Chapter 4: God, Man and Angels

 

• The Triune God
• Athanasius Creed
• What is the rank of the persons in the Triune God?
• Counterfeits and additions to prove the Trinity
• God Two-in-one, for and against
• the Holy Spirit of God
• God’s choosing before the foundation of the world
• God’s plan
• One God, the Father
• God’s Word, Wisdom and Power
• One Almighty God, the Father
• Who is ”the god of this world?”

 

The Triune God

Nicea’s Creed, which was primarily written in 325 AD, was a revision of the Creed written earlier that year by Eusebius of Caesarea, a historian and a believer close to Emperor Constantine. Subsequent changes mainly reflected the additions of The First Council of Constantinople.

The Nicene Creed 1975 ecumenical version says:

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
[God from God], Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son].
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Brackets include the Filioque inscription used in Western churches, which is not part of the original Nicaean-Constantinople creed. The addition of Filioque means “and the Son,” which Western churches call for. There are many versions. I quickly calculated over 20 versions online.

When the Father and the Son were spoken of as Gods, it was stated of the Holy Spirit that “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]. With the Father and the Son, he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.”

The confirmation of the divinity of the Holy Spirit was delayed; In 381 The First Council of Constantinople confirmed the Holy Spirit as the third person of the godhead. It took three centuries to form the doctrine of the triune God! If the doctrine were based on the Bible, it would have been found much faster.

After Nicaea, Arius and Athanasius went on to fight for the design of their creeds, which one would win. Many different wordings were available. The creed of Athanasius bearing his name overcame. Its text, written in the 4th century, says, among other things:

 

Athanasius Creed

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith unless every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity; to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the catholic religion; to say, There are three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none; neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created; but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten; but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is greater, or less than another. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation; that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of    God, is God and Man; God, of the Substance [Essence] of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the Substance [Essence] of his Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching his Manhood. Who although he is God and Man; yet he is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the Manhood into God. One altogether; not by confusion of Substance [Essence]; but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the living and the dead. At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies; And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved.

 

By the Middle Ages, both Catholics and Protestants were very much in agreement with the doctrine of the Triune God. For many centuries in the history of the Trinity, the words blood, murder, intolerance, and condemnation of dissidents have been described. The doctrine was rooted in people, so that believing it was utterly blind loyalty and total conviction. Those Christians who misbelieved got their faith paid by dying. Even today, it is difficult to find a Christian church that does not believe in a triune God. These are at least Jehovah’s Witnesses (believing God to be one, the Father) and The Restored Church of God (considering that God is made up of two Gods, the Father and the Son), but their number is like a drop in the mainstream of billions of Christians.

There have been various attempts to describe God’s three manifestations. The most “genius” of these is: God is like water, the other two being ice and steam. Yet they are the same substance.

The Bible says wisely: 1 Cor 14:33, “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints.” God’s wish has not come true. There are dozens, if not hundreds of translations of the Bible. Every denomination and cult seem to be forced to have its translation of the Bible. There are many versions of Biblical interpretations. There appears to be a consensus on God’s Trinity because the two largest denominations, Catholics and Protestants, believe so. That’s what you might think! As we go into more detail, the differences become apparent. The differences have led to wars; for example, the so-called 30-year war between the Catholics and the Protestants in the 17th century. Both denominations have, of course, persecuted their believers.

God’s wish has not come true. There are dozens, if not hundreds of translations of the Bible. Every denomination and sect seems to have its own translation of the Bible. There are innumerable versions of Biblical doctrines. There appears to be a consensus on God’s Trinity because the two largest denominations, Catholics and Protestants, believe so. When we go into details, the differences come to light. The differences have led to wars, for instance, the so-called 30–year war between the Catholics and the Protestants in the 17th century. Both have, of course, separately persecuted believers in their respective circles.

The following observation is essential: The doctrine of the Triune God required 300 to 400 years to develop, why didn’t Christ make it clear and teach his Apostles God to be triune?

Why did God not mention anything about the three persons of the Godhead? So bright and simple straightforward that everyone would understand it. Or the deity of Jesus. I think the reason is this: God believes that those spiritually born-again are able to solve doctrinal questions well enough. Although this is not said in the Bible, the cause of the doctrinal dispersion is Satan, who could be called the creator of confusion. Confusion and doctrinal disputes will separate humanity from God. There is a great struggle going on for human souls. This battle, invisible to many, has been fought since God gave Satan the kingship of this world. The exact time of this, I can’t say with certainty, but it may have happened shortly after God expelled Adam and Eve from paradise. God gave the earthly rulership of that time to some world power, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, followed by Medo–Persia, then Greece and Rome. God gave Satan the kingship of the spirit world, and Jesus confirmed it in his day.

In the Bible, The Trinitarians focus only on a few passages and then take them entirely out of context and claim they mean something they do not mean.

The doctrine of the Triune God is said to be so tricky and incomprehensible that one has only to accept this mystery of faith. I try to understand and justify my perceptions with ordinary common sense. For example: Trinitarians believe that Jesus Christ is part of the Godhead of three, meaning he has always existed in heaven with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is equal with the other two God Persons. Is that the case? The Trinitarians believe that Jesus was sent from heaven to earth and that Jesus was born as a human being, and he emptied himself and did not regard equality with God: I ask: Why did God exalt Jesus as Lord and Christ when he came back to heaven? Why didn’t he welcome Jesus in his former position as one in the God Almighty? The Lord and Christ signify a diminution of value compared to his previous post as one of the Almighty.

Jesus is indeed said to have two natures, human and God. I understand that such a doctrine was invented when the contradiction caused by Jesus’ death was discovered. God cannot die. God has always existed and always will. God is eternal and immortal. However, when Jesus died, an explanation had to be found. As he entered into the world, his human nature died, but of course, God in him did not die. The problem was recognized, but it took hundreds of years before the solution was found.

The First Council of Nicaea was the first ecclesiastical assembly to try to solve the problem in 325. The meeting decided that the Father and the Son were of the same essence. The Son and the Father are equal, and they, both together and individually, are part of one Deity. The final formulation of doctrine was accomplished at the council of Chalcedon in 451. It took the Church more than 400 years after Jesus’ death to solve this knotty problem. This is just one example of the blindness described in the Bible in Matthew 15:14 “Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

 

What is the rank order of the persons of the triune God?

1 Cor 11:3 But I want you to realize that Christ is the head of every man, and man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ.  15:28 When all things have been subjected to him, then the Son will also himself be subjected to him who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all.

Paul writes that he wants readers to know that God is the head of Christ, that is, above him. Jesus himself testified that God is greater than him. The verse 15:28 is indirectly referring to the coming Millennial kingdom of Christ. After his Second Coming, Christ will reign on earth as king of this kingdom, together with the saints of the first resurrection.

God has exalted His Son to be Lord and Christ and given him eternal life. Although Christ sits on the throne to the right of God and is given the same power as God himself has in heaven and on earth. However, he is always subordinated to God. We know from the rest of the book of Revelation that the future position of Christ is God’s High Priest.

Jesus testifies that God the Father has sent him to earth. The word Jesus spoke was not his own, but what his Father had commanded him to speak.

Joh 14:24 The one who does not love me does not keep my words. The word that you hear is not mine, but comes from the Father who sent me.

Jesus Christ tells. according to John, that he will send the Counselor from the Father, the Spirit of Truth (the Holy Spirit of God). When considering the mutual position of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, it is clear that these three are not on the same level in power and authority. God the Father is the head of Christ. Both the Father and the Son are above the Holy Spirit, judging that they are sending the Holy Spirit to perform the duties assigned to it. Indeed, the Holy Spirit has many functions, as well as gifts (see Act 10:45) and fruits (see Gal 5:22) to give.

Joh 15:26 “When the Counselor has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me [Christ]. The Greek word Parakletos means Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, and Comforter.

Joh 16:7 However, I am telling you the truth. It is for your advantage that I am going away, for if I do not go away the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

Luke 11:13 “So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who keep asking him!”

 

Counterfeits and additions to prove the Trinity

When there is no clear evidence in the Bible to prove the Trinity, dishonest means have been introduced. Here are some examples:

1 Joh 5:7-8: “For there are three that bear record (in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth), the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” – The added words I have put in parentheses.

NENT (Numeric English New Testament) translates the verse this way: 7 And it is the Spirit that witnesseth, because the Spirit is the truth. 8 Because the witnessing ones are three: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one.

There are additions in the Latin Vulgate, but not in countless other old manuscripts. Additions are missing for all Greek MSS and even for most Latin languages.

Mat 28:19 ”Therefore go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” – I am convinced that Jesus did not give such a command. In any case, the apostles completely disregarded the commandment and baptized thousands in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

Joh 1:1 ”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – However, the Greek text says: καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος or .. and God was the word. I don’t know when the error has appeared in the Bible, but it seems to be at least in the old KJV.

God in His word condemns additions to the Bible and the withdrawal of the text; Rev 22:18 “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to them, may God add to him the plagues which are written in this book;” The verdict is even harder, I believe, for making outright fakes. It is often a question of interpretation; In the chapter Translation and interpretation issues, I have studied and pondered the problems, which I also am presenting in this chapter. I believe God wants  each of us to consider and study the Bible – and finally find the truth. Everyone must remember that not everyone has yet seen this truth of God and must not be judged, but we must be patient.

 

God Two-in-One

For and against

The doctrine is reminiscent of the doctrine of the Trinity God, except that there are only two persons in the Godhead.

The title means that our God would consist of two God persons. These would be God the Father and God the Son. A tiny proportion of Christianity supports such an interpretation; I know of only one church that supports this interpretation: The Restored Church of God.

It is God’s definition that God has always been; that is, he has neither beginning nor end. He is, of course, also almighty and omniscient. All Christians, I dare say, affirm that God the Father is such a God. What about the Son of God? Does the Bible’s testimony confirm that he meets the God’s criteria?

A very small proportion of Christianity supports such an interpretation.

God, the Father, raised his Son and gave him all power in heaven and on the earth. As a sign of power, Christ was given a throne on the Father’s right- hand side. The Holy Spirit is not said to have a throne or any other symbolic sign of high and equal power alongside the Father and the Son.

The RCG Church interprets the relationship between the Father and the Son in this way: God the Father was the Almighty God, and the other God Person was the Word, who is the God of the Old Testament (1 Cor 10: 1-4). The word was the one who created all things, and later appeared in the person of Jesus Christ.

The RCG Church claims that Old Testament contemporaries did not know God the Father, but only when Jesus revealed Him. 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.”

– There are a few verses at the beginning of the Gospel of John that are also considered to be certain evidence of Christ’s eternal existence as the Word with God the Father in heaven:

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 through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.

Joh 1:14 The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

When reading the above verses, many forget everything else and state, “Here is the truth of the Bible, these verses prove everything.” Matthew Henry’s in-depth commentary says, ”2. His co-existence with the Father: The Word was with God, and the Word was God. Let none say that when we invite them to Christ we would draw them from God, for Christ is with God and is God; it is repeated in v. 2: the same, the very same that we believe in and preach, was in the beginning with God, that is, he was so from eternity. In the beginning the world was from God, as it was created by him; but the Word was with God, as ever with him. The Word was with God,” – I will return to this below and show that there is a word order error that, with certain preconceptions, changes the meaning of the expression of who is God and who is the Word.

Why, then, does John write in the same Gospel about God as one and only? God, who is the Father and God of Christ. Father, who is God alone. John, as a Jew, certainly understood what it meant that God is one. The appearance of a son to God was, of course, a new feature of faith. But the fact that the Son was an equal God was a new trait incomprehensible to all Jews.

Joh 5:44 How can you believe when you accept each other’s praise and do not look for the praise that comes from the only God?

Joh 17:3 This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.

Joh 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Don’t touch me, for I haven’t yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers, and tell them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”

1 Cor 8:4 Now concerning eating food offered to idols: We know that no idol is real in the world and that there is only one God. 5 For though there are things that are called “gods,” whether in the heavens or on earth; as there are many “gods” and many “lords;” 6 yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom everything came into being and for whom we live. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything came into being and through whom we live.

Eph 4:4-6 There is one body and one [God’s Holy] Spirit. In the same way, you were called to the one hope of your calling 5 There is one Lord [Jesus Christ], one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in all.

Jud 1:25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time and for all eternity! Amen.

Until now, I have stuck to the interpretation of one God, the Father, to rule the kingdom. The faith of the RCG Church in its two Godheads has been mainly a curiosity. However, see what the Bible says in the last two chapters of Revelation, which I refer to at the end of the article.

What about the third person of the Triune God, the Holy Spirit? Why doesn’t he meet the requirements of the deity? Why isn’t the Holy Spirit considered to be by the RCG in the same position as the Father and the Son? I will now deal with the Holy Spirit.

 

God’s Holy Spirit

The Bible says Gen 1:1 ”In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 2 And the earth was waste and empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” – How did the Spirit of God relate to creation? The Bible does not elaborate on this.

God has the (Holy) Spirit of God, and man has the Spirit of Man (Heb. Ruach). However, the Trinity doctrine has sought to separate the spirit of God from his own person. God gives man his spirit or sends his spirit. The spirit can also live in a person.

Here are some examples of the multifaceted activities of God’s spirit:

1 Sam 10:10 When they came there to the hill, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily on him, and he prophesied among them.

Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Psa 106:33 Because they were rebellious against his spirit, He spoke rashly with his lips.

Eze 11:24 The Spirit lifted me up, and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.

Mat 3:16 When Jesus had been baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens opened up for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.

Act 7:55 But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

Rom 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;

1 Cor 2:10 but God has revealed to us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

1 Cor 3:16 Don’t you know that you are a temple of God, and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you have been sealed for the day of redemption.

2 Tim 3:16 Every writing is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction which is in righteousness,

1 Joh 4:6 We are of God; he that knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Rev 21:10 He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,

In these verses, we find descriptions of the Holy Spirit. The spirit comes to man, the spirit created, the spirit raised in vision, the spirit of Christ, the spirit testifies, the spirit examines all, the spirit is given as seal, the spirit of Truth, but also there is the spirit of deception, John was carried in spirit, etc.

Joh 10:30 I and the Father are one. – ‘One’ means: Father and I agree in one.

Joh 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you such a long time, and do you not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How do you say, ‘Show us the Father?’

Rom 1:7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers,

1 Cor 1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. – No greeting from the Holy Spirit.

2 Cor 1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; – No greeting from the Holy Spirit.

Gal 1:3 “Grace to you and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ,” – No greeting from the Holy Spirit.

Eph 1:2-3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; – No greeting from the Holy Spirit. Etc. Etc.

Why did Paul send greetings in his letters from God the Father and Lord Jesus Christ – but not from the Holy Spirit?

These verses mention Jesus and God the Father, but why not mention the Holy Spirit?

Many Bible verses do not mention the Holy Spirit, but indeed God the Father and Jesus Christ. Not a word about the third God person. One might ask, is the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the deity? Why is he not mentioned together with the Father and the Son?

Where is the throne of the Holy Spirit? Yes, the Father’s throne is described, and the Son’s throne is said to be on the right hand of God.

Why Doesn’t the Bible mention that Jesus was going to heaven to take his place as part of the Triune deity?

Christ knew He was the Son of God. Yet he said in Matthew 11:29: ”Place my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” – He could have chosen another way of self-revelation, but he “purged himself of all divinity” and chose a silent and humble example for humanity. He wanted to live the life of an ordinary man, even though he was constantly in contact with his Father.

Joh 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Don’t touch me, for I haven’t yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers, and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” – Based on this verse, it is difficult to believe that Jesus is equal in deity to God the Father. Jesus says he will ascend to heaven to his Father and his God. Jesus’ relationship with God the Father is the Son’s relationship with the Father, but also the Son’s relationship with God. An example of this relationship could be found in the Old Testament, Joseph’s relation to the Pharaoh. With God’s help, Joseph became favored by the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh even named Joseph as his closest man to whom he gave all authority in Egypt. Nevertheless, Pharaoh remained the supreme leader.

What is noteworthy is what Jesus did NOT say. He didn’t say he would go to the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 8:6 yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom everything came into being and for whom we live. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything came into being and through whom we live.

I have regarded this Bible verse as one of the most important. As we break it down into parts, we see what it reveals: 1) We, or all of humanity, have only one God, the Father. 2) We are all created by God, the Father. 3) We have one Lord, Jesus Christ. 4) Everything in this world is through Christ.

Once again, one God, the Father, and one Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is not mentioned.

Psa 110:1 Psalm of David. Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies as footstool of your feet.

Mat 22:43 “He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, Until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?’ 45 “If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”

Dan 7:13 I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Act 2:34 For David didn’t ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by my right hand,

1 Cor 15:25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

Eph 1:20 which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly realm,

Heb 1:13 says: ”But to which [meaning none] of the angels did he ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?

The Hebrews testifies that God, the Father, did not want to give power to any angel. He promised his Son Jesus to have all the power when he ascended to heaven.

I wrote about this a little while ago, but once again: God the Father has just raised his resurrected Son, the man Jesus Christ, to the throne in his right side. God promises Jesus to subject his enemies his “footstool.” It is noteworthy here that it is God who promises this to his son. I ask, could Jesus not have done all this himself if he was the almighty God, as the Trinity adherents believe.

 

What can we conclude so far?

John writes: 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you. 28 You heard how I told you, ‘I go away, and I come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I said ‘I am going to my Father;’ for the Father is greater than I.

The Holy Spirit is here called the Counselor. Jesus promises the disciples that the Father will send the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus. The Holy Spirit recalls in the minds of the disciples’ everything that Jesus has taught. This explains how the disciples can remember Jesus’ teachings almost word for word.

Also important is Jesus’ recognition that “the Father is greater than me.” Could it also be said that the Holy Spirit, in turn, has a lower rank than God the Father or the Son, Jesus?

The Apostles, at least Paul, “the apostle of the nations,” had apparently done so. His letters to churches in the eastern Mediterranean can be read from the Bible. At the beginning of Paul’s letter, Paul greets the Church and sends a greeting from God the Father and Jesus Christ. But does he forget the Holy Spirit? It is unlikely that this is an oblivion because the same form of greeting is repeated many times.

My interpretation is that at least Paul does not regard the Holy Spirit as God. In his Gospel (when Thomas cried out to Jesus, “My Lord and My God!” V. 20:28), John wrote that his purpose was to prove that Jesus is the Son of God: 20:31 ”but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.” Jesus Himself testified that the Father is greater than Him.

 

God’s choosing before the foundation of the world – God’s plan

God did not just create this great and wonderful world in which we live. Creating included a plan that was made before creation even began. Being all-knowing, God saw what was going to happen in his creation. He also chose from humanity those who would carry out his plan.

Micah 5:2 already told in the Old Testament about the birth of the Son of God in Bethlehem: ”But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Being small among the clans of Judah, Out of you one will come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” – God saw his Son as the King of the Millennial Kingdom in the world to come and as the Lord of the whole world. Therefore, it is right to say that the glory of Jesus was in the Father’s mind and his plans even before the foundation of the world. John says 17:5 ”Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed.”

God’s plan was not limited to seeing the future role of his Son Jesus. Paul writes:

Eph 1:4 ”even as he [God] chose us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we [Paul and the ‘saints’ in Ephesus] would be holy and without blemish before him in love;”

2 Tim 1:9 He [God] saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our own works but according to his own purpose and the grace that was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.

The Bible verses written by Paul above show that before the foundation of the world, God had chosen Paul and the believing saints in Ephesus. It appears from the letter to Timothy that God has saved and called by holy calling according to His grace, that was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.

‘Before the foundation of the world’ and ‘before eternal times’ are the same sayings used by Jesus Christ, which testify that Jesus Christ was with God before the foundation of the world. We all understand that Paul and the believers in Ephesus did not exist before the foundation of the world. They existed, just as the Son of God, Jesus Christ, in God’s thoughts and plans even before God had created the world.

The Bible cannot conflict with itself. The question is how we interpret the Bible and its difficult verses.

Jesus was not an independent actor on earth. God the Father had sent him to do the task. Jesus received instructions from God; God told him what to say and what to do. Jesus was not God but a man.

 

One God – the Father

1 Tim 2:5 ”For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” – This verse highlights some essential points. First, it proves that God is one. That’s what most of us Christians know and believe in, each one of us. Second, there is a mediator between God and men, which is Jesus Christ. Third, there is only one mediator. The famous Catholic mediator, Virgin Mary, is not a real mediator, only her Son is. And fourth, a noteworthy thing: Jesus Christ is human. Christ being human is what Paul testifies in a letter to his colleague Timothy about 30 years after Christ’s death. Paul, therefore, when Christ has long been with the Father in heaven, testifies that Christ is a man in heaven.

What is the purpose of the mediator in heaven? After all, a mediator is someone who can mediate with someone who decides. The mediator can defend a person before the adjudicator. The mediator does not usually resolve the issue himself; he only raises the issue and defends the one for whom he mediates. To whom does Jesus present the matter? If we believe that deity is made up of three divine persons, then surely, Jesus will present the issue to both God the Father and the Holy Spirit. After all, they are both said to be equal God persons. But! God the Father has given His Son all power in heaven and on earth. It means that Christ himself can solve all human issues and does not have to ask for the permission of others. Even after such a raise, the promoter retains a higher position over the raised. God, the Father did not in any way elevate the Son to a higher status. Instead, exaltation and, with it, independent decision-making, raised Christ above the Holy Spirit.

 

God’s Word, – Wisdom, and – Power

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 through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.

The Gospel of John 1:1 ”… and the Word was God.” I wrote of this at the beginning of this article. It has a word order error! The Greek text says: καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος, i.e., and God [the Father] was the Word. The word order does not change the meaning of the verse unless the Word is given a meaning other than God. Trinity adherents, at this point, offer Jesus as the Word. The expression ‘the Word was with God’ also refers to the same. It is easy to interpret the whole verse as saying: In the beginning was Christ, Christ was with God, and Christ was God. This is  badly wrong!

God created the world in his Word. It is widely understood that the first verses of the Gospel of John signify Jesus Christ in creating the world with God the Father. Readers forget God’s revelation in Isaiah entirely, 44:24 ”… I am Jehovah, the maker of all things; who alone stretched out the heavens, who did spread forth the earth by myself;”

The verses of the eighth chapter of Proverbs have also been considered as evidence that Jesus was with God in the creation of the world:

Pro 8:30 ”then I was by him his nursling, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;” – Would a playful little boy of God have been capable of creating the world? Indeed, God the Father created the world with his word and wisdom. We are only beginning to understand this slowly.

However, wisdom is an abstract attribute, as is the power of God. Wisdom and power are not persons. Jesus said Mat 26:64 “Jesus said to him, “You have said it. Nevertheless, I tell you, henceforth you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of the sky.” – From the other verses’ we know that Jesus Christ sits on the right hand of God the Father. “Power” describes the Person of God. If Christ had said that he was lying to the right of Wisdom, we would have understood him to mean one attribute of God.

Similarly, the “Word of God” is personalized – and yet to the wrong Person. However, I have said, on another occasion, the opinion that it is correct to speak of Jesus as God’s word, as he declared the word of God, the will of God and the kingdom of God, sent by God in his work in public. So Jesus became the “Word of God” through his action.

We all know that “God is love.” In this way, love is personalized and connected to God. For example, 1 John 4:16 says: God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

God told Moses: Deu 18:18 ”I will raise them up a prophet from among their brothers, like you [Moses]; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him. 19 It shall happen, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” – Jesus was recognized as a great prophet because of his miracles. Joh 6:14 The men therefore, having seen the sign which Jesus had done, said, This is truly the prophet which is coming into the world. Luk 7:16 Fear took hold of all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited his people!”

Joh 13:16 ”Truly, truly I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him.” – In the Old Testament, Jesus is called God’s righteous servant. Isa 53:11 … by his knowledge shall my righteous servant instruct many in righteousness; and he shall bear their iniquities.

Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Jesus’ coming to earth was already known from the time of Moses. He was to be a prophet and a righteous servant of God. God promised him a portion with the great ones (Isa 53:12). However, nowhere does it explicitly state that the Son of God, who himself would be part of the triune deity, is this prophet and righteous servant of God.

His most crucial mission, God sent his Son to earth to undo the effects of the fall of Adam and Eve.

Jesus himself says: Joh 13:16 Truly, truly I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. – Did Jesus refer specifically to these verses, that God sent him to do a mission to save humankind, and that God had prophesied to Isaiah about his righteous servant and prophet?

When God sent His Son, it shows that God is greater than the one he sent. Isaiah was able to prophesy of Jesus’ work. Therefore, Isaiah wrote about God’s mission, describing Jesus as “my righteous servant.” After completing His task, God exalted his Son, making him “Lord and Christ.” On those grounds, I interpreted that Jesus was not in heaven before his birth of the Virgin Mary, still less as part of the Triune God. When Jesus ascended to heaven, God the Father gave him divine authority over everything and everyone in heaven and on earth.

This leaves us with the task of ascertaining the interpretation; is God the Father one and only God? We know from the Bible that there in heaven is Jesus Christ, Son of God, a man. There is also the Holy Spirit of God in heaven, which has been described as God’s working force. Are these two latter god Persons? I have expressed the opinion that they belong to the Divinity, fellowship with God, but are not part of Almighty God; The Almighty God is Father alone.

 

One God Almighty, the Father

Deu 6:4 Hear, Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah; – 6:3 Hear therefore, Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with you, and that you may increase mightily, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised to you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

Deu 4:35 “To you it was shown, that you might know that Jehovah he is God; there is none else besides him.“

Isa 45:5 “I am Jehovah, and there is none else; there is no God beside me: I girded you, and you have not known me;”

6 “that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the going down, that there is none beside me. I am Jehovah, and there is none else;”

7 “forming the light and creating darkness, making peace and creating evil: I, Jehovah, do all these things.”

Isa 44:24 Thus says Jehovah, your Redeemer, and he who formed you from the womb: I am Jehovah, who makes all things; who stretches forth the heavens alone; who spreads abroad the earth (who is with me?);

Deu 6:4 Shama, yisrial Yahweh Elohim Yahweh echad. – The word Shama means hearing in a way that combines obedience.

1 Cor 8:6 ” yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom everything came into being and for whom we live. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything came into being and through whom we live. – There can be no problem of interpretation here because ‘one God’ and ‘one Lord’ are separated into two sentences from one another with and-word.

The problem of interpretation relates to subordinate phrases; “the Father, from whom everything came into being and for whom we live” and another one; “Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything came into being and through whom we live ” (1 Cor 8:6) – Both say ‘where all is’ or ‘through which all is’. The difference is that when speaking of the Father, everything is said to be from the FATHER, but speaking of Christ, “through whom.” I interpret this to mean that the Father is the beginning of everything from whom the world and man began. Through Christ, the whole new world, through the New Covenant, is created new.

Rev 21:5 ”He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He said, “Write, for these words of God are faithful and true.” – Both the Father and the Son sit on the throne. Both recite “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” They truly are one.

Isa 45:15 ”Most assuredly you are a God who hid yourself, God of Israel, the Savior.” 18 For thus says Jehovah who created the heavens, the God who formed the earth and made it, who established it and didn’t create it a waste, who formed it to be inhabited: I am Jehovah; and there is no one else.

Joh 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.

 

What is the future relationship between Father and Son?

The Hebrew Letter describes Jesus as the High Priest. Christ is eternally the High Priest of God (Heb 8:1, 6:20). However, the High Priest, even though he is Priest in the order of Melchizedek, is a servant of God and under his authority.

What about the future, when Christ’s millennial kingdom is over, the last judgment is executed, and New Jerusalem has descended to earth, and God himself dwells there. The thrones of God and Christ are also on earth. What is the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Father God?

The Bible says:

Rev 21:22-23 I saw no temple in it, because the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple.  23 The city doesn’t need any sun or moon to give it light, because the glory of God gave it light, and the lamb was its lamp.
22:1 He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb,

In Revelation, the Father and the Son say: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end (21: 6 and 22:13). Verse 21:6 refers to the Father and 22:13 to the Son. It is recognized by what else they say in that context. The Father promises to make all things new (see Isa. 65:17), and the Son promises to come and repay everyone according to what he has done. (Mat. 16:27).

Does it make any sense to guess the order of ranks ​​between God and the Son?

 

Who is the “God of this world?”

Most of all, people are in favor of a god who is called in the Bible the “god of this world.” 2 Cor 4:4 says of them: “in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.”

Satan is here called the god of this world.

Most Christians have heard or read the story of Jesus in the wilderness; When Jesus fasted, Satan came to tempt him. “If you worship me, you will have the whole world under your control,” Satan offered, but Jesus drove him on his way. Many are only aware of the aforementioned short excerpt and have not heard of the shocking background to it. The priests do not accidentally say anything about it. So what had happened?

After Adam and Eve had fallen into Satan’s temptation, God, angry, drove them away from Paradise. They brought death with them; henceforth, all men have sinned, and have received the punishment: the death, that is to say, they have become mortal.

But what did God do to Satan? He gave the rulership of humanity to Satan. Jeremiah confirms God’s words: Jer 27:5 ”I [God] have made the earth, the men and the animals that are on the surface of the earth, by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I give it to whom it seems right to me.

At some point, God considered it proper to give the world to Satan. I can’t say precisely when this happened. Two things seem certain. First, God said he would give the world whomever he wanted. Second, Jesus did not deny Satan’s claim that Satan had received the kingship of the world. What is unclear is the point of time when Satan took control of the world. It is possible that Satan gained the supremacy of the invisible world (spirit world) shortly after the fall of Adam and Eve. I concluded this because sin increased dramatically in the world after Adam and Eve.

Jeremiah 27: 6 tells how God gave the world 27:6 ”Now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the animals of the field also have I given him to serve him.” – The world domination after Nebuchadnezzar changed hands several times: after Babylon, Medo-Persia, then Greece and Rome. These are all secular world powers. But, notice the following:

Satan’s world domination is the power of the spirit world, the power on human souls.

Luke confirms Satan: 4:6 The Devil said to Jesus, “I will give you all this authority and the glory of these kingdoms. For it has been given to me, and I give it to anyone I please.

We understand that God is the only one who, even in theory, could give the world to anyone. Jesus did not dispute Satan’s claim. He and the Apostles call Satan “the king of this world” in the Bible. We also know that when He gave Satan control of the world, God did not give it unconditionally or forever.

Thus Paul describes Satan as: “Be clear-minded and alert. Your opponent, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour”(1 Peter 5:8). Satan has done well in his work. Most of the world’s 7 billion people are not new-born Christians. Nevertheless, Satan is not pleased; he knows he failed the first time when trying to kill Jesus as a baby, and later as an adult, he failed at trying to seduce him to worship himself. Satan also knows that his time is running out and that Christ has received all the power from God in heaven and on earth and will soon come to earth to exercise His power and destroy Satan’s troops.

Yet to this day, Satan is the “king of this world.” If people knew that, it would be much easier for them to understand what is going on in the world. People often blame God for adversity or accident. Wrong address! After all, they should blame Satan, but instead, people make claims to God.

 

Read more on this topic in the following articles.

 

 

 

The doctrine of the triune God was born during the third and fourth centuries. There is no such doctrine found in the Bible, but it is a doctrine developed by the fathers of the Catholic Church, based on the Greek philosophy, and which has a model in old pagan religions. The Catholic Church has so firmly supported the doctrine that believers are forced to acknowledge the doctrine determined by the Church under the threat of their own lives. Luther did not address this crucial question even in the 16th century, even though many doctrines of the Catholic Church were discontinued.

Trinitarianism is thus a doctrine acknowledged by Catholic synods. In these scriptures, I study how biblical this doctrine is. Does the Bible speak about the Trinity in the Old Testament or the New Testament? What do the prophets say God has declared of Himself? What do the apostles write and testify of Jesus to say about God? Did Jesus claim to be God or being a part of a triune God? Since I am a supporter of the principle of sola scriptura, I want these central doctrinal principles to be found in the Bible. Instead, for the Catholics, the Bible is not the first, not to speak of single source of divine truth; the few synod assemblies to be discussed, as an example of many, go beyond biblical truth.

Here is a brief overview of the formation of the doctrine of the Trinity in Catholic synods.

The first person who used the concept of the trinity was Tertullian in the 200’s.

In AD 325, a synod in Nice was held in the current territory of Turkey. This was historically the first attempt to reach consensus in all churches in Christendom. Emperor Constantine the Great summoned the assembly to condemn the doctrine of the Arians. The Ariolaians recognized the divinity of Jesus but explained to him to be the creation of God the Father. In fact, Areios himself was condemned to be heretic. At the meeting, the current trinity doctrine was formulated as follows “God is triune and consists of three independent persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three persons – one God.

At the Constantinople synod in AD 381, the Holy Spirit was specifically addressed. The Constantinople doctrine of the Trinity was specified in such a way that in the Godhead there are three persons who are of one and the same entity, one for perfection, one God.

The third ecclesiastical synod was held in Ephesos, in the present Turkish territory in AD 431. The purpose of the meeting was to deal with the controversy caused by the Nestorians about the nature of Christ. Archbishop Nestorius from Constantinople claimed that Christ had two personalities, divine and human. The Catholic Church held onto the position of the Nice synod according to which Christ and God the Father were of the same essence, and the Ephesus synod condemned this doctrine to be heretic. The assembly confirmed that Christ has two natures, God and man, but in one person.

The Virgin Mary is said to be the Mother of God. People are allowed to turn to Mary in prayer, meaning that she acts as a mediator between men and God and she has been earnestly honored to this day in the Catholic Church. The participants of the Church Assembly apparently did not remember the Bible verse, which states that ”For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2: 5) There is another equally valid biblical reasoning why this can not be. More specifically, I refer to the article about resurrection.

According to Alexandrian bishop Athanasios (295-373), a creed has been drawn up according to which, Catholic and Protestant churches recognize their doctrines. The creed had probably been drawn up at the turn of the 400s and 500s in the region of southern France. The creed was directed against the Areion doctrine, in which the teaching of the Church about the Trinity of God and the dual nature -doctrine of Christ were questioned.

The Athanasian Creed states:

”So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord”.

Here is the core of confession. Finally, it is said to the Christians: This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved.

If that were the case, all three god persons would be equally almighty, but the Bible gives a different view. Jesus Christ Himself proves that the Father is greater than he is. The Holy Ghost, on the other hand, can be sent by the Father and Son. Likewise, Jesus says that he is doing just as the Father commands him. The Bible testifies that Jesus has all power in heaven as well as on earth – this could easily ascertain that Jesus is God. But: Jesus says: I have been given all the power … How could someone who is almighty be given something that he has had all the time?

The trinity element, i.e. the full omnipotence of all three persons, does not materialize. If Christ is God, he cannot be the Almighty. According to their own words, the Father is greater than Jesus. Here is the hierarchy of the Trinity, but it does mean watering down the principle of Athanasius’s confession of faith. In fact, I do not believe in the Trinity, even though there are more than two billion people in the world who belong to churches of this principle, such as the Catholic Church and others like the Evangelical Lutheran church. I am, of course, willing to change my mind if someone shows where in the Bible it talks about the Triune God, and why in the Old Testament, God the Father says he is the one and only God, and why Jesus Christ and the apostles testified that they have only one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, and why Jesus himself did not say he was God or part of it, but said that he was the Son and the Father is greater than He, and that He just did what the Father commanded Him to do. The Trinity is the most important doctrine of Christian churches. This was confirmed by the Catholic Church’s synods. Should such a central doctrine not come from the Bible – the very Word of God?

The doctrine of Trinity is justified by some Bible verses such as 1 Jhn 5:7-8 For there are three who testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.” – This verse has been translated ”these three are one. [Only a few recent manuscripts add “in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth”]:

In fact, the whole sentence is only found in four Greek scripts, when there are about 5,000 copies where it is not included. The phrase began to appear in Latin scripts in the 4th century. From the Latin scripts, it was copied in the 16th-century Greek manuscripts. Erasmus Rotterdam, the most prominent Bible scholar of his time, did not accept this text as the original text.

A similar situation is found in verse Mat 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”. The third-century apologist Eusebius wrote, “Go and teach all nations and baptize them in my name.” From the Bible we can read that the apostles did just that; they baptized the new followers in the name of Jesus also.

 

Relationship between the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost

The Bible is the most misunderstood book in the world
In spite of the fact that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit all agree, the Christians are divided into thousands and thousands of denominations. There are no longer religious wars between Christians like there were five hundred years ago. The ecumenical movement seems to gain new victories under the leadership of the Catholic Church and the Pope. The Bible, however, no longer constitutes the foundation of faith; people do not agree with the central message of the Bible, and its interpretations are countless.

How to correctly understand the Bible? I have considered the following question as an example of one of the most important biblical doctrines – the Trinity. I point out misconceptions of God the Father, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit.

 

A. Where is the proof of the Triune God?

The doctrine of Trinity raises a lively discussion in the Bible circles. In one of the discussions, a person advocating trinity wanted to prove the doctrine by means of Bible verses. Let us first go through the Bible verses which, in his opinion, undoubtedly testify of God being triune:

(My comments after each verse)

Mat 28:19 ”Therefore, as you go, disciple all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”, – This is a rare verse in the Bible, because in the same verse there are mentioned all three, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. However, this is a fake, unauthorized addition. See the article “Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost”.

2 Cor 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. – A beautiful wish, but does not in any way prove God is triune.

1 Pet 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you. – A beautiful wish.

Mat 3:16 And having been baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water. And, behold! The heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God coming down as a dove, and coming upon Him. 17 Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with him!” – This was the beginning of Jesus’ public activity, in connection which God recognized Jesus as his son.

1 Cor 12:4 And there are differences of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are differences of ministries, yet the same Lord. – Paul tells about the gifts of the spirit in the church.

1 Tim 3:16 And confessedly, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in flesh, was justified in Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. – With a couple of sentences explaining the ministry of Jesus on earth.

Eph 1:3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heaven lies with Christ, 4 according as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for us to be holy and without blemish before Him in love,

Eph 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

4:6 one God and Father of all, He above all and through all and in you all. – The verse praises God and the Father of Christ. We believe in one God who is our Lord. One God and Father, who is overall. This is how I believe. I think these verses testify of one God and not of God’s trinity.

Rom 8:11 And if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive by his Spirit who lives in you. – If the Spirit of God dwells in us, God, who raised Christ from the dead, will also make our mortal bodies alive. That’s what I believe. Amen.

Joh 5:23 so that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. The one not honoring the Son does not honor the Father who has sent Him. – This is not related to the doctrine of Trinity in any way; the verse only proves that the Father is greater than the Son which is against the original doctrine of the Trinity; at the time of Athanasius, the theory of Trinity was understood so that all three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were equal.

1 Joh 5:20 We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true God. We are in union with the one who is true, his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

True: true, ἀληθινός alēthinos, opposite to what is fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, simulated or pretended. Who is this true God? Many are confident that “he” is exactly Christ. But John 17:3 says, “But this is eternal life, that they know you who alone is true God, and the one whom you have sent, Jesus Christ.” – These verses were meant to prove that God is Triune. If you read this verse carefully, you will find that God the Father is the only true God. To achieve eternal life, according to the verse, you also have to know the one whom God has sent, Jesus Christ. These people do not know; about two billion people believe in God being Triune. A clearer translation of 1 John 5:20 would be the following: We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true God. We are in union with the one who is true, his Son Jesus Christ. God the Father is the true God and eternal life.

Joh 14:16 I will ask the Father to give you another Helper, to be with you always.       Joh 14:17 He is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, for it neither sees him nor recognizes him. But you recognize him, for he abides with you and will be in you.  – The Holy Spirit is called here as the Spirit of truth. Jesus promises to pray to the Father, that the Father would give another Counsellor to the apostles, that is, the Spirit of truth. It is also evident from this that the Father is above Jesus, i.e. they are not equal.

You have now read these Bible verses, which one of the true believers of the triune God has chosen to prove that God is triune. In fact, I did not find such a proof. How did you do? I’m not trying to convert you, my reader, just to remind you of the importance of the love for truth. It can take years – just as with me – before the pieces fit together. It’s a cheerful feeling. Still, there are many questions I do not know the answer yet. I’m searching for it and God will give me the answer in time.

 

B. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, a man – Can a man be God?

Ephesians;

God of Jesus, father, (Eph 1:17 ”the God of our Lord Jesus Christ”), raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Jesus by placing him on his right hand side in heaven: Eph 1:20 which he put to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realm.

Of these verses of the Ephesians, we can conclude:

1. Jesus has God who is above him, the Father. God the Father raised Jesus from the dead. If Jesus were God, he could have woken himself up in the human body.
2. Second, we are let to know that when Jesus had ascended into heaven, God raised him by placing Christ’s throne on his right side. This means that Jesus is in power second immediately after God.
3. Further, we can conclude from the elevation of Jesus that he was not as highly esteemed before his elevation. The raising of Jesus is presented in a short account. However, the importance of this sentence is of absolute importance! Stop and think about what it means. Many people do not understand the influence of the phrase in the doctrine of the trinity and the deity of Jesus. If God raised Jesus, it means that Jesus was not the Almighty God in the past like the Father. God cannot be raised because God already is the absolute highest authority. And when Jesus was raised, it means he was not God. Such a small phrase can be of immeasurable importance when you realize what it means. Well, now you are saying, “Yes, but Jesus was a man on earth, of course, he had to be raised when he came to heaven …” The counter-argument: when Jesus entered heaven (where he now supposedly was before his birth on earth), he would automatically assume his position as God in the Triune divinity. There was no need for God the Father to raise him.

The end result from this reflection is that Jesus was not the Almighty God in heaven before his ascension to heaven. I wonder if he even was in heaven before? In fact, Jesus’ position was comparable to angels; Heb 1:4 says that Jesus became much higher than angels: “and became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is better than theirs.” – Jesus was not God, but after his raise, his new position is compared to angels; his new position on the right side of God is now above all angels. It is known of the highest angels that they have access to God’s throne – but not to sit on the right-hand side of God. God gave this position to his only Son, who is a human.

What else do we know about the new, higher status of our Lord Jesus Christ?

We know that Christ will come back to earth when the first resurrection takes place. He establishes the Millennial kingdom, which lasts for a thousand years on earth. He is going to be the supreme king and will rule together with the apostles and the saints of the resurrection.

We also know from the Bible that, after a thousand years, there will be another resurrection and the Last Judgment.

We know that after this, Christ hands off the power back to the Father. This is by no means an impairment for Christ, but his position will then be emphasized as the High priest.

 

John recognized Jesus as God! – Really?

Those who regard Jesus as God claim that apostle John acknowledged Jesus his God. The proof is the Bible verse where Thomas calls Jesus his God? Can Jesus be God if he did not have immortality from the beginning?

Thomas said to Jesus after seeing the signs of crucifixion in Jesus (John 20:28): “My Lord and my God“. The Trinitarians believe that Thomas meant Jesus when he said “my God”. Only three verses later John emphasizes: John 20:31 But these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

From the aforementioned, it is clear that John 20:28 did not intend to prove Jesus to be God, but only that “you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” It can be misleading if you remove one single verse without looking at the wholeness.

God has always had eternal life, immortality. This is inseparable from God’s property. John 5:26 “For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted the Son to have life in himself.” – Life means eternal life, immortality. Jesus did not have eternal life before God gave it to him. Christ received immortality from the Father, but did it make him God?

I have written about God, faith in the Trinitarian doctrine and divinity of Jesus, in more detail in Chapter 3. I took this example to show how difficult it is to achieve consensus on Biblical issues. 1 Cor 8:6, which says, ” yet for us there is only one God, the Father… and one Lord Jesus Christ …” This verse of Corinthians is, in my opinion, unambiguously clear; we have only one God who is the Father. Even such clear proof does not convince people, but from the Catholic synods, the pagan teachings have displaced the Bible. Joh 12:40 “He [Satan] has blinded their eyes …” Satan is well suited to the fact that billions of people do not know the truth. Indeed, people do not even know that Satan is the god of this world.

The confusion of interpreting the Bible’s word could be avoided if people really looked for the truth. Truth can be found by searching. But the truth does not seem to interest. For people, it is sufficient that they visit the church from time to time and the priest promises them access to heaven. Many are on the right track, but stop searching after finding the doctrine they like. Many would like to say to me that God is one but still hold the doctrine of the Trinity. I, foolish that I am, just do not understand this. To them, I would answer: show me the proof in the Bible. One person tried but failed miserably. One cannot claim that all three would be equal in divinity and power. I could accept the idea of God’s trinity if it means that the three are one in agreement.

 

Jesus Christ – a man

Luke tells about the childhood of Jesus: 2:25 Now a man named Simeon was in Jerusalem. This man was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the one who would comfort Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ. – Simeon came to the synagogue, led by the Spirit at the same time as the parents of Jesus brought the child to the sanctuary. Simeon took Jesus in his arms and said, praising God, 2:29 “Master, now you are allowing your servant to leave in peace according to your word. 2:30 For my eyes have seen your salvation”.

Luke continues 2:40 And the Child grew, and became strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom. And the grace of God was upon Him. – At the age of twelve Jesus’ family traveled to the annual Feast of the Passover. Jesus left out of the returning caravan and stayed in Jerusalem. Concerned parents found Jesus three days later. 46 …in the temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions. 49 He [Jesus] said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be in my Father’s house?” – Joseph and Mary did not understand what Jesus meant. This seems strange; did not the father and mother of Jesus remember angel Gabriel’s revelation, the visit of wise men, the Egyptian journey and all that God had communicated to them about Jesus’ forthcoming mission?

There is no further knowledge of the years of Jesus’ youth. However, we can believe that God’s wisdom grew and the relationship with God strengthened. At the age of thirty, Jesus had matured and John baptized him and God acknowledged Jesus as his son.

God’s spirit made Mary pregnant, and Jesus was born, as a normal human being, to be a normal man, except that he had extraordinary human genes. At a very young age, he knew the Bible better than the learned old. God gave Jesus his own attributes so that they were spiritually one. In Jesus dwelled all the fullness of God. Jesus used God’s power and qualities to heal people and even to raise a few from dead. Jesus was, however, a man to whom God had given his own abilities, and Jesus acted only according to God’s will. Mat 12:28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

Joh 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son is not able to do anything from Himself, except what He may see the Father doing; for whatever that One does, these things also the Son does the same way.

Joh 14:10 You believe, don’t you, that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own. It is the Father who dwells in me who does his works. 11 Believe me, I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe me because of the works themselves. – All that Jesus did was in accordance with God’s will and using the power of God.

Jesus had to be completely human. Hebrews 2:17 Thus he had to become like his brothers in every way, so that he could be a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God and could atone for the people’s sins.  18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. – If Jesus had been God, he could not have atoned human sins. When Jesus was a man, he was worthy of becoming the High priest in the presence of God (Father). Jesus acts as the King of the Millennial kingdom with the Apostles and saints during the thousand years. After that, he hands over the leadership of the kingdom back to God. After the last judgment, Jesus Christ is the High priest according to Melchizedek.

1 Cor 15:21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man.

Rom 5:15 But God’s free gift is not like Adam’s offense. For if many people died as the result of one man’s offense, how much more have God’s grace and the free gift given through the kindness of one man, Jesus Christ, been showered on many people!

When Adam was the first person to fall into sin, Jesus was the last man to repair Adam’s sin and offer salvation through faith to man, not through law compliance. All heavenly beings are spirits. When God sent Jesus to atone mankind from sin, he needed Jesus to be a human. The birth of Jesus and Mary’s becoming virginally conceived, is comparable to the biblical account of Abraham’s wife Sarah, who became pregnant at the old age of ninety years (Gen 21:2). God sent Jesus to carry out the redemption mission of mankind. It happened when Jesus became a full-grown man and Jesus received baptism from John and God acknowledged Jesus as his beloved son. When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, the Holy Ghost descended in the form of a dove on Jesus. Jesus was thus ready to begin his public activity. According to the Jewish view, a man was, in this sense, an adult of about thirty years of age. The public activity of Jesus was only a few years length and he was crucified at about 33 years of age.

The spirit of God dwelled in Jesus. In his epistle to the Romans, Apostle Paul underlines the importance of the Spirit: Romans 8:9 But you are not in flesh, but in Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, this one is not His. – If the Spirit of God dwells in you … But who has not the Spirit of Christ … Which spirit are we talking, God’s or Christ’s? Verse 11 clarifies the situation: 8:11 But if the Spirit of the One having raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One having raised the Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies live through the indwelling of His Spirit in you. – It is God’s spirit that raised the dead Christ. This spirit dwelling in you will also give life your mortal bodies.

1 Joh 4:13 This is how we know that we abide in him and he in us: he has given us his Spirit.

1 Joh 4:15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. – In this verse, John emphasizes, that we must confess Jesus as God’s son. If we do so, God (meaning the God the Father) remains in us. John was Jesus’ favorite disciple. I am sure that the apostles would have made it clear if Jesus was God like the Father.

1 John 4:2 From this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who recognizes Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; – Jesus came into the world as a human being, “in the flesh,” and lived the life of a man, and died as a man, and resurrected as a man, the kind of a man people in the future resurrect. Jesus was in the resurrection body both in spirit and in flesh; When he was a spirit, he was able to appear anywhere, even though the locked doors. At least once he wanted to be in the flesh when Thomas wanted to test the traces of nails in his hands. Jesus was otherwise completely human with the difference that God’s fullness (God’s spirit) lived in him and taught him the will of God from the very beginning of the little boy. With the power of God and the will of God, Jesus made the miracles and even raised three people from the dead.
4:16 We have come to know and believe in the love that God has for us. God is love, and the person who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

 

Jesus lived as a human being, died as a human being and rose from the dead as a human being

Jesus lived a sinless life fully as a human being. Therefore, he was worthy to justify all mankind. Rom 5:18 says: Consequently, just as one offense resulted in condemnation for everyone, so one act of righteousness results in justification and life for everyone. Rom 1:4 who was marked out Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord; 1 Cor 15:20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead; He became the first fruit of those having fallen asleep.21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ will all be made alive. 23 However, this will happen to each person in the proper order: first Christ, then those who belong to Christ when he comes.

When Luke told of Jesus as a young boy, it is easy to think of Jesus as a human being. As you read the verses above, many consider resurrected Son of God to be God and not just the Son of God. When these thoughts come to mind, it is important to remember what John said: 17:3 And this is everlasting life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. – Father is the only true God. Jesus is the one whom God has sent. I took an example of the words of John, because the very words of John have been misinterpreted.

 

About the miracles Jesus and his apostles performed

Mat 12:28 But if I [Jesus] cast out the demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come on you.

If Jesus had been God, he could have done all these miracles of his own strengths. However, he was completely human and for this reason, God made through Jesus all the works told in the Scriptures.

Joh 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son is not able to do anything from Himself, except what He may see the Father doing; for whatever that One does, these things also the Son does the same way.

 

I can do nothing on my own accord

Joh 5:30 I can do nothing on my own accord. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”

Joh 14:10 Do you not believe that I [Jesus] am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words which I speak to you I do not speak from Myself, but the Father who abides in Me, He does the works.

Joh 14:11 Believe me, I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe me because of the works themselves.

The apostles did miracles in the same way as Jesus – with the help of God’s Holy Spirit. This was only possible after Jesus had been glorified and gone to the Father in Heaven. Joh 7:39 But He said this concerning the Spirit, whom the ones believing into Him were about to receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Act 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Act 5:12 And many miracles and wonders among the people took place through the hands of the apostles. And they were all with one passion in Solomon’s Porch.

Act 14:3 They stayed there a considerable time and continued to speak boldly for the Lord, who kept affirming his word of grace and granting signs and wonders to be done by them.

19:11 God continued to do extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands.

 

C. Holy Spirit – Does the Holy Spirit Work Independently?

God speaks through the Holy Spirit, through the prophets, and also by his son Jesus (also called a prophet in the Bible). Act 1:2 up to the day when he was taken up to heaven after giving orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 4:25 You said by the Holy Spirit through the voice of our ancestors, your servant David, ‘Why do the Gentiles rage, and the people devise useless plots?

Can the Holy Spirit work independently or only on the assignment of God and Christ? I try to find out this question through the following Bible verses. In order for the Holy Spirit to be an independent person in the triune Godhead, the Holy Spirit should be able to act independently and not just to carry out the duties given by the Father and the Son. The same goes for the Son, Jesus Christ, of course.

Mat 10:19 When they hand you over, don’t worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, for in that hour what you are to say will be given to you. 20 For it won’t be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Mat 11:27 All things have been entrusted to me [Jesus] by my Father. No one fully knows the Son except the Father, and no one fully knows the Father except the Son and the person to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. – Christ says that He knows the Father fully unlike the others. Yet it is said about the Holy Spirit, “But God revealed them to us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” (1 Cor. 2:10). When the Father and the Son agree in one, they are in a close relationship, or as the Bible says, all the fullness of God lives in the Son.

Apt 13:2 And while they were doing service to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, So then separate both Barnabas and Saul to Me, for the work to which I have called them. 13:4 Being sent out by the Holy Spirit, … 13:9 But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked him straight in the eye…

1 Cor 12:11 But one and the same Spirit produces all these results and gives what he wants to each person. Compare: Rom 12:3 …rather to think of yourself with sober judgment on the measure of faith that God has assigned each of you. – Rom. testifies that God determines how much faith is given to each one. The verse in the Corinthians above would seem to say that the Holy Spirit divides each faith as the Spirit wishes. Perhaps this is also because the Holy Spirit is God’s spirit, so it is God who gives the Holy Spirit the assignments that this carries out. This is apparent from the following verse: John 16:13 Yet when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own accord, but will speak whatever he hears and will declare to you the things that are to come. And also Heb 2:4 while God added his testimony through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Trinitarians have had a strong ambition to find evidence in favor of the Trinity in the Bible. They have not been able to find proper evidence in the Bible so they must have produced verses themselves. Matthew 28:19 Baptism in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is an unauthorized addition and perhaps the clearest example. I have written an article about this case.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. The second verse in the Bible is evidence of it. Gen 1:2 “and the earth being without form and empty, and darkness on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moving gently on the face of the waters.”

 

I have not found any verses directly in favor of the deity of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. The only major explanation for this is the fact that it is said that blaspheming the Holy Spirit is a sin that cannot be forgiven. Luk 12:10 Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the person who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

If the Church Fathers had considered the Holy Spirit as an independent God person in the Triune Godhead, why only in year 381 the Constantinople synod the Holy Spirit was raised as one of the triune God? Jesus Christ had, in turn, been raised to God a little earlier, at the 325 Synod in Nicaea.

What is the sin, a mockery, which is inexcusable? There are probably many interpretations, but not a clear explanation in the Bible. According to one interpretation, the mocking of the Holy Ghost is committed by the man who once has been in solid faith, but then renounces his faith. This is strongly supported by Luk verses 12:10 Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the person who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Heb 6:5 who have tasted the goodness of God’s word and the powers of the coming age, 6 and who have fallen away, as long as they continue to crucify to themselves the Son of God and to expose him to public ridicule.

In these verses above, the blessed Gifts of the Holy Spirit are spoken. Particularly interesting is the reference to the forces of the future world, which I understand as referring to the rule of God’s reign together with other Saints.

The Bible, however, gives the impression that the Holy Spirit is a viable force transmitted by God Jehovah and Jesus. This is manifested in verse Jhn 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of all that I have told you. – The Holy Spirit also has other attributes such as power: Acts 1:8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Apostle Peter urged his listeners to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit: Act 2:38: Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. – It is noteworthy that the apostles baptized only in the name of Jesus Christ and not in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Receiving the Holy Spirit was also accompanied by a gift of speaking in tongues, Act 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them that ability.

Ephesians discloses yet another gift of the Holy Spirit, the seal of God; Eph 4:30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. – In connection with salvation, the importance of God’s seal comes to light; it will save a person who has the seal of God during the tribulation.

It is important for a believer to know what 1 Cor 6:19 says “Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? You are not your own,”

Jesus said in Jhn 10:30: I and the Father are one. (or a unity, one essence).a unity; or one essence unity; It should be noted that Jesus did not mention anything about the Holy Spirit belonging in this unity! This does not mean that Jesus is God together with the Father. Such an older translation ”Father and I are one” can lead to this conclusion even more easily.

The book of Revelation says that God has seven spirits: Rev 3:1 And to the angel of the assembly in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars says these things: I know your works, that you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 4:5 Flashes of lightning, noises, and peals of thunder came from the throne. Burning in front of the throne were seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God 5:6 I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. – Whether they are part of the Holy Spirit or separate spirits, I do not know, because the Bible does not tell any more.

 

Is the Holy Spirit a Person?

If the Holy Spirit were a separate person with God the Father, it would mean that God would not be the Father of Jesus, but the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit conceived Jesus. The whole Bible testifies that Jesus is the Son of God. The Conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit means that God the Father, sent the Holy Spirit to Mary to enable her to be conceived. This includes the idea that the Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Father. Otherwise, if the Holy Spirit is a separate person acting independently, Jesus would be the child of the Holy Spirit.

And what about the trinity of God, the three equal God persons, who together form our God? It would mean that Jesus was in heaven together with God the Father to send the Holy Spirit to earth to impregnate Mary and give birth to Himself.

 

 

 

What is the name of God?

Of course, we know that the name of God is Jehovah (or Yahweh), consonant abbreviated as YHWH. Here, however, I look at what names God is called and also how the names of God and Jesus differ and how they may become confused. Both are called, for example, ‘Lord’.

The name of God is holy and therefore it must not be pronounced in vain. One of the ten commandments says: “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (KJV). Since ancient times, the Jews have taken this command so seriously that they have not uttered the name of God, but have referred to God using the word Adonai. Jesus is never called as Adonai, but he is Adoni.

Both God the Father and Jesus Christ God the Son of God, are called Lord. Only God the Father is called the Most High or Almighty God and Lord God. Jesus Christ, our Lord, is the Son of God or Son of the Most High. There are many examples in the Bible:

The Gospel of Luke:

1:21 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his forefather David.

1:35 And answering, the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, and for this reason that Holy One being born of you will be called Son of God.

1:76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High. For you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his ways.

6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be much; and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the unthankful and evil ones.

8:28 When he saw Jesus, he screamed, fell down in front of him, and said in a loud voice, “What do you want from me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you not to torture me!”

Acts:

7:48 However, the Most High does not live in buildings made by human hands. As the prophet says,

16:17 … These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are announcing to us a way of salvation!

Hebrews:

7:1 Now this man Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, met Abraham and blessed him when he was returning from slaughtering the kings.

2 Corinthians:

6:18 I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, ”declares the Lord Almighty.

Revelation:

1:8 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, says the Lord, the One who is, and who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.

4:8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and were full of eyes inside and out. Without stopping day or night they were singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God  was, who is, and who is coming.”

11:17 They said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to rule.

15:3 They sang the song of God’s servant Moses and the song of the lamb: “Your deeds are spectacular and amazing, Lord God Almighty. Your ways are just and true, King of the nations [of the ages].

16:7 Then I heard the altar reply, “Yes, Lord God Almighty, your judgments are true and just.”

16:14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs. They go to the kings of the whole earth and gather them for the war of the great day of God Almighty.

18:8 For this reason, her plagues of death, misery, and famine will come in a single day. She will be burned up in a fire, because powerful is the Lord God who judges her.”

19:6 And I heard as a sound of a numerous crowd, and as a sound of many waters, and as a sound of strong thunders, saying, Hallelujah! Because the Lord God Almighty reigned.

19:15 A sharp sword comes out of his mouth to strike down the nations. He will rule [Or shepherd] them with an iron rod and tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.

21:22 I saw no temple in it, because the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple.

22:5 There will be no more night, and they will not need any light from lamps or the sun because the Lord God will shine on them. They will rule forever and ever.

The words Most High, Almighty (El Shaddai) and the Lord God always refer to the Father in the New Testament scriptures. Those who believe in the Triune God claim though John used the words “Lord God Almighty” of Jesus in verse in Revelation 1:8: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, says the Lord, the One who is, and who was, and who is coming, the Almighty. ” The misconception is that the previous verse speaks of Jesus’ second coming: “He comes with the clouds,” and “every eye will see Him and the ones who pierced Him…” The 8th verse has been interpreted as a continuation to the seventh.

Verse 8:58 of the Gospel of John has been considered as evidence that Jesus confirms here to be God when he uses the phrase I am: NASB: Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say unto you, before Abraham was born, I am.”

I am, in Greek ego eimi ἐγὼ εἰμί is translated “I have been,” which corresponds to the correct interpretation of the matter. The English word I am has misled the interpretation; it has been interpreted that Christ uses God’s name told to Moses by God.

Let’s first see what the context says about the case. Preceding verses: 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day, and he saw it and was glad.” 8:57 Then the Jews said to Him, You do not yet have fifty years, and have you seen Abraham? And so Jesus says: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am (was).”

What Jesus said to the Pharisees meant that Jesus was in God’s mind as a plan even before Abraham. God again characterizes the name eternal being, ‘I am [from time to time the one] that I am’.  Exo 3:14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. NASB: God said to Moses, “I AM WHO AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.” hayah ‘asher hayah הָיָה אֲשֶׁר הָיָה.

In the following, a sure proof of the name of God: Exo 3:15 explains the matter further: God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. – The name God declared, ‘I am what I am’ is obscure. When God clarifies his name and says that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the matter will ultimately be resolved. Now all Israelis understand who God really is.

God the Father already declared in verse 3:6: … “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses covered his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. – Jesus is not the “God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” he is the son of God.

We, the children of God, can call God to our Father ‘Abba’. Rom 8:15 … you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, “Abba, Father.” Jesus said, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” When we fulfill our Father’s will, the Son of God Jesus Christ calls us his brothers and sisters (Mat 12:50).

 

One God Father Jehovah from whom everything came into being and for whom we live. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything came into being and through whom we live. (1 Cor 8:6)

Isa 43:10 You are my witnesses, says Yahweh, and my servant whom I have chosen; that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. – One Bible translation says, “Before me there is no god born”. KJV from the 17th century as well as many other translations use word formed. Whether it is the birth, creation or formation of God, is a clear statement: Jehovah our God is the one and only God. And there will not be another after him! It is good to keep in mind the revelation of God through his prophecy when we think of the divinity of Jesus, for example.

It is said in the Shema, the profession of faith of Israel: shama`Yisra’el Yĕhovah ‘elohiym Yĕhovah echad i.e Lord, our (Elohim), the Lord is one. – The Jews understand god as one and definitely not three or triune. The Hebrew word Elohim is plural, but in the old testament, it is intentionally singular. Some scholars propose the reason to be God’s majesty. At least when it comes to Jehovah, but in other contexts, Elohim refers to one another such as in Exo 7:1 Yahweh said to Moses, Behold, I have made you as God (אֱלֹהִים ‘elohiym) to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.

It is often overlooked or perhaps not even known that a person or an angel could be called a god (Elohim) when he acted in the name of Jehovah God and had His mandate. Also, judges and kings were honored by calling them gods (Elohim). The above example of Moses depicts the Bible’s choice of words well. Jesus himself confirmed this practice. Jhn 10:34: Jesus answered them, Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods?’ 35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken)

Jesus’ activity on earth was in line with God’s will. Jhn 12:49: For I have not spoken on my own authority. Instead, the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and how to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.

Jhn 14:10: Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works.

Jesus spoke of what God had commanded him to speak. Those many great miracles that Jesus made were in fact made by God Himself. God gave him his Holy Spirit by whose power Jesus did his deeds. So Jesus was a god (Elohim), thus carrying out the will of God.

Act 2:22 says: Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through him in your midst, just as you yourselves know —

According to Jesus’ own words, he was in God and God in him (Jhn 10:38, 14:10)

Deu 6:4 Hear, Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah; – For thousands of years, Judaism has recognized only one God, Jehovah. Even so today, the Jews are waiting for the Messiah, who is not God, but a representative of God on earth – the earthly ruler, the king of Israel. When Jesus comes and takes power over all the rulers of the earth, he is in this sense also a secular ruler who subordinates all nations under his power and when all is subjugated, he himself gives back power to Him who gave it, God the Father.

Deu 4:39 Know therefore this day, and lay it to your heart, that Jehovah he is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is none else.

Deu 32:39 See now that I, even I, am he, There is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; There is none who can deliver out of my hand.

Isa 45:5 I am Jehovah, and there is none else; there is no God beside me: I girded you, and you have not known me;

Jesus himself said of God according to Mark 12:29: Jesus answered, The greatest is, Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. – According to Jesus’ own teaching, this is the greatest commandment. There is only one God, Father Jehovah, there are no three gods. The same is confirmed by Paul.

1 Cor 8:6: yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him”.

John has stored in his gospel to Jesus’ prayer to God. In it He says:

Jhn 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

The same apostle writes in 1 John 5:20 We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true God. We are in union with the one who is true, his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Trinity supporters see a testimony of the divinity of Jesus here, claiming that “He” is exactly Jesus, that is, Jesus is the true God and eternal life. Could it be that John has changed his mind? No, but the question is that “He” does not refer to Jesus, but “True” means God the Father. How can we come to such a conclusion? In addition to Jhn 17: 3, ’True God’ is present in the following Bible Scriptures: 2 Chr 15: 3 KJV Now for a long season Israel has been without the true God, and without a teaching Priest, and without law. 10:10 But the LORD is the true God; He is the Living God and the Everlasting King. At his Wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure his indignation. 1 The 1:9 For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you; and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God,

The fact that Jesus himself proves that the Father is the Only True God is the most weighty Bible Scripture proof. The Greek-language scholars can argue about who is referred to in 1 John 5:20. If no other evidence were available, the matter would be unresolved. When the Son of God himself directs his Word to the Father, recognizing that the Father is the only true God, I do not think that any other proof should even be desired.

According to one interpretation, the announcement of God as “one” (echad) does not mean a mathematically indivisible unit and the word one (echad) refers to collective unity. However, this is only in a few cases. Echad has been in Hebrew one and still is only one. When in Hebrew is counted one, two, three…, then it is: echad, shenayim, shalosh, arba etc. One is, therefore, echad, not yachid as it is desired to claim. There is also a plural form echadim from the word of echad, which may well be about such a collective unity. It is noteworthy, according to linguists, that this plural form has not been used in this profession of faith of Israel in Deu Chapter 6!

What then is the significance of Elohim, i.e. God, in the plural form? It is a plural form of Eloah. Should the beginning of the Bible be translated “In the beginning Gods created heaven and earth?” And so are many other things. However, this is not how the Bible is translated. In Hebrew, a noun in a plurality does not necessarily mean plurality. At the beginning of the Bible, God said: Let us make man … Here is a pluralistic expression which some have understood that God speaks in divine majesty in the same way as, for example, the Russian Tsar or King of Sweden, when the law began, by saying, ” WE by the grace of God …”. To return to the Bible, it should be noted that in the verses, which say Elohim said or Elohim did, the form of these verbs is always singular.

When the OT uses God for his name Jehovah (Yahweh) written in the YHVH consonants, then his pronoun is always in the singular. Similarly, if God has used the words Eel or Eloah or the Aramaic Elah word, there is always a single form associated with it.

In the Greek Old Testament translation, made for three hundred or two hundred years AD, the Hebrew word for God is translated into Greek with the singular word theos.

Understanding the Bible causes difficulties in Psalm 110:1 types of situations. Psalm 110 says (NASB): The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”, …” meaning that Yĕhovah said to Adonay. If we do not use the name Jehovah for God, but LORD (in most often capital letters), confusion may arise. More discerning was God writing Jehovah or YHWH. Jehovah’s Witnesses in their New World Translation (NW) have restored the name of God to both the Old and New Testaments. This is perhaps better accepted for VT, but there are different opinions about NT. However, I think this clarifies the situation with the risk of confusion.

If one does not use the name of God i.e. Jehovah which is written YHWH (in most capital letters), confusion may arise. Jehovah’s Witnesses in their New World Translation (NW) have restored the name of God to both the Old and New Testaments. This is perhaps better accepted for OT, but there are different opinions about NT. However, I think this clarifies the situation when there is a risk of confusion.

The Jews who do not dare to pronounce God’s name aloud have pronounced for God’s name instead Ădônây, an emphatic form of H113; the Lord (used as a proper name of God only):—(my) Lord. The word “Adonii” is used to describe earthly lords, as well as Jesus. This proverb 110 requires more studying, an entire article at least. Do you not see why? ”Yĕhovah said to Adonay” – this actually says ’Jehovah said to Jehovah’. Look at the Hebrew text (e.g in the Blue letter Bible and you will see what I mean).

 

No one has seen God (Joh 1:18)

Joh 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
Joh 1:18 is a verse concerning the perception of God with man’s own eyes. This is what is meant when the Bible says that no one has seen God. Important is also what is not said; John does not say that the Son has seen his father in heaven and on the earth he declares his Father’s will. Nor has the Son seen God in his own eyes; The Son has learned to know God and has declared God – his purpose and will with regard to mankind.

Joh 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And all shall be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me. 46 Not that any one hath seen the Father, save he that is from: God, HE hath seen the Father. God can also be “seen” in spirit. When the Holy Spirit fills a man, unite the human spirit and the spirit of God with each other, so that they will become one spirit. 1 Cor 6:17 says: But who is joined to the Lord is one spirit. – Such a person is from above, reborn from heaven (1 Cor 15:47). He knows the will of God and “has seen” God. 2 Cor 6:18 promises: I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, declares the Lord Almighty.

The next verse of the Bible confirms the above argument: 3 Joh 1:11 Beloved, do not imitate the bad, but the good. The one doing good is of God, but the one doing bad has not seen God. – Seeing God can mean more than just seeing with your own eyes. One who does good to others, such a person is from God or from above. The man who works well is from God, i.e. he is taught by God. The one who does evil, does not see God, or God has not taught him; he is not God’s own but Satan’s. This is not about seeing with your own eyes but understanding and receiving God’s will. Heb 12:14 also speaks of this saying: Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers! For they shall be called sons of God. 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Exo 33:20 And he said, You are not able to see My face; for no man can see Me and live. 33:22 And as My glory is passing it will be that I will put you in a cleft of the rock; and I will cover My palm over you during My passing. 33:23 And I will remove My palm, and you shall see My back; but My face cannot be seen.

What does it mean when God says, “Today I have begotten you”? If Jesus is part of the Triune God, he cannot even be born! God has always existed and will always exist. God is not created or given birth. Supporters of the Triune God do not even recognize the contradiction contained in the statement of Jesus, i.e. creation of God. God Himself has said and Jesus has confirmed that God is one. The Scripture testifies: Deu 4:35 To you it was revealed, so that you might know that Jehovah is God, and no one else besides Him. 4:39 know today, and lay it to your heart, that Jehovah, He is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. – Talk about the birth of God is absurd as is the question “can God create such a big stone that he cannot lift it?”

What then means the word of God “today I have begotten you”? God in this way acknowledged that Jesus was his son. God gave him the position, according to which he is higher than all creatures in the heavens and on the earth. Just as Pharaoh had once given Joseph all the power in Egypt, however, he himself remained above Joseph. From the Bible, we know that Jesus Christ will be King of the Kingdom of God for a thousand years and then he will hand over the power back to God. The future status of Jesus after being the king of this kingdom is also known; he is the high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

It is unanimous that all power in heaven and on earth is given to our Lord. He is above all creation. Above Him is God the Father. What about the Holy Spirit? The Bible does not say anything about it. What about Jesus himself, if he is one of the Triune God? When God, whether it is one or three persons, has not been created or born, these persons who form the Trinity are not under the command of Jesus. The statement “today I have begotten you” does not sit in the model of the Triune God simply because Jesus was born human on earth in the meantime when one member of the Triune God was said to be out of heaven and after his resurrection Jesus then ascended to heaven as a human, even though he was in the spiritual body.

 

For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. (1 Cor 8:5-6)

The Bible has many similar items, which state that only the Father is Almighty God, He is eternal, has always been and will always be. After having said this, it is then clearly stated in a separate sentence: AND one Lord, Jesus Christ.

This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ. (Jhn 17:3). – Yes, there is only one true and almighty God. Then there is he, our Lord Jesus Christ whom God has sent to redeem us from the power of sin.

”yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom everything came into being and for whom we live. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything came into being and through whom we live”. (1 Cor 8:6). – Even then, in this verse, I find it clear that the Father alone is God manifested by the Bible.

One might well think that one who has all power in heaven and on earth is surely God. The fact that Jesus is given all power both in Heaven and Earth does not necessarily mean that He is God, not to mention Almighty. There are no limits for the Almighty God to fulfill his will. Jesus, on the other hand, does everything according to the will of the Father: Jesus said to them, Truly, truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For what he does, the Son does likewise. (Jhn 5:19). And Jhn 14:10: Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works.

Phl 2:6 who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider it robbery to be equal with God, – Unlike Satan who began to seek the position of the Almighty God.

 

What does the fullness of Godhead mean?

Col 2:9 ”For in Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;” – dwell: κατοικέω  katoikeō; from G2596 and G3611; to house permanently, i.e. reside (literally or figuratively):—dwell(-er), inhabitant(-ter). Col 1:19 For God was pleased to have all of his fullness live in him.

Fullness of godhead or as Eph 3:19 says, God’s fullness is from God the Father, not so that Jesus descending from heaven with divine nature. When it comes to the origin of God’s fullness, fullness cannot originate from the Son of God.

When a person becomes God’s child, he receives the Holy Spirit for himself and the seal of God. One could say that God’s spirit fills him. Efe 1:13 You, too, have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed in him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, Gal 3:26 for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 1 Joh 3:2 Dear friends, we are now God’s children, but what we will be like has not been revealed yet. We know that when Christ is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him as he is.

Fullness: πλήρωμα Plērōma G4238 from G 4137; repletion or completion, i.e. (subjectively) what fills (as contents, supplement, copiousness, multitude), fullness, abundance or (objectively) what is filled (as container, performance, period):—which is put in to fill up, piece that filled up, fulfilling, full.

Eph 4:13 until we all may come to the unity of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

Eph 1:22 God has put everything under his feet and has made him the head of everything for [the good of] the church, 1:23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills everything in every way.

Eph 3:19… you will know the love of Christ, which goes far beyond knowledge, and will be filled with all the fullness of God.

All the fullness of God ‘pas pleroma Theos πλήρωμα τοῦ θεοῦ‘ is also accessible to human, when we come to know the love of Christ, which is above all knowledge. Love is above everything and a prerequisite for God’s fullness. No knowledge, no power but love. God has placed Christ over all the church. The congregation is the body of Christ, showing his fulfillment, his love. Fulfilment is a concept the understanding of which today can be difficult. It contains a loving attitude towards the fellowmen, but it may well include the power of God to perform remarkable deeds. Christ being filled with all the fullness of God did powerful things. Christ assures that we can do even more powerful deeds if we have the power (fullness) of God: Joh 14:12 “Truly, truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father.”

Mat 17:20 And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there! And it will move. And nothing shall be impossible to you.  21:21 Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you be able to do what has been done to the fig tree, but you will also say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.

Jesus showed these words of the apostles, who were to become the rulers of the kingdom of God, working under his direction. Do the above verses apply only to the Apostles or all the sons and daughters of God?

The fullness of God manifests in the miracles of Christ and in his powerful words. Jesus received God’s instructions and approval of the miracles he made, and the deeds were made by God according to Jesus’ own testimony. Joh 8:28 So Jesus told them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority. Instead, I speak only what the Father has taught me. Joh 12:49 For I have not spoken on my own authority. Instead, the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and how to speak. Joh 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words which I speak to you I do not speak from myself, but the Father who abides in me, He does the works.

Having ruled for a thousand years with the Apostles and Saints, the whole world is one with God; ”But when everything has been put under him, then the Son himself will also become subject to the one who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all (1 Cor 15:28). Illness and death no longer exist and God is all in all.

 

 

 

Jesus – the Son Of God or God the Son? This question is hardly presented. Most of us believe that Jesus is God – the church has so claimed for much more than 1000 years. But what should we think about this: Isaiah says Jesus is God’s servant.

Yahweh your God will raise up to you a prophet from the midst of you, of your brothers, like me; to him you shall listen; (Deu 18:15)

Isa 42:1 Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights: I have put my Spirit on him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. – There are two noteworthy things in Isaiah’s verse: Jesus is called a servant and chosen, and not as a divine character from heaven. Secondly, if Jesus were God, he would have had the Holy Spirit without God having to put it on him. In Deu 18:15 is again promised to raise a prophet to the Israelites.

When the Jews were strongly monotheistic, after the Apostles’ time, the weight shifted to Greek philosophies and to the previous pagan religions, to various forms of trinities.

Proverbs 8:22 turns out to be alternating. The old KJV translates this using the verb possess meaning to say that I was ‘God’s own’. Many translations follow the KJV. Verse 24 states: When there were no depths, I was brought forth,

In my view, it is true that Prov 8 is about personalizing wisdom. However, it goes astray when interpreting it is Jesus, the Son of God in question. Personalization is simply the wisdom of God. (The corresponding personalization problem is also in John’s 1st chapter, which I will discuss below).

The old English translation of KJV also uses a feminine form of the third person:

1 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.

3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.

If wisdom was to refer to Jesus why not use a masculine form of him?

This is not the question of the birth or creation of Jesus, but if we remove the creation/birth of Jesus from this wisdom, then thinking about the matter itself, I could say that:

I think it is useless to argue whether Jesus was born or created. Sure, Jesus was born on earth, but when he ascended to heaven he is like all in heaven, a spirit. As to the concept of creation, I can understand this easily, but how does God, who is Spirit around whom flashes of lightning flash and thunder rumbles, give birth? God has given life to (Jesus), For as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself. (Jhn 5:26). If Jesus is to be Almighty God I must ask: is not the Almighty God the kind that has always been and to whom no one has had to give life?

“Immediately I was in the Spirit. Behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting on the throne. And out of the throne go forth lightnings, and voices, and thunders; and seven lamps of fire, burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; (Rev 4:2,5). On the throne is the Father, the eternal and invisible Holy God. Jesus is his only begotten Son (Jhn 3:16), who is ”in the bosom of the Father”. In this verse, Jesus is called ‘his only begotten Son’. In verse Jhn 1:18 (NASB) John goes further and Jesus is called ’the only begotten God’, μονογενής θεός monogenēs theos. Should it read theos: god? The International Std calls Jesus ”The unique God”, yet confessing that: [Other mss. read Son]. It takes courage to call someone God if other manuscripts all him Son! What kind of God is the unique God?

The high priest asked Jesus: But he kept silent and didn’t answer at all. The high priest asked him again, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One? Jesus said, “I am. You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of the sky. (Mar 14:61-62) – Father is this power, on whose throne Jesus is sitting.

God is the Spirit and the Power. God’s creation is beautifully explained in the Bible. God created not only man, but also angels much before man. It would be easy to imagine that Jesus would be God’s creation at the beginning of times, even before the creation of the world, billions of years ago. But how would God the Father give birth to His Son? We humans in our thoughts are looking for a mother for this task, but there is no ‘Mother of Heaven’ except the Catholics who have inaugurated Virgin Mary to this high position and they respect her for the perpetual virgin and the queen of heaven. I have tried to reflect on how Jesus’ personality and value depend on whether he was born whether or created. There is a universally accepted tenet that God cannot be a created being. We know how beautiful and intelligent heavenly angel, cherub, Satan was. Could not “created” Son of God be much more? I find it difficult to understand why Jesus could not have been created by God, God’s first creation before anything else was? This is what I am pondering a little later in the question of Jesus’ pre-existence.

God the Father, Jehovah, is the One God, the source of all life and power, as revealed by the Bible. Jesus Christ is the only Son of God, our Lord and Redeemer.

Moses asked the name of God as follows: Moses said to God, Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you;’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ What should I tell them? God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and he said, you shall tell the children of Israel this: I AM has sent me to you. (Exo 3:13–14)

When Jesus then talked with the Jews, he said to them: Jhn 8:24 That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins. Jesus said to them Jhn 8:58 Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. – The Hebrew Bible used by Jesus’ disciples translated both Exo 3:14 and Jhn 8:58 ”Ego eimi” i.e. “I am”.

Jesus ‘disciples, as well as Jesus’ Jewish listeners, understood that he had used the name of God and claimed to be God. The Jews who did not want to believe in Jesus freaked out after hearing what Jesus said, they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple (Jhn 8:59). The Jews lost their temper because the law of Moses had commanded: He who blasphemes the name of Yahweh, he shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him (Lev 24:16). – This verse (John 8:58) could be translated more comprehensibly as follows: Before Abraham was born – I am the Messiah in God’s plan.

This “ego eimi” translation problem is better resolved in some other verses; When John in chapter 4 tells Jesus that he came to the well of Jacob, Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink of water. Jhn 4:25 The woman said to him, I know that Messiah comes, (he who is called Christ). When he has come, he will declare to us all things. 26 Jesus says to her, I who speak to thee am he.

 

Who testifies that Jesus is the Son of God?

Mat 3:17 Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.

Jhn 10:36 ow can you say to the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

Mat 14:33 Those who were in the boat came and worshiped him, saying, you are truly the Son of God!

Joh. 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that an hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that have heard shall live.

Mat. 26:63 But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, I command you by the living God to tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God! 64 Jesus said to him, You have said it. Nevertheless, I tell you, henceforth you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of the sky.

Jhn 17:3 This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.

Luk 1:35 The angel [Gabriel] answered her, The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God. – God testified that Jesus is His Beloved Son, the angel Gabriel witnessed that he should be called the Son of God, the apostles testified as well as Jesus Himself. No one said that He is God Almighty. It was only 300 years after his death that He was promoted God by the Catholic synod. Even today, about two billion people confess this way. Some scholars claim that some Bible verses prove this. I will return to these when I write about Bible translation problems. What, for example, did Thomas mean by saying, “My Lord and my God!”? (Jhn 20:28)

Jhn 20:17 Jesus said to her, Don’t touch me, for I haven’t yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers, and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’. – Jesus, therefore, has God, the Father Jehovah. He himself recognizes it.

Why is it necessary that the word translation is accurate? It is not at all insignificant whether ’I will ascend to my Father’ or ’I will return to my Father’. Returning would mean that Jesus has been before with the Father and is now returning there. Ascending does not include this kind of pre-existence purpose. Bible translations make it right, but in oral language, you may well hear ’Jesus return’ to heaven.

Rev 3:11 I am coming soon! Hold on to what you have so that no one takes your victor’s crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will go out from there no more. I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and my own new name.

Jhn 17:3 This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ. – Although attempting to interpret, for example, Chapter 1 of the Gospel of John so that Jesus is God, it remains only an attempt. Jhn 17: 3 says even more clearly that the Father God is the only true God and Jesus is the one he sends.

No matter how hard you try to interpret e.g. the Gospel of John chapter 1 so that Jesus is God, it remains only an attempt. Jhn 17:3 says even more clearly that the Father is the only true God and Jesus is the one He sends.

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm.

Eph 1:17: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;

Tit 1:4 to Titus, my true child according to a common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

 

 

Jhn 6:14 When therefore the people saw the sign which Jesus did, they said, “This is truly the prophet who comes into the world.”

Mat 13:57 They were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house. 21:11 And the crowds said, This is Jesus the prophet who is from Nazareth of Galilee.

Luk 24:19 He said to them, What things? They said to him; The things concerning Jesus, the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; – Has God ever acted as a prophet? The angel has indeed acted as a god, in God’s name, and as God’s full representative, but God himself has not appeared as a prophet. Bible prophets are always people who, when they start their prophecy, claim this way: “God’s word came to me, etc.”.

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

Paul wrote to his student Timothy: 1) There is one God 2) There is also one mediator. It is worth noting that the letter to Timothy was written, just like the other NT books, after the ascending of Christ into heaven. The apostles all had received the gift of the Holy Spirit, so the apostle Paul has written everything inspired by God. If Paul had considered Jesus not only as Son of God, but as a one of a triune God, he might have written, perhaps, in this way: “We have one triune God, whose one person Christ acts as a mediator between man and the triune God.”

In the clear words of the Bible, Christ is the one and only mediator between man and God. How could the mediator be God? No way! The Bible tells the mediator to be human. The Catholics also regard the Virgin Mary as a mediator, that we can pray. At no point does the Bible tell Mary ascended to heaven or that she has been appointed a mediator. Catholic Synods do not have this power to appoint a person an intermediary. Jesus’ mother cannot be a mediator because she is dead and buried. Jhn 3:13 No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.

 

What is the relationship of Jesus to angels? Is Jesus Archangel Michael? There are millions of angels in heaven who are called “sons of God” who were created according to a generally accepted interpretation after Jesus. The name Michael means: ’Like God’. In the Bible, Michael’s is called ‘archangel’, which in itself is the correct translation. He is also called ‘great angel prince’. In Greek, the word is arkhé, which according to Diginovum-Lexicon means, ‘first’, ’beginning’, ‘government’. “Arkhé means the beginning in an absolute sense. … relates to the creation of the universe. The beginning is tied to a divine person with no beginning and no end, and because it is one of his names. The value of a concept can be well compared with the meaning of logos; ”the Word was made flesh” in Christ (John 1: 1). However, the most glorious meaning of the word arkhé is when it is part of the divine person’s name. Father and Son proclaim at the end of the Bible together, I am the beginning and the end … (lo, they arkhé kai telos) Rev 21: 6., 22:13)”

Dan chapter 10 tells about Michael:

13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but, behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me: and I remained there with the kings of Persia.  – Here Michael is not called Archangel, but he is one of the chief princes. There are said (in Apocrypha) to be seven chief princes who have the right to approach God in heaven. It seems Michael is one of them.

20 Then he said, Do you know why I have come to you? Now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia. When I go forth, behold, the prince of Greece shall come.

21 However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince. – Prince of Persia and Prince of Javan (Greece) are satanic angel princes.

Here is mentioned a notable thing about Michael; he is said to be your prince. Does the word ’your’ refer to Israel or even to the entire human race? The preceding verse refers to the struggle against the Persian angel prince and the upcoming Grecian angel prince. From these verses, we find that even the angel princes have difficulties in fighting against Satan. When the angel princes of God are confronted with other angelic forces, it tells about the apostasy in heaven. In my mind, however, a great war in heaven has not yet taken place, and Satan with his angels has not yet been cast out of heaven.

Daniel 12:1 At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who stands for the children of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who shall be found written in the book. – Otherwise, the Bible does not speak of Michael before the Second Coming of Jesus, when Jesus is coming with a shout echoing. Everyone does not even associate Michael with Jesus, and the wording of this verse does not necessarily indicate that the Angel’s command would come from Jesus, as Jehovah’s Witnesses believe. Verse 1 and especially verse 2 refer to the Resurrection: 2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

The Hebrew Letter Speaks of Both Jesus and the Angels

Heb 1:3 His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself made purification for our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 having become so much better than the angels, as he has inherited a more excellent name than they have.

When Christ thus became greater than angels, it shows that he was not before his exaltation. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus to be the Archangel Michael, who is one of the first angelic princes (Dan10:13) Let all the house of Israel, therefore, know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified (Act 2:36). – Father of Jesus Christ, therefore, made Jesus Lord and Christ.

Now I want you to realize that Christ is the head of every man, and man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ. (1 Cor 11:3).

After Jesus had provided a cleansing from our sins, he sat on the right side of the Father, and then he became much higher than angels. From this one could conclude that before his redemption sacrifice, Jesus was not much higher than angels. On earth, he was somewhat lower than the angels:

Heb 2:7 You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor. Heb 1:5 For to which of the angels said he ever, you are my Son: this day have I begotten thee? and again, I will be to him for father, and he shall be to me for son?

In verse 5, again the word begotten is used. But let’s note the time given today. This is to say that God brought forth Jesus on that day and acknowledged that he was His own son, not so that Jesus was born at that time. It can also be thought that God gave birth to Jesus in his resurrection as well as people are born again in the resurrection. When Jesus is believed to be born – not created – this is true, at least after his resurrection. Is Jesus therefore born twice? At the beginning of times and “today”, two thousand years ago after his resurrection. Had Jesus been God, father God would not have needed to raise him up higher than the angels. To what rank did God raise Jesus? Jehovah God responds to this by saying to Jesus Heb. 1:8: but of the Son he says, YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER; THE SCEPTER OF UPRIGHTNESS IS THE SCEPTER OF YOUR KINGDOM.

The logical conclusion is that Jesus was not much higher than angels before his elevation and was not divine. It is also clear that Jesus is after being elevated almighty with regard to every creature, but this omnipotence has been given to him by God, not so that Jesus was always almighty. When Jesus is to rule the earth with the saints, he is an indisputable King for a thousand years, after which he having subdued all men under his authority, will give power away back to God. And what is the position of Jesus after that? At least he is the high priest in the order of Melchizedek. The power of Jesus resembles Joseph’s position in Egypt. The Pharaoh made him the ruler of Egypt as a whole, but the pharaoh itself held the supreme power.

 

 

 

• Two lines of interpretation of the Christian faith
• Did Jesus exist before he came to earth?
• Has Jesus gone to earth from heaven
• Is Jesus God, or is Jesus a man?
• Jesus, a man
• Jesus, the only mediator
• Jesus suffered and died to redeem mankind from the slavery of sin
• Atonement requires blood sacrifice
• Why did salvation claim that Jesus had to suffer and die?
• When Christ was perfected…
• The suffering of the chosen people
• Are we children of God?
• We are children of God and brothers of Christ
• God’s plan before the foundation of the world

 

 

A few lines of interpretation of the Christian faith

The working title of this paper was, “Why are 99% of believers wrong?” It is instructive to study the history of faith, from apostolic times to modern ecumenism. That is what I say right from the start that I am not condemning anyone for damnation because of false faith. Jesus also said emphatically, “Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Set free, and you will be set free.” (Luk 6:37). However, the Bible also calls for: “Come out of her, my people, that you have no participation in her sins, and that you don’t receive of her plagues.” The right doctrine must be sought, and the Bible encourages it and says:

“Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.” (Rom 12:2).

However, the lines of faith have long been formed. Peoples’ own beliefs are adhered to, and members of their Church are also bound by accepted doctrine. When I kicked against these commitments, and I wanted to accept nothing but the truth, I noticed how difficult it is; The Bible is the book of thousands of interpretations. Therefore, I have tried to find the ‘anchor words’ or ‘anchor phrases’.

By that, I mean words and phrases that are as clear as possible and free from interpretations. For example, “We have only one God, the Father.” Or Jesus’ saying, “The Father is greater than me.” In such, you can anchor God’s word and interpretations. A good anchor word or phrase will, in difficult cases, determine the interpretation in the direction of the anchor. In the Bible, there are too many figurative expressions and sentences that are difficult to interpret.

In this article, I rely on phrases such as:

1 Cor 8:6 “Yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we live through him.”

This passage in Corinthians is significant in that it takes a stand on four crucial points of faith: First, it assures us that we have only one God. Second, it shows that this God is the Father, Jehovah. Third, it confirms that everything comes from him and that we have been created to be with him. And fourth, besides God the Father, we have his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things are, including us.

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

It sometimes seems that this Bible passage is also written in invisible ink. Either people do not see or see it but do not understand. I’ve never heard a priest quote this Bible verse! Again, this is probably offered as a comment that it refers to Jesus’ second inherent essence on earth and that he is God in heaven. Why, however, Paul writes that the mediator is the man Christ Jesus. And by that time, Jesus had already ascended to heaven. 

If we can believe this anchor statement, we can trust that Jesus was “just” a man on earth and will also be in heaven after he ascended. This does not mean that we cannot believe that God has given Jesus the same power, which he has himself. Jesus has the power of God, but that does not mean that he is God himself as his father is. If this anchor statement is credible, we can reasonably ask, why God the Father needed to give his son all authority? If Jesus was God before he came down to earth, wouldn’t he just have resurrected back to his earlier position in heaven – as God.

I also believe in the Holy Spirit and the fact that these three work together, or ‘are one.’

Joh 14:28 “If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I said ‘I am going to my Father;’ for the Father is greater than I am.”

This statement of Christ positions him with God the Father. Again, somebody brings up the interpretation card and says that Jesus meant himself here as a man to the Almighty God. My counterargument to the above is that the anchor statement proves Jesus was a man. And why not, the Bible says Jesus was and is a man!

The subset of anchor sentences is “blind readers’ sentences.” These are sentences read by readers without realizing their shocking significance. I take an example: Joh 5:26, “For as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself.” This does not mean that Jehovah recognizes Jesus as his son, but that God says he has given Jesus eternal life! The meaning of the phrase is that if we believe this to be true, Jesus did not have immortality before because he was human. By fully following the will of God, the man Jesus received the gift of eternal life from God.

What about the conclusion? If Jesus had been God, it would not have been necessary to give him eternal life! God has it already!

Second conclusion: It was not until two millennia ago that Jesus was born that the Holy spirit of God “overshadowed” a young Jewish girl and made her pregnant. Jesus was mortal until our Lord Jehovah gave him eternal life. The Bible accounts of Jesus being born eternally are figurative stories and predictions of the future.

Jesus has been described as the Word of God. “And the Word was God.” Here I have found a word order error. God was the Word, is the right phrase. CLV translation: In the beginning was the word, and the word was toward God, and God was the word.

What conclusions could the ‘Word was God’ lead to? Its second meaning is: Jesus was the Word, and consequently, Jesus was God. That is certainly what some people are trying to achieve. What I mean is: God created the world in his Word. The Bible states that God created the world alone. Alone.

When I began reading and studying the Bible more than ten years ago, I understood nothing other than what it said on the surface. I started writing these articles in Bibleconcealed.com about five years ago when the Bible, with the help of God’s Holy Spirit, began to open up to me.

Is Christianity’s belief in the God of the Bible unanimous? History tells us about coercion and violence, even the wars of religion and the persecution of non-believers. We will never agree on the doctrines of faith unless we find commonly accepted anchor statements, essential points of faith upon which we can bind our faith. A shared vision of faith is indeed a beautiful idea.

I do not want to be so exigent that I would require unanimity on all matters. About fifteen years ago, I was about to join a smaller denomination. I flunked the interview with the elders. The reason was that I said I understand the families who, at least for the sake of the children, think they can celebrate Christmas with gifts and the time spent with the family. And that was not O.K.

By common faith, I do not want to pursue Catholic ecumenism. God has called in the Bible to leave the false religion of the world, that we should not be partakers of her sins.

 

The doctrine of Christ’s two natures

God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit form a triune deity. According to one version, all three are equal in deity. Others think that God the Father is supreme, and Jesus is after him. While on earth, Jesus was both a full God and a full complete human being. God sent him from heaven to earth to atone for the sins of humankind and thus save humanity.

The fact that Jesus is said to be a full God and a full man means that Jesus was perfect. After all, God cannot be imperfect. It is God’s definition that God has always been and has been perfect.

The doctrine of Christ’s two natures, hypostatic union, describes the union of Christ’s humanity and divinity, was developed in the 300’s and 400’s when it was necessary to justify how God might die. They also had to answer the question of whether Jesus, as God, raised himself from the dead, or, if he was a man, whether God raised him on the third day. The explanation understood by ordinary people was, and is, that Jesus is “God in the human body.” Jesus, as God, did not need God the Father to save himself from the dead.

In Chalcedon AD 451, the definition of Christ was expanded:

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.

The doctrine defined in Chalcedon is thoroughly Catholic. Perhaps its most important feature is the fact that Jesus is at the same time true God and perfectly human. Criticism against this principle is directed against the fact that God cannot die. Later scholars have come up with the most astonishing explanations for how it is possible that God can die.

The Chalcedonian Creed that Jesus is perfect in divinity and the same time perfect in humanity, true God and the perfect human being (doctrine of dual nature of Christ), is against the Philippine letter.

However, the Bible proves that God raised Jesus from the dead: Act 4:10 “be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in him does this man stand here before you whole.”

When Jesus was crucified, did he really die? The question seemed to me to be senseless, but there is a good reason to present it. Namely, if one believes that Jesus was God in heaven and on earth when he was both God and man at the same time.

God cannot die. If you believe this, you cannot believe that God would have died on the cross. This leads to the discovery of an account of the death of Jesus; It is explained that Jesus died “in his human nature,” and only “experiencing” what it is like to die, because the real Jesus / God cannot die.

Rom 4:24 “but for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead. Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” – When Paul tells how God raised Jesus from the dead, he also talks about how God will bring to life also the people in whose bodies the Spirit of God dwells.

The doctrine of Christ’s two natures was defined in its final form by the Chalcedon Ecclesiastical Council in 451. In the 17th century, the doctrine of the Kenosis was added to explain how Jesus, when he came down from the glory of heaven and was born human, gave up the form of God.

Phl 2:6 [Jesus] “who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider it robbery to be equal with God,”

I have examined the divinity of Jesus from the perspective that in order to be Almighty God, Jesus must have existed always. He certainly existed in God’s plans “before the dawn of the ages”, but not as a concrete person, because God the Father has created/conceived him. Almighty God has always been and is immortal. Therefore, the good question is: why is the Father God said to be the only one who is immortal, and secondly, why would he have to give life to Jesus if he has always been the Almighty God? Joh 5:26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted the Son to have life in himself.

According to this doctrine, Jesus was both man and God at the same time. Did he always change his appearance as needed? If a miracle had to be done, even if someone seriously ill was healed, did Jesus do it as a man or as God? And when he preached the doctrines of the kingdom of God, who was he then? Again, Jesus was a man all the time. After all, Jesus himself said that he would not do or say anything of his own accord, but he would do and say what God gave him to do.

Joh 14:10 “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works’ sake.”

Jesus talked about being in God and God living in him. The Holy Spirit of God had already taught Jesus as a little boy. When Jesus began his public ministry at about thirty years of age, God gave his spirit to dwell in his Son, and by the power of this spirit Jesus performed his miracles. Jesus was in constant contact with the Father in prayer.

Joh 5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John, for the works which the Father gave me to accomplish, the very works that I do, testify about me, that the Father has sent me.”

Joh 8:28 Jesus therefore said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me, I say these things.”

Joh 10:37 “If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me. 38 But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

14:12 “Truly, truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father.”

– Jesus spoke of the ability of man to do great works by the power of faith, even to moves mountains (Mat 17:20). It would only take the faith of a mustard seed to do this. What if there is a lot of faith? What deeds could a man do? After the final judgment, when people dwell in God’s paradise in New Jerusalem, they are by no means lying lazy on the edge of the cloud; they are God’s co-workers. 1 Cor 3:9 “For we are God’s co-workers. You are God’s farmland and God’s building.” – The Bible testifies of God working diligently; Joh 5:17 “But Jesus answered them, My Father has been working until now, and I, too, am working.”

 

Did Jesus exist before he came to earth?

No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven. (Joh 3:13).

Prov 8:22 “Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his work, Before his deeds of old.
23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth existed.
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no springs abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled in place, Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there; When he set a circle on the surface of the deep,
28 When he established the clouds above, When the springs of the deep became strong,
29 When he gave to the sea its boundary, That the waters should not violate his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth;
30 Then I was the craftsman (or his nursling, or as one brought up with him) by his side. I was a delight day by day, Always rejoicing before him,
31 Rejoicing in his whole world. My delight was with the sons of men.”

Prov 30:4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if you know?”

 

Has Jesus gone to earth from heaven?

The above Proverbs verses are commonly used to testify of Jesus’ presence in heaven with God. However, they are challenging, figurative expressions that are hard to translate and difficult to interpret. However, there is an account of Jesus in the Bible which appears to be literal: Joh 8:38 “I say the things which I have seen with my Father; and you also do the things which you have seen with your father.” And John adds: Joh 6:62 “Then what if you would see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?”

Does this prove that Jesus said in John 8:38, that he was in heaven with God the Father? John 6:62 is also a message of Jesus Himself.

Jesus said several times that “the Father has sent me.” (Gospel of John: 5:24, 5:30, 5,36, 5:37, 6:38, 6:44, 6:57, 7:16, 7:28, 7:29, 7:33, 8: 16, 8:26, 8:29, 8:42, etc.) These do not directly prove that Jesus was in heaven. The Father has sent his Son from heaven, who may have already been on earth when he received the command from his Father to publicly proclaim the kingdom of God.

What does it mean, and what does it lead to if we make an anchor statement in John 8:38 and 6:62? It means that Jesus was in heaven before he was born on earth. Was he a man or God in heaven? Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus was Archangel Michael before he became the Son of God. This opinion has not received support elsewhere. Would Jesus have been a man in heaven? However, the Bible says that the first man was Adam and not Jesus or heaven. This also does not sound right.

There would be left only the option that Jesus was God, the Son of God, the Father in heaven. Where does this idea lead? Well, because God cannot die, Jesus had to be both God and man on earth. It would mean that the doctrine of Jesus’ two natures I briefly referred to above, would be correct. Could it be possible, that the Bible does not say a word about such central truth, but that people should have come up with this doctrine after many sages as a result of work of several hundred years.

Or was he in heaven just as John was? In the Spirit?

What does the original Greek say? Let’s take a closer look at John 8:38. The word ‘see’ is horaō

1. to see with the ὁράω G3708: eyes   2. to see with the mind, to perceive, know.

You can ‘see’ in ways other than healthy eyes. You can see ’in mind.’ The Greek preposition for ‘παρά’ pará, as in the phrase ‘with the Father’: properly, near; i.e. (with genitive case) from beside (literally or figuratively). – Also, in that sentence, the preposition ‘pará with’ may also be associated with a figurative expression.

—

Eph 4:9 Now this, “He ascended,” what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?”

2 Tim 1:9 He having saved us and having called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace given to us in Christ Jesus before eternal times (or before the times of the ages)

Eph 1:4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without blemish before him in love;

The prevailing notion is that Jesus is part of the Triune God. God, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are the other two. They are all equal in deity according to the Athanasian creed: “In this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is greater, or less than another. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He, therefore, that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity… For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, of the Substance [Essence] of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the Substance [Essence] of his Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.”

It is God’s definition that God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and eternal; that is, God has always existed. He has neither beginning nor end. By this definition, Jesus should have ever existed.

This is the way most Christians believe, perhaps as much as 99 percent. That is, those who generally have even some idea. How does the missing 1 percent believe? How could this small minority be right? That is what I will write about in this article.

 

Is Jesus God, or is Jesus a man?

Yes, the supporters of the prevailing truth answer. In their view, the Bible shows that Jesus has been the word of God from the beginning of the world, at the bosom of God, the heavenly Father. Jehovah instructed his son in heaven to come to earth to save humanity and redeem its debt of sin by sacrificing his own life and blood.

Jesus died on the cross and thus redeemed the debt of all mankind with his blood, so that everyone who believes in him will be saved. Jesus was a perfect man on earth and a perfect God. The doctrine was developed over several centuries and finalized by the Catholic Council of Chalcedon in 451. The Protestant churches have also preserved this doctrine. Why did it take to shape the doctrine several centuries? Well, of course, because there is nothing in the Bible about such doctrine.

 

Jesus – a man

Important knowledge about Jesus as a human being

Jesus is a man, but his father is God, Jehovah, who by the Holy spirit, conceived the Virgin Mary. Jesus had a constant relationship with His Father in heaven from a very young age. He was wise and received instructions from God when he began preaching the Kingdom of God in his thirties. Jesus said that everything came from God, not his invention.

God gave Jesus eternal life (Joh 5:26)

“For as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself.” –  By definition, God has always had eternal life, and you cannot give it to God.

God gave him all power in heaven and on earth                          

Mat 28:18 “Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.”

Again, in this writing, I study the Bible based on the essence of Jesus, God, or man or both? God gave Jesus eternal life. God gave Jesus all power. Gave! When it is claimed that Jesus was God in heaven before he came to earth, let us think of Jesus returning to heaven; would he not have returned to heaven as a God which he had been before? I guess it seems logical. Then, God the Father would not have a) needed to give Jesus eternal life, because God already has it, and b) not had to have all power; God has it too.

Jesus has not yet exercised all the power given to him. This is what he does when he comes to earth a second time and establishes the Millennial kingdom. Jesus Christ is King of the whole world and reigns with the Saints for a thousand years. Then there is the second resurrection, the resurrection of judgment. When judgments are given, there are only faithful servants of God left on the earth. Then Jesus gives power back to God.

 

Jesus, the only mediator between God and man

The Man Jesus is the only mediator between man and God. 1 Tim 2: 5 says that “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” – The Catholic Church has, by its own decision, promoted as the mediator Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary is perhaps more important to the Catholics than Jesus. Jesus’ position is based on the Word of the Bible, Mary’s place on the decision of the Catholic Church. Which weighs more? The author of this epistle, Paul, “met” Christ after his ascension to heaven; Paul was a fierce persecutor of Christians and was turned by Christ on the way to Damascus. When Paul writes that the man Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and men, Paul has been fully aware of Christ’s ascension to heaven.

Paul testifies that Jesus is the mediator between God and men in heaven. And above all, Paul claims; this mediator Jesus is man. Jesus suffered and died to redeem humanity from the slavery of sin.

 

Jesus suffered and died to redeem mankind from the slavery of sin

Why is it important that Jesus was a human?

Heb 2:17 says: “Therefore he was obligated in all things to be made like his brothers, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.” When man Adam fell into sin, another but perfect man (Jesus) had to atone for this fall.

When man (Adam) fell into sin, another but perfect man (Jesus) had to atone for this fall. This is proved by 1 Cor 15:21: “For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man.” 

Heb 5:8 though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered.

Heb 5:9 “Having been made perfect, he became to all of those who obey him the author of eternal salvation,”

“Having been made perfect.” Believers in the divinity of Jesus try to prove that Jesus was perfect all the time; he was a perfect God in heaven and a perfect man on earth. Heb 5: 9, however, says that “having been made perfect, he became to all of those who obey him the author of eternal salvation.” The previous verse further states that “though being a Son, he learned obedience from what He suffered.” Jesus indeed lived a sinless life. Something was still missing to be perfect. He had to suffer and learn from suffering. Jesus Christ knew this, but he also knew that after suffering, he would be glorified immeasurably: 1 Pet 1:11 “searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, pointed to, when he predicted the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that would follow them.”

Act 17:3 “explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”

1 Piet 2:19 “For this is a grace, if because of conscience toward God anyone bears grief, suffering unjustly.”

20 “For what glory is it if you patiently endure while sinning and being buffeted? But if you are suffering while doing good, and patiently endure, this is a grace from God.”

21 “For you were called to this, for even Christ suffered on our behalf, leaving behind an example for us, that you should follow His steps;”

1 Pet 3:18 “Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;”

4:1 “Therefore, Christ having suffered for us in the flesh, also you arm yourselves with the same thought, that he suffering in the flesh has been made to rest from sin.”

Prophecies of Jesus:

Each of us has sinned and thus violated God’s law. Jesus, however, was sinless and fulfilled all the requirements of the law while living. He was, therefore, free from the judgment of the law. To atone for the sins of humankind, Jesus himself had to be human. Jesus was able to offer God the perfect sacrifice to free all humanity from the wages of sin, from death. Jesus was able to offer God the ideal sacrifice to free all humanity from the wages of sin, from death.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to flesh, but according to Spirit.” (Rom 8:1).

At the time of Jesus’ death, the veil of the temple at Jerusalem was torn from top to bottom; Mat 27:50 “ Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. 51 Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.” – The wall of sin that separates the holy God and the sinful man is now gone.

Heb 10:19 “Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 which He consecrated for us, a new and living way through the veil; that is, His flesh.” – The curtain in the most sacred part of the temple, was accessible only to the high priest once a year. It was now replaced by the body of Jesus Christ and his blood.

1 Cor 15:20 “But now Christ has been raised from the dead; He became the firstfruit of those having fallen asleep.
21 For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man.
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s, at his coming.”

Joh 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day.
45 It has been written in the Prophets, They “shall” all “be taught of God.” So then everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me; ”

Not that everyone comes to Christ, but everyone who has heard and learned from the Father.

46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God. He has seen the Father. 47 Most assuredly, I tell you, he who believes in me has eternal life.

Verse 46 brings comments like that, because no ordinary person is from God and Jesus is God’s only begotten Son, and he says he has seen God, Jesus must be God. Did Jesus have to be in heaven to see God? This is, of course, the first option that comes to mind. It is also possible that Jesus has seen God in the spirit. The dialogue between Jesus and God may have included God’s appearing to His Son. Nothing in the Bible confirms this, so it is purely speculation on my part.

Many do not believe in any testimony that Jesus is God and has atoned for the sins of the world. Jesus has atoned for the sins of the world; it is true. However, Jesus was a man when he was crucified. When Jesus rose from the dead raised by God, he did it as a human being but in the spirit body. In such a body, other people will be resurrected for the final judgment. Participants in the first resurrection do not rise to judgment but are rulers and priests with Christ.

Christ ascended to heaven as a human being and is also a human being in heaven, the only Mediator between God and men. Thus the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2: 5. Why wouldn’t Jesus Christ be God? Doesn’t the Bible say that Jesus is God? Does not say! He is the Son of God, to whom God gave eternal life and all power in heaven and on earth. Yes, we could say for good reason about Christ that he has divine power, the same power as the Father.

Was Jesus a man or God when redeeming the human debt of humankind? Some say he had to be God to do this job. Others say that he had to be an utterly sinless man to save mankind from the sin that the first people committed. What does the Bible say?

Already 700 years ago, the prophet Isaiah said, prophesying:

Isa 53:3 “He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we didn’t respect him.
4 Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; everyone has turned to his own way; and Jehovah has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Isaiah said Jesus was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: With the death of Jesus, the curse of the law ceased to be valid: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Rom 8:1).

The Lord God laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 

Atonement requires blood sacrifice

In the Old Testament times, God allowed people to have their sins forgiven: Once a year, the High Priest went to the tabernacle, which is called the Holiest of all, to offer a carefully chosen, perfect animal sacrifice, the blood of which atoned for the people of Israel. Through the pure blood of the sacrifice, the debt of sin was paid. It was not about the blood itself; Leviticus 17:11 explains why blood was essential in the Atonement: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life. 12 Therefore I have said to the children of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who lives as a foreigner among you eat blood.” – The following verse commands to bleed on the ground the blood of the animal slaughtered. When food regulations were relaxed in Jesus’ time, this prohibition continued.

Hebrews 9:22 also says “According to the law, nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission.” – Jesus Christ sacrificed his blood, or his life, for the permanent redemption of mankind. There is no need to renew that sacrifice because the victim was perfectly pure and sinless.

Joh 3:16 “ For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
17 For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.
18 He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.”

 

Why did salvation claim that Jesus had to suffer and die?

According to God’s law “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23) Couldn’t God just cancel the death sentence on humanity, especially when His Son Jesus Christ came to earth and formed the New Covenant? What does this Bible verse really mean? We all die, even the righteous. Here ‘death’ probably means “the second death.” What about sin, what kind of sin is meant? All sins are forgiven if you repent and ask for forgiveness. The small sins that everyone has committed are probably not those cause the “second death.” Couldn’t God just forgive sins? God told Adam that the punishment for eating from the forbidden tree was that “the day you eat of it, you will surely die.” (Gen 2:17)

God expelled Adam and Eve from Paradise. God’s punishment of death passed on to their posterity and, slowly the humanity began to die. That was the meaning of the phrase in the Romans, “The wages of sin is death.” However, the sentence goes on: “but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.””

Although sinful people deserve the death penalty, God showed them mercy: Eph 1:7 “in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”

Jesus was the Son of God, but he (Phl 2:7) “emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.” Mat 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls.”

Isaiah sees Jesus coming his the prophecy: Isa 53:2 “For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he has no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” – Our image of Jesus is primarily made up of Jesus, depicted on altars and other works of art. They present Jesus as a tall, long-haired Caucasian character. Isaiah’s picture is different. Jesus was like any man of that time. Paul also thinks a man shouldn’t be long-haired unless he has made a Nazarite promise.

 

When Christ was perfected…

Heb 2:10 “For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many children to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

Heb 5:7 “ He, in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear,
8 though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered,
9 Having been made perfect, he became to all of those who obey him the author of eternal salvation,
10 named by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.”

“When Christ was perfected.” The great churches are trying to prove that Jesus was perfect all the time. He was the perfect God in heaven and perfect man on earth. Heb 5:9, however, says that” and having been made perfect, he did become to all those obeying him a cause of salvation age-during.

What is obedience? ὑπακοή hypakoḗ,  from G5219; attentive hearkening, i.e. (by implication) compliance or submission:—obedience, (make) obedient, obey(-ing).

Christ was a perfect man in the sense that he was totally sinless. Why does the Bible say that “when he was perfected”? What was missing from ideal perfection? He still had to learn obedience. This he achieved through his suffering. So he became, as the Hebrews says: 2:10 in bringing many children to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. KJV: to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Author, captain: ἀρχηγός archēgos; the chief leader, prince.

Heb 2:17 “ Therefore he was obligated in all things to be made like his brothers, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.”

Heb 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest not being able to sympathize with our weaknesses but One having been tried in all respects according to our likeness, apart from sin.”

Jesus learned obedience because he a human being had a mind of his own, or the sin in the flesh, and he was tempted. He learned to deny himself, to “take up his cross,” and to take it to the death. He became perfect through learning obedience and suffering.

Mat 27:46 “About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Not only did he die a physical death, but he felt the despair, the doubt that God had abandoned him when he hung on the cross.”

When Jesus died on the cross, he cried out, “It is finished!” the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Tearing the temple veil is an allegory that God no longer needed animal sacrifices. Christ Jesus had forever offered sufficient sacrifice for all sinners. Jesus had defeated Satan, who used to be the Lord of death. God raised Jesus from the dead after three days and three nights.

During the OT, the high priest sacrificed an animal once a year for the forgiveness of the people’s sins. Christ gave his innocent blood as a sacrifice, and no animal sacrifice is needed anymore. That redemption offering is valid all the time, every day.

The purpose of Jesus was the atonement of all human sins. He gave his disciples a mission command to receive more disciples to follow him. “He said to all, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross,] and follow me.” (Luk 9:23). Following Jesus’ example, we can become partakers of Christ’s body’. 1 Cor 12:12 “For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.”

1 Pet 4:1-2 “Forasmuch then as Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind; for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin; 2 that you no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”

Gal 5:24 “Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit. Rom 8:13 For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Heb 2:10 “For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many [God’s] children to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

 

The suffering of the chosen people

The chosen ones: 1 Kor 11:32 “But when we are judged, we are punished by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” – This is a translation failure: “When we are judged,”

κρίνω krínō (G2919):

1. to separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, choose

A better translation could be: “When we are chosen (κρίνω), God chastens (παιδεύω) us, that we may not be condemned with the world.”

παιδεύω paideúō, from G3816; to train up a child, i.e. educate, or (by implication), discipline (by punishment):—chasten(-ise), instruct, learn, teach.

Why should people suffer too? Is it not enough for Christ to suffer and die for us? Rom 8:17 “And if children, also heirs; truly heirs of God, and joint-heirs of Christ, if indeed we suffer together, that we may also be glorified together.” 1 Pet. 4:13 “But because you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory also you may rejoice with exceeding joy.” Phl 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

– Thus wrote the apostles, most of whom suffered death similar to that of Christ. After them, believers were persecuted and killed, and according to the Bible, this will happen in the future. However, the followers of Jesus experience God’s discipline, in particular, not persecution. God chastens his own away from sin, 1 Cor 11:32 … that we may not be condemned with the world.

– ’With the world’ means the last resurrection, when the whole world will be judged. Those who have not been guided away from sin through God’s discipline may be lost. Those whom God has loved and whom he had already chosen when he was planning the creation of the world, he has also disciplined, thus ensuring that they are also worthy of the first resurrection and reign with Christ.

Jesus was also believed to be king of Israel, although he gave no reason to think he had such aspirations (John 1:49). The apostles sustained such hopes for a secular king who would drive away the Roman conquerors. After Christ’s resurrection, near His ascension, Jesus urged them to wait in Jerusalem. Act 1:4 “Being assembled together with them, he charged them, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. 1:6 “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?” – “The kingdom to Israel,” said the disciples to him. Did they still not realize that the kingdom of God belonged to all nations?

 

Are we children of God?

Joh 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name.”

Gal 3:26 “For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus.”
Gal 4:6 “And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father!”

1 Joh 3:1 “Behold, how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him.”

Believers are God’s children, whom Christ calls his brothers. Heb 2:11 “For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers [and sisters].”

As children of God and as brothers of Christ, people by faith await a great future in God’s paradise as God’s co-workers. What kinds of tasks God gives remains to be seen. However, human beings have enormous powers at their disposal, as Christ demonstrated when he told about the power of faith. Mat 17:20 He said to them, “Because of your unbelief. For most assuredly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. And also Luk 17:6 The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

 

We are children of God … and brothers of Christ

Many Bible verses testify that all believers are children of God. Jesus, too, is a child of God, even though he was born as a son of God, after “the power of the Highest had overshadowed” Virgin Mary. Many verses also testify that Jesus also calls believers as his brothers and sisters.

Luk 20:35 “but those accounted worthy to obtain that age, and the rising again that is out of the dead, neither marry, nor are they given in marriage. 36 For they can’t die any more, for they are like the angels, and are children of God, being children of the resurrection.”

Joh 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them he [Christ] gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name.”

1 Joh 3:1 “Behold, how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.”

Rom “8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.
15 For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba!”
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;
17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us.
19 For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.”

 

… and brothers of Christ.

Believers are God’s children, whom Christ calls his brothers. Heb 2:11 “For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers. Mat 12:50 confirms the same: ”For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

We become brothers of Jesus in the resurrection, and we share in the divine nature! 

2 Piet 1:2-4 “Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 seeing that his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and virtue; 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

As children of God and as brothers of Christ, people by faith await a great future in God’s paradise as God’s co-workers. What kind of work God will give his co-workers remains to be seen. However, human beings have enormous powers at their disposal, as Christ demonstrated when he told about the power of faith. Mat 17:20 And he said unto them, “He said to them, “Because of your unbelief. For most assuredly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” Also Luk 17:6 The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

By his death, he reconciled those who believe in him and God. By overcoming sin, Jesus defeated death. Satan is no longer the master of death. Through his life and death, he gave us the opportunity for eternal life. He who follows him, he is not ashamed to call his brother!

Did God fail in human creation? Man was not perfect in a sustainable way because Satan could easily destroy the relationship between God and man? What if God had wiped out evil or Satan as soon as his wickedness was revealed? Why has God allowed the time pass without eradicating evil? What was needed was a sacrifice that only the Son of God was adequate. People also must suffer and learn to obey. The first to benefit from the sacrifice of Jesus are those elected of the first resurrection. What is the fate of other people, those who have sinned? Is the solution God’s purifying fire treatment. Or annihilation for the great sinners?

Eternity of God: I imagine eternal time as a circle with no beginning and no end. God is moving back and forth in it. Otherwise, I find it difficult to understand eternity.

 

God’s plan before the foundation of the world

Modern science estimates the world to be about 14 billion years old. According to the Bible, God alone created everything according to His plan. Because God is omniscient, it means that God knew beforehand what was going to happen in creation. He decided that his son should save mankind and lead his Millennial kingdom on earth with his helpers. The ‘saints’ had been pre-selected by God.

Micah 5: 2 already told in the Old Testament about the coming and birth of his own son in Bethlehem: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Being small among the clans of Judah, Out of you one will come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” – God saw his son as the King of the world to come and of the Millennial kingdom, the Lord of the whole world. Therefore, it is right to say that the glory of Jesus was in the Father’s mind and plans even before the foundation of the world. That’s what John says 17:5 “Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed.” CLV: And now glorify Thou Me, Father, with Thyself, with the glory which I had before the world is with Thee.”

Paul writes:

Eph 1:4 “even as he [God] chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we [Paul and believers in Ephesus] would be holy and without blemish before him in love;”

The Bible verses written by Paul above show that before the foundation of the world, God had chosen Paul and the believing saints in Ephesus. It is clear from the letter to Timothy that God has saved and called by holy calling according to His grace, “which was given unto us in Christ before eternal time’.”

“Before the foundation of the world” and “before the eternal times” are the same sayings used about Jesus Christ and which testify that Jesus Christ was with God before the foundation of the world. We all understand that Paul and the believers in Ephesus did not exist before the foundation of the world. They were, just as the Son of God, Jesus Christ, existed in God’s mind and plan even before God had created the world.

Joh 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world.” CLV: Father, those whom Thou hast given Me, I will that, where I am, they also may be with Me, that they may be beholding My glory which Thou has given Me, for Thou lovest Me before the disruption of the world.”

Rom 8:29 “For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers; 30 whom he predestined, those he also called. Whom he called, those he also justified. Whom he justified, those he also glorified.”

Eph 5:27 “that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

Col 1:22 “yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and blameless before him.”

2 Tes 2:13 “But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth;”

2 Tim 1:9 YLT: “who [God] did save us, and did call with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, that was given to us in Christ Jesus, before the times of the ages,” (or before eternal times). CLV: Who saves us and calls us with a holy calling, not in accord with our acts, but in accord with His own purpose and the grace which is given to us in Christ Jesus before times eonian,

Rom 8:30 “Whom he predestined, those he also called. Whom he called, those he also justified. Whom he justified, those he also glorified. CLV: Now whom He designates beforehand, these He calls also, and whom He calls, these He justifies also; now whom He justifies, these He glorifies also.”

1 Cor 2:7 “ But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom that has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds for our glory.” (or before the ages) CLV: but we are speaking God’s wisdom in a secret, wisdom which has been concealed, which God designates before the eons, for our glory,

This is the manifestation of God’s preconceived plan that God made before the times of the world and concealed it until the coming of Jesus.

The Bible speaks of preconception (preordination) concerning the time before the foundation of the world. Christ is said to have been glorified with God even before the world existed. Glory means Jesus questioning the royal majesty of the Messiah, which God is said to have given to Christ. John 17: 5, though, says that Christ said he already had glory with God before the world was.

This majestic glory does not fit well with the description of the translations, when Jesus, as a little child, was playing with God in heaven. Prov 8:30 “Then I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence,” Another translation option is God’s master workman. You will probably notice the translation difficulties we encounter in old texts.

First, you should know how to distinguish a figurative expression from a literal one. I think these are, to a great extent, figurative expressions – Jesus saying: “ And how happy I was with the world he created; how I rejoiced with the human family!” CLV: Prov 8:30-31 Then I was beside Him as His foster child, And I was filled with bliss day by day, Gamboling before Him all the time, Gamboling in the habitance of His earth, And my bliss was in the sons of humanity.”

Strong’s also adds to the definition of the state of the future of the people, the glory that believers will attain at the Second Coming of Christ. Dan 12:3 Those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the expanse; and those who turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. Matthew, in turn, describes it as follows: 13:43 Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

1 Peter:
1:20 “who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of times for your sake, 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God. CLV: foreknown, indeed, before the disruption of the world, yet manifested in the last times because of you, who through Him are believing in God,”

John:
17:5 “Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed.” CLV: And now glorify Thou Me, Father, with Thyself, with the glory which I had before the world is with Thee.”

Jesus says he had glory; a thing belonging to Christ, According to Strong’s:

1. the kingly majesty of the Messiah
2. the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of Christ; the majesty

a most glorious condition, most exalted state

1. of that condition with God the Father in heaven to which Christ was raised after he had achieved his work on earth
2. the glorious condition of blessedness into which is appointed and promised that true Christians shall enter after their Saviour’s return from heaven

 

 

 

Act 5:31 God has exalted to his right hand this very man as our Leader and Savior in order to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

Phl 2:9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;

Heb 5:5 So also Christ didn’t glorify himself to be made a high priest, but it was he who said to him, You are my Son. Today I have become your father. 6 As he also says in another place, You [Jesus] are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Eph 1:20 which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. 22 He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly. Heb 1:3 He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact likeness of his being, and he holds everything together by his powerful word. After he had provided a cleansing from sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Highest Majesty.

When was Jesus exalted? It is answered in the Hebrew letter when the Bible says, “When he had made the purification of the sins” i.e. after being crucified and having redeemed people from the slavery of sin, Christ was exalted much higher than the angels and after sitting on the throne of God on his right hand.

Heb 1:4 having become so much better than the angels, as he has inherited a more excellent name than they have.

If, therefore, Jesus had been in heaven before coming to earth to perform God’s task, he did not outrank angels. Hebrews explicitly says “having become” (not being) angels so much higher …

The Bible clearly states that God raised Jesus above all in heaven and the earth. To what position did God exalt Jesus? General interpretation is that God Jehovah responds by saying this to Jesus Heb. 1:8:

1:8 but of the Son, Thy :throne, O :God, is unto the age of the age;
And the scepter of uprightness is scepter of his kingdom.
9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated lawlessness;
Therefore :God, thy :God, hath anointed thee
With oil of gladness above thy :fellows. (NENT)

Does God the Father call Jesus God as part of a triune God? Is the Father exalting Jesus above all creation at the same time exalting the Son to God?

Verse Heb 1: 8 is derived from Psalm 45:7-8 which is a Hebrew marital song, but generally interpreted as messianic. Another interpretation of the phrase is that “Thy Throne of God,” i.e. “Your Divine Throne”; – This should not be interpreted vocatively so that the words would have been addressed directly to Christ, i.e. the throne of the Messiah for everlasting ages is God himself, so that where he reigns, there God himself is virtually ever-present. The verse would mean, that the crown of the Messiah forever is God himself, where he rules, there God is practically always present. (Meyer’s NT Commentary)

 

Was Jesus exalted to God?

… there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. (1 Cor 8:6)

Jesus answered, the first commandment of all is, Hear, Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord; (Mar 12:29)

Jesus confirms the Jewish thousands of years old pillar of Jewish faith: God is one. Not the slightest reference to Jesus’ own deity or three divine members of the Godhead. In Corinthians, Apostle Paul confirms the words of Jesus: God the Father is our only God, but we have one Lord Jesus Christ.

Jhn 5:27 He also gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man. – Jesus Christ has received not only the eternal life from God but also the absolute right to judge.

As we study Jesus’ exaltation, we must take a stand on the pre-existence of Jesus. It also determines the relationship with Jesus’ new position. There are two options:

A: Jesus has been in heaven from the beginning of time, i.e. he has pre-existed.

If we believe this, it means that God has created Jesus as his Son in heaven already at the beginning of time. He was rather a high-ranking angel than a modest “management trainee”. In other words, the question was sending the Son of God from heaven to redeem mankind. Jesus performed his mission and after resurrection ascended to heaven and the Father exalted him. He is now GOD.

Why is it not possible that Jesus was God when he was in heaven? For the simple reason that God cannot be exalted. Jesus must have been in a lower position than God that he has been able to be elevated. The Bible does not even say that he was human, so Jesus must have been an angel because there are no humans in heaven, anyway the Bible does not tell.

Jesus did not originally have eternal life because the Bible tells us that he had received it from the Father: “For just as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself” (Jhn 5:26); – God has always had eternal life and it can not be given to him.

B. Jesus has not been in heaven i.e. he has no pre-existence.

The Holy Spirit of God made Virgin Mary pregnant and Jesus was born of the virgin Mary as a “normal” human, but God recognized him as his own Son. After completing the mission of God to him, he rose from the dead and ascended heaven. God gave him all the power in heaven and on earth.

There are no contradictions in the course of this version, but open questions remain. Did the Father appoint him to God or just Lord? The Bible does not speak about Trinity, but of each of the three persons separately. Jesus will return to earth and rule, together with the saints, the millennial kingdom. After the final judgment, Jesus relinquishes all power back to God, but from then on he acts forever as High Priest.

The title is “Was Jesus Raised to God”. On the basis of some Bible verse, this could be answered in the affirmative. Or is he just a Lesser god? If Jesus sits on the throne of God and has all the power of God, cannot it be inferred that he is also God? On the other hand, Jesus has received power from Father and will hand it away in a thousand years. Would God give away his power? The logical conclusion is that Jesus was not above the angels before the elevation, and in no way God. It is also clear that Jesus is omnipotent with regard to all creatures, but this omnipotence has been given to him by God. This means that Jesus has not always been omnipotent. When Jesus is to rule the earth with the saints, he is an indisputable King for a thousand years and when Jesus has submitted all nations under his power, he will surrender the power back to God. And what is the position of Jesus after that? He is the High Priest (after the Order of Melchizedek).

Jesus was on earth a man who lived a completely sinless life. He had the opportunity to fulfill God’s task assigned to him – to free mankind from the power of sin and death. Apostle Paul proves his humanity by saying 1 Tim 2:5,  For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus –

The Catholic Church has raised the Virgin Mary to the position of a second mediator to whom the Catholics pray, believing that she is in heaven to intermediate human prayers to God. Mary, however, is in the grave waiting for her turn to resurrect.

Jhn 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. – The sons of God (angels) are millions in heaven, but only Jesus is called the only Son of God. This happened for the first time when John had baptized Jesus in Jordan.

 

You have loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows. (Heb 1:9)

Out of verse 9, it is found that God the Father, God of Jesus, has anointed Jesus with the oil of gladness. If God calls Jesus GOD, He immediately announces that he is the God of Jesus. Jesus, therefore, Jesus is not equal in the divinity with the Father.

Heb 8:1 Now in the things which we are saying, the main point is this. We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 12:2 looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. – The throne is the throne of God.

Finally, God the Father says: Your God has anointed you .. not your companions (or fellows, KJV In other words, Jesus had loved justice more than his companions did and hated injustice. If Jesus were the Almighty God, the Father could not have referred to the companions of Jesus. GOD HAS NO FELLOWS! Further: If Jesus was already a God, how could God (i.e. Jesus) have had God?

Would God have sent his angel to earth to redeem the people from the original sin brought about by Adam and Eve? Jesus was born as a man and a man rose from the dead to the heavens. There he is currently human, albeit in the spirit body, like all those in heaven. Will he come back as an angel or as a human being? The answer is clear; people will live on earth and the man Jesus Christ is their king. This is why I do not believe Jesus ever was an angel – if He at all was in all in heaven pre-existent with God before the dawn of time.

 

John Chapter 1 is easy to interpret and answer the question – Is Jesus the Word Of God – in the affirmative. Verse 1 says: … and the Word was God.

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 through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.

14 The Word became flesh and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

The above verses have traditionally been interpreted to read in this way:

At first, there was Jesus (or Son) and Jesus was with God and Jesus was God. But it only reads: The word was in the beginning. The uppercase letter in the ’word’ is not included in the initial interpretation which is due to the desire to see that John confirms that Jesus is God and was already at the beginning with the Father as God and as a pre-existent creator.

The creation of the world occurred by God’s Word. In another verse, God asks rhetorically “who was with me” and the prophet Isaiah clarifies that God alone created the world. In fact, I adopted the interpretation that Jesus became the Word of God based on his work on earth concerning proclamation of the Kingdom of God.

In fact, Jesus has many titles. One of them is the Word of God which is manifested in the Revelation where Jesus, with his divine forces, is about to punish the sinful world:

Rev 19:11 I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war.
12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself.
13 He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called ”The Word of God”.
14 The armies which are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in white, pure, fine linen.
15 Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.
16 He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

If we think about the future, Jesus Christ is the High Priest of God, who has and will have a throne on God’s right hand.

Read more about this topic in chapter 2.

Pre-existence answers to the question; was Jesus already in heaven before his birth into a human being through the influence of the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel of John:
1:1 In the beginning, the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life brought light to humanity.

These verses have perhaps been considered as the sure proof of Jesus ‘pre-existence (He was in the beginning with God, the Word of God), as well as of Jesus’ essential part in the creation of the world (Through him all things were made, and apart from him nothing was made that has been made). Here we come to the big problem: Is the Bible translated correctly?

According to the traditional Bible interpretation, Jesus has existed from the beginning of time in heaven with God. Jesus is also believed to have participated in creating the heavenly powers (angels) together with the Father. According to the Trinity theory, Jesus is just as omnipotent as God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

I repeat the question: are the verses of the Bible that justify this doctrine correctly translated and correctly understood?

Another form of understanding, which I specifically endeavor to clarify, claims that instead of Jesus being pre-existent in heaven with God, he was born two thousand years ago as a human baby of virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, proclaimed “repent and believe the gospel”. Only after his death, he ascended to heaven and God raised him above all creatures. However, he “existed” in God’s mind and became God’s Word in accordance with God’s plan. This was what God had foreknown and pre-ordained before the creation of the world.

An answer to the pre-existence problem can also be found by reading what the Bible tells about the creation of the world; if God the Father turns out to be the sole creator of the world, then it is necessary to interpret in another way the verses that make the impression that Jesus was also involved in the creation.

Who were the companions or fellows, instead of whom Jesus was anointed with oil of gladness? When God anointed Jesus but not his angel friends, it also shows that Jesus has a pre-existence in heaven. So, provided that the comrades of Jesus were angels. Those who deny the pre-existence of Jesus still believe that Jesus would be born on earth not until after being conceived by the Holy Spirit to virgin Mary. They also think that Jesus’ companions or comrades are humans, not celestial beings. Against this opinion, one could say: all people were sinful and very far from Jesus, who was a completely sinless man. Among the angelic servants of God, there were lots of sinless angels e.g. some angel princes. According to one interpretation, Jesus was the first of these, but the difference was not so great before the exaltation of Jesus. Jesus was the commander of the Heavenly Armies as an archangel (archangel Michael as Jehovah’s Witnesses believe). – My opinion is that Jesus’ companions were humans of his time. They were Jews, but no one else was sinless!

The following Bible verse is also worth keeping in mind when interpreting the question of fellows: Heb 1:5 For to which of the angels [meaning that no one, not even the archangel] did he say at any time, “You are my Son, today I have become your father?” and again, “I will be a Father to him and He shall be a Son to me”? – But if we do not accept the pre-existence of Jesus in heaven, we will have to re-write or at least re-interpret a number of Biblical verses.

 

Traditional Interpretation of Pre-existence

For example, the following verses show, according to the traditional interpretation, that Jesus had been with the Father in Heaven from the very beginning:

Jhn 3:13 No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.

17 For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.

6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

41 The Jews, therefore, murmured concerning him, because he said, I am the bread which came down out of heaven.

57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he who feeds on me, he will also live because of me.

10:36 … whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, …

Jhn 17:5 Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed.

24 Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world.

1 Cor 10:1 Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 4: and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. – If the rock was spiritual, then Christ must also be spiritual. Not the real thing.

Col 1:16 For by [or in] him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether they are kings, lords, rulers, or powers. All things have been created through him and for him.
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist

1 Pet 1:20 He himself existed before all things, and by [or in] him all things hold together.

Mic 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, Out of you one will come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.

Heb 1:2 – has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.

Rev 3:14 and to the angel of the assembly in Laodicea write: These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:

How should these verses of the New Testament be interpreted? Many believe that the truth is just what is said in these verses. However, in these writings, I try to bring another alternative interpretation.

The Old Testament Proverbs tell about the birth/creation/ possessing of / being set up etc. of Jesus. Whatever form it is, it is essential that Jesus existed before the dawn of time, from eternity. The father has no beginning, the Son has (Mic 5:2).

For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers (Heb 2:11). Some people think it is a bad mistake to say God created Jesus, but who can explain what the difference is, and what kind of difference is between creation and being brought forth. Perhaps God created Jesus from himself? At the beginning of time, there was no other heavenly being but God, there was, in fact, nothing. All this reflection is based on the notion that Jesus has existed in heaven from the beginning of times.

God has made by his word (logos) the whole world and all living creatures. Jesus Christ has been (from the very beginning) the word of God (John 1:14) OR another interpretation: Jesus has become the word of God when he is born upon earth.

 

 

• Foreword: What is the purpose of my writing?
• About the deity and humanity of Jesus
• The Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary
• Figurative expressions and literal expressions
• Questions to consider
• God’s advance plan
• God’s foreseeing and selection 
• The heavenly position of Jesus
• Jesus is still human in heaven
• The future role of Jesus is the High Priest
• The resurrection of the dead
• God’s purpose

 

Foreword: What is the purpose of my writing?

Has Jesus always been with the Father in heaven? Many mainstream denominations believe this and base their faith on Bible verses. Are they right?

Some years ago, I wrote short articles about Jesus and his possible pre-existence, that is, whether Jesus was in heaven with God before he was born the son of Mary and Joseph.

 This is what the mainstream churches of Christianity believe. Interpretations by Catholic churches have become commonplace throughout Christianity. There are only a few small denominations that are not even counted as Christians by mainstream churches. Apart from being with the Father in heaven before the creation of the world, the Catholic Church developed faith in the Triune God and the doctrine of the two natures of Jesus. These are all intertwined, and doctrine cannot be piled up without all being believed to be true. The doctrine has remained essentially unchanged, but the Catholic Church has lost its monopolistic status, and the Christian Church has fragmented.

Indeed, I have often had to ask God why you have not taken care of the writers of your word so that their writings in the Bible would not be so open to interpretation. That’s what the fragmentation of the Christian faith is due to; The expression of the Bible is not unambiguous but requires interpretation. And people, even learned scholars, have almost everyone their own answers to Bible questions. The central problem that afflicts both ordinary church visitors and scholarly theologians is that it is not always possible to distinguish from the word of God what is literally true and what is a figurative expression. Even if something is ‘only’ figuratively true, it is nonetheless true. A figurative expression requires reflection to understand the expression correctly. This article also seeks to illustrate this problem with the help of examples.

I am not a member of any church but an independent scholar of the Bible and seeker of its truth. So, my reader, you don’t have to think about in whose bag I’m trying to put my flour in this writing. 

 

About the deity and humanity of Jesus

As you read my writing, reflect on these thoughts as I did before I began writing. What result will you get?

• God is one who has always been and who is eternal.

• God has not been created.

• God is omnipotent, and he can do whatever he wants.

• Man is a created being; God created man as did the angels in heaven. Man is flesh and blood; angels are spirit beings and are more powerful than humans.

• God has made his Son Jesus Lord and Christ. Jesus has never been in such a high position before this.

• Jesus has always been human. He is also a man in heaven.

• God the Father has given all power to his son, both in heaven and on earth.

Jesus was the first man God the Father raised from the dead to eternity. God also gave Jesus the power to give life to whom Jesus deemed appropriate. Those who participate in the first resurrection will receive eternal life and not participate in the final judgment. Jesus had to be like other men in everything to be the High Priest in atoning the people’s sins.

Psa 33:6 By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 9 For he spoke, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm.

Joh 13:3″ Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God,” “Was returning to God” suggests that Jesus would have been with God.

1 Joh 4:1 Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

 3 and every spirit who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God, and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already.

What spirit is from God? “From God,” by no means does it always mean that the spirit has been with God in Heaven and departed from there.

Jesus exercises the same power in heaven as God the Father. His throne is to the right of the Father’s seat. Where can the throne of the Holy Spirit be? I have written that Jesus Christ is part of the divinity based on the high status and authority given to him.

 

The Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary

Luk 1:35 “The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.” – The angel Gabriel came to tell Mary about the birth of Jesus; Mary would become pregnant when “the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and the power of the Most High overshadows you.”

Why Gabriel couldn’t say, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and make you pregnant, and the boy child that will be born to you is the Son of God moving from God in Heaven, he is part of the Triune Deity.” Even a better wording would probably be found, but even this clumsy fabrication of mine would have removed the two-millennial controversy over the status of Jesus Christ.

Since the angel Gabriel did not speak anymore of this, can we infer from it that Jesus is ‘only’ the Holy Son of God? However, we know much more about the heavenly position of Jesus in the Bible.

 

Figurative expressions and literal expressions 

Example of a literal expression: Joh 6:64″ But there are some among you who do not believe.” For from the beginning, Jesus knew those who wouldn’t believe, as well as the one who would betray him.”

Example of a figurative expression: Joh 6:53 “Jesus therefore said to them, “Most assuredly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves.”

The next verse sounds completely literal: Joh 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of the one who sent me.”

“No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” – A peculiar statement from Jesus (John 3:13). He told it in a conversation with Nicodemus, the teacher. He had not yet died (crucified) when he said it, let alone ascended to heaven. So, is Jesus talking about the future? Why does Jesus formulate his statement as if it were a thing of the past and what is mentioned has already happened?

 

Questions to consider

If Jesus has always been with Heavenly Father, he is most obviously God and cannot be human. The man was created, and according to the Bible, the man was not created to be in heaven as the angels, but man was created to dwell on the earth. Or was the doctrine of dual nature already valid in heaven?

If Jesus had been initially God in heaven, could God have already become man in heaven? For God, anything is possible. Would Mary’s child have already been a man and God?

Some believe that Jesus was a spirit in heaven, like everyone else, but an angel. Angels are called sons of God (Job 1:6, Now it happened on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them. 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?). 

– Was Jesus, such a boy? So should the doctrine of dual nature be the doctrine of triple nature: the angel-God-man?

According to the doctrine of dual nature, Jesus could change his nature at any time from man to God and vice versa. How often did Jesus do this? He could have changed to God whenever he needed supernatural powers, such as resurrecting a person from the dead. Jesus did not do this but said that the Father had done these miracles: “It is the Father who dwells in me who does his works.” (Joh 14:10). Why didn’t Jesus just switch to God mode?

Many believe that God’s sacrifice to atone sinful people is more correct than if Jesus gave his sacrifice as a perfect man. Adam and Eve sinned against God as human beings, which is why I think the sacrificial death of Jesus as a perfect human being covers the sin of mankind. God cannot die and cannot be tempted as Jesus was tempted.

If he was teased, tortured, and suffered, did he suffer as a man or God? Jesus is said to have learned obedience through suffering; wouldn’t Jesus as God have learned this obedience without suffering? It can also be stated this way: if he was either the Son of God [the second person of the Triune God] or a heavenly angel, he was probably perfect without developing himself to be perfect through suffering.

Why did Jesus have to be fully human to be the Savior of all sinful people? The Bible says that sin came through one person. That is why the power of sin (the power of Satan) could be removed through only one perfect man. Could not God the Father pardon all mankind without the sacrifice given by His Son?

How does Jesus’ sacrifice work for the benefit of the Gentiles who were sacrificed in the Old Testament times for the land acquisition of the tribes of Israel? I do not doubt the justice of God, but I find no evidence in the Bible of how the Gentiles, who once died, would be saved. After all, God himself commanded the Gentiles to serve the celestial bodies. Jesus came to earth only because of the lost sheep of Israel; could not, with the New Covenant, proclaim salvation for believing Gentiles as well?

What if Jesus on earth was just a man, a perfect man. After all, Jesus is a man in heaven. What a fantastic future for the people to be saved!

 

God’s advance plan

It is not always easy to distinguish from the expression used in the Bible, whether it is a figurative expression or an actual one. One such verse is Joh 17:5″ So now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world existed.” Those who believe that Jesus was really with God even before creating the world will find a testimony of this belief in this verse.

However, God made a plan (I call it an advance plan) even before anything was created. This plan included the Son of God, who was part of God’s plan. Indeed God foresaw the Fall and, consequently, the depravity of the world. The role of the Son of God was in the Father’s plans to deliver mankind from Satan. The disciples of Jesus were also included in this plan of God.

If one claims (as many indeed do) that Jesus existed before the beginning of time, then I have asked whether the apostles were also, for the Bible also describes for them the foreknowledge of God to glorification.

Is John 17: 5 translated correctly?

Many readers believe that this translation above fits the teaching of the Bible and the generally accepted notion that Jesus, the Son of God, existed in heaven before he was born on earth as a child of Mary. John D. Keyser says that when comparing the Greek text with the English translation and allowing other scriptures to interpret this verse, it becomes apparent that this traditional translation has been adapted to prevailing pagan conceptions.

Without going into the details of the translation work, I will only present here what he thinks is the right way to translate: And now, O Father, You glorify me beside Your own self, with the glory which I AM TO HAVE with You BEFORE the world to come.

Jesus Christ asks the Father that the Father will glorify him with Son’s glory with the Father before the world to come. “Future World” refers to that new world, the New Jerusalem, where God the Father descends from heaven and where the thrones of the Father and the Son will be.

Rom 8:29 “For those whom he [God] foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers; 30 And those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.“

According to this, God has foreknown and predestined his elect, such as the apostles, to be like His Son. Christ completes this: Joh 17:22 “I have given them the glory that you gave me, so that they may be one, just as we are one.” – Other believers in Jesus can become like this glory: 2 Cor 3:18 “As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are being transformed into the same image with ever-increasing glory by the Lord’s Spirit.”

The Apostle Paul teaches that predestination signifies God’s choice for eternal life. It is evident from the Ephesians’ Ephesians, which says that it is God’s purpose for the fulness of times to unite in Christ all that is in the heavens and that which is on the earth. 1:11: “In Christ, we were also chosen when we were predestined according to the purpose of the one who does everything according to the intention of his will.”

Eph 1:4 “even as he [God] chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without blemish before him in love; 5 having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,”

Another part of the plan was for Abraham to become the father of the nations. Rom 4:17 As it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations.” Abraham acted in faith when he stood in God’s presence, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that don’t even exist.

Paul explains God’s statement as if it happened in Genesis.” I have made you the father of many nations,” God says to Abraham, even though such had not even begun at that time. God “summons things that are not yet in existence as if they already were.” Even then, Abraham had only one child, not to mention numerous nations. It was God’s plan and promise — as indeed fulfilled as it had already happened. This is illustrated by the clumsy translation “who makes the dead alive and calls the non-existent.” The end of it, on the other hand, is understandable “as if they were.”

Another biblical example of Jeremiah and God’s foreknowledge:

Jer 1:4 “Now the word of Yahweh came to me, saying: 5 Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

God sees the future just as well as people see the present. Indeed, God speaks of the future as if it had already happened. We see it just as clearly, but not the future, but only the past. So we may ask: if God sees the future as clearly as we see the past, why is God content with this course of events? Why is the Bible, the word of God, and the expression of the will so ambiguous? Sure, God has seen this, but He has accepted it. I have sometimes answered this question myself, saying that God wants us, humans, to strive to find the truth. Not that everything would be too easy and tray given to us.

God has made his plan even before the beginning of time. Future events were seen in God’s understanding and before the beginning of time become, in his language, as if certain and already happened.

Alan Hayward interestingly writes God’s (advance) plan in his article Did Jesus Christ come down from Heaven? For a brief account of the question concerning the interpretation of Proverbs 8: 1-23:

The Old Testament had a name for God’s plan. It called it God’s “Wisdom.” The New Bible Dictionary says that wisdom in the Old Testament means “God’s irresistible fulfillment of what he has in mind.”

That is a good definition and fits well with the following passage in the Old Testament: Doesn’t wisdom cry out? Doesn’t understanding raise her voice? “Jehovah possessed me at the beginning of his work, Before his deeds of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth existed. (Prov 8:1-23)

In other words, before God began His work on this world, He made His Plan — Wisdom, as the Jews call it.

Though not in the God of the Bible, the Greeks – who believed in God or gods – gave it a different name. They called it God’s “Word.” The same Bible dictionary says that the Greek word for “word” means “both God’s plan and God’s creative power.”

This helps because it allows you to understand the first paragraph of the Gospel of John. John seems to have combined the Greek idea of God’s Word with the Jewish idea of God’s Wisdom. His gospel begins, “In the beginning was the Word.”

Some people don’t make sense of this chapter. Some think they have, but they take the wrong view because they think Word is a living being. (This, incidentally, is the reason why the translators of this passage refer to the Word with the pronoun “he” when in the English Bible, the Greek word “he” also means “it,” and that is how it should be translated here.)

If we now think of God’s “Plan” instead of his “Word,” and use the pronoun “it” instead of “his,” then John 1 reads, “In the beginning was the Plan,” and the Plan was with God, and the Plan was God. [x] It was in the beginning with God; everything was done through it, and nothing that was done was done without it. In it was life, and life was the light of men… And the Plan became flesh and dwelt with us, full of grace and truth; we looked upon his glory, the glory of the Son of God from his Father.” (John 1: 1-14.)

[X] The beginning of the Gospel of John is incorrectly translated in many Bible translations, as follows: 1: 1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The correct word order is “and God was the Word καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.” Hayward’s writing also goes wrong at this point, and it should read: And God was the Plan.

These words of John bring the teaching of the Bible together beautifully. Jesus was in heaven in the beginning, but not in person. He existed as a great thought in the mind of God, at the center of God’s Plan. He did not exist as a human being until he was born in Bethlehem. Then, in the words of John, “The plan became flesh.”

The Old Finnish Bible from 1776 translates the beginning of the Gospel of John correctly:

1 In the beginning, was the Word, and that Word was with God, and God was that word. 2 This was in the beginning with God. 3 All things are made through it: and without it is not anything made that is made. – Notice the phrases “that Word,” “this was in the beginning,” and “made through it.”

Numerous translations have personified the word and use the personal pronoun he. I have written in my opinion of the Word, saying that Jesus Christ became the word of God because of his acting according to the will of God.

 

God’s foreseeing and selection

The Bible says Joh 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world.”

This is considered by many to be a sure testimony of Jesus being with God even before the creation of the world.

Jeremiah tells (1:5) how God knew him even before he was born: “Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born of the mother I sanctified you; I have made you a prophet of the nations.”

We can read about Psalm 139:16 about David’s foreknowledge” Your eyes saw my body. In your book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there were none of them.”

Also, Paul had been foretold already in his mother’s womb Gal 1:15:” but when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me through his grace,”

 

The heavenly position of Jesus

Jesus has [eternal] life in himself

Joh 5:26″ For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted the Son to have life in himself.” – Life in itself means eternal life, immortality. What is significant in this verse is that Jesus also has immortality, and especially that the verse tells us that God gave eternal life to his son. If Jesus had been God, he would have had eternal life of his own accord, and God the Father would not have had to give it to him.

The content of the doctrine of the triune divinity is that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all God persons. God is one who is eternal, immortal without anyone giving God immortality. Thus, when God the Father gave his son eternal life, it proves that Christ had not previously had “life in itself,” i.e., Jesus was mortal. Jesus received the gift of eternal life from His Father when he was on earth, not when he was in heaven with the Father.

Having eternal life does not testify of Jesus’ past life in heaven. If Jesus had been before, that is, before he was born of the Virgin Mary on earth, as the Son of God in heaven, he would have been mortal. This is the logical conclusion that Jesus only got eternal life for himself as a man on earth. This verse does not tell when Jesus received eternal life from the Father; after all, in theory, it is possible that Jesus got it already in heaven. 

What is essential, then, is that God the Father gave eternal life to His Son. It also means that the son was not God, at least before this, because God is eternal, without beginning and end, immortal. God can give man eternal life or immortality. Nor can God make man God because God has always existed. On the other hand, God can give man divine authority, as he gave Jesus by exalting him above all, both in heaven and on earth.

In addition to giving his son eternal life, God the Father exalted him as Lord and Christ (Messiah). Jesus himself said of his own position in heaven: Mat 28:18 “Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.”

God has made or exalted Jesus as Lord and Christ (Messiah)

On Pentecost, the apostles testified to a large crowd: Act 2:36″ Let all the house of Israel, therefore, know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” The apostles also testified to the High Priest and the Council Act 5:30″ The God of our ancestors raised Jesus to life after you hung him on a tree and killed him. 31 God exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a  Savior (ἀρχηγός archēgós chief leader, prince), to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins.

– God did not send Jesus for the whole world. Jesus himself said: “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.“ (Mat 15:24). – Pretty soon, Peter received a vision from heaven that led to intense missionary work to convert the Gentiles around the Mediterranean.

Jesus lived most of his life preaching about the kingdom of God and calling people to repentance. The people to whom he addressed his words were Jews. Jesus also lived his life in strict compliance with the Old Testament Law of the Covenant. Near his death, Jesus proclaimed a New Covenant, to which non-Jews could then join.

Heb 1:2 “has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.” Young’s literal translates instead of the world, ages: … through whom also He did make the ages; 

– What does the statement mean at the end of the verse “through which he created the world?” Isa 44:24, in turn, testifies: “Thus says Jehovah, your Redeemer, and he who formed you from the womb: I am Jehovah, who makes all things; who stretches forth the heavens alone; who spreads abroad the earth (who is with me?).”

This is a vision of the future based on God’s foreknowledge I described above. The earth was already “created, and the heavens stretched out, and the earth spread,” so it is not a question of creating the world.

It is a question of new earth and new heaven: Rev 21:1 “I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.” Isaiah had already foretold the same: 65:17 “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” – The new heaven and the new earth describe the new world and new time after the Last Judgment, where the saved live and God himself dwells among them. This is the world that Christ creates as the High Priest of God.

 

Jesus is still human in heaven

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

– Jesus is an intermediary between God and man after Jesus ascended to heaven; first, God raised him from the dead after the crucifixion, and after forty days, Jesus ascended to heaven. God gave him all power both in heaven and on earth and planted him on the throne to his right. 

The Catholic idea of the mother of Jesus as a heavenly mediator is not based on the Bible.Jeesuksen rooli välimiehenä voidaan nähdä näin:

Rom 5:17 “For if, through one man [Adam/Eve], death [Satan]ruled because of that man’s offense, how much more will those who receive such overflowing grace and the gift of righteousness rule in life because of one man, Jesus Christ! 18 So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned; even so through one act of righteousness, all men were justified to life. 19 For just as through one man’s disobedience many people were made sinners, so also through one man’s obedience many people will be made righteous.”

Jesus said: Joh 11:26 “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” When you think about this message, do you notice that it is a figurative expression? Even a figurative expression like this can be true! – The mediator Jesus Christ wipes away all the sins of man if you only ask for it in faith. It is no longer necessary to sacrifice life for the remission of sins as during the Law Covenant.

 

The future role of Jesus is the High Priest

Heb 2:17 “Thus he had to become like his brothers in every way, so that he could be a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God and could atone for the people’s sins.” 

Heb 7:17 For it is declared about him, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” 

With the ascension to heaven, Jesus received the office of the high priest forever. I see the mission of this high priest as leading humanity saved by the Last Judgment before God. Before that, Jesus Christ has acted as a judge ordained of God because God has given him all the authority. Heb 4:15 says:” For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” 

Jam 1:13 “Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.” – If Jesus had been God, nothing or anyone could have tempted him. He was a perfect human being.

Indeed, proponents of the dual-nature doctrine of Jesus claim that he was God, but he was fully human on earth. God cannot die. Therefore, according to this doctrine, Jesus was a man on earth, and Jesus died on the cross as a man.

Neither this doctrine nor the doctrine of the Triune God is based on the Bible. Over several centuries, the Catholic Church has been developed and confirmed by the Ecclesiastical Council for compliance at the risk of otherwise you will not be saved. People have believed these man-made doctrines to prevent them from going to hell, eternal torture in the lake of fire. Could you, like me, ask: shouldn’t the core doctrines of Christianity come from the Word of God, the Bible, and not over the centuries of quarrels and debates and finally accepted by votes of the majority of the Church?

If Jesus suffered, did he suffer as a man or as God? Jesus is said to have learned obedience through suffering; wouldn’t Jesus as God have learned this without suffering? It can also be stated this way: if he was either the son of God [the second person of the Triune God] or a heavenly angel, he was probably perfect without developing himself to be perfect through suffering. Instead, as he grew up, he grew and developed in wisdom if he was fully human. He also had to suffer death on the cross to atone for the sins of mankind.

Heb 5:8 “though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered. 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,”

Heb 2:9 But we do see someone who was made a little lower than the angels. He is Jesus, who is crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death so that by the grace of God he might experience death for everyone. 10 In bringing many children to glory, it fitted that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.

– How should these verses be understood? Jesus had been made lower than angels for a short time. Much lower if lower means power and strength.

Jesus was just a man. He did, for example, raised the dead, but not by his own power, but by the power of God. We might ask, why couldn’t Jesus as a man be superior in power so that everyone could see the greatness of God and his son? However, it is a brief moment in the celestial scale of time. God saw fit to teach his Son all that man might have to experience, and thus “through suffering make the head of their salvation perfect.”

Why did Jesus have to be fully human to be the Savior of all sinful people? The Bible says that sin came through one person. That is why the power of sin (the power of Satan) could be removed through only one perfect man. Could not God the Father pardon all mankind without the sacrifice given by his Son?

How does Jesus’ sacrifice work for the Gentiles who were destroyed in Old Testament times for the land acquisition of the tribes of Israel? I do not doubt the justice of God, but I find no evidence in the Bible of how the Gentiles who once died would be saved. 

After all, God himself commanded the Gentiles to serve the celestial bodies. Jesus came to earth only because of the lost sheep of Israel; could Jesus not proclaim salvation to believing Gentiles through the New Covenant?

What if Jesus on earth was just a man, a perfect man. After all, Jesus is a man in heaven. What a fantastic future for the people to be saved!

 

The resurrection of the dead

1 The 4:13 “But we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve like other people who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so it is through Jesus that God will bring back with him those who have died. 15 For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have died.”

1 Joh 3:2″ Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.

Jam 1:18″ Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

– James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Dispersion: Greetings. This leads to the idea that there may be a relatively large number of “firstborn creatures,” and by no means just 12 apostles. The firstborns created by Christ are those Jacob speaks of.

There are two groups of those involved in the first resurrection: those who have died over time as believers in Christ, the dead over two millennia. Perhaps an even bigger group is the one who is alive and in faith when Christ arrives. Excluded from the first resurrection are the dead Gentiles and the Gentiles alive and surviving at the time of the Resurrection. This last group will receive the resurrection and the final judgment at the end of Christ’s Millennial kingdom.

In what kind of bodies are the resurrected dead? The general perception seems to be that in the same carcasses where they lived. Many see a problem here; where does God find and remember all the atoms of all human bodies? The Bible and the creeds based on it speak of “the resurrection of the body,” but one should not imagine that the resurrected body is flesh and blood.

1 Cor 15:40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of those in heaven is of one kind, and that of those on earth is of another. 

 41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for one star differs from another star in glory.

 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption;

 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power;

 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body.

 45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

 46 However that which is spiritual isn’t first, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual.

 47 The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven.

 48 Those who are made of the dust are like the man from the dust, those who are heavenly are like the man who is from heaven.

 49 Just as we have borne the likeness of the man who was made from dust, we will also bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 

 50 Brothers, this is what I mean: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and what decays cannot inherit what does not decay. 

 51 Let me tell you a secret. Not all of us will die, but all of us will be changed,

 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

 53 For what is decaying must put on what cannot decay, and what is dying must put on what cannot die.

According to the language of the Bible, man is a soul or a living being. The “natural body” (verse 44), or “flesh and blood,” cannot inherit the kingdom of God, meaning that the physical body cannot enter the kingdom of God; Those who live in the kingdom of God are all in the spirit body, the one God has given to each.

Verse 15:52 tells us that in the twinkling of an eye, with the last trumpet, the dead will rise, and people will change into spirit bodies. Verse 51 says that not everyone sleeps to death, but we all change. This touches those believers who are alive when Christ comes after the last trumpet. Then those who are in the faith will not die but will be transformed into spiritual bodies and will rise against Christ.

This is how the first resurrection takes place. Its participants gain a leading position in the Millennial Kingdom of Christ, which could be characterized as part of the Kingdom of God – in terms of its leadership and administration. The ordinary subjects of the kingdom are in the physical body, unlike Christ and the resurrected ‘saints.’ Ordinary people in the Millennial kingdom are still mortal, unlike resurrected leaders.

This description does not apply to everyone, and the resurrection of all the dead will NOT occur at the time of Christ’s arrival. Its time is only when the time of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom is over. THEN all the dead will be resurrected, and they will rise, as they have risen before, in the spirit body.

 

God’s purpose

The first people sinned and disobeyed God’s command. What followed? Deportation from paradise was not the significant consequence but the fact that man became mortal because of sin. God wants to return to the starting position and make all of humanity alive forever. To accomplish it, God gave his only Son, who, through his death on the cross, overcame the dominion of death that was in Satan’s possession.

God’s plan proceeds as follows:

1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ will all be made alive. 

 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s, at his coming. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has done away with every ruler and every authority and power. 

25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”

Christ is coming back to earth. Christ’s own will rise and rule with Christ the “Millennial Kingdom” on earth. The people who belong to it live in paradisiacal conditions, but even though their lives and health improve, they are still mortal. At the end of the kingdom, there will be another resurrection, and those who experience it will be brought before the judgment seat of Christ. Christ will give those who receive accepting judgment eternal life.

26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

 27 For, “He put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when he says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that he is excepted who subjected all things to him.

Kuolema on kukistettu ja kaikki ovat Kristuksen alamaisia, kunnes

28 When all things have been subjected to him, then the Son will also himself be subjected to him who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all.

Christ gives all his power back to God the Father, from whom he received it. God descends from Heaven to live on earth in New Jerusalem, where he rules with the High Priest, Christ over the saved humanity — God’s co-workers.  

The plan made by God before the creation of the world has finally come to pass as God intended. This is not the end of humanity, but its new beginning. 

Man – Like the Angel of the Lord … God created man in his own image … You have made him a little lower than God [elohim, or: the angels] and you crowned him with glory and honor! (Psa 8:5).

 

Creation of man

Gen 2:7 And Jehovah Elohim formed Man, dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul [nefesh].

1 Cor 15:45 So also it is written, The first man, Adam, became a living soul. The last Adam [Christ] became a life-giving spirit.

Everyone knows that Adam and Eve lived in paradise. What did the new people look like? Just ordinary human beings? No, God created them in his own image. God says Gen 1:27 God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. – In the previous verse God says yet:

… Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

God gave all creation for man to rule: You make him ruler over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet: (Psa 8:6; Strong’s H4910 to rule, have dominion, reign).

On the last day, Jerusalem will be a key issue for the peoples around: Zec 12:2 Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. – Verse 8 describes how God defends its people and how the family of David uses divine power and is like God himself or God’s angel in front of their persecutors. 8 In that day Yahweh will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He who is feeble among them at that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahweh before them.

What does it mean that man was created in God’s image? It means that the human qualities of man are the same as God’s. They can be found in Gal. 5: 22-23, for example, the fruits of the Holy Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”

– There will also be great physical qualities and powers in man. They are ultimately spiritual, faith-dependent. Jesus’ testimony of this has been recorded in Mat 17:20 And He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

When we speak of a human being in the Bible, we use the words spirit, soul, body, flesh, heart. When God created man in his own image, word man refers to the whole human personality, not just the so-called inner person (spirit, soul, heart). Spirit, soul, and body depict people from different sides, but often the words are chosen in a way which we cannot always explain.

 

Is the soul immortal?

In the soul, ‘live’ emotions, desires both positive and odious. The soul is seen as a tool of God, a moral being for the eternal life. The soul is not part of the body, nor will it perish in death like the body. Gotquestions.org is of the opinion stating: “it is clear that both the righteous and the ungodly have an eternal immortal soul”. Years ago, when I began to study the matters of faith, I thought the spirit (pneuma) was the most important thing for man, the body is irrelevant, and the thoughts, memories, and feelings of the soul are only lost when one dies. In this article I’m going to tell if my idea has changed over the years.

The concept of soul is combined with several different words. I study the soul through Bible exemplary verses. I begin with the first book of the Bible and the creation of man. God said … and breathed into man … this man became a living soul (nephesh). When the Bible says that man became, it means that man himself is a soul. In some translations, the word ‘soul’ has been translated ‘living creature’ and that’s correct too.

I’d say: We do not have an immortal soul but what we have is immortal.

 

What words have been used in the Bible to describe the soul?

Strong’s G5590 ψυχή psychē: soul (58x), life (40x), mind (3x), heart (1x), heartily (with G1537) (1x), not translated (2x). Textus Receptus Occurrences — 105x in 13 unique form(s). – ’Psychē’ can be translated in addition to soul with words like: life, mind, thoughts, memories.

ψυχή psychḗ, from G5594; breath, i.e. (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from G4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from G2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew H5315, H7307 and H2416):—heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.

 

The soul G5590 Strong’s

– the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions (our heart, soul, etc.)

– the (human) soul in so far as it is constituted that by the right use of the aids offered it by God it can attain its highest end and secure eternal blessedness, the soul regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life.

– the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death (distinguished from other parts of the body).

From the foregoing examples, we will see that the word “soul” has several meanings. The word appears hundreds of times in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament.

Gotquestions.org: Question: Is the human soul mortal or eternal? Answer: “It is obvious that the soul of man is eternal. This is evident from many verses of the New Testament and the Old Testament: Ps. 22:26; 23:6; 49:7-9; Eccl. 12:7; Jesus taught according to Mat 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life. Also in Daniel 12:2-3; And many of those sleeping in the earth’s dust shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and to everlasting abhorrence. – The same Greek word is used to refer to the “punishment” and “life” and thus it is clear that both the righteous and the ungodly have an eternal immortal soul “.

The judged people go, so many believe, to eternal punishment. When the dead rise up in the resurrection to receive their last conviction, it is certain that those who are judged will have their old thoughts and feelings in punishment. If the judgment is eternal, then the comprehension of the condemned will remain in the punishment. The condemned people also remember their doings, the good as the evil things of their lives. In that sense, the soul, i.e. the memory and thoughts are stored over death for a long time. When a person receives the final sentence, he must remember all his actions, even those which he or she have forgotten long ago. Otherwise, the person would not understand why he or she was being judged. Perhaps the atonement of the punishment means that a person is allowed to forget their evil deeds and thus gain peace in their souls, i.e. their minds.

The exiting of the soul in death is a figurative expression for the soul does not continue to exist independently of the body, but dies with it. No Bible verse tells us that the ‘soul’ would depart from the body at the time of death. Eze 18:4 and 18:20: ”The soul that sins, it shall die”.

There are a lot of verses about the soul in the Old Testament. The Bible speaks of ‘saving’ and ‘rescuing’ the soul from death.  Psa 78:50 He made a path for his anger; He spared not their soul from death, But gave their life over to the pestilence, Psa 116:8 For You have delivered my soul from death, my eye from tears, my feet from stumbling. Gen 37:21 And Reuben heard, and he delivered him from their hands, and said, Let us not smite [nakah nephesh]  his soul. Num 35:11 … that the manslayer who has killed [nakah nephesh] any person. Job 36:14 Their soul dies in youth, and their life ends among the sodomites.

– It has been said that the concept of ‘immortal soul’ belongs to the old Greek philosophy, not to the Bible. ‘

I have also studied the eternity of judgments; if judgments were not ”forever eternal”, then the punishments would be transformable and evolvable for the person under judgment. This is what I’m reflecting in the final chapter.

Let’s start to find out the essence of the soul and what the Bible says about it.

Gen 2:7 And Jehovah God formed the man out of dust from the ground, and blew into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Soul, Heb. nephesh, means a living being, life, life force, etc. That is what Moses meant when he said: “so man became a living soul”. When God had blown into his nostrils the breath of life (ruach), the human became a living soul (nephesh). Let’s look at another example. Exo 21:22 And when men fight… 23 But if injury occurs, you shall give life for life [nephesh].

Also, animals have a spirit, but when an animal dies, its spirit lands on the ground while the spirit of man rises up to God in heaven. The Spirit God has given to man means that man is totally dependent on God. God, who gave humans the spirit of life, can also take it away.

It is surprising that animals are also souls! Biblical creation story describes: Gen 1:20 And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarmers having a soul of life [nephesh נֶפֶשׁ]; and let the birds fly over the earth, on the face of the expanse of the heavens. 1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the soul of life [nephesh נֶפֶשׁ] according to its kind: cattle, and creepers, and its beasts of the earth, according to its kind. And it was so. –According to this passage, fish, domestic animals and wildlife are all “souls” i.e. nephesh. The word ‘soul’ nowadays is used to describe ‘living beings’ and that comes from the word nephesh or psyche. In the Bible, animals are called souls (nephesh).

The word “soul” means not only living creature but also refers to a person’s life. God said to Moses Exo 4:19 And Jehovah said to Moses in Midian, Go! Return to Egypt. For all the men are dead, those seeking your life [nephesh]. Gen 35:16 And Rachel bore; and she had hard labour in her bearing. 18 And it came to pass, as her soul was departing (for she died). Jesus, in turn, said: John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life [psychē] for the sheep. – “Jesus gave his life [or soul] as a ransom for mankind. “Soul” refers clearly to human life in these Bible verses. More examples: 1Kun 17:22 And Jehovah listened to the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the boy returned to him, and he lived. Mat 10:39 The one who finds his life [psychē ] will lose it, and the one who loses his life [psychē] because of me will find it.” Joh 15:13 Greater love than this has no one, that anyone should lay down his soul for his friends. Act 20:10… But going down Paul fell on him, and embracing him, he said, Do not be terrified, for his soul is in him.

Psa 33:6 ”Through Jehovah’s word the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of His mouth”. – The spirit of God is said to be His working force. According to Psalm, God has created the Heavens (angels) with the power of His breath [word].

When the Bible talks about life, that means, in particular, eternal life, immortality – the kind of life to which the second death has no power. In the first resurrection, the believers involved will receive eternal life. Other people who receive eternal life will only receive it in a thousand years in the so-called resurrection of judgment. 1 Tim. 6:16 the only One [Lord God] having immortality, living in light that cannot be approached, whom no one of men saw, nor can see; to whom be honor and everlasting might. Amen.

God has always had life. Christ has life because God has given it to him (John 5:26). No one else has life. It can only be received after the Last Judgment.

Gen 2:7 And Jehovah Elohim formed Man, dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Man became a living soul.

Soul, Hebr. nephesh, means a living being, life, life force, etc. That is meant when Moses says “so man became a living soul” (Gen 2:7). When God had blown the spirit of life (ruwach, life force, vivacious) into a lifeless human body that he had created, man became a living nephesh. Let’s look at another example.

Exo 21:22 If men struggle… … yet there is no injury, … he shall pay as the judges decide. 23 But if any harm follows, then you must take life for life. Here life is not ruwach but nephesh. Man is a living soul (nephesh), but man has a spirit (ruwach). When an animal dies, its spirit descends into the ground while the spirit of man ascends to God. The spirit God has given to man means that man is totally dependent on God. God, who gave man spirit of life, can also take it away. What happens to the spirit of man when it has gone up to heaven? Heb 12:23 may give you relevant information. It speaks about the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect [in heaven]. Other than the righteous spirits cannot join the church of the Firstborn but have to wait for the resurrection of judgment. I pay my attention to two words – made perfect. It could be concluded that in the heaven spirits are refined until they are perfect.

Psa 33:6 By Yahweh’s word the heavens were made; All their host by the breath (ruwach) of his mouth. – It is also said of the spirit of God that it is his working force. This is especially true of those who do not believe in triune God. According to the Psalm, God has created the hosts in Heavens (angels) with the power of his spirit.

Life in the Bible means eternal life. The kind to which the second death has no power anymore. In the first resurrection, the believers will receive life. Other people will only receive life in a thousand years – in the resurrection of judgment.

1 Tim 6:16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen. – God has always had life. Christ has life because God has given it to him (Jhn 5:26). No one else has life i.e. immortality (ἀθανασία athanasia). It can only be achieved in the resurrection and the judgment which follows the resurrection.

 

How do the spirit (ruach, pneûma) and soul (psychḗ) differ?

The spirits are different. There is the Holy Spirit of God, the spirit of Christ, and the spirit of man. All people have the spirit of man, but not everyone has received the spirit of God. If we receive God’s spirit to ourselves, we also receive the fruits of the Spirit. Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsufferliness, kindness, goodness, loyalty, tonality, self-respect.

– The Revelation tells us how the angels in the end time give God’s seal to those who have the spirit of God to show that they belong to God and will be saved in the commotion of the end-time.

The Spirit is essential for life; Jam 2:26 ”For just as the body without the spirit [Or without breath] is dead, so faith without works is also dead”. Ecc 12:7 proves what happens when a human dies: then the dust shall return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God who gave it. Many think that it is the immortal soul rather than the spirit will rise up to heaven to God at the death of a human being. All people will have to die in due time. All souls [people] sin and therefore die; the wages of sin is death. So all souls or people die. There are no immortal souls. But I wrote, however, to believe that when facing the last judgment, the resurrected man in a way gets his soul back and remembers everything he has done, both good and bad. To remember things that he had forgotten in his lifetime, and when a man was “condemned according to his deeds,” he must, of course, remember everything he has done. In this sense, the soul is immortal. The Romans promises that “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is everlasting life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Without this God’s gift of grace, all humans would, by virtue of their deeds, receive a condemnation. In the last chapter, I will consider this in more  detail.

πνεῦμα pneûma, from G4154; a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ’s spirit, the Holy Spirit:—ghost, life, spirit(-ual, -ually), mind. Compare G5590.

The spirit, the soul and the body. 1 Tes 5:23 And may the God of peace Himself fully sanctify you, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Human mind and thoughts, that is, the entire human psyche can be secular. As the spirit of God or the spirit of Christ can influence through the Word of God, man’s mind can change and be defined.

 

Souls came back to life

Rev 20:4 speaks of souls who came back to life.

20:4 Then I saw thrones, and those who sat on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls [psychē] of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. They came back to life and ruled with Christ for a thousand years. — In this verse, one might well use the word ‘spirits’. The spirit of man rises up to heaven after death, and here the Bible speaks of those who come to life and rise up in the resurrection of Christ to rule with him a thousand years.

Even in the Apostolic Creed, we assure our faith in the resurrection of the body. Many people think that the body lying in the tomb rises after first getting the spirit from Jesus into the body. The resurrection, however, occurs in the spirit body, but anyway in the body.

 

Spirit rises to heaven

Many have the impression that, when dying, the immortal soul ascends to heaven, but it is not right; in death, the spirit of man rises up to heaven. Acts 7:59 tells about the stoning of Stephen: They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, ”Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit!”  Note, therefore, that Stephen did not pray that Jesus would take his soul to heaven, but instead his spirit [pneuma].

Whose spirits ascend into heaven? Automatically those of all dead people? Perhaps, even though Stephen heavily prayed that Jesus would accept his life. Ecc 12:7, however, makes no difference as to who’s spirit may rise to heaven and who’s possibly may not. I studied questions related to this matter in my writings concerning the end-time. It turned out that God’s chosen ones are being tested and taught through suffering already during their lifetime. Heb 12:6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he punishes [Or whips] every son he accepts.” 

­– Thus, they no longer need to participate in the trials of the end-times, but are ready for the resurrection when Christ comes. Their spirits have risen to heaven over the past two millenniums. What has happened to the spirits during that time? Have the spirits been in a conscious state during this time? That may be, though I’m not sure about it. If so, the spirits have yet received heavenly instruction for their future leadership role. Thus they have become refined and perfected as Christ’s co-partners in administration of the millennium kingdom. This is what Heb 12:23 says: “to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to a judge who is the God of all, to the spirits of righteous people who have been made perfect,” – The righteous spirits are in heaven with God. What happens to the spirits in heaven while awaiting the time when Christ will return to earth? The spirits will be perfected during this time! It means that they will be ready for the resurrection and ready together with Christ to take the rule of the world. The spirits in heaven together with the resurrecting spirits from the earth and they all meet Christ in the clouds.

In the Bible there is only one point where the word immortal has been used; NASB 1 Tim 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be Honour and Glory forever and ever. Amen.  KJV: Now to the King Eternal, immortal … The word immortal aphthartos occurs only once when speaking of God, but never in connection with the soul of man.

Eze 18:4 Behold, they are all my souls. As the soul of the father, also the soul of the son, they are mine. The soul that sins, it shall die. Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is everlasting life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Life in the blood

As early as the time of Moses and the people of Israel, with its resident strangers were given strict instruction not to eat blood. The edible meat was first instructed to let the blood run on the ground. The reason was clear; the soul of the flesh is its blood. This means that the soul (or life force) of the animal is in its blood. The same commandment and principle is also being renewed in the New Testament. The commandment also applies to modern people, although most have not even heard of it, and if they have heard the matter, they will reject the instruction laughing.

Jehovah’s Witnesses apply the rule even more severely. Even blood transfusions from one human to another are strictly prohibited.

Lev 17:10 And any man of the house of Israel, or of the alien who is staying in your midst, who eats any blood, I will set my face against that person that eats blood and will cut him off from his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar, to atone for your souls; for it is the blood which makes atonement for the soul.

Lev 17:12 For this reason I have said to the sons of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood; and the alien who is staying in your midst shall not eat blood. 13 And any man of the sons of Israel, or of the aliens who stay in your midst, who hunts game, beast or fowl, which is eaten, shall even pour out its blood and shall cover it with dust. 14 For it is the life of all flesh; its blood is for its life. And I say to the sons of Israel You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is in the blood; any one eating it is cut off.

Deu 12:23 Only, be sure not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the meat;

– If you understand the Bible’s message literally – both here and in many other places – you can be mistaken for the very wrong traces. Blood is not the soul, and the soul cannot be eaten. Blood is vital to life. There must be enough blood and the blood must be able to circulate in the body to carry the necessary nutrients. Blood signifies life for both man and animal. This was one of the meanings of psychē. Why should not the blood be eaten or the food that has been prepared using blood? Black sausages and blood pancakes are very tasty and have valuable nutrients. In 3 Moos 17:11 it was said that … “ it is the blood which makes atonement for the soul.“. Jesus Christ shed his blood and gave his life to reconcile the sins of every human being, thereby enabling each person to live eternally. Perhaps you have not thought about eating blood in this light? Of course, it is understandable that two thousand years ago it was not possible to talk or write about blood transfusions. Blood transfusion has nothing to do with eating blood and blood transfusion to the patient can save life. How would saving life be inappropriate and disrespectful?

Act 15:20 but that we write unto them, that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood. 15:29 to keep away from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from anything strangled… –According to Luke, the writer of the Acts, the apostles discussed what kind of instructions should be given to brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia (now in Turkey) that they would not be burdened with heavy behavior rules. However, it was considered important not to use the meat that was sacrificed to idols, and also to abstain from blood itself, as well as meat from which the blood had not been drained off. These were all likened to fornication, which should not be participated. “If you avoid this, you will do well,” he concluded. When we know how many and pedantic instructions had been laid down to the Jews, the Apostles’ instructions to new Christians were few, but the more important.

 

 

What is resurrected in heaven? When a man dies, the body decays in the grave, but what about the spirit of man? Ecc 12:7 And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Ecc 3:20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and all turn to dust again. – People and animals all die and return to the dust of the earth. Ecc tells how the “dust” i.e the human body returns to earth, but the spirit rises to God in heaven.

Stefanus knew the same thing when he said just before his death: Act 7:59: As they continued to stone Stephen, he kept praying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! – Stefanus did not speak anything about the soul! The spirit, in Greek pneuma πνεῦμα, is going up to heaven but not the soul. Did not Stephen, therefore, believe that he had an immortal soul which he would like to end up in heaven? A soul, i.e a human being or a living creature, decays in the grave, but the spirit of man is with God in heaven ready for resurrection.

Heb 12 speaks of a kingdom which cannot be shaken (v. 28) and the church of the firstborn and the spirits of the righteous made perfect. The spirit of man (pneuma) is the word used by the Greeks to describe God’s human spirit. In his spirit, man can experience the encounter with God. When apostle Paul wishes at the end of the Galatians to bless the congregation of Galatia as a brother in Christ, he says: Gal 6:18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. Also, Phl 4:23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit! Amen.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul conveys a promise: Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

There are also other non-righteous spirits who do not inherit the kingdom. They are described in Eph 2:2: in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience;

In the first resurrection, the saints in the spirit body will inherit the kingdom of Heaven (or God) and Christ is their king: Heb 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and worship God in reverence and fear in a way that pleases him.

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him. (Rom 8:16-17)

 

Col 3:23 And whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men, ‘Do your work heartily’ sounds better than ‘do your work out of your soul’. However, here is the word psyche (ψυχή psychē), G5590 meaning: 1. the breath of life (animals or men) 2. life 3. that in which there is life (a living being) and also the soul.

The Apostle’s request comes out of the idea that our Christian deeds must come from genuine love of the neighbor, that is, from ‘heart’. ‘Heart’ is believed to be the dwelling place of human feelings, the will to do good or evil. A man is said to be warm-hearted or he is cold at heart. During the 1970s, Jehovah’s Witnesses wrote articles where they tried to prove that the heart really is the place in the human body where such thoughts arise. Nowadays everyone agrees that thoughts come from the brain, and the heart is just a descriptive place for thoughts.

A few examples about heart:

Rom 5:5 and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 2 Cor 1:22 who also sealed us, and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts.

Mat 13:15 ’For this people’s heart has grown callous, their ears are dull of hearing, they have closed their eyes; Or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and should turn again; and I would heal them.’

Act 4:32 The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul. Not one of them claimed that anything of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

Rom 8:27 He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit’s mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God.

1 Cor 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each man will get his praise from God.

Heb 3:12 See to it, my brothers, that no evil, unbelieving heart is found in any of you, as shown by your turning away from the living God.

2 Pet 2:14 having eyes full of adultery, and who can’t cease from sin; enticing unsettled souls; having a heart trained in greed; children of cursing;

 

Jesus has been in the heavens before the dawn, according to the interpretation of the scriptures. These Bible Scriptures are considered to prove Jesus’s pre-existence and divinity. Some churches may believe in Jesus’ pre-existence, but not in his divinity. Jesus may be regarded as a high-ranking angel, archangel Michael. One US-based church believes Jesus to be God, in rank and in a position, however, submissive to the Father. They think God is two. Very notable is the interpretation that Jesus was by foreknowledge of God and – by God’s plan the savior of the future world. All this before the creation of the world, when there was no sin.

Pro 8:22 Yahweh possessed me in the beginning of his work, Before his deeds of old.
23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth existed.
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no springs abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled in place, Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world.
27 When he established the heavens, I was there; When he set a circle on the surface of the deep,

God even saw before he had created anything that the man he created should fall to sin because of Satan’s temptation and deception.

The almighty, omniscient and all-present God’s essence is that he has always existed, i.e, “before the beginning of times”. God has not been created and he has not been born. Jesus, instead, is, depending on the translation, born or created or set up or brought forth. We know that Jesus was born on earth of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Ghost: Luk 1:35 The angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.

The above verses of Proverbs and many other verses in the Bible can be interpreted in two ways: literally or figuratively. The literal interpretation that has prevailed over time leads to the conclusion that Jesus has been in heaven with God as pre-existent from the beginning of the ages. The symbolic interpretation means that the above verses tell of the Wisdom of God and what he has planned before there was anything, based on his foreknowledge and foretelling. God has prepared for man a plan of salvation according to which God has pre-chosen some people as followers and disciples of Jesus and who are to become leaders of God’s holy kingdom under Jesus.

Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent me to announce release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set oppressed people free,

Joh 5:30 I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous; because I don’t seek my own will, but the will of my Father who sent me.

Jhn 5:24 Truly, truly I tell you, the one who hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life. – A person who believes and remains in his faith can be assured of the promised eternal life and of not being condemned.

To send: πέμψαντί (pempsanti, having sent, from the word 3992 Strongs: Πέμπω (pempó) send, transmit, permit to go, put forth

The word ‘send’ has been used tens of times by Jesus whom God the Father sent to perform his mission on earth. However, the word used by the Bible does not tell where Jesus was sent from. From his hometown in Galilee? Even from heaven? It would be important to know if there are Bible verses that Jesus was in heaven and from there sent to earth? Or when Jesus was ascending to Heaven, did he clearly say that he returns to heaven where he was and from where God sent him on earth? The following two verses appear to be obvious:

Jhn 6:41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven; ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ

Jhn 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.
In Greek:
ὅτι   καταβέβηκα           ἀπὸ    τοῦ οὐρανοῦ οὐχ  ἵνα   ποιῶ ….
For I have come down out of  – heaven not that  I should do …

The Greek word for heaven 3772: οὐρανός contains the same elements as the word sky. Here are a few extracts from the extensive explanation: the Sky with all the things visible in it; the aerial Heavens or sky, where the clouds and temples gather, and where thunder and lightning are produced; the sidereal or starry Heavens; the region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of an order of things eternal and consummately perfect, where God dwells and the other heavenly beings;

There are several Bible verses that can be interpreted to confirm the divinity of Jesus: Phl 2:6 who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. – These verses can be interpreted in this way: Jesus did not pander to his own divinity, but abandoned his position as God. He became like a man and people thought him as a man.

Another explanation is possible: Jesus knew that he was the Son of God and that he was promised to give all power in heaven and on earth. He could have demanded that the Son of God be treated and worshiped. His task, however, was to teach people the correct behavior and therefore He did not plead to his birth but said: Mat 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. – How could teaching humility and allegiance be successful if he had demanded divine treatment from humans?

I asked myself why God has not produced the Bible in no uncertain terms, that no translation and interpretation problems would rise? Above are two examples of Bible verses that say Jesus came from heaven. But, what does that mean? Is it that Jesus lived in heaven with the Father who has sent him on earth to perform the rescue mission of mankind? Or does it mean that Jesus was born on earth being conceived to Mary by the Holy Spirit of God, and Jesus so has the Father in Heaven? God has a purpose and a reason. I myself think that God wants believers to strive to find out the truth and the believers will finally find the truth. And secondly, the question of whether Jesus comes from Heaven or Bethlehem is not crucial to human salvation.

Whichever interpretation line you choose, it has consequences. The birthright of Jesus (other than the secular) points to the other decisions that are important to the doctrine. If Jesus was born/created in Heaven, he is not a human, but God (either the Father Almighty or the Son of God subordinated to the Father). When he came to earth God Jesus lowered himself to man. What happened to his deity? The dual-nature doctrine developed by humans says that Jesus was simultaneously God and a perfect human. This results in many controversial doctrinal questions. It is not easy to move on this track.

But if you choose the alternative that Jesus was born as a human, but as a Son of God? His father is the Almighty God. Mom is a young Jewish girl named Miriam. When His Father was the Almighty God who sent him to perform the salvation mission that he had foreseen before the beginning of time, Jesus received the Holy Spirit of God for himself, and all the fullness of God lived in him and he was here on earth when he had all the power of God. Jesus did on earth only what God ordered. Jesus fulfilled his mission and proclaimed the kingdom of God. He sacrificed his life to redeem the sins of men. Jesus is the firstborn from the dead and rose to heaven and is now sitting on God’s right-hand side. Man is the mediator between humans and God. God has raised him above all creation and he will come back to rule over the earth with the saints for a thousand years. When ruling on the right hand of God Jehovah, Jesus is our Lord.

Between these two interpretations, it is difficult to choose the right one. Many religious communities have made their choice. When acquainted with their doctrines, you may find out that certain Bible verses supporting the selection their belief were picked up and those verses which would defend the other option are entirely forgotten. It’s not honest. I have the best of my ability endeavored to take into account the different points of view. The before mentioned questions are, of course, important, but not so imperative that you have to burn the dissidents (Catholic Inquisitions, the reformists, Luther, Zwingli, etc.) at the same time cursing them to eternal hell and exclude them from the possibility of salvation.

As we search for a Bible verse, we find that some verse in our opinion is clear and sure proof of the question. As Jesus himself says, “I came down from heaven”, for many it is a clear proof that Jesus lived in heaven before coming to the earth. Some other verses can testify of the deity of Jesus or that he is not God in the same way as Father. Next 1 Cor verse is, in my opinion, completely clear evidence: 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” (1 Cor 8:6).

We have only one God, the Father! This is crystal clear and, in my opinion, an interpretation-free sentence. The verse also includes a definition of Jesus: [we have] one Lord, Jesus Christ! This is also a clear message in the same way. 1 Corinthians 8:6 is a proof that everyone should take into account. But have you noticed whether the supporters of the Trinity doctrine have appealed to this verse and when they defend the trinity of God and, consequently support of the divinity of Jesus. In fact, one of the Trinitarian supporters named this scripture as a sure proof of their own opinion. Two more verses can be mentioned:

Jhn 8:41 You do the deeds of your father. They said to him, we were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.

Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Mat 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.

Based on the Bible’s testimony, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and he uses all the power God has given to him. He is our Lord. This interpretation also sounds great, because it is Jesus who told us he confesses us believers as his brothers and sisters if we do the will of God.

Questions to Ponder

The following questions should, therefore, be answered when determining Jesus’ status before he was born on earth and in what position did God raise Jesus after his resurrection:

– If Jesus was already God in heaven before becoming a human, to which rank did God the Father raised Jesus after his ascending to Heaven? God raised Jesus higher than the angels, that is, all angels. The Bible does not tell us that there would be some form between the angels and God.

– How could God the Father call Jesus a member of the triune God, his righteous servant?

– How can God be divided a portion with the great? Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

– Who would have been Jesus’ Companions (Fellows), whom Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness? Some may argue that this means Jesus’ earthly brethren, maybe his followers. If you believe that Jesus descended from heaven and was not merely born on earth with the influence of the Holy Spirit, it means that in any case, Jesus was already higher and righteous in the heavens than any earthly dweller.

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

– One God and one mediator. One God, of course, means the Almighty God the Father, Jehovah. We have only one Mediator between people and God, Jesus Christ, who is man. It should be noted that Christ is said to be a man even after he has ascended to heaven. The human Jesus Christ, therefore, acts as a mediator between [all] people and God. For all people, not just for the little flock of 144,000, as claimed by a religious organization.

 

God and angels are spirits and in spirit bodies. Man is instead in the physical body. Man is flesh. When a person is inclined to commit a sin, he may, in his defense, quote the verse of Matthew or Mark: Mat 26:41 Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. – Paul also tells us how difficult it is to live as the spirit, would like him to: Rom 7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. – Paul continues with the problems of lust for the flesh Gal. 5:17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”

Rom 7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. Gal 5:17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

Can the ‘lust of the flesh’ arise from mere flesh, or does it require ‘heart’ or brain? Mark answers this: 7:21-23 For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts, covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile the man.

 

Sin

People ask what is sin in life. When I was young, I remember one good definition of sin: sin is the abandonment of the heart from God. Above, I was just contemplating wickedness and sin coming from the heart. God gave his ten commandments and Christ summed them up as a dual command of love; love God over everything and your neighbor as yourself. Loving God is that we keep his commandments. It is easy to test whether something is sin or not; you simply ask yourself whether a certain matter is loving God or neighbor. If it is, it is not a matter of sin.

The perception of sin comes from knowing the law. We know the commandment and therefore we know when we sin. If there is no knowledge of God’s law in a specific culture, there cannot be a similar understanding of sin. There can also be no similar remorse when a man does not understand doing a sin. According to the “Law of the jungle”, killing a foreigner can be a good deed and not a sin and no reason to repentance. You cannot ask anyone to repent unless you first teach why. Our conscience gives a sting in the heart when a person knows – even though he is subconsciously – doing wrong against God’s law.

 

Degeneration of Man

Man was created perfect, to be like God’s angel, as the Bible testifies. Then Satan tempted Eve and Adam to sin, to resist God’s only commandment. As a punishment, God drove them out of paradise. They also lost the gift of eternal life. Little by little, they became old and their first death met them after almost a thousand years. Even their descendants lived long by present standards, but gradually their descendants began to decline.

When entering the time of Noah the Lord saw that the evilness of man on earth was great, and that all the intentions and thoughts of their hearts were only evil at all times. Gen 6:6 And Jehovah repented that he had made Man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart. 7 And Jehovah said, I will destroy Man, whom I have created, from the earth–from man to cattle, to creeping things, and to fowl of the heavens; for I repent that I have made them. 6:3 Jehovah said, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; yet will his days be one hundred twenty years.

 

In the resurrection, people will get a new body, a spiritual body. The ascended are like angels. Angels are invisible but can also take a physical body. In Tobit’s Book (Apocrypha) there is a story of angel Raphael who lived a long time with people and only before returning to heaven he revealed that he was an angel. Heb 13:2 is said of angels: Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.

The resurrected ones are righteous, and the others who receive eternal life after the Last Judgment will be like Adam as God originally meant. Then all have been created new, both land and people. Before that, people must strive in faith here on earth.

2 Pet 1:4 by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust.

2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” – If a believer endures in his faith until the end, he is born again from above from God. He will become like Jesus.

Eph 2:19 That is why you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household,

1 Cor 15:48 Those who are made of the dust are like the man from the dust, those who are heavenly are like the man who is from heaven. 49 And as we have borne the image of the one made of dust, we shall bear also the image of the heavenly one.

Psa 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. – ‘When I awake’ means resurrection. God created man in his own image, and now that man is awakened in resurrection, he is no longer like a sinner and one that has left God. Man rises up as God created him – like an angel of God.

In the resurrection, man becomes a spirit being, like Christ. Resurrection means awakening like Christ. This applies to the first resurrection of the saints. This is confirmed by John: 1 Jhn 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.

 

Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers, those who do the will of God.

Heb 2:11 For both the one who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified all have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers [The word for “brothers” here and where context allows may also be correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings]. – This could easily conclude that the brothers are limited to a small number of saints. However, this should not be deduced. Matthias and Mark are expanding their group of brothers and sisters: Mar 3:35 (and Mat. 12:50) For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.

The Bible speaks of the fact that, overall, there is only one group. John says: 10:16 I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. – They all are going to be children of God. The believers receive the Spirit and seal of God and salvation during the coming time of tribulation. Rom 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; 2 Cor 1:22 who has placed his seal on us and has given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment. 2 Cor 5:5 Now he who made us for this very thing is God, who also gave to us the down payment of the Spirit. NKJV … “who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”

 

 

 

• What does it mean that God made man in his image?
• God’s predestination
• Does God want everyone to be saved?
• Calling and drawing
• The last times
• The great delusion of the last days
• Why is the word of God so ambiguous?
• God is love and justice
• Eternal and eternity in the Bible
• The last judgment
• Eternal punishment
• Death dies
• Man, God’s co-worker in the New World

 

 

What does it mean that God made man in his image?

Gen 1:26 God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 27 God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.”

Psalm 8:5 tells of what man was like when God created him: “For you have made him a little lower than God, [Hebrew: Elohim] And crowned him with glory and honor. – From these passages we can conclude that man will regain in the kingdom of God the glory he had when God created him.

God created man, the man, and the woman, after his likeness or “after our likeness”. To whom did God say this? In after whose likeness was man created? In the beginning, there was nothing in the world but God and the angels he had created.

Does the likeness of God and angels mean appearance or spiritual qualities, or perhaps both? Mankind has degenerated since the Fall and does not have much of God-given attributes. While living on earth, Jesus said he was one with God. So he was already in his life the image of God. He had great powers at his disposal, e.g., heal the sick and even raise the dead. However, Jesus testified that he did not do these things himself, but God, who lived in him. Joh 14:10 “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works.”

When Jesus rose from the dead, the Bible tells us that he was in the spirit body; Jesus was able to walk through the walls and then appear to his disciples in the physical body. The unbelieving Thomas could try with his own hands the traces of the crucifixion in the hands and feet of Jesus. Jesus could appear to the disciples in different characters and any place.

Jesus also told the disciples what great powers they could have at their disposal if they only believed “even as much as a mustard seed.”

Revelation describes the external nature of Christ when he comes to earth the second time: 1:14 “His head and his hair were white as white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire. 2:18  “To the angel of the assembly in Thyatira write: “The Son of God, who has his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like burnished brass, says these things.” In Daniel 10, Daniel meets in a vision a heavenly angelic prince , described as follows: 10: 6 “his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as flaming torches, and his arms and his feet like burnished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.”

Mat 13:43 “Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Daniel 12:2 tells of the resurrection: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the expanse; and those who turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.”

God created animals and humans in the world. Of these, man is the only one who can know God and strive for his connection. What animals understand is much more limited than that of humans. I have often wondered how animals, such as my little dog Donna,  felt affection and even love and other emotions – even more than people. Yet the dog, and other animals, have no chance of eternal life.

Eccl 3:21 “Who knows the spirit of man, whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, whether it goes downward to the earth?” The Bible answers the question, where does a person’s spirit go after he or she dies? It is evident from the last words of Stephen: Act 7:59 “They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit!”

However, man is not the supreme creation of God. Before man, God created countless angels whose mission is to carry out God’s will. At least according to the Bible, God has not created angels in his image, unlike humans.

What will be the relationship between humans and angels in the coming new world? When God created people as He is, it means that God has tasks in mind for people. Functions in the world to come when man is freed from the constraints of sin and has acquired all the capacity for action that Christ spoke of.

Man has a unique position in God’s plans. We already know that in heaven, the Son of God, a man, exercises all the power of God. Heb 1:13 “But of which of the angels has he [God] said at any time, “Sit at my right hand, Until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet? 2:7 You made him [Christ] a little less than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor; and You set him over the works of Your hands;”

Heb 2:16 “For indeed he [Christ] does not take hold of angels, “but he takes hold of “the seed of Abraham.”

The Bible calls angels sons of God: Job 38:7 “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” A few verses earlier God asks Job about the creation of the world: 38:4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding.”

Gen 5:1 “In the day that God created man, he made him in God’s likeness. 1:27 God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. Col 1:15 “He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

– However, Colossians specify the matter the way it requires further clarification: “1:16 For by [or in] him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether they are kings, lords, rulers, or powers. All things have been created through him and for him, 17 He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.”

The Bible uses phrases ‘in him’ or ‘through him’; e.g., Eph 1:4 “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without blemish before him in love.” –  In him, the Son of God, the whole world was to come in communion with God. Jesus Christ was to be the creator of the entire new world age, and it is correct to say that “all things were created through him and for him.”

2 Cor 4:4 “in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.” The letter to Hebrews describes Jesus: 1:3 “His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself made purification for our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

– It appears from these verses that God created man in his image. Second, Christ is also the image of the invisible God. How could it not be so; Christ is human. God and Christ, and other humans bear the same resemblance. Does this mean that they all look the same, or is it a figurative expression? After all, the Bible says that no one has seen God, who is a spirit. At least as far as God is concerned, it is not a question of the physical similarity between God and man; it is God who created man after his nature. When I read the Bible, I have found descriptions of God, where God shows many human-like behaviors. God gets angry, reconciles, repents, etc.

When Christ was on earth, he was just like an ordinary person. Isaiah describes the Son of God in 53:2 “For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he has no form nor magnificence; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” When Jesus comes a second time, the description of the glorified Son of God is the most glorious: Rev 1:14 “His head and his hair were white as white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace. His voice was like the voice of many waters.”

In the new world since the last judgment, people are not in a discount state like the current one. They have been restored to the state in which God created man. The more important question, however, is for what tasks God will use people. It is clear from the Bible that God is continuously working, sometimes resting, of course. Men will become God’s co-workers.

 

God’s predestination

“even as he chose us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without blemish before him in love;  having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,” (Eph 1:4-5)

At the beginning of Ephesians, Paul, the author, testifies that God had chosen ‘us’ i.e., believers in Ephesus, to whom Paul addresses his letter: “To the saints and to the believers in Christ Jesus, who are at Ephesus.” It is a chain beginning with God’s foreknowledge, described in Romans: Romans 8:29-30 tells us, “For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Whom he predestined, those he also called. Whom he called, those he also justified. Whom he justified, those he also glorified.” – Even before eternal times, God made a plan for the future. God created the physical world, and God created angels as his helpers. God also designed the creation of humankind and his Son to be the redeemer from the burden of sin and the leader of the new world to come in connection with God.

God predestined what Jesus should do and also predestined a certain number of believers that he foreknew to be in Christ to become like his Son. Eph 1:5 and 11 proclaim; “predestinating us to adoption through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” –  In Christ also we did obtain an inheritance, being foreordained according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his will. God had foreknowledge and plan of everything. To accomplish that, God worked hard. For six days, he worked, and on the seventh, God rested. We do not know how long these days of God were. Probably very long, millions of years, maybe as many as billions. Heb 1:5 “For to which of the angels did he say at any time, “You are my Son, Today have I become your father?” and again, I will be to him a Father, And he will be to me a Son?” 

– Do you notice that here God speaks in the future; I will be to him a Father.  Why did not God say, I am his father? After all, God is the father of Jesus according to the Bible, and God made Mary pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had not yet received eternal life from God at this point, and God had not exalted Jesus as Christ and Lord. It was not until his death that Jesus was worthy of his place on the throne of God.

Predetermination comes from the Greek word on the NT side G4309 προορίζω proorizō, meaning “predetermination,” “predestination”.

1. to predetermine, decide beforehand
2. in the NT of God decreeing from eternity
3. to foreordain, appoint beforehand

Predestination, then, means that God predetermines in advance what He wants. What did God predestine? According to Romans 8: 29-30, God predestined certain persons to become like His Son, become called, justified, and glorified.

 

Does God want everyone to be saved?

God predestines who will at least be saved. It does not mean that others are destined to perish and be destroyed in the eternal flames of the lake of fire. Many Bible verses tell us that believers in Christ are chosen:

Mat 24:22 “Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be shortened.

24:31 He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Rom 8:33 Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies.

11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. 7 What then. That which Israel seeks for, that he didn’t obtain, but the chosen ones obtained it, and the rest were hardened.

11:28 Concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But concerning the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sake.

Eph 1:11 In Christ  we were also chosen when we were predestined according to the purpose of the one who does everything according to the intention of his will,

Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance,

1 Tim 5:21 I charge you in the sight of God, and Christ Jesus, and the chosen angels, that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing by partiality.

2 Tim 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the chosen ones’ sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Tit 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s chosen ones, and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,

1 Pet 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen ones who are living as strangers in the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled in his blood: Grace to you and peace be multiplied..

2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;

2 Piet 1:10 So then, brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election certain, for if you keep on doing this you will never fail;”

People oppose the doctrine of predestination because they find it unfair. Why has God already chosen some in advance, and others not? Who can say that he has earned salvation? Romans says 3:12, “All turned away, they became worthless together, not one is doing good, not so much as one!” We all have deserved God’s punishment. No one earns anything from God by his actions; no one could object if God did not choose him.

However, God wants everyone to be saved. Joh 3:17 “For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.” 1 The 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

God wants to save all people. 1 Tim 2:4 “who wants all people to be saved and to come to a full knowledge of the truth.”

However, if God saves all people? Either with the help of God’s purifying fire or God will release the condemned from the torment in the Lake of Fire when the punishment is fulfilled. Does God have mercy on all people, Adolf Hitler too? Christ himself, after his resurrection, chose Paul as his apostle. Paul had an important message regarding death: 1 Cor 15:21 “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ [all] will all be made alive.”

Question: “Could God or Christ save all people, even by force?” Christ converted Paul, who was the greatest persecutor of Christians. The Acts of the Apostles tells how Saul, later known as Paul, “still breathing threats and Slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord,” (9:1) until Christ appeared on the road to Damascus.  Saul went blind for a few days and experienced a complete conversion from the persecutor of Christians to an advocate of the faith of Christ and the kingdom of God. If God can forcibly convert one man, who doubts that he will not forcibly convert even all humanity? And God wants everyone to be saved! Paul, who experienced such a conversion, testifies that God does not lie: Tit 1:2 “which is based on the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before the world [Or the ages] began.”

Even if God has predestined some to be elected, everyone has the freedom to choose — all who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved: Rom 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 For a person believes with his heart and is justified, and a person declares with his mouth and is saved. Joh 6:40 “This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

 

Calling and drawing

Salvation also involves calling and drawing of God. Jesus himself said: Joh 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day.” Romans 8: 28-29 speaks of calling; “for the good of those who love God, who are called” and is followed by justification and glorification. – Where is the drawing? God has predetermined the people he calls. Not everyone either hears the call or doesn’t follow it. If they follow the call, God will draw them to him. Many follow, and these elect God teaches, sometimes even with a firm hand. Heb 12:6 “For whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.”

• Has God already predetermined the fate of all men?
• Why does God predestine the future of humans?
• Why has God chosen certain people to be saved?
• Why does God predestine human destiny?
• Why has God chosen certain people to be saved?
• Why has God given people a different measure of faith? If someone has received little or no faith, he doesn’t come to think that he could ask for more. Is it fair that some will be saved because of this, and the rest will not? Would it not be more appropriate to give everyone the same starting point?
• God disciplines and even scourges his elect.

Many are called, but few are [pre]selected (Mat 22:14)

 

All have sinned

Rom 2:12 “For all who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.

3:23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
5:12 Therefore, as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; and so death passed to all men, because all sinned.”

Rom 3:10 “As it is written, “There is no one righteous. No, not one,
11 here is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God;
12 There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God.”

Is it so that the wages of sin is death (the first death), and it is the destiny of every human being.  Shouldn’t the second death belong to everyone because everyone has sinned? 1 Tim 4:10 “For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we have set our trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.”

What does ‘especially of those who believe’ mean? It means that at least the believers are saved. That is what God has promised. What about those people whose faith is feeble and shaky if not non-existent? How could they be saved?

In Romans 12: 3, Paul makes an essential point: ”For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.” – It is logical to think that a person who has received an enormous amount of faith from God will live his life according to God’s will and thus will be saved. Conversely, a person with little or no faith lives his life according to the course of this world and does not even want to hear talk of salvation.

How will God, or indeed Christ, to whom God has given judgment, take into account, such little believers? God creates people for different purposes. The Bible describes God as a potter who makes clay vessels, some to honor, and some to dishonor. Rom 9:20 “On the contrary, who are you—mere man that you are—to talk back to God? Can an object that was molded say to the one who molded it, “Why did you make me like this? 9:21 “Or hasn’t the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?” – “Vessels made for noble use” is a metaphor describing the chosen, and there are far more people for “cheap use” – those who have not been pre-chosen.

If God wants everyone to be saved, then why doesn’t God give everyone the same measure? But will God have mercy on everyone, after all?

God wants everyone to be saved. He is ready to pardon everyone. God reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 5:18). In verse 20 Paul appeals: “We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” And yet: 6:1 “But working together, we also call on you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” – God is ready to forgive, even all humanity. What happens if and when the vast majority of humanity does not want a pardon? You don’t need to know the right words, no need to choose the right church. No church, no congregation can say: we have the true faith. Only according to our faith, you can be sure of salvation. When God offers a hand of reconciliation and forgiveness, the only requirement is that man ask for it; Jesus Christ have mercy on us! Or: God have mercy! Otherwise, the grace offered by God will be in vain.

Man has a change during his life; to choose faith and based on God’s grace and grace, salvation. Everyone who calls on the name of God will be saved. Even if he didn’t believe a day in his life, but at the last moment, he cries out, “Jesus help!” so he is saved. Everyone has this opportunity, but the Bible tells of the last days, when many tribulations constantly afflict humanity, that a large part of the world population does not repent or cry out to God for help. On the contrary, they just curse the hardships they face.

Rev 16:11 “and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their deeds.” Should God have mercy on such people as well? Doesn’t God show the greatest mercy when He pardons even the worst unbelievers, who only humble themselves before death and say, “Jesus have mercy”. When God wants everyone to be saved, salvation in a time of need is made really easy.

 

The last times

The last times started from the time of Jesus entering heaven until the present time and in the near future. In Daniel’s vision, 12:6 was asked “How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7 I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives forever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.  9 He said, Go your way, Daniel; for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified and made white and tested. But the wicked shall do wickedly. And not one of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.”

Right now, we are at the time told in verse 7, when the dispersal of the holy people, one part of Israel, is over. Already at the time of Moses, was prophesied in Deu 4:30 “in your distress, when all these things have found you, in the latter days, then you shall return to Jehovah your God, and shall listen to his voice.”

Act 2:17 “It will be in the last days, says God, That I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.
18 Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the sky above, And signs on the earth beneath; Blood, and fire, and billows of smoke.
20  The sun will be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21 It will be, that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How does Christ, in the Last Judgment, deal with those who are resurrected before, that is, before the time of tribulation and the day of the Lord? We know that the fire of God will test them. The situation is, I believe, quite similar; if a person has even a little faith in God and he has at least to some extent built his life (“house”) on God or Christ, God’s purifying fire will burn him clean, and he will be saved, but as through the fire (1 Cor 3:15). Catholics believe and call this fire “purgatory.” The purgatory of the Catholics burns people immediately after death, whereas the fire of God, of which I write, burns people only after the final judgment. Catholics believe they will get to heaven after each has survived their purgatory. And what about the people who have survived God’s purifying fire? Will they then get to heaven?

“Then all who have not believed the truth but have taken pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.” (2 The 2:12)

Who is affected by the judgment? According to this verse, those who have heard the gospel of salvation but have not believed. They have clung to their old beliefs, that is, pleased with injustice. Injustice: ἀδικία adikía, from G94; (legal) injustice (properly, the quality, by implication, the act); morally, wrongfulness (of character, life or act):—iniquity, unjust, unrighteousness, wrong.

 

The great delusion of the last days

“For this reason, God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie, (2 The 2:11).  For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.” (Mat 24:24)

Why does God do this? Usually, it is Satan who seeks to deceive humanity, but now God is doing it. God, himself, sends a strong delusion. Shouldn’t God strengthen people to endure false deceptions? This powerful delusion is the false Christ, as the end of the verse says. According to the Bible, this false Christ is the Antichrist. There were already false Christs in Paul’s day, but not as mighty as this end-time Antichrist. The Holy Spirit has restrained the appearance of the Antichrist, but when the restrain leaves, the Antichrist will perform great miracles. Even the elect, err in believing in the wonders of the Antichrist and the ‘false prophet.’

Why does God send this great and powerful delusion? I cannot say for any reason other than that God tests His own and separates the grains from the chaff. 2 Thessalonians instructs: 2:3 “Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day cannot come unless the rebellion [or apostasy] takes place first and the man of sin, [man of lawlessness] who is destined for destruction is revealed,
4 he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God, proclaiming that he himself is God.
5 Don’t you remember that, when I was still with you, I told you these things?
6 You know what it is that is now holding him back, so that he will be revealed when his time comes.
7 For the secret of this lawlessness is already at work, but only until the person now holding it back gets out of the way,
8 Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nothing by the brightness of his,
9 even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11  For this reason, God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie,
12  that they all might be judged who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

That day will not come until the apostasy takes place. Apostasy of faith or truth? If you give up faith, the truth no longer matters. If you first give up the truth, you are at the same time giving up faith.

The book of Revelation describes end-time churches. In chapter 3, Christ says to the Philadelphia church: 3:11 “I am coming quickly! Hold firmly that which you have, so that no one takes your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will go out from there no more. I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and my own new name.”

– Whoever wins or keeps the faith of Christ, to him Christ, “writes the name of God and the new Jerusalem.” – Anyone, who is permanent in his faith, to whom apostasy does not work, will be saved and enter the new Kingdom of God as God descends from heaven with the new Jerusalem.

The Laodicean church is different. The parishioners consider themselves rich, they have worldly good, the acquisition of which is more important than true faith. 3:16 “Christ says to them, But now, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth.”

 

Why is the word of God so ambiguous?

Already in the time of Jesus, Jewish scholars argued over the correct interpretation of Old Testament questions. The Pharisees and Sadducees disagreed e.g., on the right understanding of life after death. Nothing changed for any reason after Jesus died and ascended to heaven. Christian congregations formed schools of doctrinal questions. Over the centuries, the situation only got worse. Ecclesiastical assemblies formulated creeds to clarify doctrine. It was so fierce to guard the ‘right’ doctrine that dissidents were free to kill. The theory of the Triune God and the tradition of the dual nature of Christ are still official doctrines of the major churches — despite the repeated Bible message that God is one, and Jesus Christ is the Son of God whom God made Lord and Christ.

After all, God in His great wisdom could have made his words more unambiguous and free of interpretation if he had wanted to. But no. God even sends a tremendous and powerful deception at the end of days, so that even the elect will give up the true faith. God even gave the world to Satan to rule, and Satan will do his best not to reveal the truth.

God has given faith to people unevenly, to others little, to others a lot. If a person has no faith, he has no interest in solving questions of faith. Satan leads such people in search of worldly pleasures.

Why does God do this? The Bible talks about wise people. In particular, Daniel’s book emphasizes the importance of the wise:
11:33 “Those who are wise among the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by spoil, many days.
12:3 Those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the expanse; and those who turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.
12:10 Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but those who are wise shall understand.”

God is certainly aware of the situation and allows his plan to be fulfilled with justice and love for his creation. 

 

God is love and justice

Job 34:12 “Yes surely, God will not do wickedly, Neither will the Almighty pervert justice.”

However, you may stubbornly stumble that the Bible says so clearly that…. Think about this, though: Is God love if He concretely executes the torture punishment of the fiery lake? Imagine that you have received an acceptable judgment and entered the paradise of God. You will not find your own children in paradise. You ask the angel where they are and you hear that they are being tortured forever in the lake of fire. Don’t you ask God to be merciful and rather destroy the children forever than torture them in the lake of fire? Will God answer you that “you, along with many others, demanded the punishment of the fiery lake for all the wicked, and your son lied (Rev. 21: 8) on many occasions.” Rev 21: 8 lists the groups of sinners who fall into the lake of fire: “But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” – Here, both great sinners and trivial ones are combined in the same punishment. However, I cannot believe that the fearful old grandmother and the man slipping lies would be forever with Satan and his helpers in the fiery lake.

 

The words eternal and eternity in the Bible

αἰών aiōn G165

1. for ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity
2. the worlds, universe
3. period of time, age

αἰών aiṓn, ahee-ohn’; from the same as G104; properly, an age; by extension, perpetuity (also past); by implication, the world; specially (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future):—age, course, eternal, (for) ever(-more), (n-)ever, (beginning of the,  while the) world (began, without end). Compare G5550.

According to Strong’s, the word aiōn means perpetuity of time (eternity). If it also means worlds (worlds, universe) then O.K, but there are Bible passages where ‘eternity’ can be used, and there are other passages, where a long, yet limited era, a world age, is meant.

The Bible speaks of eternal punishment, but also of how the glory of God and Christ is eternal. E.g. Romans 11:36 “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.” 

Incorrect Bible translations began hundreds of years ago. The KJV and the new NKJV could talk about worlds. For example: Heb 1:1 “God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.” Some other translations may use the word universe instead of world.

However, when using the plural ‘Worlds,’ KJV is more accurate than many others, but still has not found the right word. A correct word to describe God’s work of creation would be eon, ‘world age.’ “There are five different eons identifiable in the Bible (in Greek aion). Greek philosophies, among others, of timelessness, have, over time, obscured the original meaning of this term. So it has now been replaced in many places by vague expressions such as “eternity” or “world.”

CLT, Concordant Bible translates Heb1:2 using the word eons instead of world(s)as follows: “in the last of these •days speaks to us in a Son, Whom He -°appoints enjoyer of the allotment of all, through Whom He also makes the eons;”

However, when using the plural ‘Worlds,’ KJV is more accurate than many others, but still has not found the right word. A correct word to describe God’s work of creation would be eon, ‘world age.’ “There are five different eons identifiable in the Bible (in Greek aion). Greek philosophies, among others, of timelessness, have, over time, obscured the original meaning of this term. So it has now been replaced in many places by vague expressions such as “eternity” or “world.”

Rom 11:36 “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen..”Forever here in Greek is αἰών aiōn. Concordant translation (CLV) Rom 11:36 seeing that out of Him and through Him and for Him is •all: to Him be the glory for the eons! Amen!

Rom 16:27 “to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory forever! Amen.”

The word “forever” is wrong. It seeks to create a sense of infinite eternity. The correct translation is “for the eons of the eons.”

World, eternity, world age? Such expressions are commonly used in Bible translations. All are based on the Greek word aiōn and the adjective aionion. The Hebrew equivalent is owlam. However, all the words mentioned above mean periods, perhaps even extended periods, which, however, will end. They have a beginning and an end.

“As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (KJV Mat 24:3), When the apostles asked about the end of the world, did they mean the complete destruction of the whole earth? After all, the Bible tells of the last days, describing in 2 Pet 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

However, the question and answer only mean the end of the current world eon. When this eon ends, a new world eon begins, the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. After that, a new eon begins again, when the last judgment is given, and the Kingdom of God and the New Jerusalem descend with God himself to earth.

 

The last judgment

In my end-time writings, I have pondered what God’s final judgment is. Many people have believed the Bible’s literal word “the lake of fire,” where sinners may be tormented eternally and tortured with no end. I will return to this question about eternal punishment a little later and try to show that it is a question of a wrong translation. The Bible also describes end-time penalties as “deep darkness.”

Who will not be convicted at the last judgment?

“Most assuredly I tell you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” (Joh 5:24)

People, in general, think that all will have to participate in the final judgment. Earlier, I wrote that the co-rulers of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, i.e., the saints of the first resurrection, will not be judged together with the world. 1 Cor 11:32 “But when we are judged, we are punished by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.”

Does John’s statement further expand this group, which does not have to be condemned? If they are involved in the first resurrection, then they belong to the group I mentioned. If for some reason, they are not included in the ranks of the first resurrection (because it is to be a ‘little flock’), they are, by faith, saved by the last judgment. In my view, they will take part in the trial, but by faith, they will receive an acquittal.

If, despite their faith, they have lived sinfully, what kind of treatment of God’s purifying fire will they receive? God’s fire purifies away man’s sins. The procedure may be more prolonged and more painful, depending on how sinfully a person has lived.

 

Eternal punishment

The punishment of the Last Judgment has almost always been translated to be ‘eternal’. The convicts will be thrown into the lake of fire, where they will suffer forever. Rev 20:10 “The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are also. They will be tormented day and night to the ages of the ages. The leaders of the rebellion are cast into the fiery lake, tormented night and day, forever and ever. KJV uses the saying…“and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. The Greek text says this: εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων.”

Slavery is also said in the Bible to last forever. The slave’s ear was pressed against the door frame, and a hole in the pinna was inserted with an awl to attach the slave’s mark. The Bible says a slave is forever the property of his owner. ‘Eternal’ is owlam in Hebrew. An indebted person could sell himself into slavery and thus work to pay off his debt. Slavery, described as eternal, was of limited duration and ended at the dawn of the next jubilee. This was done at least with those who sold themselves into slavery. Those enslaved in the war may not have been treated in the same way.

When the first vernacular translations of the Bible came in the Middle Ages, the clergy had a problem. Until then, the Bible was only in Latin, and priests in their sermons could present their interpretations without the listeners being able to check the Bible. The priests had taken the opportunity to paint a picture of hell as a place of eternal torture in the lake of fire. The priests sold God’s forgiveness and raised large sums of money as

The eternal punishment of God in the Jewish faith lasted only one year.

 

Death dies

 Rev 20:14 “Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.”  – If Death is thrown into the lake of fire, what is the purpose of this measure? By no means eternal torture in the lake of fire, but Death will be destroyed. Death is no longer needed. “The last enemy that will be abolished is death.” (1 Cor 15:26). Once Death is dead, no one needs to die anymore, neither the first death nor the second death. Sinners have been punished, and there are only eternally living children of God in the world of God.

What happens to the fiery lake after Death is thrown there, and Death is dead? Did it sound a little crazy? Death is dead! Death is not actually thrown into any lake. Death cannot die, but it becomes unnecessary when no one must die because no one sins anymore. The removal of death in a fiery lake is a figurative expression of the disappearance of the phenomenon of death in the world.

And then, did the sinners sentenced to the second death continue to be tormented in the fiery lake? What if the fiery lake for them, too, is just a metaphor of destruction? According to one interpretation, those sinners who do not receive the purifying fire of God but face the second death called “the lake of fire,” are destroyed, or they cease to exist. When the Bible speaks of eternal punishment, it is timeless. The destroyed people are forever dead, and there is nothing left of them, unlike people who are purified by God’s fire. Many believers outright seem to demand God to torture evil sinners endlessly in the lake of fire. They are pleased that sinners get the wages they deserve and that “weeping and gnashing of teeth” has come as an eternal punishment for these convicts. The eternal separation from the connection of God is in itself the severest possible punishment for man, and torture in the lake of fire can no longer increase the sentence. Eternal life in the New World, the Paradise of God, is, on the other hand, the greatest reward man can achieve.

 

Man in the post-resurrection New World

The book of Revelation tells how God’s heaven and New Jerusalem will descend to earth, and God and Jesus Christ himself will sit there on their thrones.

Man receives tremendous powers and can do mightier deeds than Jesus did. What could be more impressive than, for example, raising the dead to life?

Jesus said: Joh 14:12 “Most assuredly I tell you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these will he do; because I am going to my Father.”

As we read the Bible, we have noticed that while living, healed the sick, drove away demonic spirits, and even raised the dead back to life. Otherwise, Jesus lived like ordinary people; for example, he might get tired. After rising from the dead, while Jesus was still on earth, he could walk through the walls and the locked doors. He could move from place to place in an instant. He could appear entirely unknown. He could be in a physical body e.g., presenting to Thomas the traces of the crucifixion in his hands and feet, or he could appear to people as a spirit.

What did Jesus tell the apostles about the powers they could have after the resurrection? Mat 17:20  “Because of your unbelief. For most assuredly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Jesus is currently a human in heaven who exercises all the power of God. His throne is on the right side of the throne of God. What will be the role of Jesus Christ in the New World? We know from the book of Revelation that there are two thrones in the New World, the Father’s and Son’s thrones. I have interpreted the role of Jesus so that he would not use the executive power in the same way as now when and near future as the tribulation of last days and the Day of the Lord is coming. There is no need for this because then there will be people in the world who are images of God as man was originally. All are God’s co-workers, working hard like the Father, fulfilling the tasks God has given them. In the New World, Christ is the High Priest of God.

His throne is on the right side of the throne of God. What is the role of Jesus Christ in the New World? We know from the book of Revelation that there are two thrones in the New World, the thrones of the Father and the Son. I have interpreted the role of Jesus so that he would not use his executive power in the New World in the same was as now when the last days before the time of tribulation and the Day of the Lord are coming. There is no need for that either because then there are only people in the world who are images of God as man was originally. All are God’s co-workers, working hard like the Father, fulfilling the tasks God has given them. In the New World, Christ is the High Priest of God.

The New World is a wonderful paradise of peace. But, have you thought that in creating man, the purpose of God was to obtain a large number of reliable co-workers for himself. What tasks has God planned for this new group of co-workers? We don’t know God’s plan yet. We know that God must make available to his co-workers the mighty powers to which Jesus referred. Future tasks will probably require such forces. What tasks will God give us? Does God send people to conquer new worlds for himself?

If you ever thought about this: If in the future humankind were only to live a peaceful life in paradise, we would not need such powerful forces.

 

Outside the Bible, angels are told more than the Bible itself. Apocrypha, in particular, have interesting, even vivid stories, but here I primarily focus on what the Bible says. If God had seen the need to give more information and details, we could probably read them from the Bible pages. What are the angels, and what do they do? How many are they? Are they spirit beings? Immortal? Without sin?

The word angel means a messenger. It is in Hebrew malák, in Greek ángelos, used for both human and heavenly messengers. Mal 2:7 says: ”For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of Hosts. The Revelation also speaks of angels. The next verse is worth noting; it is the basis for the interpretation of this article.  Rev 1:20 ”the mystery of the seven stars which thou saw in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks are seven churches.”  
In the Bible, the angels are mentioned almost 300 times in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The angels and humans are created beings. The Bible tells in Job 38:7 “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” So they are also called the Sons of God. However, Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God and after his resurrection, when God has made him Lord and Christ, he has become much higher than the angels. Jesus Christ is not and has never been an angel, even though Jehovah’s witnesses believe so.

Luke 20:36 speaks of the resurrection of the humans, and compares them with the angels:” For they can’t die any more, for they are like the angels, and are children (or sons) of God, being children of the resurrection. Has God created the angels to be immortal?   1 Tim 6:16 says about God: ”who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen. – It is generally understood that angels are immortal spirits and that Luke’s verse can lead to this conclusion. However, Paul says that God is the only one with immortality. We know from the Bible that there is another immortal – Jesus Christ, to whom God the Father gave immortality. Joh 5:26 ”For even as the Father has life in himself, so he has given to the Son also to have life in himself,” At least angels still have no immortality. (I am referring to the destiny of Satan and his fallen angels).

 

Lord’s angel

Is Christ the angel of the Lord? Many churches support the idea that this angel was Christ, but it is not credible for many reasons, one of which is the Hebrew word: 1:5  “For to which of the angels [meaning no one] did he say at any time, “You are my Son, Today have I become your father?” and again, “I will be to him a Father, And he will be to me a Son?”

 – If Jesus is not the angel of the Lord, who is then? According to my interpretation, any angel appearing on behalf of God is an angel of the Lord – because he is working as if God Himself.

Joh 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him. – If Jesus Christ were the angel of the Lord, he would probably have seen God, his Father, in heaven. However, the Bible does not say: except the only son [has seen God]. John only says that God’s only son has declared him.

This gives more reason to ponder the question of the pre-existence and divinity of Jesus Christ, but as I have dealt with it elsewhere, suffice it to say, like Peter about Jesus: ”No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.” (1 Piet 1:20). … This is that Moses, who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord our God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me. (Act 7:37).

Isa 63:9 uses the expression about the angel of the Lord ”the angel of His presence”. This aptly reflects the angel’s attribute and the angel’s assignment. So this expression means an angel who is the representative of God. In this case, the angel can be called as God i.e. Elohiym.

Mat 28:2-3 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending out of heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his look was as lightning, and his clothing white as snow.

Dan 10:5-6 I lifted up my eyes, and looked, and, behold, a man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with pure gold of Uphaz: and his body was like a chrysolite, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as torches of fire, and his arms and his feet as the look of burnished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. 

 

The fallen angels

Paul recalls in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 “And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light. It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also masquerade as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” – Satan is not called the father of lies in vain.

Another group that fell into sin was the angels who took a physical form and entered into sexual relations with the women on the earth. Gen  6:4 ” In those days were the giants on the earth, and also afterwards, when the sons of God had come in to the daughters of men, and they had borne children to them; these were the heroes, who of old were men of renown.” – Angels who didn’t keep their first domain, but deserted their own dwelling place, he has kept in everlasting bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.” (Jude 1:6).

2 Pet 2:4 ”For if God didn’t spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus (cast them into hell, ταρταρόω tartaroō), and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved to judgment;” – Revelation 9:1 uses the expression ”And the fifth angel sounded his trumpet: and I saw a star out of the heaven fallen to the earth; and there was given to it the key of the pit of the abyss.”  The Greeks considered it as an underground area, and maybe it would be equated with a deep underwater sea where demons are said to rise. 9:11 They had the angel of the bottomless pit ruling over them as king. In Hebrew he is called Abaddon, [I.e. Destruction] and in Greek he is called Apollyon. [I.e. Destroyer]

The events of rebellious angels above occurred thousands of years ago. New Testament writers say: Eph … 2:2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience;

Eph 6:12 because our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against principalities, against authorities, against the universal lords of this darkness, against spiritual power of wickedness in the heavenly realm.

The universal lord, in Greek κοσμοκράτωρ kosmokrátōr, meaning: lord of the world, prince of this age i.e. the devil and his demons. – Satan is called in the Bible the prince (king) of this world.

If the rebellious acts of the disobedient angels were small-scale disobedience, it is now a great battle about the ruling of the world. Even the apostles once went to counter-attack, so that people would be saved and the will of God would be realized.

Phl 2:12-13  So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both the willing and the working according to his good pleasure.

Luke explains how Jesus drove out the demons: 4:33 In the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice:
34 “saying, “Ah! what have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are: the Holy One of God!”
35 Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” When the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.    
41 Demons also came out from many, crying out, and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Rebuking them, he didn’t allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

John speaks of Satan, 1 Joh 5:19 “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” – Satan is in the lead! The majority of the world’s population are non-Christians. Christians are in dispute, divided into thousands and thousands of different religions and denominations, whose Biblical doctrines are equally divided and no longer based on the gospels and apostolic doctrine proclaimed by Jesus. A large number of angels will be judged on the Last day. They will be judged by humans, but we do not know what is the judgment these angels will receive i.e. Satan and the angels who left their heavenly dwellings during Noah’s time.

 

Sons of God

The angels were also good and holy, also one of the highest angels Lucifer, whom we know as Satan. The Bible tells us how he rebelled and wanted to receive the same worship as God. He got a third of all the angels with him. I’ll tell you about the war in heaven a little bit later.

The sons of God are angels and there was Satan among the angels, as Job says. The morning stars are also angels, synonymous with the sons of God.

Job: 1:6 And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah; and Satan came also among them. 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Psalms: 29:1 A Psalm of David. Give unto Jehovah, you sons of the mighty ones, give unto Jehovah glory and strength;

A high-ranking angel, a beautiful and wise anointed cherub called Lucifer, according to Latin Vulgate and a son of a morning star, fell for his beauty and wisdom and wanted to raise himself to God (Heb 28: 1-3, 14-19). That pride and fall made him Satan, as the Bible calls him. Job 38:7 describes the creation of the world: … When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Jesus, in turn, says Rev 22:16: “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify these things to you for the assemblies [churches]. I am the root and the offspring of David; the Bright and Morning Star.”

People have been involved with angels and when meeting with the angels, people have shown to the angels respectful worship which the angels have rejected. E.g. Rev 19:10 ”I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, “Look! Don’t do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.”

However, the Angels are ministering spirits, to serve those people who will be saved into the Kingdom of God: Heb 1:14 ” Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out for service on account of those who shall inherit salvation?” – There are hundreds of millions of angels. Apparently, the Bible has not had such a high number of figures (a million, a billion), but the number of angels has been described by saying “10,000 times 10,000 and a thousand times a thousand.”

The angels have the authority and powers of God to accomplish God’s mission. That is why they may be called Elohiym – God.

The power of angels, as evidenced by the report of one angel carrying out the killing of the enemies of Israel; an angel killed 185,000 enemy soldiers in one night.

 

Examples of the work of angels

Dan 9:21-22 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening offering. He instructed me, and talked with me, and said, Daniel, I am now come forth to give you wisdom and understanding.

Angels are able to move from one place to another in a blink of an eye. According to an apocryphal report, the angel talked with Abraham and sometimes had to go to heaven asking for advice. The angel visited ,received counsel and returned without Abraham noticing anything.

…

Michael (meaning ’like God’)

Daniel 12:1 “At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who stands for the children of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who shall be found written in the book.”

Daniel 10:12 “Then said he to me, Don’t be afraid, Daniel; for from the first day that you did set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard: and I am come for your words’ sake.
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but, behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me: and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
14 Now I have come to make you understand what shall happen to your people in the latter days; for the vision is yet for many days.”

Dan 10:20-21 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia. When I go forth, behold, the prince of Greece shall come.  But I will tell you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth: and there is none who holds with me against these, but Michael your prince.“ – Who is this angel in verse 10:20, who fights against the princes of Satan? His name I do not know, but the angel himself is getting help from archangel Michael.

Satan had several angel princes on his side, but the angel tells Daniel that only Michael, “your Prince,” is available alongside this angel in the battle against Satan. Why didn’t God send other angels to resist Satan? There has been abundant angelic power in heaven!

Of course, there were lots of smaller demons. Some of the angels who were against God’s will, who took women of the earth to themselves and who had children with them, were tied up and thrown into the depths of the pit, to wait for the coming day of judgment, so that the saints of God under Jesus would also judge these angels.

Why did God allow Satan to do such a rebellious and degrading work for a long time without nipping it in the bud? It would have been possible for God to do so by his power at any time. I cannot find any other explanation than the fact that God wants people to show whose will they are following. Most seem to choose Satan consciously or unknowingly.

Juud 1:9 But Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil and arguing about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him an abusive condemnation, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!”

Rev 12:7 And there was war in the heaven: Michael and his angels went to war with the dragon. And the dragon [Satan] fought, and his Angels;

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Gabriel (the name means ’God is powerful’)

Daniel 8:16 I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.

Luk 1:19 The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands before God. I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.

Luk 1:26 Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

The tasks of Archangel Gabriel have often been to deliver God’s important messages to people. The most famous message concerned God’s announcement to Mary that she was to become pregnant and bring forth the son of God.

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Raphael (meaning  ’God heals’) 

Book of Tobit (an apocryphal passage).  Rafael reveals himself to be an angel of God:

15-22 ”For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the Lord.  And when they had heard these things, they were troubled, and being seized with fear they fell upon the ground on their face.  And the angel said to them: Peace be to you, fear not.  For when I was with you, I was there by the will of God: bless ye him, and sing praises to him. I seemed indeed to eat and to drink with you: but I use an invisible meat and drink, which cannot be seen by men. It is time therefore that I return to him that sent me: but bless ye God, and publish all his wonderful works. And when he had said these things, he was taken from their sight, and they could see him no more.  Then they lying prostrate for three hours upon their face, blessed God: and rising up, they told all his wonderful works.”

Like Rafael, other angels may move on the earth disguised as human beings. Are they fulfilling their mission of God? I would not say that, “just walking around the earth,” as Satan once said to God (Job 1:7).

Heb 13:2 ”Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.” 

Many times angels have come to help people in danger. Here are just a few examples:

Two angels warned Sodom’s only righteous servant of God, Lot, and helped his family escape the destruction of Sodom. (Gen 19th chapter)

The angel passed through Egypt and killed the firstborn in the land whether they were people or animals, and thus helped Moses and the Jews to escape slavery in Egypt. (Exo 12:12-23)

The angel stopped Abraham before he killed his son for sacrifice to God, saying: “The angel said, “Don’t lay your hand on the boy, neither do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” (1 Moos 22:12)

The angel of the Lord told Joseph the truth about Mary’s pregnancy, saying: “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. (Mat 1:20)

The angel of the Lord helped Peter escape from prison Apt 5:19-20 But an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors by night, and brought them out, and said, “Go stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.”

And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending out of heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. (Mat 28:2)

 

Angels as ministering spirits

Angels are ministering spirits (Heb 1:14). ” Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out for service on account of those who shall inherit salvation?  –  The verse shows that angels serve these people already during their lifetime.

Angels serve, the Hebrew word is sharath, which is translated to serve. For example, “for the LORD your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the LORD’s name always” (Deu 18:5). What kind of service can angels do to God? Does God need the service of angels? God is Spirit and he is Almighty. I would understand that angels worship before God’s throne. Jesus needed the service of angels after fasting in the wilderness for forty days.

                        

Men and angels

Heb 2:5 For he didn’t subject the world to come, whereof we speak, to angels.   
6 But one has somewhere testified, saying, “What is man, that you think of him? Or the son of man, that you care for him?                                                      

7 You made him [man] a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor. 8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that he subjected all things to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we don’t see all things subjected to him, yet.                                                              

The above verses speak about the relationship between angels and people in general. From verse 9, the Hebrews speaks also of man, but of the one who was perfect without sin.                                                        

2:8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that he subjected all things to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we don’t see all things subjected to him, yet.                                                                                                  
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many children to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.                                                                                                                   
11 For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers   12 saying, “I will declare your name to my brothers. In the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”  13 Again, “I will put my trust in him.” Again, “Behold, here am I and the children whom God has given me.”                         
14 Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,                              
15 and might deliver all of them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage     
16 For it is clear that he did not come to help angels. No, he came to help Abraham’s descendants.  
17 Therefore he was obligated in all things to be made like his brothers, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.                  
18 For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.              
                                                                            

According to the doctrine, Jesus has two natures, man and God. To function on earth, this dual nature doctrine explains that Jesus gave up divinity in order to be a man on earth. This doctrine was confirmed by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 because otherwise  Christianity would be in great doctrinal problems; A God cannot die. Therefore, it was explained that Jesus died as a man and took up his divinity in his resurrection. Here’s how to interpret the following Philippine paragraph: 

Phl 2:6  who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. 
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.                                                                                    

It is worth remembering and realizing that Jesus is the only begotten son of God. As a son of God, though as a man, he could have demanded divine treatment for himself. But Jesus was different: he lowered himself into a common man who was also humble. An alternative translation for verse 6: “Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;”

Heb 2:9 But we see him who has been made a little lower than the angels, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for everyone. – Jesus was just like other people now are “lower than the angels”. When God raised Jesus after his ascension into Lord and Christ, Jesus in relation to the angels became much superior to the angels, as Heb 1:4 says: ”and became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is better than theirs.

When we interpret these verses carefully, we must note that Jesus became much higher than angels. The Hebrews and others do not say that Jesus had always been much higher than the angels!

What about people’s position and relationship with angels in the future? We know that those who will be saved will be sons of God – like the angels are. We also know that the resurrected Jesus calls the saved ones his brothers and sisters. The saved people become co-workers of God. Until now, the angels themselves have only told their position as servants of God.

Hebrews 2:16, however, tells the crucial truth about God’s intention: ”For it is clear that he did not come to help angels. No, he came to help Abraham’s descendants.” 

 

Angels’ war in heaven

The war was caused by the rebellion of Satan (Lucifer, the “Light-bearer”) against God’s omnipotence. Satan was like all the other angels created. He led a third of the angelic corps. Lucifer was not content with being a major angel leader; He envied the worship of God and wanted himself to receive the same worship.

Satan realized God’s plan for humans. People were meant to become a more significant group than angels. Satan decided to take command of the people. From the first pages of the Bible starts the story of mankind; about man’s creation and the first humans Adam and Eve. The last book of the Bible tells of the revelation received by John the Apostle. It also includes a description of Satan’s struggle for his own position and then his future loss in battle. The Light Bearer has become a Dragon!

Without Satan, the Bible’s story would have been quite different. The triumphal march of God’s will, therefore, has become a battle between good and evil – Satan fights to get people to follow himself and away from God.

The Bible’s Last Book, The Book of Revelation tells of the end-time events and battles.

Revelation: 12:1 A great sign was seen in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
2 She was with child. She cried out in pain, laboring to give birth.
3 Another sign was seen in heaven. Behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns.
4 His tail drew one third of the stars of the sky and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.                                                                                             

5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. Her child was caught up to God, and to his throne.

The woman at the beginning of chapter 12 is, of course, Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary gave birth to a baby boy who will rule the world with an iron scepter.

Revelation 12:1 symbolizes the meaning of a) Israel, God’s own nation, and its twelve “stars”, or tribes. b) The Twelve Apostles of Christ and the body of Christ, “the true Church”. However, this Church of God is a small minority, and the majority is the harlot church, of which the Lord says “Get away from them and separate yourselves from them, ”declares the Lord, “and don’t touch anything unclean. Then I will welcome you.” (2 Cor 2:17). He [Christ] is also the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself might have first place in everything” (Col 1:18).

In verse 5 the account is skipped in the resurrection of Jesus or thirty years forward in time. ”She gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. Her child was caught up to God, and to his throne”.

12:6 The woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that there they may nourish her one thousand two hundred sixty days.
The wife of this verse is God’s faithful congregation on earth, who is forced to flee into the “wilderness” away from Satan’s persecution. Then, in the vision of the future, the account goes forward in time, the war in heaven. 12:7 There was war in the sky. Michael and his angels made war on the dragon. The dragon and his angels made war.

The war is led by Archangel Michael. Wasn’t Jesus involved even though in verse 12:5 Jesus (the child!) was found to be captured in heaven? No, Jesus is on the way to the earth to take the kingdom there. And the kingdom is preceded by a war against the same enemy; Satan loses the war in heaven, and he is thrown down to the earth with millions of his supporters. Many people believe that this war has already taken place and that Satan and his troops have been thrown down to the earth. I will discuss this a little later and on the basis of what would prove that the war has already taken place and on the other hand, what would prove that it is still going to happen in the future.

12:8 They didn’t prevail, neither was a place found for him any more in heaven.        9 The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

In verse 12:10, the writer rejoices: I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now is come the salvation, the power, and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ; for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night”. The accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night.

In a vision, John heard a great voice saying that “now is come the salvation, the power, and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ”. The event is therefore related to the near future, the end time. It is also related to the second coming of Christ, when he takes the kingdom of God and reigns with the resurrected saints. Christ comes with his enormous angelic army and fights against Satan’s troops winning them. This is preceded by seven years of Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.

So be glad, heavens, and those who live in them!  “The devil has gone down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time.” (12:12).

In his great anger, Satan began to persecute the true Church of believers on earth: “And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus” (v.17). The persecution lasts 42 months: 12:14 However, the woman was given the two wings of a large eagle so that she could fly away from the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she could be taken care of for a time, times, and half a time [3,5 years, 42 months] from the face of the serpent. – This happens “when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth” (12:13). The period of church persecution for 3.5 years is half of the seven years of tribulation and takes place in its latter half.

2 Cor 4:4 in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them. – The Bible calls Satan ‘the god of this world’. Peter wrote roughly at the same time with John’s Revelation: 1 Pet 5:8 ”Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” – For thousands of years, Satan has been trying to devour people and entire nations.

 

“Now is come the salvation, the power, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ”

Now is come… What is meant by the words of the title? The coming of salvation can be interpreted as the realization of the sacrifice of Jesus. What about “the Kingdom of our God” The Kingdom of God has been for ages in heaven, and there can be no question of the Kingdom coming into heaven. What about the Kingdom of God coming to earth? This sentence is combined with “the authority of his Christ;”. This has been realized in heaven, but not yet on earth. Christ has been given all power in heaven and on earth, but I interpret it as a sure promise that still awaits fulfillment.

An important question that many are concerned with is: when will this war be waged and when will Satan be thrown out of heaven with his angels? Did the war begin as soon as Lucifer’s action against God became apparent? The great and well-known manifestation of all was the seduction of the first people to resist God’s order in the Garden of Eden. No war started; Nor was it forbidden for Satan to enter heaven before God. On the contrary: God gave up the kingdoms of earth to Satan!

Can it be true? The following Bible verse should be read carefully and with consideration: Jer 27:5 ” I [Jehovah of hosts] have made the earth, the men and the animals that are on the surface of the earth, by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I give it to whom it seems right to me.” Satan confirmed that he had received the dominance of all nations of the earth by saying to Jesus Luke 4:6-7 “And the devil said to him, I will give you all this power, and their glory; for it is given up to me, and to whomsoever I will I give it. If you, therefore, will worship before me, it will all be yours.”

The encounter between Satan and Jesus happened about 4000 years after the seduction of Adam and Eve. Throughout this time, God’s long-suffering lasted the devil’s rebellion against God’s will.

Another Example: When, during Job, Satan stepped before God, he said in response to God’s question “Where have you come from?”: “From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” (Job 2:2)

This also shows that Satan has had access to heaven and to God and that he or his angels have not yet been thrown away.

Third: John 12:31 “Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out”.

In his gospel, John wrote Jesus saying that the prince of this world (Satan) must be thrown out – that is, in the future. John wrote his gospel when Jesus had ascended to heaven for several decades earlier. This also means that there was no war in heaven yet, and Satan and his angels had not yet been cast out onto the earth.

Let us remember that God has a plan for everything that happens in the world.

 

When will the war be in heaven?

In verse 24:10 describes how Satan has been cast out of heaven: “Now is come the salvation, the power, and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ; for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down…” Authority of Christ is linked to the casting out of Satan.

The following interpretation of Satan’s throwing out has been presented: Jesus ascended to heaven and received all power from God in heaven and on earth, casting out Satan with his supporters from heaven down to earth. Can it be said, as a result of this, that “now is the Kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ”? Not quite. It should be remembered that John had a vision and wrote the Revelation about 60-70 years after Jesus entered heaven. In this chapter, the events vary from time to time until heaven was cleansed. The above interpretation could be possible but we still need to consider the events.

Does “now is come the power …” that the power of God and Christ is come in heaven? No, that is not what it means! God’s power has been undeniable since time begun. It means that the kingdom of God has come upon the earth, which means that the Saints reign as representatives of the Kingdom of God, and that Jesus Christ, is the king of this Kingdom. So, there will be a Millennial kingdom of Christ on earth. Then it can be said that “now is the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ,” and at that time shall Satan and his army be thrown out of heaven on the earth.

Luuk 10:17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”
18 He [Jesus] said to them, “I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven.

Does Jesus mean that there was a war in heaven while Jesus was on earth? Only then did the Devils arrive to devour the humankind? The Devil has been on earth already during the time of Adam and Eve. God once asked Satan where he was: Job 1:7 (and 2:2) “Where have you come from? From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”

When Adam and Eve were once expelled from paradise, they had children and many new people were born into society. There was a lot of sin and evil. Where did this great amount of sin come from? From the actions of Satan and his forces. So, God decided to destroy all of mankind under the flood.

Satan was already inspecting places for 1000-2000 years before Jesus was born. Satan also appears as King of Tyre. I find it clear that at that time he already had his own angelic servants as well as other angelic princes on the earth to control certain areas.

Daniel’s book tells the story of the Persian angel prince and Greek prince against whom Daniel’s angel had to fight almost alone, with the help of Michael the Archangel only. Already during Daniel, it seems that there have been fallen Angel princes leading the city-states not only in Tyre but also in Persia and Greece.

These rebellious angels were powerful judging from the fact that Daniel’s angel had to fight for a long time against these angels. By this, I just want to show that Jesus’ statement “I saw Satan fall from heaven as a lightning” does not mean that Jesus would have really seen this happen, except as a premonition.

When Jesus comes from heaven to earth, it happens at the same time as the war in heaven begins. As a result of this war, Satan is thrown to earth with his angelic troops, one third of the total number of angels. When Christ arrives on earth for the second time, he sees that Satan is thrown on the earth like a flash of lightning. There will also be a war on earth, the result of which is that Satan and his troops lose and Satan is bound for a thousand years. Satan’s helpers, the Antichrist and the false prophet, are thrown into the lake of fire.

What we know is that Satan and his demons have been operating on the earth for a long time before this. However, Satan has had access to heaven to stand before God until this. 12:11 They overcame him because of the Lamb’s blood, and because of the word of their testimony. They didn’t love their life, even to death.
12 Therefore rejoice, heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil has gone down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time.”
13 When the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.

In verse 13, Satan cast into the earth goes after the mother of Jesus, Mary who gave birth to a baby boy. On the basis of this verse, then, do you conclude that Satan would have been thrown on the earth already when Jesus was a new-born baby? Or, is it to be interpreted that the wife, who gave birth to the child, is figuratively representing the church that was born as a result of Jesus and the Apostles? It is a question of Satan’s persecution of God’s Church. In the Bible, and especially in the Revelation, almost everything seems to be figurative expression.

 

The two witnesses

Ilm 11:3 I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands, standing before the Lord of the earth.

What is meant by olive trees and lampstands?

Psa 52:8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.

Zec 4:11 Then I asked him, “What are these two olive trees on the right side of the lampstand and on the left side of it?”                                                                                      12 I asked him the second time, “What are these two olive branches, which are beside the two golden spouts, that pour the golden oil out of themselves?”
13 He answered me, “Don’t you know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.”
14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

Olive trees and lampstands are a figurative expression because it is clear that olive trees and lampstands cannot stand before the Lord. The Revelation reads: 1:20 seven stars are the messengers [angels] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.    

These two witnesses, called the Olive tree and the Lampstand, are the two churches (congregations) of God who boldly testify for 3.5 years. In verse 11:7 it appears that ”when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them.” ”Their dead bodies lie on the street [of Jerusalem] for three and a half days (11:9). Many people will be glad and rejoice, for these two churches troubled them with their preaching. Churches have had the power to distribute scourges to disobedient members of the Church. That’s why people rejoice when the beast rises from the depths to destroy these churches. The verse 11 tells how these churches come back to life and the saints ascend to heaven after having been dead for 3.5 days: “After the three days and a half the spirit of life from God came into them, and they stood upon their feet; and they went up to the heaven in the cloud”.

This whole account is figurative expression and must be interpreted accordingly.

11:5 If anyone desires to harm them [the witnesses], fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. If anyone desires to harm them, he must be killed in this way.
6 These have the power to shut up the sky, that it may not rain during the days of their prophecy. They have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.
7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them. 
9 From among the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations people will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.

Why are the bodies of witnesses lying dead for just three and a half days? The Witnesses of God’s Churches “die” or cease to act as witnesses for this time. Then God awakens them and calls up to heaven. In verse 12 they are resurrected.

11:10 Those who dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and they will be glad. They will give gifts to one another, because these two prophets [two God’s churches] tormented those who dwell on the earth.                                                                                   11 After the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them.
12 I heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” They went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies saw them.

– Why are the bodies of witnesses lying dead for just three and a half days? The Witnesses of God’s Churches “die” or cease to act as witnesses for this time. Then God awakens them and calls up to heaven. ”Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed” (1 Cor 15:51). – Those members of the church who rise up become spirit beings like angels. “When the voice from heaven “come up” is heard, the voice of the last, i.e. the seventh trumpet (chapter 12) also sounds, and Satan and his forces are thrown on the earth. Jesus Christ meets the ascending ones who have come up to meet him in the clouds.

 

God protects believers

12:13 ”When the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.” – King Herod persecuted Josef and Mary and killed a large number of baby boys. Joseph and Mary escaped from Israel to Egypt and Jesus was saved. The following verses in chapter 12 talk about how the serpent/dragon persecuted the wife to kill her. However, the wife is not Joseph’s wife, but God’s own church. If we think of the schedule of events, this will not happen at the time of Jesus’ birth. It is shown in verse 17, which tells the story of the dragon’s failure to fight against them,” to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep God’s commandments and hold Jesus’ testimony.” – Jesus was a little baby, and his public activity was still far ahead.

14 Two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she could be taken care of for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

From this time, “time and two and a half time” can be said to be the same, 1260 days, or 3.5 years, already mentioned in verse 12: 6. The order of events is very erratic. In verse 14 it is stated that God’s Church is safe for 3.5 years. This period of time ”a time, and times, and half a time” is known in the Bible as “time of Tribulation “. It is caused by Satan. After the Tribulation follows the Day of Lord’s Wrath. It lasts also 3 and a half years. Both make a total of 7 years, or, a ‘one week’ long time at the end time.

In the Book of Daniel, chapter 9, angel Gabriel explains the future times  – the last week (seven years) of events – to Daniel:

9:23 At the beginning of your petitions the commandment went forth, and I am come to tell you; for you are greatly beloved: therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.
24 Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.
25 Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem to the Anointed One, [“Messiah, Christ] the prince, shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troubled times.
26 After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One shall be cut off, and shall have nothing: and the people of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end of it shall be with a flood, and even to the end shall be war; desolations are determined.
27 And he shall confirm a covenant with the many for one week; and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and because of the protection of abominations there shall be a desolator, even until that the consumption and what is determined shall be poured out upon the desolate.
Rev 12:17 The dragon grew angry with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep God’s commandments and hold Jesus’ testimony.
Hence, Satan is angry with the Church of God, and according to the verse 12:15 ”The serpent spewed water out of his mouth after the woman like a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream.” After this failure, Satan headed his actions against other Christians. However, the Bible promises that ”whoever will call on the name of the Lord [Jehovah] will be saved.” (Joel 2:32, Apt 2:21, Room 10:13)

12:18 Then the dragon stood on the sand of the sea.
What does the sea mean? What about sea sand?

In his book, Daniel describes how the four beasts, which represent four kingdoms and their kings, rose from the sea. In his revelation, John writes how he saw 13:1 And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. At the end of the book, 21:1 is stated … “for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea”. – The sea depicts humanity. Sand describes the quantity: For example, Jes 10:22 Though your people be like the sand by the sea, Israel, only a remnant will return.

So, when Satan stood upon the sand of the seashore, I interpret it to mean that Satan thought of the number of people and how he should get all in his side, away from the worship of the true God.

 

Angels and Holy Spirit

From the many verses in the Bible, we see how the angels participate in organizing world affairs according to God’s instructions.  And then, how does the Holy Spirit participate in the realization of God’s plan? To my mind, the Holy Spirit does not intervene in the daily, concrete things of the world; Instead, it primarily affects people’s minds.

2 Peter 1:21 says in a descriptive way:”For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Apt 1:8 ”But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And also Luke says with reference to Isaiah 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,” 

The Holy Spirit has no calling name, unlike God has Jehovah and his son Jesus. The Holy Spirit is not a person in the same way as God and Christ. The holy spirit has been described as “the working force of God”. Apt 7:55 ”But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” – If the Holy Spirit, like God, were a person, Stephen would probably have seen also this third person in his vision.                                                                                                                                   

Heavenly power structures

Col 1:15-16 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, For by (in him, NIV) him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by [in] him, and for him:

 

Thrones (G2362 θρόνος thronos)

A throne seat, metaph. to God, the governor of the world, to the Messiah, Christ, the partner and assistant in the divine administration, assigned in the NT to kings, hence, kingly power or royalty, to judges i.e. tribunal or bench, to elders.

There are two thrones when talking about heaven; The throne of God and on his right hand is the throne of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Eph 1:20-21 which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.  – This high position for Christ on the right side of God was in God’s plans before the creation of the world.

One of the greatest “Angel Princes” Lucifer, who then became Satan, began to envy such a position and power in the throne and wanted to be in the same position as God. For him, the power and great splendor of an angelic Prince was not enough, and he began to rebel.

 

Dominions (G 2963 κυριότης kyriotēs)

dominion, power, lordship; in the N. T. one who possesses dominion. KJV translated dominion (3x), government (1x).

Eph 1:20-21 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

2 Pet 2:10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord.

The same word is also used by Jude the brother of Jesus, who writes 1:8 In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.

9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

 

Principalities (ἀρχή archḗ, from Strong’s G756; (properly abstract) a commencement, or (concretely) chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank):—beginning, corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule.

This word, ‘ἀρχή archē’, has been used to describe the beginning and, in some cases, the beginning of everything. The title Archangel comes from this Greek word.

Mar 13:19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning (ἀρχή archē), when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.

Luk 1:2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.

John 1:1-2 In the beginning (en archē) was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 

Authority (ἐξουσία exousia G1849. KJV translates this as Power (69x), authority (29x), right (2x), liberty, jurisdiction, strength (1x)

Thrones, dominions, authorities or powers are thus not a species of angels .. but the authority of the angelic kingdom set by God, which is honored by angels, but not always by people.

Angels have been given many different tasks and positions. The Bible speaks of a few in addition to the ordinary angels: Seraphs, Cherubs, and Archangels.

Only one angel is called Archangel in the bible. His name is Michael. Angel Gabriel has also been considered an archangel. Many believe that there are seven archangels. In this case, reference is made to the Revelation; 8:2 I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. – A high-ranking angel has access to God, and in this verse, these angels stand before God. According to Jewish tradition, the names of these archangels are: Michael, Gabriel, Rafael, Uriel, Raguel, Saragael, and Remiel. These names are mentioned in the Apocrypha, such as the books of Tobit and Enok. But, let us hold on to the Bible. Archangel Michael is called in Daniel ”one of the chief princes” (10:13) and ”your prince” (10:21), so he is among the high ranking angels specifically the angel of the chosen people of God (Israel). When Jesus Christ comes to earth for the second time 1 The 4:16 says: ”For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”.

Another high-ranking angel is Gabriel (meaning “God is my strength”), whose mission is to deliver important messages to the people concerned. The most well-known message was given to Mary, and it was about her becoming pregnant and to give birth to the Son of God. Also to Mary’s future spouse, Joseph, an angel, perhaps Gabriel, told about the origin of Mary’s pregnancy. Daniel also received a message in a dream from Gabriel: 9: 21 “while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.” – Angel Gabriel appears to Daniel as a man and not as an angel with wings.

Seraphim are also high-ranking angels. Seraphim are often described as red because ‘seraph’ means ‘burning’. The Bible mentions seraphim in Isa 6:2 “Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying”. In Isaiah 6, God asks who would be willing to prophesy to the people of Israel, and Isaiah declares willing. 6:6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me… Verses 6: 9-10 reveal God’s hard-to-understand message: “He said, “Go and tell this people: “ ’Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Seraphim have six wings, two of which are used for flying and with others they cover their eyes and feet. Seraphim and other angels are spirit beings. They move from heaven to earth or appear in people’s dreams, but don’t really fly with the wings. Wings and flying are, in my view, a figurative expression of the ability to move quickly from one place to another. Covering the eyes may reflect protection from the glory of God. Moses asked God in Exo 33:18 “Then Moses said [to God], “Now show me your glory.” God said: 33:20 “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

 

Cherubim

The most famous cherub of the Bible is Lucifer, who then became Satan. Eze 28:13-15 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite, and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.  You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.

 

Satan – god of this world

Jer 27:5 ” With my great power and outstretched arm I [Lord God] made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please.”. – God gave the world to Satan who promised it to Jesus if Jesus worshiped Satan. When God promised Abraham and his descendants the whole earth, He surely didn’t mean that Satan would be the supreme leader of the earth. When Abraham can redeem God’s promise, it is certain that the earth will then be purified from Satan and his forces. Satan is accompanied by death, but the coming world is free from death; the people who live there have received their prizes.

Satan has already become familiar with the readers of the Bible from the beginning of the Bible, when he deceived Adam and Eve in the form of a serpent. Who just broke God’s commandments, immediately Satan “accuses them before our God day and night” (Rev 12:10). Job, whom God had identified as a righteous man, also caused Satan to doubt his true righteousness. Peter is also telling about Satan’s activities like this: 1 Pet 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  – This is what Satan has been doing throughout the history of mankind. And now, when the end time is at hand? What will be the contribution of Satan in these events? Rev 12:3 “Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.”

The beast of this verse is found in the Revelation as well as in Daniel’s book. It plays an important role in the end-time battles. The dragon is identified as a Satan, and the seven heads of the dragon and the ten horns represent a union of states whose purpose is to destroy the state of Israel.

 

Satan as king of Tyre

Eze 28:12 “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ’You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite, and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. 
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.                                              15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.           

Ezekiel writes about the king of Tyre, a man whom he describes as cherub! These verses show that the king of Tyre / Satan is an angel and a created creature. He is described as an angel who was decorated with the finest jewels. From the time of his creation, he worked perfectly in accordance with the will of God until injustice was found in him. The difficult thing to understand in this report is that the king of Tyre, the man, is said to be an angel, a Cherub. I interpret this as the king of Tyre was really a man into whom Satan “had gone” in the same way as Satan went into Judas Iscariot.                           

Since the beginning of Ezekiel chapter 28, the Bible talks about the king of Tyre. The point is, “You were a cherub …” and the cherub is a high-ranking angel. Cherub is said to have been in Eden, the garden of God. But it was Satan. Eze 28:2 “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ’In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.” But you are a mere mortal and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god.”

Satan is also known as the morning star or the son of the dawn. Isa 14:12 “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” Isaiah’s statement is a prophecy of the coming. Some bible translations use Satan’s name Lucifer (Light-bearer).

Isaiah continues: 14:13-15 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the bottomless pit. 

Isaiah testifies that God knew that Satan had sought the throne of God in his heart. ’The bottomless pit’ means the same place as where were thrown the fallen angels who came to men’s daughters and bore children to them to wait for the last judgment;  “These he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day”. (Jude 1:6)

What happens to Satan is told in Rev 20:1 “I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 
2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
3 He threw him into the Abyss [bottomless pit], and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After this, he must be freed for a short time.”

These verses reveal how Satan boasted and aimed to become equal to God. Being proud and striving to be like God is certainly a reality. Instead, Satan has not yet been thrown down to the ‘bottomless pit’. It only happens when Christ comes for the second time; he throws the Antichrist and the false prophet into the lake of fire, and Satan will be bound for a thousand years. This is a foresight that is fulfilled when Jesus comes for the second time.

 

Satan – the ruler of the power of the air

Eph 2:2 in which you once lived according to the ways of this present world and according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now active in those who are disobedient.

I wonder what the apostle means when writing about Satan being the ruler of the power of the air? Nowadays, the rule of power is an important prerequisite for winning the war, but a couple of thousand years ago, that content could hardly have been given to this concept. Some commentators in the Bible say referring to the old Jewish ideas of demons and evil spirits which were considered to live in the space. Perhaps this is the right interpretation.

What are these children of disobedience? They are the opposite of God’s children. When the children of God seek to do the will of God, these children of disobedience care little about it. They belong to Satan, the god of this world. 2 Cor 4:4 ”In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe to keep them from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.” – Paul reminds the Ephesians how they were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another (Tiit 3:3). Ephesians are finally warned of the consequences: “Let no one deceive you with vain words, for on account of these things the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience.” (Eph 5:6).

 

How does Satan work?

Joh 8:44 ” You are of your Father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a liar, and the father of lies.”

Satan has proven to be a liar, even from the beginning of the Bible. There is nothing honest about him. Here are some Bible verses which reflect the activity of Satan.  1 Pet 5:8 “Be vigilant, watch. Your adversary the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”. Satan is angry and desperate. He knows he doesn’t have much time. Rev 12:12 “Therefore rejoice, heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil has gone down to you, having great wrath, knowing that his time is short.” – When Satan was thrown down from heaven to the earth in the revelation of John, he was accompanied by a third of the angels of heaven. The number of Satan’s troops is extremely high, perhaps hundreds of millions. These fallen angels (demons) are available to Satan in attracting mankind from the connection between the true God and his Church. Demons have been harassing people on earth from before the time of Jesus. Jesus and his disciples healed people by driving out demons.

 

Satan as an angel of light

God sent Jesus to bring the gospel message to mankind. What does Satan do with his troops? In Mark’s gospel, Jesus tells the parable in Luke 8:12 “Those along the road are those who hear, then the devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved.”. – Unfortunately, Satan and his troops are victorious. Very small are the parishes to which the apostolic gospel word is rooted. It suits fine to Satan that instead of the true gospel, people are offered a distorted gospel. Satan himself leads this attack. 2 Cor 11:14 ”And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”

Not only does Satan himself appear as an angel of light, the Bible says that many of the Church masquerade as servants of righteousness. In the following verse, the matter is confirmed: 15 ”So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will match their deeds.”

Satan can affect people’s activities through their minds. John says 13:2 ”during supper, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon, Iscariot, that he should betray him”. And then what happened, Luke tells 22:3 ” Satan entered into Judas, who was surnamed Iscariot…”  Judas was disappointed to see that Jesus would not establish his Kingdom and reign in their time. This disappointment was right away used by Satan and we all know what happened.

Satan succeeds well in his seduction if only people are a little receptive. They seem to be. If, according to what Paul told, his parishioners had previously lived “according to this world”, then the same thing can be going on today. The Bible warns and advises: Jam 4:7-8 ”Subject yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” – In many ways, Satan seeks to keep Christians away from God. The Apostle tells us how he has been subjected to Satan’s actions: 1 The 2:18 ”we have desired to come to you, even I Paul, both once and twice, but Satan has hindered us.”

Satan knows what will happen to him and his troops. There’s little time for him. He must know that he is going to lose, but he wants to take with him as many people as possible to perdition. 

 

How does the devil work on “children of disobedience”?

Eph 6:12 ”For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

In the Ephesians, the Apostle finds out who and where the enemy is; The enemies are the spirit beings of evil who dwell in space. This is the case at the moment, but when Christ comes with his heavenly troops, Satan loses the battle, and Satan, with his demonic angels, will be bound for a thousand years.

 

Other characterizations of Satan

Satan is the accuser. Rev 12:10 “I heard a loud voice in heaven say, now the salvation, the power, the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ have come. For the one accusing our brothers, the one who accuses them day and night in the presence of our God, has been thrown out.

He is also the tempter. Mat 4:3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 1 The 3:5 “For this cause I also, when I couldn’t stand it any longer, sent that I might know your faith, for fear that the tempter had tempted you in some way, and our labor would have been in vain.

Satan is the deceiver. 2 Cor 4:4 in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.

Satan is the adversary. 2 The 2:4 he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God and declares himself to be God.

The kingdom of this world has been Satan’s and still is. But there comes soon an era in which Christ reigns. Jesus Himself testified this way in Mat 28:18: Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” Jesus takes this power in the Second Coming when He establishes the Millennial kingdom of God on the earth and reigns as king with the saints of the first resurrection. Satan is bound for a thousand years and cannot seduce people.

Although Satan was thrown out of heaven in John’s vision, he is still trying to exalt his throne above God. He falsifies everything that God does, hoping to become worshipped by the world and trying to resist the kingdom of God. Satan is the origin of all false cults and religions. Satan does anything to mislead the righteous servants of God. He masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14) and he gets many priests to preach a different gospel i.e. another gospel. 2 Cor 11:4 ” For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if you receive a different spirit, which you did not receive, or a different gospel, which you did not accept, you put up with that well enough.”

It is not unimportant what kind of teaching is shared at the church. Is the gospel declared in the churches according to the bible? There are up to tens of thousands of different denominations in the world, and the teaching they share sometimes takes on quite bizarre forms. It is not for me to condemn anyone for how he believes. Every person should tolerate constructive criticism. Everyone should ask themselves: Is my faith biblical?

But still, there is a reason to be careful. The Galatians (1:8) also warn: But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any gospel other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed.

 

The war of Gog – Ezekiel chapters 38-39

After the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison, (Rev 20:7). Satan ”will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.” (20:8).

Ezekiel predicted these wars in his own time: 38:14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and tell Gog, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: In that day when my people Israel dwells securely, shall you not know it?                                                                           15 You shall come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you, and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army; 
16 and you shall come up against my people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land: it shall happen in the latter days, that I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when I shall be sanctified in you, Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Are you he of whom I spoke in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you against them? 
18 It shall happen in that day, when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, says the Lord Jehovah, that my wrath shall come up into my nostrils.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
20 so that the fish of the sea, and the birds of the sky, and the animals of the field, and all creeping things who creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the surface of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
21 I will call for a sword against him to all my mountains, says the Lord Yahweh: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.
22 With pestilence and with blood will I enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him, and on his hordes, and on the many peoples who are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and sulfur.                                    23 And I will magnify myself, and sanctify myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am Jehovah.”

Although mankind and all nations have a thousand years to live in peace, Christ and the saints rule the world, without the temptations of Satan, what happens when Satan is freed to go? Satan manages to attract enormous numbers of people from many nations “from the four corners of the earth”. Their number is described as being like the sand of the seashore. How is it possible that mankind, which has lived a thousand years without the temptation of Satan, now suddenly turns against the administration of Christ? It can somehow be understood when one remembers the exodus of Israel from Egypt. The Israelites witnessed the great miracle of the Red Sea while fleeing across the water which receded before them, and finally drowned Pharaoh’s troops. However, the people forgot about what happened and the miracle of God and began to murmur. And when Moses went up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments, the people rushed to worship the golden idol that they built.

In these thousand years, mankind does not seem to change, despite the administration of Christ, if countless people and armies of nations fall into the temptations and miracles of Satan. I’ve been under the impression that Christ and the saints when ruling for a thousand years, implant the true service of God to all nations. I thought that the whole world population would have become Christians. How wrong I’ve been.

But the battle becomes short. Rev 20:9 tells: They went up over the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city. Fire came down out of heaven from God, and devoured them. – Although the combat is not described in more detail, it can be inferred from the verse that it is similar to modern warfare. Satan’s troops will rise through space to siege the Saints in Jerusalem. What kind of planes or rockets are used it does not say, but I conclude that the forces and the means of transport are physical, not just spiritual. The humans who have joined Satan’s forces are destroyed by fire falling from heaven. Satan and his demons have lost. 

 

Angels in end-time events

One-third of people are killed – Revelation chapter 9

Angels play an important role in end-time events. The angels mark the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads so that the plagues of the Day of the Lord would not come upon them (Rev  9. chapter). What happens to those who do not have God’s seal? Revelation 9:3 ”And out of the smoke came forth locusts on the earth, and power was given to them as the scorpions of the earth have power; 
4 They were told that they should not harm the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those people who don’t have God’s seal on their foreheads.”  – Are they God’s angels or Satan’s? Revelation 9:11 explains: ”They have a king over them, the angel of the abyss: his name in Hebrew, Abaddon, and in Greek he has for name Apollyon.”. – The angels of God are not in the abyss or otherwise guiding the prisoners of the depth, but this is a fallen angel. The name of the angel of the depth means the “destroyer”.

These “locusts, were the result of the fifth angel blowing a trumpet. It should be noted that the locusts were not allowed to kill people, just to tease them so that people will seek death even to get rid of their bullies.

The locusts, however, were not these winged little insects, who even today are teasing mankind to eat the crops grown by the farmers. The locusts of this scourge were according to verse 9:7 ”And the likenesses of the locusts were like to horses prepared for war; and upon their heads as crowns like gold, and their faces as faces of men;” 9:9 and they had breastplates as breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to war; – The verse most obviously describes modern combat troops, as well as soldiers with equipment and weapons. “Noise of the wings” describing the “roar” caused by helicopters and aircraft. What does it mean when we say locusts ‘harassing’ people? Perhaps it means the behavior of the occupying forces in conquering areas as the troops progress towards their goal in Israel.

Then the events get worse.

When the next or the sixth angel blows in the trumpet 9:15 ”The four angels were freed who had been prepared for that hour and day and month and year, so that they might kill one-third of mankind.” Who are these four angels then? The Bible says they have been tied for a long time. The word the Bible uses for binding is δέω déō; a primary verb; to bind (in various applications, literally or figuratively) —bind, be in bonds, knit, tie, wind. – Are they the angels of God, or Satan? If they are the angels of God, being bound must then be considered a figurative expression; they are instructed to wait until the time is full.

Revelation 9:17-18 describes this battle to destroy the huge army troops during the end-time: ”This was how I saw the horses in my vision: The riders wore breastplates that had the color of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur came out of their mouths. By these three plagues were one-third of mankind killed: by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur, which proceeded out of their mouths.

Although a third of humanity is killed, ”they did not repent of their murders, their deeds of witchcraft, their acts of sexual immorality, or their thefts.” (9:21). The purpose of blowing the angel’s trumpet is as if to warn of the future plague. When an angel pours out his bowl, it describes the actual punishment of God.

 

War of Armageddon – Revelation Chapter 16

The Bible describes the shedding of the sixth angel’s bowl in the chapter 16:12–14 ” And the sixth poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates; and its water was dried up, that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared. And I saw out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as frogs”. – At the latest, the nature of these angels is revealed; verse 14 reveals that they are spirits of demons:  ”for they are spirits of demons, performing signs; which go forth to the kings of the whole inhabited earth, to gather them together for the war [Armageddon] of that great day of God, the Almighty

Satan is an angel and a spirit. Are the accomplices, of Satan the Antichrist, to whom Satan gave his power, and the counterpart of the Holy Spirit, the false prophet, are they also spirits? This could be inferred from verse 14, which says” for they are spirits of demons, angels commanded by Satan. The fallen angels have previously “gone into people” as we discovered happened in Greece and in Persia during Daniel and the king of Tyre who was Satan himself. Or as Satan had “entered” into Judas Iscariot (Luke 22: 3). Instead, the kings of the earth leaving for war with the aim of destroying Israel are people whose spiritual and religious endeavors are used to guide them.

The dragon is Satan and the unclean spirits (angels) are: the beast or Antichrist, the false prophet, and the aforementioned angel of depth, Apollyon (meaning the destroyer). As a result of this great war, the Antichrist and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire, and Satan is bound for a thousand years. Yet there is another big war left, or actually two.

 

Satan is bound for a thousand years.

Revelation Chapter 20: In the Bible, events are not always logically in temporal sequence. These events of the Revelation have been told in several places. Chapter 20 returns to an earlier time when the angel of heaven captures the dragon, or Satan. 20:2-3 ” He captured the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and tied him up for a thousand years. He threw him into the bottomless pit, locked it, and sealed it over him to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were over. After that he must be set free for a little while.

Why isn’t Satan destroyed as soon as he is caught? After pondering the matter, I came to the conclusion that, when captured, the Millennial kingdom of Christ was just coming. Satan had to be bound for the duration of this kingdom, so that neither he nor any of his accomplishes could interfere with the work of the kingdom led by Christ and the saints – planting the Word of God in the heart of every country’s inhabitant. Then only Satan will be let go for his last test; will he be able to fight against God? From chapter 20, we learn that Satan manages to “deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth … whose number is like the sand of the seashore” (20:8)

Gog’s war when Satan is released  – Revelation Chapter 20

In verse 20:7 confirms what is said in 20:2-3: And after the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. – Quite generally, Gog has been interpreted as signifying an attack on Israel under the leadership of Russia. In this article, I have watched the events from the perspective of the angels and therefore it is noteworthy that it is the devil’s errand again. Some of Satan’s accomplices have already been thrown into the lake of fire.

Chapter 9 war could not be described with modern expressions, but it is said, that “the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur came out of their mouths.” Verse 20:9 also tells us about the war with modern weapons: ”They went up over the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city. Fire came down out of heaven from God and devoured them.” – The rebellion of fallen angels has finally ended.

Isaiah continues: 14:13- 14 You said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit on the mountain of congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. – These verses reveal how Satan became proud of himself and began to consider himself as equivalent to God. In this regard, Isaiah’s vision has already been realized. Satan, on the other hand, has not yet been thrown down to Sheol, to the uttermost parts of the pit. (Disobedient angels were punished in this way, as can be seen in Genesis 6th chapter). In this regard, it is a vision of the future that will come true when Jesus comes the second time.

From the beginning of the 28th chapter, Ezekiel writes about king of the Tyre. Eze states that “you were a cherub …” and the cherub is a high-ranking angel. Cherub is said to have been in Eden, God’s Garden. The cherub in question is Satan. Eze 28:2 Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because your heart is lifted up, and you have said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet you are man, and not God, though you did set your heart as the heart of God;

How can Satan be a king in Tyre? Or another problem point that says: Yet you are a man. If Satan, who is a high-ranking angel, how can Ezekiel say that ‘you are still a human being’? In any case, Isaiah characterizes Satan in the same way. Could these prophets mean that Satan is just human-like? Angels can take on the human form even they can have children with real human beings.

When discussing this, I remember the verses of Daniel’s book: Dan 10 tells about Michael, the Archangel: 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but, behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me: and I remained there with the kings of Persia. 10:20 Then he said: Do you know why I have come to you? Now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia. When I go forth, behold, the prince of Greece [Javan] shall come. 21 But I will tell you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth: and there is none who holds with me against these, but Michael your prince.

Tyre was not the only kingdom in which a rebellious angel prince was in power. This was also the case in Persia and Greece (Javan).

 

 

 

 

• The world stage according to the Bible
• In OT times, God spoke through the prophets, in NT times through Jesus
• Does God still speak to us today?
• The scriptures of the Bible can only be understood if the Holy Ghost opens them.
• Being born of the Spirit
• The Lord spoke
• No one has seen God, if he sees, he dies.
• Urim and Thummim
• The holiness of God
• God spoke to me in a vision
• Can an imperfect person become holy?
• God sends an angel who can appear as a human being.
• New heaven and new earth.

 

The world stage according to the Bible

1 God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 has at the end of these days [or: in these last days] spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds. (Heb 1:1)

“Father’s time” is until the birth of Christ. God the Father created the world, and all that is in it. What does the Bible mean by saying that God created the world through the Son? I have interpreted it so that the new world ahead of Christ is the time of the Son of God, his creation, through which he has created the aion (aion means a period) the world age to come. He does not create the physical world but the world of salvation and the world of final judgment and the subsequent spiritual world, opening the New World of God. It is inhabited by the saved of eternal life, as co-workers with God.

Did you pay attention to the phrase “in these last days” used in verse 2? Often people think that the last days are only in the future. However, the Bible says that God spoke in the last days through Jesus. If we assume that the last days are still going on and will continue in the near future, then I believe that Jesus is the one who speaks to us today. Jesus, “God’s representative on earth,” speaks to us in the last days now underway, through the doctrine he gave to his disciples, and these were passed on to the churches in many letters.

The above interpretation of the beginning of the last days as early as the time of the Epistle to the Hebrews, defending it, Paul strongly emphasized the behavior of men and the desire to live in the way of the king of this world (Satan). It was easy to see that such a sinful way of life indicated the end of time. Second, Jesus had promised to come soon, and the apostles and congregations were waiting for Christ to come again at any time.

However, the hallmarks of the last days, listed by Matthew, for example, are a description of such significant events shaking the world that I believe the last days did not begin until these signs were fulfilled. For example, World wars I and II can meet the hallmarks of anxiety these days.

 

In OT times, God spoke through the prophets,  in NT times through Jesus

In Old Testament times, God seemed to be active in directing Israel’s actions and instructing the kingdom’s leaders. Even on minor issues that could be considered to belong to his angelic army’s leadership. Take the conversation between God and King David as an example of this: 2 Sam 2:1 “It happened after this, that David inquired of Jehovah, saying, shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? Jehovah said to him, Go up. David said, where shall I go up? He said, to Hebron.”

If a person asks God a question that troubles him, will God answer, and if not, then why not? There is, of course, a difference between things. Even the burning issues of individual people are insignificant compared to the problems at the national level. If God were to guide individual people in the little things of everyday life and grateful people would tell in the “God answered” column what advice each received from God, God would easily become a too mundane problem solver.

God can also be understood in another way; God speaks to a man in faith through his Holy Spirit, and man does not hear speech with his ears but with his heart.

Heb 1:1-2 “in these last days did speak to us in a Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He did make the ages.”

God has spoken “in these last days” through Jesus Christ. What does the phrase “in these last days” mean? Does it mean “in the end-times” if the Bible says the end times began already in the time of Jesus? Or does it mean during the past days or “recently,” that is, just now? John 6:39 uses the same word “And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything that he has given me, but should raise it to life on the last day.” Perhaps the apostles believed the last days were at hand because they also believed and hoped Christ would return to them soon.

God created the old, physical world; Act 17:24 “The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands.”

The essential message in Hebrews 1:2 is that God has spoken to us through the Son. What kind of world did Christ create when the Bible testifies in Deuteronomy 10:14; “Behold, to Jehovah your God belongs heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth, with all that is therein.”

Christ has laid the foundation of the New Spiritual World. This world can only be reached through Christ. Jesus emphatically says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. According to the Bible, God often spoke to people in his own voice. Here are some examples from Old Testament times:

2 Moos. 3:14: “God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM, and he said, You shall tell the children of Israel this: I AM has sent me to you.”

Josh 1:1 “Now it happened after the death of Moses the servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying,”

1 Sam 3:11 “Jehovah said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone who hears it shall tingle.”

Isa 7:3 “Then Jehovah said to Isaiah, Go out now to meet Ahaz, you, and Shearjashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller’s field.”

Jer 1:7 “But Jehovah said to me, Don’t say, I am a child; for to whoever I shall send you, you shall go, and whatever I shall command you, you shall speak.”

Act 8:26 “But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert.”

Apt 9:4 “He [Saul, later Paul] fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? 5 He said, Who are you, Lord? The Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”  – This account is perhaps the most shocking New Testament account of how Jesus spoke to Saul, blinded him, and a few days later, Saul, who persecuted Christians in his lust for murder, had turned into a faithful follower of Christ.

Act 9:15 “But the Lord [Christ] said to him, Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel.” – Christ spoke to Ananias in a vision while Saul Christ spoke on the road to Damascus. Saul’s traveling companions heard nothing, so Christ’s speech was only for Saul.

A search for “the Lord said” finds about a thousand Bible verses. “God said,” e.g., Gen 21:12, “God said to Abraham, Don’t let it be grievous…”  There are hundreds of sentences in the Bible that include the phrase “God said…” – I can only say that God, or Lord, has been very active, especially on the Old Testament side.

 

Does God still speak to us today?

God has spoken to us through his Word. 2 Tim 3:16 “Every writing inspired by God is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction which is in righteousness.” – In his second letter, Peter highlights how grace and peace increase through knowing God and our Lord Jesus. 2 Pet 1:3 “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the full knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence. 4 Through these he has given us his precious and wonderful promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, seeing that you have escaped the corruption that is in the world caused by evil desires.”

A blog post answered the headline question, “Does God speak to us?”; Yes, he speaks, but the Holy Spirit of God speaks through the word of God.

God speaks to us through our conscience to distinguish right from wrong. Paul warns us not to allow this world age to change us accordingly; “Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.” “…every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith” (Rom 12:2-3). – Except that Christ spoke to us through his Apostles two millennia ago, everything essential is recorded in the Bible and is still available today. Christ speaks to us today, too, if we only listen and seek his truth.

 

The scriptures of the Bible can only be understood if they are opened by the Holy Ghost.

The Bible says in 2 Peter: 1:21 “For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit.”

People have little understanding of the Bible. They don’t even understand it after reading it. Nor do they understand what the priest speaks in the church because the priest does not teach but repeats old phrases. People have fallen asleep.

Romans 11:8 says, “As it is written “To this day God has given them a spirit of deep sleep. Their eyes do not see, and their ears do not hear.”

Jesus repeated to his disciples the words of Isaiah about a people whose hearts were hardened and whose eyes were closed so that they would not see and understand.

Isa 6: 9 “And he [God] said [to Isaiah]: Go, and tell this people, ‘You hear indeed, But don’t understand; And you see indeed, But don’t perceive. 10 Make the heart of this people fat; Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And turn again, and be healed.” (See Act 28:26)

Mat 13:13 “Therefore I [Jesus] speak to them in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand.
14 In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, ‘By hearing you will hear, And will in no way understand; Seeing you will see, And will in no way perceive.
15 For this people’s heart has grown callous, Their ears are dull of hearing, They have closed their eyes; Or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their heart, And should turn again; And I would heal them.”

Even when Christ was on earth, he had to state, as did Isaiah, that people have a spirit of drowsiness and cannot see or hear. This is still the case today; even though God and Christ speak to people through the Bible, people are the same way, “sleepy,” and do not be bothered to find out what God has spoken to them through Christ. So, pray that the Holy Spirit of God would open for you the Bible’s message. Not everything begins at once, but one thing at a time.

God speaks to you when he gives you understanding!

 

Being born of the Spirit

God in ancient times promised the Israelites: Eze 36:26 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my ordinances, and do them.”    – When a person begins to believe, he similarly receives a “new heart” and a “new spirit.”

The Apostle Paul writes: “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his” (Rom 8:9). Jesus said: Joh 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

Paul’s Epistle to the Romans contains important reading: 8:11 “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.” 

“For all who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s children. For you have not received a spirit of slavery that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba!  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if, in fact, we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Rom 8:14-17). – Romans 8:11 also speaks to the people of this time; if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive by his Spirit who lives in you.

Romans chapter 8 speaks to the disciples, saying that the disciples will have the same glory as Christ if they suffer together with Christ. Jesus promised the apostles that each of them would reign with Christ — Christ as King of the world, the apostles of each of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Joh 3:3 “Jesus replied to him, Truly, truly I tell you, unless a person is born from above [Or: born again] he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – Rebirth means being born of the Holy Spirit of God. Without it, you cannot understand the word of God, but the possibility of misunderstanding exists, and you will quickly fall into the belief of misinterpretations.

Jesus said Joh 3:6: “What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Don’t be astonished that I said to you, ‘All of you must be born from above.” Paul’s letter to the Ephesians continues: 2:18 For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” – Then God’s original plan will come true, to make man his own image, his own children. And then, of course, God the Father speaks to his children, his own family, his own co-workers.

Rom 8:13 “For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
27 He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit’s mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God.
28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

29 For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

How do I know that I am born again? How can I be sure that what I write in this blog is the truth of God? We all have the opportunity to read the same Bible. There are different translations, but in the end, it’s about understanding the Word. I ask myself, have I understood correctly and many others who believe otherwise have misunderstood?

I’ll take an example. In the third or fourth centuries, Church leaders gathered for large ecclesiastical assemblies. Decided after long speeches that God is one but triune. They were so sure then and still today that for centuries those who did not believe in this were to be killed. They were persecuted and burned at the stake and cursed. Ask yourself: can such faith, which leads to such terrible deeds, be right and following God’s will? You may say defensively that this is no longer the case today. Well, no, but would that justify a thousand-year-old argument that no longer today!

I wrote above about believing misinterpretations. I have met stable Christians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Pentecostal, Roman Catholic, and Lutheran, of course. I do not accept some of the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses, such as that Jesus was the ark angel Michael before God exalted him.

I wrote an article about Roman-Catholicism and has pointed out several false interpretations and practices. However, God knows people’s hearts and will not judge a person if he is sincerely mistaken.

I asked, how can I know that my interpretation is correct? I pray that the Holy Spirit of God will guide me. This is what I ask every time I write about biblical questions. I also understand the vision I received from God, showing his light and fire that encourages me to write boldly and without a doubt. I admit that I don’t know and don’t understand nearly everything. Indeed, knowing everything correctly is not essential to salvation; What matters is the heart’s right attitude, a desire and effort to understand the word of the Bible. What matters is not the blind faith in people’s doctrines and shared and repeated by the Church for centuries.

 

Who is not born again of the spirit?

2 Cor 4: 4 says this: “in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.”

– The Bible uses the name “God of this world” for Satan. Satan’s goal is to get, if possible, all the people of this world. What does the Bible mean when it says that Satan has blinded the eyes of those who do not see the light of the gospel of Christ? Blindness occurs in the way that man begins to seek worldly good and life “according to the course of this world.” There is no time in that life to delve into the word of God. When a person seeks money, power, glory, admiration of other people, etc., for worldly good, he imagines that he is getting a lot when he succeeds. However, he gets little, and that too is disappearing. If he sought sanctification and access to the Lord, he could already attain peace and happiness on earth and ultimately eternal life.

I dare say that such “disciples of Satan” are also the majority of Christians. They are nominally Christians. They consider it enough to attend the Christmas Church for the children’s sake, but they lack the desire to partake of the light provided by Christ that comes from the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

At worst, these blind people are, as told in 2 Timothy:

3:1 But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come.  2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good.  4 traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; 5 holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof. Turn away from these, also.

 

The Lord spoke

Exo 3:4 “When Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses! Moses! He said, Here I am. 3:6 Moreover he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look at God.”

Exo 3:14 “God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM, and he said, You shall tell the children of Israel this: I AM has sent me to you.”

Jud 20:18 “The children of Israel arose, and went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God; and they said, Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin? Jehovah said, Judah shall go up first.”

1 Kin 18:24 “You call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Jehovah; and the God who answers by fire, let him be God. All the people answered, It is well said.”

2 Kin 1:10 “Elijah answered to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from the sky, and consume you and your fifty. Fire came down from the sky, and consumed him and his fifty.”

1 Chr 14:14 “David inquired again of God; and God said to him, You shall not go up after them: turn away from them, and come on them over against the mulberry trees.”

Psa 99:6 “Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel among those who call on his name; They called on Jehovah and he answered them.7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud. They kept his testimonies, The statute that he gave them.”

Jonah 4:9 “God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the vine? He said, I am right to be angry, even to death.”

Mat 3:17 “Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Act 11:9 “But a voice answered me the second time out of heaven, ‘What God has cleansed, don’t you call unclean.”

On the Old Testament side in particular, according to some sources, there are as many as two thousand (I counted about 1,500) sentences in which God said, “The Lord said,” or “God spoke,” or some other similar expression as a message from God or a voice from heaven. The spectrum of examples above is broad: God can speak, like Moses, of a burning bush. God can also advise on who should first go out to fight the Benjaminites. In determining which god of the two parties is the true God, the one who lit the fire, was the true God. At Elijah’s request, God sent fire from heaven and consumed fifty men. God gave David detailed counsel to attack, saying, “Do not go after them, but turn around them and attack them from the balm trees.” When the Israelites cried out to God for help, he spoke to them from the cloud. God and Jonah had a dialogue about the mercy of Nineveh’s city, and the Lord grew a plant for Jonah and the next day sent a worm to dry it.

God spoke to Jeremiah, 1:9 “Then Jehovah put forth his hand, and touched my mouth; and Jehovah said to me, Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.”

On the New Testament side, “there could be a voice from heaven saying…”. In the NT, God has left appearances to Jesus; in the OT “God said… “ or in the NT “Jesus said…” is repeated countless times.

Luke 1:12 tells how the angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah the priest. “When Zechariah saw him, he was shaken, and fear overwhelmed him. 13 But the angel said to him, Don’t be afraid, Zacharias, because your request has been heard, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” – We all know the story of the appearance of an angel to the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:30) and later to Joseph (Mat 1:20) and the birth of Jesus to a group of shepherds in the field (Luke 2:10).

 

No one has seen God, if he sees, he dies

It is difficult for us Christians to understand the fear of seeing God’s face or hearing the voice of God, leading him to death. However, Isaiah was terrified because he had seen the Lord. This was a common belief in Biblical times, and specifically in Old Testament times. The reason has been considered to be the emphasis on the holiness of God during that time.

Exo 33:20 “He said, “You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live.”

Exo 20:19 “They said to Moses, “Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don’t let God speak with us, lest we die.”

Deu 5:25 “Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of Jehovah our God any more, then we shall die.”

Deu 18:16 “Let me not hear again the voice of Jehovah my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I not die.”

Jud 13:22 “Manoah said to his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.” – In fact, Manoah and his wife had seen the angel of the Lord; 13:21 “But the angel of Jehovah did no more appear to Manoah or to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of Jehovah.”

Exo 33:19 “He said, I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 33:20 He said, You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live.”

Deu 5:26 “For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?”

Jud 6:22 “Gideon saw that he was the angel of Jehovah; and Gideon said, Alas, Lord Jehovah! because I have seen the angel of Jehovah face to face. 23 Jehovah said to him, Peace be to you; don’t be afraid: you shall not die.”

After all these warnings, remember the great promise of Mat 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

 

Urim and Thummim

The Israelites needed to know how God would react to future situations. God did not even answer the high priest’s questions in his voice. However, God’s answer was obtained by asking a question and two options for it. Of these, God chose the answer.

Exo 28:30 ”You shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before Jehovah: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel on his heart before Jehovah continually.”

Num 27:21 “He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before Jehovah: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.”

It is not clear from these verses, which mention Urim and Thummim, what they were like. However, their purpose is clear, to bring God’s answers to the Israelites, provided they had two alternative solutions to choose from.

During the Old Testament. 1st book of Samuel: 28: 6 “When Saul inquired of Jehovah, Jehovah didn’t answer him, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets..”

1 Sam 14:41 “Therefore Saul said to Jehovah, the God of Israel, Show the right. Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot; but the people escaped.” – This shows what is all about; the drawing of the right answer as it was believed that God would reveal the correct answer by the lot.

A new apostle by the lot replaced Judas. While Jesus was still with the apostles on earth, he, of course, instructed and guided his disciples in all matters. After Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples must have been puzzled by many problems. One such issue was the appointment of a new apostle to replace Judas Iscariot. Did they receive selection instructions from Christ from heaven? All in all, they didn’t get it because they resorted to the old way; after prayer was drawn between two alternative candidates.

Act 1:23 “So they nominated two men—Joseph called Barsabbas, who also was called Justus, and Matthias.
24 They prayed, and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen
25 to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.”
26 They drew lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”

 

The holiness of God

Moses wanted to see the face of the Holy God. Exo 3:6 “Moreover he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look at God.”

Exo 33:20 “He said, “You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live.”

In Heaven “One called to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of Hosts! The whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isa 6:3). Isaiah was also afraid to meet God, though only in a vision 6:5, “Then I said, Woe to me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of Hosts!”

In the new world of God, after the Last Judgment, there are the only righteous people who do not sin anymore. The first resurrection participants have already seen Christ; 1 Joh 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.” – That is understandable, for Christ is a human in heaven. Perhaps the glory of Christ is not the same as the Father of God. Seeing the face of Christ, the Bible speaks and promises that his co-rulers will see him “as he is.”

After the final judgment, those who have received a favorable verdict can see the face of God because they are now Holy and no longer have sin. In the same way, when Christ comes, his own will rise to receive him in the clouds and can see Christ as he is because both Christ and the participants of the first resurrection are all Saints.

What about the face of God the Father, can the saved get to see God?

Isaiah 6:2 tells of a vision in heaven: “Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew.” – Seraphim are the most high-ranking angels in the presence of God. If they have to cover their eyes to protect themselves from the glory of God, indeed, no other angel can see the glory of God. However, the Bible does not say more about it. The glory of God is so powerful that it cannot be seen by angels in heaven or by people on earth. If God wants to appear to man, he cannot appear in all his glory but must use something substitutes, such as an angel or three human figures.

2 Cor 4:4 “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

The Bible describes the message of Christ as light. – God is a spirit (like everyone else in heaven), God is love, and God (and Christ) is light. 1 Joh 4:8 “The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

“God is pure light that is not tainted or obscured by anything. The old translation said he is light. As such, he has not been able to appear to any human being, for we would not withstand such intense light. Instead, he is present in heaven. The book of Revelation says: “There will be no night, and they need no lamp light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever” (Rev 22:5). Three things are expressed about God’s nature: God is Spirit, God is love, and God is light. The light depicts his holiness. The apostle John writes in the first chapter of his letter: 1 Joh 1:5, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

They shall see God; During the Old Testament, no one could see God. Seeing the holy God meant death. Christ, as a human, was visible to all. Matthew says, who can see God: 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Heb 12:14 “Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” The Lord is in this verse κύριος, which refers to Christ. For example, when the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph, the angel is said to be the “angel of the Lord,” or the same Lord, translated by the word κύριος. However, it could not be an angel of Christ, but an angel of God the Father, because Jesus had not even been born yet. The angels of God are ἄγγελος θεός, Aggelos theos.

God says: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isa 57:15)

What does the holiness of God mean? Perfection? Righteousness? Mercy? At least, God is perfect. Everything is possible for him. Indeed, God has been described as saying that he is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. Is God righteous? When God gave the order to destroy the enemy of Israel until the last man and woman and child, leaving no one alive, many wonder if this was right? Shouldn’t he have given mercy and left even a small part alive? God must have thought that the people of Israel had to be kept clean from pagan influences, and therefore God gave orders to cleanse from among his people, for example, those who ate blood or sacrificed to idols. (Lev, Chapter 17). The same regulations did not affect those living further away because their customs did not easily spread among God’s people.

According to the Bible, God is jealous and avenging, and his anger could ignite in a moment. This was the case, for example, when the Ark of the Covenant was being transported, and the bulls stumbled. Uzzah feared Ark would fall off the ride and took hold of Ark. Perhaps Uzzah was guilty of unbelief; he did not believe that God would come to his aid and that he would not have to touch the Ark of the Covenant (2 Sam. 6:6-7). And why didn’t God show mercy, for example, to the sabbath-breaker who gathered twigs for firewood on the Sabbath day during the wilderness journey? God was angry and commanded him to be stoned. The man who had collected the firewood must have known the provision that firewood was not to be collected on the Sabbath; he did not believe that this commandment of God was so absolute.

In this way, God is judged by a sinful, imperfect man who does not understand God’s reasoning. God says in his word, Isa 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

As a human, Jesus Christ knows man’s nature and has the opportunity to have mercy on all sinners. After all, God, the Father, has given him the task to provide the final judgment to each person. Joh 5:22 “For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son.”

 

God spoke to me in a vision

Once, when I went to bed, late at night, at the darkest time of the year, a light came on in my room by itself. I knew it came from God because the light was pure and white, like milk. The light went out on its own. After that, I saw a fire that I associated with my writing. What does this light in the vision mean? Christ said he was the light of the world, and I understood that he promised his light to me. I interpreted the fire to represent the fire of the spirit and that the understanding I’ve gained I should transfer to other people as well. I won’t go into more detail, but the experience was for me to strengthen my faith, and I will continue to write with confidence, although I am at odds with the mainstream theology in some details.

Joh 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, I am the Light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

1 Joh 1:5 “This is the message we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in him there is no darkness at all.”

Unlike the Old Testament prophets, I cannot say that “this word of God came unto me…” As a result of diligent reading and study, I’ve just learned to pay attention to certain things over the years. I thank God for this. Without him, I would have just read and repeated phrases known to everyone. The web is full of them. Well-meaning believers write thoughts. Why hasn’t God spoken to them as he did to me?

As I write these Bible writings, I often have difficulties in interpreting. The Bible is thus written. Recently, I asked in one of my writings, why didn’t God write such a Bible that readers would have no trouble understanding it, and there wouldn’t be so many contentious Churches. I take an example of a problem of interpretation: On the last page of this writing, I bring up God’s promise concerning the New World. This site is linked to the New Testament – one of the countless translations – and has all the verses where Jesus is speaking marked in red. Such a verse is also in Revelation 21:5. However, it does not matter whether the promise is made by God the Father or by our Lord Jesus Christ. Regardless of the color, I concluded that in verse 5 onwards, God the Father speaks.

Almost every day, I write these blog posts. Almost daily, I read verses of interest from the Bible. I then find that there is a mistake in this or that verse. Let’s take a couple of examples:

The beginning of the Gospel of John says, “and the Word was God.” After all, we all know that this means that Jesus Christ is the word of God, and when the Bible says that the Word was God, no one can argue that the Word, or Jesus Christ, is God. Take a look at the original text! It says there that “God was the word”! John 1:1 καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. I searched for different translations of the Bible, but in just one translation, I found the correct translation version: CLV “In the beginning was the word, and the word was toward God, and God was the word.” CLV means the Concordant translation.

I will take another example: Think of the situation where Jesus was crucified, dead, and then he is resurrected. After losing faith and all hope, the disciples meet their resurrected teacher. He gives them a new commandment; go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Everyone has heard this! Indeed the disciples said to Jesus, Yes, Son of God, this is what we promise to do. Did they use just those words? Maybe not. But now finally, the disciples, having witnessed the death and resurrection of Jesus, finally believed to the bottom of what Jesus said. Yes, teacher, this is definitely what we will do!

Soon was the first Pentecost, and the Holy Spirit was poured out on both the disciples and thousands of others. The Bible tells how the disciples baptized three thousand listeners “in the name of Jesus Christ.” What on earth!

Had the disciples forgotten that they had promised to baptize new Christians in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Or would it be an explanation that this Bible passage is a forgery? The answer is that the Catholic Church had a burning need to find support in the Bible for the Triune God? Here was an excellent opportunity to improve the text of the Bible and correct the mistake left in it. Thus, the text was corrected because it had apparently lacked the words “Father” and “Holy Spirit.” Did the apostles, therefore, have to be baptized “in the name of the Father, and of Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Ghost?” Still not going entirely right. They just baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ.”

This mission statement appeared in biblical manuscripts, perhaps as early as the 3rd century. It is for this reason that many believe it to be genuine and original. At this time, ecclesiastical assemblies began their efforts to incorporate the Triune God into the Catholic Church’s teachings. Today, there is a rationale for the authenticity of the mission order. What if Jesus had given such a baptismal command? No one has yet succeeded in explaining why the apostles did not keep Jesus’ commandment but baptized thousands only in the name of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, ask God to let his Holy Spirit guide you as you read the word of the Bible. When the Holy Spirit guides you, you will not mechanically repeat what you have been taught over millennia. The Holy Spirit stops you to think, and you will understand what the Bible says. Ask God to speak to you about where people have developed the doctrine and where it is the accurate word of God. How often do I encounter believers’ otherwise excellent writings, but there is only one shortcoming in them. All repeat the verses learned without thinking that they are not based on the teachings of the Bible but are based on ancient decisions of Church meetings, that is, the teachings of men, not on what God has said through His prophets.

Indeed, Colossians says: 2:20 “If you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why, as living in the world, are you subject to ordinances 23 These things have the appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion, humility, and harsh treatment of the body, but they have no value against self-indulgence.”

A distinction must be made between God’s word and the old ways, the commandments and doctrines of men, the traditional laws! Mark writes of this: 7:8  “For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men -the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things. 9 He said to them, “Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. 13 You are destroying the word of God through your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other things like that.” Rev 21:10 “He carried me away in the Spirit to a large, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. 27 There will in no way enter into it anything profane, or one who causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s [Christ’s] book of life.”

 

Can an imperfect person become holy?

What does “sanctified” mean? Hebrews: 7:26 describes Christ as a High priest: “We need such a high priest—one who is holy, innocent, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.”

In his Epistle to the Romans, Paul describes his own role: 1:1 “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.”

The saint stands out from the world. He ceases to live in the worldly way desired by the god of this world. Sanctification means receiving the Holy Spirit of God. God chooses the saints. You can lose the achieved holiness by falling back into sinful and worldly life. Even for God’s elect, this can happen.

To be, come, and remain holy, one must separate oneself from sin and everything connected with sin. Peter realized that sanctification is related to a lifelong journey: Peter wrote in his 1st letter: 1:15 “but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior, 16 “because it is written, you shall be holy; for I am holy.”

1 Pet 1:1 “to the chosen ones who are living as strangers in the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, the people chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctifying work of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood.” – Thus, through the sanctification of the Spirit, non-Jews gained status as God’s people.

1 Pet 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: 10 who in time past were no people, but now are God’s people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

At the beginning of his greetings, Paul calls the recipients of his letters saints:

Rom 1:7 “to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Cor 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, through the will of God, and Timotheus the brother, to the assembly of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia.

Eph 1:1 …to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Hebrews 12:14 states the importance of holiness and sanctification: Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord.”

A new translation translates this as “seek purity, without which no one shall see the Lord.” However, verse 12:14 uses the word ἁγιασμός hagiasmos, which means sanctification. It is not a question of ‘purity.’ If one is holy, of course, he is also pure (in the heart), but I do not consider the word purity to be successful at this point. Of course, the thoughts, words, and deeds of a holy man are pure. People should strive for sanctification in their lives because it is a prerequisite for seeing the Lord.

Rom 6:22 “But now that you have been freed from sin and have become God’s slaves, the benefit you reap is sanctification, and the result is eternal life.”  – According to Romans’ verse, when one gets rid of sin, man becomes a servant of God and, as a result, receives sanctification and finally eternal life.

Col 1:2 “to the saints in Colossae, and to the faithful brethren in Christ: Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!”

The first chapter of Thessalonians 4 provides much counsel on attaining sanctification by avoiding the sins that still plague believers at that time.

According to the Bible, “There is none Holy like Jehovah, For there is none besides you, And there is no rock like our God” (1 Sam 2:2). However, the Bible speaks of human sanctification. What does it mean when the Bible says that only the Lord is Holy? At least it is true that God has always been and always has been holy. Man is born unholy but can become holy.

The title of this study deals with how God speaks to man. My idea is that when a person is sanctified, he enters the Kingdom of God and becomes a co-worker with God after the resurrection. Then he can see God and talk to him, speak to God really, and get God’s answer. Man cannot achieve this unless God exceptionally so desires. It does not mean that God will not hear the man who turns to him, even though he has not yet attained holiness, but is still on his way. God speaks to man “quietly” and guides him during the journey.

Isaiah 65:24 tells of the Millennial Kingdom of Christ; ”It shall happen that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”

 

God sends an angel who can appear as a human being.

In the book of Tobit, the angel Raphael appeared to Abraham

Chapter 12: 13 And because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee. 14 And now the Lord hath sent me to heal thee, and to deliver Sara thy son’s wife from the devil.

15 For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the Lord.

Rafael returns to God:

16 And when they had heard these things, they were troubled, and being seized with fear they fell upon the ground on their face. 17 And the angel said to them: Peace be to you, fear not. 18 For when I was with you, I was there by the will of God: bless ye him, and sing praises to him. 19 I seemed indeed to eat and to drink with you: but I use an invisible meat and drink, which cannot be seen by men. 20 It is time therefore that I return to him that sent me: but bless ye God, and publish all his wonderful works. 21 And when he had said these things, he was taken from their sight, and they could see him no more. 22 Then they lying prostrate for three hours upon their face, blessed God: and rising up, they told all his wonderful works. https://biblescripture.net/Tobias.html

Gen 22:10 “Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to kill his son. 22:11 The angel of Jehovah called to him out of the sky, and said, Abraham, Abraham! He said, Here I am.”

Gen 16:10 “The angel of Jehovah said to her [Hagar, Sarai’s maid] I will greatly multiply your seed, that they will not be numbered for multitude.”

Gen 19:1 “The two angels came to Sodom at evening. Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. Lot saw them and rose up to meet them. He bowed himself with his face to the earth, 19:11 They [the angels] struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.”

Gen 18:1 “Jehovah appeared to him [Abraham] by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. 18:2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men stood opposite him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth.”

“Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Heb 13:2)

Many anxious people unleash their pain on God, saying, God, why don’t you answer me!

God, the Father, spoke on various occasions during the OT times to both prophets and ordinary people. While living on Earth, Jesus spoke to people. After Christ ascended to heaven, he has not spoken directly to just anyone. However, Christ appeared to Paul and spoke directly to him, although others close by heard nothing.

For some directly – like Paul – or in a vision like Ananias. Paul was approaching Damascus, Acts 9:3 tells: “As he traveled, it happened that he got close to Damascus, and suddenly a light from the sky shone around him. 4 He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?  5 He said, Who are you, Lord? The Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”  – Jesus considered it necessary to speak directly to Saul, who then became the apostle Paul and the most diligent writer of the New Testament.

1 The 2:13 “For this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when you received from us the word of the message of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also works in you who believe.”

Isa 55:11 “so shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

2 Pet 1:3 “His [Jesus Christ’s] divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the full knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence. 4 Through these he has given us his precious and wonderful promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, seeing that you have escaped the corruption that is in the world caused by evil desires.”

Reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin declared that there is only one place where God speaks to us, and that is the Bible. These men highlighted the principle, known as Sola Scriptura. I have been a supporter of this principle from the very beginning. This principle puts the word of the Bible above all religious activity; now, it has happened that ecclesiastical assemblies, popes, and bishops have taken upon themselves the right to interpret and even change the word of God.

I do not accept such changes in the word of God as, for example, that Catholics have removed one commandment and divided another commandment into two so that the total number of commandments did not change. Instead, I accept and support the development in the Bible’s language that results from the interpretation of the Bible so that the people of the time in question would understand it correctly.

God and Jesus Christ speak to us through the word of the Bible.

 

New heaven and new earth

The second last chapter of the Revelation describes the New Heaven and the New Earth because the first heaven and the first earth have disappeared. The saying that the sea no longer exists is probably a symbolic narrative. It possibly means that the great masses of sinful people no longer live, but that they have received their judgment and that they have no access to God’s new heaven and earth.

Rev 21:1 “I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

John sees in his vision that the holy city, the new Jerusalem, will descend from heaven. With it, God Himself will dwell on the earth in the new Jerusalem, among its inhabitants. All that remains is God, Christ, and their people.

Rev 21:4 “He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”

5 “He [God] who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. He said, Write, for these words of God are faithful and true. 6 He said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son.”

Death is overcome, no more sorrow, because all the former is gone. God gives life to all thirsty people from the fountain of water as a gift. John does not see the temple, for it is not needed because God and Christ are its temple. The city does not need to illuminate the sun or the moon, for God’s glory illuminates it, and the lamp is Jesus Christ.

21:22 “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple. 23 The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.  21:27 Nothing unclean, or anyone who does anything detestable, and no one who tells lies will ever enter it. Only those whose names are written in the lamb’s Book of Life will enter it.”

The book of Revelation is, to the greatest extent possible, a figurative expression. This is especially true of Revelation. I lean in the direction of the opinion that sees the description as telling of a spiritual community ruled by God and the Lamb. It is supported by e.g., the above description of city lighting; The new Jerusalem does not need the light of the sun or the moon. Second, according to the description at the end of the chapter, the city is built using precious stones such as jasper, sapphires, chalcedony, emeralds, sardonyx, etc. The city’s twelve gates are made of twelve pearls, each gate of one giant-sized pearl, and the city street is pure gold.

According to the Bible, the participants in the first resurrection are in the spirit body. I see no reason why the participants in the second, the resurrection of judgment, should not be. Why would they need to switch to physical bodies? When the Bible speaks of “the resurrection of the body,” one should not understand the physical body as the body of the resurrection. The whole of New Jerusalem, ruled by God the Father, and Christ, and all the inhabitants are in the spirit body.

 

 

 

• How could you choose God?
• Gathering information as a basis for selection
• Would you become a supporter of the Catholic faith?
• Or, do you choose the faith in a Protestant church?
• Distortions of faith
• There are only two Gods
• Faith in one God
• What did Jesus testify about God?
• Could not the Son of God be equal in divinity with the Father?
• The Last Judgment before Christ — Which faith do I believe will surely save you?

 

 How could you choose God?

Are you wondering about the title of my post? How could I choose a God for myself? But this is what every believer does. When choosing which church to believe, chooses or does not even choose, he follows his parents’ choice when they baptized their baby. Somehow you have ended up being a church member and serving the God that your church has chosen and the God your church has defined.

Have you had religious reflections with yourself? Most often, people ponder at least specific questions. If you choose faith for yourself, the God of that faith will accompany it. And have you ever wondered what kind of God you would like for yourself? I am now talking about Christianity and the God of Christianity.

Would God be the God of the Bible who appears on the Old Testament and says he is the God of Israel? Such a God is fierce and quickly angry and punishes by killing his servant who does not honor his holiness. After all, God was angry when one man only touched the Ark of the Covenant, when it was being moved, but the bulls stumbled, and the man was afraid that the Ark would fall to the ground. Or, the kind of God who ordered a man to be stoned because he had gathered twigs for firewood on the Sabbath. Or God who killed a temple servant who was not adequately prepared for service. Would he have even taken a whiff of wine before the service?

Today, the image of God is different. The role of Jesus as he ascended to heaven is emphasized, and the idea of his coming further increases the significance of the Son both in the doctrines of the churches and in the thoughts of men. In the Bible, the words “the love of God” are explicitly found in the New Testament, although it does not mean the love of Christ. Grace is often associated with Christ, for he is the supreme judge of the Last Judgment. However, according to the Bible, God is love. (1 John 4:8). The image of God in the Old Testament does not, however, emphasize this attribute of God.

Imagine living in a community where no God is worshiped. You’ve never believed in any God. Then God will appear to you saying, “I am God, your creator. I have created you in my own image. You are to worship and serve me. You think you are full of wisdom. Now find out for yourself what is the God and religion you want to serve me. Choose the best and most truthful of the world’s many religions.”

How would you proceed to carry out the commandment of God that you have received? Would the following means help?

 

Gathering information as a basis for selection

Great idea. How could I choose the best if I don’t know what it’s like? First you would find out what is this God who appeared to you. God gave just one tip: “Choose Christianity. Yes, there are countries in the world where there are claimed to be as many as millions of gods. Choose Christianity and seek its one and only God. ”You take action. You will find indefinite knowledge of God. There is printed writing and there is information in a modern format, on the Internet. You are trying to group material:

– What has God possibly said about Himself?

– What have different churches said about God in their Synods?

– What have theologians written?

You feel downright overwhelmed by the amount of “information.” They have one thing in common; everyone claims to know the truth, unlike others heresies. Where can you find credible information? The kind of information you can trust?

I have relied on all doctrinal matters in the Bible. Do you believe the word of the Bible? Some who have read and studied the Bible a lot have concluded that the Bible is a storybook of Israel’s people. Apart from fairy tales, it has beliefs from different countries.

Were you surprised by the question? Do you understand that you choose what kind of doctrinal community you join, and with that, choose that perception of God accepted by that community?

 

Would you become a supporter of the Catholic faith?

The first Christians were explicitly Catholics. The word ‘Catholic’ means general. The ‘general’ church began to form after the apostles’ time, but before that, there was a short time in history when there was no formal church. There were only common gatherings of believers that had to be held in secret and changing places because of the persecution. The meetings were loving gatherings without formal leaders and formal ceremonies. The breaking of bread and prayer reflected these gatherings. Everyone had the right to speak, according to what kind of gift of grace they had received from God.

Already in the apostles’ lifetime, this image began to break; some strived for “front-line benches.” There was also a division into groups led by different individuals. 1 Corinthians describes the formation of cliques in the congregation: 1:12 “Now I mean this, that each one of you says, I follow Paul, I follow Apollos, I follow Cephas, and, I follow Christ.”

Chapters 1-3 of Revelation describe the various churches; Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardinia, Philadelphia, and Laodicean. It has been seen that this description also reflects the modern age in that the present Christian community is part of the Laodicean church.

Of this in the vision of Revelation, Christ states: 3:14 “To the angel of the assembly in Laodicea write: “The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Head of God’s creation, says these things:

15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot.

16 So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.

17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing;’ and don’t know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked;

18 counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.

– The ‘eye salve’ would thus have been needed in the first century, even though the earthly life of Christ and most of the disciples had only just come to an end. The Catholic Church and its power were already beginning to take shape.

Would you choose the Catholic faith if you had a genuine opportunity to do so, without all the obstacles that stand in the way of man if he wants to change his religion? It is not difficult. After all, some have done so and converted to Catholicism.

 Would the Catholic faith be the right choice?

If you choose the Catholic Church, find out for yourself whether its doctrine is following the will of God and whether its doctrine and activities are in accordance with the teachings of Christ. In this way, you will also find out for yourself whether the Catholic Church’s perception of God is correct.

Does the Catholic faith fully carry out God’s will? People are imperfect, that’s clear, but the question is essential. The faith you choose should be perfect, that is, in the doctrinal sense and perfect and accepted by God. I’ll take a couple of examples: 

It was counterfeiting the Ten Commandments. 

Does God accept that the Ten Commandments given by God have been changed? Exo 20:4, “You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.”

Jewish wording according to Exo 20:4. 2. You shall have no other gods besides Me. You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth.

Protestant wording of the 2nd commandment: 2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. (KJV)

Catholic wording of the 2nd commandment: 2. You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.

– Because Catholics have removed from the second commandment all references to making images of gods, they have kept the number of commandments at ten by dividing the ‘commandment of coveting’ into two: 9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. 10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor. This means that the neighbors’ wife’s virtue has received an emphasized protection in the Bible when this is forbidden in the 9th commandment. The last 10th commandment, on the other hand, forbids the neighbor from coveting anything but the wife. Where did go the ban on making images of God?

Keeping the second commandment of the Bible among the Ten Commandments is essential. God had probably noticed the Gentiles making gods for themselves out of stone or wood. God probably saw a future where images of gods were made not only by carving into the shape of a statue but also by painting. If you’ve visited the Catholic Church, you’ve probably noticed how each has images and statues of saints. This is because Catholics also worship and pray to saints.

Do you think God accepts that Catholics have exalted the Bishop of Rome as Pope, who is the substitute of the Son of God (Vicarius Filii Dei) on earth? What about the Virgin Mary, whom Catholics believe to be in heaven and act as a mediator between people and God? Mary has been given the title of ‘Mother of God.’

 

Or, do you choose the faith in a Protestant church?

As the old saying goes, “the tree is known for its fruit.” The fruits of the Catholic Church are appalling. The achievements of the 16th century Reformation are not far behind. These parties fought against each other, e.g., the Thirty Years’ War in early 17th-century Central Europe.  Our own false believers were also persecuted and, if necessary, even sentenced to death by stake. Such were e.g. 16th-century Anabaptists who were not content with baptism as a baby but wanted a new, believers’ baptism. Of course, the death penalty is no longer used, but doctrinally the arrangements have not changed much. Many see ecumenical development as desirable. Is it right to give up in true faith? Whose faith might be the right one?

Catholic churches and Protestant churches together make up the majority of Christians. The total membership of Christians is about 2,400 million. There are just over half of Roman Catholics.

Would you accept some free direction as your own?

All denominations that recognize Jehovah as God the Father and Jesus Christ as the Son of God can be counted as Christian denominations. Large churches and many small ones, for example, squint Jehovah’s Witnesses and do not want to include them in Christian denominations because they do not recognize Jesus as God. The decision on the matter should be left to Jesus Christ.

For me, a view of people’s faith has formed: when a person begins to believe in God, opinions, and beliefs are based on the religious community’s notion to which they belong. I have taken note of these several years ago. Changing the doctrinal perception of a church or other community is impossible without community authorities’ involvement in the change. Church leadership, on the other hand, defends its ancient teachings with perseverance. Getting through the change is impossible, no matter how good the criteria.

The Bible comprises choices between different ‘manuscripts.’ There are differences between which you have to choose what is right. For example, they have added the margin that the next copier includes in the text itself. None of the original manuscripts have been preserved, but a generally accepted text has been formed by examining and comparing the numerous manuscripts.

After that, one still has to interpret the Old Testament’s Hebrew manuscript and the Greek script of Koine Greek of the New Testament correctly. Then church politics enters the picture; the church’s leadership, the priests, the bishops, and later the popes strived to gain acceptance for an interpretation useful to their church. This was manifested, e.g., in the conception of God’s eternal punishment — in the fire of hell. The place of punishment, the “fiery lake,” where sinners suffer forever, is still the interpretation of many denominations to this day.

If you are unsure of the correct translation or interpretation, you should research the matter from explanatory works or find the right meaning among the often many alternatives. One must dare to question perhaps the old and deep-rooted doctrines of the Church.

All Christian churches have access to the same Bible and the manuscripts on which it is based. The doctrinal differences between the churches arise from interpretation. When an interpretation is once, perhaps long ago, accepted, it is difficult to correct later. After all, the Church would then have to admit that their opinion was wrong. And the churches are mistaken, many of them and often. The following are examples of divergent interpretations that come to mind between myself and mainstream churches. These, I have studied and are also written in the ‘Bible Concealed’ -blog. If you disagree, I hope it is based on a thorough investigation and not just that your Church’s pastor explained it differently.

Some doctrinal disagreements between mainstream churches and myself:

• The question of the trinity of God
• Is Jesus both human and God?
• Which one is right: Word is God, or God is the Word? (John 1: 1-2)
• Is the Holy Spirit God or the power of God?
• Was Jesus in heaven before he came to earth?
• Do believers get to heaven after death?
• Did Jesus command you to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? (Matthew 28:19)

There is much research, but it is rewarding!

There are now perceptions that the Bible contains a large number of historically and scientifically dubious writings. Some call them ‘fairy tales.’ The Bible writers are also questioned; have the apostles written their text themselves, or any of their disciples? I’ve seen it this way: if the Bible (mainly in the Old Testament) stated in the beginning that “the word of God came to me,” or something similar, I think it is undoubtedly the word of God himself. Whether they are written by, for example,  Paul himself or by his disciples, the other writings are not decisive. Nevertheless, the texts may be “inspired by God,” to use the phrase used by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Today, I ponder many Biblical questions, and I don’t know when I will get clarity. I have set some of God’s truths into question and even now ask God why you have done this? Someone colleague may even have lost his faith, but I’ve figured out my poor understanding and remember the word of God: Isa 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

 

Distortions of faith

Christianity has adopted features from pagan religions, first to the Catholic Church and through it to the Protestant denominations. Such are, e.g., the doctrine of the Triune God and the doctrine of the Two natures of Jesus.

The decisions of the Catholic Church’s ecclesiastical synods, after all, there were no other ones, became entangled with unfortunate doctrinal distortions. The Triune God doctrine is explained as follows: God is made up of three persons, all of whom are full God (persons), but together they form one God according to the doctrine of the Trinity, “the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Christianity has adopted features from pagan religions, first to the Catholic Church and through it to the Protestant denominations. Such are e.g., the doctrine of the Triune God and the doctrine of the Two natures of Jesus.

The decisions of the ecclesiastical synods of the Catholic Church, after all, there really were no other ones, became entangled with unfortunate doctrinal distortions. The doctrine of the Triune God is simply explained as follows: God is made up of three persons, all of whom are full God(persons), but together they form one God according to the doctrine of the Trinity, “the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”.

I oppose that doctrine, not least because it is a human-made doctrine that the Bible warns of. Just in common sense, I ask, shouldn’t God’s essence be explained in the Bible? Why did it take hundreds of years before the disputing ecclesiastical assemblies were settled? The matter was first dealt with at the meeting of Nicaea in 325, where it was agreed that God and Christ are of the same essence. It was later noticed in 381 in the Council of Constantinople that the Holy Spirit should also be elevated to equal God persons’ ranks.

God the Father has the highest’ essence .’ He gives orders of action to His Son and the Holy Spirit. The Son cannot give orders to the Father, but he can give the Holy Ghost. Does this difference in values prove that everyone is equal? Initially, the idea of a three-person deity comes from the pagan religions, Babylon and Egypt.

According to the Bible, the Father alone is supreme, God. Jesus himself speaks of himself only as a Son of God. The Bible testifies that God made Jesus Lord and Christ, not God. Jesus also received eternal life from the Father. As for the Holy Spirit, the testimony of divinity is the least convincing. The Catholic Church, which formulated the doctrine and first launched it at the Council of Nicaea, using the three gods’ model, familiar to the Gentiles. Hundreds of all but two participants in the synod accepted the doctrine for fear of revenge by the emperor. Ordinary lay members of the Catholic Church were forced to recognize the doctrine by learning about them (because they could not read) and the deterrent contained in the doctrine: “This is a common Christian doctrine. He who does not believe in it firmly and strongly cannot be saved.” – The fear of going to hell ‘helped’ people learn the doctrine.

In the Christian world, this doctrine is, in any case, a doctrine developed by men, not a revelation of God, not even the teaching of the apostles. How could you trust that? How could you consider this doctrine as the foundation of your faith, the cornerstone? In keeping with my writing title, I ask if you choose a god based on pagan beliefs and Catholic heresy? However, it is the case that more than a billion people who count themselves as Christians choose such faith and the accompanying misconception about God.

Are you afraid that you will not be saved if you reject the wrong faith? Mankind has ruled with fear ever since the Catholic Church came to power. Another equally important factor is people’s indifference. In one Bible Circle, I raised such an issue and witnessed it as a Catholic heresy, shared by the Protestant Church as well. I had a conversation with a member of the circle. What was the result? He finally admitted, saying, “Yes, that’s remarkable.” His thinking did not go any further. How is it with you, my reader? Is it essential for you to stick to pure Christian doctrine?

After the apostolic period, the Catholic Church led the definition of church doctrine. Anyone who did not acknowledge God as triune, especially Jesus as equal to God the Father, meant excluding such a church member even outside of salvation. However, the Bible says that no condemnation should be pronounced. Luke 6:37 “Stop judging, and you will never be judged. Stop condemning, and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Most of humanity lives in a church under the false doctrine and dies with it. I don’t think making a mistake affects a person’s salvation. I believe the Supreme Judge, Jesus Christ, understands how difficult it is to separate from a religious community that you may have belonged from an early age. What is the fate of the developers of such doctrines in due time? Do they have “clean flours in the bag”? Hardly can they plead ignorance and incomprehension in the same way as individual church members. Knowledge brings pain, it is said.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are an example of a religious community that, like the Jews, absolutely accepts only one God. They justify their faith and abstinence outside the Triune Deity: “WHY did none of God’s prophets teach the Trinity to His people for thousands of years? In the end, couldn’t Jesus have used his ability as the Great Teacher to explain the doctrine of the Trinity to his followers? Would God inspire people to write hundreds of pages in the Bible and not, through this material, teach the Trinity at all if it were a “central doctrine” of faith?

Should Christians believe that for centuries after Christ and after God inspired the writing of the Bible, he would support the formulation of a doctrine that was unknown to his servants for thousands of years and is an “inexplicable mystery,” “incomprehensible to the human mind,” admitted to being pagan background and which was “a largely an ecclesiastical question?”

Another bizarre doctrine accepted by the synods is the doctrine of the Two natures of Jesus, or dyophysitism, according to which Jesus is both fully God and fully human. These two natures are in him “without mixing, changing, dividing, and separating.” The doctrine of dual nature was formulated and finally adopted by the Ecclesiastical Council of Chalcedon in 451.

So it took more than 400 years for Christianity to come to terms with the nature of its Savior, and that too went wrong.

According to my interpretation, the doctrine was compelled to be developed to explain how it is possible that God was crucified and dead. When God cannot die, it was explained that Christ died as a man. That in itself is right because Jesus Christ is still human, even in heaven. He is not God in the same sense as Father Jehovah but is part of the Godhead.

How is it possible that Jesus or the Holy Spirit were not Gods or God persons, but were still part of the deity (godhead)? If I were to use economic terminology, I would say that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit form a heavenly leadership group. The leader of the management team is God the Father and its members are His son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and the head of the executive unit, the Holy Spirit.

If doubt has taken over your mind, what do you do? If you give up faith in the Trinity of God and the two natures of Jesus, you will throw behind you the ecclesial communities of well over a billion people.

I have criticized the teachings of both large and small churches, to be contrary to the teachings of the Bible, but I do not in any way wish to judge the members of these churches and their faith. I am sure that in all these churches there are a lot of good, faithful Christians who will stand up well at the last judgment. Of course, there are a lot of secularized members in the churches who are members of the church just because they have been baptized in that church. Only a small percentage of Church members are active, participating members.

The title of my writing is “What kind of God would I choose?” Everyone has a choice today; if no acceptable God is found, and with it, the doctrinal structure of religion, the Bible instructs us to “Come out of her, my people, that you have no participation in her sins.  Rev 18:4 “I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, that you have no participation in her sins, and that you don’t receive of her plagues,
5 for her sins have reached to the sky, and God has remembered her iniquities.
6 Return to her just as she returned, and repay her double as she did, and according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix to her double.

This was my choice. For a few years, I became acquainted with the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. A two-person delegation visited me weekly, and we went through their doctrines. Alternatively, I visited the home of a witness for the same purpose, with the addition of good coffee and buns. There are some details in Jehovah’s Witnesses’ teachings that I could not consider to be true. For example, the central doctrine of the parousia (invisible presence) of Jesus’ second coming to earth as early as 1914. This recalls the notion of the preterists; according to the preterists, Christ has returned. Christ returned when he promised, i.e., ‘soon,’ meaning the first century.

Is the condition of salvation adherence to the correct doctrine? Many sects, and even large churches, suggest that this is the case. The Church’s grip on people is steadfast. The fear of being convicted by the final judgment is so intense that a person with incomplete knowledge does not dare to act against his own Church’s teachings. After all, the churches’ creeds (e.g., the creed of Athanasius) say that “without this true faith there can be no salvation.”

Have you read from the Bible what you should believe to be saved? After all, it is many times said “believe in the Lord Jesus” Act 16:31 “They said, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” – Can one believer in a family save the whole household with him? The family household has a broader understanding than today’s nuclear family. It is hardly a question of that, but that the head of the family once determined the entire family’s affairs quite totally. Today, everyone is responsible for their deeds, including matters of faith. Everyone’s faith decides.

Rom 10:9 ”If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

2 Tim  3:15 From infancy, you have known the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.

You can exercise this faith in almost any religious community. Or without community, just as a lone believer. The community of believers is still much more rewarding than acting alone. I can assure you this because I have been separated from a Lutheran church for over 50 years. A national church like mine does not put pressure on its members in any way or anywhere. On the other hand, some may find the pressure of a small religious community too solid and compelling; a person is almost forced to participate in a particular program and take on assigned tasks.

 

There are only two Gods.

What if you choose the faith that there are two Gods; God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ. Such a religion exists, operating primarily in the United States, The Restored Church of God. Wikipedia states: “The Restored Church of God denies the Trinity, says that God is a composition of two beings who lives in the northern part of Heaven, that Jesus is a god, that being born again means being Resurrected from flesh to spirit, that the earth was re-created, that people will not go to hell and will be annihilated, that Christians do not go to Heaven, that Jesus was raised on Saturday, that Jesus could have sinned, that the Holy Spirit is a force, and that salvation is a process that is not earned, but can be lost.”

I’ve been reading their literature, which is quite a lot and comprehensively. Pretty good articles and books, though it feels like they’re not very keen on highlighting the unique features of their Church, some of which are a little weird. I wondered that such churches worship the two divine persons, God the Father, and God the Son, who are not found more in the world. I welcome the underlined beliefs of this Church: Christians do not go to heaven, there is no hell, but annihilation, Jesus rose from the dead on Saturday instead of on generally believed Sunday, the Holy Spirit is God’s executive power, and salvation cannot be earned.

Instead, I don’t know what it means God to live in the Northern heaven or to re-create the earth. Yes, God promises to create everything anew. After the resurrection, the saved are in God’s new world, and God Himself dwells among them. The re-creation of the earth must point to the future. They also have a doctrine that explains where the lost tribes of Israel are headed, that is, where in the world each tribe now resides.

If you choose this doctrine of God, you will have to accept the regular tithing for the maintenance of the Church. The predecessor of this Church founded the Church of God and in its name prophesied about the future, but the prophecies did not come true. The Bible warns against such false prophets. I can’t say whether the RCG Church – a new version – in this respect has acted like its predecessor or refrained from prophecies.

 

Faith in one God

If you joined Judaism, you would at the same time accept faith in one God. Really, only to one God. The oldest, most significant, and almost only representative of this concept of God is Judaism. God Jehovah chose the Jewish tribes as his people. Although the Jews abandoned God many times, God has been faithful to His promise. God commanded Israel through Moses and made a covenant with them called the Covenant of Law.

Conversion to Judaism would, in my understanding, mean that the convert would renounce other gods, including faith in the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Would you be willing to take this step?

According to Matthew 15:24, the mission of Jesus, the Son of God, was: “But they answered, I was not sent to anyone, but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” It was not until Jesus ascended to heaven that Peter’s vision led the apostles to see God’s purpose — to bring the gospel to the nations of the world as well. The apostles were initially reluctant, but gradually congregations began to emerge in the lands around the Mediterranean.

Christ had proclaimed the New Covenant in place of the Covenant. Luk 22:19 ”He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me. 20 Likewise, he took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

The apostles received converts to the New Covenant churches. Initially, Jewish rituals had to be followed to effect conversion. Of these, the most controversial was caused by the demand for circumcision. “The Apostle of the Nations,” Paul, whom Jesus forced, writes Romans 2:29 ”but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God.”

Perhaps involuntarily, Paul has defined countless other believers and me as Jewish. You don’t have to be literally (born of a Jewish mother) a Jew to be internally Jewish.

This is an important insight! What does that mean, for you and me, “for us Jews?” If you are a Jew internally, you must believe in one God. So really, only to one, not to the “one” God formed by three divine persons. So, to believe in the God who already in the early pages of the Bible proved to be the one and only God of Israel.

 

What does the Bible say about God being one?

Even those who believe in the Triune God also claim to believe in one God. However, according to them, Jesus is also God, and also the Holy Spirit is God. However, it is possible to believe that God is indeed one. You may have embraced this faith by reading the following verses from the Bible:

Deuteronomy: 6:4 Hear, Israel, our God is one Jehovah;

2 Kings:
19:15 Hezekiah prayed before Yahweh, and said, Yahweh, the God of Israel, who sit above the cherubim, you are the God, even you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.

Isaiah:
37:16 Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, who sits above the cherubim, you are the God, even you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.

Mark:
12:29 Jesus answered, The greatest is, ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one:

John:

5:44  How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God?

8:41 You do the works of your father. They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, God.
17:3 This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.

Romans:                                                                              Romans
3:30 since there is only one God who will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised by that same faith.

1 Corinthians 8:6 yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we live through him.

Galatians:
3:20 Now a mediator is not between one, but God is one. 

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

James:
2:19 You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.

The leader of this faith is the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He is the High Priest of God. Hebrews confirms 2:17 “Therefore he was obliged in all things to be made like his Brothers, that he might become a merciful and faithful high Priest in things pertaining to God, to make Atonement for the Sins of the people.” – Jesus, the Son of God, is forever the High Priest of God, and not, as the High Priests of the Jews, for one year at a time.

He, a man, has been exalted by God in heaven after himself to the highest in heaven and on earth. Of this exaltation, the Bible states that God made him Lord and Christ. John says the purpose of writing his gospel is John 20:31 “but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.”

Why did John write like this? Why didn’t he write, “that you may believe that Jesus is God and equal in divinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit?” The Gospel of John is considered to be the most powerful of the Gospels in defense of the deity of Christ, and how can this be possible when John writes that the purpose of the gospel was to show that Jesus is the Son of God and that by believing in him man will have eternal life?

By the way, do you find any passages in the Bible that clearly state that Jesus is God? Even after Jesus ascended to heaven, the Bible says that he is a man in heaven and a mediator.

The Bible states that Jesus is a prophet: Deu 18:18 “I will raise them up a prophet from among their Brothers, like you; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him. – How can God be commanded? Act 7:37, “This is that Moses, who said unto the children of Israel, ‘The Lord our God shall raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me.’ – Jesus is called a prophet like Moses!

Jesus was not God before and did not become God because God exalted him as Lord and Christ. I think Jews might very well accept this. The Jews do not take this because the Christian world does not truly believe in one God.

 

What did Jesus testify about God?

The author of the Gospel of John says that Jesus said on two occasions that “the Father is God alone,” instead of calling himself God.

The author of the Gospel of John says that Jesus said on two occasions that “the Father is God alone,” instead of calling himself God.

John:
5:44  How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God

Joh 17:3 This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.

Joh 1:34 I have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

Joh 10:36 Do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’

Mat 27:43 He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now, if he wants him; for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.

Luk 22:70 They all said, Are you then the Son of God? He said to them, You say it, because I AM.”

 

Could not the Son of God be equal in divinity with the Father?

Joh 14:28 You heard how I told you, ‘I go away, and I come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I said ‘I am going to my Father;’ for the Father is greater than I.

Act 5:31 God exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins.

Phi 2:9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;

Act 2:36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.

Jesus himself testifies that the Father is greater than him. How then could it be possible that the Father and the Son would be equal in divinity? The same is shown by the fact that God has exalted His Son to be the head and Savior and has given him the highest name of all. God has made His Son Lord and Christ (Act 2:36).

Perhaps the most significant testimony of how God has done for His Son is that as John says in 5:26, “For as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself.” “Giving life” means that the Father gave His Son eternal life, immortality. This Bible verse tells that before God giving life, Jesus was an ordinary mortal man. Not God, because God cannot die. If Jesus had been God, God the Father would not have had to exalt His Son to be Lord and Christ. The exaltation would now have been, in fact, not a promotion but, on the contrary, making His Son lower in heavenly position if Jesus had previously been in heaven as God.

By giving eternal life to His Son, Jesus Christ was at the same time given the right to give eternal life to all the people God has given him. John 17:2 “Even as you [God] gave him authority over all flesh, they will give Eternal life to all whom you have given him.” – The same is witnessed in 1 John 5:11 “The testimony is this, that God gave to us Eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”

Based on the above biblical testimonies, I believe in one God, Jehovah, God the Father. Jesus is the only Son of God, a man with all power in heaven and on earth. The Holy Spirit is the power that God and Christ use as they carry out God’s will. Man is the “image of God,” although we do not yet see this fulfilled except in the case of Jesus; as a mediator in heaven.

What was God’s plan for the human part when He created man in his “own image”? After all, God had a large number of angels at his disposal, so for what purpose was man created? What will be the division of labor between angels and humans? Is the future task of immortal humanity to spread the word of God to other worlds we have not even visited yet? I am sure that in God’s new world, we will not just lie in the shade of the tree of life, picking up fruit to sustain eternal life.  I believe that God’s plans for the future of humanity are great.

 

The Last Judgment before Christ — Which faith do I believe will surely save you?

In this writing, I pointed out that all churches and denominations affirm that just by following their teachings, make sure you get salvation at the last judgment. I will first consider what factors the Supreme Judge, Jesus Christ, will weigh in his judgment.

2 Cor 5:10 ”For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what he deserves for what he has done in his body, whether good or evil.”

The saints of the first resurrection who will reign with Christ in his Millennial Kingdom have been excluded from this judgment.  Another point for evaluating this verse: does the judgment of Christ only consider the deeds of a man in his lifetime? After all, no one does just good or just evil. Will there be a judgment according to which part is more plentiful? Are the deeds weighted and then the total of both sets calculated? How is forgiveness that you receive taken into account when you repent and ask God for forgiveness?

Many believe that a believer who renounces his faith can in no way be forgiven this but is undoubtedly going to eternal punishment. Such apostasy has been considered as a mockery of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it would not be disbelief afflicting man, which every believer at times feels; doubt gnaws at the mind, and man may perceive God as unjust. I believe that it is always possible to return unto Christ, and this always involves forgiveness.

And finally, the main argument: The Bible promises salvation to one who believes in Jesus. The same arguments apply to this as to the previous ones. That is, if, for example, a believer is converted to Christ on his deathbed, will his conversion forgive all evil deeds, even robberies, thefts, and murders, etc.?

Act 15:11 But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus,  just as they are.

Rom 4:4 Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as debt.
4:16 For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

Act 5:15 ”But the free gift isn’t like the trespass. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. –  The judge of the last judgment is Jesus Christ, man. The first man caused a curse on mankind by his sin. The ‘last man,’ the Son of God, has been given the power to judge and have mercy on mankind.

Rom 5:20 ”Now the law crept in so that the offense would increase. But where sin increased, grace increased even more,”

Verse 20 talks about how the law (covenant) came between man and God to further exacerbate man’s transgression. When sin thus became great, then grace became abundant. What does it mean? As sins in mankind increase and increase, Christ grows in grace for mankind, more and more.

When people had to obey more than six hundred ordinances during the Law covenant, it was nearly impossible to obey them all. Christ’s New covenant provisions can be truncated to one, all-encompassing; Love the Lord your God above all and your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said, Mat 5:18 ”For most assuredly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.”

‘Until heaven and earth disappear’ means, in my opinion, eternity. This is a problematic Bible verse because the entire covenant was overthrown after Jesus. Jesus himself obeyed the law in force while living. God’s word is eternal, not so much the law (covenant) that he supplanted. Heb 1:10 And, “You, Lord, in the beginning, laid the foundation of the earth. The Heavens are the works of your hands. 11 They will perish, but you continue. They will all grow old like a garment does.” – Heaven and earth will disappear, but God and his words will remain.

Do I believe that only one Christian doctrine ensures salvation by final judgment when other doctrines fail? However, I am confident in the interpretation of one God. If I’m right, the majority of humanity is wrong. Or could the rest of humanity be right and only me wrong?

If you read this writing and especially this last chapter, you know what I will answer. Salvation is not tied to the one and only “true” Christian faith. You can, with no problems, switch to another church if you find it better follows the teaching of Christ. Or would it even be the case that if you consciously persevere in a church that works contrary to the word of the Bible, you may become partakers of its sins and deserve God’s punishment? However, Christ, the supreme judge, looks individually at everyone’s heart and does not judge everyone in one bundle.

Whether you are a member of any church or an individual believer like me, I don’t think Christ will judge you, even if you sincerely err in matters of doctrine. Even if you were in an incorrect Christian faith, you would not receive the punishment of Christ for it, but you may lose the crown of righteousness promised to those who know God and earnestly await the coming of Christ (2 Tim 4:8).