A Glorious Tribute to Jesus Christ?
By E. N. Bell 1921
Who Is Jesus Christ?
The lost Christ being re-discovered as the Jehovah of the Old Testament and the True God of the New. A realization of Christ as the mighty God being received.
“I want to thank God today for the discussion of water baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ, because it has proved the means of discovering to me a mightier Christ than I ever realized before. The water baptism issue in the Name of Christ taken alone would be comparatively a small and tame matter. Just so it at first seemed to me and to many others and to some still, because they have not seen what is involved in it and do not have the full apostolic vision of Jesus Christ as Lord or Jehovah. The baptismal issue is only one cog in the wheel that will roll out and to your bewildered and joyful vision the most glorious Christ you ever beheld, if you will let it, by beginning to walk in the light by obeying him.
“I can say today, before God and all men, that his joy is rolling in my soul, now as never before. As I write His glory convulses my whole physical frame, and I have to stop now and then and say ‘Glory,’ or ‘Oh, glory to let some of it escape. Night before last, as I lay on my bed, I heard in the Spirit the sweetest, most soul-thrilling song on the wonderful Name of Jesus I ever heard since I was born. If people knew what God is putting in my soul by a brand new vision of Jesus and the wonders hid in His mighty and glorious name, they would cease pitying me for being baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and begin to shout and help me praise the Lamb that was slain who is now beginning to receive some honor and praise, but who will eventually make the whole universe sea, earth and sky, reverberate with universal praise and honor to his great Name. Hallelujah to His Name forever and ever.”
Isaiah 40:3 says, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord (Jehovah), make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
This prophecy of “Jehovah, our God” was quoted by John as concerning Jesus, for John says, in Matt. 3:3, he was only “The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” So Jesus was the Lord or Jehovah whose way John was preparing.
He is Lord or Jehovah of glory. (Ps. 24:7, 10, with I Cor. 2:8 end Jas. 2:1).
He is the Lord (Jehovah) our righteousness. (Jer. 23:5-6 with I Cor. 1:30).
He is Jehovah above all. (Ps. 97:9 with John 3:31. Remember this Old Testament word Lord means Jehovah, for such it reads in the Hebrew).
He is Jehovah, the first and the last. (Isa. 44:6 with Rev. 1:17; Isa. 48:12-16, with Rev. 22:13).
He is Jehovah of hosts. (Isa. 6: 1-3 with John 12:41 and Isa. 8:1314, with I Pet. 2:8).
He Is Eternal God and Creator
Ps. 102:24-27 says, “O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days. Thy years are throughout all generations. Of old thou hast laid the foundations of the earth; and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end.”
Now, note how the inspired writer quotes this of God the Creator and applies it to Jesus the Son in Heb. 1:8, 10, 12: “But unto the Son he saith, They throne, O God (note Son is called God) is forever and everand Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of They hands; they shall perish, but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as cloth a garment: and as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed but Thou art t he same, and Thy years shall not fail.” So Jesus is the enduring Creator.
He Is the Mighty God
In Isa. 9:6-7 it is said concerning Jesus, “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. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his Kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
He is the Wonderful Counselor in whom is hid all the wisdom and counsel of God. He is the Mighty God. He will break in pieces all the kingdoms of the earth soon, and reign over them as King forever.
Now note that the New Testament also recognizes him as the Almighty. Rev. 1:7-8 says, “Behold, he cometh with the clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also who pierced him, and all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him even so. Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and ending, saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Have you recognized Jesus as the Almighty? What could be plainer?
Jesus is The True God
Jer. 10:10 says, “But the Lord (Jehovah) is the True God, he is the Living God.”
Note in I John 6:20 the same is said of the Son: “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given unto us understanding, that we may know him that is true and we are in Him that is true, even in true God. What a wonder.
He Is Emanuel, God With Us
In Isa. 7:14 the child to be born was called “Immanuel, God with us,” and in Matt. 1:23 this is applied by inspiration to Jesus. He is God with us. The apostle says again, “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. In another place he says “Great is the mystery of godliness. God manifested in the flesh, believed on in the world, and received up into glory.: No wonder he called it a mystery, for who is able to understand it; but inspiration declares Jesus was God in the flesh.”
He Is Lord of Lords
In the Old Testament it is said of Jehovah God that he is King of kings, and Lord of Lords. See Deut. 10:17. But the New Testament quotes these passages and declares Jesus is this. See Rev. 1:5, 17:14, and I Tim. 6:14, 15.
He is the Lord (Jehovah) from heaven. (I Cor. 15:47).
He is Lord of all. (Acts 10:36 and Rom. 10:11-13).
He Is One With the Father
Jesus not only declares the Father is in him and one with him, but even that whosoever hath seen him hath “seen the Father.” (John 10:30, 38; John 12:44-45; 14:7-10; 17:10).
He also sends the Spirit equally with the Father. (John 14:16 and 15:26).
He is entitled to equal honor with the Father. (John 5:28)
He is called the Everlasting Father. (Isa. 9:6)
Whosoever has the Son has the Father. (I John 2:24 also 4:15).
Christ is owner of all things equally with the Father. (John 16:15).
Christ is Creator of all things. (Isa. 40:28; John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb.
1:2).
Elder E. N. Bell rose to become one of the most influential men in Pentecost following the Azuza Street outpouring of the Holy Ghost in 1906. Having come into Holiness under the ministry of Elder William H. Durham in 1907, he quickly impressed his peers with his leadership ability. From 1908-1913, Elder Bell with other leading Pentecostals of that day such as D. C. O. Opperman, T. K. Leonard, H. A. Goss, C. H. Mason and G. T. Haywood, began to form “loose alliances” to further enhance the fellowship of the Holiness brethren. It was at this time that Elder Bell and his associates introduced the term “Apostolic Faith.” Elder Bell was one of the earliest Holiness ministers to receive a formal education, which he did, graduating from Southern Baptist Seminary of Louisville, Kentucky. Originally from Fort Worth, Texas, he eventually migrated to Malvern, Arkansas where he published a periodical called “The Apostolic Faith.” Later he published and edited an organ called “The World and Witness.” On April 2, 1914 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Elder Bell with other leading Pentecostals gathered together for what would later tee called the “First General Council of the Assemblies of God.” It was from that meeting that this great organization had its formal beginning. Elder Bell was selected to serve as “acting chairman.” He, in fact, would eventually become the first General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, the highest ecclesiastical office of that organization. Elder Bell was most instrumental in the early growth and stability of the fledgling Assemblies of God. His wisdom, insight, vision, and sense of destiny and direction helped to stabilize the young organism. Having indelibly inscribed his niche of greatness in the hearts of his contemporaries, he went to be with God while living in Springfield, Mo., June 15, 1923.
THE ABOVE MATERIAL WAS TAKEN FROM EARNEST CONTENDERS FOR THE FAITH BY ELDER JAMES L. TYSON AND PUBLISHED BY PENTECOSTAL PUBLICATIONS, 1982, PAGES 16-20. THIS MATERIAL IS COPYRIGHTED AND MAY BE USED FOR STUDY & RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY.
