God is Jesus (Part 1) Jesus Is God

Many people have many views as to who Jesus was or is.  Some say that Jesus was a good prophet who came and went.  For Jesus to be a good prophet, everything He spoke had to be true.  If He spoke things that were not true, then He would have to be considered to be a false prophet.  Jesus said this in the Gospel of John, in his 14th Chapter, verse 6;

              "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me."

If that statement is true, then Jesus is more than just a good prophet.  If the statement is false, then Jesus is a false prophet.  Many ask, "What about all the other religions of the world and what they believe, what happens to them?  First we have to be intellectually honest and admit that if there is more than one truth, then there is no truth.  1+1= 2 or 1+2=2.  One is truth and one is not.

Jesus did not come to invalidate the religions of the world.  Almost everyone in most religions of the world believe that there is a God and acknowledge so.  Jesus came to let the world know that He is the God that they seek to know.  He is not a statue, an idea, a theory, or a concept of do's and don'ts to earn your way to heaven.  Jesus is the Living God of the Universe and He came to earth to show how much, the God that everyone seeks to know, loves them.  So much so, that He would humble Himself and take on the form of man, so that He Himself could be the once and for all sacrifice that would change a human beings sin nature into one that could have a second birth in the Spirit, that would allow anyone who wants it, the chance to be one with the Creator of the universe, and joint heirs in His wealth.  The whole purpose for the earth and His coming here, was so He could create a New Creation.  One that would choose Him.  Without doing it the way He did, all He could do is speak into existence new beings that had no choice in their coming into being, just like the angels.  We know what happened to a third of the angels.  They rebelled because they did not appreciate the character of God.  The New Creation will be a part of the character of God, for they will be one with Him.

Before Jesus returns,  this word will go out into all the world.  Everyone will hear this message.  Everyone will get a chance to receive Jesus unto eternal life or reject Him leading to eternal death.  There are no religions in heaven,  just reality.  The earth and the physical world are temporary.  The spiritual world is eternal.  Jesus came to be the Door to eternal realm.

In this section of blogs about, "Jesus is God",  I am going to show in the Old Testament and New Testament where it reveals that Jesus is God.  When Jesus was here, He never said, "Hey fellas, I am God.  Jesus never spoke that to a human being.  Jesus wanted each person to come to know that He was God by asking Him to come and live in their hearts by the presence of His Spirit.  When a person accepts what Jesus did for them on the cross and ask Him into their heart, then they know that Jesus is their Savior.  Then as we read His word, that He left us, and put the scriptures together that reveal who He is, we will find that He is not only God, but a Father also.

I am going to do this section of blogs on, "Jesus is God", in small parts.  I do not want to cover so much that the reader becomes overwhelmed.  I want to present this truth in an understandable way.  If I cannot show it, do not believe it.

The very first thing I want to show, is something that I read for many years.  I saw it on many Christmas cards and never saw it.  I read it and never heard it.  Just like many things in scripture, we read it and what we don't understand, we just keep reading.  I reached a point in my walk with Jesus and reading His word, that I would not be satisfied with the traditional wisdom of theologians and church doctrines if they did not line up with what He spoke through His word.  For me I use a phrase that you will hear repeated a lot in these blogs and it is simply this, "What does that mean?" 

The first thing I am going to leave with the reader to ponder, is a well known section of Scripture that was written by the prophet Isaiah in his 9th Chapter, verse 6;

                 "For a child will be born to us, and a son will be given to us; And the government
                 will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor,
                 Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

You would think that this would be enough to settle it in the minds of the saints that Jesus is the child and the son that was given and that He is the Mighty God and Eternal Father.  With human rationalizing it does not make sense.  This is where I come in.  I hope to make sense as to how this is possible.

All we have to know is Jesus as Savior to be saved.  Jesus has laid down a function for His body which is His bride, the church.  This is what has motivated me to do what I do in trying to equip the saints as Jesus desires.  The apostle Paul wrote this in his letter to the Ephesians, in Chapter 4, verses 11-16;

                 (11)" And He, Jesus, gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as
                 evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,(12) for the equipping of the saints
                 for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;(13) until we attain
                 to the unity of the faith, AND OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SON OF GOD,
                 TO THE MEASURE OF THE STATURE WHICH BELONGS TO THE
                 FULLNESS OF CHRIST;(14) As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed
                 here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the
                 trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;(15) but speaking the truth in
                 love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ,
                 (16) from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every
                 joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the
                 growth of the body for the building up of itself in love."

Jesus peace be with you all.

Revelation Chapter 22 (Part 2) - Jesus' Closing Words

These are the closing words in the book of Revelation.  Jesus says some revealing things in these closing words.  He gives some interesting perspective on what the saints focus should be on, when they see these things, that are written in this book, start to occur.  John was instructed on how to handle the things that were revealed to him that he recorded in this book.  In verses 10 and 11, John was given these instructions;

                (10)"And he said to me, 'Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book,
                for the time is near.(11) Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and let the
                one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice
                righteousness; and let the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.'"

Around the 3rd century A.D., the Counsel of Laodicea was the group church leaders that gathered to determine which books of scripture should be included in what we know now as the Bible.  They were determining which scriptures, that they could agree on for sure, had been inspired by God.  It is hard to read the book of Revelation and not know for sure that it is the inspired words of God.  A man would never be able to come up with such things that are written in it.  They were probably thinking that such writings would keep people away from the truth. In actuality, it is probably responsible for leading more people to a truer and enduring and trusting faith in Jesus, than any other book in the Bible. The Council of Laodicea left the book of Revelation out of the first groups of books that they had decided should make up the Bible.  Obviously they had made a grave era.  Jesus wanted the book of Revelation to definitely be included in the Bible.  By the time the next year came around they all had realized that they had made a mistake and revised the Bible to include the book of Revelation.  Jesus must have worked on the hearts of all of them during that year, impressing on them the mistake they had made and how important it was that the book of Revelation be included even above all the other books. 

The book of Revelation is Jesus' very own Revelation.  It was very important to Him that the church would know what would take place right before His return so that they would not be caught off guard.  This way the church would be able to prepare to respond to all of it as Jesus would instruct them.  It would prepare them to not even love there own lives over the truth of the gospel and their testimony of Jesus, even to the point of death.

Paul is instructed to let the wrong do wrong and the righteous do right.  What is revealed here is the perspective that Jesus wants us to have on what is important.  Jesus doesn't want us to be caught up on what people are doing wrong.  It does no good to try to make people do what is right, for if they do what is right apart from Jesus, then it is in vain.  For the righteous to do what is right would mean that they are telling people the truth of Jesus.  It is Jesus that makes the change in a person that will lead them to do what is right.  Apart from Jesus we are all the same.  The only difference between me and someone who still remains in sin, is the blood of Jesus.

In verses 12 and 13, Jesus reveals this;

               (12)"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every
               man according to what he has done.(13) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first
               and the last, the beginning and the end."

When Jesus says that He coming quickly, He is saying that when you see the things written is this book happening, then you know His return is near.  His reward that He will render according to what a man has done is the new resurrected body that believers will receive at the resurrection.  What a man has done means,  did they accept Jesus or refuse Him.  No more no less.

Again Jesus is revealing that He is God when He says that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.  If we look at what the prophet Isaiah wrote in his 44th Chapter, verse 6;

               "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and the Redeemer, the Lord of host;
               'I am the first and the last, and there is no God besides Me.'

John continues Revelation Chapter 22 with this in verses 14-17;

               (14)"Blessed are those who wash their robes (in the blood of the Lamb), that they
               may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.
               (15) Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the
               murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

The ones who washed their robes are obviously the saints.  The ones on the outside are obviously the ones who chose not to choose Jesus for eternal life.  Instead they chose opt out for eternal death.  The dogs are probably those who mocked the truth and persecuted the saints.  The sorcerers are those who kept people drugged up whether illegal or legal drugs, causing them to have a tuff time discerning the difference between truth and reality from deception.  Although before Jesus returns He will make every effort to make sure everyone understands the consequences of not choosing Him.  The immoral are the ones who chose not to do what they knew was right and fell away from the truth.  The murderers killed the saints.  The idolaters chose to worship the beasts and receive his mark.  The ones who loved and practiced lies, loved Satan, for Satan is the father of lies.

               (16)"'I Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things for the churches.  I am
               the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star.'(17) And the Spirit
               and the bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say , 'Come.'  And let the one
               who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take from the water of life without cost."

The thing here to not is that the Spirit (Jesus) and the bride (the church, His body) says "Come."
Then the person who hears and heeds the message and comes, can now also say, "Come", because they became a part of Jesus body by heeding to what they heard.  The water of life is free.  There is no cost.  Jesus paid the price on the cross and offers the free gift of eternal life.  This is why He is the Redeemer. 

As we complete the book of Revelation, the closing verses are the reason why I took what I wrote in this study of Revelation very seriously.  I tried to be as accurate as I could be and when I wasn't sure, I said so.  I hope all that I have written is approved by the author, Jesus.

              (18) I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone
              adds to them, God shall add to Him he the plagues which are written in this book;
              (19) and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall
              take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in
              this book.

Maybe that had an influence on the Council of Laodicea.  They where going to leave out all the words.

              (20)"He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes I am coming quickly.'  Amen.  Come
              Lord Jesus.(21) The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.  Amen."

Like I have stated before, a few of my next blogs will show that Jesus is the Living God of the universe.  If I can't show it, don't believe it.

I hope this has been helpful to the reader.
Jesus peace be with you.