Category Archives: Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ

80 times Jesus claimed He is God


If your answer is No, then please answer the following:
1. Who can Forgive Sins? (Mathew 9:2-6) (Mark 2: 1-12)
2, Who can have authority of heaven and Earth? (Mathew 28:18)(Mark 2:6-10)
3, Who can claim ALPHA & OMEGA? (Rev 1:18)
4, Who can claim he is descended from Heaven? (John 5:38)
5, Who can claim authority over natural forces like Storm and Sea waves? (Luke 8:22-25)(Mathew 8:26)
6, Who can claim the authority over Demon? (Mark 9:25)
7, Who can claim he is the Light of the world? (John 8:12)
8, Who can promise and give Eternal Life? (John 3:26)
9, Who can posses the keys of Death and Hell? (Rev 1:19)
10, Who can claim “I AM” in front of High priest? (Mathew 26:64)
11, Who can claim the Worship of man? (Mathew 28:9, 16)
12, Who can claim “Emanuel” means God is with us? (Mathew 1:24)
13, Who can send the Holy-Spirit of GOD? (Mark 1:8)
14, Who can claim “I will take you to Heaven”? (John 14:3)
15, Who can claim “if you have seen me you have seen the living GOD”? (John 14:9)
16, Who can claim Son of God? (Mathew 3:17) (Luke 9:35)
17, Who can claim He will be with us till the end of the world? (Mathew 28:20)
18, Who can claim “all the prophecies is fulfilled”? (John 19:30)(Luke 18:31)
18, Who can claim that He will Judge all on judgement day? (Mathew 25:31-37)
19, Who can claim He will be in the midst when 2 people prays together? (Mathew 18:20)
20, Who can give the signs of the doom day? (mark 13:3-31)
21, Who can baptise man with God’s Holy-spirit? (Mark 1:8)
22, Who can ascend to heaven and sit on the right side of God’s glory?(Mark 16:19)
23, Who can say that I AM MESSIAH? (John 4:26)
24, Who can take away the sins of the world (John 1:29)
25, Who can claim he is “eternal bread” (John 5:33-35)
26, Who can claim ” I will resurrect the dead”? (john 11:25)
27, Who can claim “I came from God”? (John 8:42) (John 16:27)
28, Who can claim that “He is Sinless”? – (John 8:46)
29, Who can claim ” Before Abraham was …I AM” ( the living God) centuries after Abraham’s death? John (8:58)
30, Who can claim “I am the GOOD Shepherd”? when the scripture says God is Good and God is the shepherd (John 10:14)(Psalms 23:1)
31, Who can claim “I and my Father is One” (John 10:30)
32, Who can claim he is the Life and Resurrection and who believes in Him will live again? (John 11:25)
33, Who can offer dwelling place in heaven? (John 14:2)
34, Who can offer “I will take you to heaven” (John 14:3)
35, Who can claim He is the Way, Truth and Life and through Him one can come to God. (John 14:6)
36, Who can claim that who ever sees Him sees the Father? (John 14:9)
37, Who can assure you that “If you ask in His name, He will give it to glorify the Father” (John 14:13)
38, Who can offer the Spirit of God? (John 14:16)
39, Who can offer the real Peace? (John 14:27)
40, Who can come and reside in us? (John 14:24)
41, Who can claim “Because of My word you are clean”? (John 15:3)
42, Who can claim “I have done things which others can not do”? (John 15:24)
43, Who can promise that the Holy Spirit of God will witness Him? (John 15:26)
44, Who can Promise that Holy Spirit of God will Glorify Him? (John 16:15)
45, Who can claim that every thing God is having belongs to Him? (John 16:15)
46, Who can proclaim “I have conquered the world”? (John 16:33)
47, Who can say “He is not belonging to this world”. (John 17:14)
48, Who can claim “before the creation He is” (John 17:24)
49, Who can claim “My kingdom is not from this world” (John 18:36)
50, Who can claim ” 12 legion of Angels are under His control” (Mathew 26:53)
51. who can claim the ownership of Paradise Like 23:43.
52. who can share the same SPIRIT with the Father Galatians 4:6
53. who can claim God’s properties as His own John 16:15, 17:10
54. who can discharge and aquite a sinner John 8:10-11
55. who share the same name with the Father Isiah 9:6
56. who can claim the same title of GOD John 8:24
57. who can claim the ownership of Paradise and bring in anyone at will Luke 23:43
who can be said to be equal with God Philippians 2:5-7
58. who can claim the ownership of Angels Matt 16:27
59.who can claim to give only what God alone can give John 14:26, 15:26
60.who can be Worshipped by his own mother and friends as God Acts 1:13
61.Who can be all knowing John 13:3, 18:4, 19:28
62.Who can be all powerful Philippians 4:13
JESUS IS equal to God Philippians 2:5–7, John 14: 3–10
63.Who can destroyed Satan Heb 2:14-15, Colo 2:14-15.
64.who can be Alive forever more Revelation 1:18
65.Who can be above all Kings and all other gods (lords) Revelation 19:16
66.Who can or will come in the cloud of heaven Mark 14:62
67.Who can be an express image of the living GOD Hebrews 1:3
68.Who can be indwelled by the fullness of the Godhead ( Father, son and the Holy Spirit) bodily Colossians 2:9
69.Who can be said to be above all principalities and powers and Dominion. Colossians 1:16
70.Who can be said to creat all things Colossians 1:16, John 1:1-3?
71 who can be called God by God the Father
Heb 1:8.
72. who was persecuted for making Himself equal with God John 5:18
73. who can boast of dying and coming back from death at will John 10:17–18
74.who can request for the same hornour given to the Father. John 5:23
75.who is Worthy of the same hornour given to the Father John 5:23
76.who can claim He’s greater than God’s temple Matt 12:26
77. who can claim to be greater than another prophet like Him Matt 12:41
78.who can claim to be greater than King Solomon who was said to be the greatest among kings that ever lived and ever Will leave Matt 12:42, 1kings 3:11–13
79.who can be Lord in presence of the Lord God, Luk 20:41–44
80.who can claim the ownership of the church of the living God. Matt 16: Matt 16:18,
Alastair Tucker, Jesus Christ

Ten Proofs Why Jesus Is God

TEN PROOFS WHY JESUS IS GOD
1). INTRODUCTION
At a crucial point in his ministry, Jesus asked his disciples,“Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). The answer to this question is more important than any other question or challenge anyone can face in life.
Nevertheless, today, just as in Jesus’ day, when Christians ask people the question “who do you say Jesus is?” there are various answers given concerning his identity. But what does the New Testament tell us about who Jesus is?
Understanding the deity of Jesus is fundamental in unlocking the door to eternal life and to defending the truth of the Christian faith.
All major religions and cults are united about one thing. They all reject the doctrine of the deity of Christ. That fact alone should tell us something. Some of these objections are a result of rationalism (“reason” is supreme, not God) over revelation or a misunderstanding of what the doctrine teaches. Another more common objection results from revisionist history, which claims that Christ’s deity was invented at the Council of Nicaea in the 4th century and not something believed by the early church.¹
The reason Christians believe in the deity of Jesus is that we are forced to come to this conclusion by the clear teaching of Scripture. It is important to get Jesus’ identity because if we deny the deity of Jesus then we do not have the Father (1 John 2:23; cf. John 5:23). Worse than that we are dead in our sins.
Here are 10 Scriptural proofs for the deity of Jesus Christ.
2). THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE GOD
# JESUS’ DIVINITY DOES NOT MAKE HIM ANOTHER GOD. IT IS THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.
This is vital to understand because many objectors to the deity of Jesus misunderstand and misrepresent what Christians believe about the Trinity. Christians believe what the Bible teaches — that there is only one true and living God (Deuteronomy 6:4; cf. Mark 12:29 & 1 Corinthians 8:6). However, we must not confuse monotheism (belief in one God) with Unitarianism (the belief that the being of God is shared by one person). Jesus’ divinity is part of the doctrine of the Trinity, which states that within the one Being that is God, there exists eternally three co-equal and co-eternal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each is a distinct person, yet each is identified as God: the Father (1 Corinthians 8:6), the Son (John 1:1–3; Romans 9:5), and the Spirit (Acts 5:3–4). We must also remember that it wasn’t the Father or the Spirit who became incarnate; it was the Son (John 1:14) and He was born under the Law (Galatians 4:4). This is why, in His humanity, Jesus prays to the Father (Matthew 26:39, 42).
The doctrine of the Trinity is revealed throughout the Bible, but what is largely inferred in the Old Testament becomes explicit in the New through the incarnation of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. God did not change between the Old and New Testaments, being a Unitarian God in the Old and a Trinitarian God in the New. God has always been Triune, the only thing that changed was revelation became completed only with the New Testament; specifically revelation of the divinity of Jesus, while foreshadowed in the Old Testament, is only completed in the New Testament.
The Old Testament clearly teaches that there is a plurality in the Godhead. This fact which was accepted by the ancient Jewish church and early Rabbinic thought.² For the purposes of this post it is sufficient to state that the Hebrew Bible clearly teaches the Messiah would be God. (eg Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Micah 5:2; Zechariah 2:10-11)
3). THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT JESUS PRE-EXISTED CREATION
The New Testament in several passages clearly teaches that Jesus existed in eternity past before his birth in Bethlehem.
Genesis 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In John 1:1 we read the same words, “In the beginning.”8 John informs us in John 1:1 that in the beginning was the Word (logos) and that the Word was not only with God but was God. This Word is the one who brought all things into being at creation (John 1:3). John 1:1 teaches that the Word is eternal, the Word has had an eternal relationship with the Father, and the Word as to His nature is deity. The clincher is John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Jesus applied God’s title “I am” to Himself and identifies as God who appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18:
“Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day; he saw it and rejoiced.” The Jews replied, “You aren’t 50 years old yet, and You’ve seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:56‭-‬58)
In his prayer in John 17 Jesus both refers to his pre-existence and uses terminology that can only be used about deity:
“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with THE GLORY THAT I HAD WITH YOU BEFORE THE WORLD EXISTED.” (John 17:3-5)
“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for YOU LOVED ME BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.” (John 17:24)
To have eternal life is to know two persons: both the Father and Jesus (see John 14:6-7; John 16:3). But notice, Jesus is distinguished from the Father because Jesus is the one speaking to the Father. The personal pronouns (me, your, you) clearly show that this is one person speaking to another, (elsewhere collectively as “we” and “our” when Jesus addressed the disciples, as in John 14:23). In John 17, the Son is speaking of the glory He has shared with the Father before the world was; the words “in your own presence” refer to their sharing of divine glory. John 17:3–5 is not an example of the “human side” praying to the “divine side” but of a divine, yet incarnate (John 1:14) person, the Son, communicating with a divine, but non-corporeal person, the Father in heaven.
Paul’s words in Philippians 2:5–8 teach not only the deity of Jesus but also the distinct personhood of the Son prior to His incarnation. In this passage, Paul exhorts the Philippians to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus who “existed in the form of God.” These words come before the verbs emptied, taking, and becoming and point to the pre-existence of the one “existing in the form of God.” Moreover, Jesus did not regard the equality He had with God the Father, in eternity past, something to be held on to. Instead He “made himself nothing” by doing two things: taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men. Having entered into human existence He humbled himself to death on the Cross. Because of this, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord” (Philippians 2:10–11); it is only God who is to be worshipped as Lord (see Isaiah 45:23).
4). JESUS IS CREATOR NOT CREATURE
Jehovah’s Witnesses (and Muslims) hang on to Paul’s statement in Colossians 1:15 that the “firstborn of all creation” teaches that Jesus was a created being. However, this JW false teaching resembles the view of the ancient Colossian heresy that Paul had to combat. It’s another example of mistakenly trying to make a doctrine from a single verse, when no core doctrines are ever established in isolated verses, and it ignores a fundamental rule of interpretation that Scripture must harmonise.
The Colossian false teachers advocated the idea that Jesus was the first of many other created mediators between God and men. By using the specific Greek word prōtotokos, “firstborn,” Paul rules out the idea of Jesus as a created being. “Firstborn” does not mean “first created.” Rather, Paul uses a term that was based on the ancient designation of the authority, or pre-eminence, metaphorically given to the firstborn (Genesis 49:3–4; Exodus 4:22). In the same way, David, the youngest of Jesse, was named “firstborn” (Psalm 89:20–27) who ruled Israel. Manasseh was born to Joseph first, but Ephraim, his younger brother, was “firstborn” due to his position as given by Jacob/Israel (Genesis 48:13–20, Jeremiah 31:9).
# BY DESCRIBING JESUS AS THE “FIRSTBORN OVER ALL CREATION,” PAUL IS SAYING THAT HE IS THE ABSOLUTE RULER OVER ALL CREATION.
If Paul had wanted to describe Jesus as a created being, he could have used the Greek word ‘protoktistos’, which means “first created.” So why didn’t he use it? Because Paul did not believe Jesus was created. By describing Jesus as the “firstborn over all creation,” Paul is saying that he is the absolute ruler over all creation.
The evidence that Jesus is supreme over all creation is found in Colossians 1:16. Here, Paul absolutely rules out the idea that Jesus is a created being because he presents Jesus as the Creator of the entire universe which exists by his creative power (John 1:1–3; Hebrews 1:2, 8–10). The reason Jesus can “create all things” is that “in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). The Greek word for “Godhead,” theotēs, refers to “the state of being God.” It is only God who can create (Isaiah 42:5, 44:24, 45:18).
Commentary on Colossians 1:15 to note:
“.. among the Hebrews and other nations, firstborn, heir, and lord, were synonymous terms.” (Benson)
“He that “created all things that are in heaven and that are in earth,” was not himself created. That the apostle did not mean to represent him as a creature, is also manifest from the reason which he assigns why he is called the first-born. “He is the image of God, and the first-born of every creature, for – ὅτι hoti – by him were all things created.” That is, he sustains the elevated rank of the first-born, or a high eminence over the creation, because by him “all things were created in heaven and in earth.” (Barnes)
5). JESUS SELF IDENTIFIES AS GOD
At the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths in his encounter with the Pharisees (John 8:13), Jesus told them, “I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). The Jewish people reacted to Jesus’ statement by asking him, “Who are you?” (John 8:25).
Jesus told the Jews exactly who he is: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). This “I am” (ego eimi) statement was Jesus’ clearest example of His proclamation, “I am Yahweh,” from its background in the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 41:4; 43:10–13, 25; 46:4; 48:12; cf. John 13:19).
These are the very words (ego eimi) ) that caused the Roman soldiers to fall to the ground after they came to arrest Jesus (John 18:6). Jesus’ explicit identification of himself with Yahweh of the Old Testament is why the Jewish leaders wanted to stone Him for blasphemy (see John 5:18; 10:33).
6). THE APOSTLES IDENTIFIED JESUS AS DIVINE (AND GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR WITNESS)
Both Jesus and His apostles identified Jesus as divine. The Apostle Peter described Jesus as “our God and Savior” (2 Peter 1:1; cf. Titus 2:13) and called on believers to “honor Christ the Lord as holy” (1 Peter 3:15). Jesus’ own half-brother James, who was an unbeliever at first (John 7:5), described him as “the Lord of glory” (James 2:1; cf. 1 Corinthians 2:8; Psalm 24:7–8). What mere man or prophet could or was ever described in this way?
The Apostle John also attributed titles to Jesus that were used only of God by describing him as the “Alpha and Omega” and the “First and the Last” (Revelation 22:13; 1:8, 17–18; cf. Isaiah 44:6).
The writer of Hebrews also gives insight into the identity of Jesus In Hebrews 1, Jesus (the Son) is identified as superior to any prophet (vv. 1–2), above the angels (v. 5), worthy of our worship (vv. 6–8; cf. Psalm 45:6–7), and the creator of all things who is unchangeable (vv. 2–3, 10; cf. Psalm 102:25). Hebrews further states that Jesus is “seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2; cf. Acts 2:30).
7). THE JEWS RECOGNISED JESUS CLAIM TO DIVINITY
The clearest evidence for the deity of Jesus is the Jewish leaders’ reaction to Jesus’ words and actions. (This is where Jews are at least more honest than Muslims with their blank denials that Jesus ever displayed any claims to deity). In Mark 2, Jesus not only heals a paralytic but also forgives his sins (Mark 2:5). This is the reason that the scribes cry blasphemy, for it is God alone who can forgive sins. (Mark 2:7)
Time and again, the charge of blasphemy is brought against Jesus:
“Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” (John 10:32‭-‬33)
In his trial before the Sanhedrin Jesus is once again charged with blasphemy because of his response to the high priest’s question: “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” (Mark 14:61) Jesus responded, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62). Then the high priest tore his clothes, charged Jesus with blasphemy, and condemned him to death (Mark 14:64). Why did the high priest respond that way? Because Jesus quoted from Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13–14 and applied the words to himself. In Daniel 7 the divine Son of Man comes before the Ancient of Days, and all peoples and nations serve him. The Pharisees recognize Jesus’ divine claim here and charge him with blasphemy, intending to put him to death.
For more on Mark 14;62 see Post:
□ THE DEITY OF CHRIST PART 2 — FOUR WAYS JESUS SAID HE IS GOD IN ONE SENTENCE 3 July 2023
m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1240769926802687&id=100026090748056&mibextid=Nif5oz
8). THE EARLY CHURCH PRAYED TO JESUS
Prayer (a particular form of worship), is something that should be addressed to God alone, but Jesus calls his disciples to pray to him (John 14:13–14; 16:26). When Stephen is being stoned to death, he calls out to the Lord Jesus to receive his spirit (Acts 7:59).
The term for “calling on” (epikaloumenon) recalls the appeal of Peter to the people in Acts 2:21 to “call on” (epikaleshtai – Strongs G1941) the Lord to be saved. Paul uses the same word to describe the Corinthians as those who “call upon [epikaleo] the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:2). In the Old Testament, people “called on” on the name of Yahweh (Joel 2:32). The Corinthians were people who addressed Jesus as Lord in prayer.
According to Paul, New Testament Christians were everywhere praying to Jesus.
“Paul. . . to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours.” (1 Corinthians 1:1–2).
It appears that Paul includes himself among those who called upon the name of Jesus. These prayers directed to Jesus were universal. And the present tense of “call” suggests that the prayers were on-going.
Again in Romans we find: “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). What is that name if not Jesus?
The very last prayer in the New Testament is addressed to Jesus by the Apostle John: “Even so come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). If it were wrong to petition Christ, John the inspired writer might have said, “Father, may the Son come.” But instead he gave us these words to also cry out to Jesus: “Even so, come!”
And in John 14:14 Jesus claims that He will answer our petitions. Jesus here says that He would answer prayer when we asked him anything in His name. So Jesus authorizes us to address Him in prayer when we come in His name—in His own authority, and in His will. And He promised that He would answer. Muslims who alone hears and answers prayers?
Prayers to Jesus are permitted and encouraged by Christ’s teaching in John 14:14, and by any passage in which Jesus says that we are to pray in His name. When Jesus told us to pray in His name, He wasn’t asking us to use a particular phrase at the end of each of our prayers, though the expression “in Jesus’ name, Amen” is certainly appropriate, and God-honoring. Jesus was actually asking us to come to God (any person of the Trinity) in His authority. We have the right to come to God and receive grace and help because of who Christ is, what He did for us, and what He promised. Indeed it is ONLY because of Christ that we have access to God at all.
“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) Those words apply just as much to our prayers as to our eternal destiny.
In John 10, Jesus claims that He knows His followers, His “sheep,” and that He calls them all by name. If our Shepherd calls us by our name (a most comforting thought), then why shouldn’t we also call upon Him by His name? At the very least, this passage indicates that real Christians have a personal, one-on-one, intimate relationship with Jesus. This enables us to talk to Jesus and listen for His voice.
Again, can we be at “at home” with Jesus and not be able to talk to Him directly?
“Jesus answered, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (John 14:23)
And lest anyone suppose that praying to God as a man is a New Testament novelty, there is Old Testament precedent. Abraham did it when confronted by God who appeared to him as three men:
“My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant” (Genesis 18:3 KJV)
9). THE EARLY CHURCH WORSHIPPED JESUS
Jesus accepted and never refused worship from people (Matthew 2:2, 14:33, 28:9). One of the greatest examples of this comes from the lips of Thomas when he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). If Jesus was not divine, then Thomas made a serious error; but Jesus made no effort to correct Thomas in his worshipful accolade. On the contrary He marked it as a point of blessing to all who believe. Yet Peter (Acts 10:25–26), Paul and Barnabus (Acts 14:14–15), and the angel in Revelation (Revelation 22:8,9) all corrected others for trying to worship them, something Jesus never did.
The confession of deity here is unmistakable, clearly demonstrating that worship belongs only to God (Revelation 22:9) because Jesus accepted Thomas’s worship of him (John 20:29). Again Jesus accepts John’s worship in Revelation 1:17-18.
Also in Revelation, the elders and every creature in heaven and upon earth ascribe universal worship to “him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb” (Revelation 5:11–14; cf. John 1:29).
10). JESUS MADE CLAIMS THAT NO ORDINARY HUMAN BEING COULD EVER MAKE.
Jesus not only identified as God, but He also indicated His deity through His words and actions. 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).
Many times Jesus self identifies as our Lord and applies the title “Lord” to Himself. None more so than in the phrase “the Lord of the Sabbath” which is 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.
As such, Jesus was proclaiming to the world, especially to the legalistic Pharisees, that He was greater than the Law and above the laws of the Mosaic Covenant because, as God in flesh, He is the Author of those laws.
Jesus even promised rest to all those who come to Him (Matthew 11:28). Could Moses have ever made a claim like this? No! How could a human being give anyone rest from the Law? Jesus also claimed, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). God never gave any man or prophet all authority in heaven and on earth, but this same authority was given to the Son of Man in Daniel 7:13–14 (see also Matthew 26:64).
Other examples:
“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. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:13‭-‬14)
11). JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD
Muslims often point out that the words “Son of God” are not an exclusive title for Jesus. For example, in the Old Testament Israel was called God’s son (Exodus 4:22–23; Hosea 11:1), the king was called God’s son (Psalm 2:7), and the angels were called God’s sons (Job 38:7). Even in the New Testament, Adam and believers are referred to as son/s of God (Luke 3:38; Romans 8:14).
There is, however, a fundamental difference between an adopted son and the relational Son of God, the latter being a deity by nature. More than anyone else who has walked this earth, Jesus the Messiah is uniquely entitled to be called the Son of God (John 1:49, 11:27) – “the unique One, who is himself God” (monogenēs theos – see John 1:18 NLT). [2]
In the way He describes His Oneness with the Father, His exact likeness and His obedience in transmitting and doing only what His Father does, Jesus is reinforcing that unique father/son filial relationship.
The Father in like fashion also gives us a unique endorsement of His Son. Twice Matthew records at defining moments, God the Father in heaven saying of Jesus “This is My beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17 and 17:5).
Whatever Jesus said about Himself was so provocative that it led the Jewish leaders to call for his death for blasphemy.
In Jesus’ trial before Pilate, the Jewish leaders clearly understood that Jesus’ use of this term was not just generic, for they wanted him put to death: “We have a law, and according to that law He ought to die because He has made Himself the Son of God” (John 19:7; cf. John 10:36).
According to the Law, it was blasphemy to use God’s name (Leviticus 24:16). Therefore, by referring to himself as “the Son of God”, Jesus was claiming to share “the rights and authority of God himself (cf. [John] 1:34; 5:19–30).”
Muslims who say that Jesus never claimed to be God or the Son of God, must answer why He was crucified on the charge of blasphemy. Whatever Jesus said and the way He conducted Himself, must have been sufficiently provocative enough for the Jewish leaders to call for capital punishment on that charge of blasphemy.
Mark’s account is unambiguously clear and bears repeating:
“But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the BLASPHEMY! What do you think?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.” (Mark 14:61‭-‬64)
See Footnote ³ for a comprehensive list of verses for Jesus as The Son of God.
CONCLUSIONS
The debate about the identity and status of Jesus is not some mere debating point or matter of semantics. It has profound significance — its deeply personal because Jesus made it so. It is not anything we can be indifferent to. The point of all this is that failure to believe in Jesus as the Son of God brings judgement because we are already dead in our sins (see John 3:18, Ephesians 2:1), but believing in Jesus as the Son of God who died for sins, brings eternal life (see John 3:15–17, 6:40, 20:31).
Although there may be many questions and objections raised to Jesus’ deity, the New Testament, in particular the Gospel accounts clearly provides eye-witness testimony to the words, actions, and teachings of Jesus that prove His deity beyond doubt.
Make no mistake: “Another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4), a false Messiah based upon apocryphal gnostic sources, such as presented by Islam, cannot save you. Quite simply, if we do not get the identity of Jesus right, we will die in our sins (John 8:24).
Notice the substantive determining issue is NOT what Jesus taught, but who He is. Muslims your destiny is determined by how you will answer Jesus question which we must all answer — “Who do you say that I am?”
Footnotes:
¹ This claim is clearly contradicted not only by the Scripture but by the statements of the early Church. For example, the early church Father Ignatius Bishop of Antioch (AD 35–108, who was a disciple of John the Apostle) taught the divinity of Jesus: “There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both made and not made; God existing in flesh; true life in death; both of Mary and of God; first possible and then impossible, even Jesus Christ our Lord. . . . But our Physician is the only true God, the unbegotten and unapproachable, the Lord of all, the Father and Begetter of the only-begotten Son. We have also as a Physician the Lord our God, Jesus the Christ, the only-begotten Son and Word, before time began, but who afterwards became also man, of Mary the virgin.” The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians (Chapter VII “Beware of False Teachers,”
www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/ignatius-ephesians-longer.html).
² See post: □ THE TRINITY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND EARLY JEWISH WRITINGS 16 May 2023
m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1214637619415918&id=100026090748056&mibextid=Nif5oz
³ Jesus as The Son of God references:
□ Firstly, the angel Gabriel in announcing the birth of Jesus to Mary:
“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)
□ Then Jesus specifically referred to Himself as ‘The Son of God’ on at least 2 occasions:
“Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.” (John 9:35‭-‬38)
Again in the next chapter of John:
“Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?” (John 10:36)
And a third example where Martha the sister of Lazarus uses the title Son of God of Him and Jesus did not rebuke or correct her, on the contrary He affirmed it by declaring He had the power over life and death and is THE LIFE AND RESURRECTION which power belongs to God the giver of life alone:
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” (John 11:25‭-‬27)
□ Peter’s confession blessed by Jesus
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But you,” He asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” And Jesus responded, “Simon son of Jonah, you are blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 16:13‭-‬17)
□ Psalm 2:7:
“I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.”
□ Quoted by the writer of Hebrews in 1:5 (See also Hebrews 5:5 below)
“For to which of the angels did He ever say, “YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU”? And again, “I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME”?”
□ Matthew 3:17:
“and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
□ Matthew 17:5:
“While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
□ “Son of God” references in the Gospel of Mark:
“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1)
“And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11)
“and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” (Mark 1:24)
“Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” (Mark 3:11)
“and he shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” (Mark 5:7)
“Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38)
“Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son,the Beloved; listen to him!” (Mark 9:7)
“He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ (Mark 12:6)
“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Mark 13:32)
“He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” (Mark 14:36)
“But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” (Mark 14:61)
“Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” (Mark 15:39)
□ John 1:14:
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
□ 1 John 4:10:
“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
□ John 14:13:
“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
□ John 5:19:
“Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”
□ John 5:22-23:
“The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
□ John 5:26
“For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;”
□ Luke 8:28:
“Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.”
□ Acts 13:33:
“that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘YOU ARE MY SON; TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.’ ”
□ Hebrews 5:5:
“So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, “YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.” ”
□ Luke 3:22:
“and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
□ 2 Peter 1:17
“For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”-”
□ Luke 9:35:
“Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!””
□ Romans 1:4:
“who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”
□ Matthew 2:15:
“He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.”
□ Luke 20:13 -14:
“The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenant farmers saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so the inheritance will be ours!’ ” (See also Matthew 21:33-41)
□ Hebrews 1:8 (quoting Psalm 45:6-7):
“But of the Son He says, “YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM.”
□ 1 John 5:9:
“If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son.”
Sent from Outlook for Android<aka.ms/AAb9ysg>
Jesus Christ the Only Law Giver

Jesus Christ the Only Law Giver

JESUS CHRIST THE ONLY LAW GIVER
1). INTRODUCTION
The Muslim Ibrahim Dantata said on another thread: “Yeshua did not give laws as he is just subordinate prophet to Mosaic law, But Moses and Muhammad do gives law as both they were law given prophets, John 5:30-31 its against Your delusional claims that “Yeshua did give laws as he and the father,,,”
This post is going to debunk the delusions of the above comment. But first just for the record here is what John 5:30-31 says:
“I can do nothing on My own. I judge only as I hear, and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. [31] “If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid.” (John 5:30‭-‬31 HCSB)
What Ibrahim ignores in his comment and selective reference from John 5, is how Jesus then goes on to validate His testimony, but we shan’t ignore it, this post has to first address exactly how multiple testimony validated exactly who Jesus was (the absence of such testimony condemns Islam), before we can address the primary blasphemous claim that He was a “subordinate prophet not a lawgiver”.
2). JESUS CHRIST THE SON OF GOD – A FOURFOLD AUTHENTICATION
This is the framework set out in the second half of John chapter 5 which all Muslims, not only Ibrahim, ignore to their peril:
(a) Jesus does His Father’s work (John 5.19-20).
(b) He does His Father’s will (John 5.22-30).
(c) He shares the Father’s worth (John 5.22-23, 26-30).
(d) He speaks the Father’s word (John 5.24-25).
(e) He has a fourfold witness.
I hate having to mention them in the same sentence, but since our Muslim friend has, I am left no choice. When comparing the figures of Jesus and Muhammad, how stark is the contrast between them in terms of witnesses. It is as stark as the contrast between them in the authority they held, how they lived and the example they set and the doctrine they taught.
On the one hand by his own admission Muhammad had no witnesses, and his first reaction to being assaulted at Hira was to become traumatised and suicidal, believing that he had been possessed ¹. For which rather than offer validation, the Quran is lamely forced to issue blank denials, and worse provides no testimony to validate him as a prophet of God, and being not all sufficient, resorts to a baseless appeal to the Bible as prophesying him.
#Make_no_mistake: the pagan worshipping Muhammad never heard from God, was never commanded by God, was never corroborated and never received any laws from God. Period.
Jesus by contrast, is not only the giver of the Law but He fulfilled it perfectly. Unlike Islam’s only claimed prophet, Jesus can also claim witnesses from four different sources in the very same chapter our Muslim polemicist refers to. These are set out in the second half of chapter 5 of John’s gospel. Here is a summary.
Jesus’ fourfold witness, John 5.31-47:
(i). First we have the witness of the prophet (John 5.31-35, John 10.39-42).
In John 5.30 Jesus had already said … “I can of My own Self do nothing …”. Simply put, Jesus does nothing independent of God, because He came as the Son of God to do the will of God. But He also realized that the Jews were not about to take Him at His own word. In fact, they had a right to expect competent testimony from others who could prove Jesus’ claim to be Who He is. Jesus never exempted Himself from the Biblical foundation for matters to be settled upon the testimony of multiple witnesses.²
Now John the Baptist had become popular very quickly, and he was widely known and accepted as a prophet. In fact, he can be referred to as the last of the Old Testament-style prophets. He had become a local phenomenon, but he had no ego or personal ambitions. In fact, he turned his own followers over to Jesus …”the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1.29). He testified of the supremacy of Jesus as the only cure for the sin problem. He knew that Jesus was on a spiritual mission that somehow involved the salvation of mankind from a lost eternity, and he knew, and testified, that Jesus was the Son of God, (John 1.33-34). He was a good and trustworthy witness. But John was not the only witness for of course there are many Old Testament prophecies heralding the coming Messiah, from Moses onwards. Sufficient for this purpose are the words Jesus spoke at John 5.38-47:
“You don’t have His word living in you, because you don’t believe the One He sent. [39] You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. [40] And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life. [41] “I do not accept glory from men, [42] but I know you — that you have no love for God within you. [43] I have come in My Father’s name, yet you don’t accept Me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. [44] How can you believe? While accepting glory from one another, you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God. [45] Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. [46] For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. [47] But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (John 5:38‭-‬47 HCSB)
(ii). Secondly we see the proof of His works (John 5.36; John 10.36-38; John 14:10-11).
Jesus had His own works to prove He was Who He said He was, starting with His turning the water into wine, raising the dead including His own resurrection, right up to His eventual physical return to glory. But his miracles don’t just result in healing, they prove Jesus’ true heritage; they give His spiritual qualifications; at the same time as physical healing He forgives sins and gives spiritual healing; thus his miracles identify Him as The Son of God, with unlimited power and boundless love!
Jesus saw His works as a testimony to His identity as these verses demonstrate:
“If I am not doing My Father’s works, don’t believe Me. [38] But if I am doing them and you don’t believe Me, believe the works. This way you will know and understand that the Father is in Me and I in the Father”(John 10:37‭-‬38 HCSB).
“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on My own. The Father who lives in Me does His works. [11] Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves” (John 14:10‭-‬11 HCSB).
(iii). Next we have the witness of the Father Himself (John 5.37-38).
“The Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me” (John 5:37a HCSB)
and
Matthew 3.16 -17…”This is My Beloved Son, in whom I Am well pleased!”
and
Matthew 17:5 (repeating Deuteronomy 18:15), spoken in the presence of the glorified Moses:
“While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him. LISTEN TO HIM!” (Matthew 17:5 HCSB).
This is clear, isn’t it? But here is the irony…Jesus Is the Son of God in the flesh; and the voice of God, confirming Who He is; and the Jews and Pharisees of His day, (a straight read across to latter-day Muslims), not only refusing to believe, but falsely accusing the Very One they claimed to worship and to serve. How’s that for spiritual ignorance?
(iv). Finally, we have the prophecy of the word of God itself (John 5.38-40)
We see in these next few verses, three things that need to be noted …
(a) First, there is the main Figure of scripture, and that is, of course, Jesus Himself, (5.39). Page after page, starting in Genesis, bears witness to Jesus. He may not be mentioned by name but He’s there, and we need to connect with Him through that written word. If not, then we might as well chuck our bibles out because they don’t mean a thing without our acceptance, belief and obedience!
(b) Secondly, we see the main focus of scripture, (John 5.39-40)…eternal life! The second birth! Moving from the state of being adrift and cut off to the state of salvation, rich and free! From a state of spiritual sickness to a state of spiritual health!
“You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. [40] And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life” (John 5:39‭-‬40 HCSB)
Scripture can be studied through a microscope and still the meaning can elude us. Those Jews knew how many letters were in all the Hebrew Law, and yet they wouldn’t allow that same word to generate faith in their hearts. They knew the word of God, but they were completely ignorant of the God of the word! In fact, just like a lot of people today, those Jews were determined to disbelieve, no matter how much evidence was presented. And that brings us to the last detail of this section…
(c) Thirdly, human failure, John 5.40-47; the will nots’, the have nots’ and the believe nots’.
…you will not come, (John 5.40);
…you will not honour, (John5.41);
…you do not have the love of God, (John 5.42);
…you do not receive, (John 5.43); and
…you do not believe, (John 5.44, 46 and 47).
It’s a sad reflection of human nature that we prefer rebellion and denial to truth and obedience. We prefer to do things in our strength by our own devices and strivings. In place of God we have substituted our own rules for life. We worship idols rather than the True God. It is no surprise therefore that when Muhammad appears in the AD 600’s he attempts to supplant the Word of God with the words of the Quran, removing the doctrine of Grace, Enlightenment and Forgiveness of the gospels and replacing it with the dark satanic verses of paganism, bondage, fear and warmongering, that is Islam. It should be no surprise that it caught on. Jesus predicted that “if another comes in his own name him you will receive” (John 5.43). It’s as close a reference to Muhammad as Jesus gets but it is never a commendation or endorsement.
The disbelief of the Jews of Jesus’s day and of the generations since, is its own testimony and affirmation of the Truth of what Jesus taught and prophesied.
3). CHRIST THE LAWGIVER
“For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our King. He will save us” (Isaiah 33:22 HCSB).
Against the preceding background, we are now able to consider Christ in another of His divine functions. It is one that naturally results from His position as Creator, for the One who creates must certainly have authority to guide and control. Referring back to John 5 briefly in verses 22-23 the words of Christ declare that “the Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son; that all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father.” As Christ is the manifestation of the Father in creation, so is He the manifestation of the Father in giving and executing the law. A few texts of Scripture will suffice to prove this.
In Numbers 21:4-6 we have the partial record of an incident that took place while the Children of Israel were in the wilderness, as follows:
“Then they set out from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom, but the people became impatient because of the journey. [5] The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food! ” [6] Then the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died” (Numbers 21:4‭-‬6 HCSB).
The people spoke against God and against Moses. They found fault with their Leader and paid a heavy price. This is why snakes destroyed them. Now compare the words of the apostle Paul concerning this same event:
“Let us not test Christ as some of them did and were destroyed by snakes” (1 Corinthians 10:9 HCSB).
What does this prove? Who was being tested and questioned? The Leader against whom they were murmuring was Christ. This is further proved by the fact that when Moses cast in his lot with Israel, refusing to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt:
“For he [Moses] considered the reproach because of the Messiah to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since his attention was on the reward” (Hebrews 11:26 HCSB)
[The fathers] all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4 HCSB).
So, then, Christ was the Leader of Israel from Egypt.
The third chapter of Hebrews makes clear the same fact. Here we are told to consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful in all His house, not as a servant, but as a Son over His own house.
“Therefore, holy brothers and companions in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession; [2] He was faithful to the One who appointed Him, just as Moses was in all God’s household. [3] For Jesus is considered worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder has more honor than the house. [4] Now every house is built by someone, but the One who built everything is God. [5] Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s household, as a testimony to what would be said in the future. [6] But Christ was faithful as a Son over His household. And we are that household if we hold on to the courage and the confidence of our hope” (Hebrews 3:1‭-‬6 HCSB).
In these verses we are told that Jesus, as builder of the house is superior to, and deseving of greater glory than Moses who was merely the custodian of it. We are His house if we hold fast our confidence to the end.
“For we have become companions of the Messiah if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start. [15] As it is said: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. [16] For who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it really all who came out of Egypt under Moses? [17] And who was He provoked with for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?” (Hebrews 3:14‭-‬17 HCSB)
Here again Christ is set forth as the Leader and Commander of Israel in their forty years’ sojourn in the wilderness.
The same thing is shown in Joshua 5:13-15, where we find that the man who Joshua saw by Jericho, having a sword drawn in his hand is a theophany of the preincarnate Christ:
“When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?” [14] “Neither,” He replied. “I have now come as commander of the Lord’s army.” Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship and asked Him, “What does my Lord want to say to His servant?” [15] The commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so” (Joshua 5:13‭-‬15 HCSB)
Time and again in the Old Testament it’s undeniable that Christ was the real Leader of Israel, although invisible. Moses, the visible leader of Israel perceived He who is invisible;
“By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27 HCSB)
Only the above can explain:
“Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and 70 of Israel’s elders, [10] and they SAW THE GOD OF ISRAEL. Beneath His feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire stone, as clear as the sky itself. [11] God did not harm the Israelite nobles; THEY SAW HIM, AND THEY ATE AND DRANK. [12] The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there so that I MAY GIVE YOU THE STONE TABLETS WITH THE LAW AND COMMANDMENTS I HAVE WRITTEN FOR THEIR INSTRUCTION” (Exodus 24:9‭-‬12 HCSB).
This can ONLY be describing another pre incarnate appearance of Christ. Earlier in Exodus we find:
“Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the Lord came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. [19] As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the thunder. [20] The Lord came down on Mount Sinai at the top of the mountain. Then the Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and he went up” (Exodus 19:18‭-‬20 HCSB).
“Then God spoke all these words: [2] I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. [3] Do not have other gods besides Me. [4] Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. [5] You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, [6] but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands” (Exodus 20:1‭-‬6 HCSB).
Who spoke these words? The One who brought them from Egypt. And who was the Leader of Israel from Egypt? It was Christ. Then who spoke the law from Mt. Sinai? It was Christ, the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His Person, who is the manifestation of God to man. It was the Creator of all created things and the One to whom all judgment has been committed.³
This point may be proved in another way. When the Lord comes, it will be with a shout (1 Thessalonians 4:16), which will pierce the tombs and arouse the dead (John 5:28-29).
The prophet Jeremiah said:
“As for you, you are to prophesy all these things to them, and say to them: The Lord roars from heaven; He raises His voice from His holy dwelling. He roars loudly over His grazing land; He calls out with a shout, like those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. [33] Those slain by the Lord on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like manure on the surface of the ground” (Jeremiah 25:30‭, ‬33 HCSB).
Now compare this with Revelation 19:11-21, where Christ as the Leader of the armies of heaven, the Word of God, King of kings, and Lord of lords, goes forth to tread the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God, destroying all the wicked, we find that it is Christ who roars from His habitation against all the inhabitants of the earth, when He has His controversy with the nations. Joel adds another point, when he says:
“The Lord will roar from Zion and raise His voice from Jerusalem; heaven and earth will shake. But the Lord will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the Israelites” (Joel 3:16 HCSB).
From these sample texts, amongst others, we learn that in connection with the coming of the Lord to deliver His people, He speaks with a voice that shakes the earth and the heavens:
“The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a hut. Earth’s rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again. [21] On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven above and kings of the earth below. [22] They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon; after many days they will be punished. [23] The moon will be put to shame and the sun disgraced, because the Lord of Hosts will reign as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and He will display His glory in the presence of His elders” (Isaiah 24:20‭-‬23 HCSB).
“But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed” (2 Peter 3:10 HCSB).
“Make sure that you do not reject the One who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected Him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven. [26] His voice shook the earth at that time, but now He has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven” (Hebrews 12:25‭-‬26 HCSB).
The time when the Voice speaking on earth shook the earth was when the law was spoken from Sinai (Exodus 19:18-20; Hebrews 12:18- 20), an event that for awfulness has never had a parallel and never will have until the Lord comes with all the angels of heaven to save His people. But note: The same voice that then shook the earth will, in the coming time, shake not only earth, but heaven also, and we have seen that it is the voice of Christ that will sound with such volume as to shake heaven and earth when He has His controversy with the nations. Therefore it is demonstrated that it was the voice of Christ that was heard from Sinai, proclaiming the Ten Commandments.
This is no more than would naturally be concluded from what we can learn concerning Christ as Creator and the Maker (and Lord – see Section 4) of the Sabbath.
Indeed, the fact that Christ is a part of the Godhead, possessing all the attributes of Divinity, being the equal of the Father in all respects, as Creator and Lawgiver, is the only force there is in the atonement. It is this, and this alone which makes redemption a possibility. Christ died “that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18), but if He lacked one iota of being equal to God, He could not bring us to Him. Divinity means having the attributes of Deity. If Christ were not Divine, then we should have only a human sacrifice. It matters not, even if it were granted that Christ was the highest created intelligence in the universe; in that case He would be a subject, owing allegiance to the law, without ability to do any more than His own duty. He could have no righteousness to impart to others. There is an infinite distance between the highest angel ever created and God; therefore, the highest angel could not lift fallen man up and make him partaker of the Divine nature. Angels can minister; but only God can redeem. Thanks be to God that we are saved “through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and who is, therefore, able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by Him.
4). THE LORD OF THE SABBATH IS MAKER OF IT AND THE LAW
□ “What does it mean that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath? (Caps for emphasis)
The phrase “the Lord of the Sabbath” is 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.
As such, Jesus was proclaiming to the world, especially to the legalistic Pharisees, that HE WAS GREATER THAN THE LAW and ABOVE THE LAWS OF THE MOSAIC COVENANT BECAUSE, AS GOD IN FLESH, HE IS THE AUTHOR OF THOSE LAWS. Unable to keep the Law, however, the Pharisees had instituted a complex and confusing system of Sabbath laws of their own that was oppressive and legalistic. They had set up strict laws regarding how to observe the Sabbath, which included 39 categories of forbidden activities. In essence, these religious leaders had made themselves lords of the Sabbath, thus making themselves lords over the people.
As Creator, Christ was the original Lord of the Sabbath (John 1:3; Hebrews 1:10). He had the authority to overrule the Pharisees’ traditions and regulations because He had created the Sabbath—and the Creator is always greater than the creation. Furthermore, Jesus claimed the authority to correctly interpret the meaning of the Sabbath and all the laws pertaining to it. Because Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, He is free to do on it and with it whatever He pleases.
AS LORD OF THE SABBATH, JESUS HAD THE RIGHT, POWER, AND AUTHORITY TO DISPENSE IT IN ANY WAY HE PLEASED. The Lord of the Sabbath had come, and with His death and resurrection He became the fulfillment of our “Sabbath rest.” The salvation we have in Christ has made the old law of the Sabbath no longer needed or binding. When Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27), Jesus was attesting to the fact that, just as the Sabbath day was originally instituted to give man rest from his labors, so did He come to provide us rest from laboring to achieve our own salvation by our works. Because of His sacrifice on the cross, we can now forever cease laboring to attain God’s favor and rest in His mercy and grace.”
Source: www.gotquestions.org/Lord-of-the-Sabbath.html
5). CONCLUSIONS
This post has demonstrated that Christ is the Leader and Commander of Israel, who appeared to Moses and Joshua amongst others and who gave the law to Moses (Exodus 24:9-12). But that was just the start, for look how He reappears incarnate in the New Testament …
What manifestation of love is this? The Innocent suffered for the guilty; the Just for the unjust; the Creator for the creature; the Maker of the law for the transgressor against the law; the King for his rebellious subjects.
Since God spared not His own Son but freely delivered Him up for us all — Since Christ voluntarily gave Himself for us — how shall He not with Him freely give us all things? Infinite Love could find no greater manifestation of itself. Well may the Lord say, “What could have been done more to My vineyard that I have not done in it?” (Isaiah 5:4)
Notes
¹ Following his encounter, Muhammad thought he was demon possessed. This according to Sahih Bukhari 9:111 where it states that he was twitching with terror, asking what was wrong with him whilst demanding to be covered, fearing that something BAD may happen to him.
Also from Ibn Ishaq’s “Sirat Rasul Allah” Muhammad didn’t think this was Gabriel at first, but that he was demon possessed. (pp. 106-107). It was only until people convinced him that he was met by an angel of the Lord that he slowly came to believe that he was called to prophethood.
As a matter of fact, even people during Muhammad’s time believed that he was demon possessed and was met, NOT by Gabriel, but by a demon. How embarrassing that the Quran even had to issue denials on his behalf :
Surah 81:22-25: “No, your compatriot [Muhammad] is not mad. He saw him [Gabriel] on the clear horizon. He does not grudge the secrets of the unseen, nor is this the utterance of an accursed devil.”
Surah 69:41, 42: “It [the Quran] is no poet’s speech: scant is your faith! It is no soothsayer’s divination: how little you reflect! It is revelation from the Lord of the Universe.”
Christians are not surprised that Muhammad displayed demonic signs. Paul warns of false apostles:
“For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no great thing if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their destiny will be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:13‭-‬15 HCSB)
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!” (Galatians 1:8‭-‬9 HCSB)
² See this Post for more on the Biblical principle of multiple attestation found nowhere in Islam:
□ THE BIBLE TESTIFIES TO GOD BEING MULTI-PERSONAL, APPEARING IN DIFFERENT FORMS AND REQUIRING MULTIPLE WITNESSES 24 March 2021
www.facebook.com/100063590342443/posts/131355072327504/
³ See this Post for more on preincarnate appearances of God including appearing as a man:
□ GOD HAS ALWAYS APPEARED IN HUMAN FORM SINCE THE DAYS OF CREATION 16 May 2021
www.facebook.com/100063590342443/posts/162844549178556/

Miracles of Jesus

Miracles of Jesus

THE WHO AND THE HOW OF JESUS MIRACLES
A). WHO DO THE MIRACLES POINT US TO?
Scripture portrays a variety of people performing miracles. And all of these men save one are just that — mere men. When, say, Elijah or Paul performs miracles, it doesn’t point to their person. After all, when those at Lystra were tempted to worship Barnabas and Paul after Paul’s miracle, the apostle implored the crowd to remember that they were mere men (Acts 14:15). The Holy Spirit enabled these miracles; they were testaments to His power, not Paul’s or anyone else’s.
To many modern theologians, Jesus’s miracles are really no different. He too did his miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit. As a result, they don’t point to His person — except insofar as Jesus relies on the Spirit — but to the human nature He shares with us. Like us, He must rely on divine resources outside Himself. Thus the question of how humans perform miracles gets transposed to Christ’s miracles, all the while avoiding who He is as God’s Son.
But by giving so much room for the Spirit and the humanity of Christ, a vital Christological truth gets squeezed out: persons, not natures, do things. Yes, Jesus Christ has two complete natures, one divine and one human. Yes, He always acts according to both of these natures. Still, it’s the person of Jesus who confronts us in the Gospels, and Christology stresses that He is one united person — the second person of the Trinity. The miracle of the incarnation is that this one person became everything we are without ceasing to be everything He is. So when we see Jesus perform a miracle in the Gospels, our first question should be WHO is this?
□ CASE STUDY: WALKING ON WATER
On the surface, Jesus walking on water in Matthew 14 seems to affirm that He worked miracles as a man empowered by the Spirit. In Matthew’s narrative, Jesus has just finished feeding the 5,000. His disciples get into a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Rather than get in with them, however, Jesus withdraws to a mountain to pray. By the time it was between 3 and 6 a.m., the disciples’ boat is far offshore and being tossed by waves. Their fear is intensified when they see what they take for a ghost approaching them on the sea.
It’s no ghost, of course; it’s Jesus Christ. The disciples’ cry of fear is met with Jesus words: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27). Peter then asks Jesus to prove himself by commanding him to walk on the water, too. The ensuing episode initially seems to set up a parallel between Peter and Jesus: when Peter walks by faith, he walks supernaturally on the water; when he walks by fear, he starts to sink. Jesus apparently confirms this when He reaches out his hand to Peter: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew14:31).
The disciples didn’t marvel at Jesus’s complete dependence on another, nor did they ascribe praise to the Spirit’s power. Rather, their eyes are drawn to the incarnate Son of God as the one worthy of praise.
One might presume that here we have a mere man, Peter, able to do what Jesus can do so long as he walks by faith. Thus, the operative difference between Jesus and Peter isn’t that Jesus is the fully divine Son, but that in His humanity He fully relied on the Spirit. This episode, therefore, doesn’t reveal the Lordship of Jesus Christ; rather, it points to the inbreaking of the kingdom and the model Jesus provides for relying on divine resources other than his own. With this reading, the who of Jesus is lost in the drive to compare and contrast the how of Peter and Jesus.
□ BUT WHO REALLY WALKED ON WATER?
Three clues in this passage, however, point to a different understanding of this miracle.
First, we must take note of Jesus first words, which show He is employing this miracle to affirm His full identity. When Jesus reveals to his fearful disciples that “it is I” (Matthew 14:27; Greek ‘ego eimi’), this isn’t a call to recognize His human features that mark Him out as “Jesus from Nazareth.” Rather, He’s appropriating God’s name revealed in Exodus 3:14 (I AM: ego eimi), as He does again in John 8:58. He’s commanding His disciples to take heart and not be afraid because He, the one walking on the water, is God.
The second clue flows from the first: Jesus is appropriating an Old Testament theophany motif. Who tramples the waves of the sea but Yahweh alone (Job 9:8)? Through this and His personal identification with the divine name, Jesus is making clear the who of this miracle: the incarnate second person of the Trinity who, though veiling his heavenly glory in human flesh, didn’t abandon or mute the attributes of His divine nature (as if He ever could!). No, the Creator who first fashioned the sea now masters it through His own power.
The third clue is found in the disciples’ response to this revelation. Initially Peter addresses God-incarnate-who-walks-on-water as “Lord.” But then, after Jesus gets into the boat and the wind ceases, they worship Him: “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33). It’s clear that for the disciples this miracle bears the unmistakable marks of a divine person (cf. Psalms 107:23–32). The disciples weren’t marvelling at Jesus’s complete dependence on another, nor did they ascribe praise to the Spirit’s power. Rather, their eyes are drawn to the incarnate Son of God as worthy of praise. For them, the who explained the how and impelled them to spontaneous worship. Worship which as only God can, was received and not rebuked.
□ UNITY OF THE SON OF GOD
Because the incarnate Son of God is one person with two natures, we should expect to see Gospel episodes reflective of each nature. Even in this profound revelation of Jesus’s divine power on the sea, He uses human feet to walk on water, a human arm to save Peter from sinking, and a human voice to reassure His disciples of his divine identity. He adds His own saliva to mud with which to open the blind from birth, man’s eyes (John 9:6). I believe this and the other instances where Jesus uses spittle (Mark 7:33 & 8:23) are a sign, He is healing holistically; in other words it’s His whole person in His divine and human nature, who is acting in concert to make people whole.
□ JESUS ACTS AS ONE PERSON ACCORDING TO BOTH HIS NATURES.
Jesus is always one person acting according to both of His natures. They can no more be separated than can Jesus be separated from the Father. They are One. Too much study can lead to subdivision of this truth.
Many modern theologians seek to understand the mystery of the incarnation by dividing Christ, by isolating one of his natures and asking how a particular action is possible. Not only do Christological problems result; it leads to grave Trinitarian ones as well. For to suggest Jesus’s miracles aren’t touched by his divine nature is to divide the works of the Trinity, to parcel out discrete acts among the Father, Son, and Spirit. Classical Trinitarian theology, however, joins God’s essential unity (Deuteronomy 6:4) with the co-inherence of the persons (John 14:11) and holds that every work of the Trinity is undivided. When God acts, each person acts. It’s not wrong to say that the Spirit is acting in Jesus’s miracles; He is. What is wrong, is to say that the Second Person of the Trinity isn’t.
Ancient creeds like Chalcedon have taught us “to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood.” Many of our Christological dilemmas would be cleared up by, with Chalcedon, first answering who is Jesus. He’s the “one and the same Son,” whose miraculous deeds cause us, like those first disciples, to adore the mystery of God incarnate.
B). HOW DID JESUS DO HIS MIRACLES?
A Muslim will always assert that Jesus only did miracles by Allah’s permission and leave. They have to do this in their attempts to diminish our Lord to a mere man without any divine attributes.
But there are simple ways to confront such heresy. The first is to ask a Muslim to show any miracle of Jesus where He said “I command you in the name of God” or “by the power of God” calmed the waves or healed people, or cast out demons? They will never find it. He simply spoke and it was so, just as here to Lazarus:
“After He said this, He shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out! ” (John 11:43 HCSB)
Moreover, He wasn’t ASKING for permission to do anything, He was THANKING the Father FOR hearing HIM! Not for His empowerment but for the benefit of those present. Why don’t Muslims quote the whole verse?
“So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You heard Me. [42] I know that You always hear Me, but because of the crowd standing here I said this, SO THEY MAY BELIEVE YOU SENT ME.”(John 11:41‭-‬42 HCSB)
Jesus commanded and it was so. He always spoke with the authority of God. Where the prophets would always say “Thus says the Lord”, Jesus would say “But I tell you”. When Elijah restored the life of a boy, he prayed to God for it to be done (1 Kings 17:21). When Jesus healed and restored life, He simply commanded it. His word was sufficient. To Jairius’ daughter He said: “So He took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up! Her spirit returned and she got up at once” (Luke 8:54-55 HCSB)
Moreover when the 70 returned they reported to Jesus:
“The Seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us IN YOUR NAME.” (Luke 10:17 HCSB)
Yes there is power in the name of Jesus, power of healing and power of answered prayers:
“Whatever you ask IN MY NAME, I WILL DO IT so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. [14] IF YOU ASK ME ANYTHING IN MY NAME, I WILL DO IT.” (John 14:13‭-‬14 HCSB)
Who alone hears and answers prayers? To whom alone must demons submit? God in both cases. So does Jesus.
Who alone forgives sins? And gave physical healing as a sign of His authority to bring spiritual healing? God alone can forgive sins. Well so did Jesus. As the Pharisees were quick to point out:
“Why does He speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone? ” (Mark 2:7 HCSB)
“Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to think: “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Luke 5:21 HCSB)
Who alone can read our thoughts? God. Well so can Jesus:
“But perceiving their thoughts, Jesus replied to them, “Why are you thinking this in your hearts? [23] Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? [24] But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — He told the paralyzed man, “I tell you: Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” (Luke 5:22‭-‬24 HCSB)
As for John 14:12 that is telling what will happen when HIS NAME is invoked in the power of the Holy Spirit:
“And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your message with complete boldness, [30] while You stretch out YOUR HAND FOR HEALING, SIGNS, AND WONDERS TO BE PERFORMED THROUGH THE NAME OF YOUR HOLY SERVANT JESUS.” [31] When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness. [33] AND THE APOSTLES WERE GIVING TESTIMONY WITH GREAT POWER TO THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD JESUS, and great grace was on all of them.” (Acts 4:29‭-‬31‭, ‬33 HCSB)
Moreover, Jesus did EVERYTHING that the Father does and shows Him and He does NOT NEED THE FATHER’S PERMISSION:
ALL that the Father does the Son does in like manner:
“Then Jesus replied, “I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way.” (John 5:19 HCSB)
“And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, SO THE SON ALSO GIVES LIFE TO ANYONE HE WANTS TO.” (John 5:21 HCSB)
□ CONCLUSIONS
Jesus regarded His miracles as proof of His identity. He appealed to them as one of the proofs of who He is, along with the testimony of John the Baptist, and of the Father and of the prophetic fulfilment of the word. (See John 5:31-47).
“If I am not doing My Father’s works, don’t believe Me. [38] But if I am doing them and you don’t believe Me, believe the works. This way you will know and understand that the Father is in Me and I in the Father.” (John 10:37‭-‬38 HCSB)
“Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time without your knowing Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? [10] Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on My own. The Father who lives in Me does His works. [11] Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.” (John 14:9‭-‬11 HCSB)
“When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent a message by his disciples [3] and asked Him, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else? ” [4] Jesus replied to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: [5] the blind see, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news. [6] And if anyone is not offended because of Me, he is blessed.” (Matthew 11:2‭-‬6 HCSB)
“Go and show John again … – Jesus referred them for an answer to these miracles. They were proof that he was the Messiah. Prophets had indeed performed miracles, but no prophet had performed so many, or any so important. Jesus, moreover, performed them “in his own name” and by his own power. Prophets had done it by the power of God. Jesus, therefore, performed the works which none but the Messiah could do, and John might easily infer that he was the Christ.” (Barnes)
Yes, Jesus only does what He sees the Father doing, (John 5:19). He only speaks what He is commanded by the Father (John 12:49-50). He has sovereign authority (Matthew 28:18) and has been given all judgment (John 5:22). He gives life to whoever He pleases (John 5:21). He resurrects (John 6:44 & 6:54). He needs no permission from anyone. He is God acting in unison with the Father and with the agreement of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Worship of Jesus

Worship of Jesus

WORSHIP OF JESUS: TO THE HONOUR AND GLORY OF THE FATHER
1). INTRODUCTION
The Bible says that we worship Christ to the glory of the Father (Phillippians 2:10-11). In other words neither the Father nor the Son equate such worship as “usurping” the glory of the other because they are not different, they are not even similar, but they are of identical essence. Identical and inseparable, in power, in glory, in goodness, in authority and mind and will. And thus are equally worthy to be worshipped. This is the meaning of John 5:23: “so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
2). ONLY GOD DESERVES SPIRITUAL WORSHIP OF MEN
Only God deserves to receive spiritual worship from men. Indeed if we don’t give to God the honour He deserves we cannot honour or worship Him at all.
In conversation with the woman at the well (John 4:6-30), Jesus gave two criteria for true worship: (i) in spirit (ii) and in truth. Worship was now to became a matter of the heart, not external actions, and directed by truth rather than ceremony, temple confines or geographical location. And truth demands that we know who we worship. Ignorance is no longer any excuse: “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).
The New Testament word for worship (proskuneo) means to do obeisance, reverence, or acts of homage (see Thayer, Vine, and Arndt & Gingrich). This word is often used to describe men worshipping God: in John 4:20-24; Revelation 4:10; 7:11; 11:16; 14:7; 19:4; 15:4; 1 Corinthians 14:25.
Many verses forbid worshiping men, angels, or any created thing.
Acts 10:25 – 26: Cornelius fell down to worship Peter. Peter forbade it saying that he himself was just a man. God deserves worship, but men do not. (Cf. Acts 12:20-23; 14:8-18.)
Paul and Barnabus refused worship when the crowds tried to make them gods:
“When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the form of men!” And they started to call Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the main speaker.”
“The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their robes when they heard this and rushed into the crowd, shouting: “Men! Why are you doing these things? We are men also, with the same nature as you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them” (Acts 14:11‭-‬15) c.f. Acts 12:21-23.
Revelation 22:8 – 9; 19:10: John tried to worship the angel, but the angel forbade it because he was a “fellow servant.” The angel commanded “Worship God.”
People who worship and serve created things, rather than the Creator, have left the truth of God. Romans 1:25: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.”
To worship any created thing – whether man, angel, heavenly body, or some other object in nature (mountain, ocean, etc.) – constitutes idolatry. Muslims knowingly or unwittingly bow down and worship creation. The kaaba is a monument to celestial worship as are all its associated worship rituals and rites. Allah is a mute impotent idol, a rebranding of Hubal the moon god of pre Islam and derived in turn from the Baal worship of Babylon.
□ Only the true God deserves to be worshipped. The wannabe god Satan does not.
In Matthew 4:10, Jesus gave Satan this rebuke which He never gave to anyone else: “Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.”
Revelation 9:20 – Idolatry is forbidden because it constitutes worship of someone other than God (Exodus 20:3-6; Deuteronomy 6:13-15; Revelation 14:9-11). [See also Exodus 34:14] Note: proskunew is forbidden when used for obeisance to men from a spiritual or religious motivation or purpose. The word is sometimes (but rarely) used in the New Testament non-religiously to refer to bowing in obeisance to a king, master, or other person in authority (see Matthew 18:26 – this usage is more common in the Old Testament).
When used for religious honor, however, worship is forbidden toward any except God. In this sense, “worship” is like “lord,” “father,” “master,” etc. The words may be acceptably used for earthly, physical relationships (Ephesians 6:1-9; Colossians 3:21,22), but we are forbidden to use such as religious honor to men or created things (Matthew 23:8-12). [On Revelation 3:9, cf. to 1 Corinthians 14:25]
The concept of Deity distinguishes the Creator from the creature. Things which are created do not have the unique characteristics of God, do not do the unique works of God, and therefore should not be addressed by the unique names of God nor should they be worshipped.
□ But Jesus received the unique worship God deserves.
Jesus was often worshipped while He appeared on earth before His resurrection.
Matthew 8:2 – A leper came and worshipped Jesus. [9:18; 15:25; Mark 5:6]
Matthew 14:33 – After Jesus had calmed the storm, the disciples worshipped Him saying He was the Son of God.
John 9:38 – After Jesus had healed the blind man, He revealed Himself to be the Son of God (v35). The man said he believed, and he worshipped Jesus.
Note that such religious worship would have been blasphemy and should have been forbidden as it was in the case of Peter, the angel, etc., if Jesus had been just a man on earth.
□ Created beings also worship Him after His resurrection.
Matthew 28:9,17 – After His resurrection, His disciples worshipped Him. [Cf. John 20:28,29]
Luke 24:52 – Even after He had ascended back to heaven, they worshipped Him.
Note that men were rebuked for worshipping men, angels, or created beings, but they were never rebuked for worshipping Jesus.
□ Angels worship the Son
Angels are even instructed by the Father to worship Jesus.
Hebrews 1:6 – Angels are instructed by God to worship Jesus.
“When He again brings His firstborn into the world, He says, And all God’s angels must worship Him.” c.f. Luke 2:13.
The context of the above passages cannot fit the idea of obeisance to an earthly king or ruler. They refer to honoring Jesus as a religious authority – the very thing forbidden when offered to Peter, angels, etc.
Hence, Jesus accepted worship as an act of religious honor. The Scriptures, including Jesus’ own teachings, would absolutely forbid this unless He possesses true Deity.
3). GLORY AND HONOR BELONG TO GOD
“Glory” (doxa) means “…praise, honor … magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace … majesty” – Grimm-Wilke-Thayer.
“Honor” (timh) means “…honor which belongs or is shown to one; the honor of one who outranks others, pre-eminence … veneration … deference, reverence…” – Grimm-Wilke-Thayer.
Like the words “power” and “wisdom,” both these words can properly be used to refer to men in the physical realm (Matthew 6:29; 1 Peter 1:24). But they are also used to describe a special degree of glory which no one but God can possess.
□ God receives a special, unique glory and honor.
Psalm 24:7-10 – Yahweh is the “King of glory.”
Psalm 29:3 – He is the “God of glory.” [Acts 7:2; cf. Isaiah 60:19; Galatians 1:5; etc.]
Revelation 4:9-11 – God deserves this glory because He created all things. Note again the distinction between the creature and the Creator. [Revelation 5:13; Romans 11:36]
“By Myself I have sworn; Truth has gone from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.” (Isaiah 45:23)
c.f. Isaiah 42:8; 48:11 – This homage, this allegiance, this glory is unique to God in that He refuses to share it with anyone else. Idols and created things have no right to receive this glory.
It follows that it would be blasphemy for anyone but God to receive this unique kind of glory. If anyone does receive this glory with God’s approval, then that one must possess Deity.
□ But Jesus receives the unique homage, allegiance and glory of God.
John 5:23 – All men should honor the Son “just as” they honor the Father. To fail to give this honor to the Son is to fail to properly honor the Father.
“Just as” (kathos) is translated “even as” in KJV, ASV, NASB, RSV (cf. Thayer and Arndt & Gingrich). Other examples of its use in comparisons is found in Luke 6:31; 11:30; 17:26; John 3:14; 2 Corinthians 10:7; Colossians 3:13; etc.
The significance of the word, when used in comparisons, is that one item or action is just like the other regarding the aspect in which they are being compared. Hence Jesus rightly receives honor just like the honor the Father receives. And if we refuse to give such honor to the Son, then we are refusing to honor the Father!
John 17:5 – Jesus prayed to the Father to “glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” Jesus asks to be glorified together with the Father with the glory He possessed “with” (para) the Father from eternity. And this shared glory must mean that Jesus is the same God Isaiah refers to: “I am Yahweh, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another or My praise to idols” (Isaiah 42:8), and “I will act for My own sake, indeed, My own, for how can I be defiled? I will not give My glory to another” (Isaiah 48:11).
“so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth — and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10‭-‬11).
The clear implication of these verses is that Jesus and the Father both possessed the same glory before the world began and during the Old Testament era. And they will receive the same homage and allegiance in the resurrection. Jesus, in coming to earth as a servant, did not then appear to possess that glory but appeared as a man (this is part of what he gave up on coming to earth – Philippians 2:6-8). But having nearly completed His work on earth (John 17:4) and being ready to ascend to the Father, Jesus anticipated receiving this glory and homage again (Philippians 2:9-11).
We can make a simple syllogism thus:
1. No one but God can receive or share the glory homage and allegiance that God has and is due to Him alone.
2. Jesus did receive and share that glory with the approval of the Father and will share in the same homage and allegiance at His return in glory.
3. Therefore, Jesus possesses the same Deity as the Father.
Revelation 5:12-14 – Both the Father and the Lamb (Jesus) were praised by the created things, who attributed to them “blessing and honor and glory and power.” Note that the same glory and honor belongs to both Father and Son.
Hebrews 1:3 – Jesus is the brightness of the Father’s glory (or the effulgence or radiance of His glory). That glory which shines from the Father also shines from Jesus because He is the creator (v2), upholds all things (v3), and is the express image of God (v3).
1 Corinthians 2:8; James 2:1 – Jesus is called the “Lord of glory,” just as God in the Old Testament is called the “King of glory” (Psalm 24:7-10).
Note that the glory Jesus possesses is not just the glory possessed by men or angels. His glory is above that of angels (Hebrews 1:6,13). He is above all principality, power, might, dominion, and every name that is named (Ephesians 1:21; Philippians 2:9-11).
No created being possesses the glory and honor Jesus does.
We have seen, however, that Jesus deserves the glory, honor, and worship of Deity even as the Father does. God forbids this to be given to any but Deity, but Jesus does receive it. This would be blasphemy if Jesus were not God.
□ Son and Father are inseperable
They are INSEPARABLE. This appears from the following considerations:
• The Father wills that the Son should be honoured. He that refuses to do it disobeys the Father.
• They are equal. He that denies the one denies also the other.
• The same feeling that leads us to honour the Father will also lead us to honour the Son, for he is “the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person,” (Hebrews 1:3)
• The evidence of the existence of the Son is the same as that of the Father. He has the same wisdom, goodness, omnipresence, truth, power.
And from these verses we may also learn:
• That those who do not render proper homage to Jesus Christ do not worship the true God.
• There is no such God as the infidel, which includes all Muslims, professes to believe in. There can be but one God; and if the God of the Bible be the true God, then all other gods are false gods.
• Those who withhold proper homage from Jesus Christ, who do not honour him EVEN AS they honour the Father, cannot be Christians.
• One evidence of piety is when we are willing to render proper praise and homage to Jesus Christ – to love him, and serve and obey him, with all our hearts.
• As a matter of fact, it may be added that they who do not honour the Son do not worship God at all. This means the infidel has no form of worship; he has no place of secret prayer, no temple of worship, no family altar. Who ever yet heard of an infidel that prayed? Where do such men build houses of worship? Where do they meet to praise God? Nowhere.
Islam was spawned from astral worship and retains all the pagan idolatrous practices of the pre-Islamic era of moon god worship. Every mosque is oriented towards the centre of astral worship that what was and still is Mecca, or its predecessor Petra.
As certainly as we hear the name infidel, we are certain at once that we hear the name of a man who has no form of religion in his family, who never prays in secret, and who will do nothing to maintain the public worship of God.
Account for it as men may, it is a fact that no one can dispute; that it is only they who do honour to the Lord Jesus that have any form of the worship of God, or that honour and glorify Him; and their veneration for God is in direct proportion to their love for the Kinsman Redeemer. Only as such do they or can they honour God at all.
4). CONCLUSIONS
If Jesus is not Deity, then who is He? To understand God we must realize that God is not part of the created things. God is the Creator, distinct from and far above His creatures. This distinction is made again and again in the passages referred to. Jesus must be classed on one side or the other. Either He is a created being or else He is Deity. To say He is not Deity is to say He is a created being. To say He is not a created being is to say He is Deity. Its a binary choice. There are no other alternatives.
Men are creatures; angels are also creatures that are above men. But Jesus is above the angels, is due to receive their worship also, and is not classed with them (Hebrews chap. 1 – see especially verses 5 – 6,13). We have seen that He is not an angel nor an exalted man, but the Bible attributes to Him that which can only be said of God.
We have learned from the foregoing that:
* Jesus is expressly stated to be God or to possess Deity.
* Jesus is called by names that may only be used for God.
* Jesus possesses characteristics that only God can possess.
* Jesus does work and holds authority, eg to exercise all judgement, that only God can do.
* Jesus shares the same glory, deserves worship and honor and will receive the same homage and allegiance that only God deserves.
In all these areas Jesus is described as the Creator, not a created being. He is eternal, timelessly sans creation, as “the Word” has the power, and did the work of creation. He deserves honor as the Creator. Clearly He is not to be classed with the created things but with Deity.
But we have also proved that there is only one true God who made the universe. If Jesus is “God,” He is not an idol nor a false god. Since He possesses Deity and there is only one true God, then He must possess true Deity, not some lesser form of deity. Just as He shares the same glory, He must be included as the one true God, or Godhead, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Finally, if Jesus is God then He always has been God and always will be God, since God’s unique nature cannot change (Hebrews 13:8). God cannot cease to be God nor can God lose the characteristics or personality of God. He can take on non-Divine characteristics as Jesus added the characteristics of a man when He came to earth, and He can electively limit the use of His powers in order to accomplish His Divine purposes, as Jesus did on earth. But He cannot cease to be God and He cannot lose the power and characteristics of God.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: Jesus possesses Deity.
He along with the Father and the Holy Spirit are our one true God. Amen.
Get Outlook for Android<aka.ms/AAb9ysg>

4 Ways Jesus Said He is God

4 Ways Jesus Said He is God

FOUR WAYS JESUS SAID HE IS GOD IN ONE SENTENCE
Before the high priest at His mock trial Jesus repeatedly remains silent before His accusers. Eventually placed under oath He responds as Mark and Matthew record below:
[61] But He kept silent and did not answer anything. Again the high priest questioned Him, “Are You the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One? ”
[62] “I am,” said Jesus, “and all of you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
[63] Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses?
[64] You have heard the blasphemy! What is your decision?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.” (Mark 14:61‭-‬64)
Note the parallel verses from Matthew:
“But Jesus kept silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “By the living God I place You under oath: tell us if You are the Messiah, the Son of God! ” “You have said it,” Jesus told him. “But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:63-4)
Now detailed examination of the text reveals a four-fold claim to deity. This Post will consider each expression in turn:
□ Jesus confirms he is the “Son of God.” (Mark 14:61 “Son of the Blessed One”)
□ Jesus says he is “The Son of Man” from Daniel 7 which is a Messianic title of God.
□ Jesus says he will be sitting in the “right hand of power” making himself equal with the Father.
□ “Coming with the clouds of heaven” is a clear reference to His Second Coming in power.
When Jesus was questioned by the high priest about being the Son of God, He answered in Matthew 26:63-65 by joining two Scriptures together. He joined Daniel 7:13 and Psalm 110:1. He applied Daniel 7:13 to Himself which had a direct reference to His Second Coming. The high priest fully understood what the Lord Jesus was saying and used this statement to condemn Him to death for blasphemy.
1). SON OF GOD (SON OF THE BLESSED ONE)
The Jewish leaders responded to Jesus answer to the high priest by accusing Jesus of blasphemy (Matthew 26:65-66). Later, before Pontius Pilate, “The Jews insisted, ‘We have a law, and according to that law He must die, because He claimed to be the Son of God’” (John 19:7). Why would His claiming to be the Son of God be considered blasphemy and be worthy of a death sentence? The Jewish leaders understood exactly what Jesus meant by the phrase “Son of God.” To be the Son of God is to be of the same nature as God. The Son of God is “of God.” The claim to be of the same nature as God—to in fact be God—was blasphemy to the Jewish leaders; therefore, they demanded Jesus’ death, in keeping with Leviticus 24:15. Hebrews 1:3 expresses this very clearly, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.”
Muslims often claim that Jesus never used the term “Son of God” of Himself, but although He used it sparingly, there are several examples in addition to the above verses:
“I assure you: An hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” (John 5:25 HCSB) (c.f. 1 Peter 3:19)
“Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.” (John 9:35‭-‬37)
“Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your scripture, I said, you are gods? If He called those whom the word of God came to ‘gods’ — and the Scripture cannot be broken — do you say, ‘You are blaspheming’ to the One the Father set apart and sent into the world, because I said: I am the Son of God?” (John 10:34‭-‬36)
“When Jesus heard it, He said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4)
“Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said: Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son so that the Son may glorify You,” (John 17:1)
In all these examples the term is uniquely relational. John’s references employ the Greek ‘monogenes’ as in “pertaining to being the only one of its kind or class, unique in kind.”
This is the meaning that is implied in John 3:16 (see also John 1:14, 18; 3:18; 1 John 4:9). John was primarily concerned with demonstrating that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:31), and he uses monogenes to highlight Jesus as uniquely God’s Son—sharing the same divine nature as God—as opposed to believers who are God’s sons and daughters by adoption (Ephesians 1:5).
Jesus is God’s “one and only” Son. Strong’s concordance says that it is a combination of the word “monos” meaning “only”, and “ginomai” meaning to “to cause to be, generate, become, or come into being”.
Word: monogenhj Pronounce: mon-og-en-ace’ Strongs Number: G3439 Orig: from 3441 and 1096; only-born, i.e. sole:–only (begotten, child). G3441 Use: TDNT-4:737,606 Adjective Heb Strong: H3173 1) single of its kind, only 1a) used of only sons or daughters (viewed in relation to their parents) 1b) used of Christ, denotes the only begotten son of God.
This word is also used in referring to a boy in Luke 7:12: “As he (Jesus) approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out – the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.”
The Greek word ‘monogenes’ is used here and translated as ‘only’.
It is used likewise in Luke 9:38: “A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.”
“Monogenes” is applied to Jesus in:
John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the “One and Only”, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
2). SON OF MAN
Jesus is referred to as the “Son of Man” 88 times in the New Testament. A first meaning of the phrase “Son of Man” is as a reference to the prophecy of Daniel 7:13-14, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
The description “Son of Man” was a Messianic title. Jesus is the One who was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. When Jesus used this phrase, He was assigning the Son of Man prophecy to Himself. The Jews of that era would have been intimately familiar with the phrase and to whom it referred. Jesus was proclaiming Himself as the Messiah.
The following verses from Daniel 7 show the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus returning with this cloud of believers. It appears the Bibles uses the term “Clouds of heaven” because the huge throng of believers from a distance would look like a massive cloud. From other Scriptures, the Bible reveals the believers will be dressed in pure white. The Lord’s coming with all the believers dressed in pure white will look like a massive cloud in the distance. They will return with Him and be there as He establishes His kingdom on earth. The following verses refer:
Daniel 7:13 “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. (14) And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”
3). SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE POWER
Firstly, from Psalm 110:1 “seated at the right hand of the Power” firmly places Jesus alongside the throne of God. No ifs no buts no maybes.
“This is the declaration of the Lord to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.” (Psalms 110:1)
Scripture has several words translated “right” and the usage of the term, “right hand” ranges from a direction, to the opposite of wrong, what is just or what conforms to an established standard, and to a place of honor or authority. In the case of division or appointment in the Bible, the right hand or right side came first, as when Israel (Jacob) divided the blessings to Joseph’s sons before he died (Genesis 48:13-14).
In addition, a person of high rank who put someone on his right hand gave him equal honor with himself and recognized him as possessing equal dignity and authority. And this is what the Apostle Paul writes of Jesus Christ in Ephesians.
“And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us, the ones believing according to the working of His mighty strength which He worked in Christ in raising Him from the dead, and He seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all principality and authority and power and dominion, and every name being named, not only in this world, but also in the coming age” (Ephesians 1:19-21).
Here we see God exalting Jesus above all others by seating Him at the right hand of the Father.
The term “God’s right hand” in prophecy refers to the Messiah to whom is given the power and authority to subdue His enemies (Psalm 110:1; Psalm 118:16). We find a quote in Matthew 22:44 from Psalm 110:1, which is a Messianic Psalm. “The Son of David” is claimed by the LORD Jesus Christ as He is the “greater son of David” or the Messiah. In this passage of Matthew 22, Jesus questions the Pharisees about who they think the “Christ” or the Messiah is. “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is He? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make Thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, how is He his son?” (Matthew 22:41-45). The position of the Messiah is at God’s right hand.
The fact that Jesus Christ is at the “right hand of God” was a sign to the disciples that Jesus had indeed gone to heaven. In John 16:7-15, Jesus told the disciples that He had to go away and He would send the Holy Spirit. So the coming of the Holy Spirit in the upper room on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13) was proof positive that Jesus was indeed in heaven seated at the right hand of God. This is confirmed in Romans 8:34 where the Apostle Paul writes that Christ is sitting at God’s right hand making intercession for us.
Therefore, what we can say is that “God’s right hand” refers to the Messiah, the LORD Jesus Christ and He is of equal position, honor, power and authority with God (John 1:1-5). The fact that Christ is “sitting” refers to the fact that His work of redemption is done and when the fullness of the gentiles is brought in (Romans 11:25), Christ’s enemies will be made His footstool as the end of the age comes, all prophecy is completed, and time is no more.
4). COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN
Daniel 7 is a very important chapter as it shows the Messiah coming to establish His kingdom over all the earth. This will occur at the glorious Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. When studying this chapter, it is very clear that at the Lord’s Second Coming He does not return by Himself. He returns with whom the Bible refers to as the “Clouds of heaven.” This verse follows:
“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.” (Daniel 7:13)
The “Clouds of heaven” is a very important and symbolic term because Daniel used it, and Jesus quoted it to the high priest. The high priest understood what the Lord Jesus was saying. He understood because the use of this phrase was in part what caused him to charge the Lord with blasphemy and then crucified. John, in the book of Revelation, also applied this term to the Lord Jesus’ Second Coming.
“Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, including those who pierced Him. And all the families of the earth will mourn over Him. This is certain. Amen.” (Revelation 1:7 HCSB)
The Bible leaves no doubt what are the “Clouds of heaven.” This phrase was first used by the prophet Daniel. When he first mentions this term, he also tells what are the “Clouds of heaven.” The “Clouds of heaven” are the innumerable number of believers who are in heaven with the Lord Jesus and return with Him. They are returning with Him as He sets up His kingdom over all the earth.
Daniel, in chapter 7, gives a rare glimpse of heaven in the Old Testament. He actually sees events taking place before the very throne of God. He refers to the holy God of Israel as the Ancient of Days. He sees God on His throne. Everything about God is like fire. His throne and the area surrounding Him appeared on fire.
Daniel saw something else around the throne and that was a countless number of believers. The believers were recorded as thousand times thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand around the throne. This is a huge number that is beyond description. These are the are the redeemed believers that are in heaven with the Lord Jesus. This huge numbers of believers before the throne of God are the “Clouds of heaven” which return with the Lord Jesus.
Thus, the “Clouds of heaven” are the enormous number of believers who are in heaven at the time of the awesome Second Coming of Jesus Christ. They then accompany Him at His return. The verses to show God’s throne and this huge number of believers follow:
Daniel 7:9 “…the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. (10) A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”
The single most important question to answer is how was Jesus answer of Mark 14:60 blasphemy?
Confessing to being the Messiah alone was not blasphemous. Threatening the temple was not in itself blasphemy.
The answer lies in the secondary questions of how was using the Title “Son of Man” of Himself so provocative and how did it establish His divinity?
According to Psalm 110 the Messiah is to share YHWH’s throne, sitting at His right hand. By referring to Daniel 7, Jesus isn’t predicting an imminent descent on a cloud for Caiaphas to see Him sitting on a physical throne, He is predicting End Time events using references loaded with meaning. These show beyond doubt that Israel’s God had exalted Jesus to share His throne.
This was the real reason for the blasphemy charge. What Jesus had done was juxtapose the very two texts – Psalm 110 and Daniel 7 – that within the Jewish world of His day, could be used to indicate His enthronement alongside YHWH.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: #JESUS_is_GOD
Get Outlook for Android<aka.ms/AAb9ysg>

Jesus is God by His Names and Titles

Jesus is God by His Names and Titles

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.
Get Outlook for Android<aka.ms/AAb9ysg>

Jesus came to save all of mankind

Jesus came to save all of mankind

Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 26:28
for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 26:28
for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Acts 1:8
You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

John 3.16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Matthew 28:19
… go and make disciples of all nations (all people).

John 8:12
I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

John 14:6
Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.

John 10:9
I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.

Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved.

Jesus death totally crushed Satan at the Cross

Jesus death totally crushed Satan at the Cross

Jesus death was not shameless and helpless

The day is coming, God says, when you (not just your offspring) will be defeated and removed from the earth. The offspring of this woman will crush you (see Romans 16:20 and Hebrews 2:14). That decisive blow was struck by the perfect offspring of the woman, Jesus Christ, when he died on the cross. This is one of the reasons why the eternal Son of God had to become a man ” because it was the offspring of the woman who would crush Satan.

Colossians 2:14″15 describes what God did for those who trust his Son, when he died on the cross: “[The record of debt that stood against us] he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

When Christ died for our sins, Satan was disarmed and defeated. The one eternally destructive weapon that he had was stripped from his hand, namely, his accusation before God that we are guilty and should perish with him. When Christ died that accusation was nullified. All those who entrust themselves to Christ will never perish. Satan cannot separate them from the love of God in Christ (Romans 8:37″39).

Jesus Declares All Food Clean

Jesus Declares All Food Clean

Matthew 15:10-11… After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand. 11 It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

After scolding the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees for their
traditions that had taken priority over the Scriptures, Jesus “called the
crowd to Him” in order to correct their thinking, for they had been
misled by their teachers. Calling them to both “hear” and “understand,”
Jesus was about to make a solemn point that all Jews needed to know. What Jesus was about to tell them would rock the very foundation of their entire belief system about food and cleanness.

The Jews were given many dietary restrictions by God upon their release
from Egypt under Moses (cf. Lev. 11). God gave these restrictions to
Israel not only to keep His people healthy (for many of the animals He
restricted them from eating were, unbeknownst to them, disease carrying animals) but also to separate His people from the rest of the world. Though the Jews did not understand bacteria and its harmful effects in those days, God did. The world was thus to look upon His people as God-fearing, healthy people who displayed the glories of God in their daily life and health. Yet abstaining from those foods did not make them holy. They remained sinners in need of God’s grace in spite of their diet. Obedience to these restrictions was indeed intended by God to point to something much greater, namely a fulfillment in their Messiah, Jesus.

Jesus came into the world, not to abolish the law but to fulfill it
(Matt. 5:17). Therefore, when He told the Jews in v. 11 that what enters
a person’s mouth is not what defiles that person but what “proceeds out
of the mouth, this defiles the man,” He was fulfilling the dietary laws
spelled out by Moses in sections of the Torah like Leviticus 11.
Essentially, Jesus told the Jews that a person can indeed eat with
unwashed hands, eat port, etc. and not be ceremonially unclean. This in
no way abolished the law; rather, Jesus was fulfilling the law. After
all, one is not made morally clean by washing their hands but by placing
their faith in their Messiah, namely Jesus. Uncleanness is of the heart,
and it can be made clean only by trusting in Christ.

Christians today can look to the dietary laws given to the Jews and actually share the gospel by preaching them. After all, they point to Christ! He makes the unclean clean. The moral repugnancy of man is not reflected in his diet; rather, it is observed through his mouth. Man uses his mouth to vilify other races of people, to curse, to malign, etc. This is the moral uncleanness of man, reflecting his depraved, defiled spirit (cf. 12:34). Moral purity, however, is reflected in how one behaves. For instance, one can honor his parents through physical and financial aid, not only because he loves them, but because he knows it ultimately honors God. Yet those who honor their parents in order to inherit their wealth or simply because they want the accolades their parents might give them do not honor God but honor themselves. One might say that even though folks like this act morally, they remain in a state of uncleanness since they lack faith.