth
8:12 me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not
8:13 true.
John Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true:
8:14 for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and
whither I go.
John Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
8:15
John And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that
8:16 sent me.
John It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
8:17
John I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
8:18
John Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor
8:19 my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.
Both
Adjective
1. (used with count nouns) two considered together; the two. Both means more than one:
II John Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He
1:9 that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
II John If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house,
1:10 neither bid him God speed:
II John For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
1:11
There is only one God, but in the unity of the divine and infinite Godhead there are three
personalities; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit of one substance, power and
eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided.
The word "Trinity" is a term that is not found in the Bible but a word used to describe
what is obvious about God in the Scriptures. The Bible clearly speaks of God the Father,
God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. So where did the term “Trinity”
come from?
The term: "Tri" meaning three, and "Unity" meaning one, Tri+Unity = Trinity. It is a way
of acknowledging what the Bible reveals to us about God, that God is yet three
"Personalities" who have the same essence of deity.
Trinity, The
• Doctrine of the Trinity proved from Scripture
Matthew 3:16,17; 28:19; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:3-6; II Corinthians 13:14;
Ephesians 4:4-6; I Peter 1:2; Jude 1:20,21; Revelation 1:4,5
“Oneness Pentecostals” teach that if you were baptized in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, that you were not baptized right, and that you need to get
re-baptized in the name of Jesus only. This is not only a heresy about the Godhead; it is a
heresy concerning salvation.
First, because the Messiah is the second member of the Triune God, to believe in Jesus is
to believe in one God. Second, from the Old Testament onward, God always had a
mediator. Under the Mosaic Law, a person could not approach God directly through the
sacrificial system but had to approach Him by means of God's chosen mediator, who was
the Jewish High Priest. Just as the Old Testament believer needed to go through the High
Priest, the New Testament believer must also go through the High Priest. In this case, the
High Priest is Yeshua Hamashiach.
Charles Taze Russell taught his followers that the doctrine of the "Holy Trinity" is not
found in Christianity until at least three hundred years after the crucifixion of Jesus
Christ, and that the concept of a triune godhead likely comes from the traditions of
paganism!
This is false because the bible clearly teaches that Jesus came to fulfill the law and the
prophets.
What did the Old Testament reveal about the Messiah? The scriptures testify of Jesus Christ:
John 5:39; Acts 10:43; 18:28; I Corinthians 15:3
John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which
testify of me.
Some claim that John 1:1 does not accurately reflect the deity of Christ. This is one of those
passages that the church is accused of altering in 325 AD. To validate the accuracy of this verse,
we should go to the writings of the church before this time period.
Historic Christianity:
Clement of Alexandria wrote about this very passage in 190 AD:
“When [John] says: 'What was from the beginning [1 John 1:1],' he touches upon the generation
without beginning of the Son, who is co-equal with the Father.’Was,' therefore, is indicative of an
eternity without a beginning, just as the Word Himself, that is the Son, being one with the Father
in regard to equality of substance, is eternal and uncreated. That the word always existed is
signified by the saying: 'In the beginning was the Word' [John 1:1].”
Clement’s interpretation of John 1:1 is consistent with the Trinity view and it was written at least
135 years before the Council of Nicaea. Clement also is not alone in this belief. Theophilus wrote
in AD 160:
For the divine writing itself teaches us that Adam said that he had heard the voice but what else is
this voice but the word of God, who is also his Son.
We can see that historic Christianity agrees with our modern interpretation of scripture. They
testify to the deity of Christ. He was the Word of God, the Word was God, and the He eternally
existed together with God. Jesus is equal with God. This is verified in scripture and by the
testimonies of those who received the scriptures directly from the apostles.
I Corinthians And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body,
11:24 which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
wrapped in a white cloth, and hidden, representing the death and burial of Jesus.
John Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the
19:40 manner of the Jews is to bury.
The matzah itself is designed to represent Jesus, since it is striped and pierced, which was
prophesized by Isaiah,
Isaiah But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the
53:5 chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Following the Seder meal, the "buried" matzah is "resurrected," which was foretold in the
prophecies of David.
Psalm 16:10; Psalm 30:3; Psalm 49:15; Psalm 118:17;
Psalm For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One
16:10 to see corruption.
The Passover feasts of the LORD pointed to Jesus. When we do the Passover, we should
know what it represents.
Proverbs 20:25 It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make
inquiry.
Creation
o
Father: Genesis 1:1; Genesis 2:4, 5; Psalm 102:25; Psalms 148:5; Proverbs 26:10;
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Psalm Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of
102:25 thy hands.
Psalm They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment;
102:26 as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
Psalm But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
102:27
Son: John 1:3; John 1:10; I Corinthians 8:6; Hebrews 1:10; Colossians 1:16
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was
made.
Colossians For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible
1:16 and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all
things were created by him, and for him:
Colossians And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
1:17
Job 33:4 The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
John Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
10:17
John No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and
10:18 I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Sanctifier
o
Father: Exodus 31:13; Leviticus 20:8; 21:8; 22:9; Jude 1:1;
Jude Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God
1:1 the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
Jude Mercy unto you, and peace and love, be multiplied.
1:2
Son: Hebrews 2:11; 13:12
Hebrews Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood,
13:12 suffered without the gate.
When it comes to sanctification; Pilate asked the question, what is truth? The truth is the
word of God which sanctifies the saints.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
o Truth / True (God is the God of truth, Jesus is the truth, and the Holy
Spirit is the Spirit of truth).
John Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know
7:28 whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know
not.
Revelation And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is
3:7 holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man
shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
o Indwelling Believers
Father: Ephesians 2:22; II Corinthians 9:14; Philippians 2:13; I John 3:24; 4:12-13
I John No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his
4:12 love is perfected in us.
I John Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his
4:13 Spirit.
Spirit: Isaiah 63:11; Ezekiel 36:27; John 14:17; Romans 8:11; I Corinthians 3:16;
I Corinthians 6:19; II Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 5:18; II Timothy 1:14; I John 4:13
I Corinthians What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
6:19 you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
o Teaching
Father: Isaiah 54:13; Isaiah 48:17;
Isaiah Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God
48:17 which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
Galatians 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of
Jesus Christ.
o Eternal (The attribute of eternality does not merely mean that He will
exist eternally in the future, which is something that is true of angels and
saints. Eternality also means that He eternally existed in the past.)
Father: Romans 16:26; Psalm 41:13; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 41:4; Isaiah 44:6; Isaiah 48:12;
Isaiah 57:15; Micah 5:2
Psalm Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the
90:2 world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Son: Romans 1:20; Revelation 1:11; Revelation 1:17-18; Revelation 2:8; Revelation 21:6
Revelation 22:13;
Revelation I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
22:13
Son: John 10:8; Luke 8:25; I Corinthians 15:25-28; Philippians 3:21; Colossians 1:16-17;
II Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 1:3; Jude 1:24; Revelation 1:8
Hebrews God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by
1:1 the prophets,
Hebrews Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all
1:2 things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Hebrews Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and
1:3 upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our
sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Hebrews Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more
1:4 excellent name than they.
Revelation Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which
1:7 pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Revelation I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is,
1:8 and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Holy
o
Father: Psalm 89:18; Revelation 4:8; 15:4;
Psalm 89:18 For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
Son: Acts 3:14; Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 10:17-20; 55:5; 60:9; Revelation 3:7
Acts 3:14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto
you;
Acts 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are
witnesses.
Revelation And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is
3:7 holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man
shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
Revelation I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it:
3:8 for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Spirit: I John 2:20; Ephesians 4:30 in more than 90 places, the Bible calls the Spirit of
God "the Holy Spirit."
I John But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
2:20
D. Unitarianism / Universalism
Universalism declares that Jesus is "a way," maybe even "the best way," but not "the only
way" to the Father in heaven. So regardless of your belief system, we all get to the same
destination; heaven. Unitarianism, in general, is the form of Christianity that denies the
doctrine of the Trinity, believing that God exists only in one person.
While there were previous antitrinitarian movements in the early Christian Church, like
Arianism and Monarchianism, modern Unitarianism originated in the period of the
Protestant Reformation. Under Faustus Socinus a strong center of Unitarian belief
developed in Poland. In Transylvania, Francis Dávid laid the foundation (c.1560) for the
Unitarian Church there. In the 17th and 18th century.
Acts This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the
4:11 corner.
Acts Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven
4:12 given among men, whereby we must be saved.
John Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but
10:1 climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
John But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
10:2
John To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by
10:3 name, and leadeth them out.
John And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow
10:4 him: for they know his voice.
John And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice
10:5 of strangers.
John This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were
10:6 which he spake unto them.
John Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the
10:7 sheep.
John All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
10:8
John I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out,
10:9 and find pasture.
John The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they
10:10 might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Father: 1 Chronicles 16:33; Psalms 9:7; 96:13; Ecclesiastes 3:17; Ecclesiastes 12:14;
Daniel 7:9-10; John 12:47-48; Revelation 20:11-12;
Psalm 9:7 But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
Psalm 9:8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people
in uprightness.
Son: Matthew 7:22, 23; Matthew 25:30-46; John 5:22-27; Acts 17:31; Acts 10:42;
Romans 2:16; Romans 14:10; I Corinthians 4:5; II Corinthians 5:10; II Timothy 4:1; Jude
1:14-15; Revelation 3:5; Revelation 20:4;
II Corinthians For we must ALL appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one
5:10 may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it
be good or bad.
Divine Claims of the Messiah (In light of these claims, a decision has to be made
weather you believe that Jesus is the Word of God or not.)
John If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye
14:7 know him, and have seen him.
God told Moses that no one can see Him and live.
Exodus And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
33:20
Exodus And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
33:21
Exodus And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of
33:22 the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
Exodus And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall
33:23 not be seen.
Judges And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy
13:17 sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?
Judges And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name,
13:18 seeing it is secret?
secret: 6383
yalp Pil’iy (pil-ee’); Adjective, Strong #: 6383
Wonderful: 6382
alp Pele’ (peh’-leh); Noun Masculine, Strong #: 6382
1. wonder, marvel
- Notice that the angel of the LORD did not say ‘a secret’; He said secret.
Revelation His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a
19:12 name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Revelation And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The
19:13 Word of God.
Because of this, Manoah thought that he was going to die when he saw the angel of the
LORD.
Judges But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah
13:21 knew that he was an angel of the LORD.
Judges And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
13:22
Judges But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have
13:23 received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have
showed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.
What Manoah and his wife saw was the express image of God. Jesus is the express image
of God:
Hebrews God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by
1:1 the prophets,
Hebrews Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all
1:2 things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Hebrews Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and
1:3 upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins,
sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Hebrews Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more
1:4 excellent name than they.
Jesus flesh was the veil.
Hebrews Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
10:18
Hebrews Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
10:19
Hebrews By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is
10:20 to say, his flesh;
Hebrews And having an high priest over the house of God;
10:21
Hebrews Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
10:22 sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
veil
Pronunciation: \’vāl\
Function: noun
: a covering body part or membrane: as a : velum b : caul
veil: 2665
katapevtasma Katapetasma (kat-ap-et'-as-mah);
Word Origin: Greek, Noun Neuter, Strong #: 2665
a. the name given to the two curtains in the temple at Jerusalem, one of them
at the entrance to the temple separated the Holy Place from the outer court,
the other veiled the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place
I John No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his
4:12 love is perfected in us.
To see God in his invisible form would mean certain death like God explained to Moses
in Exodus 33. But to see Jesus is to see the brightness of His glory. Philippians chapter
two let’s us know that God took on the form of a servant.
Philippians Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
2:5
Philippians Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
2:6
Philippians But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and
2:7 was made in the likeness of men:
Philippians And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
2:8 unto death, even the death of the cross.
Isaiah For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he
53:2 hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we
should desire him.
Isaiah He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we
53:3 hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isaiah Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken,
53:4 smitten of God, and afflicted.
A full discovery of the glory of God, would overwhelm even Moses himself. Man is
mean, and unworthy of it; weak, and could not bear it; guilty, and could not but dread it.
The merciful display which is made in Christ Jesus, alone can be borne by us. The Lord
granted that which would abundantly satisfy. God's goodness is his glory; and he will
have us to know him by the glory of his mercy, more than by the glory of his majesty.
Upon the rock there was a fit place for Moses to view the goodness and glory of God.
The rock in Horeb was typical of Christ the Rock; the Rock of refuge, salvation, and
strength. Happy are they who stand upon this Rock. The cleft may be an emblem of
Christ, as smitten, crucified, wounded, and slain. What follows, denotes the imperfect
knowledge of God in the present state, even as revealed in Christ; for this, when
compared with the heavenly sight of him. is but like seeing a man that is gone by, whose
back only is to be seen. God in Christ, as he is, even the fullest and brightest displays of
his glory, grace, and goodness, are reserved to another state.
John Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me,
14:9 Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us
the Father?
John If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be
15:7 done unto you.
John Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
15:8
John As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
15:9
John If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my
15:10 Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Another thing I want to say to those who aren’t sure if Jesus is the ONLY way, is that
confessing Christ is the only way to eternal life.
I John Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in
4:2 the flesh is of God:
I John And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:
4:3 and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even
now already is it in the world.
Confessing Christ is the ONLY way to heaven. Jesus is come to save that which was lost.
Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
II Peter The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
3:9 longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come
to repentance.
E. Tritheism
Tritheism is the belief that there are three distinct, powerful gods, who form a triad.
Generally three gods are envisaged as having separate powers and separate supreme
Beings, or spheres of influence, but working together. Tritheism is the same as
polytheism except it limits the amount of gods to three.
There are ancient pagan religions that hold a tritheistic belief about their pagan gods. It is
because of this that those who hold to the Arian belief, like the followers of Charles Taze
Russell and the watchtower society, that it is taught that Christianity adopted a Tritheism
belief from ancient Babylon. Any pagan tradition that has crept into Christianity over the
years, can clearly be clearly be rebuked through scripture. The problem is, on top of
pointing out these pagan traditions that have crept into Christianity, many cults will point
to something that is clearly in scripture, and then tell you that the belief did not come into
Christianity until hundreds of years after the death of Christ.
Ironically, there is no Christian group that claims to believe in or teach tritheism; the term
is solely used as an accusation against others, somewhat similar to the usage of the word
cult, in accusing a group of holding an alternate or distorted view of the Christian
doctrine of Trinity. The main branches consider tritheism heretical. God is of one
substance, power and eternity. Each member of the Godhead has the whole divine
essence, yet the essence is undivided. There is only one God.
Unity of God
I Corinthians As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in
8:4 sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that
there is none other God but one.
I Corinthians For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as
8:5 there be gods many, and lords many,)
I Corinthians But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we
8:6 in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
She·ma: the Jewish confession of faith made up of Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and 11:13–21 and
Numbers 15:37–41
I John For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
5:7 Ghost: and these three are one.
"Hear, O Israel, Adonai Eloheinu Adonai is one. These three are one. How can the three
Names be one? Only through the perception of faith; in the vision of the Holy Spirit, in
the beholding of the hidden eye alone.…So it is with the mystery of the threefold Divine
manifestations designated by Adonai Eloheinu Adonai—three modes which yet form one
unity."1
- Zohar II:43b (vol. 3, p. 134 in the Soncino Press edition).
A Christian quote? Hardly. The above is taken from the Zohar, an ancient book of Jewish
mysticism. The Zohar is somewhat esoteric and most contemporary Jews don't study it,
but there are other Jewish books that refer to God's plurality as well.
• ASSERTED BY
o God himself
Isaiah 44:6,8; 45:18,21
Isaiah Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the
44:6 first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
o Christ
Mark 12:29; John 17:3
John And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
17:3 whom thou hast sent.
o Moses
Deuteronomy 4:39; 6:4
Deuteronomy Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
6:4
Deuteronomy And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul,
6:5 and with all thy might.
o Apostles
I Corinthians 8:4,6; Ephesians 4:6; I Timothy 2:5
I Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus;
I Timothy 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
I John For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost:
5:7 and these three are one.
John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known
me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then,
Show us the Father?
John Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak
14:10 unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
John Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very
14:11 works' sake.
Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your
calling;
Ephesians 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Ephesians 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you
all.
I Timothy For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man
2:5 Christ Jesus;
I Timothy Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
2:6
Worship
• To be rendered only to God
Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7; 6:13; Matthew 4:10; Luke 4:8; John 4:20-24;
Acts 10:26; 14:15; Colossians 2:18; Revelation 19:10; 22:8
• Jesus was worshiped in a way that only God can be worshiped and He received it
and welcomed it, showing that He claimed to be God
Matthew 14:33; John 9:8; 20:28; Philippians 2:10; Hebrews 1:6
Thomas worshipped Jesus and called him, “My Lord and my God”. If Jesus was not God,
then Jesus would have corrected Thomas.
John And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
20:28
John Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed
20:29 are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
• Idolatry Forbidden
Exodus 20:2,3; Deuteronomy 5:7; Exodus 23:24
Exodus Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works:
23:24 but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
Romans For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, EVERY KNEE shall bow to me, and
14:11 every tongue shall confess to God.
Philippians Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above
2:9 every name:
Philippians That at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE should bow, of things in heaven, and
2:10 things in earth, and things under the earth;
Philippians And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
2:11 God the Father.