BY HIS NAMES AND TITLES ALONE WE KNOW JESUS IS GOD
1). INTRODUCTION
Muslims frequently ask for evidence from the Bible that Jesus is God or where He said He is God, because to them He is only a prophet, a messenger or a servant of God.
No Christian denies Jesus is a prophet but He is far more than that. His titles include at least 30 of the 99 names of Allah which according to Islam are supposedly unique to God. No other prophet has these; they are uniquely ascribed to Jesus.
Below we have a compilation of all the names and attributes that Jesus possesses, which match or find their equivalence in at least 30 of the 99 names of Allah. And since Jesus has carried these names since long before Muhammad took the then chief god of the Kaaba, Hubal and rebranded him as the abstract Allah, we can see where Islam borrowed the idea of 99 names from.
Bearing in mind that Allah’s 99 names also includes disparaging names which match with those of Satan in the Bible, we are not trying, and would never expect, to match all of Allah’s names with Jesus. The point is that the aggregation of names and titles establishes beyond doubt the deity of our Lord Jesus. Since Muslims respect and revere the 99 names of Allah as belonging to God alone it means they must also revere and respect those same names and divine titles for Jesus.
But first before examining this list of those matching the 99 names of Allah, we need to understand the significance of the title Messiah.
2). THE MESSIAH WOULD BE GOD
Messiah (Hebrew: מָשִׁיחַ, Modern: Mashiaẖ, Tiberian: Māšîăḥ; in modern Jewish texts in English spelled Mashiach; Aramaic: משיחא‎, Greek: Μεσσίας, Classical Syriac: ܡܫܺܝܚܳܐ‎, Məšîḥā, Arabic: المسيح‎, al-Masīḥ, Latin: Messias) literally means “anointed one”.
There are at least 10 key texts from the Old Testament that prophesy the Messiah to come would be God. Some will be more familiar than others.
1. Isaiah 9:6 ‘For a child is born unto us, a son is given unto us; and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name is called Pele-joez-el-gibbor-Abi-ad-sar-shalom;’
This child which is born is called El-Gibbor, which as I’m sure you know is ‘Mighty God’ and is never used of a man. Avi-Ad is literally ‘Father of Eternity’ and could never describe a mere man.
The titles, “everlasting Father” and “The mighty God” of Isaiah 9:6, can only apply to Jesus.
A selection of rabbinic quotes confirm what 2nd Temple era understanding onwards made of this:
In the Targum of Isaiah we read: “His name has been called from old, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, He who lives forever, the Anointed One (Messiah), in whose days peace shall increase upon us.”
Midrash Mishle, S. Buber edition: The Messiah is called by eight names: Yinnon, Tzemah, Pele [“Miracle”], Yo’etz [“Counselor”], Mashiah [“Messiah”], El [“God”], Gibbor [“Hero”], andAvi ‘Ad Shalom [“Eternal Father of Peace”]
The great rabbi Ibn Ezra said: “There are some interpreters who say that ‘wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father’ are the names of God, and that only ‘prince of peace’ is the name of the child. But according to my view, the right interpretation is that they are all the names of the child.” (Walter Riggans, Yeshua Ben David [Wowborough, East Sussex; MARC, 1995], p. 370)
Clearly, even if Isaiah 9:6 this was the only verse, it shows that this child is called God. The Rabbis called the Messiah by the name ‘God’. But we have many more passages of affirmation.
2. Jeremiah 23:5-6 ‘The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.”
The Messiah is given the name of God alone. YHWH. The Midrash on Proverbs 19:21 says ‘Rabbi Hunah said ‘Eight names are given to the Messiah which are Yinnon, Shiloh, David, Menachem, Jehovah, Justi de Nostra, Tzemmach, Elias.’
The Midrash on Lamentations 1:16 says ‘What is the name of the Messiah? Rav Ava ben Kahanna said ‘Jehovah is his name and this is proved by, ‘this is his name… [quoting Jeremiah 23:6].’
So this passage and these Rabbinic quotes show that the Messiah was called Yahweh. No mere man would ever be called by God’s name.
3. Micah 5:2 “But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from ancient days.”
The Targum Jonathan (2nd century AD) : ‘And You Bethlehem Ephrath, you who were too small to be numbered among the thousands of the house of Judah, From you shall come forth before Me The Messiah.’
In regards to the Messiah’s human origin He is said to have been born in Bethlehem, but regarding His divine origin He is said to be ‘from old, from ancient days.’ Arnold Fruchenbaum writes ‘The Hebrew for ‘from long ago, from the days of eternity’ are the strongest Hebrew words ever used for eternity past. They are used of God the Father in Psalm 90:2… Again we have a passage which shows that Messiah is to be human – being born at some specific point in time at some specific place – yet having existed since eternity past, and therefore divine.’
4. Psalm 2:7 “I will declare the Lord’s decree: He said to Me, “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.”
Messiah would be the Son of God. Therefore He would be divine. And in case you think this isn’t about the Messiah, Rabbi Rashi says ‘Our Rabbis expound it as relating to King Messiah.’
5. Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.”
While Muslims don’t like it, the prophecy shows that a virgin would give birth to a child who is literally, ‘God with us’. The Hebrew word ‘Almah’ is used in this passage and speaks of a virgin. Arnold Fruchtenbaum writes ‘Since everyone agrees that ‘almah’ means an unmarried woman, if the woman in Isaiah 7:14 were a non-virgin, then God would be promising a sign involving fornication and illegitimacy. It is unthinkable that God would sanction sin, and in any case, what would be so unusual about an illegitimate baby that could possibly constitute a sign? As far as ancient Jewish writers were concerned, there are no arguments about Isaiah 7:14 predicting a virgin birth… The Jews who made this translation (Septuagint), living much closer to the times of Isaiah than we do today, translated Isaiah 7:14 using the Greek word ‘parthenos’ which very clearly and exclusively means a virgin.
6. Psalm 110 “This is the declaration of the Lord to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.” The Lord will extend Your mighty scepter from Zion. Rule over Your surrounding enemies. Your people will volunteer on Your day of battle. In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, the dew of Your youth belongs to You. The Lord has sworn an oath and will not take it back: “Forever, You are a priest like Melchizedek.” The Lord is at Your right hand; He will crush kings on the day of His anger. He will judge the nations, heaping up corpses; He will crush leaders over the entire world. He will drink from the brook by the road; therefore, He will lift up His head.”
We know from 1 Kings 2:19 that anyone who sits at the king’s right hand must be equal with the King. This Psalm of David’s speaks of someone other than Yahweh who is David’s lord. This Lord is both a priest and a king and sits at Yahweh’s right hand. It is a joke to say that this is David himself as David was from not a priest, but was from the tribe of Judah. Nor does he sit at the right hand of God. It is the Messiah who is spoken about in this passage and He is equal to God.
7. Proverbs 30:4 “Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son — if you know?”
Here is a riddle for you … It consists of 6 questions. The first 4 questions are obviously about God Himself as only God could accomplish these things. The fifth question asks what the name of God is. I’m sure you can answer this one. The sixth question reveals that God has a Son! And it asks what His name is! Cryptic questions demand a cryptic answer. The answer “Yeshua” is found pictorially embedded in the Hebrew text. (See memes below). Yes, the Messiah is the son of God and His name is Jesus!
8. Psalm 45:6-7 “Your throne, God, is forever and ever; the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy more than your companions.”
Elohim is applied to two divine personalities in the same verse! The second Elohim is called the God of the first Elohim! Only makes sense in terms of the Messiah being God, the son of God as other verses have shown!
9. Hosea 1:7 “But I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will deliver them by the Lord their God. I will not deliver them by bow, sword, or war, or by horses and cavalry.”
We see the same thing where the speaker (God – Elohim) will save them by Yahweh, their Elohim. Elohim is again spoken of as two distinct personalities. Another example of two Lords is found in Genesis 19:24.
10. Zechariah 2:10-11 “Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the LORD. “Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.’ The LORD is going to dwell amongst us and it is the LORD Almighty that sent Him! Can it get any clearer? This shows the YHWH sent YHWH and only makes sense when you know that the Messiah Jesus is God! He is the one who lived amongst us. He is ‘God with us!’ ”
That is why in the Shema, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!’, the ‘our God’ part is plural in the Hebrew (literally ‘our Gods’ and the word for ‘one’ is echad – a compound unity, not absolute unity as in the word ‘yachid’.) Arnold writes ‘If Moses had intended to teach God’s absolute oneness as opposed to His compound oneness, this would have been a far more appropriate word (yachid) to use.’ But he didn’t! He used echad which is used in such passages as Genesis 1:5 where evening and morning are called one (echad’) day. Genesis 2:24 where when man and woman come together in marriage and are called ‘one flesh’. Ezra 2:64 where the whole assembly was one, though ofcourse it comprised of many people. Or Ezekiel 37:17 where the two sticks are combined to become one. These are all uses of echad and show that it is a compound unity.
Even in the Old Testament there are three distinct personalities that are considered divine.
1. The Lord YHWH
2. The Angel of YHWH
3. The Spirit of God.
The Angel of the Lord is clearly seen to be divine in passages such as Genesis 16:7-14; 22:9-16; 31:11-13, 32:24-30, Exodus 3:1-5, Judges 6:11-24 amongst others. These passages show that ‘The Angel of the Lord’ is much more than just an angel and is a fulfillment of the Micah prophecy about the Messiah ‘whose goings forth have been from eternity.’
The Spirit of God is clearly divine in such passages as Genesis 1:2, Psalm 51:11, Isaiah 11:2, Isaiah 63:10, Isaiah 63:14 amongst others. Arnold writes ‘The Holy Spirit cannot be a mere emanation because, as can be seen in these quotations, He has all the characteristics of personality – intellect, emotion and will – and is considered divine.’
Arnold points out that all three personalities are used in the same passage such as Isaiah 48:12-16 where God the creator of the earth is speaking and says that He has been sent by another, Jehovah, together with a third person, the Spirit of Jehovah. This is nothing less than the Trinity! And it is clearly seen in the Tanach. The three are seen also in Isaiah 63:7-14.
Not only does the title Messiah mean God from the Bible. The equivalent title “al-Masih” (the Messiah) occurs in the Quran eleven times. There are nine different verses in which the term appears, attributed to the Quranic Isa: Surah 3:45; 4:157; 4:171-172; 5:17; 5:72; 5:75; 9:30-31. The title “al-Masih” is unique to Jesus in both the Bible and the Quran’s equivalent Issa. It is the closest the Quran gets to recognising the deity of Christ.
3). THE 99 NAMES OF GOD WHICH JESUS SHARES
□ “I am the Truth” (John 14:6) equates to “Al-Haq” (The Absolute Truth) one of the 99 names of Allah
□ “I am the Resurrection” (John 11:25) equates to “Al-Baeth” (The Resurrector) another divine name in Islam.
□ “The First and the Last” (Isaiah 41:4 of God and in Revelation 1:18 & 22:13 used by Jesus of Himself) equates to “Al-Awwal (The First) and Al-Aakhir” (The Last) in Islam for Allah.
□ “King of kings” (used of Jesus in Revelation 17:14 & 19:16) equates to “Al-Malik” and “Malik-ul-Mulk” in Islam for Allah as king and master of the kingdom respectively.
□ “I am the way” (John 14:6) and “I am the door” John 10:9) used of Jesus equate to “Al-Haadi” (The Guide) of Allah.
□ “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12) equates to “An-Nur” (The Light) of Allah.
□ “The heir” (Matthew 21:38), where Jesus self identified as “Son and heir” in the parable of the wicked tenants, equates to “Al-Waarith” (The inheritor, The Heir) of Allah’s 99 names.
□ “Good teacher” (used of Jesus in Mark 10:17; Luke 18:18; John 3:2 & 13:13) equates to “Ar-Rasheed” (The guide/Infallible Teacher) of the 99 names of Allah.
□ Jesus is the “ever living water of eternal life” and “bread of life” (John 4:10-14; 6:35 & 7:37-39) equating to “Al-Qayyoom” (The Sustainer) of Allah.
□ Jesus is God “manifest in the flesh” (John 1:14, Philippians 2:7, 1 Timothy 3:16, 1 John 4:2 & 5:20) equates to “Az-Daahir” (The Manifest) of Allah.
□ Jesus is “ever living” (Matthew 16:16; Revelation 1:18) equates to “Al-Hayy” (The Ever Living) Allah’s name.
□ Jesus is “The Good Shepherd” of John 10:10 & 10:14, equates to “Al-Barr” (The Source of Goodness) of Allah’s names.
□ Jesus is the “One Shepherd” shepherding “one flock” of John 10:16 equates to “Al-Jaami” (The Gatherer, the Uniter) of Allah’s names.
□ Jesus guards those who are His “they will never perish and none shall pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28) equates to “Al-Muhaymin” (The Guardian/Overseer) and “Al-Wakeel” (The Trustee) of Allah’s names.
□ Jesus is the Creator (John 1:2-3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2) equates to “Al-Khaaliq” (the Creator) and “Al-Mubdi” (The originator) of Islam.
□ Jesus is the judge (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30; John 5:22 & 27; Acts 17:30-31; 2 Corinthians 5:10) matches Allah’s names “Al-Faattah” (The Opener, The Judge) and “Al-Hakam” (The Judge, The Giver of Justice).
□ Jesus is the giver of life (Matthew 7:14; John 1:3-4; 3:16; 5:21; 10:27-28; 1 John 5:13-14) equals Allah’s name “Al-Muhyee” (The Giver of Life)
□ Jesus is “the mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 1:8-10; Titus 2:13) and omnipotent (John 14:13-14; 1 Timothy 6:15) which match with “Al-Muqtadir” (The Omnipotent), “Al-Azeez” (The All Mighty) and “Al-Qadeer” (The Powerful) of Allah’s names.
□ Jesus is the “sustainer of all things” (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:17-18) equates to “Al-Qayyoom” (The Sustainer) of Allah’s names.
□ Jesus is gracious, compassionate and merciful (Matthew 8:2-3; 9:36; 14:14; 15:22; 15:32; 20:30-34; Mark 6:34; Luke 4:16-21; Philippians 2:1; 2 Corinthians 13-14; Ephesians 4:7; 1 Timothy 1:16; 2 Timothy 1:18) which equate to “Ar-Rahmaan” (Most Merciful) and “Ar-Raheem” (Bestower of Mercy) of Allah’s names.
□ Jesus is holy and sinless (Isaiah 53:9; Luke 1:35; John 8:46; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 1:18-19 & 2:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21 match with “Al-Quddus” (The Absolutely Pure) and “As-Salaam” (The Perfection) of Islam’s deity.
□ In addition, although its an equivocal fallacy to directly compare the names of the Islamic Issa, with the historical Jesus, we can note in passing that in Islam He also possesses divine attributes such as “The Word of Allah” (Kalima Allah) and Spirit of God “Ruh Allah” (Surah 4:171).
For more on a selection of these comparisons see the following video:

4). MORE DIVINE TITLES SHARED BY JESUS
Check these references for yourself. In Matthew 22:42-45, Jesus claims to be the “Lord” of Psalm 110:1. He allows Thomas to address Him as “My Lord and my God” in John 20:28. Jesus describes Himself as Lord in numerous places, notably as “Lord of the Sabbath” found in Matthew 12:8, Mark 2:28, and Luke 6:5. In all three instances Jesus is referring to Himself as the Lord of the Sabbath or, as Mark records it, “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). In these verses, Jesus is proclaiming that He is the One who exercises authority even over the rules and regulations that govern the Sabbath day.
Jesus said that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven we must first acknowledge and call him Lord (kurios, Romans 10:9; cf. Matthew 7:21). Just saying that Jesus is Lord does not get you into the Kingdom, but to enter the Kingdom you must confess Him as Lord. The entrance into God’s Kingdom, according to Jesus, is dependent upon a person’s knowledge of Him and His reciprocating knowledge of the person (Matthew 7:23).
Other examples where Jesus refers to Himself as Lord:
“Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?” (Luke 6:46)
“You call Me Teacher and Lord. This is well said, for I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:13‭-‬14)
The titles, “everlasting Father” and “The mighty God” of Isaiah 9:6, can only apply to Jesus.
According to His own words in John 10:11-14, He is the “shepherd” of Psalm 23:1, Psalm 80:1, and Ezekiel 34:12.
God is the “saviour” in Isaiah 43:3, 43:11, 45:15, 45:21, Hosea 13:4, Luke 1:47, and I Timothy 4:10, yet this same title is given to Jesus Christ in Luke 2:11, Philippians 3:20, 2 Timothy 1:10, and 2 Peter 2:20.
God is the “Rock” of Deuteronomy 32:4, 32:15, 32:18, 32:30-31, I Samuel 2:2, and Psalm 18:31, yet this title is given to the Lord Jesus Christ in I Corinthians 10:1-4, I Peter 2:7-8, and Romans 9:33.
God is “light” in Psalm 27:1 and Micah 7:8, and then Jesus is “light” in John 1:4-9 and in John 8:12.
In Isaiah 44:6 God says, “…I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” In Revelation 1:17 Jesus Christ says, “…Fear not; I am the first and the last.”
Jesus is the good shepherd: “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10:11‭-‬16)
Many passages refer to God shepherding His people. Here in Isaiah 40 is one example:
“See, the Lord God comes with strength, and His power establishes His rule. His reward is with Him, and His gifts accompany Him.He protects His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them in the fold of His garment. He gently leads those that are nursing.” (Isaiah 40:10‭-‬11)
See also Jeremiah 31:10-17, Ezekiel 34, Micah 5:2-5a and Zechariah 11:11-12.
God is our redeemer:
Isaiah 54:5: “Indeed, your husband is your Maker — His name is Yahweh of Hosts — and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.”
Jesus shares the title and role of redeemer:
Galatians 4:5 “to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
Hebrews 9:12-15 “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”
1 Peter 1:18-19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
5). CONCLUSIONS
The Scriptures are clear: Jesus Christ is the God of the Old Testament and shares the same titles, such as Lord, and the first and the last. He also shares the same roles, such as shepherd and redeemer. Above all He is the promised Messiah which was always understood to be a divine title. Even the Quran acknowledges His Messianic status, but stops short of admitting the divine quality it carries.
Most embarrassing of all for Muslims Jesus has at least 30 of the names and titles claimed for Allah. Moreover He was the first (and will be the last to carry these names) not the wannabe god of Islam who is Satan who crudely attempted to steal them long after the canon of Scripture was closed.
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