Belief in God

Every person has a description of God. He is the Creator, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and immutable. His magnificence and splendor are recognized by all. However, we have yet to hear of His clear identification.

Christians are simply contented with the identity Jesus Christ as the Savior. He is the Messiah prophesied in the book of Isaiah and Daniel. And the child of Virgin Mary born in Bethlehem who grew in Nazareth, preached in the different places of Israel, performed many miracles, hated by the religious leaders, and eventually crucified on the cross.

Who is not familiar with Jesus uttering the following as He lay on the cross?

Indicating that Jesus has a Father:

Luk 23:34  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Signifying that Jesus is a human being:

Joh 19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

Doubt in the minds of many, why Jesus has God:

Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Unresolved truth or “mystery” why Jesus fulfilled the Testament of the Father when this covenant can only be fulfilled with the death of the maker:

Joh 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

And why many professing Christians are not aware of His rebuke:

Joh 8:19  Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

When these ambiguity, or unresolved question, regarding the identity of Jesus Christ is brought to the attention of sect leaders, to discourage further scrutiny on the identity of the Father we hear the following pretext:

“It is impossible with the finite mind of man to identify the infinite Father God. If we do, then we would be like God. To comprehend the mystery of the Trinity, we will lose our mind; but to deny it we will lose our soul. Let us not lose our faith in God, love Him, and do good works that’s enough for God is love.”

The truth is it is never the intention of God to hide His identity from His chosen people. Ever since, we read this in the Sacred Scriptures. The first of the Ten Commandments is God’s introduction of Himself.

This is written with the finger of God on two tables of stone.  

Exo 20:2  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

“I am the Lord thy God” indicates the need to know Him. Failure to do so would reap His rebuke:

Jer 4:22  For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding…

During the time of Christ, a humble Scribe inquired about the first of all the commandments:

Mar 12:28  And one of the scribes came…and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

Jesus replied, repeating what God told His chosen people in the Old Testament:

Deu 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Mar 12:29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.

To many people this is not even a commandment. They overlooked that this commandment requires the need to IDENTIFY God before loving Him. That is why our Lord followed it with the Two Great Commandments:

Mar 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Mar 12:31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Again, Jesus just repeated what was required of God’s chosen people from the beginning:

Deu 6:5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

In His time, Jesus rebuked the Jews for not knowing the God they professed to worship. He expected them to IDENTIFY Him, for to them the words of God are entrusted where they could trace His identity:

Joh 8:54 …it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55  Yet ye have not known him…

This truth is being replayed in our time as we hear people and religious leaders trying to avoid the question raised by our Lord Jesus in John 8:19. For emphasis, here is His rebuke:

Joh 8:19  Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

Many people are contented thanking, praising and lifting up the Lord Jesus. Unwittingly the “chosen” are distinguished from the “called.” Here are the chosen of God:

Heb 8:11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

To those who want to be exempt from the rebuke in John 8:19 and Jeremiah 4:22, God gave the Cross the symbol for salvation, where His identification can be traced. To emphasize, the “chosen” are distinguished from the “called” with their clear identification of God. They are therefore exempted from His reproof.

ON THE CROSS

Here, Jesus confirms His humanity by thirsting for water as any man does. Although this has spiritual significance as God reveals later on.

Joh 19:28 Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

In the following, the truth that Jesus is a man and His two roles for salvation are confirmed.

Jesus in His secondary role as Son of God:

Luk 23:34  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…

What follows, Jesus maintains He has God like the Apostles/Disciples. He expressed His deep sentiment as if being forsaken for by the Father.

Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

In truth, Jesus expressed His powerlessness that He put His complete trust and total dependence on the Father. As we often hear Him say,

Joh 4:34   Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me…

Joh 5:30  …I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Jesus validated His being a Son of God and having God like Magdalene when she tried to touch Him:

Joh 20:16  Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

Joh 20:17  Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Who would question the foregoing revelations regarding the description of Jesus being a man? That He is a Son of God, of having God Himself, and His total reliance on the Father?

Joh 5:19  …Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

Joh 14:28  Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

Luk 18:18  And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Very clear is the role of JESUS as Son of God being the model of the chosen:

Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Truly in this role, Jesus as “Son of God” is showing the example to the chosen.

1 Pet 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

And in this role, Jesus is the only mediator between God and men:

1 Tim 2:5   For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Jesus in His role as the “FATHER in the flesh“

To solve the mystery of Jesus fulfilling the testament of the Father with His death, His primary role is revealed. Thus, when He was about to die Jesus uttered the following:

Joh 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Very clearly this statement of Jesus points to the fulfillment of the Testament of Salvation of the Father, where it requires the death of the maker or testator.

Heb 9:16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

And this was made possible by the Father manifesting Himself in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ:

1 Tim 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit…

This was revealed to Paul:

Phi 2:6   Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Phi 2:7   But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Phi 2:8   And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

The general perception is, Jesus is God and the Son at the same time, without recognizing His two distinct roles. With this belief, being a model is subject to question for how could God be a perfect model.  But JESUS with His self-directed function as FATHER and SON, God leaves no doubt fulfilling His testament of salvation. Then His original plan of having eternal companions would be fully accomplished. Thus, to know and believe this secondary role of Jesus as revealed to John the Apostle.

John 3:16

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in himshould not perish, but have everlasting life.

To believe Jesus in His independent role as SON of God would follow acceptance of His sweeping statement to His primary role as the “Father in the flesh.”

Joh 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Here is the Father speaking:

Isa 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

Isa 43:11  I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

Literally speaking, “beside” indicates position where, to many people, Jesus is “sitting at the right hand of God.”

Mar 16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

But to God “right hand” means totality of power as expounded in the following:

Exo 15:6 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.

“Miracle” is needed to IDENTIFY Jesus

It was shown seeing Jesus, hearing Him speak, and talking to Him is not enough to identify Him. The religious leaders stalked, talked, and even argued with Him. But they had to pay Judas Iscariot 30 pieces of silver to identify Him, and this was with a kiss to be definite. The people at Caesarea Philippi saw and heard Jesus speak but did not recognize Him.

Mat 16:13  When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14  And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

What transpired at Caesarea Philippi is seen in our time. Today we can sense a replication of the foregoing where people hear, read, and memorize many things written about Christ and yet this is what we hear:

• Some people say, “Jesus is only a man and not God.” And a derivate is what others think of Him, “Jesus is only a mighty God for there is a Supreme or Almighty God.”
• Others say, “Jesus Christ is the name of the Father and the Holy Spirit” and loosely claiming He is the Father and the Holy Spirit as well.
• Many people say, “Jesus is both God and man, and He is the 2nd person of the Trinity.”

It was at this instance when Jesus asked His Disciples:

Mat 16:15  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

Simon Peter told Him:

Mat 16:16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art… the Son of the living God.

The declaration of Simon Peter about JESUS is being taken lightly by the Natural Man , saying, it is plain common sense. To Jesus however, Simon Peter needed the “revelation of the Father” to recognize Him as such!

Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Last word on the cross

When Jesus was about to die, He uttered:

Joh 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Some say His hardships and work on earth was finished. Everybody knows Jesus saying, “It is finished” indicates the fulfillment of the plan for SALVATION. That is why Jesus is called Savior, Messiah, Redeemer, or CHRIST. However according to Jesus, Simon Peter needed the “revelation of the Father” to say this:

Mat 16:16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ…

Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Perhaps many people would ask, “Why does it need the revelation of the Father for simply declaring Jesus is the CHRIST and the SON of God?” Unknown to them, it is this lack of deeper and more profound things about Jesus transpiring on the cross, that brought about this concept of the “mystery of the Father.” That is why we hear preachers whenever they are asked, “Who is the Father if Jesus is also God when it is written there is only one God?” Invariably this is what we hear from them:

“The infinite Father God is incapable of clear identification with the finite mind of man. To do so, then we will be like God. Let us just believe in God, love Him, and perform good works that is all that is needed for salvation. Let us remember God is love.”

But the rebuke to those professing to know Jesus Christ must linger in the mind:

Joh 8:19   Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

“Babes, suckling, children!”

For failing to identify the Father, Jesus called the “wise and the prudent” “blind guides leading the blind.” This is in contrast with “babes, suckling, and children.”

Luk 10:21  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

Isa 28:9  (KJV) Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

2 Tim 3:15  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

On the cross, Jesus uttering “It is finished” is not a simple statement that many people call fulfillment of salvation. This needs to know God’s plan for salvation.

The Testament for salvation

In the beginning, the Spirit God created man in His own image:

Gen 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him…

Of course God is referring to Jesus Christ since He is the “image of the invisible God.”

Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

And Jesus was pictured as a “lamb,” hence, man at creation must also be in the image of a “sheep.”

Joh 1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

As everybody knows man fell into sin in the Garden of Eden. Thereafter, no longer was man in the image of Jesus Christ, thereby taking the image of “goat.”  From then on, this is man in the eyes of God:

Psa 14:2  The LORD looked …upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

Psa 14:3  They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

As it is written in the New Testament:

Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Rom 3:12  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

The humble or “poor in spirit” realized this truth:

Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Therefore GOD had to devise means to restore man’s original image to be worthy with Him in eternity. There are two measures in this plan:

First - God had to make a Testament for salvation

Second – Man needs a model to follow. No human being can take this role for all have lost the image of Jesus Christ at the Fall.

As an initial step, in several verses in the Pentateuch or the first five books of the Holy Bible, God indicated His plan by making a covenant with Noah and later to Abraham that foretells the plan for salvation.

Gen 9:9  And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

Gen 17:7  And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

Often read but failing to see its significance is the need for the fulfillment of the testament requiring the death of the maker or testator:

Heb 9:16  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

Since nothing is impossible with God, the Spirit God (Joh 4:24) had to manifest Himself in the flesh, now in His human body capable of dying as required in His testament of salvation. Thus,

Authorized Version of 1611 (KJV)

1 Tim 3:16   And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit…

Many Bible versions changed “God” to “He” or “Christ,” such as:

1 Tim. 3:16 [New Internal Version] Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit…

1 Tim. 3:16 [New Living Translation] Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit…

1 Tim. 3:16 [New American Standard Bible] By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: Hewho was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit…

To note it was the FATHER who made this testament and professing to be the only GOD in the following:

Isa 43:10   Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

To comprehend and accept that it was the FATHER who manifested Himself in the flesh, truly it requires divine revelation as demonstrated to Simon Peter. Jesus speaking:  

Mat 16:15   He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

Mat 16:16   And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ…

Mat 16:17   And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

This revelation of the FATHER of Himself perfectly matches JESUS’ accomplishment as He was to die on the cross:

John19:30   When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Very clearly from the foregoing CHRIST is revealed to be the FATHER in the flesh! This is the primary role of Jesus as Savior, Redeemer, or Messiah, and attested to by the FATHER Himself in:

Isa 44:24   Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

Isaiah 43:10   Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

Who could be the “other being” that the FATHER is referring to “he?” And now we hear JESUS CHRIST warning His listeners:

Joh 8:24   I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

In the following, John the Beloved attests to the foregoing:

1 Joh 3:16   Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us …

But this truth requires “divine revelation” to clearly understand and accept it.

Jesus the SON of God

Perhaps this is the most popular verse we often hear from preachers in evangelism that many people love to hear:

Joh 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.

How many people noticed the condition in the verse that we have to believe Jesus speaking? That He is the only “begotten Son of God.” Many people believe that, but do they accept that Jesus as Son of God has God as He claimed this on the cross and to Mary Magdalene and also the Disciples?

Mar 15:34   And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Joh 20:17   Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Human perception dictates that Jesus can never be the FATHER. How could He when in the following the “three persons” of God are clearly distinguished?

Mat 3:16   And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

Mat 3:17   And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

On the cross therefore, Jesus revealed His true identity to Simon Peter in declaring Him, saying:

“Thou art the CHRIST”

Peter must have seen Jesus as the “Father in the flesh” who made the Testament of Salvation that required the death of the testator. He must therefore be the Savior, Redeemer or Messiah prophesied in the book of Isaiah and Daniel.

Isa 44:24   Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

Isa 43:11   I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

Written about “Jesus sitting at the right hand of God” must have spiritual revelation aside from human understanding, thus:

Mar 16:19   So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Acts 7:55   But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

By divine revelation, “right hand of God” means the totality of the power of God.

Exo 15:6   Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.

Col 2:9   For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

“Thou art the SON of the living God”

Peter must have seen JESUS, truly as the “only begotten Son of God” who would serve as model to the chosen:

Rom 8:29   For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

In this role, JESUS shows the “strait gate” and leads the “poor in spirit” pass through it:

Mat 7:13   Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Luk 13:24   Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

As the “eldest Son” He shows the example:

1 Pet 2:21   For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

Jesus demonstrates humility by example:

Joh 5:19   … Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

Jesus in order to be a perfect model in this role did not admit He is good:

Luk 18:18   And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Luk 18:19   And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

The two roles of Jesus Christ are clearly distinguished. Thus,

1 Tim 2:5   For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Joh 14:28   … If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

JESUS in His primary role as the FATHER is the Creator. He is the Savior, Redeemer, or Messiah.

JESUS in His secondary role as SON of God is the “The Anointed One,” serving as model who can never be the Savior or Creator. It is this truth that is imposed on the loosely perceived statement of John the

Beloved that many people rely for salvation:

Joh 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.

What is overlooked by theologians and Bible scholars is, the result in identifying JESUS CHRIST ultimately led to the identity of the One True God. Apostle John who wrote the book of Revelation, the last to die among the Apostles wrote this message in his Epistle:

1 Joh 5:20   And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

How many professing Christians accept the foregoing statement of an original Apostle of Christ?

First and greatest miracle

The first and greatest miracle of a chosen is the “opening of the eyes” so as to see or identify the GOD to love. Then no longer be subject to His following rebuke while still on earth:

Joh 8:19   Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

Joh 8:54   Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55   Yet ye have not known him…

And a painful rebuke to hear at the White Throne Judgment:

Luk 13:26   Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27  But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me…

Mat 7:22   Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me…

“Born Again”

Upon creation, man was created in the image of JESUS CHRIST, a lamb, in His role as Son of God who is the “image of the invisible God.”

Col 1:15   Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Man therefore should likewise be in that “image of sheep.” But at the Fall, man lost that image and transformed himself into a “goat.” Restoration to man’s original image of a “sheep” is what is popularly known as “born again.”

2 Cor 5:17   Therefore if any man be in Christ , he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Jesus Christ uses His “spiritual lingo” talking in parables that many people interpret in different ways:

Psa 78:2   I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

Mar 4:34   But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

The evidence of being “born again” is discernible on persons understanding and speaking the spiritual meaning of the “letter” of the word.  This is actually the intended message of God from His words. The ministers of the New Testament are therefore revealed:

2 Cor 3:6   Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Jesus Christ demonstrated this “spiritual lingo” to His listeners in the following.

Joh 2:19   Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

To the JEWS a type for “goats” who cannot understand the language of the “lamb.”

Joh 2:20   Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

The result for taking the “letter” or literal meaning of the word:

Mat 27:40   And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

But for the Disciples that are type for “sheep” waited for “divine revelation.” This is the “intended message” for the temple. It refers to our Lord’s body at His resurrection on the third day of His death.

Joh 2:21   But he spake of the temple of his body.

Joh 2:22   When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

“Church upon this rock”

Jesus told Peter on recognizing Him “by divine revelation.”

Mat 16:18   And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

There are two references for CHURCH:

1. Church in the broader sense refers to the assembly or congregation of real believers.

Act 2:47  Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as be saved.

1 Cor 11:18  For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you…

2. Church in the narrower sense refers to the sanctuary of God, also called temple. This is plentifully mentioned in the Old Testament after Solomon built the temple for God.

1 Kings 8:13  I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.

2 Chro 7:16  For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

It is in this narrower sense that our Lord referred to Simon Peter becoming the sanctuary or temple of God, as all the chosen recognizing Jesus by divine revelation.

1 Cor 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

The Temple or Church cannot be a literal edifice, as it is written:

Act 7:47  But Solomon built him an house.

Act 7:48  Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

Act 7:49  Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

Is not the “church or temple” succinctly revealed in the following?

1 Cor 3:16   Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Cor 6:19   What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1 Cor 6:20   For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

In truth, it is in the real believer that God resides serving as spiritual temple or “church.” This is true to all chosen as demonstrated in the following:

Martha:

Joh 11:27   She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

Nathanael:

Joh 1:49   Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.  

John the Baptist recognizing the two roles of Jesus, in His role as Son that is meek as a “lamb,” and in His role as the FATHER “which taketh away the sin of the world.”

Joh 1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Andrew, the brother of Peter:

Joh 1:40  One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

Joh 1:41  He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

The Samaritan woman:

Joh 4:25  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

Joh 4:26  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

“Keys of the kingdom”

Mat 16:19   And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

From the foregoing revelations of the word, the “keys” of the kingdom of heaven clearly refer to the following, which in effect, is the TRUTH in the word.

Jesus in His role as Son of God did not take the power “to bind or lose” anybody from spiritual bondage or sins.

Joh 12:47  And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world…

Joh 12:48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

“Binding and loosing” anybody from spiritual bondage or sin is the exclusive power of JESUS in His role as Father. Jesus repeated this before physically leaving them, although He returned as promised in His HOLY SPIRIT form .

Joh 20:22   And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

Joh 20:23   Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

It is the power of TRUTH in the Disciples that has the “power to remit or forgive, and to retain or not to forgive” sins. Jesus in His role as Son demonstrated this:

Joh 15:3   Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Beneficiaries to the Testament of Salvation

To take the “letter of the word” only the seeds or descendants of Abraham the beneficiaries to covenant of God:

Gen 17:7   And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

The sole condition for becoming a beneficiary to the testament of salvation of God is to belong to Christ.

Gal 3:28   There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:29   And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

And to belong to Him, one needs “to be converted like little children” in order to be endowed with divine knowledge and wisdom:

Mat 18:3   And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The result of spiritual humility is endowment of divine knowledge and wisdom:

Mat 11:25   At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

Without these renewed character, one cannot avoid following these taboos:

1. Trusting another on matters pertaining to God:

Jer 17:5  Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

2. While professing to trust God, unwittingly relying on own understanding:

Prov 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

3. Unwittingly deluded by the deceptive feeling or emotion:

Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

The Natural Man would try circumventing the foregoing taboo by giving example, such as saying, “Can I not trust my parents, can I not learn science by myself or can I not use my heart or feeling in loving my children?” Of course the prohibitions do not apply to things pertaining to physical life, such as, social, economic, political, or scientific, for these are intended for spiritual life.

Many of the Jews forfeited this benefit for refusing to observe the foregoing warning and therefore did not recognize our Lord Jesus Christ:

Joh 10:24  Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

Luk 22:66  …the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying,

Luk 22:67  Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto, If I tell you, ye will not believe.

The Jews for their heartlessness, it is written:

Rom 11:10  Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back always.

Rom 11:11  I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

Therefore salvation was opened to the Gentiles and the claim of exclusivity by the Jews is refuted and put to naught.

Rom 9:6  Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

“The gates of hell”

Jesus made reference to “hell” in the following and ascribed it to the Scribes and Pharisees.

Mat 16:18   And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The religious leaders stalked and even argued with our Lord, but because they did not recognized Him this is His very sharp rebuke to them:

Mat 23:33   Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Mat 23:15   Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Judaism and Christianity

God entrusted His words to the Jews in the beginning, and now to Christianity. Unwittingly this religion, with its division into sects and denominations, has followed the path of the Jews. Here is how our Lord classifies the people:

Mat 25:31  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Mat 25:32  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

Mat 25:33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

• The “chosen” are called “sheep”
• The “called” are called “goats”

The offspring of Abraham while having the word of God, for not recognizing Jesus, formed the religion of Judaism. People believing in the Bible and professing to be Christians call their religion Christianity. For ignoring the taboos, if Jesus during His time found only two sects, the Pharisees and Sadducees; today Christianity is divided into 1001 sects and denominations and each claiming the truth.

The enigmatic Messiah

The Jews were waiting for the promised Messiah. The Messiah came. They did not recognize Him; but worst, they crucified Him (Mark 15:12-14). Today, Christianity preaches Jesus is the Messiah, but look how He is identified. If salvation is on Christ, how could the Christian religion preach several Christs? To note, these doctrines were launched after the death of Christ.

• Arian doctrine - some sects preach, “Jesus is only a man and not God.” This was first preached by Arius, a theologian who lived in AD 250-336 (Encyclopedia Britannica and other references).
• Jehovah doctrine - others preach, “Jesus is only a mighty God for there is a Supreme or Almighty God.” This is but a derivative of the Arian doctrine that was first preached by Charles Taze Russell (b. Feb. 16, 1852 – d. Oct. 31, 1916).
• Oneness or Sabellian doctrine - still others preach, “Jesus Christ is the name of the Father and the Holy Spirit,” started by Sabellius in the 3rd century A.D., sometimes called Jesus only Doctrine (Encyclopedia Britannica, XIX, 791.). And a derivative of the Sabellian doctrine preaching that “Jesus is also the Father and the Holy Spirit is only a force of God.”
• Trinity doctrine - many preach, “Jesus is both God and man, and He is the 2nd person of the Trinity.” This belief was launched at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325, and advocated by Athanacius (Encyclopedia Americana, Vol. 27, 1967 Edition).

Truly the word of God is alive. What happened at Caesarea Philippi is being replayed in our time. The people there saw and heard Jesus speak. But look!

Mat 16:13  When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

Mat 16:14  And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

Warning

Jesus warned that several “Christs” would be preached by false prophets and would deceive many people by showing great signs and wonders.

Mat 24:23  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Mat 24:25   Behold, I have told you before.

A similar warning was sounded by the Apostles.

2 Cor 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

“Miracle” is needed to recognize Jesus

Who is the True Christ, the Savior, Messiah, or Redeemer? Overlooked is that divine revelation is required to identify Jesus in relation to the Father.

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him…

So also is the revelation of the Son Jesus needed to identify the Father:

Mat 11:27 …no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Thus, only a few are exempted from Jesus’ rebuke who claim to know Him:

Joh 8:19  Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

Further, it needs the revelation of the Holy Ghost to declare, “Jesus is the Lord!”

1 Cor 12:3  …no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Unknown to many people, the LORD is the God who declared the following:

Psa 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

Isa 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

It is written there is only One God and One Lord!

1 Cor 8:6  But to us there is but one God, the Father…and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Jesus Himself stated knowing the “Lord” is the “first of all the commandments.” This came about when a humble Scribe asked Him:

Mar 12:28  And one of the scribes came…and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

Many people did not even realize the following is a commandment:

Mar 12:29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.

And how many people are aware that to know “The Lord our God is one Lord” is a prerequisite to loving God? This is the “law on love” that is indisputable as the “law of gravity.” Jesus is calling the attention of Israel or the Jews, and now Christendom, to whom the word of God is entrusted, for not knowing the God they claim to worship. Let us listen to the rebuke of Jesus’:

Joh 8:54  Jesus answered…it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55  Yet ye have not known him…

Joh 8:19  …Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

Yet both Judaism and Christianity now claim loving God without first having satisfied the prerequisite thereof.

In the Old Testament:

Deu 6:4   Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Deu 6:5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

In the New Testament:

Mar 12:29   And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

Mar 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

This recognition of Peter of Jesus’ role as the FATHER, the Messiah, is revealed to Paul as the Creator also! Jesus in His role as Son of God, a created being, cannot be the Creator!

Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature [as Son]: 16  For by him were all things created[as Father], that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible…

And also to John the Apostle was revealed confirming the foregoing truth about Jesus:

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2  The same was in the beginning with God. 3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

The Speaker cannot be separated from His Word, and neither could there be WORD without the SPEAKER. GOD without His WORD is put to naught.

Joh 1:14  And the Word was made 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.

Only the body dies in death

Many people cannot believe this truth about the Father dying on the cross, saying, “If Jesus is also FATHER, in His death for three days, where was God at that time?” God answers this by demonstration. When Lazarus the beggar died, his “body returned to dust.”

Gen 3:19 … for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

His soul was alive and “carried in Paradise in the bosom of Abraham.

Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

And Lazarus being a chosen of God in his lifetime for being “born again,” he had the Spirit of God. At his death, the Spirit of God that actually represents God is alive! Thus,

Ecc 12:7  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Therefore the skepticism seeing the death of God in Jesus in His role as the FATHER is completely cleared up. Only the hardness of the heart prevents many people from believing the truth about the real identity of Jesus in His two roles. These roles of Jesus fulfill the two requisites for salvation:

First and primary role – “Jesus as the FATHER in the flesh” was the testator of the testament of salvation requiring the death of the maker was fulfilled on the Cross.

Heb 9:16  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

Secondary role – “Jesus the only begotten Son of God” as model, the mediator, showing the way, by example.

Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

1 Tim 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

1 Pet 2:21  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

How many people ever asked these questions?

1. Did Jesus speak except in parables?

Mar 4:34  But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

Did He not also speak literal-physical things? For what purpose?

Joh 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

2. Were Peter, John, James, Paul or any of Christ’s other Apostles/Disciples authorized to expound on the words of our Lord?

Mar 4:34  But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

The classic example is about the temple as discussed, and in another instance Jesus spoke of the need to “eat His flesh and drink His blood.” But many of His Disciples left Him for not comprehending what He was saying:

John 6:60   Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

John 6:66   From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Conclusion:

Jesus Christ’s true identity was finally revealed to John the Beloved, last Apostle to die at the age of 96 years:

1 Joh 5:20  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Therefore there is only One God in the person of Jesus Christ revealed in three manifestations. This will be unveiled at the White Throne Judgment when Jesus will visibly assume the role of the Father, but this is too late for the “called” to repent.

On the CROSS, the two roles of JESUS are clearly established as the eternal sign for the TRUTH.

• JESUS in His role as SON of God is the model to the chosen. In this role Jesus cannot be the Savior, Redeemer or Messiah. He is not God! This role ends at the White Throne Judgment.
• GOD at that time will be seen in the “glorified body of JESUS CHRIST.”

Rev 1:7   Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

But for the elect, they will finally find themselves in the company of JESUS CHRIST in His eternal kingdom.

1 Joh 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit

Now “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit,” a sin without forgiveness, must be underscored.

Mat 12:31  Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

Mat 12:32  And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

The Holy Spirit is the Teacher who reveals the TRUTH from the “letter” of the word. Without Him there is no way for any man to understand the intended message of God from His words. Man tried to reconcile seemingly contradictory verses in the Holy Bible leading to omission and addition in many of Bible versions. Thus we find in the following verse the omission or substitution for the phrase, “I am he,” with “I am that I am,” or “I am the one I claim to be,” to go well with human interpretation. It is clearly a subterfuge avoiding Jesus to point to the Father.

Jesus warned His listeners:

Joh 8:24 (KJV) I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. (Is not this the role of the Father who made the testament of salvation?)

The Father speaking:

Isa 43:10  Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

Isa 43:11  I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

Isa 41:4  Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

Isa 43:13  Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand…

Isa 43:25  I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Isa 48:12  Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called;  I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.

Isa 51:12  I, even I, am he that comforteth you… (Is not this role of the Holy Spirit as Comforter?)

In the following, the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are referring to each other:

The Father speaking in the Old Testament:

Isa 44:6  Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Jesus Christ speaking in the book of Revelation:

Rev 22:13  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

As revealed to Paul referring to the Holy Spirit:

Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

It is incomprehensible with human wisdom (the use of the intellect, senses, and feeling) for the child born in Bethlehem, JESUS, is actually the Father Himself. This is equally inconceivable to include this primary role aside from His generally accepted role of simply being the Son of God. However the Holy Spirit as Teacher clears up this mystery which is hidden “from ages and from generations” but now revealed to God’s chosen few.

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

1 Joh 2:27  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

The need to identify God

How many people know that identifying God is a prerequisite to loving Him? Jesus declared this as “The first of all the commandments?” This is an irrefutable principle, “to know comes before love.”

Mar 12:29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.

Ignoring this commandment, many people jumped to the Two Great Commandments thinking this is all that is needed for salvation:

Mar 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Mar 12:31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Without knowing the identity of God who reveals the great message of His words, many people rely on personal perception of the word as well as trusting other people for interpretation. Unwittingly, they overlooked the following taboo:

Prov 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Jer 17:5  Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

The chosen of God recognize Jesus by the “revelation of the Father and not from flesh and blood.” To themthe two roles of Jesus are clearly discernible, thus avoiding the error of recognizing Jesus the Son of God as the Messiah or Savior. This is the Holy Spirit’s revelation from the “letter” of the word. Rejecting this truth is tantamount to blaspheming the Holy Spirit as Teacher .

Mat 12:31  Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

Later, God will reveal that the Holy Spirit is actually the FATHER who takes the characteristics of a “dove” in order to be acceptable to the chosen. This is through the Father’s promise being the “inheritance” in His “Testament of Salvation.”  Speaking a word against Jesus in His role as Son of God, this sin is forgivable:

Mat 12:32  And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Jesus the carpenter

Jesus was a carpenter building houses.

Mar 6:3  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

As carpenter, Jesus in His role as the FATHER was building His sanctuaries in the persons of His chosen. Paul, a tent maker, by sharing the truth simply made temporary spiritual shelters for our Lord:

Act 18:3  And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

Only Jesus in His role as Father constructed “houses” or permanent homes for His sanctuaries. Paul only built “temporary quarters” by sharing the truth to the “poor in spirit” (Mat 5:3), the spiritual “little children” (Mat 18:3). This is the inspiration endowed to the chosen.

Like the Samaritan woman on finding Jesus she could not hold herself sharing the truth.

Joh 4:28   The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

Joh 4:29   Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

Joh 4:30   Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

The chosen act as “evangelists” spreading the gospel of truth.

Rom 10:14   How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Rom 10:15   And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

God is the truth. Hence, “evangelism” is a function of the chosen sharing the truth they received from the Lord. But never do they take the honor for the title in doing this.

The “house of the Lord”

Substituting physical edifices for churches with real believers, from them the TRUTH is heard and learned:

Mic 4:2  …Come, and let us go up to …the house of God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths…

People taking the “letter” of the word build chapels, churches, and cathedrals as “dwelling places of God.” Never have we read Jesus and His Disciples built these physical structures, for how could they do this as revealed to Paul .

The foundation of the Church

Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The chosen’s attribute as “church” or “temple” of God is founded “on the rock.” The rock is God the Lord in the Old Testament:

Psa 18:31  For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?

In the Epistles:

1 Cor 10:4  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

It is only now that the “only God” and the “only Lord” is clearly identified!

1 Cor 8:6  But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Now what Jesus told His listeners is obvious and unmistakable:

Joh 10:14  I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

Joh 10:3  … the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

Joh 10:4  … he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

Clearly the “chosen” are distinguished and separated from the “called” by the “First of all the commandments.” This refers to their clear identification of the One True God.

Mar 12:29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

Therefore only they are mandated to follow the Two Great Commandments:

Mar 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Mar 12:31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour  (distinguished from fellowmen) as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Jesus further said He has “other sheep” not of this fold:

Joh 10:16  And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Clearly He is referring to the Old Testament saints who heard God the same words that Jesus told the humble Scribe in Mark 12:29:

Deu 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Deu 6:5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

“Gates of hell”

After Simon Peter recognized the true CHRIST, Jesus told him:

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Some sects interpret this to mean continuous expansion of membership in spite of religious, social, and political adversities. The truth is it refers to the clear identification of Jesus Christ that is divinely revealed and with this His chosen “hear His voice.”

Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

The word of God is expressed in the language with which the Holy Bible is translated. The “voice of our Lord” is the revelation of the “intended meaning” of the word apart from the “letter” or literal meaning. Some Jews “heard the voice” of the Lord and became His Disciples, while the great majority of them succumbed to the charismatic talk and charm of religious leaders, the priests, doctors and lawyers of the law, the Scribes and Pharisees.

“The gates of hell shall not prevail against it” means no amount of deception and persecution could prevail upon the truth in the CHOSEN that compose the “church.” In the following Jesus gave a glimpse of “hell” for anything against the TRUTH, and the chosen’s deliverance from “spiritual death.”

Rev 1:18  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Jesus Christ rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees for leading the people on the road to hell:

Mat 23:15  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Mat 23:33  Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

The word of God does not pass away and the characteristics of the Scribes and Pharisees could be seen all the time. Religious leaders with their smooth talk for good works and morality, many people are enticed to follow them. Some see this as shallow perception of hypocrisy. But our Lord saw it as religiosity in contrast with the depth of spirituality.

Mat 23:26  Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Mat 23:4  For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

Jesus Christ was referring to the literal application of the Law on Tithes who was not heard preaching it to the “letter.” The Apostles preached and applied it spiritually. This is discussed in the Chapter on Tithes and Offering .

Mat 23:5  But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

Mat 23:6  And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

Definitely this refers to self-exaltation and distinction from the rest of the people.

Mat 23:7  And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

Mat 23:8  But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

Mat 23:9  And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10  Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

Is not this robbery of the titles solely belonging to God? Rabbi for Teacher, Father (in spiritual matters), Shepherd for Pastor, Lord for Leader, and Reverend and Holy are exclusive to God.

Psa 111:9  He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.

The foregoing is opposed to what is due to God. Many people justify it using philosophy as it applies to social and scientific professions, such as, Dr., Engr., Prof. and so forth. They are deluded by their deceitful heart.

Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Christ preached humility to His Disciples.

Luk 22:25  And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.

Luk 22:26  But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

Here is the sharp rebuke of our Lord to the religious leaders:

Mat 23:13  But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Surely religious leaders would prevent people from hearing this truth.

Mat 23:14  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Without the truth in the professing Apostles of Christ, what would God expect from their converts?

Mat 23:15  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Does not this refer to the zeal in winning members for the sect that only fan the flame of fanaticism to wrong doctrines?

Mat 23:24  Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

This we hear from preachers who are more concerned of things that are seen than of things unseen. Jesus Christ preached and the Apostles were guided by the following:

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

2 Cor 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The Scribes and Pharisees were misled by religiosity for being ignorant of spirituality.

Mat 23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

Mat 23:28  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Christ preached spirituality for the benefit of the soul. The Scribes and Pharisees promoted religiosity whose benefits only end in the cemetery.

Religious hypocrisy

Jerusalem was supposed to be a symbol for Godliness, “a holy place” to many people; but Jesus Christ saw religious hypocrisy instead. Thus, He wails:

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Mat 23:38  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

Is not “Jerusalem” analogous to Christianity now that it could no longer be identified with the religion founded by Christ? Because of human wisdom caused by pride, it is now divided into sects and denominations. Christianity today has become a bastion of resistance to the TRUTH in the WORD! Pure Christianity today is as rare as the belief of the early Christians whose remains were found in the catacombs of Rome.

Mat 23:39  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Jesus Christ is the TRUTH

How many people notice the Jews shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him,” which is equivalent to people’s aversion to the truth in our time? Who would believe this?

Isa 53:1  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

Isa 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

On Sunday, and to others Saturday, people are crowding the Chapels, Churches, Cathedrals, and religious rallies are conducted in different places. If the truth about Jesus is to be preached in these gathering, what do we expect people to shout? Praise, or down with, the TRUTH?

The “chosen” of God

The Apostles and Disciples of our Lord, like Simon Peter all recognized Jesus “by the revelation of the Father.” Nathanael declared Jesus is the Son of God and the King of Israel (Joh 1:48-49). Martha realized Jesus is the Christ, the Son God (Joh 11:26-27). Recognizing the True Christ requires “a miracle.” It is God that gives His chosen the “heart to know Him” because they come to Him with their whole heart:

Jer 24:7  And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.

Hence it is only the chosen who could obey “The first of all the commandments.”

Mar 12:29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

This is the clear identification of the One True God and One Lord:

1 Cor 8:6  But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

And because to the chosen the two roles of Jesus are clearly revealed, only from them does He expects keeping the following commandments:

Mar 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Mar 12:31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

“Neighbor” does not refer to fellowmen as demonstrated by Jesus in His parable of the Good Samaritan. Let us remember the “victim” of the “thieves” is leaving “Jerusalem” that is noted for “religiosity” and going to “Jericho” a renowned evil place. How could the “Priest and Levite” expect to pity the “victim” when in the eyes of our Lord they personify “thieves and the robbers?” The “Priests and Levites” during the time of Christ hated Jesus Christ.

Joh 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

The “called”

To the Jews, and now to Christianity, is the word of God entrusted. But God’s rebuke remains because of hardheartedness:

Jer 4:22  For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

Joh 8:54  Jesus answered…it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55  Yet ye have not known him…

Joh 8:19  …Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

The Samaritans as beneficiaries to the Testament

The Samaritans belong to the Northern tribes of Israel whose forebears intermarried with the Jews. The Jews therefore looked down on them that they were not even allowed to talk to them. The Jews hated these people that they call our Lord a Samaritan:

Joh 8:48  Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?

Read John 4:4-24 and see how a Samaritan woman met our Lord by the well of Jacob. She recognized Jesus as Simon Peter did.

Joh 4:25  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

The woman was so excited that she began telling her fellow Samaritans about Jesus, the Messiah.

Joh 4:28  The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

Joh 4:29  Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

Joh 4:30  Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

As a result many of them recognized the CHRIST, and unknown even to her, this Samaritan woman acted as an “Evangelist” .

Joh 4:39  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman….

Joh 4:40  So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them…

Joh 4: 41  And many more believed because of his own word;

Joh 4: 42  And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

In identifying Jesus, many of her town mates equally recognized the Messiah and the most popular is the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-35.  We could imagine the chosen how excited they are as this woman meeting the FATHER in the person of JESUS. Feeling the same and full of enthusiasm, they tell the people about their “great find.” This is evangelism, and many of them therefore became evangelists in the eyes of our Lord.

Recapitulating the plan for salvation

Salvation was resumed with the Father’s covenant or testament after the Fall of man.  We read this in several verses in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. God made a testament or promise for the redemption of mankind to carry out His plan of having eternal companions. It is written His Testament calls for the death of the maker or testator:

Heb 9:16  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

Therefore the Father, the testator, in order to fulfill His testament had to manifest Himself in the flesh! We can no longer find the following verse worded as it is because translators of many modern versions of the Bible “do not see” the primary role of Jesus as the “Father in the flesh.”

1 Tim 3:16 (KJV) And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh…

It is this “mysterious role” of Jesus that Simon Peter declared “Thou art the CHRIST” that required the “revelation of the Father.”

Mat 16:15  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

Mat 16:16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ…

Jesus as Son of God was relating with the FATHER in many verses in the four gospels. While many people call Him the Christ, Messiah, Savior or Redeemer, to them He could not be the FATHER. Because of this therefore, the rebuke of our Lord Jesus to many people hangs on:

Joh 8:19  Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

[Note 1: 1Timothy 3:16 in the KJV of 1611 “God was manifest in the flesh” was actually copied from the Bishops Bible of 1568. Perhaps translators of many current Bible versions no longer incorporated this phrase thinking that the Father can never be Jesus in the flesh.]

However by divine revelation, God’s chosen clearly recognize Jesus performed the role of the FATHER aside from being the Son of God. Jesus as the CHRIST, or Savior, to them is the Father in the flesh and this was revealed to Apostle John in:

1 Joh 3:16  (KJV) Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us…

[Note 2: The same comment as in Note 1.)

What is incomprehensible to many is that God can never suffer death. Otherwise they say, “If Jesus was the Father, where was God for three days before His resurrection? They do not realize that Jesus, a physical being like anyone else, when He died on the cross only His body suffered death. His Spirit and Soul remained alive. When Lazarus the beggar died, his body was buried in the cemetery. His soul went to Paradise where he met Abraham and the other saints of God (Luk 16:22). Being a chosen, the Spirit of God in him returned to God as it is written:

Ecc 12:7  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

To the chosen therefore, very clearly is what our Lord Jesus Himself said:

Joh 8:24 (KJV)  I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Jesus is referring to the FATHER saying:

Isa 52:6  Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am hethat doth speak: behold, it is I.

This truth about Jesus was revealed to Apostle John, Paul and prophet Isaiah:

1 Joh 3:16  (KJV) Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us…

1 Joh 5:20  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Col 2:9  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father…”

In the beginning Philip and the other Apostles wanted to see the Father:

Joh 14:8  Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

Joh 14:9  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Joh 14:10  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Pentecost!

At Pentecost everything became clear to the Disciples regarding the promise of our Lord.

Joh 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

At the death of Jesus in His role as the FATHER, the testament was fulfilled and it was time to give the inheritance to the Disciples:

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come…

Act 2:2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

Act 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Father God is the Holy Spirit!

The inheritance promised in the Testament and the beneficiaries thereof are revealed in the following verses. There is no question that it was the FATHER who made the Testament. Unknown to many people it is also He who promised Himself to be the Inheritance in His testament. The Father speaking:

Eze 44:28 And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance…

Num 18:20  And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance…

The FATHER was referring to the priests and Levites as beneficiaries.

Eze 44:15  …the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me…

These are the offspring of Aaron to whom priesthood was conferred.

Num 18:20  And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.

Since God is speaking parables, the priests are actually the chosen as revealed to Peter and John in:

1 Pet 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Rev 1:6  And hath made us…priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

David confirmed this:

Psa 16:5  The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance…

This was also revealed to Paul:

Col 1:12  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.

Perhaps a question is posed why the chosen received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost instead of the FATHER. The reason is seen when the Israelites did not even want to talk to Him:

Exo 20:18  And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

Exo 20:19  And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

The Father therefore in order to be acceptable to the beneficiaries took the characteristics of a dove that is known for its amiability and sensitiveness.

Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Clearly revealed to the chosen therefore, the Holy Spirit is the Father Himself! Before we receive the miracle of “opening the eyes,” many things read in the Holy Bible just pass our mind without realizing the intended message. A classic example is the following promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit!

Many people, while they cannot agree on the identity of Jesus Christ, are one in the expectation of His Second Coming. The chosen however are distinguished from the rest by believing His promises in the following:

Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

The Comforter is the Holy Spirit.

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth….

It is the Comforter or Holy Spirit that was promised to be with Christ’s Disciples in the following:

Joh 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Using the intellect and senses, the Holy Ghost, Jesus, and the Father “are three distinct entities or persons,” as when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Divine revelation, indeed, is needed for God to reveal His identity.

Now here is Jesus Christ giving His assurance to His Disciples:

Mat 28:20  …lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Human perception cannot accept Jesus is the Holy Spirit and this makes Him remiss of His promise. This truth that Jesus, in His role as the FATHER, is the Holy Spirit is revealed to Paul in the following:

Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

2 Cor 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

There is only One Lord!

1 Cor 8:6  But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

What is in the mind of many people is what transpired after Jesus’ resurrection and before Pentecost:

Act 1:9  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Act 1:10  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

And what John wrote in the book of Revelation.

Rev 1:7  Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

The foregoing events require the “sense of sight” for its fulfillment. The misconception of Jesus’ Second Coming therefore is caused by the intellect, senses, and feeling, the components of human wisdom. However, the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise in John 14:18 and Matthew 28:20 requires spiritual discernment that comes from the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit in a person, there could be no spiritual discernment.

Without spiritual discernment, many people unwittingly are focused on Jesus who did not fulfill His promise. To the chosen however, the Jesus they recognized cannot tell a lie. To them their Jesus can make Himself visible or invisible as He desires. This was illustrated after His resurrection on several occasions.

Jesus made Himself visible:

While the Disciples were gathered in a house and the doors were closed for fear of the Jews, all of a sudden Jesus appeared to them and stood in their midst.

Joh 20:19  Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

Joh 20:26  And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

Jesus made Himself invisible:

This was demonstrated when two of Christ’s Disciples were walking on the way to Emmaus talking about His crucifixion. Jesus came along and walked with them but did not recognize Him!

Luk 24:13  And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus …

Luk 24:14  And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

Luk 24:15  And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16  But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

Luk 24:25  Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26  Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

Luk 24:30  And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31  And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

Luk 24:32  And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

To the spiritual “suckling, babes, and children” that compose the chosen of God, this “mystery” about Jesus is clearly revealed.

Isa 28:9 (KJV) Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

Luk 10:21  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

2 Tim 3:15  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

To the “wise and prudent,” who unwittingly follow the path of Lucifer; these things about Jesus are all hidden in mystery.

1 Cor 1:19  … I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

1 Cor 1:20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

1 Cor 1:21  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God…

To the Disciples, our Lord gave this comforting statement:

Mar 4:11 (Jesus told His Disciples) And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

Mar 4:12  That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Who would like to hear this?

1 Cor 3:18  Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

1 Cor 3:19  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

Jesus has come the Second Time already!

What the chosen are waiting for Jesus is His Second Appearance, and this will happen before the White Throne Judgment:

Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Joh 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Things about God hidden to many

For the chosen the following truth about God is clearly revealed. Jesus Christ while still on earth performed two roles:

* Jesus was the FATHER in the flesh to fulfill His testament with the death of the body, and

* Jesus was the SON of God to show the way by example and model to the chosen

The Holy Spirit today in like manner performs two roles:

* The Holy Spirit is the FATHER who promised Himself to be the inheritance in His Testament, and

* The Holy Spirit is Jesus Christ making true His promise of being with His Disciples until the end of the world.

The One True God

The Spirit God in the beginning introduced Himself as the FATHER, the Almighty.

Gen 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Isa 43:10  Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

1 Cor 8:6  But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

From the revelations of God’s plan for salvation, we have seen how He made Himself known to His chosen in different forms to fulfill it. He proved it to them that He has never been a mystery. In fact, the initial “miracle” that God performs to His chosen is to reveal Himself. He called it “the first of all the commandments.” Sad to state many people are not even aware of it because they do “not listen” to Him:

Mar 12:29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.

Ever since, this is the “first commandment” even in the Old Testament time:

Exo 20:2  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Deu 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.

The Name of the FATHER

This is the name of God we read in the KJV or Authorized Version of 1611 and almost all versions:

Exo 6:3  And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

Psa 83:18  That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

However, God spoke in the following and clearly He has yet to reveal His name to the chosen:

Isa 52:6  Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.

There appears a clear contradiction to the foregoing verses. On close scrutiny, it is found that the word JEHOVAH was just an invention of a Roman Catholic Cardinal by name of Peter Gallatin.

In the Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. 7, p. 88, "The reading Jehovah is a comparatively recent invention. Jehovah is generally held to have been the invention of Pope Leo the 10th's Confessor, Peter Galatin (De Arcanis Catholic Veritates 1518, Folio XLIII), who was followed in the use of this hybrid form by Fagius Drusius. Van de Driesche, who lived between 1550 and 1616, was the first to ascribe to Peter Galatin the use of Jehovah, and this view has been taken since his day."

“Yahweh”

“The Samaritan pronunciation Jabe approaches the real sound of the Divine name. The other early writers transmit only abbreviations or corruptions of the sacred name. Inserting the vowels of Jabe into the original Hebrew consonant text, we obtain the form Jahveh (Yahweh), which has been generally accepted by modern scholars as the true pronunciation of the Divine name. It is not merely closely connected with the pronunciation of the ancient synagogue by means of the Samaritan tradition, but it also allows the legitimate derivation of all the abbreviations of the sacred name in the Old Testament.”

(Note: The King James Version of the Holy Bible, published in 1611, that was practically copied from the Bishops Bible of 1568, thus adopted the name Jehovah.)

From the foregoing facts, it is established that God had yet to reveal His name to His chosen in the Old Testament.

Isa 52:6  Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am hethat doth speak: behold, it is I.

As clue for the name of God, Jesus Christ told His Disciples before His “ascension to heaven.”

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

To people whose recognition of Jesus is from human doctrines, instead of following the command they only repeat it. Thus in the baptism of sect members, this is the formula they follow:

(Stating the name of the convert) saying, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Name of God without divine revelation

Sects and denominations following the Sabellian or Oneness doctrine baptize their members in the name of Jesus Christ as written in Acts 2:38. However to them, like the proponents of the Arian, Trinitarian, and Jehovah doctrines, they are still waiting for the Second Coming of Christ.

To the chosen, however, Jesus Christ has fulfilled His promise of coming back again (Joh 14:18, Mat 28:20). He is the Holy Spirit who teaches, guides, and strengthens them till the end of the world. However to the rest of the people, here is Jesus warning:

Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

In view of this truth about the identity of Jesus Christ, the chosen are now looking forward to His Second Appearance.

Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

1 Joh 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

The name of the one true God

The name of God was prophesied in the Old Testament:

Zec 14:9  And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

The name was relayed by an angel of the Lord to Joseph the husband of Mary in a dream:

Mat 1:20  But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Mat 1:21  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

For Simon Peter who recognized Jesus “by the revelation of the Father,” the name of the Father, name of the Son, and the name of the Holy Spirit is revealed in the book of Acts.

Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christfor the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

“Jesus standing at the right hand of God”

Stephen before he died declared:

Act 7:55  But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

Act 7:56  And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Human wisdom dictates “Jesus standing at the right hand of God” indicates position alongside the Father.

“Jesus sitting at the right hand of God”

Human wisdom, the dictate of the intellect and senses, recognizes the position of “Jesus sitting at the right hand of God.” This is written in several verses:

Mat 22:44  The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

Mar 14:61  … Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?

Mar 14:62  And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Mar 16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

This notion of the Natural Man regarding the position of Jesus with the Father enforces the belief that God is a mystery, since it is written both are God. However, the FATHER nullifies this perception when He said:

Isa 43:11  I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

Isa 44:6  Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Isa 44:8  Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

However, since God alone can reveal the meaning of His words, “right hand” does not indicate position but POWER!

Exo 15:6  Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.

Luk 22:69  Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.

This therefore confirms the truth that, indeed, God in the human body of Jesus is what the elect will meet and to be with in eternity:

Col 2:9  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

1 Joh 5:20  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Resolving a great controversy

Finally, resolving doubts on the two roles of Jesus when He articulated the following:

Joh 20:17  Jesus saith unto her (Mary Magdalene), Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

The foregoing indicates two connotations for, “My Father, and your Father; and to my God and your God.”

1. Magdalene was overwhelmed with what she saw in Jesus’ glorified body in His role as SON of God. “Touching” Him denotes Magdalene’s desire to have it also without first suffering trials, tribulations, and death that precede it. Magdalene was in a hurry to realize the following:

1 Joh 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

2. Magdalene’s action indicates her great adulation on Jesus, but in His role as SON He was not worthy for this great honor until He assumed His role as the FATHER, thus refusing to be touched (or glorified).

The grievance of the “called”

Many people would certainly grumble for this truth about salvation that God has made it so complicated.  They will try to reason out citing the following.

Is not God “love,” but He used the “word” in the language of man:

1 Joh 4:16   And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Is it not written “God wished all men would be saved?

1 Tim 2:4   Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Does not “The grace of God bringeth salvation to all men?”

Tit 2:11   For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Why did God have to speak parables that many people would not understand Him?

Mat 13:15  For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

To God’s chosen:

Mar 4:11   And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

Mar 4:12   That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Blessing of the “chosen”

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Therefore the chosen would forever thank God.

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.

God harvests souls and gives them glorified body deserving to be with Him in eternity based on His standard of righteousness.

The praise of the chosen to God:

Psa 56:10  In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.
Psa 56:11  In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
Psa 56:12  Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.
Psa 56:13  For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

END

• Exo 31:18  And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
• 1 Cor 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  
• Mat 25:33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
• Gal 3:29   And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
• Joh 14:18   I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
  
• Mat 28:20   … lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.  1
• Joh 2:27  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.  
• 1 Joh 2:27  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
• Psalms 31:5   Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
• Act 7:47  But Solomon built him an house.
• Act 7:48  Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
• Act 7:49  Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? The literal application of the Law on Tithes hitherto became an instrument in spreading the false gospel of many sects.  
• Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
• Isa 43:10  Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
• 1 Cor 2:14   But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
• Mat 24:22   And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
• Mat 24:24   For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.