38 Bible Reasons Why Jesus is Not God Answered, Part 3


The discussion at the Islam and Christianity Debate Group continues unabated. Here are the next points (22—30) of the original list of 38 which I have addressed so far. This is again a very long post, but I have carefully explained much Bible doctrine here. It would be well worth your study. There are many valuable things taught in the Bible which Christians ought to know that are not taught in Sunday school, and not usually taught from the Pulpit. It is very important that you become grounded in your faith, and prepared to give an answer to any who might have a question about it (1 Peter 3:15).

21- Jesus referred to himself as a Student: Matthew 10:24

 

Mat 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. (KJV)

 

Mat 10:24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. (ESV)

 

Mat 10:24 Disciples are not better than their teacher, and slaves are not better than their master. (CEV)

 

Mat 10:24 No pupil is better than his teacher, and no slave is better than his master.

 

I think it may be that whoever might originally have devised these 38 Reasons from the Bible why Jesus cannot be God or Lord may have been mistaken in selecting this topic and the associated verse as one of the reasons. Jesus Christ is not here called or referred to as a student. But even if He were, that would be no objection because when Jesus became a man and dwelt in human flesh, as a human being subject to the limitations characterized by being actually human, he did indeed have to learn just like we do.

 

Luk 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

 

A fact about our Lord Jesus Christ which is not understood or believed by Muslims is that by the Rule of Interpretation I have called “necessary inference,” we learn from the Bible that Jesus was one Person but He possessed two natures: (1) a human nature, and (2) a divine nature.

 

Do we find this stated in these exact words anywhere in the Bible? Of course not. This truth is gathered by comparing Scripture with Scripture, and by the rule of “necessary inference,” we arrive at this explanation and understanding of the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ as the best explanation for the set of facts found in the Bible.

Ayigbe Eseme Jerome Smith…Thank you Sir for the effort taken so far to answer my posted questions. The explanations given by do you are enough to prove Jesus is not God but you believe otherwise. Thank you once again. Quoting scripture and comparing scripture to arrive at answer is an academic work. Otherwise you know very well and believed that Jesus is not God and cannot be God.

Jerome Smith I am sure, Ayigbe Eseme, that anyone who will read my 21 answers to your challenges would have to agree that none of those challenges provides any argument against the fact that the Bible, properly understood, reveals that Jesus Christ is both God and man. Thank you for reading my answers so far.

 

22- Father is Greater than Jesus (John 14:28). How can someone be greater than God?

 

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

 

greater than. The Lord was not inferior as to His essential being (see Joh 14:9; Joh 14:11; Joh 10:30), but as to His office, as sent by the Father (see 1Co 15:27, Php 2:9-11) [CB]. *Joh 14:12, **Joh 5:19; +*Joh 6:38 note. Gen 41:40 with Gen 44:18, Mat 24:36, +**Mar 13:32, *1Co 11:3; +**1Co 15:28. T963x: *Joh 5:19; Joh 8:42; Joh 13:16, Luk 22:41-42, **+1Co 15:28 (T964x). Php 2:9, Heb 2:7.

 

Jesus Christ spoke these words before His death and resurrection from the dead while he was here as a man in His humanity, His human form. As a man, Jesus properly spoke of God as “My Father.” While a man, Jesus Christ could properly speak of His Father as “greater than I.”

 

The same “I” reflecting the Person of Jesus Christ (as used in the Greek text) is also found at John 8:58,

 

Joh 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

 

Before Abraham was. +*Joh 8:35, **+Joh 1:1; **+Joh 1:2; **+Joh 1:15; Joh 3:13; Joh 6:62; *Joh 17:5; *Joh 17:24, Psa 68:4; Psa 90:1-2, *Pro 8:22-30, +*Isa 9:6; *Isa 43:13, +*Mic 5:2, *Col 1:17, Heb 1:10-12; +*Heb 13:8, 1Pe 1:20, 1Jn 1:1, +*Rev 1:8; +*Rev 1:11; +*Rev 1:17; +*Rev 1:18; Rev 2:8. Note: That our Lord by this expression asserted his divinity and eternal existence, as the great I AM, appears evident from the use of the present tense, instead of the preter, from its being in answer to the Jews, who inquired whether he had seen Abraham, and from its being thus understood by the multitude, who were exasperated at it to such a degree that they took up stones to stone him. The ancient Jews not only believed that the Messiah was superior to and Lord of all the patriarchs, and even of angels (see Yalkut Simeoni on Isa 52:13, Bereshith Rabba on Gen 28:10, Zohar, Gen. fol. 88), but that his celestial nature existed with God, from whom it emanated, before the creation (Netzach Israel, c. 35, fol. 38), and that the creation was effected by his ministry (Zohar, l. fol. 128, on Gen 49:11). Joh 8:53, *Exo 3:14, *Isa 43:13; *Isa 43:15; Isa 44:6; Isa 44:8; Isa 46:9; Isa 48:12, +*Rev 1:8.

I am. +*Joh 8:24 note, +*Joh 8:28, Joh 4:26; Joh 5:18; Joh 10:30; Joh 13:19; Joh 18:5-6, Exo 3:13-14; Exo 6:3, Psa 102:27, Isa 42:8, Zec 13:7, Mat 18:20; Mat 22:45, Php 2:6, 1Ti 6:16, Heb 1:12.

 

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

 

I am. Gr. ego eimi. Used in the absolute sense (as in the LXX. of Isa 43:10, where it is used of Jehovah), Jesus claiming absolute divine being, as at Joh 8:58 (A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures, vol. 5, p. 146). +*Joh 8:28, Joh 4:26; Joh 6:35; +Joh 11:27; Joh 13:19; Joh 18:5, Deut 32:39, LXX. Isa 43:10; Isa 43:12-13; Isa 46:4, LXX. Mar 13:6, Luk 21:8.

 

But the Arians and their modern counterpart, the Jehovah Witnesses, as well as Moslems fail to acknowledge what the Bible plainly reveals, that Jesus Christ is one Person that has two natures: a true human nature so that he could be tempted or better expressed, tested, in all points, with the exception of sin (Hebrews 4:15), and a divine nature because He is an eternal Person (Micah 5:2) who in time became a man, in accordance with Messianic Prophecy given at Isaiah 9:6, where a child is born (thus Jesus was born as a child in Bethlehem) and a son is given (thus Jesus was always the Son of God, who was given us graciously by God for our salvation, as stated in John 3:16).

 

Jesus Christ clearly asserted His Pre-existence and Glory which He held with the Father:

 

John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

 

The error in this challenge to the doctrine of the Divinity of Christ is mistaking that Jesus as man is greater than God. This is not what the doctrine of the deity of Christ involves.

 

Rob Lopez As always the Muslims refuse to accept the truth. Jerome Smith It is my goal that at least anyone who reads here will see the truth of the Bible when understood in context compared to the wrong interpretations proposed by those who have not properly studied it. The best way to confront a bad idea is to be exposed to a better idea.

 

23- Jesus was taught by the Father (John 8:28)

 

Joh 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

 

The expression “lifted up the Son of man” refers to the crucifixion, when Jesus Christ was lifted up on the cross and was thus put to death.

 

They would, upon this event, know that He is Deity, because of the accompanying supernatural events (darkness at noonday) that accompanied the crucifixion and three days later His resurrection (great earthquake, Matthew 28:2).

 

Mat 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

 

That Jesus was “taught by the Father” poses no problem, for while Jesus was present in His human nature He learned from God the Father and fulfilled the Father’s will completely. If Jesus was “taught by the Father,” then surely what Jesus taught is of Divine Authority, and ought to be believed.

 

24- Jesus can do nothing by himself (John 5:19, John 5:30)

 

Joh 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

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

 

The Jews understood that when Jesus said God was His Father, Jesus declared Himself equal with God. Moslems and Jehovah Witnesses do not accept this claim by Jesus, demonstrating they do not believe in Him.

 

do nothing. So complete is the identity and union that they cannot be separated in anything, as shewn in the words following and to the end of Joh 5:23. So Joh 5:30, Joh 8:28-29; Joh 9:4; Joh 14:10-11 (De Burgh, pp. 240, 241).

 

This was predicted in Messianic Prophecy as seen in Psalm 40:7, 8,

 

Psa 40:7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,

Psa 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

 

That Jesus always is obedient to the Father poses no problem to His being equal to God and to His being God the Son in His Divine Nature.

 

Notice that at one point Jesus remarked that He could call a large number of angels to prevent the authorities from taking Him, but Jesus told His disciples, but if I did that, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled?

 

Mat 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

Mat 26:54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

 

 

25- Jesus does not even have his own doctrine (John 7:16)

 

Joh 7:16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.

 

not mine.—(i.e. “not of human origin, nor the invention or discovery of a mere man, as you take me to be;” as with the leaders of sects of religion and philosophy in general) [De Burgh, p. 249]. +Joh 3:34; Joh 16:13.

 

Joh 7:17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

 

will. or, may will (Young). Rather, If any man wishes to do—i.e. unbelief is the fault of the heart, not of the understanding (De Burgh, p. 249). Joh 5:40; Joh 8:43-44, +Deut 5:21, **+1Ch 16:11 note. +*Psa 5:2, Isa 1:10, Hos 6:1-3, Mat 6:22; Mat 13:12; Mat 21:23-27; Mat 23:37, +*Luk 8:15, **Act 8:27-29; **Act 10:1-6, Rom 7:18, 1Co 9:17, **2Th 2:10, Phm 1:14, 1Pe 5:2.

 

And so it is for any readers here. Moslems sometimes seem to know more about parts of the Bible than many Christians know. Shame on the Christians! But the Moslems must take great care that they are not in unbelief, or if they are, that they not allow themselves to remain so. Unbelief is the fault of the heart, not of the understanding. I have presented much Scripture and much explanation from which any reader can learn enough to come to a true understanding of who Jesus Christ really is, and what His claims are, and what our proper response to Him should be.

 

26- Jesus ascended to his God (John 20:17)

 

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

 

Remember, once again, that Jesus Christ is both truly man and truly God. He, since the incarnation, since His birth in Bethlehem to the virgin Mary, is of course truly man. But there is overwhelming evidence in the Bible that before Jesus became a man, He was in the form of God.

 

I have already shown you in the Scriptures that at Genesis 19:24,  we have two Jehovahs on the same scene at the same time: one in heaven who sends destruction to Sodom, and one on earth who had been seen as one of three men who visited Abraham. Of those three men, the narrative identifies two of them as angels, and one of them as the Angel of Jehovah, also referred to as God and as Jehovah.

 

We know from the words of our Lord Jesus Christ that he plainly declared that He had seen Abraham (John 8:56-58 and preceding context) and Isaiah (John 12:41). And this explains why, when the Bible says no man hath seen God at any time, that it is Jesus Christ who has declared and revealed Him, that we properly understand that appearances of God to men were made by the pre-incarnate Christ in events which are called Christophanies. The Biblical evidence is conclusive, and I have shared it here before.

 

It is true that Jesus ascended to His God. But who else in world history has done that? Surely Jesus Christ is a Person far above any former or subsequent prophet in that regard. When Jesus became a man He did not shed the divine nature which He always possessed. The problem for some interpreters stems from the failure to understand that Jesus possessed two natures at the same time: His human nature, and His divine nature. Understand this from Scripture, and many of these supposed objections fall away and disappear.

 

27- According to Christians, Jesus died as recorded in Matthew 27:27-56 but Bible says that God is infinite Psalm 102:27.

 

Such an objection cannot be sustained in the light of the evidence given in the Bible.

 

It is most certain that Jesus Christ died on the cross by means of crucifixion. This is the clear testimony of history recorded in the New Testament, and even alluded to in non-biblical sources of the time and shortly thereafter. I have shared quite fully above the Biblical evidence which proves Jesus died on the cross of Calvary.

 

There is no way to account for the rise and spread of Christianity unless we accept the historical record upon which it is founded. There is no way to account for the conversion of the Apostle Paul on the Damascus Road if Paul (then called by Saul, his Hebrew name) did not meet Jesus Christ supernaturally on that road.

 

That God is infinite is no argument that Jesus did not die.

 

The very verse that has been cited from Psalm 102:27 more literally reads from the Hebrew, “Thou art He.” It is a prophetic reference to our Lord Jesus Christ. It is alluded to in Hebrews 13:8.

 

Once again, to use this as an argument to show that Jesus is not God is to read into the Bible the very opposite of what it declares.

 

And also once again, the failure to admit the doctrine of the hypostatic union, namely, the union of two natures in One Person, the human nature and the divine nature in Jesus Christ, is the source of such confusion and denial.

 

Ayigbe Eseme There are biblical evidences from the bible that Jesus died and there are biblical evidences from the bible that Jesus did not die. It is up to the Christians to defend their beliefs. Because Paul wrote in the book of Corinthians that if Jesus did not die then their faith is useless. Because the belief of Christians is hanged on the crucifixion of Jesus.

 

28- Jesus needed to Pray, Eat, Drink and Was Helped by Woman, as stated in Luke 8:1-3 but God in Bible is self-sufficient Psalm 50:12

 

Once again, the Muslim objection to the deity of Christ is based on the evidence that He was truly a man. Muslims and Jehovah Witnesses are both guilty of denying the truth revealed in the Bible that Jesus Christ possessed two natures at the same time: a human nature and a divine nature. Once this concept is grasped, the difficulty Muslims and others who deny the deity of Christ propose is found to have no force or merit.

 

Luk 8:1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,

Luk 8:2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,

Luk 8:3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

 

There is interesting evidence in the New Testament record that Jesus Christ was very poor.

 

Luk 9:58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

 

2Co 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

 

Therefore, the fact that God used the resources of individuals who helped Jesus Christ financially shows God’s grace working in the lives affected by the ministry of Jesus Christ to them.

 

Psa 50:12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

 

God the Father in heaven is spirit (John 4:24), and never gets hungry, and does not stand in need of anything from man, or anything man can provide. In context, God is reproving the Israelites for trusting in religious forms and ceremonies. They forgot to remember what these forms and ceremonies symbolized. Those ceremonies would one day no longer be required of them, once the Messiah, to whom they all pointed in type, would come.

 

But look at the preceding context in Psalm 50 at Psalm 50:6,

 

Psa 50:6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.

 

God is judge himself. A few cross references related to this statement are relevant here.

 

Psa 67:4 O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.

 

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

Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

 

Joh 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

Joh 5:23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

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

Joh 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

 

Act 10:42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

 

Act 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

 

Note that the term “judge” is used in a broader sense in Scripture than in our common parlance; it is often equivalent to ruler or king (see Peters, Theocratic Kingdom, vol. 2, pp. 352-361). This has an important bearing upon our conception of Christ returning to judge the earth at the Second Advent. The judgeship of Christ is not limited to passing sentence, but constitutes his reign as king over the earth.

 

2Ti 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

 

Isa 24:23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

 

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

 

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Rev 11:16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,

Rev 11:17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

 

Carefully studied, with an effort to learn rather than refute, the passages I have cited above prove the deity of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. In order for the Lord Jesus Christ to judge righteously, He must be omniscient. That is an attribute that belongs to God alone and cannot be given or delegated to someone else. That is why omniscience is called an incommunicable attribute. That Jesus Christ possesses this attribute proves His Deity.

 

Revelation 11:17 refers to the “Lord God Almighty,” the name given to the Messiah in Bible prophecy in Amos 4:13 in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible quoted by John in the book of Revelation, Revelation 1:8 and 4:8. Revelation 11:17 addresses the Messiah as “O Lord God Almighty,” for it is He of whom it can be said, “which art, and wast, and art to come,” and in Bible prophecy it is clearly revealed that it is the Messiah Who will reign forever over the entire earth, as seen in the passages I have given above.

Like · Reply · February 25 at 12:13pm

 

29- The God remain the same in nature (Hebrews 1:12)

 

Heb 1:12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

 

It is true that the nature of God does not and cannot change. If God were to change in His nature, would He be changing for the better? If so, then that would mean that God was not perfect before but could be improved upon. But that is a contradiction in terms, and so cannot be the case.

 

If God were to change His nature, would He be changing for the worse? If so, then that would mean that He would change from His state of being perfect to a state of not being perfect. That too, is a contradiction in terms.

 

Does God have a Son? The Bible, in the Old Testament and the New Testament, affirms that God has a Son. He has always had a Son. This is why the Bible affirms the eternal sonship of Jesus Christ.

 

It is always helpful and informative to look at the context of the verse we are considering.

 

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

 

God, the Bible here tells us, has spoken with finality by His Son. His Son is appointed as the heir of all things. By His Son He made the worlds.

 

Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

 

God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the perfect image of the person of God. He reflects Him perfectly.

 

He purged our sins by His one act of Atonement. Having completed His task perfectly, as sent by the Father, He returned to heaven and sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

 

Heb 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

 

This verse includes two quotations from the Old Testament, two Messianic Prophecies. The first Old Testament quotation demonstrates that God has always had a Son. The fact that Jesus Christ is truly affirmed to be that Son is proven by His resurrection from the dead. The second quotation connects these Messianic Prophecies to the provisions of the Davidic Covenant mentioned in the context of 2 Samuel 7:14.

 

Heb 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

 

Is Jesus Christ to be worshipped? The Biblical evidence as quoted here from the Greek Septuagint (LXX) translation of the Hebrew Bible from Deuteronomy 32:43, which reads “Rejoice, ye heavens, together with Him, and let all the angels of God worship Him. Rejoice, ye nations, with His people,” shows He is indeed to be worshipped.

 

Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

 

Here, we have the fact that God Himself speaks to His Son, addressing Him as God, in affirmation that His Son is to have a throne, and the rule or authority of righteousness (sceptre) over His kingdom, which we elsewhere learn in the Bible will last forever.

 

Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

Heb 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Heb 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

 

God anointed Jesus Christ as the Son of God to a position above all others. The Son of God is the creator of the universe, and of the earth.

 

Since Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the creator, He must be Deity, for only God can create in the absolute sense.

 

Heb 1:11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;

Heb 1:12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

 

There is a repeated instance of a figure of speech here called “the balanced sentence,” marked by the word “but.” By this figure, what comes before the word “but” is a statement contrary to fact, used in a contrast of great emphasis to stress the importance of the statement which follows.

 

Here, “They shall perish” is a statement directly contrary to what God has proclaimed several times in the Old Testament, that the earth will not perish but abides forever, as in Ecclesiastes 1:4 and Psalm 104:5 and Psalm 148:6.

 

This is to add great emphasis to the following clause, “but thou remainest,” strongly affirming that the Son of God is eternal.

 

So also in Hebrews 1:12, the first part that comes before the word “but” says “And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed” in reference to the destiny of the earth and the heavens, a statement which is contrary to fact, given to emphasize the following statement that the Son of God remains the same, and His years shall not fail.

 

These statements quoted in Hebrews 1:11 and Hebrews 1:12 are taken from Psalm 102:25 and Psalm 102:26,

 

Psa 102:25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.

Psa 102:26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:

Psa 102:27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

 

On the expression, “they shall perish,” Psalm 102:26, I have written the following explanatory note in my new Bible study reference work, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

 

They shall perish. This affirmation, frequently echoed elsewhere in Scripture (see the Parallel Passages), as it is generally understood actually means exactly the opposite of what on the surface it appears to say, as the cross references given at Psa 108:4 and Ecc 1:4 absolutely prove. Psa 108:4 unequivocally states “For thy mercy is great above the heavens.” Thus God’s mercy is more sure than the heavens, and Scripture declares that the earth will abide forever and not pass away, as required by both the Abrahamic Covenant (+**Gen 12:2 note) and Davidic Covenant (+**2Sa 7:10 note) provisions. “Mercy” certainly is a reference to the “sure mercies of David” (+**Isa 55:3), which by God are guaranteed by the eternal stability of the universe itself (Jer 31:35, 36, 37). To suggest otherwise is to deny the Covenant and the Sign by which God affirms its guarantee of fulfillment. %**Psa 102:28, %+*Psa 89:37; %+**Psa 108:4; %Psa 148:6, Job 14:12; Job 14:18, %+**Ecc 1:4, *Isa 34:4; *Isa 51:6; *Isa 65:17; Isa 66:22, Mat 5:18; +**Mat 24:35 note. **Luk 21:33, *Rom 8:20, **2Pe 3:7-13 note. +*1Jn 2:17, Rev 6:14; Rev 20:11; Rev 21:1.

 

Heb 1:13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

 

Therefore, by many proofs from Scripture, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is proven to be and have been the eternal Son of God, granted by God the highest position in the universe, a position not granted to any of the angels, but only to the Son of God, a seat at God’s right hand, in a passage cited from Psalm 101:1, an Old Testament chapter cited more often in the New Testament than any other Bible chapter as Messianic Prophecy.

Like · Reply · February 25 at 4:05pm

 

Ayigbe Eseme Sir Jerome Smith. … your effort is great but it is still the same arguments. A holy book cannot be subjected to much academic work like you did. A is A. Logics and reasoning are necessary but not in this case Sir.

Like · Reply · February 25 at 4:07pm

 

Jerome Smith To the contrary, Ayigbe Eseme, God expects us to read His Book, the Bible, with great care. He expects us to follow the rules of interpretation. You may have noticed that Jesus Christ in the New Testament asked the Jewish experts who presumably knew the Bible well the question, “Have ye not read?”

 

Mat 12:3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;

Mat 12:5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

Mat 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

Mat 22:31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,

Mar 12:10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:

Mar 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

Luk 6:3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him;

 

Jesus challenged the Jewish leadership of His day with a command to “Search the Scriptures,” because if they read the Scriptures carefully they would find that the Scriptures bore witness to Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel,

 

Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

 

Joh 5:46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

 

Jesus roundly condemned the Sadducees because they did not know the Bible well enough and so were in great error about what it teaches,

 

Mar 12:24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

Mar 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

Mar 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

Mar 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

 

Therefore, a Holy Book must be read and studied very carefully, and when addressing sophisticated questions like you have kindly raised for discussion, we must study it with great accuracy, even academic level accuracy, to come to valid conclusions about what the Bible says and means.

Like · Reply · 2 · February 25 at 4:25pm

 

Rob Lopez Amen, the Scriptures are powerful and the word of God!

Unlike · Reply · 1 · February 25 at 5:16pm

Missy Mercy The Bible tells of the greatest love story.

 

Because GOD loves each one of us. He made a way for anyone to have a personal relationship with Him. God provides an open door you just have to walk through into salvation.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · February 25 at 9:57pm

 

Rob Lopez amen Missy!

 

Ayigbe Eseme The only creator is God Almighty and not Jesus. No matter the cross reference you do it shows the bible contradicts itself. Qul huwa alahu ahadu…Say God is one God. Not three or trinity. The pagan worship GOD in three forms. ..the father, the mother and the child. But Christians modified this belief to: God the father, holy spirit and son. If there were more than one God there would have been disorder in creation. Thank you.

Jerome Smith And just where are you getting “mother” out of anything I have been explaining from the Bible? You have a mixed up and untrue understanding of what the Bible teaches and true Christians believe. There is no connection between so-called pagan trinities and what the Bible teaches about God.

 

Ayigbe Eseme Sir that is your belief. The pagans before the introduction of trinity by Christians worshipped a supreme being by representatives of : father, mother and child. It is just as Christians change the day of worshipping idols to Christmas and new year. January was named after Janus , the God that see back and front. They set January 1 as day of worshipping the idol. Now converted to Christians new year celebration.

Like · Reply · Yesterday at 10:52am

Anighoro Issa Emmanuel Even beside that jesus have never claim to be God and he never mention the holy spirit to be third God…I dont know where they are bring this ideology from

Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 11:04am

Jerome Smith Anighoro Issa Emmanuel, thank you for joining in on this discussion! Jesus did not need to claim to be God because He demonstrated conclusively that He was more than just a man by what He did and knew. Only God is omniscient, but all through the New Testament record of the life of Jesus Christ we see repeated evidence that he possessed the attribute or quality of omniscience, that He was all-knowing. I give evidence from the Bible about this at my answer to #30 below. I have also discussed the omniscience of Christ above, I’m sure.

 

Omniscience is what is called an incommunicable attribute of God. This means that even God cannot share this attribute with anyone else. Omniscience is an attribute possessed by Jesus Christ (see John 21:17, where Peter said to Jesus Christ, “Lord, thou knowest all things.” I have supplied many cross references at John 21:17 to other places that show instances or examples of the omniscience of Jesus Christ:

 

Lord, thou knowest all things. Gr. oida, Joh 8:55 note. God the Son is omniscient. +*Joh 2:24; *+Joh 2:25; Joh 4:16; Joh 5:6; Joh 5:42; Joh 6:61; Joh 6:64; Joh 11:14 note. Joh 13:1; Joh 13:18-19; Joh 16:19; +Joh 16:30; Joh 18:4, +*Gen 18:19, +*Jer 17:10, +Mat 9:4 note (T76-7). +*Mat 11:21 note. Mat 12:25; **Mat 17:24-27; +*Mat 28:19 note. Mar 2:8; Mar 8:17; Mar 9:33; Mar 12:15; Mar 14:13-15, Luk 5:22; Luk 6:8; Luk 9:47; Luk 22:10-12, Act 1:24; Act 15:8, 1Co 4:3-4, **1Jn 3:20, +*Rev 2:23.

 

I think one of the most interesting and striking instances of Jesus Christ demonstrating omniscience, that He knows everything, is found in Matthew 17:24-27,

 

Mat 17:24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?

Mat 17:25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?

Mat 17:26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.

Mat 17:27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

 

Notice that when Peter returned to the house where Jesus was, that Jesus anticipated the situation Peter was about to tell Him about regarding the need to pay the Temple Tax. Jesus knew what had taken place before Peter had any chance to tell Him about it.

 

That is an example of the omniscience of Jesus Christ.

 

To solve the tax problem, since Jesus was poor and without money of His own, he instructed Peter where to go fishing. He told Peter to take up the first fish that would bite his fishing hook, open the fish’s mouth, where he would find a piece of money which He instructed Peter to use to go pay the Temple Tax for both himself and Jesus.

 

This is a most remarkable demonstration of the omniscience of Jesus Christ.

 

How did Jesus know that the fish had swallowed a coin?

 

How did Jesus know that the coin the fish happened to swallow was a coin sufficient in value to pay the tax for both Peter and Himself?

 

How did Jesus know that exactly at the time Peter let down his fish hook into the water, that it would be that fish that would bite the hook?

 

Surely this is a remarkable example of the omniscience of Jesus Christ. But only God can be omniscient and know all things. For any thinking person, the conclusion is obvious that the evidence proves Jesus was omniscient, and therefore Jesus in His Divine Nature was God.

 

I think this incident is also interesting because it is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, and Matthew by profession was a tax collector!

Like · Reply · Just now · Edited

 

Ayigbe Eseme Again Sir, Jesus cannot quote the bible. Because from your analysis or academic research you mentioned scriptures and not bible. And as at Jesus time the scriptures were to be complete as 66 books as believed by protestant Christians. Otherwise the scriptures are more than 66 books. A holy book must be read and studied carefully. I agreed. But the bible quotations back and front is in error. The scriptures bore witnesses to Jesus Christ as messiah of Israel. Which of the scriptures and definitely not the bible that contradicts itself. You quoted” God spoke to Moses saying I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. True. But is this God now Jesus? Whereas the three fathers were forefathers of Jesus. So God had forefathers? Food for thought.

 

Jerome Smith That is indeed great food for thought, Ayigbe Eseme. I use the terms “Scriptures” and “Bible” interchangeably to refer to the 39 Hebrew Scriptures and the 27 Greek Christian Scriptures, comprising the Old Testament and the New Testament, respectively.

 

I do not understand your statement: “But the Bible quotations back and front is in error.” Perhaps you can reword this and clarify for me what you mean.

 

At Exodus 3:2 we read “And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of he midst of a bush.” At Exodus 3:4 we read “And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses.” In Exodus 3:6 we read, “Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father [this should read “fathers,” as in early versions (the Samaritan and Coptic) and as cited by Stephen in Acts 7:32], the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.” Surely these statements in the same context that refer to (1) the angel of the Lord,” (2) the LORD, and (3) God, all have reference to the same Person.

 

I have before clearly proven from Scripture that since God is spirit, He is invisible and has never been seen (John 4:23; John 1:18).

 

Therefore, the logical conclusion from this evidence is that when in the Old Testament it is reported that God has been seen, the Person Who was seen was the Angel of Jehovah. I have also proven from John 12:41 in reference to Isaiah 6:1 and John 8:56-58 in reference to Abraham, where Jesus claimed that “before Abraham was, I am,” and further, that Abraham rejoiced to see His day, that these statements by Jesus indicate that He before His Incarnation existed eternally as God the Son, visible to men as the Angel of Jehovah.

 

This certainly is direct proof from the Bible that Jesus is Jehovah, the Angel of Jehovah, the Son of God, and most certainly truly divine. In the Incarnation Jesus took on the form or nature of a man, but always existed in the form of God, and therefore since the Incarnation Jesus possesses two natures: human and divine. These things are most obvious from a careful comparison of Scripture like that I have just given you in this comment.

 

So yes, this God seen by Moses in the burning bush is now Jesus. It is Moses who had forefathers in the Exodus account, not in this sense a reference to any forefathers of Jesus.

Like · Reply · Yesterday at 11:54am

 

Ayigbe Eseme Thank you. QED.

Like · Reply · 23 hrs

Ayigbe Eseme It is funny to read that Jesus is Jehovah. It funny to read that the God that called Moses is Jesus. Your analysis is funny Sir

What I mean: “quoting back and front “. Your quotes are neither here nor there. You quote old testament and refer to new testament. Again from new testament to old testament to justify your views. In course of that you omitted key point of oneness of God as explain in some verses of the bible. You once wrote that Islam came about 600 years after Christianity and so cannot change history or the information. But be informed that all prophets including Jesus came from God with one message. “Worship God and do good and abhor evil. ” The Qur’an says that chains of prophets convey messages of one God. –

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 23 hours ago

 

Jerome Smith Ayigbe Eseme, perhaps you have never before encountered an English teacher who is able to share with you what the Bible teaches. My method of explaining Scripture with Scripture is well-validated in the field of secular great literature. There is an important set of volumes called Great Books of the Western World. It is a collection of more than 50 volumes of world literature which are regarded by experts in literature to be the greatest works ever written. Volume 2 and 3 of this set (as it was first issued: volume 1 was titled The Great Ideas) is called The Synopticon, and reportedly cost Britannica some 2 million dollars to create, if I remember the details correctly. These two volumes are a topical index to the great subjects of concern that are discussed by many different authors across many centuries. What Britannica did for the Great Books of the Western World by indexing these works under many different subjects, I have done for the Bible by means of cross references, as you have seen me use many times here.

 

My analysis of the Bible may seem in a sense funny to you, because you have not encountered it before on this sophisticated of a level of study. But we do well to study the Bible with the same effort and degree of scholarship that the literature scholars who compiled The Synopticon have for world literature. They included the Bible as part of their topical index for all the subjects they indexed. I have not used their research because mine is better for Bible study than their resource is, because my resource covers the Bible verse by verse for every important word, phrase, clause, theme, and often important points of grammar as well as culture.

 

You said above:

 

“What I mean: “quoting back and front “. Your quotes are neither here nor there. You quote old testament and refer to new testament. Again from new testament to old testament to justify your views.”

 

How else do you expect me to explain the Bible?

 

You also said above:

 

“Again from new testament to old testament to justify your views. In course of that you omitted key point of oneness of God as explain in some verses of the bible.”

 

You mistakenly believe that I do not teach the Oneness of God. Here is a bit of evidence from my book at my note given at Deuteronomy 4:35,

 

Deu 4:35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.

 

the Lord he is God. [“Oneness believers,” who deny the doctrine of the Trinity, cite the following “Oneness Scriptures” Chain Reference containing examples of God being only ONE to assert God is only one in both the Old and New Testament. This mistaken position is answered at Mat 28:19 note (consult Gen 19:24 note; Deut 6:4 note; Luk 3:22 note; Act 2:38 note; Php 2:6 note; 1Pe 2:3 note; Rev 1:8 note): Deut 6:4; Deut 32:39, 2Sa 7:22, 1Ch 17:20, Psa 83:18; Psa 86:10, Isa 9:6; Isa 37:16; Isa 41:4; Isa 2:8; Isa 43:10-15; *Isa 44:6; Isa 45:5-6; Isa 45:18-22; Isa 46:5-9; Isa 48:11-12; Isa 57:15, Mic 5:2, Zec 14:9, *Mal 2:10, Mat 1:23, *Mar 12:29, Joh 1:1-14; **Joh 8:56-59; Joh 12:44-46; Joh 14:6-7; Joh 17:11; Joh 17:21; **Joh 20:28, Act 2:36; Act 4:10-12; Act 10:34-36, *1Co 8:4-6, 2Co 5:18-19, Eph 3:9; Eph 4:4-6, **Php 2:6-11, **Col 1:15-19; *Col 2:9; *Col 2:10, 1Ti 2:5; 1Ti 3:16, **Tit 2:13; **Tit 2:14, **Heb 1:1-14, **Jas 2:19, 1Jn 3:16; 1Jn 5:7, Rev 1:7-8; Rev 4:2; Rev 13:8; Rev 20:11-12; Rev 22:13,] Deut 4:39, +*Deut 6:4 note. 2Sa 7:22, 1Ki 8:60; 1Ki 18:21, 1Ch 17:20, Jer 27:5.

 

This should serve to let you know that when there is more than one side to an argument, or there are differing views about a Bible subject, I try to fairly give the best evidence each side has to offer in support of its view.

 

Thank you for taking time to answer my question about what you meant. You are always very helpful.

Like · Reply · 1 min · Edited

 

Missy Mercy Ayigbe are you an Imam??

I get the impression that you are.

Like · Reply · Yesterday at 1:02am

 

Adil Dean No he is just stubborn like every Muslim is. No matter how much u provide them the references they will oppose Jesus like the high priests of Jews did.

Like · Reply · Yesterday at 1:15am

Ayigbe Eseme Missy Mercy and Adil Dean…. truth stands clear from error. Your quotes or Mr. Jerome Smith quotes to support the divinity of Jesus are in the bible. My quotes against the divinity of Jesus are in the bible. So your bible contradicts itself. There is no issues of stubbornness. To you is your belief and to me is my belief. I will not worship your trinity God head and you may choose not to worship the only one true God. The CREATOR of everything including Jesus. Thank you.

Like · Reply · Yesterday at 3:12am

 

Jerome Smith Ayigbe Eseme, you very well know that your quotes “against the divinity of Jesus” that you claim to be “in the Bible” are always out of context, and I have explained every one of them in the light of the surrounding context and related passages of Scripture. Our Bible does not contradict itself. You and those who share your beliefs are guilty of misquoting and misinterpreting the Bible. I have directed you to 24 established Rules of Interpretation. When you violate those, of course you cannot come up with a correct interpretation of the Bible or any other work of literature.

Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 8:31am

 

Ayigbe Eseme Respected Jerome Smith. ..I have no issue with you but those who could write not a single reason for their belief and yet insult others. Sir, the 24 rules of interpretation was established by who and when? Were the rules applied when the KJV was revised by 50 prominent Christians back up by 32 Christians denominations? Are the rules spelt out in the Bible? Is it God or Jesus or disciple of Jesus set the rules? Sir the truth is bitter if it is against you. Jesus says according to the bible “hear oh Israel our God is one God “. Again he said God is greater than him (Jesus ). The day of judgement is known only by God Almighty Allah. Which rules will apply to change these self evident truths. I respect you Sir. It is a debate. Let’s other decide please.

Like · Reply · Yesterday at 10:44am
Jerome Smith The 24 rules of interpretation are natural laws of language that make it possible, linguistically speaking, for humans to communicate in meaningful ways by speech or in writing.

 

I used a sub-set of these Rules of Interpretation when I taught gifted and talented students at Cass Technical High School in Detroit, which at that time was world-renowned for being the most advanced example of quality education. I was visited by people from all over the world who came to see the program I was in, as well as many other programs available at Cass Technical High School. I myself attended Cass Technical High School not many years before that, majoring in the electrical curriculum. I also was on the Bible quiz team from Cass Technical High School that won the city championship. I also as a student was on the debate team, and won the regional championship in debate against all the surrounding high schools in southeastern Michigan.

 

I gave my students the assignment to write an interpretation and explanation of a series of poems, arranged as a “poetry interpretation ladder,” a series arranged by difficulty from easy to hard.

 

I emphasized to my students that the best interpretation of a poem is an interpretation that accounts for all the imagery in the poem harmoniously. A good interpretation cannot arbitrarily leave out a part of the poem that will not fit in to an attempted interpretation.

 

I mentioned before that I encountered Dr. Stenrouse, a graduate school professor at Wayne State University, when I was requested by the Detroit School District to attend her seminar. The seminar’s purpose was to develop a professional quality unit of instruction on Futurism (a most interesting subject).

 

In the seminar I mentioned in our discussion that when I taught poetry, I introduced my students to the Rules of Interpretation. Dr. Stenrouse was horrified. She said the subject of hermeneutics belongs to the field of theology and the Bible, not literature and poetry. I argued to the contrary: the basis for understanding any communication using language must involve hermeneutics or the Rules of Interpretation.

 

I have had a scholarly book on my shelves since I began teaching in 1962, but only took it off the shelf and actually read since I retired in 2001. I wish I would have read that book before I met up with Dr. Stenrouse. The book utterly refutes her position about teaching poetry. The name of the book is “Practical Criticism: A Study of Literary Judgment.” The author of the book is I. A. Richards. It is 362 pages long. Mr. Richards describes how he taught poetry, and studied the responses given by college students to a series of poems he asked them to explain or interpret. He did what I did, and I did not get my idea from him, for though I had his book, I had never read it until after I retired from teaching.

 

I first wrote my Rules of Interpretation when I was a high school student attending Cass Technical High School. I have since developed these rules into the form now presented in the October, 2010 Archives at the Real Bible Study website.

 

The Rules of Interpretation were apparently not properly applied when those who worked on creating the Revised Standard Version did their work. I have explained before why their work and their claims are very flawed: (1) this version was produced by scholars who do not believe in the verbal inspiration of the Bible; (2) the RSV is based on a flawed Greek text based upon not the majority text but a minority text, which is the source of many textual errors, such as leaving out Acts 8:37, the so-called long ending of the Gospel of Mark, the story of the woman taken in adultery in John chapter 8, and so forth. Evangelical Bible-believing Christians largely rejected the RSV when it was published. It was welcomed in so-called main-line Protestant churches, all of which had been influenced by supposed advances in modern theology, and are not considered to be Evangelical Bible-believing Christians because they do not adhere to the Fundamentals of the Faith, but are liberals and Modernists.

Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 12:41pm

 

Ayigbe Eseme Sir Jerome Smith..you have advanced in your belief. Even you have issues with fellow Christians. Again you are a lecturer and would continue to defend your thesis. Whichever bible translation you have still has flaw despite your 24 rules of interpretation. In fact common sense will defeat these 24 rules of interpretation. Thank you once again for the lecture.

Like · Reply · Yesterday at 3:15pm

Jerome Smith I think that it is not possible to use common sense to defeat my 24 rules of interpretation. But if you think so, you can pick one of the rules and provide your reason, logic, and evidence to refute it. You are not likely to succeed, but I invite you sometime to try. It would be a good learning experience. Remember my claim: if I can be refuted and corrected by evidence that is better than what I have already seen, I do respond to constructive correction based upon evidence, and I have changed my mind about something several times over the years. Are you willing to do the same?

Like · Reply · 20 hrs

Adil Dean Ayigbe Eseme Allah is not Almighty but Jehovah. I don’t debate with Muslims much cause I know it is useless debating them or preaching them. Muslims never bother to investigate islam, Allah first. Allah was a idol among 360 other idols. Allah was the biggest, this Allah is not almighty. Our Jehovah is Almighty (Trinity). Go and search Allah’s history first then come back. We’ll talk.

Like · Reply · Yesterday at 11:30am Ayigbe Eseme Adil Dean..

Ignorance is a disease. What language is Jehovah? What language is Allah? Can’t you reason like Jerome Smith, your mentor. Your ignorance will push into Hell. Which language is Oghene? Which language is Yahweh? Mumu like you. Before the coming of prophet Muhammad (SAW ) the Arabs in Mecca worshipped many idols. When the prophet called to worship Allah (Almighty God ) they objected. It took time before they were convinced and embraced Islam. Allah is unseen and they believed. But the idols were seen and felt yet they disbelieve in the idols. You need deliverance.

 

Missy Mercy Ayigbe, I asked if you are an Imam? You never answered. Was that an insult? I hardly think so.

 

However, what is an insult to you is that I am female and it is insulting that I even speak … Isn’t that right? You think females are for your pleasure only…..including your child bride which you never denied to have.

SICK BASTARD…..Now you can feel insulted. You will burn in hell for your treatment of women! The only 72 virgins you might get are all demons to torture you for all eternity for none such as you shall enter into my Father’s Kingdom.

 

You do not tell me how or what to say!!! You are both a wicked and evil Imam who leads people to hell.

 

It is a well known fact that most Muslims never read the Quran. They learn their truth from Imams who also recruit terrorists.

 

I am a child of the One True Living God. Muhammad might have smashed hundreds of idols surrounding the Kabal …. leaving only the idol ‘Baal’ who you call Allah.

 

The fact is you can never smash Our God and exhault your satanic God who is nothing!

 

PRAISE LORD JESUS WHO RULES FOREVER.

Like · Reply · 2 · 19 hrs · Edited

 

Missy Mercy PS Mr. Thinks He knows it all (Ayigbe),

 

Mr. Smith was only recently put in my path by the Holy Spirit. And thanks to social media.

 

You are truly a fool if you think God will use me in the same way He will use a man who has studied the Bible since 1953.

 

Jesus lives in me and that is good enough. Like a demon you attack me because of the scriptures I post. My job is to share the Word Of God only.

 

I am not here to argue doctrine. God says we are not to strife! I share, but like a wild frothing at the mouth dog … You attack.

Like · Reply · 2 · 19 hrs · Edited

 

Rob Lopez Ayigbe….in Christianity women and men can be friends through the bond of the Holy Spirit….nothing like Islam at all.

Like · Reply · 2 · 19 hrs

 

Missy Mercy In Christ Jesus there are no distinctions for we are one body of priest.

 

God wanted us to understand the Supreme Sacrifice that has come into to world. Every other Sacrifice loses it’s substance in comparison to what God has raised in Jesus Christ.

 

We are consecrated to become a living, moving priestly body. We have not come together to sport our degrees, or intellectual, or theatrical capacities. We have come to minister unto God.

 

As a people who understand that we are a peculiar people of Royal Priesthood and a Holy Nation …. We should shoot for (push for) the praises oh Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

 

The only sacrifice now that warms God’s heart is the sacrifice of constant praise.

Like · Reply · 1 · 3 hrs · Edited

 

Ayigbe Eseme Missy Mercy… to answer you. I am not an Imam.

 

30- Jesus is the same human today, yesterday and forever (Hebrew 13:8)

 

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

 

Notice that in an effort to disprove the Deity of Christ, the author of these “38 Reasons Why Jesus cannot be God” has added a word to the text of the Bible, the word “human,” which makes the objection invalid. You cannot tamper with the text of the Bible and change it to suit your argument or your fancy.

 

I have placed the following notes at Hebrews 13:8 in my book, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury. If you study these notes carefully you will better understand what the Bible teaches.

 

the same. This verse declares Christ’s immutability “…that he is unchangeable; that he always was, is, and will be to all eternity, the same; that he is subject to no change either in his essence or in his perfections” (Wakefield, Vol. 1, p. 156). Cf. Php 2:6-8; Jas 1:17 and notes.

 

Note that the Incarnation was a change of estate, not nature. In the Incarnation Christ:

 

(1) has all the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in Him (Col 2:9);

 

(2) is One with the Father (Joh 10:30);

 

(3) is Omnipotent (cf. Joh 5:19; Joh 7:9-13; Joh 7:19; Joh 7:21; Joh 10:17-18; Joh 11:43-44; Joh 16:15);

 

(4) is Omniscient (cf. Mat 11:21; Mat 11:23; Joh 2:24-25; Joh 6:64; Joh 16:15);

 

(5) is Omnipresent (cf. Mat 18:20; Mat 28:20; Joh 3:13);

 

(6) has all things whatsoever the Father has (Joh 16:15);

 

(7) has power to remove sin (cf. Mat 9:2; Mat 9:6);

 

(8) received worship as God (cf. Mat 2:11; Mat 8:1-2; Mat 14:33; Joh 9:35-38).

 

Thus the Son remains essentially and eternally the same throughout His profound mutations of estate—pre-Incarnation, Incarnation, death, resurrection, glorification—even for the ages of eternity! (LNT, fn i). T76-4, God the Son is immutable. %Heb 13:9, *Heb 1:12, +*Exo 3:14; Exo 3:15; Exo 38:1, Psa 90:2; Psa 90:4; *Psa 102:27; *Psa 102:28; Psa 103:17, Isa 41:4; Isa 44:6, %+*Mal 3:6, %Mat 12:32; +*Mat 28:19 note. +*Joh 8:35; Joh 8:56-58, 2Co 1:19-20, Php 2:6, 1Ti 6:16, **Jas 1:17, Rev 1:4; Rev 1:8; Rev 1:11; Rev 1:17-18.

Like · Reply · 4 hrs

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38 Bible Reasons Why Jesus is Not God Answered, Part 2

The discussion at the Islam and Christianity Debate Group has continued.  Here are the next points (13–21) of the original 38 which I have addressed so far.

13- Jesus always confessed he is just a prophet sent by God (Matthew 21:10-11)

 

The wording of this objection actually goes against or beyond the evidence found in the Bible when we consider just what Prophet is being referred to, as shown by the cross references for Matthew 21:11.

 

Mat 21:10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

Mat 21:11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

 

Matthew 21:11

the multitude said. Mat 21:46, Luk 18:36.

This is Jesus. Mat 16:13-14, Deut 18:15-19, Mar 10:47, Luk 7:16; Luk 24:19, Joh 7:39-40; Joh 9:17; Joh 18:5, Act 3:22-23; Act 7:37.

the prophet. Mat 21:46, Mar 6:15, Luk 7:16; Luk 7:39; Luk 9:8; Luk 9:19; Luk 13:33; Luk 24:19, Joh 1:21; Joh 1:25; Joh 4:19; +Joh 6:14; Joh 7:40-42; Joh 7:52; Joh 9:17, +Act 3:22; +Act 3:23; Act 7:37.

of Nazareth. +Mat 2:23, +Mar 1:24; Mar 14:67, Joh 1:45-46; Joh 6:14.

of Galilee. +Mat 2:22; Mat 26:69, +Jos 20:7, +*Joh 7:52, Act 2:7.

 

A good rule of Bible study and interpretation is to read the context of the verse or verses being studied. Just before this passage, Jesus rode into Jerusalem in what has been titled “The Triumphal Entry” in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9 as to the event, and the fulfillment of Psalm 118:26 as to the words sung in Messiah’s praise. Note those words cited by Matthew at Matthew 21:9, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” Mark 11:10, a parallel passage, reads “Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.” Concerning this title “Lord,” Jesus asked a question that silenced the unbelieving Pharisees and others in His day and since who could not answer it:

 

Mat 22:41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

Mat 22:42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.

Mat 22:43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

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

Mat 22:45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

Mat 22:46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

 

The question the Pharisees were unwilling to answer, and in their unbelief could not answer, is the question about who, exactly, is Jesus Christ? He is not merely a prophet, or “just a prophet.” The people recognized that Jesus was “that Prophet” (John 6:14) which was to come, as prophesied by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15-18,

 

Deu 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

Deu 18:16 According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.

Deu 18:17 And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.

Deu 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

Deu 18:19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

Deu 18:20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

 

These themes make for a very rich study in the Bible by consulting the cross references given for each verse I have referred to.

 

By no means does this supposed objection rise to the level of being a refutation of the Bible truth that Jesus Christ is “that Prophet” that should come, and that He as the true Messiah of Israel does not possess the quality of Deity.

 

Ayigbe Eseme, I shall answer the next of the 38 Bible reasons why Jesus is Not God:

 

14- God Declared Himself to be God, Jesus didn’t (Ezekiel 20:20)

 

Once again, to understand any work of literature, and especially the Bible, we must carefully follow the 24 Rules of Interpretation, that I have presented in the October 2010 archives. In this instance, I am referring specifically to my Rule 22,

 

  1. Much important truth found in the Bible can only be derived from the Bible by means of necessary inference derived from a careful study and comparison of related Bible passages. (https://realbiblestudy.com/?p=66 )

 

Recall that I have established, in this discussion, that while God is invisible and has never been seen by man (John 1:18), yet there are many references in the Old Testament to instances where the Bible records or states that men and women have at times seen God (Genesis 32:30; Exodus 24:9, 10; Exodus 33:11; Matthew 5:8). See especially Genesis 12:7 and Genesis 17:1. Careful study of the Bible cross references I have shared before show that Abraham saw God, also named as Jehovah, and the Angel of Jehovah. Further study of related cross references establishes that when people saw God, they saw the Angel of Jehovah, who is sometimes called God, and that these appearances of the Angel of Jehovah to Abraham and to Isaiah were shown to be appearances of Jesus Christ in His pre-incarnate form, witness the claim of Jesus Christ, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). I pointed out that the evidence from Genesis 19:24 demonstrates the existences of two Persons appearing simultaneously on the same scene, each called Jehovah. I have mentioned that the New Testament contains many instances of applying to our Lord Jesus Christ what is said of Jehovah in the Old Testament.

 

Having these facts in mind, a careful reading of the whole of Ezekiel 20 will show that even in this chapter, reference is made to a Person that we learn from the rest of Scripture is the Person we now know as Jesus Christ.

 

All this being the case, let us ask the question, If Jesus is truly God, why did he not plainly say so?

 

The answer is clearly, because people, even His own disciples, were not prepared to hear such profound truth all at once (John 16:12).

 

Joh 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

 

Jesus followed this remarkable statement with a specific promise that more truth was forthcoming (John 16:13) to them and for them in the immediate future by means of the promised Holy Spirit they would soon receive,

 

Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

 

God does not force us to believe His truth. Unfortunately, some have used physical force, both in history, and continuing until today, to violate the principle of religious freedom. God, as recorded in His written word, the Bible, pleads with us to choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19), but many, exercising their free will unwisely, fail to do so.

 

When Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel, actually appeared in history according to the Messianic Promise given abundantly in many Messianic Prophecies in the Old Testament, he exercised restraint by not forcing people to believe in Him by providing inescapable evidence that would be so overbearing as to thwart their free will. But He did provide enough evidence that the pure in heart would recognize Him for who He is, while the rest, blinded to spiritual truth, walk on in darkness and remain forever lost.

 

It seems like a long time ago that I last answered one of these 38 Bible reasons Jesus is not God, as kindly provided by Ayigbe Eseme for consideration. Here at last is my answer for reason 15,

 

15- Jesus told his real mission was to preach not sacrifice Mark 1:38)

 

Mar 1:38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

 

To derive from this text of Scripture that the only mission of Jesus was to preach, and not sacrifice Himself for our sins, is to draw inferences from this passage that are not warranted when we consult more statements on this subject in the New Testament.

 

Such a statement, given as reason 15, violates the rules of Bible interpretation, specifically the rule that when determining what the Bible teaches about any subject it mentions, we must consider all that the Bible says about the subject.

 

The answer to the question, “Why did Jesus come?” is answered in part by Luke 19:10,

 

Luk 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

 

Mat 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

 

Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

 

Reason 15 violates another important Rule of Interpretation, the rule which tells us we must not “cherry-pick” the evidence, but must include any evidence bearing on the subject at hand, especially evidence that contradicts our position.

 

In this case, to suggest that the Bible teaches that Jesus came to preach, but not sacrifice, based upon Mark 1:38, is mistaken because this conclusion goes beyond the scope of the context it is cited from in the Gospel of Mark. The same mistake is made when Muslim interpreters try to use Matthew 15:24 to suggest Jesus came only to minister to the “lost sheep of Israel,” which is only asserted by the Bible to be the purpose of that specific mission of the 70 on that one occasion.

 

To suggest that Jesus came only to preach, and not sacrifice, an assertion drawn from Mark 1:38, is mistaken because other passages, including Matthew 20:28, tell us that Jesus came “to give his life a ransom for many.” There are many more passages in the Bible that confirm this stated purpose of Jesus Christ, including John 1:29,

 

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

 

See also:

 

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

Joh 10:15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

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

Joh 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

Joh 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

 

Joh 11:50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.

Joh 11:51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;

Joh 11:52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

 

Gal 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

Gal 1:5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

 

Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

 

1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

 

Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

 

1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

 

1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

 

1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

 

Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

 

I have given you a representative sampling of the Bible cross references I have collected for Matthew 20:28 on this subject to show you that from Matthew to Revelation, the New Testament from beginning to end testifies to the historical fact that Jesus came to become a sacrifice for our sins on the cross.

 

This evidence proves that reason 15 cannot be substantiated from the Bible, and is therefore mistaken.

16- Jesus desired Mercy not Sacrifice (Matthew 9:13)

 

Mat 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

 

This is the response Jesus gave to the Pharisees who disapproved of how Jesus was able to keep company with people they frowned upon and were prejudiced against:

 

Mat 9:10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

Mat 9:11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

 

They thought Jesus should not eat with such people as publicans (tax collectors) and sinners.

 

Mat 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

Mat 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

 

Jesus let the Pharisees know that they needed to get a better grasp of what the Bible teaches. He directed them to the verse from the Old Testament that He quoted in part from Hosea 6:6,

 

Hos 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

 

The Pharisees were lacking in their knowledge of God because their knowledge and understanding of the Bible was flawed.

 

So, for anyone or for any church or religion to deny that Jesus came to give Himself as a sacrifice for our sins is equally lacking both in knowledge of the Bible and in the knowledge of God.

 

Jesus must be a man or he could not die for our sins. But Jesus must be deity or God for His sacrifice to have standing with God and to be sufficient for all men for whom He died.

 

That is what the Bible teaches. If you don’t think the Bible teaches that, then you need to ask me some more questions about the Bible on this point and I will be more than happy to clarify this with more evidence from the Bible.

 

17- Jesus referred to himself as Servant: Matthew 10:24, 24:45, 12:18 John 13:16

 

Mat 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

 

This text has no obvious connection with the idea that Jesus did or did not claim to be God. In the minds of some Muslims, apparently, the fact that Jesus repeatedly took the position of a servant means He could not possibly have ever claimed He was more than a man. This shows a willful disregard for and a willful disbelief in the full record of what is revealed in the New Testament about just Who Jesus is, and a lack of deep knowledge of what the Old Testament prophets predicted about the future Messiah.

 

Mat 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

 

The Jehovah Witnesses have totally misunderstood this verse. They stake their claim to be God’s only “good and faithful servant,” divinely authorized to correctly teach the truth of what the Bible says upon this verse. They claim they are the only organization God has authorized “to give them meat in due season.” It may be that some Muslims have been led astray from the truth of the Bible by giving heed to the doctrines of this false cult.

 

If we consider the context of Matthew 24:45, we learn that Jesus was speaking of the imminence of His Second Coming, for in Matthew 24:44 He said,

 

Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

 

The wise servant, Jesus tells us, lives in the expectation of the return of his master, just as believers in Christ should always live in a manner that would be pleasing to Jesus Christ, and not be caught by surprise at His sudden return to be found doing what before the presence of Jesus Christ would be very embarrassing.

 

Nothing in this text at Matthew 24:45 has anything to do with the issue of whether Jesus Christ possesses true Deity.

 

Mat 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

 

Matthew 12:18 is a citation of Messianic Prophecy from Isaiah 41:8 and Isaiah 42:1. Notice that this Messianic Prophecy which was fulfilled by our Lord Jesus Christ, as specifically declared in Matthew 12:17, presents Jesus Christ as God’s servant, in Whom God declares He is well pleased, as stated in Matthew 3:17,

 

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

 

This is. “This is my beloved son” was the Divine formula of anointing Messiah for the office of Prophet (Mat 3:17); also for that of Priest (Mat 17:5); and “Thou art My Son” for that of King (Psa 2:7, Act 13:33, Heb 1:5; Heb 5:5).

 

This corollary passage PROVES that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, for God Himself says so. To deny this is to deny the very words of God Himself, and shows that those who do so have no proper relationship to Him because they are in flagrant unbelief.

 

A bit more about Matthew 12:18.

 

Behold. From the Hebrew direct; but the last clause differs, because the Holy Spirit is recording the act of fulfillment, and varying it by way of Divine comment (CB). Note: This prophecy is expressly referred to the Messiah by the Targumist, who renders, “Behold my servant the Messiah,” etc. ha audi mesheecha; and it was amply fulfilled in the gentle, lowly, condescending, and beneficent nature of Christ’s miracles and personal ministry, his perseverance in the midst of opposition, without engaging in contentious disputation, and his kind and tender dealing with weak and tempted believers. >Isa 42:1-4.

 

The FACT that Isaiah 42:1 is applied as a Messianic Prophecy to Jesus Christ demonstrates that His ministry is not restricted to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” but that His ministry extends to the Gentiles. This directly refutes the false claim of Muslims that Jesus came only for the Jews, a claim based upon their misinterpretation of Matthew 15:24. Muslims hang on to this mistaken interpretation in order to justify their false claim that Mohammed was the promised Prophet to succeed Jesus Christ who would minister to the Gentiles, since, according to them, Jesus did not.

 

Lastly, as for John 13:16,

 

Joh 13:16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

 

This text cannot legitimately be used to suggest that since Jesus is only a servant, He cannot be anything more than a man and a prophet.

 

Jesus had just given an example of His humility and willingness to serve others in even a very menial task, washing the disciples’ feet.

 

Jesus was, after all, their Lord and Master.

 

By divine revelation given to Paul to communicate to us, the fact that Jesus Christ was truly a servant is applied in Philippians 2:5-11,

 

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

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

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

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

Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

Notice carefully that God in His inspired Word comes to a conclusion directly opposite to the conclusion that Muslims do.

 

18- Jesus referred to himself as Prophet:

 

Matthew 8:20 13:16, 21:11, Mark 6:15, 6;4, 9;37, Luke 7:16, 9:8, 9:19, John 13:17, 7:16, 6:14, 7:40

 

Mat 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

 

the Son of man. He Who has dominion in the earth (CB). The title “Son of Man” occurs here first in the New Testament, where it is only applied to Christ; and always by himself and in the Gospels, with one exception—Act_7:56, It is the title of his human nature, as is the corresponding title, “Son of God,” of his divine; and may be observed to be the name he takes when speaking of himself as acting in connection with earth, as the latter is the name which more immediately connects him with heaven. Accordingly he not only designates himself the Son of Man in those passages which speak of his sufferings and humiliation; as here, and Mat 17:23; Mat 20:18-19; Mat 26:24, Joh 3:14, etc. but also, it is remarkable, in those which speak of his Second Advent and mediatorial reign on earth, as in Mat 16:27-28; Mat 24:27; Mat 24:30; Mat 24:37; Mat 24:39; Mat 24:44; Mat 25:31, Mar 8:38, Luk 21:36, Joh 5:27. See also the prophecy of “The Son of Man” in Dan 7:13-14 (in reference to which no doubt, as the prophecy which expressly so names him, the title was taken by the Savior) where it is given him in this same connection; and compare Psalms 8 all, and Psa 80:17 (De Burgh).

 

The point our Muslim friends would make from this verse is unclear to me, for it does not appear to be connected with Jesus referring to Himself as Prophet. Nevertheless, since it deals with a topic which will appear later on the list of 38 Reasons Jesus Cannot be God, I present the documentation at this point of the significance of the title Son of Man.

 

Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

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

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

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

 

Jesus speaks of many prophets and righteous men who have desired to see those things which his hearers were seeing, but they have not been given the privilege to see them, and to hear the things which they were hearing at his mouth, but were never privileged to hear these words of Messiah. But in the context here, Jesus does not include Himself among the rank of prophets which came before Him. In another place Jesus plainly said of Himself, “but a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31).

 

Mat 21:11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

 

the prophet. Mat 21:46, Mar 6:15, Luk 7:16; Luk 7:39; Luk 9:8; Luk 9:19; Luk 13:33; Luk 24:19, Joh 1:21; Joh 1:25; Joh 4:19; +Joh 6:14; Joh 7:40-42; Joh 7:52; Joh 9:17, +Act 3:22; +Act 3:23; Act 7:37.

 

A careful study of the cross references I have furnished which shed light on the words “the prophet” will lead to a more complete understanding of Jesus as Messiah, predicted by Moses, and in that prediction called “that Prophet” which was to be like him.

 

John the Baptist, highly regarded by the people of his day as a prophet, was asked by the Jewish authorities, “Art thou that Prophet”? To this question he answered “No” (John 1:21). This title is properly applied to our Lord Jesus Christ, as the cross references I shared right above to Matthew 21:11 plainly show.

 

Some of the references given for Reason 18 are apparently transcribed wrong, so I will not discuss them. The point can be made that the Messiah was to be a Prophet, A Priest, and a King. Jesus Christ fully meets the qualifications to be truly each of these. None of these facts about Jesus Christ diminish the fact that Jesus is both human and divine at the same time, as is taught in the Bible, Old Testament and New.

 

19A- Jesus referred to himself as Son of Man:

 

Matthew 5:9, 17:22, 8:20, 18:11, 26:2, Luke 9:22, John 5:27

 

Mat 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

 

I have provided the following notes on the title “Son of man” in my recent work, published just last year, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury, at Matthew 8:20 where this title first occurs:

 

the Son of man. He Who has dominion in the earth (CB). The title “Son of Man” occurs here first in the New Testament, where it is only applied to Christ; and always by himself and in the Gospels, with one exception—Act 7:56, It is the title of his human nature, as is the corresponding title, “Son of God,” of his divine; and may be observed to be the name he takes when speaking of himself as acting in connection with earth, as the latter is the name which more immediately connects him with heaven. Accordingly he not only designates himself the Son of Man in those passages which speak of his sufferings and humiliation; as here, and Mat 17:23; Mat 20:18-19; Mat 26:24, Joh 3:14, etc. but also, it is remarkable, in those which speak of his Second Advent and mediatorial reign on earth, as in Mat 16:27-28; Mat 24:27; Mat 24:30; Mat 24:37; Mat 24:39; Mat 24:44; Mat 25:31, Mar 8:38, Luk 21:36, Joh 5:27. See also the prophecy of “The Son of Man” in Dan 7:13-14 (in reference to which no doubt, as the prophecy which expressly so names him, the title was taken by the Savior) where it is given him in this same connection; and compare Psalms 8 all, and Psa 80:17 (De Burgh).

 

There is much information compressed into this note, so it is worth your careful study. I suspect many Bible believing, Bible reading Christians are not aware of these details about the significance of this Messianic Title, The Son of Man.

 

Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

 

I do not understand the bearing of Matthew 5:9 upon the title “Son of Man” because it does not contain the term, nor is it found in the immediate context. It may be a mistaken reference.

 

Mat 17:22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:

Mat 17:23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

 

Jesus uses the title “The Son of Man” in this very important prediction He made regarding His impending death upon the cross, that he would be raised again to physical life the third day after he was buried, for He predicted here that He would be resurrected from the dead.

 

These predictions were fulfilled to the letter. Those who deny that Jesus Christ ever died are very mistaken, for they directly contradict the repeated words of Jesus Christ. Those who deny that Jesus was bodily resurrected from the dead likewise deny the very words of Jesus Christ. Such persons or religions do not hold a correct view of Jesus Christ, and are actually antichrist, for no one can be in a right relationship with God who contradicts the very words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

 

Mat 26:1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,

Mat 26:2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

 

Notice Jesus Christ predicted when and that he would be betrayed, and he predicted the manner of His death: crucifixion. To say Jesus was not killed, to say Jesus did not die, to deny that Jesus was crucified, is to directly deny what Jesus Christ explicitly said and predicted. There is no basis one can properly claim to honor Jesus Christ when His words, His predictions, are denied and contradicted. Those who deny the words of Christ are unbelievers, and unless they repent and believe the words Jesus has spoken, will remain lost and spend eternity in hell. That is what the Bible teaches.

 

Luk 9:18 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?

Luk 9:19 They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.

Luk 9:20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

 

Luk 9:21 And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;

Luk 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

 

Once again, Jesus Christ predicted His death and subsequent resurrection on the third day, and indeed referred to Himself as “The Son of Man.”

 

Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

 

God the Father has given Jesus Christ the authority to execute the judgment of all men, and call them forth in resurrection for final judgment, and consign them to either heaven or hell, to experience for all eternity the resurrection of life if they are saved, or the resurrection of damnation if they are lost.

 

Surely, for Jesus Christ to have this power and authority He must be able to exercise omniscience, a power and divine attribute that only God can possess or exercise. Omniscience is one of the incommunicable attributes: it is an attribute which cannot be shared with or given to someone else for it can only be possessed by God. This PROVES, therefore, that Jesus Christ as the Son of Man is also in His divine nature also God.

 

19B-Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of God

 

To make this discussion both more balanced and complete, I have added Point 19B. Not to include a discussion of Jesus as the Son of God when we have discussed Jesus as the Son of Man is to violate the Rules of Bible Interpretation by leaving this closely related central subject out of the discussion.

 

Dan 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

 

This is an instance of the appearance of the Son of God who protected Daniel’s three friends who had been cast into the fiery furnace.

 

Mat 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

 

The First Class Condition of “If” used here grammatically indicates that Satan had no doubt about Jesus truly being the Son of God.

 

Mat 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

 

Note that the demons knew that Jesus Christ was truly the Son of God, and knew that He had the authority to “torment us before the time,” because Jesus had the authority to judge and send them to their final destination in the Lake of Fire. They, therefore, believed in the deity of Christ. Remember that James speaks of the fact that “the devils also believe and tremble” (James 2:19).

 

Mat 14:33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

 

Under these circumstances, the disciples recognized that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God, and they worshipped Him. What this context requires, when Jesus had just saved their lives from a terrific storm by calming the storm with a word, obeisance will not do as a proper translation here. Jesus Christ displayed the divine attributes of Omnipotence and Sovereignty, for He is in control of nature—once again demonstrating Jesus possesses yet another of the incommunicable attributes, PROVING His Deity.

 

Mat 26:63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.

Mat 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

 

In court, at His trial, the high priest demanded that Jesus tell them whether he is the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus strongly affirmed that He was, indeed, and that hereafter He would be seen as the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, that is God, and that He would be seen coming in the clouds of heaven.

 

These are stupendous claims, and if true—and they are—then Jesus clearly possesses Deity, and is therefore God the Son.

 

Mat_27:40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

 

His enemies clearly knew that Jesus Christ claimed to be the Son of God, and taunted Him, saying that if He is the Son of God, come down from the cross. If you say Jesus Christ did not die on the cross, you’ve got quite a problem with this historical record and eye witness account, for how could the enemies of Christ in mockery suggest that he come down from the cross if He never was on the cross? And don’t suggest the foolishness that they punished and crucified the wrong man!

 

Mat 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

 

the Son of God. Note: Since they were Romans that said this, some think it evident that they meant to say that he was not only an innocent, but altogether a just man, as in Luke 23:47, But in fact that expression is explained by this; for, as Jesus was crucified by the Jews for saying that he was “the Son of God;” so if he were a righteous man, and unjustly condemned, he must be “the Son of God.” Some render, “a son of a god,” that is, according to the pagan notions, a hero, or demi-god, such as Hercules, Bacchus, etc. But in this, and in some other places, the article is omitted before uios, son, when it is used in the highest sense; and Bishop Middleton, on the Greek article, has shown, that theou uios, son of God, and uios tou theou, “the son of God,” are used without any exact discrimination. “The centurion,” as he observes, “could not fail to know the alleged blasphemy for which our Saviour suffered; and had he intended, in heathen phraseology, to express his admiration of our Saviour’s conduct, he would not have called our Saviour theou uios.”

 

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

 

begotten. Gr. monogenes, S# G3439, +Luke 7:12, lit. the only one of a family, unique of its kind. Monogenes, applied to Jesus, expresses the unique and eternal relationship of the Son to the Father. As firstborn does not mean born first (Col 1:15 note), neither does only begotten imply a begetting, birth, or origin in time. In His pre-existence, Jesus was always uniquely the Son of God (Psa 2:7, +*Isa 9:6, Heb 1:8). When used of Christ, only begotten speaks of “unoriginated relationship.” Only begotten “indicates that as the Son of God He was the sole representative of the Being and character of the One who sent Him” (Vine, Expository Dictionary, vol. 3, p. 140). It is a word picture which portrays the relationship of the Father to the Son in the terms of a Middle Eastern patriarchal family (**Gen 21:12; Gen 22:2; Gen 22:12; Gen 22:16, Heb 11:17). Isaac, termed Abraham’s only begotten son (Heb 11:17), though Abraham had a prior son Ishmael by Hagar (Gen 16:15) and later sons by Keturah (Gen 25:1-4, 1Ch 1:32-33), sustains a unique relationship to Abraham as the son of promise (Gal 4:23). The same picture, portrayed in parable (Mat 21:37), emphasizes the unique authority of Jesus as sent by the Father (John 20:21, 1Jn 4:9), and our responsibility to receive the truth declared by Him (John 1:14; Joh 1:18; Joh 3:18, Mat 17:5).

 

20- Jesus referred to himself as a Slave: John 13:16, Matthew 10:24

 

Mat 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. (KJV)

 

Mat 10:24 No pupil is better than his teacher, and no slave is better than his master. (Williams NT)

 

Mat 10:24 “A disciple is not greater than his teacher, nor a slave greater than his master. (NET Bible)

 

Mat 10:24 The disciple is not above his teacher, nor the bondman above his lord. (Darby)

 

I suspect that the issue in a Moslem’s mind might be the question, “If Jesus is a Slave, how could He be God or equal to God?”

 

With respect to our Lord Jesus Christ, the term “servant” or as sometimes translated, the term “slave” (though from a cultural perspective more accurately rendered “bondman,” as by the Darby translation), rendered by the KJV as “servant,” the point of the term “servant” is that it marks the voluntary subservience of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Father in His permanent relation to the Father. Thus, Jesus Christ is subordinate to the Father. But subordination does not mean not equal.

 

The classic passage in the Bible dealing with and applying the truth of this matter is found in Philippians 2:5-11,

 

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

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

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

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

Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

Note that God Himself in Bible prophecy employed the term “servant” in reference to Jesus Christ, the Messiah, as cited at Matthew 12:18 (from Isaiah 42:1, which I discussed thoroughly elsewhere here to prove Jesus Christ was sent not only to the Jews but to the Gentiles),

 

Mat 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

Mat 12:19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.

Mat 12:20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

Mat 12:21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
Missy Mercy responded: Nice! This is such valuable information.

Thank you and God Bless.

 

Ayigbe Eseme responded: Jerome Smith and Missy Mercy… The debate is interesting. You agree Jesus is subordinate to God. At the same time they are equal. You quoted from Matthew and Philippians and yet you are happy to say Jesus is God. Please bear with me, I once informed that the more you explain the more contradictions you exposed. The above quotations are bundle of contradictions. Can we kindly change the topic to qualities of a Holy Book. Jerome Smith responded: Changing the topic mid-stream is of course an acknowledgement of defeat in a debate. We don’t jump to another topic when the topic we introduced has not even been fully answered yet.

 

My above quotations are hardly a bundle of contradictions. They are only regarded as contradictions by those who refuse to truly consider the evidence and draw the conclusions that evidence requires. My quotations might contradict what Muslims believe, but if so, then that proves that on these points Muslims must be wrong.

 

But your suggestion indicates that you might have been taking the time and effort to read what I have been posting in answer to your challenge. It also may indicate that you understand enough of my presentation for it to make you uncomfortable with this topic and so would like to change it to another. But I am glad you have found this debate to be interesting! So have I. Missy Mercy responded: Ayigbe you underestimate Mr. Jerome Smith. He is not the type to begin an assignment and just quit. He will finish. Jerome Smith responded to explain more about the subordination of the Son. The subject of the subordination of the Son to the Father is not well understood by most Bible readers and even Bible translators. For a bit more insight into this important subject, see John 6:38,

 

Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

 

down from heaven. Joh 6:33, *+Joh 3:13; *+Joh 3:31, Eph 4:9.

not. The official subordination of Jesus to the Father does not imply inequality or inferiority (+*Joh 5:18; +*Joh 5:23; +*Joh 10:33; *Joh 17:5, Heb 1:2-3; Heb 1:6). T72. Joh 7:16; Joh 8:29; Joh 10:36; *Joh 12:49; *Joh 14:28; Joh 17:3; Joh 17:8, Rom 1:3-4, *1Co 3:23; +*1Co 11:3; **1Co 15:27; +*1Co 15:28 note.

 

1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

 

himself be subject. or, subjected. The subordination (the Greek term means either subject or subordinate, so Daniel Waterland, Works, vol. 4, pp. 23, 24) of the Son to the Father is a voluntary though evidently permanent relationship which does not detract from or deny the equal deity of the Son, any more than the divine order of the submission of the wife to the husband (1Co 11:3) in the husband/wife relationship detracts from her essential equality and humanity, or implies her inferiority. The Companion Bible notes: It is the Father Who puts all enemies as a footstool for the feet of the Son. See Mat 22:44, But when this is done, the Son rises up, takes His great power and reigns (Rev 11:17), and putting His feet on the footstool, treads down all that exalts itself against God throughout His millennial reign (See Psa 18:37-50; Psa 60:12; Psa 101:8; Psa 145:20, Isa 63:3; Isa 63:6, Rev 19:15). 1Co 3:23; *1Co 11:3, +*Mat 10:32; *Mat 20:23, Joh 6:38 note. +*Joh 14:28, +*Tit 1:2.

 

We must go by what the Bible says, not by what another religion six or seven centuries later in its Holy Book has to say about the matter. We learn what the Bible says by reading the Bible. Since the Bible is not written in the form of a theological textbook, to learn what the Bible has to say about any subject we must search the Scriptures for the other passages found in the Bible that mention the subject of our current study. The result of that searching can be recorded in the form of what are called cross references. The true or correct interpretation of the Bible will properly fit and agree with what all the cross references taken together show or teach or prove.

 

21- Jesus referred to himself as a Student: Matthew 10:24

 

Mat 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. (KJV)

 

Mat 10:24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. (ESV)

 

Mat 10:24 Disciples are not better than their teacher, and slaves are not better than their master. (CEV)

 

Mat 10:24 No pupil is better than his teacher, and no slave is better than his master. (Williams)

 

I think it may be that whoever might originally have devised these 38 Reasons from the Bible why Jesus cannot be God or Lord may have been mistaken in selecting this topic and the associated verse as one of the reasons. Jesus Christ is not here called or referred to as a student. But even if He were, that would be no objection because when Jesus became a man and dwelt in human flesh, as a human being subject to the limitations characterized by being actually human, he did indeed have to learn just like we do.

 

Luk 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

 

A fact about our Lord Jesus Christ which is not understood or believed by Muslims is that by the Rule of Interpretation I have called “necessary inference,” we learn from the Bible that Jesus was one Person but He possessed two natures: (1) a human nature, and (2) a divine nature.

 

Do we find this stated in these exact words anywhere in the Bible? Of course not. This truth is gathered by comparing Scripture with Scripture, and by the rule of “necessary inference,” we arrive at this explanation and understanding of the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ as the best explanation to the set of facts found in the Bible.

Posted in Apologetics Issues--Other Faiths | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Are we to give Jesus the same worship we give to God?

Both the Muslims and the Jehovah Witnesses teach that Jesus is not to be worshipped.  The Bible states otherwise.  My response on the “Islam and Christianity Debate Group” this morning is presented below:

Muniru Adebambo Sir Jerome Smith, with due respect sir, Jesus was not worshipped, it was Obeisance that was done to Jesus. Not worship.
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Jerome Smith
Jerome Smith I have heard that same argument from the Jehovah Witnesses, a false cult, for many years. The argument is utterly false. So, Muniru Adebambo, you have brought up a very interesting issue. The only authority that can provide the correct answer is the Bible.

In Hebrews 1:5, 6 it is recorded that God commanded the angels to worship Jesus Christ,

Heb 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 
Heb 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. 

In the Old Testament, in Messianic Prophecy, we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, are commanded to worship Him,

Psalm 45:11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.

When Jesus calmed the severe storm while in a boat on the lake of Galilee with His disciples, they were utterly amazed, and very clearly worshipped Him in the highest sense of the word as evidenced by their recognition of Him as the Son of God,

Mat 14:32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. 
Mat 14:33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

In other terms, not involving the specific word for “worship,” we who believe on the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, are commanded to honor the Son in the same manner as we honor the Father. If we fail to honor the Son, we do not honor the Father who sent him:

John 5:23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. (ESV)

The immediate context of John 5:23 presents some most striking claims made by Jesus Christ,

Joh 5:19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 
Joh 5:20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 
Joh 5:21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 
Joh 5:22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 
Joh 5:23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 
Joh 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 
Joh 5:25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 
Joh 5:26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 
Joh 5:27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 
Joh 5:28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 
Joh 5:29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. 

Certainly the command to honor the Son includes the concept that we are to worship Him, just as the idea of honoring the Father includes the concept we are to worship Him.

The disciple Thomas, who missed the initial meetings Jesus had with His disciples immediately after His bodily resurrection from the dead, did not believe their witness, but said he must see and physically handle the wounded hands and see the healed wound in His side for himself, or he would not believe. Thomas was present with the other disciples about a week later, when Jesus again came to them, and addressed Thomas directly concerning his doubts, and asked Thomas to handle and inspect his hands and his side. The immediate dismissal of the doubt Thomas had harbored, and his full expression of renewed faith as seen in the direct worship of the risen Jesus Christ, is remarkable, and is testimony which stands true for all time, directly identifying Jesus Christ as both Lord and God,

Joh 20:26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 
Joh 20:27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 
Joh 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 

In Luke 24:51, 52 it is recorded that as Jesus was blessing the disciples gathered to or about Him immediately prior to the ascension of Jesus to heaven, the disciples worshipped Him,

Luk 24:51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 
Luk 24:52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: 

It is clear from passages in the book of Revelation that Jesus Christ receives in heaven the same worship that the Father does as stated clearly in Revelation 5:11-13,

Rev 5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 
Rev 5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 
Rev 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 
Rev 5:14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Compare what is said in the Old Testament at Isaiah 45:23,

Isa 45:23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 

with what is said of Jesus Christ in Philippians 2:10,

Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

This brief survey of the evidence in the Bible proves that Jesus Christ was worshipped, is worshipped, and shall forever be worshipped. Those who think otherwise are greatly mistaken, and if they persist in such unbelief and disobedience, will be excluded from heaven and the kingdom of God.

Posted in Apologetics Issues--Other Faiths, Apologetics--Christian, Doctrinal Discussions | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

38 Bible Reasons Why Jesus is Not God, Answered

 

 

38 Reasons from the Bible why Jesus is not God, Answered

These 38 reasons have been the subject of discussion in the “Islam and Christianity Debate Group” on Facebook, a closed group to which I have been invited to join and participate. Muslims point to these issues in argument and discussion or debate as to reasons why they do not accept the claims true Bible believing Christians make about our Lord Jesus Christ. I saw recently, somewhere on the Internet, a discussion which frowned on any Christian bothering to answer such challenges as these, because as soon as answers are presented, Muslims can find and post many more objections. I look at these challenges in a different light. I believe most Bible verses appealed to by Muslims to justify their unbelief are verses which are taken out of context. Understanding verses Muslims quote from the Bible in the light of their context will actually show the Bible teaches the opposite of what the Muslims claim. Here (in perhaps my longest post ever!) is the portion of the discussion I have been engaged in on this subject so far:

Ayigbe Eseme posted the following 38 reasons Jesus is NOT God:

1- God Doesn’t Change His Nature (Malachi 3:6)

2- GOD Almighty is Greater than Jesus. (John 14:28 )

3- No one is “Good” including Jesus.

Only GOD is” Good” (Luke 18:19)

4- Jesus said he doesn’t know when the Hour will come. Only GOD Knows. (Mark 13:32)

5- Jesus said that” OUR God is One GOD (Mark 12:29 )

6- Jesus also said “My GOD and your GOD” (John 20:17)

7- Jesus bowed his face down to the ground to GOD Almighty. (Matthew 26:39)

8- Jesus was tempted by satan for 40 days (Mat1:4), while GOD Almighty can not be tempted (Jacob 1:13)

9- Jesus said he is a man (John 8:40)

10- God is neither a man nor a son of a man (Numbers 23:19)

11- No one can see God (1 John 4:20) but people saw Jesus

12- God is the living and everlasting (Habakkuk 1:12)

13- Jesus always confessed he is just a prophet sent by God (Matthew 21:10-11)

14- God Declared Himself to be God, Jesus didn’t (Ezekiel 20:20)

15- Jesus told his real mission was to preach not sacrifice Mark 1:38)

16- Jesus desired Mercy not Sacrifice (Matthew 9:13)

17- Jesus referred to himself as Servant: Matthew 10:24, 24:45, 12:18 John 13:16

18- Jesus referred to himself as Prophet:

Matthew 8:20 13:16,21:11, Mark 6:15, 6;4, 9;37, Luke 7:16, 9:8, 9:19, John 13:17, 7:16, 6:14, 7:40

19- Jesus referred to himself as Son of Man:

Matthew 5:9, 17:22, 8:20, 18:11, 26:2, Luke 9:22, John 5:27

20- Jesus referred to himself as a Slave: John 13:16, Matthew 10:24

21- Jesus referred to himself as a Student: Matthew 10:24

22- Father is Greater than Jesus (John 14:28). How can someone be greater than God?

23- Jesus was taught by the Father (John 8:28)

24- Jesus can do nothing by himself (John 5:19, John 5:30)

25- Jesus does not even have his own doctrine (John 7:16)

26- Jesus ascended to his God (John 20:17)

27- According to Christians, Jesus died as recorded in Matthew 27:27-56 but Bible says that God is infinite Psalm 102:27-27

28- Jesus needed to Pray, Eat, Drink and Was Helped by Woman, as stated in Luke 8:1-3 but God in Bible is self-sufficient Psalm 50:12

29- The God remain the same in nature (Hebrews 1:12)

30- Jesus is the same human today, yesterday and forever (Hebrew 13:8)

31- Jesus could not saved anyone as he was even not able to save himself (Hebrews 5:1-8)

32- Jesus said he was sent to lost sheep of Israel

(Matthew 15:24)

33- God can not be born and perhaps form his own creation

34- Jesus never asked people to worship him

35- Jesus did not Teach Trinity

36- God is the essence of the worship. He is the object of worship. Had Jesus been God, he would have told people to worship him. Truly, he did the exact opposite as in Matthew 15:9

37- Jesus never call his followers Christians, Paul did

38- Jesus as a servant of God (Matthew 12:18)

 

👉🏻 Am not the author of this article but thought it wise to share it with u. U may decide to share too.

Like · Reply · 1 · January 28 at 5:01am

 

My response:  Ayigbe Eseme has kindly posted 38 reasons why Jesus is not God. I have answered many of these points before on this forum, and some of my discussions are also posted at www.realbiblestudy.com as well.

 

I am feeling quite a bit better today, but I am still recovering from my fall on the ice back on December 12, 2016. That is why my responses have not been as prompt or as complete as I would wish. Thank you for understanding.

 

1- God Doesn’t Change His Nature (Malachi 3:6)

It is very true that God does not change His nature. But Malachi 3:6 speaks of God’s unchanging nature as the guarantee that God will keep His covenant with Abraham. Therefore, God says to the people of Israel, “therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Notice that this promise holds true until our own day, even though Iran, an avowed Islamic nation, has leadership that frequently proclaims that Israel as a nation has no right to exist. All this was predicted in Leviticus 26 in detail. The outcome for those who are against Israel is predicted in Psalm 83 in accordance with the promise in the Abrahamic Covenant recorded at Genesis 12:3, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

All this to say that Malachi 3:6 and God’s unchanging nature has nothing to do with the validity of the claim of Jesus to be the Son of God. It rather confirms it. Isaiah 9:6 speaks in prophecy that “unto us a child is born..” That is a prophetic reference to the birth of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. It also speaks in prophecy that “unto us a son is given.” This is in reference to the eternal sonship of Jesus Christ, who has always from all eternity, been the Son of God. The Incarnation, when the eternal Son of God became flesh, became a man, marks the entrance of Jesus Christ into this world in human form. He was given the name “Jesus” prophetically because He is the Savior of all men, the Savior of the world. God, therefore, did not change His own nature when He became a human person named Jesus: He simply took upon Himself the form of man, in the likeness of human flesh, having always been from all eternity past in the form of God.

 

2- GOD Almighty is Greater than Jesus. (John 14:28 )

This text in John is much abused and misused and misunderstood by those who use it as a proof-text against the full Deity of Jesus Christ. Unitarians, Moslems, Jehovah’s Witnesses and the ancient Arians have stumbled mightily over this verse. When Jesus said “my Father is greater than I,” He is speaking of the Father who then was greater in glory than Jesus was as a man during his pre-resurrection incarnate state. Therefore, the claim that “GOD Almighty is Greater than Jesus” has no bearing upon the issue.

 

If you carefully study this issue in depth, using the cross references I have furnished in my work, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury, you will find some surprising information in the Bible. For example, the Jehovah Witnesses claim that Jesus is called “mighty God” but He is never called “Almighty God” in the Bible. They are mistaken. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is directly called “Almighty God” in the Bible as may be seen by comparing Revelation 4:8,

 

Rev 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

 

Revelation 4:8 is a quotation or allusion to Amos 4:13 as Amos 4:13 stands written in the Septuagint or LXX translation of the Old Testament used by John for his quotation. Here is my note from my book for Amos 4:13 which gives the unassailable evidence for this fact:

 

Amos 4:13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name. (KJV)

 

unto men. LXX. adds, “his Christ.” The LXX reads for Amos 4:13, “For behold, I am he that strengthens the thunder, and creates the wind, and proclaims to men his Christ, forming the morning and the darkness, and mounting on the high places of the earth, The Lord God Almighty is his name” (Bagster, Septuagint with Apocrypha Greek and English, p. 1088).

 

Note the direct declaration in the Word of God quoted by John from the LXX or Septuagint, that “His Christ…The Lord God Almighty is his name” (Amos 4:13, LXX). Ayigbe Eseme, thank you for your continuing patience in waiting for my answers to your valuable challenges about the Bible and what it teaches about Jesus Christ.

 

Let me share more thoughts and answers about your 38 reasons why Jesus is not God.

 

3- No one is “Good” including Jesus.

Only GOD is” Good” (Luke 18:19)

 

Luke 18:19,

 

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

 

Matthew 19:17 (a parallel passage),

 

Mat 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

 

that is, God. i.e. none independently and essentially good: in accordance with which the name of God found with little variation in all the Northern languages, is synonymous with Good. The young man only regarded Jesus as a prophet or teacher, and therefore he disclaims the title in his application of it (De Burgh).

 

Jesus refused to accept the rich young ruler’s attribution of the quality of goodness in the limited sense used by the rich young ruler. Jesus is more than good in the sense the ruler meant it. Jesus is absolutely good, absolutely holy, absolutely sinless, and absolutely God.

 

Moslems among many others today make the same error that the rich young ruler did: they only accept Jesus as a prophet or teacher, but they do not accept the repeated claim by Jesus Himself that He is not only the Son of man, but also He is the Son of God. That is a most unfortunate misunderstanding. It is a fatal error. To reject the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is to make God a liar, because you have rejected the witness that God has given of His Son (1 John 5:10).

 

1 Jn 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

 

1 Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

 

Jesus clearly did not deny His own goodness. He called Himself “the good shepherd” you will recall in John 10:11.

 

 

4- Jesus said he doesn’t know when the Hour will come. Only GOD Knows. (Mark 13:32)

 

Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

 

Many years ago my friend Mr. Don Rees introduced me to a friend of his, Mr. Frank Burrell. Everyone called him ‘Uncle Frank.’ It turns out that Uncle Frank lived right next door to my apartment building on Fort Street and Hubbard in the Fort Grand Hotel on Fort Street in Detroit, about eight blocks west of the Ambassador Bridge. I soon discovered that Uncle Frank loved to talk about the Bible. He would ask his favorite question to child or adult, “Is Jesus God?” Nearly always he received the correct answer “Yes.” Then he would ask, “Does God know everything?” Again, most would answer “Yes.” Then he asked, “If Jesus is God, how come He did not know when He was coming back?” That answer usually stumped what ever person he asked.

 

He and I would often discuss that question. Uncle Frank said he thought Jesus did not know because He chose not to know. I agreed, and we both surmised that Jesus after the resurrection, and particularly upon His return to heaven to sit at the right hand of God, most likely does know now.

 

But here is the note I furnished at Mark 13:32 in by new Bible study reference book, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

 

knoweth. Note: “To preclude the curiosity of men,” says Dr. Hammond, “and to engage their vigilance, Christ is pleased to tell them, that no dispensation of God, either by man (as Daniel), or by angels, or, which is the highest, by the Son of man, had ordered us thus to know the seasons; this being no part of the prophetic office, or within the commission of Christ himself.”

 

However this question might be answered, it does not amount to any proof that Jesus Christ is not God, or that Jesus Christ does not possess intrinsically full deity.

Like · Reply · 3 · January 29 at 12:14pm

 

I will continue, once again, to discuss the 38 reasons Jesus cannot be God which Ayigbe Eseme has kindly shared here.

5- Jesus said that” OUR God is One GOD (Mark 12:29 )

 

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

 

Take careful note that Jesus is making a quotation from the Old Testament from Deuteronomy 6:4,

 

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

 

My note as given in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury is as follows:

  1. Hear.  Note: Shema Yisrael, Yehowah, Elohainoo, Yehowah aichod, “Hear, Israel, Jehovah, our God, is one Jehovah.”  On this passage the Jews lay great stress;  and it is one of the four passages which they write on their phylacteries.  On the word Elohim, Simeon Ben Joachi says;  “Come and see the mystery of the word Elohim:  there are three degrees, and each degree is by itself alone, and yet they are all one, and joined together in one, and are not divided from each other” (Zohar. Lev. Sect. 16.  Col 116).  the Lord.  Dt 4:35, 36, 39.  5:6.  1 K 18:21.  2 K 19:5.  1 Ch 29:10.  *Is 42:8.  44:6, 8.  45:5, 6, 18, 22.  Je 10:10, 11.  >*Mk 12:29-32.  +*Jn 17:3.  *1 Cor 8:4, 5, 6.  *1 Tim 2:5.  God.  Dt 32:39.  %+Ge 1:26.  **Ge 2:24.  Is 45:5.  +*Jn 17:3.  +1 Cor 8:6.  one.  Heb. echad (S#259h):  A numeral from S#258h; properly united, that is, one;  or (as an ordinal) first (Strong);  it means one in the same sense as our English word and may be used of one in our numerical sense (+Ec 4:8) or a compound unity, one made up of others:  Ge 1:5, one of seven;  Ge 2:11, one of four;  Ge 2:21, one of twenty-four;  Ge 2:24, one made up of two;  Ge 3:22, one of the three;  Ge 11:6, one people gathered to build the tower of Babel but clearly diverse;  Ge 34:16, 22, one people made up of Shechemites and Israelites;  Ge 41:25, 26, the dream is one though made up of two dreams;  Ge 49:16, one of twelve;  Ex 24:3, all the people answered with one voice;  Ex 36:13, one tabernacle made up of multiple components (see also Ex 26:6, 11;  36:18);  Nu 13:23, one of a cluster;  Jsh 22:20, Achan was not the only one who died for his sin;  2 S 7:23, one nation of many individuals;  Ps 34:20.  +Je 10:8mg;  Zc 11:8, one month comprised of 30 days.  Contrast yahed, *S#3173h, unique, a single or only one:  Ge 22:2, 12, 16.  Jg 11:34.  +Ps 22:20.  25:16.  35:17.  68:6.  Pr 4:3.  Je 6:26.  Am 8:10.  Zc 12:10.  See Ps 133:1. “One in essence, and the only object of our worship” (Matthew Poole).

The word for “one” in Hebrew often refers to “a compound unity, one made up of others,” as seen most clearly from Genesis 2:24, where ‘one’ is made up of ‘two,’

 

Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

 

6- Jesus also said “My GOD and your GOD” (John 20:17)

 

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

 

John 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'”

 

The sense of “Touch me not” (KJV) or “Do not cling to me” is a gentle admonition “Do not detain me now; you will have further opportunities to see me before I ascend to be with the Father.”

 

This is a very rich text worthy of careful study and comparison of it to other verses in the Bible which shed more light on each part of it.

 

Here are the references and notes which I have given in my new Bible study tool, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury, for this verse:

 

John 20:17,

  1. Touch.  Present imperative, used to prohibit action in progress.  FS108B15.  Idiom F/S 827.  “To touch” is used for detention, or for diverting from any purpose.  Note:  Or rather, “embrace me not,” or “cling not to me,” mē mou aptou, “Spend no more time with me now in joyful gratulations:  for I am not yet immediately going to ascend to my Father—you will have several opportunities of seeing me again;  but go and tell my disciples that I shall depart to my Father and your Father.”  ver. %27 (Jn 20:27).  2 K 4:29.  7:9.  SS 3:4.  Mt 8:3, 15.  9:20, 21, 29.  *Mt 28:7, *Mt 28:9, 10.  Lk 10:4.  **Lk 24:39.  2 Cor 5:16.  **1 J 1:1.  for.  This gives the reason for the prohibition. He afterwards allowed the women to hold Him by the feet (Mt 28:9). On this day, the morrow after the Sabbath, the high priest would be waving the sheaf of the firstfruits before the Lord (Le 23:10, 11 note); while He, the firstfruits from the dead (1 Cor 15:23), would be fulfilling the type by presenting Himself before the Father (CB).  The “for” may refer (1) to the whole sentence which follows, or (2) only to the first clause. In the first case the imminent, though not realized, Ascension of the Lord would be regarded as forbidding the old forms of earthly intercourse. In the second case the Ascension would be presented as the beginning and condition of a new union. The latter seems to be unquestionably the true view, and falls in with the moral circumstances of the incident (Westcott).   am.  FS96C1, +Ge 4:1.  not yet.  Jn 2:4.  ascended.  Lk 24:51.  Ac 1:2.  *He 4:14, 15.  1 P 3:22.  my Father.  The most ancient authorities omit the pronoun my, reading the Father (Westcott).  The difference of the paternal relation of the One Father to Christ and Christians is indicated in a very remarkable manner, where the unity of the Person is shewn by the one article common to the two clauses, and the distinctness of the relations by the repetition of the title [Father] with the proper personal pronoun  (Westcott on 1 J 1:2).  Jn 2:16.  my brethren.  Jn 21:23.  Ps 22:22.  Ezk 34:31.  *Mt 12:49, +*Mt 12:50.  *Mt 25:40.  *+Mt 28:10.  *Mk 3:34.  +*Lk 8:21.  Ro 8:29.  *He 2:11, 12, 13.  I ascend.  FS96C7, +Mt 26:24.  *Jn 13:1, 3.  +*Jn 14:1-3, 6, +Jn 14:12, *Jn 14:28.  *Jn 16:28.  17:5, 11, 25.  Ps 16:6.  24:3.  *Ps 68:18.  89:26.  +Mk 16:19.  *Lk 24:49-51.  Ac 1:2.  *Ep 1:17-23.  *Ep 4:8-10.  1 Tim 3:16.  1 P 1:3.  3:22.  unto.  Jn 7:33.  14:12, 28.  16:5, 10, 28.  my Father.  Jn 2:16.  +Jn 5:17.  14:19, 20.  15:15.  17:11.  18:11.  Is 42:1.  Mt 3:17.  Mk 14:36.  *Ro 8:29.  *+Ro 15:6.  2 Cor 1:3.  11:31.  Ep 1:3-5.  3:14, 15.  4:6.  He 2:11.  1 J 1:3.  Re 1:6.  your Father.  *Jn 1:12-14.  =Nu 18:2.  Mt 5:16, 45, 48.  6:1, 4, 6, 8, +*Mt 6:9, 14, 15, 18, 26, 32.  Lk 12:30.  Ro 1:7.  *Ro 8:14-17.  1 Cor 1:3.  *2 Cor 6:18.  Ga 1:4.  *Ga 3:26.  4:6, 7n.  Ep 1:2.  Col 1:12.  1 Th 3:11.  *+1 J 3:1, 2.  *Re 21:7.  my God.  *Ps 22:10.  31:14.  45:7.  63:1.  Mic 5:4.  Zc 11:4.  Mt 27:46.  %1 Cor 3:23.  8:6.  *Ep 1:17.  +*He 1:8, 9.  2 P 1:17.  Re 3:12.   your God.  +Ge 17:7, 8.  Ps 43:4.  *Ps 48:14.  103:13.  *Is 41:10.  *Je 31:1, 33.  32:38.  Ezk 36:28.  37:27.  Da 6:22.  Ho 9:17.  *Zc 13:7-9.  1 Cor 8:6.  Ep 1:3.  Phil 4:19.  *He 8:10.  +*He 11:16.  *Re 21:3.

 

 

In all these many references (more than you will likely find anywhere else for this verse), notice in particular the reference to Psalm 22:10 given for the keywords “my God.”

 

Psa 22:10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly. (KJV)

 

Psa 22:10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. (ESV)

 

Psalm 22 is what is called a Messianic Psalm. It is a Psalm that predicts many things of the Messiah. It is one of the Messianic Psalms which specifically predicts the ORDER or sequence in time of the Messianic Prophecies given throughout the Old Testament. It is the basis for what Jesus Christ taught the two disciples on the road to Emmaus recorded for our learning in Luke 24:26,

 

Luke 24:26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

 

The risen from the dead Lord Jesus Christ declared plainly that first He must come to suffer and die for our sins, THEN at a yet future time He will return to this earth in glory and rule here forever (Luke 1:32).

 

Psalm 22:10 tells us, speaking of Jesus Christ the Messiah, “and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.”

 

This clearly teaches us that when Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry here on earth speaks of “my God,” He is speaking with regard to his true humanity. Such a statement would not apply, and is never applied in Bible prophecy, to the pre-incarnate existence of Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God.

Like · Reply · 1 · January 31 at 11:36am · Edited
 

Ayigbe Eseme, I am pleased to continue our discussion of the “38 reasons why Jesus cannot be God or Lord” from the list you shared above.

 

7- Jesus bowed his face down to the ground to GOD Almighty. (Matthew 26:39)

 

Mat 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (KJV)

 

Mat 26:39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (ESV)

 

Mat 26:39 Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (NET Bible)

 

It is clear from all three English translations I have cited that the actual text of Matthew 26:39 says Jesus “fell on his face” or “threw himself down with his face to the ground” and prayed “My Father.”

 

There is no issue here that would deny the full deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. The problem arises when any reader fails to take into account all that is revealed in Scripture about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ in His incarnation has two natures in one Person: a true human nature and a true divine nature. In theology this is called the hypostatic union. It is this FACT of two natures that is denied by all who deny the deity of Jesus Christ.

 

As man, in His human nature, Jesus assumed the posture of prayer appropriate to the occasion and the deep concern He had regarding His subsequent requests.

 

The Bible is its own best interpreter. Reading the cross references given for Matthew 26:39 will provide a deeper, spiritually enriching study of what the rest of the Bible has to say about the themes found in this verse. That is why I will share, from my new work, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury, the cross references below:

 

Matthew 26:39,

  1. he went.  *Lk 22:41, 42, 44.  and fell.  T#1241.  +Ge 17:3.  Le 9:24.  Nu 14:5.  16:22, 44, 45.  20:6.  Dt 9:18.  Jsh 7:6.  1 Ch 21:16.  Ne 8:6.  Jb 1:20.  Ezk 1:28.  9:8.  11:13.  Lk 5:12.  +Lk 17:16.  Ac 10:25.  Re 4:10.  5:8, 14.  7:11, 12.  19:4, 10.  and prayed.  ver. 36 (Mt 26:36).  Mt 6:7.  2 S 22:7.  Ezk 46:2.  +Mk 1:35.  *Mk 14:35, 36.  Lk 22:41, 42.  Ac 16:25.  *He 5:7.  O my Father.  ver. 42 (Mt 26:42).  Mt 7:21.  11:25.  Ge 22:7.  Ps 31:14.  42:6.  +*Ps 89:26.  Mk 14:36.  Lk 10:21.  +Lk 22:42.  23:34, 46.  Jn 11:41.  12:27, 28.  17:1, 5, 11, 21, 24, 25.  if.  FS184A, +1 Cor 15:2.  it be possible.  ver. 54 (Mt 26:54).  Mt 24:24.  Mk 13:22.  Ac 17:3.  He 2:10.  9:16, 22, 23.  let this.  T#1459.  +Mt 20:22.  Ge 22:7, 8.  Ps 18:4.  Lk 22:41, 42.  Jn 18:11.  He 5:7.  cup.  +Is 51:17 note, Is 51:22.  Mt 20:22.  Mk 10:38.  Lk 12:50.  He 2:10.  Re 14:10.  pass from.  Ex 12:23, LXX.  nevertheless.  Is 50:5.  not as I will.  ver. 42 (Mt 26:42).  +Mt 6:10.  2 S 15:26.  *Jn 5:30.  *Jn 6:38.  12:28.  *Jn 14:31.  Ro 15:1-3.  *Phil 2:6-8.  He 5:8.  but as thou wilt.  Mt 6:10.  Dt 3:26.  Jn 4:34.  6:38-40.  Ac 18:21.  21:14.  He 10:7-10.  1 P 3:17.

 

Like · Reply · February 1 at 10:56am

 

Ayigbe Eseme, here is my response to the next of the 38 supposed reasons from the Bible why Jesus cannot be God or Lord:

 

8- Jesus was tempted by satan for 40 days (Mat1:4), while GOD Almighty can not be tempted (Jacob 1:13)

 

Matthew 4:1,

 

Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

 

Notice that the text says Jesus was led (Mark’s Gospel states “driven”) by the Spirit into the wilderness. Jesus, then, by divine appointment, was put to the test to prove His qualifications to be the true Messiah as He defeated Satan and was victorious over the temptations Satan presented to Him. Satan meant to tempt Jesus to do evil, and so fail the tests, but Jesus had no element of a sinful nature in Himself to which the Devil could appeal (see John 14:30). So in that sense Jesus was not so much tempted but rather tested. The Greek word has both meanings, and which is meant must be determined by context and harmony with the rest of what the Bible teaches.

 

John 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

hath nothing in me.  Gr. ouk ouden, a double negative, for emphasis. No sin for Satan to work upon (CB).  Jn 8:46.  %Jn 9:24.  17:14.  18:36.  Ps 101:3.  Mt 26:59, 60.  +*Lk 1:35.  %Ro 7:18.  15:3.  **2 Cor 5:21.  +*He 4:15n.  *He 7:26.  *1 P 1:19.  *1 P 2:22, 23.  *1 J 3:5-8.

A most important verse which relates to this very subject is Hebrews 4:15,

 

Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

 

Hebrews 4:15,

without.  or, apart from.  Gr. chōris (S#5565g, Mt 13:34), at a space, that is, separately or apart from (Strong).  He 7:26.  9:28.  **Jn 14:30.  *James 1:13, 14.   sin.  or, excepting sin, or, sin apart.  Gr. hamartia (S#266g, Ro 6:1).  Scripture teaches the impeccability of Christ.  In answer to the question “Was Christ able not to sin, or not able to sin?” the Scripture teaches Christ was not able to sin.  Since He possessed two natures (1 Th 4:16n), a human nature and a divine nature, which nature was in control?  Logically, the divine nature must have been in control of the human nature.  Since Jesus was both God (+*Jn 20:28, 29n) and man (Phil 2:7.  1 Tim 2:5), and it is impossible for God to sin or to be tempted with evil (Titus 1:2 n.  **James 1:13), Jesus could not sin, neither could he be tempted with evil, for there was nothing of our sinful nature in Him to which Satan could appeal (Jn 14:30).  Though he was tempted in all  points like as we, yet this temptation was never to sin.  His human nature was subject to weariness and hunger, and the suffering of death, but never sin.  Had Jesus been able to sin while on earth in his human nature, but merely did not, then he is still able to sin in the human nature which he still possesses (1 Tim 2:5), and the divine plan of redemption is ever in jeopardy—a doctrine incompatible with Scripture.  Thus the significance of the qualifying phrase “without sin” can be understood to teach Jesus not only did not sin, was able not to sin, but, possessed of a divine nature, could not sin.  He 7:26.  9:28g.  =Ge 39:9.  +*Lk 1:35.  Jn 4:34.  *Jn 8:29, *Jn 8:46.  +*Jn 14:30.  Ro 1:4.  Titus 1:2.  James 1:13.  *1 P 1:19.  *+1 P 2:22.

 

 

The above evidence from the Bible shows that the objection that Jesus was tempted by Satan but God cannot be tempted with evil is mistaken. Careful study of the relevant Bible passages as I have shared them above proves that Jesus Christ could not sin, and could not be tempted to evil. This proves that assertion number 8 is unfounded and cannot be sustained upon a careful examination of the evidence in Scripture.

Like · Reply · February 1 at 11:24am

 

9- Jesus said he is a man (John 8:40)

 

John 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

 

No one questions whether or not Jesus was truly a man, a human being, unless they follow the mistaken teachings of a false cult, as actually did happen in history with the Gnostics.

 

But when you dip into the Bible to find a proof text, if you are mistaken in your understanding of the Bible you will quite often find that if you read what comes after and what comes before the passage or verse you cited you will be corrected in your understanding.

 

It ought to strike any reader that reads John 8 that there are statements here that are true, yet they cannot be said of any ordinary man, not even a prophet.

 

Jesus said:

 

John 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

 

We all must take very great care that we believe what Jesus tells us about Himself in the Bible. We must not hide behind the unfounded excuse that the Bible has been “corrupted.” Such statements will only serve to condemn on Judgment Day those who make them, because they took away from the things of this Book.

 

Jesus said:

 

John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? (KJV)

 

John 8:46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? (ESV)

 

John 8:46 Can any of you accuse me of sin? If you cannot, why won’t you have faith in me? After all, I am telling you the truth. (CEV)

 

Notice that Jesus challenged his enemies and all who heard Him to find a single sin that He could be charged with committing. That challenge still stands. Jesus was absolutely without sin. So while He was most certainly a man, he was more than just a man. He was and is yet the sinless Savior, the Son of man in his human nature and the Son of God in his Divine Nature at the same time.

 

John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

 

The Jews argued that at that time when He spoke these words, he was not yet 50 years old, so how could he have seen Abraham. Jesus asserted His eternal existence when He said, “Before Abraham was, I am.”

 

And this proves the deity of Jesus Christ. Because if you examine the account carefully in the book of Genesis, when three men visited Abraham, and read the preceding and following context carefully, one of those three men was called the Angel of Jehovah. That specific Person is sometimes called the angel, sometimes called Jehovah. The Angel of Jehovah promised to return and Sarah would have a child even in her very old age, and she did. That is when, as Jesus said, “Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and saw it, and was glad.” Jesus, therefore, here claims (John 8:56) to be that Angel of Jehovah. The Jews understood His claim, but did not believe it. The Jews took up stones to stone Him. Just so, the Jehovah Witnesses and the Moslems and many others are unbelievers and do not believe the claim of Jesus to be Who He is. But these Scriptures are clear and unanswerable.

Like Jesus challenged His original listeners, “If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?”

 

The tenth reason given in the list of 38 Reasons why Jesus is not God is most interesting, but easily resolved. I have had discussions with those who are of the Jewish faith, and they have introduced this same Bible text into the discussion, so I have seen it before.

 

10- God is neither a man nor a son of a man (Numbers 23:19)

 

Num 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

 

At the time this was written and spoken, the Incarnation of Christ had not yet taken place. Therefore, it at that time could be said that “God is not a man.” But to interpret this or any text of the Bible by taking only a snippet or short segment of a verse and “running with it,” that is, building a whole doctrine on it, is not legitimate when a meaning is given to the snippet or segment which does not hold valid in the immediate context.

 

Here, God’s point is, not that He is not a man, but that He does not lie.

 

It is a characteristic of men that they will tell lies from time to time.

 

Unlike men, and individual men, and Satan himself who is the father of lies, God always tells the truth, and only the truth, for as it elsewhere states in the Bible, it is impossible for God to lie (Titus 1:2).

 

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; (KJV)

 

Tit 1:2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began (ESV)

 

This subject at Numbers 23:19, if studied thoroughly by means of the cross references given for this verse in my Bible study tool, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury, will lead to much additional, often surprising truth to be found in the Bible.

 

Numbers 23:19 cross references:

  1. God is not a man. This expression does not deny that our Lord Jesus Christ is God, for here God is a reference to the Father, not the Son. So, when it has been proved that Jesus is Jehovah (+1 P 2:3n. +Ex 3:2n. +Ge 19:24n), this is not to say that Jesus is the Father, but rather that there is more than one Jehovah in the Godhead (Ge 19:24n). 1 S 15:29.  Jb 9:32.  Ps 50:21.  Ho 11:9.  that he should lie.   +1 S 15:29.  Jb 23:13.  Ps 89:35.  Hab 2:3.  +*Ml 3:6.  Lk 21:33.  **Ro 11:29.  +*Titus 1:2.  He 6:18.  James 1:17.  1 J 5:10.  neither the son of man. Most probably a statement affirming that God does not possess any of the deficiencies of human nature or character. Jb 16:21. 25:6. 35:8. +Ps 8:4.  +**Da 7:13.  8:17.  +Ezk 2:1.  that he should repent.  ver. 27 (Nu 23:27).  Ge 6:6. +*1 S 15:29.  +*Ps 89:34.  110:4.  Is 31:2.  Ezk 24:14.  Ho 13:14.  %+*Jon 3:10.  **+Ro 11:29.  2 Tim 2:13.  hath he not said.  Nu 10:29.  Ge 32:12.  shall he not do it.  Nu 11:23.  14:35.  Ge 28:15.  Ex 6:8.  Jsh 23:14.  1 S 3:12.  2 S 7:21, 28.  Jb 23:13.  Ps 77:8.  +*Ps 89:2, 34.  Ezk 24:14.  36:36.  *1 Th 5:24.  or hath he spoken.  Ex 9:16.  *Jsh 21:43n, Jsh 21:45.  1 K 22:23.  **1 Ch 17:17.  Pr 16:4.  Is 1:20.  21:27.  +*Is 45:19, 23.  46:11.  52:6.  *Is 63:1.  Je 4:28.  38:21.  Ezk 21:32.  24:14.  26:14.  36:36.  **Mic 7:20.  +**Mt 24:35n.  Mk 13:31.  make it good.  **Ge 41:32.  2 K 7:16.  15:12.  Ne 9:8.  Is 25:1.  Da 4:28.  Zc 1:6.  Lk 1:57.  Ac 15:18.  27:25.  Ro 3:3.  9:6.  1 Cor 1:9.  Ga 3:17.

Like · Reply · February 3 at 11:20am

Ayigbe Eseme replied: Your references are noted for Christians of same faith with you Sir. Kindly note that Muslims believe God as one God. He is divine and the Creator of everything. He does not change. doesn’t sleep. Cannot die or be resurrected. The Qur’an says God does not change and is not a man. So any verses in the bible that correspond to the Qur’an are truths. Any other quotes from the bible not agreement with above truths are false. Cross reference and interpolation of words are your efforts in justifying the bible various variations or discrepancies.

My reply to Ayigbe Eseme: I appreciate the view you have of the Bible as a Muslim. But if you exercise logic here, the Bible declares that “all Scripture is inspired of God, and is profitable.” This means there are no flaws or falsehoods in the Bible, for all of it was written or recorded under Divine Inspiration. Neither the Koran nor The Book of Mormon can make claims that supersede the Bible. Any book that disagrees with the Bible must be mistaken.

 

Ayigbe Eseme, thank you for sharing, from time to time, your insights here from the Koran. I trust you continue to enjoy the insights I am sharing with you from the Bible. Here follows my discussion of reason 11 from the Bible why Jesus cannot be God:

 

11- No one can see God (1 John 4:20) but people saw Jesus

 

1Jn 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

 

I have furnished 5 cross references for the clause “whom he hath not seen” which I share as follows:

 

(1) 1Jn 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

 

(2) Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

 

(3) Joh 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

 

(4) 1Ti 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

 

(5) 1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

 

I notice another passage I did not list at 1 John 4:20 but gave at 1 Timothy 6:16 is to John 6:46,

 

Joh 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

 

I shall now share some contrasting verses, statements in the Bible which appear on the surface to contradict the statements found in the verses given above:

 

Gen 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

 

Exo 24:9 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:

Exo 24:10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

Exo 24:11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

 

Exo 3:4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

Exo 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Exo 3:6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

 

Exo 33:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

 

Jdg 6:22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.

 

Jdg 13:22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

Jdg 13:23 But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.

 

Notice that it is stated plainly in the above six passages that God was seen.

 

Is there a contradiction here? Not if you very carefully study these and other related texts of Scripture. Very few readers of the Bible, apparently, have made the effort to do this.

In brief, the solution to the seeming contradiction is that when anyone is said to have seen God Himself in the Old Testament, they actually saw the Angel of Jehovah. The Angel of Jehovah is clearly called God:

 

Genesis 22:15 note:

15.  angel of the Lord. The Angel of Jehovah is identified as Jehovah in the immediate context (ver. 16, Ge 22:16). (1) Here God appeared as the Angel of Jehovah. This is one of the Divine Persons of the Trinity. This is proof that there is more than one Jehovah (Ge 19:24n. *Nu 22:31. Je 23:5, 6).  (2) The Angel of Jehovah is one person, and Jehovah who sent Him is another (+Ge 19:24n. *Nu 22:31. Je 23:5, 6). (3) The Angel of Jehovah appeared to Abraham and later to Gideon (Ge 22:11. Jg 6:22). (4) That Angel is referred to as appearing in the form of a man, for He was one of three men that visited Abraham (Ge 18:1,2). (5) Throughout the following account one of those three men is consistently and repeatedly referred to and addressed as Jehovah (Ge 17:1. 18:1, 13, 14, 17, 19, 20, 22, 26, 33. 19:24. 21:1).  (6) In those narratives, the Angel of Jehovah, or the Angel of God, is referred to as God in context (Ge 17:1, 3). (7) There appeared on the same scene at the same time two Jehovahs (Ge 19:24), one on earth who had been walking and speaking with Abraham face to face, and one in heaven who administered judgment to Sodom and Gomorrah.

Further study of the Angel of Jehovah produces evidence which proves that the Angel of Jehovah is God, is a person, can be seen, and in the Bible is shown to be instances of the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ.

The conclusion to be drawn in the light of this evidence is that the claim “No one can see God, but people saw Jesus” has no bearing upon the issue of whether or not Jesus is God in the sense of the words used in the claim. But, turning to the Bible, the evidence proves the exact opposite: Jesus Christ has always been God, confirmed by His own claims to have been the one present as the Angel of Jehovah both in the case of Abraham, discussed previously in this series (where Jesus claimed to have seen and been seen by Abraham: Genesis 17:16; 18:10; 21:1; yet Abraham rejoiced to see his day: Genesis 17:17, John 8:56, 58), and in the case of Isaiah, as seen by comparing Isaiah 6:1-5 with John 12:41).

 

Once again, Ayigbe Eseme, it has been hard for me to find the place where I have left off in my discussion of the interesting and challenging information you presented for consideration about “38 Reasons Jesus cannot be God” drawn from the Bible.

 

12- God is the living and everlasting (Habakkuk 1:12)

 

Hab 1:12 Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.

 

Habakkuk 1:12 cross references:

  1. Art thou not. Hab 2:1.   Dt 33:27.   **Ps  90:2.   93:2.  102:24, 27.  Is 40:28.  43:13.  +*Is 57:15.  Lam 5:19.  Da 7:9.  +*Mic 5:2.  1  Tim 1:17.   6:16.   He  1:10-12.  +*He 13:8.   +*Re  1:8,  11.  O Lord my God.  Ps 104:1.  mine Holy One.  Jb 6:10.   +Is  1:4.  37:23.  43:15.   49:7.  Ac 3:14.  Re 15:4.   we.   FS182,  +Ge 18:22.   Hab 3:2.  **Ps 102:28.  118:17.   Is  27:6-9.  Je  4:27.   5:18.  30:11.   +**Je 33:24-26.   46:28.   Ezk 37:11-14.  +*Am 9:8, 9.  +*Mt 22:32.  shall not die. According to the Sopherim, the primitive Hebrew text read “who diest not,” but was changed by them to avoid the supposed irreverent expression  to read “who die not,” rendered by the KJV, “we shall not die.” But this change from the second person to the first transferred to mortal men the truth which, apart from resurrection, pertains to God alone, “Who only hath immortality” (1 Tim 6:16) [CB]. Note, however, this comment reflects the materialist theology of E. W. Bullinger, the editor of the Companion Bible. Immortality is never asserted of the soul or spirit in man, which cannot die physically and so cannot be resurrected, but of the resurrection body, which will upon resurrection not be subject to physical death.  +**Mt 10:28n.   1 Cor  15:53,  54.   1 Tim 6:16.   thou hast ordained them.   2 K 19:25.   Ps 17:13.  Is 10:5-7.  37:26.  Je  25:9-12.  Ezk 30:25.  for judgment.  2 S 4:11.  2 Ch 24:24.  Jb 34:12.  Am 5:7.  mighty God.  Heb.  Rock.  Dt 32:4, 15,  18, 30,  31.   1 S 2:2.  2 S 23:3.  Ps 18:1,  2,  31,  46.  19:14.  Je 32:18.   established.  Heb.  founded.  Ps 8:2mg.   for correction.  Ps 94:10.  Ec 5:8.  Is 27:9, 10.  Je 30:11.  31:18-20.  46:28.  He 12:5, 6.

In Habakkuk 1:12, the expression “Art thou not from everlasting” is true both of God the Father and of God the Son.

Micah 5:2 reads as follows:

Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

This text in Micah 5:2 was understood by the Jewish authorities at the time Jesus was born to indicate that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Judea, as also stated in Matthew 2:1-6,

 

Mat 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Mat 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Mat 2:3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Mat 2:4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

Mat 2:5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

Mat 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

 

But of special interest is the expression in Micah 5:2, “from everlasting.” The birth of the predicted ruler in Israel is clearly a future event to Micah and the people reading his prophecy. Yet, this Person who is to be born in Bethlehem has been “from everlasting.”

 

Careful study of the cross references given for Micah 5:2 will lead to the evidence that this Person Who has been “from everlasting” is throughout the Old Testament Scriptures referred to as “the Angel of the Lord” or “the Angel of Jehovah.” I have furnished rather full or complete Biblical proof that this is the case at my note for Genesis 22:15 in my newest Bible study tool, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury.  This note in part is cited above under point 10.

 

The careful conclusion to be reached from this evidence is that before Jesus was born as a man to the Virgin Mary at Bethlehem, He existed and was made manifest to men on many occasions as the Angel of Jehovah. The Angel of Jehovah is sometimes spoken of as God. He is sometimes spoken of as Jehovah. So the Angel of Jehovah must be true Deity. That the Angel of Jehovah is not the only Jehovah (or the only one called Jehovah) is proven by Genesis 19:24 where two Persons who are each called Jehovah are on the same scene at the same time, one on earth, having been walking with Abraham, and the other Jehovah acting from Heaven, acting to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.

Posted in Apologetics Issues--Other Faiths, Doctrinal Discussions | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Daily Bible Nugget #438, James 4:7

The Nugget:

Jas 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

My comment:

If it seems the devil has you down, or is camping on your trail, or is otherwise bringing seeming defeat, discouragement, and disappointment your way, this Bible promise in James 4:7 shows the way to victory over Satan and his devices.

It does help greatly in our walk with God if we have a better knowledge of the Bible.  When Paul commands, “Put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10), a good part of that armor is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).  Another part of that armor is to know the correct doctrine as it is given in the Bible itself.  If we believe wrong things about God, about prayer, about salvation, about God’s will, we will find it more difficult to submit ourselves to God.

The encouraging promise here, though, is that if we submit ourselves to God, we will resist the devil, and the devil will flee from each one of us who follows this command.

Studying the notes and the cross references for this verse, James 4:7, will enable you to dig much deeper into this subject.

  1. Submit yourselves therefore.  or, Therefore you must be subject. You must be subject translates the force of the imperative aorist passive; when we have a passive, we look for the action of the outside force. Here the outside force is God, and the persons acted upon are you—you must be subject; thus synergistic action, man submits and God acts (LNT, fn s); compare Re 19:8 note.  Note there are 11 imperatives in verses 7-11: be subject, resist (ver. 7 (James 4:7), draw near, cleanse, purify (ver. 8, James 4:8), be sorrowful, mourn, weep, be changed (ver. 9, James 4:9), be humbled (ver. 10, James 4:10), must not speak against (ver. 11, James 4:11) [LNT, fn s].  T#298.  Le 26:41-43.  Dt 27:26.  1 S 3:18.  2 S 15:26.  2 K 1:13-15.  2 Ch 30:8.  33:12, 13.  Jb 1:21.  22:21.  40:3-5.  42:1-6.  Ps 32:3, 4, 5, 9.  +Ps 37:7 (T#536).  +Ps 39:9 (T#278).  Ps 66:3.  68:30.  Is 45:9.  Je 13:18.  Da 4:25, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37.  Mt 6:9, 10.  11:29.  +*Ac 3:19.  9:6.  16:29-31.  26:19.  Ro 10:3.  14:11.  Ep 5:21.  He 12:9.  13:17.  1 P 2:13, 23.  5:5-9.  to God.  Dative case with the aorist has the note of urgency in the imperative (Robertson, Word Pictures).  Ro 8:7.  1 Cor 15:28.  *He 12:9.  Resist.  Gr. anthistēmi (S#436g, Ga 2:11).  Aorist tense, active voice, imperative mood verb.  Take a stand against (Robertson, Word Pictures).  Mt 4:3-11.  Lk 4:2-13.  *Ep 4:27.  *Ep 6:11, 12.  *1 P 5:8, 9.  Re 12:9-11.  the devil.  Jb 2:1.  1 Ch 21:1.  Zc 3:1, 2.  Mt 13:39.  25:41.  Lk 4:2, 3, 6, 13.  8:12.  Jn 13:2.  14:30.  Ac 5:3.  Ep 4:27.  6:11, 12.  1 Tim 3:6, 7.  2 Tim 2:26.  He 2:14.  1 P 5:8.  1 J 3:8.  will flee.  T#813.  Ge 3:15.  Lk 10:17.  22:31, 32.  *Ro 16:20.  1 J 2:14.  *1 J 5:18.
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Daily Bible Nugget #437, Psalm 32:8

The Nugget:

Psa 32:8  I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 

My Comment:

This is a wonderful Bible promise given to us by God to use every time we need it!  God promises to guide us, to instruct us, to teach us, with his eye upon us.

The guidance God gives is especially available in the Bible, God’s written Word to us and for us.  The more you learn about what the Bible teaches, the easier it will become for you to be appropriately guided by its wisdom.  I have placed extensive notes on guidance linked to the text at 1 Kings 13:9 in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury.

To dig deeper into Psalm 32:8, study the following cross references and notes I have given in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury for this verse.

  1. instruct. FS12, +Ps 1:1. Note the Figure Anabasis: instruct, teach, guide. Anabasis, or Gradual Ascent, is an increase of emphasis or sense in successive sentences (CB, Appendix 6). T#805.  **Ps 25:4, 5, 8, 12.  *Ps 34:11.  51:13.  66:16.  86:11.  94:8.  101:2.  Ge 26:3.  +Dt 29:9 (S#7919h).  Dt 32:10.  1 S 23:2.  Pr 2:9,  3:1.  *Pr 4:1-13,  Pr 8:10, 11.  Is 2:3.  *Is 8:11.  Je 35:13.  *Mt 11:29.  Lk 22:32.  *Jn 7:17.  teach.  *Ps 25:12.  1 K 8:36.  Jb 6:24.  34:32.  *Jn 14:26.  *James 1:5.  the way.  +*Ps 119:133.  143:8.  Ge 24:48.  Ex 18:20.  33:14.  1 K 3:7.  2 Ch 20:12.  **Pr 3:5, 6, 7,  8:20.  *Is 30:21.  48:17.   I will guide, etc.  Heb.  I will counsel thee, mine eye shall be upon thee.  T#1543.  Ps 5:8.  +**Ps 23:3. +*Ps 25:4 (T#1469), Ps 25:5, 9, 10.  27:11.  31:3, 4, 5.  33:18.  43:3.  48:14.  61:2.  *Ps 73:24.  78:72.  107:4, 5, 6, 7.  +*Ps 119:133.  121:4.  *Ps 139:23, 24.  143:8.  Ge 24:7.  Ex 18:19.  Nu 9:17, 22.  1 K 1:12.  3:9.  **Pr 3:5, 6.  Is 30:21.  *Is 49:10.  *Is 58:11.  61:8.  Je 3:4.  6:16.  38:15.  42:2, 3.  Micah 7:7, 8.  Jn 6:68.  Ac 1:24.  9:6.  1 Th 3:10, 11.  2 Th 3:5.  Re 3:18.  mine eye.  FS22A7, +Dt 11:12.  +Ps 11:4.  33:18.  *Ps 34:15. 123:2.  Ge 44:21.  Nu 10:31.  Ezr 5:5.  Pr 15:3.  Je 40:4.  Lk 22:61, 62.
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Daily Bible Nugget #436, Psalm 25:15

The Nugget:

Psalm 25:15  Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net. (KJV) 

Psa 25:15 I always look to you, because you rescue me from every trap. (CEV)

My Comment:

Not since early January have I been able to manage to continue this series of Daily Bible Nuggets based on God’s promises in the Bible.

Notice that reading the Bible promise in more than one English translation helps clarify the meaning for modern readers.

Another great source of insight as to the meaning and repercussions of this Bible promise would be to consult the cross references given for this passage (Psalm 25:15) in my newest work, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury.

  1. Mine eyes.  %Ps 34:15.  121:1, 2.  *Ps 123:1, 2.  141:8.  1 K 1:20.  2 Ch 20:12.  Zc 9:1. are.  FS63B1, +Ge 25:28.  toward the Lord.  La 1:11.  Zc 9:1.  pluck.  Heb.  bring forth.  Ps 31:4.  Ex 4:7.  my feet.  Pr 3:26.  out.  Ps 31:4.  124:7, 8.  Je 5:26.  2 Tim 2:25, 26.  the net.  +**Dt 7:25.  +Ps 5:9.
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Just how mistaken Senator Rand Paul proves himself to be

Senator Rand Paul is potentially a traitor to this country.  By rights, he should be removed from office.

What did he do that is so wrong? Rand Paul is introducing a Bill in the Senate which will allow for or even bring devastating results to our country.  His bill was written to protect the interests of those entities who are currently in violation of anti-trust law.  What his bill would do is shield those entities from any liability should they ever be found in violation of anti-trust law.  That is flat out wrong.

And just who is his law designed to benefit?  His law would exempt health care providers from anti-trust action.

Currently the black letter law as it stands forbids price-fixing, collusion, and differential billing–all actions done daily by the health care industry in all its facets with impunity.

They get away with it because for at least 30 years no one has been enforcing the 15 USC Chapter 1.  The Sherman and Clayton Anti-trust Acts of over 100 years ago have not been enforced against the health care industry.  They must be!

Remember, “Where there is no penalty, there is no law.”

That is why medical costs have gone up in price far faster than inflation.  It is these costs which will collapse the economy of the United States very soon unless they are not only contained but reversed and brought down to what they should be.  It is estimated that if these laws were to be enforced today, that would cut medical costs across the board by 85%.  That would bring them down to a manageable cost for the private consumer, such that costly insurance and high deductibles would no longer be necessary.

Senator Rand Paul, in my careful judgment, demonstrates he has been “bought and paid for” by the medical and pharmaceutical industry, and is not acting in the interest of “we the people.”  He needs to be labeled for what he is or has become–an utter traitor to the American people.

Since when is it right on Senator Rand Paul’s part to sneak in such a detrimental bill to the Senate during these first days of the brand new Trump presidency, when all attention is directed towards the actions of President Trump, and no one will notice, and no coverage in the news will highlight this action by Rand Paul?

News about this terrible move by Senator Rand Paul needs to be spread widely.  He would better spend his time helping this country get out of debt, rather than insuring that this debt will continue to grow until we face certain economic collapse.  I have not laced this post with supporting Scripture, but many passages of Scripture condemn this action by Senator Rand Paul.  God requires just weights and balances (Leviticus 19:36), for a starter.  Charging what the market will bear, and charging differential prices at that, surely violates this Biblical principle. Rand Paul’s bill is called “Anti-trust Reform for Health Care,” and like many bills named in Congress of late, the title proclaims the very opposite of what the bill is intended to do.

What we need is a simple, one page Bill that stipulates that any law which has no penalty is invalid;  any law with a penalty must be enforced and the penalty duly applied to all violators.

Thanks to Karl Denninger who has spotted and reported upon this nefarious activity carried on by Rand Paul in an article at the following link:  https://www.market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=231786

https://www.market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=231786

Posted in Politics and the Bible | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Daily Bible Nugget #435, Acts 2:23

The Nugget:

Act 2:23  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

The Question:

Did Jesus really die for the sins of all persons?  Did Jesus even die?  Followers of Islam sometimes deny that Jesus died.  They also sometimes deny that he died for sins, because sin still continues.

My Answer:

Ayigbe Eseme, I do believe you are mistaken when you say “But study through the Bible reveals that Jesus was killed by people and not that he died for the sin of the people.  Meanwhile, the sins he supposedly died for are still with us even in larger portions [or, greater extent].”  (You must forgive me for putting on my English teacher hat and editing your helpful comment so that it reads like it should in the best English).
 
The Bible teaches in Acts 2:23,
 
Act 2:23  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: (KJV)
 
Act 2:23  this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. (ESV)
 
Notice that the Scripture declares Jesus most certainly was crucified;  most certainly he was killed:  therefore, most certainly He died.  But His  physical death was not the end of the story!  We read in the next verse “the rest of the story”:
 
Act 2:24  Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. (KJV)
 
Act 2:24  God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.  (ESV)
 
Following verses in Acts 2:25-36 give the Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled in this event.
 
The fact that God used evil men to accomplish His ultimate will happens throughout the Bible.  One example (there are many more) is when God used the king of Assyria as the rod of His anger to punish His own people, as stated in Isaiah 10:5.  The cross references given there make an interesting study, as I recall.
 
The fact that God used evil men to crucify Jesus Christ is no argument against the fact that Jesus died FOR the sins of all men, for this teaching is affirmed frequently elsewhere in the Bible:
 
2 Corinthians 5:14, 15,
 
2Co 5:14  For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 
2Co 5:15  And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. (KJV)
 
2Co 5:14  For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;
2Co 5:15  and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (ESV)
 
Jesus Christ died for all men without limitation.  The Calvinists and those who follow them are gravely mistaken on this point.  They fail to see that God’s PROVISION is for ALL, but the BENEFIT of that provision is CONTINGENT upon meeting the conditions for salvation:  our continuing belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in our behalf.  That is what the grammar of the Greek New Testament clearly declares.
 
Jesus died explicitly to remove or to take away our sin and our sins.  This He does by His grace for all who truly place their faith in Him.  This, again, is directly affirmed by the grammar of the Greek New Testament most emphatically and clearly.
 
That there is still sin in the world, even increasing sin and rebellion against the God of the Bible, just reveals that those engaged in this sin have not truly believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Now, all people, all individuals, are free to choose whether to believe the Gospel as it is written in the New Testament.  Those who fail to choose life will continue in their spiritual death, but those who will place their faith in what Jesus Christ has done for them will reap the benefit of the gift of eternal life.
 
Please feel free to ask any question or present any objection to what I have shared with you from the Bible.  You may discover that even as a retired English teacher, I may be able to help answer any question or concern you may have.  Thank you for the good questions you have shared, Ayigbe Eseme, which make possible such good and interesting discussion.
 
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John Piper argues Donald Trump is morally unqualified to be president of the United States

In an article titled “How to Live Under an Unqualified President,” linked on Facebook by one of my friends there, Mr. Piper indicates his dislike of Mr. Trump (https://t.co/9iAMHod5KH ).

 

I countered what Mr. Piper had to say as follows:

In this case I must disagree completely with John Piper.  He has not done his homework first before writing this article.  John Piper is mistaken because what he has to say and criticize regarding Mr. Trump’s character is drawn from very biased sources which have made it their mission to discredit Mr. Trump from the start of his campaign for the presidency even until now.  It is most difficult to derive the truth about something or someone if you confine your search to sources that have “poisoned the well” by yellow journalism.  I have written about this remarkable characteristic of this election several times at Real Bible Study under the category “Politics and the Bible.”
 
We have it on good, multiple testimony that Mr. Trump received Christ during a conference with pastors during his campaign for president.  I have personally read the books Mr. Trump has written in the past, and learned early on that he was raised in the Presbyterian Church.  He has great respect for the Bible.  Like all the rest of us, he would benefit ever so much more by getting better acquainted with the Bible.  But I detect, from his references to various statements and passages in Scripture, that he has been reading his Bible recently. 
 
As for his using the expression “Two Corinthians” instead of “Second Corinthians” at Liberty University at the start of his campaign, this is a regional dialect issue and says nothing about how much a person knows about the Bible.  I’ll get the spelling wrong, I’m sure, but I have heard Alister Begg on Christian radio (WLQV AM 1500, M-F 9:00 am) use this mode of expression many times, and no one will count it a flaw when used by him.  I’ve noticed over many years that Scottish Presbyterians use this expression in the church where I served as an ordained Presbyterian elder.
 
John Piper gave a very unbalanced view regarding the character of Mr. Trump.  He did not mention any of the very good things to be said for Mr. Trump.  For example, among all the candidates running this season for the office of President, Mr. Trump is the only one who does not drink alcohol at all.  Mr. Piper did not mention the high moral code evident in the leadership and upbringing of Mr. Trump’s family, particularly as seen in what high moral character his children exhibit in their lives.
Mr. John Piper in particular criticizes Mr. Trump, claiming as his fifth bulleted point under the heading “Why Trump is Unqualified,” that “Trump has acted like one who is shamelessly proud.  He has boasted, ‘Nobody reads the Bible more than me.’  Yet he said that he has never asked God or others to forgive him for anything.”
The citation “Nobody reads the Bible more than me” is from a tweet by Gregory Korte at 12:42 pm on February 23, 2016.  Mr. Korte indicates he is White House correspondent for USA TODAY. (See https://twitter.com/gregorykorte/status/702232192664133632 ).  I will add that USA TODAY has been relentless in its propaganda war against Donald Trump, and is therefore an altogether unreliable source.  Gregory Hunter frequently makes reference to the USA TODAY newspaper’s treatment of so-called news about Donald Trump, and as a seasoned journalist points out that the reporters and editors at USA TODAY are not practicing journalism but propaganda to support a left-leaning viewpoint, presenting biased opinion as if it were news.

I cannot verify just how much Bible reading Mr. Trump has done in the past, but as mentioned, he has shown in some of his speeches that lately he has been reading his Bible.  I noted in one particular instance he mentioned “First John” and brought forth an excellent point from a text in chapter four, which he had evidently committed to memory.

I can speak directly to the charge that Mr. Trump “has never asked God or others to forgive him for anything.”  Mr. Trump REPEATEDLY asked for the forgiveness of God and his family and the nation for the comments made a decade before on an airplane in private conversation which many have called “locker room talk.”  It might be a greater sin to be guilty of dredging up evil information from the past which so discredits another person, and spreading it abroad.  To suggest that Mr. Trump never asked God for forgiveness for anything is an utterly misinformed statement on the part of Mr. John Piper and those he cites.  Mr. Piper may need to ask for forgiveness himself for continuing this absurd slur against the character of our new President.

 
We are not about electing a Theologian in Chief.  We should instead be praising and thanking God that in Mr. Trump we have a man who will do what is right.  Mr. Trump has promised to be a friend of Israel. That is extremely important in the light of Genesis 12:3.  Mr. Trump said it is his intention to repeal the evil Johnson Amendment which is intended to muzzle the political speech of our pastors in the  pulpit. If you have read, even carefully studied, early American history, it was often the pastors who encouraged the patriots to stand firm in their resolve to secure the independence from Britain for this nation. So, historically, pastors have been an important voice for the truth and wisdom of God in guiding this country.
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