Was Jesus Really God?

Proof that the Most High and the Ancient of Days in the Old Testament was the Father, and that Jesus Christ was the God of the Old Testament and came to reveal the Father

Fred R. Coulter—November 11, 2017

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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services! A lot of things going in politics and things overseas. But the internal fight for right and wrong in America is really coming to a head. I think it's playing out with Judge Roy Moore. We'll have to find out what will happen with that in Alabama.

But here's a very good article: Why Judges and Politicians Hate the Ten Commandments by Gary Demar, Oct. 23, 2017 (https//garydemar.com/judges-politicians-hate-ten-commandments). They hate it, and they hate the Constitution because it's written down. They like things written in such a way that they have authority to change it. That's what theologians and politicians do. They don't like to be told that they are accountable to God.

So, this is what is playing out; quite a very important thing, because the government wants to become 'God.' That's why if Trump does nothing else, if he puts another judge on the Supreme Court and appoints hundreds of more judges in the appellate courts it's going to stymie it and block it. If he does nothing else! But we will have to see what happens.

We're not going to get bogged down in politics, but we're going to see that this same kind of thing takes place within the churches. We just finished a brand new booklet called The Beatitudes.

As all of you know, I'm a little over 21, and I'm not going to live forever. So, part of what we're doing is making sure that we have everything recorded and written down.

People ask, 'What's going to happen if you die?' Well, that happened to the man who did Back to the Bible, he died! But they had so many programs recorded that they went on for well over ten years. How is everything going to work out if I die? You have to wait until I die to find out! We're going to prepare to try and have everything ready. I'm 83-yearsold, but I don't feel 83, and I couldn't tell you what it's like to feel being 83 because I've never been 83 before. So, to say that I don't feel like I'm 83 would not be a good statement, because I've never been there.

Age varies with different people in different places. Jack is little older than me and he's still going strong. He was out riding his motorcycle last week.

Today, for the sermon Was Jesus Really God?, why do we go over this? I'll tell you in a minute. There are two other booklets that we're going to put online or you can order:

• The Two Jehovahs of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) by Carl Franklin
• The Two Jehovahs of the Psalms by Carl Franklin

Then we're also going to up online easy access to the I AM That I AM sermon that I have given before about Christ, telling everyone Who He really, really was.

Let's see something concerning doctrine that we need to really understand. Doctrine is important because it consists of the basic doctrines in the Bible. You can define a doctrine as a basic teaching of the Bible, which there are many of them:

• Sabbath
• Holy Days
• clean and unclean meats
• tithes and offerings
• the Law
• the New Testament
• the Spirit of the Law

There are things that the New Testament teaches that expands upon the Old Testament.

1-Timothy 6:3: "If anyone teaches any different doctrine…"—all the teachings in the Bible. How do we establish Truth in the Bible? Prove it with other Scriptures to support it! Prove all things that are true, search out the Scriptures whether they are so or not.

Understand that since God inspired the Bible, every word is true! That doesn't mean that we understand every word. So, what men like to do is come along and say, 'Look at this…' We just covered that in the sermon series on The Two Goats of Leviticus. Today we're going to cover Who really is Jesus.

"…and does not adhere to sound words, even those of our Lord Jesus Christ…" (v 3). What did He say about what He taught?

• As the Father has commanded Me, so I speak!
• As I see Him do, so I do!
• I do nothing of Myself!

"…and the doctrine that is according to Godliness… [if he doesn't, here's what happens]: …he is proud and knows nothing. Rather, he has a morbid attraction to questions and disputes over words, from which come envy, arguments, blasphemy, wicked suspicions, vain reasonings of men who have been corrupted in their minds and are destitute of the Truth…" (vs 3-5). We've all lived through that—haven't we? We've seen all of that!

"…men who believe that gain is Godliness. From such withdraw yourself" (v 5). That's what we have done!

• Was Jesus God before He became a man?

note sermons:

• How did God Do That?
• Was Jesus God Before His Birth? (#8 Was Jesus God?
• How did God do that?
• How do we know that there is more than one God from the Old Testament?
• What is the word for God in Hebrew? Elohim!

'Elohim' is an interesting word because when you have 'im' on the end of the word, that means it's plural.

• In the Old Testament how many are revealed that are in Elohim?

Along with this I have a short sermon series: Greek Proves that the Holy Spirit is not a Person We have a lot of material on that, and it's proven that it isn't.

Let's look at the unity of Scripture: I says, 'Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness' (Gen. 1). God made man male and female, because woman was taken out of man.

Also, it says, 'Let Us go down and confound their languages' (Gen. 11). Who are the Us? The Old Testament never tells us directly, but the New Testament does.

• Where do we find that? John 17!
• Who clarified it? Jesus did!

If you believe in Jesus, and many Protestants say they do, they do with their mouth, but do they with their heart?

This is why I check out TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network). I was watching a man give his explanation of the last seven years. Up to a point, he was really good. Then it all branched off into silliness, because Sunday-keepers don't keep the Holy Days! They have understanding to a certain point, and then it goes 'kapooie' in almost every case. Their logic leaves them, and they don't understand that it does.

There's a very good preacher—Robert Morris—and he was preaching on tithes and offerings. They always like to use the Old Testament for that. 'Oh, The Old Testament has been done away with the exception of tithing.' He said, very rightly so, that if you withhold tithing you are stealing from God. Is that a true statement? Yes, it is! I said, 'BINGO! Gottcha! You're a Sunday-keeper and you're withholding the knowledge of the Sabbath and Holy Days, and you are stealing from God!'

John 17:20—Jesus prays: "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who shall believe in Me through their word… [we're part of this prayer] …that they all may be one, even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us…" (vs 20-21). Who are 'Us'? The Father and Jesus Christ!

Did He say, "…that they also [all] may be one in Us…" You, the Holy Spirit God and Me? NO! He did not. So then, since He didn't, and would Christ be ignoring that person of God, IF the Holy Spirit were a person? Yes! That's the answer for us.

We're going to look at some Scriptures concerning 'the Most High,' because the Most High is referred to in the Old Testament quite often, but He is never defined as the Father.

Gen. 14—this is where Abraham went out and took 300 men with him, recovered Lot and his family and the goods. They came back and had a celebration.

Genesis 14:16: "And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his kinsman Lot and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter…" (vs 16-17).

Verse 18: "And Melchisedec the King of Salem…" In the New Testament Heb. 7 tells us Who Melchisedec is. There are some who believe the Melchisedec was Shem.

• Who was Shem? The son of Noah!
• Did he have a mother and father? Yes!
• Did he have a genealogy? Yes, he did!

Hebrews 7:1: "For this Melchisedec, King of Salem, Priest of the Most High God Who met Abraham as he was returning from his slaughter of the kings, and blessed him, and to Whom Abraham gave a tenth part of all; on the one hand, being interpreted King of Righteousness; and on the other hand, King of Salem, which is King of Peace; without father, without mother…" (vs 1-3). How can you say that Shem was Melchisedec?

"…without genealogy; having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but having been made like the Son of God, remains a Priest forever" (v 3). That is describing Jesus Christ! As we will see, was and is God!

This is how we let the Bible interpret the Bible. You can see how the Jews who reject the New Testament can never truly answer the question: Who was Melchisedec? For them, without Heb. 7, they can say they believe it was Shem. You have no proof in the Old Testament to refute that.

Genesis 14:20—Melchisedec said: "'And blessed be the Most High God, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.' And he [Abraham] gave Him tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, 'Give me the people and take the goods for yourself.' And Abram said to the king of Sodom, 'I have lifted up my hand to the LORD, the Most High God, the Possessor of heaven and earth" (vs 20-22).

We'll see a little later in Matt. 11 that the Father is called Lord of heaven and earth, as well.

Verse 23: "That I will take nothing that is yours—from a thread even to a sandal strap—lest you say, 'I have made Abram rich.'"

Num. 24—It's very interesting because Baalim was the one who spoke these words under the inspiration of God.

Numbers 24:12: And Balaam said to Balak, 'Did I not speak also to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, "If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD, to do good or evil of my own mind…."'" (vs 12-13).

That's an interesting statement. Think of that! A false prophet saying that he couldn't do good or evil from his own mind.

"'"…What the LORD said, that I will speak"? And now, behold, I go to my people. Come! I will make known to you what this people shall do to your people in the latter days.' And he took up his parable, and said, 'Balaam, the son of Beor…'" (vs 13-15). Remember, this is under the inspiration of God.

• Can God make a false prophet speak the Truth if He desires to? Yes, indeed!
• Can you think of another inspiration of a very wicked man, that God inspired him to give a prophecy concerning Jesus? Caiaphas, the high priest!

Caiaphas said that 'it's better for one man to die lest the whole nation not survive.' He said this because he was the high priest that year, and of course, God inspired him to say it.

Verse 15: "And he took up his parable, and said, 'Balaam, the son of Beor, has said, and the man whose eyes are open has said; He has said, he who heard the words of God and knew the knowledge of the Most High…" (vs 15-16).

Who is that as prophecy of? Jesus, because He heard the words of God, and the Father, the Most High! But the Old Testament doesn't reveal anymore about the Father than that He is the Most High.

"…who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down but having his eyes open: I shall see Him, but not now. I shall behold Him, but not near. There shall come a Star out of Jacob… [What did the wise men follow? A star!] …and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel… [a Scepter of rule that began with David and be given to Christ] … and shall smash the corners of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult" (vs 16-17).

We're going to see some interesting things in he Psalms, and of course, there's more about the Most High than any place else. Why do you suppose that is? Because David wrote most of the Psalms and he was a man after God's heart! So, he was given some of this knowledge.

Psalm 18:13: "The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High gave forth His voice with hailstones and coals of fire."

It's not that the Most High was way up here in heaven and had no contact with the earth. The key is that He was not revealed so that the person could have a personal relationship with God the Father. That's they key; He is mentioned!

Notice how with David's Psalms, you have God, and inner-mixed you pick the Most High occasionally. Notice how Psa. 4 is a Psalm for all time. Not just a prayer for that time, but for us.

Psalm 46:1: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Do we have things verifying that in the New Testament? Yes, we do!

Verse 2: "Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." When is that going to happen? At the return of Christ!

Verse 3: "Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains shake with the swelling of it. Selah."  What does it say at the end? Every mountain shall be lowered! Every valley shall be exalted!

Verse 4: "There is a river whose streams make the city of God rejoice…"

• Where do we find the city of God?
• Is it just Jerusalem on the earth?

or

• New Jerusalem?
• What do you see in Rev. 22 coming under the throne of the Father and the Lamb? Water!

What kind of spiritual water that is, that is going to be something! Also, where the temple was, you had the Spring of Gihon and it was an underground stream coming from the mountains clear up as a far as Lebanon. God made it so that when they were blessed, the water would gush up like a fire hydrant flowing. When they sinned, they didn't get as much.

There's still water in the Spring of Gihon today down under the earth. What would be a sign to where they should build the temple? Water coming up to the top! If that happened, the Jews would say there it is!

"…the city of God rejoice, the Holy dwelling place of the Most High" (v 4). What does it say in Rev. 21? God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God are the light of it!

Verse 5: "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God shall help her at the approach of the morning." Then it gets into the return of Christ and so forth.

Verse 6: "The nations raged, the kingdoms were shaken; He uttered His voice, the earth melted." That's the return of Christ. We're going to see a lot of these references to the Most Highpertain to the return of Christ.

Psa. 47 is, at a minimum, a Millennial Psalm. Will the earth have knowledge of the Father at that time? Yes, indeed!

Psalm 47:1: "Clap your hands, all you people; shout to God with the voice of triumph, for the LORD Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth" (vs 1-2). Now, in this case it refers to Christ, as well.

But when you have the new heaven and the new earth, Who is the King over all the earth? The Most High!

Verse 3: "He shall subdue the people under us and nations under our feet." We're going to be kings and priests.

You cannot understand this Psalm and its fulfillment unless you understand Rev. 20-22, and unless you understand the Holy Days and the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day all together. That's why when you watch any of these preachers, you listen to them carefully, think with the Bible and watch them. They'll come to a certain place and BINGO! they're going to make a grave mistake. Why? Because they are partially blinded!

Verse 4: "He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom He loved. Selah. God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a horn. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises" (vs 4-6).

What's it going t be like as sons of God are in New Jerusalem and we're going to sing? What is that going to be like? Even if you just make a joyful noise, you'll be able to sing!

Verse 7: "For God is King of all the earth… [fulfillment of the Millennium and New Jerusalem and the new earth] …sing praises with understanding. God reigns over the nations…" (vs 7-8)—in the Millennium and also New Jerusalem. It says that the 'kings of the nations bring their wealth to the city. This is amazing!

People who say that the New Testament doesn't have anything to do with the Old Testament…

"…God sits upon the throne of His Holiness…. [New Jerusalem] …The rulers of the peoples are gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham…" (vs 8-9). Think about that for a minute, the two fulfillments: physical people and spiritual people.

"…for the shields of the earth are God's; He is greatly exalted" (v 9). That is really a fantastic Psalm.

This is another reason why prayer daily, study daily, continuously every day is important. When we don't what are we telling God? We're satisfied with what we have! What happens when you get satisfied with what you have? Know that a trial is going to come!

Doctrinally know that someone is going to come in with a false doctrine, like we covered with The Two Goats of Leviticus. They catch you when you think that everything is fine. You haven't studied and you really haven't kept the Sabbath the way you ought to, and without praying… These things are important to realize.

Sidebar: Why do we have the Sabbath every seventh day? To renew the knowledge and Spirit of God every week! Why? Because the carnal mind we're still warring against, and if we don't keep the Sabbath and we don't study, then what's going to happen? Satan's going to let you coast and coast and coast and then BAM! either doctrine or trial or whatever!

Psalm 57:1: "Be gracious unto me, O God, be gracious unto me… [that's what we need in our prayers] …for my soul trusts in You; yea, in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge…"—note Psa. 91.

The world doesn't know that you have this protection. As long as God gives us this protection, it's there.

"…until these great troubles pass by. I will cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me" (vs 1-2). Who started the purpose of God? The Father!

Verse 3: "He shall send from heaven and save me; He rebukes him who would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth His mercy and His Truth." How do you get mercy and Truth? Study and prayer! Think about how important all these things are.

When you sin against the Lord God, the One Who became Jesus Christ, you are also sinning against the Most High. That's what this verse tells us:

Psalm 78:17: "Yet, they continued to sin still more against Him by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness."

• What was the Lord God, the One called Jehovah Elohim, doing? Carrying out the will of the Father!
• Was there anytime during eternity that the One Who became Jesus Christ did not carryout the will of the Father? No!

Verse 18: "And they tempted God in their heart by asking food for their lust."

Psa. 91 is a great Psalm. I talked to a woman one time who said, 'I read this Psalm every day before I start my prayers.' Let's look at it and see what a great promise that it is. There are so many things buried in this Psalm that it's really an amazing thing.

We talked about the 'secret place of God's shadow' and there are other places in the Psalms to verify that.

Psalm 91:1: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Whom I will trust.' Surely He will deliver you from the fowler's trap and from the destroying pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers…" (vs 1-4)

What did Jesus tell Jerusalem in His last lament? Oh, Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have taken you under My wings like a mother hen takes care of her chicks, but you would not!

That Bible is absolutely the most amazing book in the world! That's why any understanding that we have of it is not because of us, it's because of God. It may make us a little strange to people in the world, and some people would say, 'How do you know?' Well, that's a long story, if you want to hear it I'll tell you!

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It's from Psa. 91 that Satan quoted Scripture to Christ. It's not a matter of quoting Scripture, it's a matter of Truth and quoting Scripture! Quoting Scripture and right application! If you don't, Jesus said that 'you shall not tempt the Lord your God.' Hello! All Protestant preachers! Listen up!

Verse 5: "You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flies by day, nor for the plague that walks in darkness, nor for the destruction laying waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand; it shall not come near you" (vs 5-7).

It doesn't say that you won't experience going through it; you will! Have you read the book A Thousand Shall Fall by Susi Hasel Mundy, a Seventh Day Adventist German who was drafted into the Wehrmacht in WWII. He was put into the Engineer Corp, was issued a pistol. He threw it away and got some wood and carved himself a wooden pistol and dyed it black and had it all during the war and no one knew.

His family back in Germany survived all the bombings and were able to have enough food when the rest were starving to death. I think it is because they were sincere and kept the Sabbath, trusted in God, and when the war was over they had to surrender all their weapons. Even the soldiers in his unit were astonished when they found out that his pistol was wood.

He went with the German army all the way down to the Caucasuses to try and get the oil. He was three years in the war. In the middle of that war:

• Did God protect him? Yes!
• Did God protect his family? Yes!
• Did that have to take precautions? Yes!
• Did they have to go out and look for things so they could get food? Yes!
• Did God provide it for them? Yes!

There you see how God works with all of these things.

Verse 8: "Only with your eyes you shall behold and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD, Who is my [David] refuge, even the Most High, your habitation" (vs 8-9). So, David did have a relationship somewhat with the Most High!

Verse 10: "No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling, for He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways. They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone" (vs 10-12).

That's what Satan quoted to Jesus. He took Jesus up on the highest part of the temple and said, 'Jump off here, God will save you.'

Verse 13: "You shall tread upon the lion and asp; the young lion and the jackal you shall trample underfoot." Can't wait for that day, I can't stand jackals. They are so evil, and I think God made them that way. They are so evil looking and their laugh is so absolutely uncanny and wicked.

Verse 14—God speaking: "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore, I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation" (vs 14-16).

That long life refers to eternal life. Why? Because David died at age 70! So, where you see things like that, it means eternal life.

Daniel 7:15: "I, Daniel, was distressed in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head alarmed me. And I came near to one of those who stood by and asked him the truth concerning all this. So, he… [an angel] …told me and made me know the interpretation of the things. 'These great beasts, which are four, are four kings that shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever'" (vs 15-18).

You take that and apply this to the New Testament and what do you have? The resurrection and kings and priests (Rev. 20)!

Verse 21: "I watched, and that same horn made war with the saints and overcame them." That's down through history.

Sidebar: Today is Veterans Day, so we honor all of those who have been in war to fight to give us the blessing and protection of freedom of speech. But we also need to honor all those who died for Christ as martyrs, who will be in the first resurrection—they are the saints, as well—to take control of the world.

If you get all discombobulated because things are wrong in the world, that's the way Christ said it would be. Know this: no man can ever bring a right solution that is lasting! Now, they can bring a right solution if it's based on the principles of God. That will be temporary. Here, this is permanent.

Verse 22: "Until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High. And the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom."

Verse 13: "I saw visions in the night and, behold, One like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him." Where does this tie-in in the New Testament?

Verse 25: "And he… [the beast power that's coming] …shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change the set times and the laws. And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time. But the judgment shall sit… [that is us] …and his dominion shall be taken away to be consumed and to be destroyed unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High… [that's all of those in the first resurrection] …Whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. And all kingdoms shall serve and obey Him" (vs 25-27).

Where does v 13 find an entrance in the New Testament? and Who spoke it?

Luke 12:31 "But seek the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father delights in giving you the kingdom" (vs 31-32). We see the prophecy of it in Dan. 7.

1-Cor. 15 also talks about the kingdom being delivered up. Where do we find about Christ coming in the clouds (referring to Dan. 7:13)?

Mark 14:60—this is when Jesus was standing before him to be interrogated, jus before He was taken off to be scourged.

Mark 14:60: "Then the high priest stood up in the center…" the way they had their meetings was they had people all around and you would stand in the middle.

"…and questioned Jesus, saying, 'Have You nothing to say in answer to what these are testifying against You?' But He remained silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest questioned Him, and said to Him, 'Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?' And Jesus said, 'I AM… ['ego emi'] (here's the quote from Dan. 7): …And you shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.' Then the high priest ripped his own garments and said, 'What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What is your verdict?'…." (vs 60-64).

He also had this confrontation many times. If you, being a man, say that God is your Father, you're making yourself the same as God.

"…And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death" (v 64).

How do we know that the Lord God of the Old Testament was not the Father?

• because He was not the Most High
• because the Most High is mentioned but not revealed

Jesus came to reveal the Father! If God the Father was the Lord God of the Old Testament, why would He need to be revealed? But the Father is the Most High,Who was not revealed, because Christ had to come first.

Matthew 11:25: "At that time Jesus answered and said, 'I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth… [the Most High] …that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to babes. Yes, Father, for it was well pleasing in Your sight to do this. All things were delivered to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; neither does anyone know the Father except the Son… [because He wasn't revealed; it was the name the Most High God] …and the one to whom the Son personally chooses to reveal Him.'" (vs 25-27).

Think about the action of God in our lives, and to us individually, what God has done.

• the Father
• the Most High

Let's show some Scriptures that show that Jesus was God and is God. That's found mostly in the book of John. Let's stop and think about what is written in John 1. The reason is that every indication is that when John was doing the final canonizing, he added to what was originally the beginning of His Gospel, which started out with John the Baptist.

We get some clues of this 1-John where he says, 'If you don't have the Son you can't have the Father. If you have the Father, you must also have the Son.'

John 1:1-3 are some of the most powerful informative, but yet simple to understand when you have other Scriptures to verify it.

John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

The Jehovah Witnesses put that with a lower case 'g'—a god—because they don't believe that He was God before He came in the flesh. The Greek here is clear: "…and the Word was God." The Greek states it such a way that it is backward in English, which you can do in Greek because of the structure of the language.

• the Word—'ho logos'
• was with God—'ton theon'
• facing, toward, with—'pros'
• the Word was with God—'theos en ho logos'

The Word was! You can do that in the Greek for emphasis. In English you'd flunk your English class with that.

Verse 2: "He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and not even one thing that was created came into being without Him"—and God the Father! Christ was One Who was the active agent of doing.

Verse 4: "In Him was life, and the Life was the Light of men."

• What are you going to do with v 14?
• Where is God? In heaven!

if the Word was with God

• Where was He? In heaven!

if He is God

• What do we find? God is spirit! (John 4:24)

'Those that worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth!'

Sidebar: If you're not worshipping Him in spirit and in truth, you're not worshipping Him!

• Can you worship the God of Truth and Life with lies?
• With idols?
• With edicts of men?
• NO!

So, you're worshipping Him in vain. If you're not worshipping the true God, you're worshipping a false father and false god!

Verse 14: "And the Word became flesh…" the Word was God and the Word became flesh, God became a human being!

"…and tabernacled among us (and we ourselves beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten with the Father), full of grace and truth" (v 14).

Now, John 3:13 is another important verse that John put there, and this is why it is in parenthesis, because Jesus did not speak these words. How do we know?

John 3:13: "(And no one has ascended into heaven, except He Who came down from heaven, even the Son of man, Who is in heaven.)"—at the time John was writing this. Imagine, if Jesus is talking to Nicodemus and He says, "No one has ascended into heaven, except He Who came down from heaven, even the Son of man, Who is in heaven." Nicodemus would say 'that's crazy, because He's talking to me.'

• Where did Jesus come from? Heaven!
• Who was He before He came in the flesh? The Word!

This is how to study the Bible. Why put that in there? Because we find in 1-Cor. 15 that there were those who were saying that there is no resurrection! I want you to stop and think about how early on that was—52-54A.D. They were saying that there was no resurrection! Later in the 60s, Paul writes to Timothy that there two men who had to be put out who said that 'the resurrection is past.'

In other words, the only resurrection is Christ. All the rest of us are souls going to heaven, the conclusion you would come up with. That's why he put that in there.

Verse 31—this is John the Baptist speaking to the scribes and Pharisees who were wondering about Who Jesus was and what John the Baptist was doing.

Verse 31: "He Who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly, and speaks of the earth. He Who comes from heaven is above all."

• Who came from heaven? The One Who became Jesus Christ!
• How did He come? We covered that in the sermon: How Did God Do That?

In other words, what Christ had to do to divest Himself and become a pinpoint of life to be begotten in the womb of the virgin Mary.

Verse 32: "And what He has seen and heard, this is what He testifies; but no one receives His testimony. The one who has received His testimony has set his seal that God is true; for He Whom God has sent…" (vs 32-34)—from heaven!

Now, it speaks about John the Baptist, a man sent from God, but not from heaven. However John's birth was miraculous.

Verse 34: "For He Whom God has sent speaks the words of God; and God gives not the Spirit by measure unto Him. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. The one who believes in the Son has everlasting life; but the one who does not obey the Son…" (vs 34-36).

A good study is to go through and look up all that Jesus said we must obey. Remember, He said, 'The words that I speak to you are not from Me, but from the Father.'

"…the one who does not obey the Son shall not see life, for the wrath of God remains on him" (v 36). Stop and think about this! What are all of these ministers going to do about Mark 2? When they come here they completely twist it and misunderstand it.

Mark 2:27: "And He said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man…'"—on account of man. Was man first created? Yes! Then the Sabbath established? Yes! The very next day!

"…and not man for the Sabbath" (v 27). If you say that the Sabbath commandment has been done away and you make Sunday the Sabbath, that is a man's edict proclaiming a different Sabbath: Sunday.

Verse 28: "Therefore, the Son of man is Lord…"

• Do they say that Jesus is their Lord?
• What do they say about Sunday?

I've heard different ministers say, 'This is the day that God has made.'

"…the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath" (v 28). He didn't say the first day of the week. Here would have been the perfect place to put in this phrase, which would have to be: 'In ancient times, you have heard it said, you shall remember the Sabbath Day and keep it Holy, but I say to you, you shall keep the first day of the week Holy.'

Can you find that anywhere in the Bible? No! Whatever explanation you from men are men trying to make Sunday the Sabbath. What's going to happen to them? Just think of the many surprises on the resurrection day, the resurrection for judgment!

Think of it in relation to Matt. 7 and in relationship as to who Jesus was.

Matthew 7:21: "Not everyone who says to Me 'Lord, Lord'… [Don't Sunday ministers say 'Lord'? Yes!] …shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but the one… [anyone] …who is doing the will of My Father, Who is in heaven." Here He's revealing the Father!

Verse 22: "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy through Your name?….'" Yes! And today you can turn on the television and watch them. Watch carefully what they say about the Sabbath and how much they misinterpret. And even the best ones, when they come to the Sabbath and Holy Days, they do a high hurdle right over it and go on.

"'…And did we not cast out demons through Your name? And did we not perform many works of power through Your name?' And then I will confess to them, 'I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who work lawlessness'" (vs 22-23)—breaking the commandments of God!

The worst kind of lawlessness is making substitute commandments for God, and saying that these are God's commandments when God never said so!

Verse 24: "Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and practices them, I will compare him to a wise man…"

Do a study of all the Gospel of John and mark down all the verses about the Father, all the verses about Jesus and I AM.

John 8:19: "Then they said to Him, 'Where is Your Father?' Jesus answered, 'You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would also have known My Father.' Jesus spoke these words in the treasury while teaching in the temple; but no one arrested Him because His time had not yet come. Then Jesus said to them again, 'I am going away; and you shall seek Me, but you shall die in your sin. Where I am going, you are not able to come'" (vs 19-21). Think on that!

• Where did Jesus go? Back to heaven to the throne of God the Father!
• Does any person, by any means, have the ability to go to heaven? NO!
• Is the soul immortal? NO!

Did you know that when it talks about Jesus and the giving of His life, that the word life is 'psuche' which means soul; He gave His soul! You don't have an immortal soul. Did Jesus die?

Verse 22: "Therefore, the Jews said, 'Will He kill Himself? Is that why He says, "Where I am going, you are not able to come"?' And He said to them, 'You are from beneath; I am from above….'" (vs 22-23).

• Where did He come from? Heaven!
• Who was He before He came? The Word God!

"'…You are of this world; I am not of this world. That is why I said to you that you shall die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I AM, you shall die in your sins'" (v 23-24).

Are there a lot of people who believe in Jesus but don't keep His commandments? Yes!

Verse 31: "Therefore, Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him… [at the temple. How 'Holy' can you get on the earth?] …'If you continue in My Word, you are truly My disciples. And you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.'…. [they couldn't understand that] …They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's seed…'" (vs 31-33).

Verse 39: "…Jesus said to them, 'If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.' But now you seek to kill Me… [v 41]: You are doing the works of your father.'…." (vs 39-41).

It's interesting, there were those who believed in Him, but were seeking to kill Him. What a contradiction that is!

• What happens when people say they believe in Jesus but don't obey Him?
• What does it say in Heb. 6? They are crucifying Christ again!

Isn't it interesting that about all the Protestants preach about is Christ crucified? They never get off the cross! Jesus did!

"…Then they said to Him, 'We have not been born of fornication…. [they knew] …We have one Father, and that is God.' Therefore, Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father…'" (vs 41-42). They claim to be following the Old Testament and that God in the O.T. is the Father—not so!

"…'If God were your Father, you would love Me, because I proceeded forth and came from God. For I have not come of Myself, but He sent Me, Why don't you understand My speech? Because you cannot bear to hear My words'" (vs 42-43).

Think of that in relationship to Protestantism and the Sabbath and Holy Days, and understanding the Word of God.

Have you heard of Hal Lindsey? I was watching him the other night and he said, 'You can become a Christian, it's very simple.' Remember Matt. 7 and the broad way? The true way is difficult and hard. Why do we have difficulties? Because we're following God!

He said it's very simple and all you have to do is say, 'Lord, I'm a sinner'—because Jesus came and died for your sins—'Lord, forgive me for my sins.' Lindsey said that at that instant you are set for eternity. No repentance! No baptism!

They're just like the Jews who said, 'We believe in You. No, we don't believe in You when You speak the Truth.' Jesus said, My words cannot enter into your mind, "…because you cannot bear to hear My words."

Verse 44: "You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you desire to practice. He was a murderer from the beginning… [that shows that Satan inspired the murder of Abel by Cain] …and has not stood in the Truth because there is no Truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he is speaking from his own self; for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I speak the Truth, you do not believe Me" (vs 44-45). That all has to do with the Father.

Christ came to reveal the Father so that we can have personal relationship. What did Christ tell us in the model prayer, the very first words? This is what you are to pray: Our Father Who is in heaven!

Pray directly to the Father; John 14:13[transcriber's correction]: " And whatever you shall ask in My name, this will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it" (vs 13-14).

Having to do with our calling, John 6:44: "No one can come to Me unless the Father, Who sent Me, draws him…" Think about what God has done in your life in calling you. The Father now is directly involved in selecting each and every saint.

"…and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.'…. [that's how we learn] …Therefore, everyone who has heard from the Father, and has learned, comes to Me" (vs 44-45).

How does God continue this continuous education with us, with His Word? He said that He would manifest Himself to them and the question was: How are You going to do this without being seen.

Verse 23: "Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word; and My Father will love him, and We… [Christ and the Father] …will come to him and make Our abode with him. The one who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the Word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father's, Who sent Me'" (vs 23-24).

We'll just mention the blind man who was blind from birth, when he finally met Jesus he worshipped Him. If He was not God in the flesh, that worship would have been idolatry.

1-Timothy 3:16: "And undeniably, great is the mystery of Godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, was justified in the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the Gentiles, was believed on in the world, was received up in glory."

That substantiates that it is God manifested in the flesh, and substantiates John 1:14: "And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we ourselves beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten with the Father), full of grace and truth."

John 17:1: Jesus spoke these words, and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify Your own Son, so that Your Son may also glorify You; since You have given Him authority over all flesh, in order that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him'" (vs 1-2). Who does the drawing? The Father!
Verse 3: "For this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God… [Christ was not resurrected, yet] … and Jesus Christ, Whom You did send. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work that You gave Me to do" (vs 3-4). This is referring to preaching the Gospel.

He said, while dying on the cross, 'It is finished!' That was the separate work of the crucifixion. When you get to the book of Revelation, it says, 'It is finished.' That's everything, all the Gospels through the book of Revelation, finished and done.

Verse 5: "And now, Father, glorify Me with Your own self, with the glory that I had with You before the world existed." That's what it means in the Greek.

• Where did Jesus come from? Heaven!
• Who was Jesus? God manifested in the flesh!

If you want to add other things to this study, do that! Because sure enough, this doctrine is going to come around—already has; I've already gotten some e-mails on it—so, keep that in mind.

Scriptural References:

• 1 Timothy 6:3-5
• John 17:20-21
• Genesis 14:16-18
• Hebrews 7:1-3
• Genesis 14:20-23
• Numbers 24:12-17
• Psalm 18:13
• Psalm 46:1-6
• Psalm 47:1-9
• Psalm 57:1-3
• Psalm 78:17-18
• Psalm 91:1-16
• Daniel 7:15-18, 21-22, 13, 25-27
• Luke 12:31-32
• Mark 14:60-64
• Matthew 11:25-27
• John 1:1-4, 14
• John 3:13, 31-36
• Mark 2:27-28
• Matthew 7:21-24
• John 8:19-24, 31-33, 39, 41-45
• John 14:13-14
• John 14:13-14
• John 6:444-45
• John 14:23-24
• 1 Timothy 3:16
• John 1:14
• John 17:1-5

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Genesis 1; 11
• Revelation 22; 21; 20
• 1 Corinthians 15
• John 4:24
• Hebrews 6

Also referenced:

Article: Why Judges and Politicians Hate the Ten Commandments by Gary Demar, Oct. 23, 2017 (garydemar.com/judges-politicians-hate-ten-commandments)

Booklets:

• The Beatitudes by Fred R. Coulter
• The Two Jehovahs of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) by Carl Franklin
• The Two Jehovahs of the Psalms by Carl Franklin

Sermons:

• I AM That I AM
• Was Jesus God Before His Birth? (#8 Was Jesus God?)
• How Did God Do That?

Sermon Series:

• The Two Goats of Leviticus 16
• Who Was Jesus?
• Greek Proves the Holy Spirit is Not a Person

Book: A Thousand Shall Fall by Susi Hasel Mundy

FRC: bo
Transcribed: 11/20/17

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