In the Old Testament and New Testament writings before Jesus was born, the Lord God revealed who He was. He said that He was the only God, the only Lord and the only Savior. The Lord God revealed who he was and who He would become. He said that he would become flesh. He said that when He would come into the world that He would be born to a virgin. He said that He would be Immanuel, meaning, 'God With Us'. He said that He, as this child who would be born to us, would be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He said that He, the only Savior, would come through Mary and told her to name Him Jesus (Yeshua) the Lord Our Salvation. Did God when He was here as Jesus reveal who He was?
One of the very last words that Jesus spoke in the last book of the Bible, in the Book of Revelations, was spoken by God to the house of Jacob, in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah wrote this in his 48th Chapter, in verses 12 and 18;
(12)" Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first and,
I am also the last. (13) Surely My hand founded the earth. And My right hand spread
out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together."
When we look at what Jesus spoke in the last Chapter of Revelation, we see Him revealing the same thing about Himself that God spoke in Isaiah. Jesus claims to be the first and the last, when He says this in Revelation Chapter 22, verses 12 and 13;
(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."
Jesus is either God or He is making a false claim. If we go back one Chapter to Revelation Chapter 21, we see Jesus telling the overcomers that He is God and not just God, but a Father, in verses 6-7;
(6)" And He said to me, 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life
without cost.(7) He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God
and He will be My son.
Jesus did not say here that He was a Father, but He did say that the overcomers would be His sons.
If there is any questions as to if this was Jesus speaking in these passages, we have to make a simple deduction. The One who was talking in Chapter 22, verse 13, said that He was, "the Alpha and the
Omega, the first and the last.' The Alpha and the Omega is the one who said in Chapter 21, verse 7, that He will their God and they His sons. If we go to the first Chapter of Revelation, verse 8, we see this;
" 'I am the Alpha and the Omega', says the Lord God, 'who is and who was and is to
come, the Almighty'."
So we know that the Alpha and the Omega is the first and the last. We saw where God in Isaiah said that He was the first and the last. We see this again if we look at what Jesus said in the 1st Chapter of Revelation in verses 17-18;
(17)" ................'Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last.(18) and the living One;
and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and
Hades'."
And again in Revelation Chapter 2, verse 8;
"................'The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this':"
So we see what Jesus spoke here through the apostle John after His resurrection and ascension, but did Jesus ever claim to be the Father while He walked the earth. To if this ever occurred we have to look at the first recorded scripture that would begin to point to Jesus being the Father. We have to note that when Jesus was here, he did not go around saying, "I am the Christ", "I am God", "I am the Father". He wanted His disciples to come to that conclusion who He was by what He did and what He proclaimed apart from just coming right out and saying it. Jesus first hint, that He was God and Father, was given during an exchange He had with a group of Jews who had questioned Him as to who He was. We find this in the gospel of John, in the 10th Chapter, in verses 24-33;
(24)"The Jews therefore gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, 'How long
will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ tell us plainly.' (25) Jesus answered
them, 'I told you, and you do not believe; the works I do in my Father's name, these
bear witness of Me.(26) But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep.(27)
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;(28) and I give eternal
life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.
(29) My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one shall snatch
them out of the Father's hand.(30) I AND THE FATHER ARE ONE.' (31) The Jews
took up stones again to stone Him.(32) Jesus answered them, 'I showed you many
good works from the Father, for which of them are you stoning Me?'(33) The Jews
answered Him, 'For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because
You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God'."
The Jews understood what He was saying to them and for Jesus making the claim He and the Father are One, they wanted to stone Him to death. They understood that He was telling them that He was God. Also, when Jesus said that no one will snatch his sheep out of His hand and then saying that no one will snatch His sheep out of His Father's hand, He was saying that it was His hand and the Father's hand. It was the same hand. When Jesus said the works I do in my Father's name, what was the Father's name? Of course doing the works as Jesus, Jesus is the name that the works are being done in. God chose to be called Jesus.
We can look at these verses and say Jesus did or didn't claim to be the Father here. Although, the Jews knew He was making this claim. Right after Jesus had told His disciples that He was going away and where He was going they could not follow, but that they could follow later, He comforted them and revealed to them who He was, with these words He spoke in John's gospel, Chapter 14, verses 1-9;
(1)" 'Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.(2) In My
Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for
I go to prepare a place for you.(3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.(4) And you
know the way where I am going.'(5) Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know
where you are going, how do we know the way?'(6) Jesus said to him, 'I am the way,
and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. (7) If you had
known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and
have seen Him.'(8) Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for
us.'(9) Jesus said to him, 'Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to
know Me, Philip? HE WHO HAS SEEN ME HAS SEEN THE FATHER; how do you
say, "Show me the Father?' "
The key to Jesus claim to being the Father is even greater than Him saying, "he who has seen Me has seen the Father. The key is in verse 7, "If you had known Me, you would have know My Father also;". Now because of what Jesus said in verse 7 and says next, He has now revealed to them that He is the Father and from now on they will know Him that way and will look at Him knowing that to be so. Jesus completes verse 7 telling them, 'from now on you know Him and have seen Him.
What I have written is not my opinion. It is what is written. I have always said that if I cannot show you then do not believe me. If I have shown you, then it is your choice to either believe or not. The one great thing about Jesus is that He will always reveal who He is to people who really seek to know Him.
May Jesus peace and grace and His revealing of Himself be with you.
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