Jesus asked "Who do YOU say that I am?"
I answer "You are my God!" What about you?
(All text KJV unless otherwise noted)
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They come in pairs. Looking clean cut, safe, and are eager to talk to you about spiritual matters. They are polite, quite zealous in their religion, and very good at what they do. They preach a "different Jesus" than the one in the Bible. However, Paul said the same for his Jewish brethren who were zealous, and his words are relevant in the matter of these "Jehovah's Witnesses" (JWs) who preach a doctrine of demons. Paul said in Romans 10:1-2 1Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. Let us reason together out of God's word and come to the knowledge of truth.
Here we will look at an outline of areas in which the Bible is very clear in equating Jesus Christ with Jehovah God:
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WORSHIP
From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus allowed himself to be worshipped, yet we are to worship no one, or nothing else but God. (Deu 6:13-15) 13Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. 14Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; 15(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
(Mat 4:10) 10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
To worship anyone or anything else than God is idolatry -
ANGELS:
(Col 2:18 NKJV) 18Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
(Rev 19:10 John talking to an angel) 10And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
(Rev 22:8-9) 8And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. 9Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
MAN:
(Acts 10:25-26) 25And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. 26But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.9Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
(Acts 14:11-15) 11And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. 12And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. 13Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. 14Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, 15And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
Now, note these verses where Jesus accepts the worship of men, angels, and those in Heaven:
MEN:
(Mat 2:2,11) 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. 11And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him:
(Mat 28:9) And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
(Jhn 9:38) And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
(Luke 24:51-52) 51And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 52And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
ANGELS, AND THOSE IN HEAVEN:
(Rev 5:6-8) 6And 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. 7And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8And 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.
(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.
Someday, everyone will worship Jesus:
(Phil 2:10-11) 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
IMMANUEL (GOD WITH US)
Jesus was God come in the flesh to live as a man, be tempted as a man, and die as the perfect sinless sacrifice to appease God's own justice. In essence, the judge left the bench to pay the fine. This is the peak of justice and mercy.
(Isa 7:14) 14Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
(Mat 1:23-25) 23Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
(1 Tim 3:16) 16And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. This verse is quite plain in equating Jesus with God!
"THUS SAITH THE LORD ---- "
All the prophets, angels, and any messengers of God, used the above opening when instructing the people of God's commands or will. Jesus place himself on equal footing with God by opening his commands with " Verily I say ---- " (see Matthew chapter 5 and 73 other scriptures according to Strong's concordance).
JESUS CLAIMED TO BE GOD / "I AM"
(John 5:23) 23That 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. Can you imagine a created being receiving the same honour as God Almighty? Yet here Jesus commands men to do so. Jesus is God.
(John 12:45) 45And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.
(Exo 3:14-15) 14And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
(John 8:24) 24I 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. The italicized "he" is not in the original writings. Note the same in the next verse: (John 18:6) 6As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. There falling backward to the ground fits the premise well, don't you think?
In these next two verses it seems the Jews understood Jesus' implications also:
(John 8:58) Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. (John 10:30-33) 30I and my Father are one. 31Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? 33The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
JESUS AND JEHOVAH THE SAME
("God", "First and Last", "Creator", "Saviour", "Shepherd", "King", "Judge", "Light", "Redeemer", "Holy One")
Whatever is said of Jehovah in the scriptures is also said of Jesus! Again I ask, would this be plausible with a jealous God?
MIGHTY GOD:
(Isa 9:6) 6For 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. This is a prophecy referring to Jesus 700 years before his birth.
GOD:
(John 1:1) 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jesus is the Word as we see in (John 1:14a) 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us
(John 20:28-29) 28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Jesus does not rebuke Thomas for calling him God, but pronounces blessings on those who believe the same!
(Heb 1:8) 8But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. The Father even calls him God.
FIRST AND LAST:
(Isa 44:6) 6Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
(Rev 1:17-18 John before Jesus) 17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen;
CREATOR:
(Gen 1:1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
(John 1:3 Speaking of "the Word" Jesus) 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
(Col 1:13-17) 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
SAVIOR:
(Isa 45:15) 15Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.
(Hosea 13:4) 4Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.
(Jhn 4:42) 42And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
(Acts 13:23) 23Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:
SHEPHERD:
(Isa 40:10-11) 10Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. 11He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
(Psalm 80:1 A definite reference to God) Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
(John 10:11,16 Jesus speaking) 11I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep 16And 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.
KING:
(Psalm 47:7) 7For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
(Isa 44:6) 6Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
(Mat 2:1,2) 1Now 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, 2Saying, 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.
(1 Tim 6:14-16) 14That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 15Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16Who 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. Potentate = Ruler over all others. "Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto" shows Jesus as God.
JUDGE:
(Gen 18:25 Abraham talking to God) 25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
(Psalm 96:13) 13Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
(Rom 14:10) 10But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
LIGHT:
(Psalm 27:1) 1The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
(Micah 7:8) 8Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
(John 8:12) 12Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
REDEEMER:
(Isa 41:14) 14Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
(Isa 49:26b) and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob
(Gal 3:13,14) 13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
THE FATHER \ SON \ and HOLY GHOST
(Gen 1:2) 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
(Gen 1:26) 26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth Three persons, one God.
(Gen 11:7God speaking) 7Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. Again a plurality is hinted at.
(Isa 40:13,14) 13Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? 14With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding? Why, the JWs do! They want to tell him that he is an it!
(Isa 59:19-20) 19So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. 20And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. A trinity text in the Old Testament? Why yes - of course.
(Mat 28:19) 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: "In the name of" is the same as "by the authority of". This shows three persons sharing equal authority.
(John 8:42) Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Jesus is God, God is Jesus.
(John 15:26) 26But when the Comforter (The Holy Ghost) is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: The Spirit is God, God is the Spirit.
(Acts 5:3,4) 3But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. Lying to the Holy Ghost ( a distinct person) equated to lying to God. Again, the Holy Ghost is God.
(Acts 13:2) 2As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. The Holy Ghost is a person, not an it,"electricity", or a force of some sort. He is God!
MORE TRINITY PROOF TEXTS:
(2 Cor 13:14) 14The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. All three are mentioned.
(Rom 15:16) 16That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
(1 John 5:7) 7For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. The idea that this verse is added in later years is a lie. Manuscripts as early as AD 150 contain this verse. This will be covered later in the article.
WHO RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD?
GOD DID:
GOD THE FATHER:
(Gal 1:1) 1Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
GOD THE SON:
(John 2:19) 19Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21But he spake of the temple of his body.
GOD THE HOLY GHOST:
(Rom 8:11) 11But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
JESUS' BLOOD IS GOD'S BLOOD
(Acts 20:28) 28Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
THE HUMANITY OF JESUS (GOD YET MAN)
(Phil 2:6-8) 6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. This is key in seeing how the Son related to the Father here on earth. He came to do the Father's will.
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A FEW REBUTTALS TO THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESS'
"SHOULD YOU BELIEVE IN THE TRINITY" PAMPHLET
Most of their pamphlet is based on Catholic writings, doubtful "scholars", and "Bibles" based on a Greek text put forth in the 1880's by two men named Brook Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort. The JW's use a translation called "The New World Translation" and right at the beginning (of the ones that I have seen) it says "Based on the Greek Text of Westcott and Hort".
This Greek text is based on a very small minority of New Testament witnesses (witnesses are manuscripts, lectionaries, other language versions, letters & writings etc. From about 150 AD - 1500 AD). There are about 87,000 witnesses in all. Ninety percent of these witnesses generally line up with each other AND the King James Bible (which was based on these witnesses - called the Majority Text). Westcott and Hort chose to use 1% of the other 10% that not only disagree with the Majority Text, but disagree even with each other! This is the Greek Text used by the JW's New World Translation along with the New International Bible and a host of newer translations.
The first argument in the pamphlet is based on the Trinity being "contrary to normal reason". HeLLOooo? Can they explain God? Eternity? My dear JWs, please read Job 38:1 - 42:6 and answer all that God asked Job and then I shall agree with this argument of "normal reason"! Read now (Isaiah 55:8-9) 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
The next major argument deals with the idea of the Trinity being in or even hinted of in any of the scriptures, Old or New. The massive evidence on the preceding six pages nullify that particular argument.
They then proceed on into pages and pages of mens' writings, pagan cultures, etc., etc.
Mens' writings have little sway with people who seek truth, which can only come from God's word (John 17:17).
Finally they get around to the scripture that tears at the heart of their false teachings - (1John 5:7) 7For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. Their "Bible" doesn't contain this verse and most new translations either omit it or contain the following footnote: 1 John 5:7 NU-Text and M-Text omit the words from in heaven (verse 7) through on earth (verse 8). Only four or five very late manuscripts contain these words in Greek. Yes, the NU-Text and the M-Text omit this verse because they are based on the Westcott and Hort Greek Translation that is based on Two FOURTH CENTURY witnesses (called "Aleph" and "B" ) that omit this verse! Here is a list of SOME witnesses that DO contain the verse well BEFORE the 4th century: Old Syriac (AD170), Old Latin (AD200), Titanian (AD150), and Turtullian (AD200)!!! So when the JWs (and your footnotes) tell you this verse wasn't in the original scriptures, they are lying, either on purpose, or out of ignorance. God's word will stand the test of eternal time! But with or without this verse, the rest of the evidence showing the Trinity is still overwhelming.
There is more to their pamphlet, but no more to their argument. (Psalm 2:12) 12 Kiss (or submit to) the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
I am sure there are other arguments and proofs to be shown, but to me this amount of evidence should be overwhelming in showing that God manifests himself through three distinct persons known as God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Ghost (Spirit).
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NOTE: Another doctrine of the JWs that needs dealt with is the one that holds that the earth will be around "forever". Since this stands in stark contrast to the teachings of the Bible in Matthew 24:35 and 2 Peter 3:5-13, let's take a closer look at their arguments. They use Ecc 1:4 "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever" and Psm 78:69 "And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever" for their "proof texts". The Hebrew word for forever in these two verses (and also "everlasting" in other verses) is the word "olam" which means "age lasting, concealed vanishing point". The "forever" in their proof texts is akin to the duration of the Passover, and the Levitical priesthood as used as "forever" in Exodus 12:14; and "everlasting" in Numbers 25:13, both of which lasted only as long as the Mosaic period (or age). See some other good examples in: Ex 21:6 and Psm 61:8. Just remember these two rules of thumb for Bible study: THE BIBLE DOES NOT CONTRADICT ITSELF! and CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT!
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