Introduction
- While many people accept the basic principle of “To KNOW comes before LOVE?”
- When applied to LOVE of God, would this not cause a turn off?
PART I: THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND PETER
God’s way is contrasted to man’s approach of taking the context of the story or verses in the Holy Bible:
Isa 28:10 KJV “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.”
Clearly, we don’t have to read the whole verse after God answers our question with the “line.” And since God is speaking in parables (Ezek.20:49), as Jesus Christ does (Psa. 78:2), let alone God through His word answer questions pertaining to Him and His words.
1. Our first question: Lord, we believe there is only ONE GOD. Who is He?
1 Cor 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things…”
2. Father God, how did Simon Peter recognize JESUS?
Mat 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 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.
3. Father God, why does it need your revelation just to declare, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God?” As if God asks this question: “What do you mean by CHRIST?” We say: “Messiah, Redeemer, or Savior.”
4. As if Father God asks: “Would you believe that I, the Father God (Isa. 64:8), revealed the following to Isaiah?”
Isa 43:11 “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”
5. We ask, “Father God how could you be the only savior when it is written JESUS CHRIST is our savior who died on the cross?”
[It is here Jesus told Simon Peter that it needs the “revelation of the Father” to recognize Him, and His identification “should never come from flesh and blood.”]
6. Father God, please enlighten us to this “mystery” surrounding your identity and that of our Lord Jesus Christ. Will you please give us an overview of your plan for salvation? We heard it is very simple, but there are some “dark points” that need to be clarified.
7. As if Father God asks : “Would you believe that this covenant or testament I made with Abraham and his seeds is my plan for salvation, the fact that I made them my chosen people?”
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.”
8. Father God, we believe that is your plan for salvation. But how could we be included in your covenant when we belong to other nationalities, not having even a drop of blood of Abraham?
Gal 3:28 “ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free… for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
9. As if Father God asks: “Do you belong to Christ?”
We reply, “Lord, we hear people believing in the Holy Bible all claiming to belong to Christ.”
But Jesus Christ retorts:
Mat 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chsoen.”
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: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
10. It is written people who saw and heard Jesus Christ had different recognition of 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.”
We realize that people professing to belong to Jesus Christ have different recognition of Him also
like the people at Caesarea Philippi:
- Some say, “Jesus is only a man and not God,” and the derivative, “Jesus is only a minor or Mighty God for there is a supreme or Almighty God.”
- Others say, “Jesus is the Father and is the Holy Spirit,” and the derivative, “Jesus is the Father and the Holy Spirit is only a force of God.”
- Many say, “Jesus is both God and man, and He is the 2 nd person of the Holy Trinity.”
11. Thus, the need to realize clear recognition of Jesus should come “by the revelation of the Father” and not just with “flesh and blood.”
Joh 8:19 “…Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.”
12. Now it appears in the eyes of God that it is not really easy to belong to Christ. Only a few and not many in truth belong to Him. After God revealed in Gal. 3:28-29 that only those BELONGING TO CHRIST are the “seeds of Abraham and heirs according to the promise,” now the more we would like TO KNOW who Jesus really is.
13. Father God, how do you fulfill your covenant or testament with Abraham and his seeds?
Heb 9:16 “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be thedeath of the testator.”
14. Father God, how could you fulfill your testament with death when you are a SPIRIT? As if Father God responding: “Would you believe if I say nothing is impossible with me?” Our reply, Lord nothing is impossible with you, and we believe.
1 Tim 3:16 KJV “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit…”
15. Father God, are you referring now to our Lord Jesus Christ?
Phi 2:6 “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 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: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
16. As if Father God asks, “Would you believe me if I tell you?”
Isa 43:11 “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”
Father God continuing, “ And this truth is revealed to Luke regarding the identity of Jesus?”
Luke 1:46 “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Luke 2:11 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
Now Jesus claiming:
John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.”
17. Father God, are you pointing out that you are Jesus Christ in the flesh?
1 John 3:16 KJV “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us…”
1 John 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.”
18. Lord Jesus, what if we doubt or do not believe that you are the Father in the flesh?
John 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.”
19. Father God, are you confirming what our Lord Jesus is saying about YOU? Further, have you revealed your name already in the Old Testament?
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.”
20. Father God, we know that in a testament the maker or testator is giving an inheritance. What is the inheritance you are giving to the beneficiaries?
Eze 44:28 “And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance…”
Psa 16:5 “ The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and …”
21. Father God, who are the beneficiaries to your promised inheritance?
Eze 44:15 “…the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary…”
22. Father God, how do we receive the inheritance like the priests?
1 Pet 2:9 But ye are… a royal priesthood… a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”
23. Lord Jesus, would you confirm what Peter wrote about us that your chosen are the priests?
Rev 1:6 “And hath made us… priests unto God… to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
24. Father God, if you promised yourself as inheritance of the chosen, how would they receive you when you are a frightening God?
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. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”
25. As if Father God asks the chosen, “When I make a plan, do I not see to it that it could be done? Look! I promised myself as your inheritance. Whom did my chosen receive after I died in my human manifestation?”
John 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Act 2:1 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 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. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost…”
[Our possible reply: Father God, now we realize that you took the characteristics of a dove for you to be acceptable to the beneficiaries.]
26. Father God, we have many questions regarding your relationship with your Son Jesus Christ. In our perception you sent Him because He has been saying this many times.
John 5:37 “And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me.”
John 8:18 “I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.”
a. Father God, how could you be one and the same with Jesus when He is your “begotten Son” as in:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
b. Father God, what more Jesus humbled Himself and only received power from you:
Joh 5:19 “Then answered 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.”
c. Father God, more so when Jesus Christ told Magdalene that you are His God and Father:
Joh 20:16 “Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 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.”
d. Father God, Jesus Christ was even imploring your help:
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?
27. As if Father God retorts: “Did not Simon Peter call Jesus ‘Son of the living God’ with my revelation (Matt. 16:16 )? While Peter recognized Jesus as ‘I am,’ yet at the same time calling Him ‘Son.’ Am I not also calling the chosen ‘My sons? (John 1:12 )’ Who can show them the Way (John 14:6) if I will not ‘manifest myself in the flesh?’ How can they attain spiritual perfection without somebody showing them the example (1 Pet. 2:21 )?”
The verses:
Mat 16:16 “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ,the Son of the living God.”
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
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.”
28. As if God is saying, “Who among the people I created be a model to my chosen? Noah? Abraham? Moses? Virgin Mary? Peter? Paul? Have you heard me say the following?”
Eccl 7:20 “ For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”
Isa 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…”
Rom 3:10 “…There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Is it impossible for me to do two roles?
29. Father God, how could you be Jesus and the Holy Spirit when it is very clear to us what happened in the following? Jesus was in the water. The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove was visibly seen “lighting upon Jesus.” And you called Jesus, “My beloved Son.”
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. 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
As if Father God is saying, “Did I not say when Peter recognized Jesus; it was with my divine revelation? Can human capability with the use of the senses comprehend all these great mysteries about Me? No wonder I make a distinction between a Natural Man and Spiritual Man:”
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 (not intellectually, not of the senses, not emotionally) discerned.”
1 Cor 2:15 “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
30. Father God, if you are Jesus Christ in the flesh, what is this that we are reading regarding your and His position?
Act 7:56 “And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on 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.”
As if God retorts, “Don’t you know that I speak in parables (Ezek. 20:49 ) as Jesus was prophesied to speak dark sayings of old (Psa. 78:2)?”
Eze 20:49 “Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?”
Psa 78:2 “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old.”
31. Father God, then what do you mean by “your right hand?”
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.”
32. Lord God, we glorify you through your words for now the following is made very clear to us:
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…”
33. Father God, we read that you gave the following as your name. What is the name of GOD then?
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.”
34. As if Father God is saying, “Have you read that I have not yet revealed my name in the Old Testament”?
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.”
35. Father God, then who gave the name “JEHOVAH” to you? (Note: It is not God but men that originated the following names.)
“Jehovah”
In the Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. 7, p. 88 is this: "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, thus adopted the name Jehovah.)
36. Our God, if you are the Father, Jesus Christ your Son, and the Holy Spirit, then what is your NAME? As if Jesus Christ is asking, “Have you heard my command in the following?”
Mat 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in thename of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
a. As if Jesus Christ is saying, “You compare how Simon Peter executed my command with ‘professing apostles of mine’ who do not even know me.”
Simon Peter:
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
b. Professing apostles of mine:
(Stating the name of the imaginary convert) “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
c. As if Jesus Christ further says, “Look! Because they really do not know me, these ‘professing apostles of mine’ only repeat and do not execute my command. Also be careful with impostors professing to have recognized me like Simon Peter but it is not by divine revelation.”
37. Lord Jesus, do all people professing you are the Father and the Holy Spirit truly recognize you?
a. Apostle John wrote:
Rev 13:11 “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.”
b. As if Jesus Christ is saying, “Coming up out of the earth” means recognition of me is but the fruit of human wisdom where ‘earth’ symbolizes man in Jer. 22:29. Satan, a powerful being, can make himself look like me. But I can be distinguished by my ‘voice.’ Satan cannot imitate my voice.”
c. As if Jesus Christ is saying, “In my FASTING, the ‘voice’ of the Dragon is revealed!”
Mat 4:1 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.”
d. Many people following the “letter” of the word, seeing the empty stomach of our Lord, imitate our Lord by forgoing meals or not eating several days. Do they realize that this is precisely what Satan, also known as the Dragon, saw in our Lord? Satan told our Lord to turn the stones into bread for Him to satisfy His physical hunger:
Mat 4:3 “And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.”
[To God, the “letter” or the LITERAL word does not yet present the truth. That is why it is written in 2 Cor. 3:6 “the letter killeth.” It is the “spirit of the word” that gives life and this refers to the SPIRITUAL MEANING as explain by our Lord by “demonstration.” In His fasting, Jesus emphasized hunger for the word, more than hunger for literal bread.]
Mat 4:4 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
e. God confirmed this in the following:
Jer 15:16 “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart…”
f. How many people realized the following in relation to hunger?
Amo 8:11 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,but of hearing the words of the LORD: 12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.”
38. How many people recognize the voice of the Lamb? Do we really hear the “spiritual message of the word” today? God further expounds the meaning of fasting in the following:
Isa 58:6 “ Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free (John 8:32 ), and that ye break every yoke? 7 Is it not to deal thybread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor (Matt. 5:3) that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him (Isa. 61:10)…”
39. The spiritual message of FASTING is to hunger for the TRUTH in the word. This is where we pray,“Give us this day our daily bread.” God is liberal enough to supply our “spiritual food” and expects us:
a) To share it to “the oppressed or in bondage to go free.”
Joh 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
b) To share our “spiritual bread” to the hungry:
Mat 25:35 “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat.”
c) Pity the “poor in spirit” who are not yet in the household of God: Mat 5:3 “ Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Eph 2:19 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”
d) To clothe the “naked” with literal clothes, pants?
Isa 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation…”
40. How clear is the distinct “lingo” of the Lamb that the chosen will not follow a “stranger.” Jesus Christ spoke to His Disciples:
John 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. 2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 4 … he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.”
41. Lord Jesus, we hear people believing in the Holy Bible all are waiting for your SECOND COMING. But we read your promise in the following:
Mat 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
42. Lord Jesus, we cannot understand how you have fulfilled your commitment of being with your Disciples till the end of the word. Your Disciples saw you going up to heaven:
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. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 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.”
43. As if Jesus Christ is saying, “ Truly, my words are full of contradictions if you will try to understand them with your personal perception. Did I not say that the Natural Man cannot understand spiritual things for they can only be spiritually and never intellectually nor perceived by the senses? Did you not have the same predicament at my baptism? No wonder divine knowledge and wisdom is not endowed the wise and the prudent but unto the babes.”
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.”
Isa 28:9 KJV only “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.”
44. As if God is asking, “Would you believe me if I tell you the following?”
2 Cor 3:17 “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
a. God, who is the only 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.”
Zec 13:9 “…I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
Psa 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
b. God, who is the Spirit?
John 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
c. God, what do you mean by “liberty?” (Note: Just as “truth shall set free a person in spiritual bondage; human precepts, religious traditions, human wisdom are enslaving the people.)
Psa 119:45 “And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.”
Gal 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
45. Lord Jesus, do you mean you are the Holy Spirit who is now dwelling in us?
1 Cor 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God , and that theSpirit 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?”
46. Lord Jesus, does this mean that you have already come the SECOND TIME? (Note: Distinction should be made between 2 nd COMING ands 2 nd APPEARANCE.)
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith…, I am…, the truth …”
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…”
47. God, now it is very clear that indeed you are the Creator expressed in your three manifestation which before we mistakenly thought to be persons or distinct entities.
a. Lord, we believe you are the Holy Spirit:
Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
b. Lord, we believe you are the Father God:
Neh 9:6 Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all…
Isa 44:24 Thus saith the LORD… I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself …”
c. Lord, we believe you are our Lord Jesus Christ:
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God…16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth…”
Joh 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 3 All things were made by him...”
48. God, now we understand that you really speak in parables that to depend on our human capability, never could we comprehend the mystery of your words. When you said “let us” and “in our image” you have a purpose:
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”
a. Making true your word of hiding the “secret things” from the undeserving:
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: 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.”
b. But revealing them to your chosen, the spiritual babes:
Col 1:26 “ Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.”
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.”
49. Lord, finally, you have clearly revealed yourself to us and no longer are you a mystery!
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…”
Col 2:9 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
a. Lord, we did not know before you have been rebuking us:
Isa 29:13 “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: 14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.”
b. Lord, now we know how to praise you:
Psa 56:10 “In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.”
PART II – JESUS CHRIST AS PREACHED AFTER 200 A.D.
Warning:
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.”
A. The Arian doctrine
This doctrine was espoused by Arius in the second century A.D.. He preached that Jesus is only a man and never a God. He supports his tenet with many verses indicating that Jesus is a man, while God is a Spirit. Among them are the following:
Num 23:19 "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man..."
John 4:24 "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit..."
John 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 myFather, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."
The contradiction of the doctrine to what is written is found in the following. Worship is absolute and exclusive to God. It is Jesus Himself Who articulated this doctrine:
MATT 4:10 "Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."
a. If indeed Jesus is not God, why did He accept worship since childhood and after His death and resurrection? Would He be refuting what He said?
Mat 2:11 “…they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
Joh 9:38 “And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.”
Luk 24:51 “…while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshipped him, and returned toJerusalem with great joy.”
b. Why was the testament of Father God for salvation fulfilled by the death of Jesus Christ when the term of the covenant requires the death of the maker or testator, if Jesus is not the Father in the flesh?
B . The Jehovah doctrine
This doctrine teaches that the Father whose name is JEHOVAH is the Almighty God. "The reading ‘JEHOVAH’ can be traced to the early Middle Ages and until lately said to have been invented by PETER GALLATIN (1518 A.D.), confessor of Pope Leo X..." The King James Version of the Bible, from which verses involving this name were taken, was published in 1611 A.D.
The doctrine teaches that Jesus Christ is only a mighty God for there is a supreme or Almighty God based on the following verses:
John 14:28 "...I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I."
John 6:38 "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."
John 5:19 "Then answered 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..."
The teaching contravenes the following. Father God speaking:
Deut 32:39 "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me..."
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."
C. Holy Spirit "a force of God" doctrine
This doctrine teaches that the Son Jesus is also the Father God, and the Holy Spirit is only a force of God. The Arian and Jehovah doctrines also embrace this tenet as far as the Holy Spirit’s role is concerned. The supporting verses are the following, among others:
John 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."
John 16:13 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak…”
a. This doctrine finds contradiction to what is written. If the Son Jesus is not the Holy Spirit, then He would have lied to His disciples when He promised to be with them till the end of the world:
Matt 28:20 "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
b. It is the Holy Spirit that descended upon the Disciples, and as promised resides in the real Christians till the end of the world!
1 Cor 6:19 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you..."
c. And, what is this revelation given to Paul regarding the Son and the Spirit? Should this verse be stricken out or "deducted" from the Scriptures?
2 Cor 3:17 "Now the Lord is that Spirit..."
d. If the Holy Spirit is not the Father Who promised Himself to be the inheritance in His testament, why did the Disciples receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and all real believers till the end of the world, instead of the Father?
D . The Sabellian or Oneness Doctrine
This doctrine originated from Sabellius, a theologian in the 2nd century A.D., born in Pentapolis, Africa . The doctrine teaches that the name of God is Jesus Christ who is the Father and the Holy Spirit. Thus, oftentimes, this concept is referred to as "Jesus Christ only" or “Oneness” doctrine.”
Like the other doctrines on the identity of God and Jesus Christ, it encounters many contradictions to what is written in the Holy Scriptures. These are some "mysteries" inexplicable under the Oneness Doctrine:
1. In spite of the admission of the truth that "Father God was manifested in the flesh," the doctrine failed to comprehend why and how He is indeed a "real man." The doctrine, therefore, teaches that Jesus Christ, in His physical manifestation, is both God and man at the same time. This is due to His divine power that, the doctrine avers, could not possibly be endowed on a pure human being. But, could Jesus Christ who is both God and man be an ideal model, showing the way by example, to His brethren who are pure human beings? Thus, the contradiction to what is written that, indeed, Jesus Christ is a real human being.
2. How deep and profound is the declaration of the three manifestations of God making up one Lord and one God of the Bible? Can this avowal stand an incisive and intensive scrutiny? The Trinitarian doctrine also professes one Lord and one God for the three persons!
3. Why do proponents of this doctrine, while openly professing belief in the spiritual nature of the word, sustain its literal-physical application? This goes to prove the absence of God’s revelation for being a mere human doctrine. This is demonstrated when Jesus Christ fasted for 40 days and 40 nights.
4. On the surface, the doctrine vividly pictures God of the Bible as one Lord and one God. With the doctrine’s failure to comprehend the deep spiritual nature of the word, God has this stern warning through Apostle John as he was exiled in the island of Patmos :
Rev 13:11 "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon."
"Coming up out of the earth " indicates originating from human wisdom, as “earth” symbolizes man (Jer. 22:29 ) pointing to the origin of the doctrine.
"Like a lamb" attests to the likeness, a look-alike of the Lamb of God. Satan is also known as the dragon (Rev. 12:9). The distinction lies in the way they speak. This is revealed when Jesus Christ fasted for 40 days and 40 nights.
Mat 4:1 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.”
Satan simply saw Jesus’ empty stomach, thus telling Him:
Mat 4:3 “And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.”
Unwittingly, this is precisely what the Natural Man sees in Jesus, imitating Him by forgoing several meals or fasting for several days. But to our Lord, the Lamb, fasting means hunger for the truth in the word:
Mat 4:4 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
This is confirmed in the following:
Jer 15:16 “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart…”
Amo 8:11 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.”
Perhaps of the different doctrines preaching the identity of Jesus, the “Oneness doctrine” is the most deceptive for it pictures Satan as a look-alike of the Lamb.
E. The Trinity Doctrine
The Trinity Doctrine, espoused by Athanasius, is a rebuttal to the Arian doctrine. Athanasius, a Roman Catholic bishop, was the one who defended this dogma in the Council of Nicaea in 325 called by Constantine I. With many Bible verses, he succeeded in proving that Jesus, indeed, is God. Among them are the following:
1 John 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…”
1 John 3:16 KJV "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us..."
Following is a summary of the doctrine of the Trinity (Excerpts from Encyclopedia Americana, 1967 th Edition, Volume 27, Page 115-116)
"The central and characteristic Christian doctrine of God is that He exists in Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. ("Holy Ghost" is the traditional English translation of Sanctus Spiritus and means the same as "Holy Spirit.") At the same time, the Christian church insists that God is One in "substance" (Latin substantia, existence or inner essence), and thus combines in a "mystery’ (a formula or conception which really transcends human understanding) the truth set forth in the Holy Scriptures. It is held that although the doctrine is beyond the grasp of human reason, it is, like many of the formulations of physical science, not contrary to reason, and may be apprehended (though may not be comprehended) by the human mind.
The simplest affirmation is that God is ‘Three in One, and One in Three...’ GOD IS FATHER, AND THE FATHER IS GOD; GOD IS SON, AND THE SON IS GOD; GOD IS SPIRIT, AND THE SPIRIT IS GOD...(But the Father is not the Son and the Spirit, the Son is not the Father and the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Son and the Father, and yet there is only ONE GOD.)
The full development of TRINITARIANISM took place in the West, in the Scholasticism of the Middle Ages, when an explanation was undertaken in terms of philosophy and psychology, especially of the recovered ARISTOTELIANISM of the 13th century. The classical exposition is found in the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, whose views on this subject had dominated most of later Christian theology, both Roman Catholic and Protestant."
Comments on the Trinitarian Doctrine
1. Why did it take more than 300 years to formulate a doctrine for the identity of God? Did not the Apostles of Christ, in 30-96 A.D., expound on the singularity of God and Jesus Christ?
2. Why did the work of Aristotle, a noted pagan philosopher, find its place in this doctrine?
3. And why did the academe, "Scholasticism of the Middle Ages," become the center for the development of this concept? Is God’s revelation confined only to a special place like the schools, and to a certain sector of society, like the intellectual elite?
4. Why did it need philosophy to expound on the identity of God?
Col 2:8 "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy… after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
5. Is the Sacred Scripture, which is accepted as the inspired word of God, not enough to fully introduce God?
Isaiah 8:20 "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."
"Mysteries" spawned by the Trinitarian Doctrine
The doctrine teaches that the Three Divine Persons of God -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit -- are co-equal in omniscience, in omnipotence, and in everything.
1. Why did the Son say that the Father is greater than He, if they are co-equal in omnipotence?
John 14:28 "... I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I."
2. Why did the Son say that the Father knows something that He does not know, if they are co-equal in omniscience?
Mark 13:32 "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father."
3. The doctrine teaches that the Son is just as omnipresent as the Father and the Holy Spirit. Why was the Son not found in all places of Israel , or in every place in the years 1 – 33 A.D.?
4. The doctrine teaches that the Holy Spirit is co-equal in omniscience with the Father and the Son. Why does the Son say that the Holy Spirit cannot speak on His own?
John 16:13 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak..."
5. The Father God revealed to prophet Isaiah that He is the only Savior.
Isa 43:11 "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour."
Why did Luke write that the Son is also the Savior?
Luke 2:11 "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."
Since the doctrine teaches that the person of the Father is not the person of the Son, how could there be one Savior?
6. The doctrine teaches that the person of the Son is not the person of the Holy Spirit. Why does the Bible say that the "Holy Spirit purchased us with His own blood?"
Acts 20:28 "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed thechurch of God , which he hath purchased with his own blood."
7. The doctrine teaches that the Son will be seen in heaven "sitting at the right hand of the Father," citing several verses in support thereof. Since the doctrine also teaches that the person of the Son is not the person of the Father, and each person is God, how could there be one God sitting on a single throne?
Rev 4:2 "And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a thronewas set in heaven, and one sat on the throne."
8. Jesus Christ revealed to John the apostle that there is only one throne in heaven, and the one in the midst of the throne is the "Lamb of God." How could the doctrine explain the three distinct persons of God, in relation to the single throne, and the one in the midst of the throne?
Rev 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall…”
9. How could belief in one God explain the following where Jesus is either standing or sitting at the right hand of the Father?
Act 7:56 “And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.”
Col 3:1 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”
10.Where now is God’s promised benefit from His New Testament if this doctrine cannot identify “The Lord our God is one Lord” that until now still remains a mystery?
Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant 32 Not according to the covenant that I made …33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make… After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD : for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD…”
These are some mysteries about God propagated by the Trinitarian doctrine. The eminent proponents of the doctrine recognize its inadequacy in clearly identifying God and Jesus Christ, with the admission, "The understanding of the Trinity is a mystery, a formula or conception which really transcends human understanding." Statements like the following are attributable to great theologians and Bible scholars advocating the doctrine: "If you try to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity, you will lose your mind; but to deny it will mean the loss of your soul."
Is it far-fetched to presume that the foregoing doctrines instill "spiritual blindness" among the adherents as not to know or "see" God? The doctrines failed to consider the basic truth well established in the Holy Scripture referring to knowledge and wisdom about God and His words:
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:
Isa 48:16 "Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning..."
Deut 29:29 "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."
The secret things are those that are not written. Example:
Rev 10:4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT:
Col 1:26 "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:"
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."
True to the promise of God that He did not speak in secret, His chosen people are given the understanding of His word to know Him. To identify “The Lord our God is one Lord,” is a prerequisite to loving Him, as Jesus Christ stated in the following:
Mark 12:29 -30 "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel ; The Lord our God is one Lord. 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…”
But the Trinity doctrine is a vaunted concept of recognizing God. The victory of Athanasius at the Nicaean Council of 325 A.D. called by Emperor Constantine I, marked the beginning of the spread of the creed throughout the world. Thus, majority of the known Christian world is dominated by religious sects preaching this gospel of the Holy Trinity.
Warning:
Prov 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Human understanding with the use of the intellect and senses is inadequate to clearly identify God and Jesus Christ:
1 Cor 1:19 “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 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? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world BY WISDOM KNEW NOT GOD…”
While professing to trust God, how many people accept the following?
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.”
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.”
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