Jesus is God, says the second book of the Bible.
3:14, the I AM. God was patiently answering Moses' barrage of excuses, you recall. One of them involved the identification of this God who was sending him to Israel. God's reply is classic Jewish -and now Christian - theology:(3:14) "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
1,500 years passed before a Personage in Scripture ever applied that Name to Himself. In John 8:24, Jesus of Nazareth is dealing with some Jews who similarly want to know Who He is. "...if ye believe not that I AM, ye shall die in your sins." The King James conveniently adds a "he" at the end of the verse, but this blocks the intended significance. The Jews understood that he had said I AM, but didn't catch what He meant, and asked, "Who art Thou?" In the course of the ensuing explanation, v. 28, Jesus says again, "When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then ye shall know that I AM..." Still no response. More dialogue. Finally, at the end of chapter 8, they get it: "Before Abraham was, I AM.Then they took up stones to cast at Him." He had blasphemed. He had used the Holy Name for God, and even applied it to HIMSELF! HE IS. No more can be said about Him. Jesus is God.
15:18, the One Who reigns forever. It states simply, "The Lord shall reign for ever and ever." The sons of Korah echo this sentiment in Psalm 45:6, where they say, "Thy Throne, O God, is for ever and ever..." The Spirit-inspired writer of Hebrews uses that quote from Psalms as a message from God to His Son! (1:8)And speaking of Jesus alone, Gabriel announces (Luke 1:33) that "He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end." The mystery is consistently confounding in the Revelation of John, 11:15. The seventh angel prompts this response in heaven: "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ;" (both?) "and HE shall reign for ever and ever." There it is again! Just when you think the writer has a 2 in mind, the great 1 appears. The Lord shall reign forever and ever. The Lord God, that is. And Jesus IS that God!
32:33, Author. The Lord tells Moses, "Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My Book." So there is a Divine Record Book, containing the names of those in favor with God. Unforgiven sinners are blotted out of that Book. Is this not the same Book that is opened in Revelation 20:12 and 15? "and another book was opened, which is the book of life...and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Sounds the same to me. But in the next chapter, verse 27, John says that that book, the book of life , belongs to the Lamb. And the Lamb is Jesus. God has a Book. Jesus has a Book. Jesus is God.
40:34-35 , the Unapproachable One. "Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent....because [of]...the glory of the Lord." Reminiscent of scenes on Mount Sinai and before, at the burning bush. A God so radiant and powerful that to be truly "in His presence" is to be annihilated. Awesome God! But who is this Jesus spoken of by the apostle Paul in his first letter to Timothy, who is "dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto" ? Who can He be but this same God! Ah, but what of His condescension to become one of us, and lay aside His glory? An even more awesome thought, that He can lay it down, along with His life, at will. This He did for 33 years or so. But approach Him in His glory uninvited now and you will realize as does Paul here that no one has really seen this Mighty God.In His flesh, our Mediator and Saviour. But forget it not, in the unapproachable nature of the Light radiating from His Person, Jesus is GOD!
http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosen together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com
And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.
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