Gleaning Topics of Interest and Relevance to God's Called and True Saints

Expounding upon the Faith Once Delivered

 

What Christ Said About Himself

Those Who Hold that Jesus Christ WASN’T God and that He Never Made Such a Claim

Need to Consider the Many Amazing Direct Statements Spoken to and through

the Beloved Elder Apostle John in the Book of Revelation.

     
 © Rich Traver, 81520-1411     8-8-10    [ 178 ]      www.goldensheaves.org

The full identity of the Person of the Son of Man is as much a part of the ‘Nature of God’ issue as is any consideration regarding His Divinity.

Recently, I became aware of a Protestant organization which is non-Trinitarian, but which is so due to being un-accepting of the premise that Jesus is or at any time was God.  Their position is that to believe so would establish that there are TWO Gods!  Like various Judaic persuasions, they hold to the strict monotheistic view which disallows any but God the Father as being the One True God.

What we need to consider are the many potent and clear statements made by Christ Himself in His late era revelation to the elderly and much beloved Apostle John in the late 90’s AD.  Had the understanding that there was but one Being in the Godhead been the prevalent opinion in the first century, you’d think that John would have been deferential toward that position. But apparently such was not the case!  The following quotes are compilations of the many revealing and unequivocal statements Christ made about Himself, as quoted by John, just within the last written book of the Bible.

Who IS the Son of Man?

“I saw one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.  (Compare this with Daniel 10:5-6)  And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.  Revelation 1:13-16,  “Fear not; I am the first and the last:  “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Rev. 1:17-18

 “Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.  Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.  Revelation 1:5-7 

Who IS the Alpha and Omega?

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”  Revelation 1:8.     “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:  Rev. 1:11.  Concluding the book, He again states:  “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.  Rev. 21:6-7. (Consider also John 1:12)  “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Rev. 22:13. 

The Alpha and Omega states plainly that He will be our God!  That leaves us with either of two possibilities: That He IS God, or that He is making a false claim, one His contemporaries perceived, as they saw it and reacted to it as being, blatant blasphemy!  (Matt. 26:65)        
Regarding ‘inheriting all things’, in His benediction to the Church of Laodicea He states: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame , and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Christ also has a Throne!

To the Seven Churches:

In each of the messages to the seven churches, we are given a glimpse into the many faceted aspects of Christ’s identity. 

To Ephesus He says: “He holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;”  Rev.  2:1, 

To Smyrna He says: “These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;” Rev. 2:8,

To Pergamos He says: “These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;”  Rev. 2:12,  

To Thyatira He says: “These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;”  Rev. 2:18, 

To Sardis He says: “He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars;”  Rev. 3:1,  

To Philadelphia He says: “These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;”  Rev. 3:7,  

And to Laodicea He says: “These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;”  Rev. 3:14.

In each of these we are introduced to an aspect of Christ’s varied characteristics:  He  holds the seven churches in His right hand and walks among them; He is the first and the last, who was resurrected from the dead; He wields a two-edged sharp sword; being the Son of God, He exactly fits the description of the Being in chapter 1, verses 13-16; He has unto Himself the seven Spirits of God and God’s Churches, controlling their doors of opportunity to evangelize.  He, the Amen, presents Himself as ‘the beginning of the creation of God’!

(What is this final statement revealing to us?  Is He saying that in the process of God creating more beings for the God Family, that He is the first?  Would Romans 8:29, Colossians 1:18, James 1:18 and Revelation 14:4 help answer the question?

Some translations have the word ‘beginner’ in place of beginning.  Does that change the question?  Is God being created?  If so, created out of what?  (John 1:12 & 2^nd Pet. 1:4)  Are we empowered to become the sons of God, partaking of His Divine Nature?)

A Certain Identity

“behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.  Rev. 5:5-6,    “Thou art worthy for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 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; 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. 5:9-12,

God Placed Rulership with His Son

“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.  And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,  Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; (This is the Christ!  See Rev. 1:8) because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.  Rev. 11:15-17,   “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.  Rev. 15:3-4 Here, the Lord’s Christ is called “Lord God Almighty”!  (See also Isaiah 9:6.  The Son is there called “the Mighty God”.)

In establishing His Throne on Earth, the Son, Christ, must first subdue all rebelliousness in the nations!  “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.^[1] And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. ^[2] And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Rev. 19:11-16   “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.  Rev. 17:14  

His Many NAMES:

Just within this one book, we are introduced to these many names, titles or attributes directly and in most cases uniquely referring to Christ.

Son of man:  1:13,  12:5,  14:14

Son of God:  2:18

Word of God:  19:13

Beginning of the creation of God:  3:14

God:  11:4,  14:7,  21:7

Lord God Almighty:  1:8,  4:8,  11:15,  15:3,  16:7&14  (see also Isaiah 9:6)

Alpha and Omega:  1:11,  1:8,  21:6 &  22:13

First and last:  1:11, 1:17,  2:8  &  22:13

Beginning and end:  1:8

Lamb (slain):  1:5,  5:5,  5:6&12,  5:12,  6:1&16,  7:14&17,  13:8, 14:1&4,  17:14,  19:7&9,  21:27,  22:3

One who was dead:  1:18  &  2:8

First begotten of the dead:  1:5,

Faithful and True witness:  1:5,   3:14,  19:11

Is, was, and is to come:  1:4,  1:8,  4:8,  16:5

Prince of earthly kings:  1:5

King of Saints:  15:3

King of kings / Lord of lords:  17:14 & 19:16

The ‘Strict’ Monotheist’s Enigma

How many of these names or titles can we find that apply to God the Father exclusively or at all?  Where is the Father identified as being the One who will reign over all the nations on Earth, its kings and its lords?   The Father was never dead, so all references to having been slain, or dead or resurrected from the dead must refer to Christ only.

John 5:22 tells us all judgment is committed unto the Son.  May we then conclude that any execution of God’s judgment and wrath is to be Christ’s purview?  If that is the case, then those verses which refer to judgment being carried out also refer to Christ’s actions!   Some examples we find are:  6:16,  11:18,  16:7,  18:8,  19:2 & 11 & 15 & 21.   

Many of these are internally cross-referenced, such as Revelation 2:18 with verses 1:14 and 19:12.  (Daniel 10:5-6 appears to be this same Being as is described in Revelation 1:13-16.)  This One with eyes like flames of fire is in 19:13 identified as the Word, and in 19:16 as the King of kings and Lord of lords.  The Word, of course, is identified in John 1:1-2 & 14 as the Being who was God in the beginning, and was with God, who became flesh.

A Profound Conclusion

In light of all of these, it’s difficult to draw any other conclusion than that the Son of God also was and is God.  That there are two Beings in the Godhead, both having shared an existence “in glory” as John 17:5 so clearly establishes.  It’s inescapably clear that all these references frustrate the viability of a single Being God concept.   

 

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Daniel 10:5-6  “Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.”

Revelation 1:13-16  “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.”

 

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[1]  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  John 1:1&14

[2]  This on three separate occasions:  At the Second Coming, then at Satan’s rebellion after the 1000 years, and finally at the very end of time as we read in Revelation 14:17-20.