Jesus was not God.

Jesus was not God.

What some groups teach about Jesus and the Bible's response. Adapted from Rose Publications, Christianity, Cults & Religions, 7^th Edition.

First off, I do not agree with this statement at all.

I will admit some difficulty understanding the assertion that Jesus is God, but I comprehend through scripture that He is God, and therefore have confidence in Jesus being God and accept that as fact.

This brief dive into the cults and their opposing statements was initiated by a co-worker who asked about what the Jehovah's Witnesses believe because he felt that a person at work was trying to convert him. I feel like I did not give him a solid answer.

I have, what many consider, the definitive book, Kingdom of the Cults, by Walter Martin, but I find my self overwhelmed by the amount of information Dr. Martin provides. The Rose chart seems to give me just enough information to satisfy the inquiries of my shallow mind. (My sense of humor)

The Rose chart used John 1:1 as its first definitive answer, so let's examine that.

“IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. [Isa. 9:6.] (John 1:1 AMP)

Since the Amplified referenced Isaiah's prophetic word let's dive into that momentarily.

“A child will be born for us. A son will be given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. He will be named: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6 GW

Notice that it initializes this foray with this statement

“A child will be born for us, A son will be given to us.”

And that happened.

We call Him Jesus but the scripture goes on to tell us, His name is the Mighty God. John 1:1 is a portrayal of not only Jesus as God, but as the Word of the living God.

These statements are concepts that people, primarily non-believers, struggle with.

One really needs to take the whole scene, in context; therefore I suggest that you spend some time thinking about (meditating upon) about what you see there in John 1:1-5. That way you can see the intricacies of the portrait that the Word paints, much like a painting of a sunny day, where the sun dominates the sky. There are so many other subtle details that enhance the composition.

We, without pursuing the truth in the Bible, not merely accepting what some “Pastor” and the translators (as though they were flawless in their translation efforts,) put in that book you call the Bible. The Greek word used here to describe Jesus is Logos. Its meaning is a spoken word, a thought or concept, and an expression of utterance of that thought. With 325 occurrences of Logos, over half are translated as the Word of God. Virtually every other has to do with some method of communication.

One of the major problems that anyone has to deal with is a lack of belief. You can beat people over the head with scripture all day long, with conviction, and still not get them to change their minds. Sort of like that old saying, you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink.

Perhaps a big dose of overwhelming evidence is the way, if presented in love.

John 1:1 is understandable to me, but then I chose to understand; and I have come to know that the Holy Spirit is playing a major role in mine or anyone's ability to grasp and pursue the truth. Jesus made a few other statements concerning himself as the Word.

“Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to see you.” Jesus replied, “My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God’s word and obey it.”
Luke 8:20-21 NLT

As a side note. His family thought he was crazy and had come to restrain him. Ignoring or rejecting them had everything to do with what God had told Him to do. Here he had been teaching. Challenged because of the potential scene his mother and brothers (James) were making outside; he responds with this statement.

Did you notice that He attributed the Word coming out of his mouth to being God's words?

If Jesus had not been God then this statement would be blasphemous.

“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”
John 5:24 NLT

In this verse lies the key that opens just about anything in scripture that the world perceives as a mystery.

• Jesus pointed out that anyone responding to His Word and having a belief, in God, has eternal life and will not be judged.

• This is the same message that Paul preaches in his letter to the Romans.

Paul never stood before Jesus, (that we know of,) listening intently, allowing the Word of faith to blossom in him. So, where did Paul get this from? You would be correct to say directly from Jesus himself.

John 8:31-37 NASB

31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

[The caustic response.]

33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, 'You will become free'?"

[How quickly they forgot their time in Egypt.]

34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.

[We, meaning religion, invite people to Jesus so that they can be free of Sin. The problem with that, and I have experienced it, is that I still struggle to resist sin. Sin, is a part of this body and will, someday, be changed through death. In that way we will finally be free from sin. Our acceptance of Christ eliminated the penalty of death for sin because He paid wholly paid the price that sin demanded.]

35 "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.

[Yep, we are slaves but in the best way possible.]

36 "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

[Look at John 5:4 once again. “those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.]

37 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.

[What is the difference between them and us? Jesus/God's Word has NO place in them.]

I chuckle as I read these passages for the Pharisees knew exactly what he was saying. It is possible that the common folk did not grasp it. Keep in mind that not everyone had a bible sitting on a table next to the comfortable chair, as many of us now do.

What is dominate to me in this passage is that they had no room for his Word.

How does that happen?

They were the learned ones. They studied “God's Law” with diligence. One might think that all they had room for was God's word, and yet standing before God he tells them they do not. Reacting purely out human emotion their anger and rage must have boiled to the surface. They did not accept Him as the Messiah, they certainly were not going to accept him God, so to kill him was a prescribed recourse, because that is what you do to blasphemous persons.

What I have listed below is a short collection of passages that speak toward Jesus being God. I pretty much operate out of the NIV, so the verse will be from there unless otherwise stated.

Much like many movies these days where there is some humorous gem that follows along with the credits, I suggest you read to the end.

1Corinthians 1:24 Christ is the power and the wisdom of God.

Colossians 2:3 Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom an knowledge.

Colossians 2:9 In Christ, all the fullness of the deity (God) lives in bodily form,

John 1:3 (GW) Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.

John 1:14 That Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

Colossians 1:15-19 NASB 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

Whether I made my point or not is somewhat dependent upon the reader. An argument is constructed in such a manner as to convince the opposition of it correctness.

• Jesus needed no proofs and yet God provided them; perhaps that is because He knew how broken and skeptical we were.

• Jesus was described before He came.

• His name was established in the heavens and foretold.

• He walked this earth as a man, fulfilling every prophecy about him.

• He did precisely what He said He would do. He died and rose again.

• He was witnessed by many after he arose, and He ascended into the heavens, sending us His Holy Spirit, just as He said He would do.

This is what Paul tells Timothy in the passage below.

1 Timothy 3:16 (MSG) This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough:

He appeared in a human body,

was proved right by the invisible Spirit,

was seen by angels.

He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples,

believed in all over the world,

taken up into heavenly glory.

And, He will come back for us (catching us away,) for the time is now upon us. Keep your eyes on the Holy Land, for it is the key.

How do you make a tree good?

Matthew 12:33, Jesus is speaking to a bunch of pharisees that denied his being God, and attributed his deliverance of a man to the devil. This is an incredible scene and really deserves you looking at the entire chapter. It is one in which Jesus declares to these knotheads that he is God and God's son. In truth they recognized that for they understood that only God could do what they had just witnessed. Blatantly ignoring truth they blasted him publicly, and made plans to kill him. Jesus gives this as part of his response: “make a tree good and it's fruit will be good,...”

The inverse of that question is: what makes a tree bad?

A tree does not know how to be bad, it only knows to do what is inherently in its nature and qualities. A  fruit tree only knows how to produce fruit, or in a sense, be good. That fruit may or may not be suitable for human consumption, but that does not make it bad. An obvious factor is that some trees produce a fruit that is barely noticeable and would be deemed non-fruiting, merely decorative. With minimal help a person can go to a nursery and pick out the type of tree they want based upon particular characteristics, as many of the aspects of that tree are described on a tag to aid in your decision.

The tree does nothing but function according to its nature, so how do you make the tree bad? Mind you Jesus is really not talking about trees but people, and yet you will find that so much of this makes sense when you put it into human perspectives. Sadly, we humans rarely come with information pamphlets that describe our future nature and characteristics. That tends to force us into God's word as there are many passages that define precisely who we are. Some we need to focus on would be who we are in Christ, as he is the rooting stock that we have been grafted into.

What can make a tree "bad."

• A tree, especially a fruit tree, needs adequate water. Yes, there are scientific studies that can tell you how much water that tree will need, dependent upon environmental conditions. Water promotes healthy sap production, which aids in its ability to resist pests, and carries nutrients throughout the tree. So if the tree does not get adequate water the tree will initially wilt. This is called plant stress. Plant stress on a continued basis impacts the fruit production, the foliage (the leaves), and eventually the plant cannot recover from the stress and you lose a perfectly good tree to death.
• In most cases, fruit trees have to be pruned if you want to obtain the maximum and best fruit from them. An orange bears fruit on new growth, while a peach tree produces fruit on mature, second year growth. This need for specific pruning varies with different fruiting trees, but in equating people to trees I see that we respond in similar ways, producing fruit in all stages of growth. Even though we might deem ourselves mature, there is always a time and season for new growth. How many times have you reread something and had it jump out at you as though it was new. By the way, you will find references to us being intentionally pruned by a loving God in order that we bear much fruit.
• Keeping a tree insect and disease free can assist in keeping the tree good. Here in Southern California we recently had a drought that lasted several years. The impact upon the pines in our local mountains was horrendous. Due to a lack of water the pines could not produce enough sap, a natural defense for them, and pine boring beetles were able to undermine the nutrient transport system of the pines, killing and weakening many of them. Add to that the work of an arsonist. Not only did we lose the beauty of a forest, but homes and lives were lost. There was nothing that demonstrated that the trees were trying to kill themselves, but they certainly could not defend themselves against such devastating outside influences.
  
  
  The tree needs, wants, and in a sense demands water, and will do nothing on its own to deny itself water, but we are not talking about a tree here are we. As a matter of fact many trees by "adaptation" have smaller leaves, and in some cases needles that assist in the retention of water. 
  
  
  Unlike a tree, we humans have minds of our own, and are frequently withholding water from our own lives. How? By not investing our time in God's word, and fellowship.

it was for this that he called you

2Thessalonians 2:14 it was for this that he called you by our gospel, to gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Context is everything. 

If I read this as a stand-alone sentence, then I would have to ask the question: 

What is the "this " that he called me for?

The word reference 'this" primarily goes back to 2 Thessalonians 2:13, where Paul wrote, "because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation,"

Our salvation comes through a continuing process of sanctification by the Holy Spirit and our belief in the truth. The Modern King James version of this verse says: "belief of the truth,"

The truth, then, is "respecting God and the execution of his purposes through Christ,"
(Webster's )

Truth is integrated into our salvation, for we have to believe the truth, which is Christ Jesus and his word.

Salvation might well be extrapolated as:
In English Versions of the Bible, the words salvation and save are not technical theological terms but simply denote deliverance in almost any sense the latter word can have. In systematic theology, however, salvation denotes the whole process by which man is delivered from all that would prevent his attaining the highest good that God has prepared for him. (ISBE)

Because verse 13 has us being saved through sanctification, we need to look at that word more intently.

The ISBE tells us that:

"To understand this primary meaning we must go back to the word holy in the Old Testament. That is holy which belongs to Yahweh. There is nothing implied here as to moral character. It may refer to days and seasons, to places, to objects used for worship, or to persons. Exactly the same usage is shown with the word sanctify. To sanctify anything is to declare it as belonging to God."

Sealed by the Holy Spirit, we are God's after we have believed the truth. The progress along that path toward transformation (not really clear on what all that encompasses) is a constant work in progress that will only be complete upon the day that we are changed. I am sure that is debatable, and there will be those who argue that there is a chance that God will continue the change process even while in heaven. (Note that scripture tells us that nothing sinful/evil will be allowed in heaven, so that is really not likely.) A book I read about a young man returning from heaven said that Jesus taught him everything (I transliterated a little here). The implication was more of an instant download of information. That might be part of the change that we go through.

I can tell you this. I have seen more changes in me in the last couple of months than I have ever experienced in my previous 56 years. I know it is a God thing, for I am even witnessing something I enjoy now. Go figure.
Take it easy on the condemnation until you try walking in my shoes. Ask me when we meet in heaven, and I will tell you all about it. Besides, there, I will not be so apt to take a swing at you. Just kidding, I think.

Something outstanding about 2 Thessalonians 2:14 is this: "he called you to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."

I will not try to define what the glory is but think about what we know about him now.

Even when we were dead in sins, has made us alive together with Christ (by grace ye are saved;) And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:5-7 KJV)

Even though it seems as though we are to attempt to live in this state of euphoria, something I have not mastered, we do have the promise of God showing us what is to come. And trust me, this is beyond my imagination.

I can hardly wait.

The head that was wounded

Rev 13:3  And I saw one of its heads as having been slain to death, and its deadly wound was healed. And all the earth marveled after the beast.

When you read, attempt to read as though you are reading it for the first time. Look for the context of what is being said.

God intended for this book of Revelation, especially, to be read and understood. He even promised a special blessing to those who make it their mind to understand it.

Having gained some insight into how the Islamic mind thinks I can tell you that the book of Revelation is suddenly making all the sense in the world to me. How that would have happened previously, with the strange ideas that we had and taught, I am not sure, but many tried. Sadly we ostracized our Catholic neighbors by tying far to many of the anti-Christ characteristics to the Roman Catholic church, and by the way it did us no good.

Suddenly, it would seem that Islam has arisen, and frightening as it seems, it fits like a glove the things John saw all those years ago.

There can be only one good reason for what I believe is a sudden clarity, God wants us to be aware and prepared, not with guns, and food so we can hide out in bunkers, but to strengthen those that may remain.

Demonstrate God's love at every opportunity, and pray that God opens peoples eyes and make himself real to them. This is happening in greater numbers than we will ever be aware of while these people live under these oppressive regimes.

Heads G2776
κεφαλή
kephalē
Thayer Definition:
1) the head, both of men and often of animals. Since the loss of the head destroys life, this word is used in the phrases relating to capital and extreme punishment.
2) metaphorically anything supreme, chief, prominent
2a) of persons, master lord: of a husband in relation to his wife
2b) of Christ: the Lord of the husband and of the Church
2c) of things: the corner stone

Men do not have multiple heads, so why then do we refer to this a man?

The spirit has given male and female personifications to metaphoric entities all throughout Revelation and in other books of the bible.

In terms of entities receiving the death blow, the Ottoman empire was the last great empire on earth. It encompassed the nations that we are seeing arise today, as well as Turkey and those countries across the Caucasus mountain range.

Because they flexed their muscles too much, too often, they were trounced and the world thought them dead. Turkey, Egypt, Saudi, Libya, and many others became quasi-democratic dictatorships. Setting aside some of the tenants of Islam in exchange for the riches of the world. Consider the disgusting wealth of the ruling Saudis.

What we have seen is a rebirth of Islamic fundamentalism, starting dramatically with the ouster of the Shah of Iran, and the rebirth of the Persian empire under Islamic radicals or fundamentalists as some would prefer to call them.

This is not a religion of peace but of war, for they will and are called to destroy anyone who opposes the teachings of the Koran.

The book of Revelation spells out that this head is the beast, the antichrist, and that the whole world marveled after it.

Look around you, Muslim's are everywhere, and they are beginning a drive to dominate the politics of America much like they have already done in other countries.

Our President has stated openly that he is a Muslim. Perhaps that will explain why he is fighting alongside the Muslim Brotherhood against Libya. This is why he has ordered surgical strikes, using unmanned drones, against Yemeni's as they attempt to wrestle control of Yemen back into fundamental Islamic hands.

Think about this: though the head, one of many, sustains a wound that appears fatal, and could well represent Islamic rebirth as a controlling factor, it also defines this head as the anti-Christ. That would make this person an extraordinary ruler of these people, even if it is for only a short time.

This is exactly what Islam spells out in their teachings. They are awaiting this man, and they call him the Mahdi, the missing or 12th Imam. Folks he is here.

Every prediction of theirs, that so closely parallels scriptural timelines of end times events, has, in their minds come to pass with the exception of two events. One of which, may not be critical, but details the death of a king of Arabia named Abdullah. Guess what, although there were years when there was no ruler over Arabia named Abdullah, there is now. How he meets his demise will be interesting to watch from a prophetic point of view. It, again, may not be necessary, as so many will probably not bat an eye if they gain the advantage that they feel they want without meeting all the demands of the Koran.

The other awaited event is the return of the Mahdi.