The King Conquering the Dragon
When we discuss The Lord Jesus Christ, with the unbeliever or the follower of eastern religions, and some modern day religious systems; we may get back a response like “Jesus is A way” to God, not THE way. This is a put down to Christ veiled as an expression of reverence. Any statement like He was a holy prophet or a great man is in reality making Him less than what and who He is. Some would say that God is an impersonal force. They would claim that to say that God could be anthropomorphic (man like) is to limit Him. That He or “it” is beyond all of that. What they fail to see is that they are the ones that are limiting God. Does it not make sense that our source or creator would be greater than us or the creation? If I have intelligence and a personality, wouldn’t it be logical to believe that my source would also have that capability as well? If so what would it be like?
With this in mind let us have a look at who this humble carpenter from Nazareth really is and who the Bible claims Him to be. John: 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The word used here for WORD is the Greek word LOGOS it is where we get our word logic. It is describing the very intent and/or expression of God. Vs. 3: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” God spoke all things into existence. He said “Let there be” and there was. Vs. 14: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,” The word used here for dwelt is the Greek word SKENOO, it means to tent or tabernacle among us. The picture is as though God the Eternal had put on a garment or a tent over His spirit, so we could see Him. vs.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. Jn: 4:24 “God is a Spirit” It is Jesus who reveals Him to us. Hebrews 1: 1: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 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; 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;”
Some cults that claim to believe in the Bible say He is the Son of God and Jehovah is God. I will endeavor to show that they are one and the same. Any time we see a manifestation of God what we see is the Son, because the Son is the expression or manifestation of the Father. And we see or experience Him by agency of the Holy Spirit. Thus we see the Triune God. Think of it in this way. All of creation is given to understanding spiritual truth. I have said in a previous post, that the Sun in the sky is a type of Jesus. He is the light of the world, the life giving force to everything on this planet. It sets and rises again. We are children of the day. The invisible driving force or Power behind that ball of fire is the father. When we look upon it, we see the manifestation of power, or the Son; and we are able to see it and feel it because of its rays, or the Holy Spirit. One but three.
When Moses went up into the mountain and saw the burning bush, what he saw was the Son Jesus. The bush said that His name was “I Am” Jn: 8:58: “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I Am. 59: Then took they up stones to cast at him:” The reason they wanted to stone him was because they knew what He meant when he said that. He was equating himself to being one and the same. As an interesting side note, the name I AM was an ever present tense. It actually meant I am Who I am, When I am, Where I am, Why I am, What I am and How I am. Every question you can ask, He is the answer. Also all those questions are actually derived from the name for God. They all contain the YHWH.
Jesus was unique of all men, in that He did not have an earthly father. His father was God. This was in fulfillment to the scripture. Isa: 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Which being interpreted is, God with us.” Mt: 1:23. The blood flowing through his veins was eternal blood from His father (Lev: 17:11: For the life of the flesh is in the blood). So when His blood was shed it was shed once for all mankind for ever. All the sacrifices of the perfect lambs without spot or blemish before were only a foreshadowing of the true sacrifice that was to come in Christ. With His death He paid the price for our sins, and opened up the Gates of Heaven. Now anyone can come “Boldly to the throne of grace” Heb. 4:16. With His resurrection He conquered death. 1Cor:15:21: “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22: For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23: But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24: Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25: For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26: The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Jesus has been with us from the beginning of creation. In Exodus there is a wonderful prophetic picture. In chapter 17 vs. 3 we see the people were thirsty for water as we thirst for living water, and truth. 5: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 6: Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel”. Then in Numbers 20 vs. 7- 12 When the people needed water again God has instructed Moses to SPEAK to the rock and the water would flow; but Moses had lost his temper and was angry with the people, and he smote the rock again twice, instead of talking to the rock. Jesus was that Rock that followed the children of Israel through the wilderness. 1Cor:10:4: “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” What an incredible picture. Jesus only needed to be smitten once for all, and that was accomplished at the cross. Since then when we need the living water we don’t need to crucify Christ afresh or offer another sacrifice, we need but to ask. Talk to the Rock. It was because of this that Moses broke the type and was not able to enter the Promise Land. Jesus was smitten once for all mankind forever.
The name Jehovah or Yahweh does not really exist. It is derived from the Hebrew Tetragrammaton, YHWH. When we see the word Lord used in the Old Testament it is in replacement of that symbol. In reading from the scripture the Priests used the word Adonai (my Lord) because the name was unpronounceable. It was believed that God was present in His name so if you could say the name of god the very earth would burn at the sound of it.
In the book of the prophet Zechariah we see this interesting verse. They Lord Jehovah is speaking. Zech:12:10: “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” I would ask you, when did we ever pierce Jehovah? It was Jesus whom we pierced, Jehovah the Savior. Another incredible prophecy is seen in Isaiah. Isa:52:5: “Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD (Jehovah), that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.” Here we see the Lord saying that his people are oppressed like the children of Israel that were in slavery in Egypt. We have been carried away for a lie and false values and as a result we are howling with oppression. Then you hear people blaspheming the name of the Lord. In anger they shout “Jesus Christ”. You don’t here them saying Oh Jehovah.
I was in a discussion with a sincere Islamic man who would tell me he would pray to God Allah. The name Allah is the same as Elohim. EL Al .He said he did not pray to Jesus, he prayed to God. I said that if who he is praying to is God than he is praying to Jesus. They are the same. There is no other way to get to God because He is God, not A God but the one and only. Most Hebrew names end in either the EL sound from Elohim like Michael, (meaning, He who is like God), or IAH like Isaiah (Salvation of Jehovah).
The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that our bibles have been corrupted. Or that the King James was changed. They point to this verse. 1Jn:5:7: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” Here we have a clear depiction of the trinity, but unfortunately they are correct. That verse, although is sound doctrine, was probably added, and not in the original texts. We don’t really need it to be there to show the soundness of the Trinity. As said before, there is oneness and threeness in the entire creation. We have many other modern translations to compare in our studies. There are so many copies of ancient manuscripts both Old Testament and New, that it is almost embarrassing. Then they would argue that Jesus was A mighty god not the Almighty God. Let us compare two verses. Ps:50:1: The mighty God, even the LORD (Jehovah), hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. 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, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Here we clearly see that the Father and the Son are the same.
Who is this Lord Jesus? He is the loving Father, that truly knows us, not only because of His infinite knowledge, but He knows us from experience. He became a man. He showed us not only what God was like, but what God intended man to be like. Rom:5:8: But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Rv:13:8.- Ps:24:8: He is the King of glory, The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
When you see Jesus, you fall in love and you want to follow because you have met the Master. Rv: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; 12: Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. 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 honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Amen and Amen.
