The Godhead: Part 2
By: L. T. SMITH
The King, The First and The Last
Isaiah 44:6
* The LORD is the King and the first and the last, and besides Him there is no God.
Revelation 1:4, 8, 11, 17, 18
* Verses 4, 8, 11: Jesus is called the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and last, the one which is, which was and which is to come, the Almighty. Jesus is the Almighty God.
* Verses 17, 18: The first and the last is the one which was dead but is alive forevermore, and has the keys of hell and death. This has to be Jesus because the flesh is all that could die.
Zechariah 9:9
* Israel’s King will come to them riding on the colt of a donkey. We see this fulfilled in the next verses.
Matthew 21:2-9
* Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah in these verses. Proving He is the one King of Israel.
Matthew 2:2
* Jesus was born King of the Jews.
I Timothy 6:14-16
* Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
PROPHESY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, FULFILLED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
Isaiah 35:1-6
* He prophesied that God (remember Isaiah’s other prophesies about there only being one God) would come and save them and they would see the glory of the Lord.
* When this God comes the blind would see, the deaf would hear, the lame would walk and the dumb would talk.
* Isaiah 42:5-8
* When He comes He will be a light to the gentiles, bring prisoners from the prison house and His glory He will not give to another.
Isaiah 48:11-13
* He will not give His glory to another.
* I am He; I am the first and the last.
* The creator is doing the speaking.
Isaiah 40:3-5
* The voice crying in the wilderness would prepare the way for God, and His glory would be revealed.
Matthew 3:1-3
* John the Baptist was the one who was the voice in the wilderness who came to prepare the way of the Lord. (The one God of the Old Testament.)
Matthew 3:10-13
* He will baptize with the Holy Ghost.
* Then cometh Jesus. He was the Lord that John was preparing the way for.
Luke 7:20-23
* John sent word from prison to ask Jesus if He was the one who was to come. Jesus simply answered him reminding him of the fulfillment of prophesy. The blind see, the lame walk, deaf hear, and the gospel is preached.
John 1:14
* This is the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:5, the glory of the Lord was revealed in Jesus Christ. Remember, He will not give His glory to another.
Malachi 1:6, 11, 14
* This talks of a time when the priest would despise his name and not realize it. It would be during a time when his name would be great among the gentiles and the heathen and incense (prayer) would be offered in his name. This has to be speaking of the times of Jesus Christ. Because that is when this prophesy to the gentiles was fulfilled.
Malachi 2:1, 2, 10
* He will place a curse on the priest because they did not give glory to his name nor lay it to their heart.
* Verse 10: We all have one father and were created by one God and those who were not obeying this were profaning the covenant (that the Lord our God is one Lord) of our fathers.
* This proves God does care if we understand who He is and that we must lay it to heart to love and teach that truth.
THE CONTROVERSIES OF THE GODHEAD
LAMB-FLESH; GOD-SPIRIT
(Comment: We realize there are some scriptures that seem to indicate that God could be a trinity, unless you take the rest of the scriptures on that subject and compare them. The purpose of this part of the study is to answer these contentions scripturally.)
Revelation 5:1-7, 13; 7:10
* Some read this and say there are two up in heaven because the lamb took the book from him that was on the throne.
* Remember, Revelation is wrote in symbolic form and simply showing the purposes of his plan for coming in flesh to redeem man. Remember, that the Lamb is the flesh but God is a Spirit that is on the throne and can not die. The Lamb is called Root of David (flesh) which was slain.
Revelation 5:9-10
* Flesh died; humanity died, so that is why he was able to open the book. He had been tempted in all points but without sin, yet He gave His life a ransom for others to redeem them by His blood.
I Timothy 2:5
* There is one God (Spirit) and one mediator between God and man, the man (flesh, lamb) Christ Jesus. Revelation the fifth chapter is showing this taking place in symbolic form.
II Corinthians 5:17-19
* This is more literal fulfillment of what is symbolized in Revelation chapter 5.
Hebrews 7:24-25
* The man (flesh, lamb) is able to make intercession to the Spirit (God on the throne in Revelation) for us.
Revelation 7:17
* The Lamb here is in the midst of the throne which simply reveals you can not divide him from the Godhead because the Spirit set him up in this place of power and is God’s headquarters. The Father (Spirit) and son (flesh, lamb) became one person in Jesus Christ making him God.
LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE
Genesis 1:26-27; 3:22
* Many people contend from these scriptures that God is three persons or a trinity.
* I contend that God was counseling with His own will in the presence of His angels and by His prophetic wisdom spoke of things that be not as though they were.
* From this one scripture it would be impossible to tell which is correct, so we must search other scriptures that will allow the word of God to flow in perfect harmony.
* I contend that for God to be speaking to a trinity of persons or Gods would contradict the first commandment that the Lord our God is one Lord.
* Some even contend that the word Elohim translated Lord here is a plural term, but even the Jewish scholars say it means plural in attributes and not number of persons.
* The next scriptures will reveal which of these points is correct.
Genesis 11:6-7
* God always used angels to carry out His biddings, so I feel He was speaking to His angels here. (See next scripture also.)
Genesis 3:22-24
* He placed cherubims at the entrance to the garden. The angels knew the difference between good and evil because Satan and one-third of the angels had already been cast out.
Job 38:4, 7
* God is speaking of the time of creation. The angels were there because He said the sons of God (angels) shouted for joy. So I contend God was speaking to His ministering Spirits (angels) who were with Him at creation.
Ephesians 1:11, 1:4-11
* He works everything after the council of His own will.
* Verses 4-11: We were even predestinated according to the good pleasure of His will, which He has purposed in Himself. This says He counseled with His own will not other gods or persons, yet He spoke in the presence of His angels. (Example-Boss on job counseling with himself in the presence of his men, but he is the one in authority.)
Romans 4:17
* God counseled with His own will in the presence of His angels and spoke of things that be not as though they were.
John 1:1-3
* Word was God. (Word = Logos = thought, plan, concept; Deity expressed.)
* The son coming was in the plan from the beginning.
Isaiah 46:9-10
* He is God, there is none like Him. He declares the end from the beginning and His council will stand.
Revelation 13:8
* Jesus Christ was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. He was slain in the plan of God, but not fulfilled until almost 2,000 years ago.
I Peter 1:19-21
* He was foreordained before the foundation of the world (in the plan of God), but manifest in these last times for us.
Romans 5:14
* Adam was made in the figure (image) of Him that was to come (Jesus Christ).
Romans 8:29
* He was foreknown and predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son. (The image that was in His plan and the image Adam was made in.)
Colossians 1:15
* Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
I Corinthians 15:45-47
* The man Adam was a living soul, but the second Adam (Jesus) was a quickening Spirit.
* The first man was of the earth, earthly; the second man (Jesus) was the Lord from heaven.
Galations 4:4
* When the fullness of time was come (according to the plan), He sent forth His Son. How? made of a woman, made under the law dispensation.
II Timothy 1:9-10
* Grace was given to us in Jesus Christ before the world began (in the plan), but was manifest (put into action) by the appearing of Jesus Christ.
I Peter 1:2
* We are the elect according to the foreknowledge of God.
THE WISDOM OF GOD
Proverbs 8:22-30
* Some feel this is the Son speaking here, but to see who is speaking, lets look at two verses that tell who is speaking.
Proverbs 8:1, 12, 9:1
* The Wisdom of God is speaking. Remember, God counseled with His own will, made a plan from the beginning and spoke of things that be not as though they were. The son only existed in the wisdom and plan of God, until He was born at Bethlehem.
1 Corinthians 1:23-24
* Christ is the power of God and the Wisdom of God. He was made from the Wisdom and by the power of God. He is the wisdom and power of God, because it is God that lives in the flesh.
I Corinthians 2:7-8
* He was the wisdom of God in a mystery, ordained before the world, and if the princes of this world had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. God did not die, but the fleshly body died; the Spirit in Him was the Lord of Glory.
RIGHT HAND OF GOD
Acts 7:55-56
* Stephen did not say he saw two people but the glory of God and Jesus on the right hand. He was not speaking of geographical location (how do you get on one side of a Spirit that is everywhere?) but right hand is a Jewish term that speaks of being in a place of power and authority. He saw Jesus in His exalted position that was prophesied in the scripture. The next scripture will make this clear.
* Right hand is also a place of acceptance with God. Example: At the judgement, sheep (saints) on the right hand (place of acceptance), goats (sinners) on the left hand (Place of rejection by God)
Mark 14:62
* He shall be sitting on the right hand of power (not a person). This is describing His exalted position at His return as Lord of lords and King of kings.
Colossians 1:19
* It pleased the Father (Spirit) that in Him should all the fullness dwell.
Matthew 28:18
* All power in heaven and in earth was given to Jesus.
Exodus 15:6-8, 12-13
* Human terminology is often used in the Bible to describe a Spiritual truth. Here we have two more examples of this.
* It says the right hand of God has dashed thy enemy to pieces. A big right hand did not come down and start smashing the enemy, but the enemy was destroyed by the power of God.
* By the blast of thy nostrils, the waters stood up. A big nose did not come out of heaven and blow on the water, but the power of God made the waters divide.
* Verses 12-13: The enemy was swallowed by the power of God and he has guided Israel in “thy strength” unto a holy habitation.
* Psalms 20:6, 21:8
* Verse 6: This speaks of the strength of His right hand letting us know it is a symbol of power.
* Verse 8: Right hand here speaks of the power and ability of God to find and judge all things.
Psalms 118:14-16
* These scriptures speak of the strength of God and that the right hand of the Lord is exalted and does valiantly; which again means it is an exalted place of power with God.
Habakkuk 2:16
* Here the cup of the Lord’s right hand speaks of the powerful wrath
of God.
Isaiah 48:13
* Here the right hand symbolizes the power of creation.
Isaiah 63:12
* Right hand here symbolizes the power of God working through Moses to lead the children of Israel from Egypt.
Luke 11:20
* The finger of God here symbolizes the power of God to cast out devils. If you try to make it literal, you would have Jesus reaching up into heaven, grabbing a big finger, reaching inside people with it and casting out devils. So remember, you can not make God a human, He is an omnipresent Spirit.
WHO WAS JESUS PRAYING TO?
Matthew 27:46
* Humanity (the fleshly man that was about to die) was crying out to divinity (Spirit of God which can never die). If God had not allowed that body to die, He could never have been killed.
Matthew 26:39-42
* This is another example of the humanity praying to the Spirit. The will of the flesh was to live, but the son (flesh) knew it was the will of God (Father, Spirit) to die for the redemption of lost souls. If He was a co-equal God, why would He pray to another God, when He would already have the power to do anything Himself.
Hebrews 5:7-10
* In the days of His flesh, offered He prayers to God (Spirit). He was a high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
Hebrews 7:1-3
* Melchisedec was King of righteousness, King of peace, had no father nor mother, no beginning of days nor ending of days; so he had to have been God manifest in the flesh as a type of Jesus that was to come. Jesus was God manifest in the flesh.
BAPTISM OF JESUS
Matthew 3:16-17
* Some feel that this means God is three persons, but let us examine what we actually have here. We have the body of Jesus (flesh), the Spirit manifesting itself in the form of a dove (God is not really a bird), and the voice of God that speaks. This does not indicate more than one God at all and we will see the purpose for this explained in the book of John.
Acts 2:33
* God (Spirit) exalted the Son (flesh) and anointed Him with His Spirit (Holy Ghost). If He was a co-equal God this would not have been necessary.
Acts 1:2
* Spirit of God in Jesus was called the Holy Ghost when it empowered Him to speak to the apostles.
John 1:32-34
* The Spirit manifesting itself in the form of a dove was a sign to John that this definitely was the one who would baptize with the Holy Ghost, so there had to be a visible manifestation of the Spirit that John could see.
II Corinthians 13:14
* Grace, love and communion are not three different gods; but functions of the offices of the one true God.
THE END COMES
I Corinthians 15:24-28
* This speaks of a time when the office of the Sonship (mediator, intercessor) will end and He will be known not as son, but as the Almighty God; and, God will be all in all.
John 17:4-5
* Jesus here is wanting to be glorified with the same glory He had in the beginning. He was the Supreme Lord and ruler who was all in all, unlimited by a fleshly body and sonship office. He is praying to someday have that same glory when His work as the son is finished. He will become this during His eternal reign. He will be one Lord and His name one.
Acts 2:21 -39
* Peter brings out how Jesus was the fulfillment of a foreordained plan of God that was prophesied in the scriptures, then he tells what that plan was. (Acts 2:38-39)
Acts 4:10-12
* There is no other name that will save you. We must believe the Lord our God is one Lord and His name is Jesus. Then we must receive that name in water baptism for the remission of our sins.
