返回总目录
The Holy Trinity: Biblical Proofs
The
Holy Trinity: Biblical Proofs
{KJV
unless indicated otherwise}
C
O N T E N T S (HTML-active)
I.
FORTY DESCRIPTIONS APPLIED BOTH TO GOD/YHWH AND JESUS
{
* = God/YHWH (God the Father) / + = Jesus (God the Son) }
1) Name of
God: "I AM"
*EXODUS
3:14 And 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.
*DEUTERONOMY
32:39 See now that I, {even} I, {am} he, and {there is} no god with me
. . . {cf. Is 41:4, 43:10-13, 48:12}
+JOHN
8:24 . . . if ye believe not that I am {he}, ye shall die in your sins.
+JOHN
8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man,
then shall ye know that I am {he}, and {that} I do nothing of myself; but
as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. {cf. 8:58, 13:19}
2) Raises the
Dead and Gives Life
*DEUTERONOMY
32:39 . . . I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: . . .
*1 SAMUEL
2:6 The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave,
and bringeth up. {cf. Rom 4:17}
+JOHN
5:21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth {them}; even
so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
+JOHN
10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any {man} pluck them out of my hand. {cf. Jn 1:4, 1 Jn 5:11}
3) "Good
Shepherd"
*EZEKIEL
34:11-12,15,22,31 For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, {even} I, will
both search my sheep, and seek them out. (12) As a shepherd seeketh out
his flock in the day that he is among his sheep {that are} scattered; so
will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where
they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day . . . (15) I will feed
my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God . . . (22)
Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I
will judge between cattle and cattle . . . (31) And ye my flock, the flock
of my pasture, {are} men, {and} I {am} your God, saith the Lord God. {cf.
Ps 23:1, 80:1, 100:3, Is 40:11, Jer 23:1, 31:10}
+JOHN
10:7,11,14-16,26-29 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, I am the door of the sheep . . . (11) I am the good shepherd:
the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep . . . (14) I am the good
shepherd, and know my {sheep}, and am known of mine. (15) As the Father
knoweth me, even so I know the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
(16) And 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 . . . (26) But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep,
as I said unto you. (27) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they
follow me: (28) And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never
perish, neither shall any {man} pluck them out of my hand. (29) My Father,
which gave {them} me, is greater than all; and no {man} is able to pluck
{them} out of my Father's hand. {cf. Ezek 34:23, Mic 5:4, Zech 13:7 w/Mt
26:31, Heb 13:20, 1 Pet 5:4, Rev 7:17}
4) Author of
Eternal Words
*ISAIAH
40:8 . . . the word of our God shall stand for ever.
+MATTHEW
24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
5) Worshiped
and Praised by Angels
*PSALM
148:1-2 Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise
him in the heights. (2) Praise ye him, all his angels : praise ye him,
all his hosts.
+HEBREWS
1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he
saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
6) "Bridegroom"
*ISAIAH
62:5 For {as} a young man marrieth a virgin, {so} shall thy sons marry
thee: and {as} the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, {so} shall thy
God rejoice over thee. {cf. Is 54:5-6, Hos 2:16-20}
+REVELATION
19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage
of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. {cf. Mt 24:44,
25:1,6,13, Jn 3:29, Rev 21:9}
7) "Glory"
of God
*ISAIAH
42:8 I {am} the Lord: that {is} my name: and my glory will I not give to
another, . . . {cf. 48:11}
+JOHN
17:5 . . . Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which
I had with thee before the world was.
+HEBREWS
1:3 Who being the brightness of {his} glory, . . . {cf. Mt 25:31, Lk 2:32,
Jn 1:14, 16:14, 17:1, 1 Cor 2:8}
8) Seeker of
the Lost
*EZEKIEL
34:16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven
away, . . .
+LUKE
19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
9) "Lord
of Lords"
*DEUTERONOMY
10:17 For the Lord your God {is} God of Gods, and Lord of Lords, a great
God, . . . {cf. Ps 136:2-3, 1 Tim 6:15}
+REVELATION
17:14 . . . the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and
King of kings: . . .{cf. Rev 19:16}
10) "Lord
of Glory"
*PSALM
24:10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he {is} the King of
glory. Selah.
+1CORINTHIANS
2:8 . . . had they known {it}, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory.
11) "Above
All"
*EPHESIANS
4:6 One God and Father of all, who {is} above all, and through all, and
in you all. {cf. Ps 97:9}
+JOHN
3:31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is
earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above
all.
12) "All
in All"
*1 CORINTHIANS
15:28 . . . that God may be all in all.
+COLOSSIANS
3:11 . . . but Christ {is} all, and in all.
13) "Over
All"
*PSALM
83:18 . . . Jehovah, {art} the most high over all the earth.
+ROMANS
9:5 . . . Christ . . . , who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
14) "Light"
*1 JOHN
1:5 . . . God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. {cf. Ps 27:1,
1 Tim 6 16}
+JOH
8:12 Then 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. {cf. 1:9}
15) "Holy
One"
*ISAIAH
48:17 Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; . . .
{cf. 10:20, 43:3, 1 Sam 2:2, Ps 89:18}
+ACTS
3:13-14 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our
fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; . . . (14) But ye denied the Holy
One and the Just, . . . {cf. Acts 2:27 w/ Ps 16:10, Is 49:7}
16) Redeemer
*ISAIAH
43:14 Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; . . .
{cf. 41:14, 44:6,24, 47:4, 48:17, 54:8}
+TITUS
2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity,
. . . {cf. Rom 3:24, Gal 3:13, 4:5, Eph 1:7, Titus 2:14, Heb 9:12, Rev
5:9}
17) Illuminating
Light
*REVELATION
22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither
light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: . . . {cf. Is 60:19}
+REVELATION
21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine
in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb {is} the light
thereof.
18) "First
and Last"
*ISAIAH
44:6 Thus 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.
*REVELATION
1:8 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
21:6-7 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the end . . . (7) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and
I will be his God, and he shall be my son. {cf. Is 41:4, 48:12}
+REVELATION
1:17-18 . . . Fear not; I am the first and the last: (18) I {am} he that
liveth, and was dead; . . .
+REVELATION
2:8 . . . These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and
is alive;
+REVELATION
22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the
last. {identified as Jesus in 22:16}
19) Satisfier
of the Thirsty
*REVELATION
21:6 . . . I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the
water of life freely.
+JOHN
4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water
springing up into everlasting life. {cf. 6:35, 7:37, Rev 22:17}
20) All-Powerful
"Hand"
*DEUTERONOMY
32:39 . . . neither {is there any} that can deliver out of my hand. {cf.
Jn 10:29}
+JOHN
10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any {man} pluck them out of my hand.
21) Sound of
Voice
*EZEKIEL
43:2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the
east: and his voice {was} like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined
with his glory.
+REVELATION
1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace;
and his voice as the sound of many waters.
22) "Horn
of Salvation"
*2 SAMUEL
22:3 The God of my rock; . . . He is my shield, and the {Horn Of} my salvation,
. . . {cf. Ps 18:2}
+LUKE
1:68-69 Blessed {be} the Lord God of Israel; for he . . . (69) . . . hath
raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
23) Divine
Discipline
*PROVERBS
3:12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son {in
whom} he delighteth.
+REVELATION
3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and
repent.
24) Appearance
of God
*EZEKIEL
1:26-28 And above the firmament that {was} over their heads {was} the likeness
of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness
of the throne {was} the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon
it. (27) And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round
about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from
the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance
of fire, and it had brightness round about. (28) As the appearance of the
bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so {was} the appearance of
the brightness round about. This {was} the appearance of the likeness of
the glory of the Lord. And when I saw {it}, I fell upon my face, and I
heard a voice of one that spake.
*DANIEL
7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the ancient of days did
sit, whose garment {was} white as snow, and the hair of his head like the
pure wool: his throne {was like} the fiery flame, {and} his wheels {as}
burning fire.
+REVELATION
1:13-16 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. (14) His head and {his} hairs {were} white like
wool, as white as snow; and his eyes {were} as a flame of fire; (15) And
his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his
voice as the sound of many waters. (16) 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
2:18 . . . Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and
his feet {are} like fine brass;
25) Destroyer
of Death
*ISAIAH
25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; . . .
+2 TIMOTHY
1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light
. . .
26) "Render
According to Deeds"
*PSALM
62:12 . . . unto thee, O Lord, {belongeth} mercy: for thou renderest to
every man according to his work. {cf. Is 40:10}
+MATTHEW
16:27 For the Son of man shall . . . reward every man according to his
works.
+REVELATION
22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward {is} with me, to give
every man according as his work shall be.
27) Separator
of Sheep and Goats
*EZEKIEL
34:17 . . . Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams
and the he goats.
+MATTHEW
25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate
them one from another, as a shepherd divideth {his} sheep from the goats:
28) Receiver
of Glory
*GALATIANS
1:4-5 . . . according to the will of God and our Father: (5) To whom {be}
glory for ever and ever. Amen.
+2 PETER
3:18 . . . our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him {be} glory both now
and for ever. Amen. {cf. Heb 13:21}
29) Possessor
of the Kingdom
*JOHN
3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born
of water and {of} the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
{cf. Mt 21;31, Lk 7:28, Acts 1:3, Rom 14:17, 1 Cor 4:20, 15:50, Col 4:11,
Rev 12:10}
+COLOSSIANS
1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated
{us} into the kingdom of his dear Son: {cf. Jn 18:36, Eph 5:5, 2 Tim 4:1,
Heb 1:8, 2 Pet 1:1}
30) "For
Whom Are All Things"
*ROMANS
11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, {are} all things: to whom
{be} glory for ever. Amen.
*HEBREWS
2:10 For it became him, for whom {are} all things, and by whom {are} all
things, . . .
+COLOSSIANS
1:16 For 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:
{cf. Mt 11:27, Jn 3:35, 13:3, Phil 3:21}
31) Lawgiver
*ROMANS
7:22 . . . the law of God . . . {cf. Ps 19:7}
+GALATIANS
6:2 . . . fulfil the law of Christ.
32) "The
Spirit of . . ."
*ROMANS
8:9 . . . the Spirit of God . . .
+ROMANS
8:9 . . . the Spirit of Christ, .. . {cf. Phil 1:19}
+GALATIANS
4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son
into your hearts, . . .
33) Our Hope
*PSALM
71:5 For thou {art} my hope, O Lord God: . . .
+1 TIMOTHY
1:1 . . . Lord Jesus Christ, {which is} our hope; {cf. Col 1:27}
34) Granter
of Grace For Salvation
*TITUS
2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all
men,
+ACTS
15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we
shall be saved, even as they.
35) Head of
the Angels
*JOHN
1:51 . . . the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
{Lk 12:8-9, Heb 1:6}
+2 THESSALONIANS
1:7 . . . the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty
angels, {cf. Mt 16:27}
36) "His
Saints"
*COLOSSIANS
1:26-27 {Even} the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations,
but now is made manifest to his saints: (27) To whom God would make known
. . .
+1 THESSALONIANS
3:13 . . . at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
37) Sender
of Angels
*REVELATION
22:6 . . . the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel . . .
+REVELATION
22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in
the churches . . .
38) "The
Gospel of . . ."
*ROMANS
1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called {to be} an apostle, separated
unto the gospel of God, {cf. Mk 1:14, Rom 15:16, 1 Thess 2:2,8-9, 1 Pet
4:17}
+ROMANS
15:19 . . . I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. {cf. Rom 1:16,
1 Cor 9:12, 2 Cor 2:12, 1 Thess 3:2}
39) "Church
of . . ."
*1 CORINTHIANS
15:9 . . . I persecuted the church of God. {cf. 1 Cor 11:22, Gal 1:13}
+MATTHEW
16:18 . . . thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;
. . .
+ROMANS
16:16 . . . The churches of Christ salute you.
40) "Servants
of . . ."
*TITUS
1:1 Paul, a servant of God, . . . {cf. Rom 12:11, Lk 4:8- ". . . him
only shalt thou serve"}
+ROMANS
1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, . . . {cf. Eph 6:6, Col 3:24; servants
of both: Jas 1:1, Rev 7:3, 11:18, 19:5}
II.
GOD/YHWH, THE MESSIAH, AND JESUS: PARALLEL PASSAGES
{ * =
God/YHWH (God the Father) / # = The O.T. Messiah / + = Jesus (God the Son,
the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Messiah, the Christ, the Saviour, the
Redeemer, the Lamb) }
A. The Saviour
1) *ISAIAH
43:3 For I {am} the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:
. . .
2) *ISAIAH
43:11 I, {even} I, {am} the Lord; and beside me {there is} no saviour.
3) *ISAIAH
49:26 . . . I the Lord {am} thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One
of Jacob.
4) *HOSEA
13:4 Yet I {am} the Lord thy God . . . {there is} no saviour beside me.
{cf. Ps 106:21, Is 45:21-22, 60:16, 63:8}
5) *LUKE
1:47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
6) *1
TIMOTHY 4:10 . . . the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially
of those that believe. {cf. 1 Tim 1:1, 2:3, 2 Tim 1:9, Titus 1:3, 2:10,
3:4, Jude 1:25}
1) #ISAIAH
49:5-6 And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb {to be} his
servant, to bring Jacob again to him, . . . (6) And he said, It is a light
thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light
to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
2) #ISAIAH
53:1,4-6,10-12 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of
the Lord revealed? . . . (4) Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried
our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
(5) But he {was} wounded for our transgressions, {he was} bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace {was} upon him; and with his
stripes we are healed. (6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all . . . (10) Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put
{him} to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall
see {his} seed, he shall prolong {his} days, and the pleasure of the Lord
shall prosper in his hand. (11) He shall see of the travail of his soul,
{and} shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify
many; for he shall bear their iniquities. (12) Therefore will I divide
him {a portion} with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the
strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered
with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession
for the transgressors. {cf. Is 52:10, 59:16, 63:5, Zech 9:9}
1) +LUKE
2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which
is Christ the Lord.
2) +JOHN
5:24 . . . He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me,
hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life.
3) +JOHN
10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall
go in and out, and find pasture.
4) +ACTS
5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand {to be} a Prince and a Saviour,
for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
5) +TITUS
2:13 . . . great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
6) +2
PETER 1:1 . . . God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
7) +1
JOHN 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son
{to be} the Saviour of the world.
{cf.
Jn 1:29, 3:16-17,36, 4:42, 5:34,40, 6:40, 8:12,51, 11:25-26, 14:6, Acts
4:10-12, Rom 6:23, Phil 3:20, 1 Thess 5:9, 2 Tim 1:10, Titus 1:4, 3:6,
2 Pet 1:11, 2:20, 3:18, 1 Jn 4:9-10, 5:11-12, Rev 7:10, 19:1}
B. Worshiped
1) *ISAIAH
45:23 . . . unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. {cf.
66:23}
2) *DANIEL
7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under
the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most
High, whose kingdom {is} an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall
serve and obey him. {cf. Dan 4:34, Rev 4:9-11}
3) *REVELATION
1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him
{be} glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
1) #PSALM
2:12 Kiss 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.
2) #DANIEL
7:13-14 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, {one} like the Son of
man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and
they brought him near before him. (14) And there was given him dominion,
and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should
serve him: his dominion {is} an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass
away, and his kingdom {that} which shall not be destroyed.
3) #ISAIAH
52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and
extolled, and be very high.
1) +EPHESIANS
1:20-22 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and
set {him} at his own right hand in the heavenly {places}, (21) Far above
all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that
is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: (22)
And hath put all {things} under his feet, and gave him {to be} the head
over all {things} to the church,
2) +PHILIPPIANS
2:9-11 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name
which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of {things} in heaven, and {things} in earth, and {things} under the
earth; (11) And {that} every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ {is}
Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
{cf.
Rev 5:12-14 - IV., 6,}
C. Second Coming
1) *ISAIAH
35:4 . . . behold, your God will come {with} vengeance, {even} God {with}
a recompence; he will come and save you.
2) *ISAIAH
40:5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see
{it} together: . . .
3) *ISAIAH
40:10 Behold, 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.
4) *ISAIAH
59:19-20 So 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. (20) And the
Redeemer shall come to Zion, . . .
5) *ISAIAH
66:15 For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots
like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames
of fire.
6) *JOEL
2:4-5 The appearance of them {is} as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen,
so shall they run. (5) Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains
shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble,
as a strong people set in battle array.
7) *JOEL
2:10-11 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the
sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
(11) And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp {is}
very great: for {he is} strong that executeth his word: for the day of
the Lord {is} great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
8) *ZECHARIAH
2:10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will
dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.
9) *ZECHARIAH
9:14 And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth
as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go
with whirlwinds of the south.
10) *ZECHARIAH
12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall
look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one
mourneth for {his} only {son}, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one
that is in bitterness for {his} firstborn.
11) *ZECHARIAH
14:3-5 Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as
when he fought in the day of battle. (4) And his feet shall stand in that
day upon the mount of Olives, which {is} before Jerusalem on the east,
and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east
and toward the west, {and there shall be} a very great valley; and half
of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the
south. (5) And ye shall flee {to} the valley of the mountains; for the
valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like
as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah:
and the Lord my God shall come, {and} all the saints with thee.
12) *REVELATION
1:8 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. {cf. Ps 110:3,
Is 30:20}
1) #ISAIAH
11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity
for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of
his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
2) #DANIEL
7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, {one} like the Son of man
came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, . . .
1) +MATTHEW
16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his
angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
2) +MATTHEW
24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then
shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of
man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. {cf. Zech
12:10}
3) +MATTHEW
26:64 . . . Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right
hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. {cf. Mk 14:62}
4) +ACTS
1:9-12 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken
up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. (10) And while they looked
stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in
white apparel; (11) Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing
up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (12) Then
returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from
Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. {cf. 1:12 with Zech 14:4}
5) +2
THESSALONIANS 1:7-8 . . . the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven
with his mighty angels, (8) In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that
know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
6) +REVELATION
1:7 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. Even so, Amen. {cf. Zech 12:10}
7) +REVELATION
19:11,13-16,19,21 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 . . . (13) And he {was} clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. (14) And the armies
{which were} in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine
linen, white and clean. (15) 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. (16) And he hath on {his} vesture and on his thigh a name
written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS . . . (19) And I saw the beast,
and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make
war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army . . . (21)
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse,
which {sword} proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled
with their flesh.
8) +REVELATION
22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward {is} with me, to give
every man according as his work shall be.
D. Judge
1) *PSALM
50:6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is {judge}
himself. Selah.
2) *PSALM
96:13 Before 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.
3) *ECCLESIASTES
12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing,
whether {it be} good or whether {it be} evil.
4) *ISAIAH
40:10 Behold, 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.
5) *JOEL
3:12-13 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat:
for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. (13) Put ye
in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press
is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness {is} great. {cf. 2:11}
6) *ZEPHANIAH
1:14-15 The great day of the Lord {is} near, {it is} near, and hasteth
greatly, {even} the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall
cry there bitterly. (15) That day {is} a day of wrath, a day of trouble
and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and
gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
{cf.
Gen 18:25, 1 Sam 2:10, Ps 9:7-8, 62:12, Ecc 3:17, Is 2:4, 24:21, 26:21,
33:22, 34:2, 35:4, 66:15-16, Ezek 7:19}
1) #PSALM
2:9,12 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in
pieces like a potter's vessel . . . (12) Kiss 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.
2) #PSALM
110:1-2,5-6 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until
I make thine enemies thy footstool. (2) The Lord shall send the rod of
thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies . . .
(5) The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of
his wrath. (6) He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill {the places}
with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. {cf.
Mt 26:64}
3) #MICAH
5:1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege
against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.
4) #ISAIAH
11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity
for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of
his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. {see
11:1-3, Job 4:9, Hos 6:5, 2 Thess 2:8}
5) #ISAIAH
49:2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his
hand hath he hid me, and made me a Polished shaft; in his quiver hath he
hid me;
1) +JOHN
5:22,27 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment
unto the Son . . . (27) And hath given him authority to execute judgment
also, because he is the Son of man.
2) +JOHN
9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they
which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
3) +ACTS
10:42 . . . it is he which was ordained of God {to be} the Judge of quick
and dead.
4) +2
TIMOTHY 4:1 I charge {thee} therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ,
who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
5) +REVELATION
6:16-17 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from
the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
(17) For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
6) +REVELATION
14:14-16 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud {one}
sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in
his hand a sharp sickle. (15) And another angel came out of the temple,
crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle,
and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the
earth is ripe. (16) And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on
the earth; and the earth was reaped.
7) +REVELATION
19:11,15 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 . . . (15) 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.
{cf.
Mt 3:10-12, 16:27, 25:31-33,41, Acts 17:31, Rev 17:14, 22:12}
E. King
1) *PSALM
24:10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he {is} the King of
glory. Selah.
2) *ISAIAH
24:23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the
Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his
ancients gloriously.
3) *ISAIAH
33:17,22 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold
the land that is very far off . . . (22) For the Lord {is} our judge, the
Lord {is} our lawgiver, the Lord {is} our king; he will save us.
4) *EZEKIEL
20:33,40 {As} I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and
with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you
. . . (40) For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of
Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of
them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I
require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all
your holy things.
5) *MICAH
4:3,7 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar
off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears
into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither
shall they learn war any more . . . (7) And I will make her that halted
a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord
shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.
6) *ZECHARIAH
14:9,16 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall
there be one Lord, and his name one . . . (16) And it shall come to pass,
{that} every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem
shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts,
and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
{cf.
Is 52:7, Ezek 37:24-27, 43:7, Dan 4:34, 7:27, Zech 2:10, Rev 21:3}
1) #PSALM
2:6-8 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. (7) I will declare
the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou {art} my son; this day have
I begotten thee. (8) Ask of me, and I shall give {thee} the heathen {for}
thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for {thy} possession.
2) #ISAIAH
9:6-7 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, Counseller,
The mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (7) 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 to establish it
with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal
of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
3) #JEREMIAH
23:5-6 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David
a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute
judgment and justice in the earth. (6) In his days Judah shall be saved,
and Israel shall dwell safely: and this {is} his name whereby he shall
be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
4) #JEREMIAH
30:9 But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom
I will raise up unto them.
5) #EZEKIEL
34:23-24 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them,
{even} my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
(24) And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among
them; I the Lord have spoken {it}.
6) #EZEKIEL
37:24-25 And David my servant {shall be} king over them; and they all shall
have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my
statutes, and do them. (25) . . . and my servant David {shall be} their
prince for ever.
7) #ZECHARIAH
2:11 And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall
be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know
that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee.
8) #ZECHARIAH
6:13 Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the
glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest
upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. {cf.
Heb 7:17}
{cf.
Ps 110:4, Is 11:4,10, 32:1, 42:1-4, Jer 33:15, Dan 7:14, Hos 3:5, Mic 5:2-5,
Zech, 9:9-10}
1) +MATTHEW
21:4-5 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
the prophet, saying, (5) Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King
cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of
an ass.
2) +MATTHEW
25:31-32,34,40 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the
holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: (32)
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them
one from another, as a shepherd divideth {his} sheep from the goats . .
. (34) Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world . . . (40) And the King shall answer and say unto them, .
. .
3) +LUKE
1:31-33 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a
son, and shalt call his name Jesus. (32) He shall be great, and shall be
called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the
throne of his father David: (33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob
for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
4) +LUKE
22:29-30 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed
unto me; (30) That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and
sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
5) +JOHN
18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered,
Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause
came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth . . .
6) +HEBREWS
1:8 But unto the Son {he saith}, Thy throne, O God, {is} for ever and ever:
a sceptre of righteousness {is} the sceptre of thy kingdom. {cf. Ps 45:6}
7) +REVELATION
12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with
a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and {to} his throne.
8) +REVELATION
17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them:
for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: . . .
{cf.
Mt 19:28, Lk 23:3, Eph 1:20-21, Heb 5:5, 7:17, Rev 7:17, 19:13,16, 20:6}
F. God's Throne
1) *1
KINGS 22:19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw
the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by
him on his right hand and on his left.
2) *PSALM
11:4 The Lord {is} in his holy temple, the Lord's throne {is} in heaven:
. . .
3) *PSALM
47:8 . . . God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.
4) *PSALM
93:2 Thy throne {is} established of old: . . .
5) *REVELATION
4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set
in heaven, and {one} sat on the throne.
6) *REVELATION
4:10-11 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the
throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns
before the throne, saying, (11) Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory
and honour and power: . . .
7) *REVELATION
7:10 . . . Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto
the Lamb.
8) *REVELATION
19:4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped
God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
1) #EZEKIEL
1:26 And above the firmament that {was} over their heads {was} the likeness
of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness
of the throne {was} the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon
it.
2) #EZEKIEL
43:6-7 And I heard {him} speaking unto me out of the house; and the man
stood by me. (7) And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne,
and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst
of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of
Israel no more defile, . . .
1) +MATTHEW
19:28 . . . when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye
also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
2) +MATTHEW
25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels
with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
3) +HEBREWS
1:8 But unto the Son {he saith}, Thy throne, O God, {is} for ever and ever:
a sceptre of righteousness {is} the sceptre of thy kingdom.
4) +REVELATION
7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them,
. . .
5) +REVELATION
22:1,3-4 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. (3) And there shall
be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it;
and his servants shall serve him: (4) And they shall see his face; and
his name {shall be} in their foreheads.
III.
THE UNITY OF GOD AND MONOTHEISM
1) DEUTERONOMY
6:4 Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God {is} one Lord:
2) DEUTERONOMY
32:39 See now that I, {even} I, {am} he, and {there is} no god with me:
. . .
3) ISAIAH
37:16,20 O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest {between} the Cherubims,
thou {art} the God, {even} thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth:
thou hast made heaven and earth . . . (20) Now therefore, O Lord our God,
save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that
thou {art} the Lord, {even} thou only.
4) ISAIAH
43:10-13 . . . I {am} he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall
there be after me. (11) I, {even} I, {am} the Lord; and beside me {there
is} no saviour. (12) I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed,
when {there was} no strange {god} among you: therefore ye {are} my witnesses,
saith the Lord, that I {am} God. (13) Yea, before the day {was} I {am}
he; and {there is} none that can deliver out of my hand: . . .
5) ISAIAH
44:6,8 Thus 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 . . . (8) . . . Is there a God beside me? yea, {there is} no God;
I know not {any}.
6) ISAIAH
45:5 I {am} the Lord, and {there is} none else, {there is} no God beside
me: . . . {cf. Is 45:6,21-22, 46:9, Mal 2:10}
7) MARK
12:29 . . . The first of all the commandments {is}, Hear, O Israel; The
Lord our God is one Lord:
8) 1
CORINTHIANS 8:4,6 . . . we know that an idol {is} nothing in the world,
and that {there is} none other God but one . . . (6) But to us {there is
but} one God, the Father, of whom {are} all things, and we in him; and
one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom {are} all things, and we by him. {cf. Eph
4:4-6, 1 Tim 2:5, Jas 2:19}
9) Polytheism
Condemned Furthermore, there is no such thing
as a "Big God and a little god" scenario in Scripture, as Jehovah's
Witnesses, Mormons, and other heretics maintain. Polytheism is condemned
as vigorously as Monotheism is proclaimed (see esp. Deut 32:39 above).
Satan is called "the god of this world" in 2 Cor 4:4, but this
is to be understood as a "god" not in nature or essence, but
only in the sense that people idolatrously worship it, him, or her, as
in the following passages:
2 KINGS
17:35 . . . the Lord . . . charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other
gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
ISAIAH
37:19 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they {were} no gods,
but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed
them.
1 CORINTHIANS
8:5-6 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in
earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) (6) But to us {there is
but} one God, the Father, of whom {are} all things, . . .
GALATIANS
4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which
by nature are no gods.
{cf.
Is 44:10,15,17, 46:6, Acts 14:11, 28:6}
IV.
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND/OR TRINITARIANISM
1) GENESIS
1:2 And 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.
2) GENESIS
1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: .
. .
3) GENESIS
3:22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to
know good and evil: . . .
4) GENESIS
6:3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, . .
.
5) GENESIS
11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, . . .
6) NEHEMIAH
9:20 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, . . .
7) ISAIAH
6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and
who will go for us? . . .
8) ISAIAH
40:13 Who hath directed the spirit of the Lord, or {being} his counseller
hath taught him? {cf. Rom 11:34, 1 Cor 2:16}
9) ISAIAH
63:10-11,14 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: . . . (11) Then
he remembered the days of old, Moses, {and} his people, {saying}, . . .
where {is} he that put his holy Spirit within him? . . . (14) As a beast
goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest:
. . .
10) HAGGAI
2:5 {According to} the word that I covenanted with you . . . , so my spirit
remaineth among you: . . .
11) ZECHARIAH
2:8-11 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me
unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the
apple of his eye. (9) For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and
they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the Lord
of hosts hath sent me. (10) Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for,
lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. (11)
And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be
my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that
the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee.
12) ZECHARIAH
12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall
look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one
mourneth for {his} only {son}, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one
that is in bitterness for {his} firstborn. {applied to Jesus in Jn 19:37}
13) MATTHEW
28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
14) LUKE
4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was
led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
15) LUKE
12:12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought
to say.
16) JOHN
6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the
words that I speak unto you, {they} are spirit, and {they} are life.
17) JOHN
14:26 But the Comforter, {which is} the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will
send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to
your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
18) JOHN
15:26 But when the Comforter 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:
19) JOHN
16:7-8 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that
I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you;
but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (8) And when he is come, he
will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
20) JOHN
16:13-15 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you
into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall
hear, {that} shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. (14)
He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew {it}
unto you. (15) All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said
I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew {it} unto you.
21) JOHN
17:21-23 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, {art} in me, and I
in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that
thou hast sent me. (22) And the glory which thou gavest me I have given
them; that they may be one, even as we are one: (23) I in them, and thou
in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know
that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
22) ACTS
7:51 . . . ye do always resist the Holy Ghost. . .
23) ACTS
8:29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this
chariot.
24) ACTS
10:19-20 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold,
three men seek thee. (20) Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with
them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
25) ACTS
13:4 . . . being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia;
. . .
26) ACTS
15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you
no greater burden . . .
27) ACTS
16:6-7 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia,
and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, (7) After
they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit
suffered them not.
28) ACTS
20:23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds
and afflictions abide me.
29) ACTS
20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the
which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers . . .,
30) ACTS
21:11 . . . Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind
the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver {him} into the hands
of the Gentiles.
31) ROMANS
8:14,16 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God . . . (16) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, .
. .
32) 2
CORINTHIANS 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Ghost, {be} with you all. Amen.
33) PHILIPPIANS
1:19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer,
and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
34) 1
TIMOTHY 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times
some shall depart from the faith, . . .
35) HEBREWS
10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy,
who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood
of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath
done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
36) 1
JOHN 5:7-8 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father,
the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (8) And there are
three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood:
and these three agree in one.
37) REVELATION
14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed {are}
the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit,
that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
38) REVELATION
22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come . . .
V.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON: FORTY PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
1) Helps:
Jn 14:16,26, 15:26, 16:7, Rom 8:26, 1 Jn 2:1.
2) Glorifies:
Jn 16:13-14.
3) Can
be Known: Jn 14:17.
4) Gives
Abilities: Acts 2:4, 1 Cor 12:7-11.
5) Referred
to as "He": Jn 14:26, 15:26, 16:7-8,13.
6) Loves:
Rom 15:30.
7) Guides:
Jn 16:13.
8) Comforts:
Jn 14:26, 15:26, 16:7, Acts 9:31.
9) Teaches:
Lk 12:12, Jn 14:26.
10) Reminds:
Jn 14:26.
11) Bears
Witness: Jn 15:26, Acts 5:32, Rom 8:16.
12) Has
Impulses: Jn 16:13.
13) Hears:
Jn 16:13.
14) Leads:
Mt 4:1, Acts 8:39, Rom 8:14.
15) Pleads:
Rom 8:26-27.
16) Longs
(Yearns): Jas 4:5.
17) Wills:
1 Cor 12:11.
18) Thinks:
Acts 15:25,28.
19) Sends:
Acts 13:4.
20) Dispatches:
Acts 10:20.
21) Impels:
Mk 1:12.
22) Speaks:
Jn 16:13-15, Acts 8:29, 10:19, 11:12, 13:2.
23) Forbids:
Acts 16:6-7.
24) Appoints:
Acts 20:28.
25) Reveals:
Lk 2:26, 1 Cor 2:10.
26) Calls
to Ministry: Acts 13:2.
27) Can
be Grieved: Is 63:10, Eph 4:30.
28) Can
be Insulted: Heb 10:29.
29) Can
be Lied to: Acts 5:3-4.
30) Can
be Blasphemed: Mt 12:31-32.
31) Strives:
Gen 6:3.
32) Is
Knowledgeable: Is 40:13, Acts 10:19, 1 Cor 2:10-13.
33) Can
be Vexed: Is 63:10.
34) Judges:
Jn 16:8.
35) Prophesies:
Acts 21:11, 28:25, 1 Tim 4:1.
36) Has
Fellowship: 2 Cor 13:14.
37) Gives
Grace: Heb 10:29.
38) Agrees:
1 Jn 5:7-8.
39) Offers
Life: 2 Cor 3:6, Rev 22:17.
40) Is
the Creator: Job 33:4.
VI.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD: DIRECT BIBLICAL EVIDENCE
1) JOB
33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath
given me life. {Creator}
2) MATTHEW
12:31 . . . All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men:
but the blasphemy {against} the {Holy} Ghost shall not be forgiven unto
men. {only God can be blasphemed}
3) JOHN
4:24 God {is} a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship {him} in
spirit and in truth.
4) ACTS
5:3-4,9 But 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? (4)
Whiles 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 . . . (9) Then Peter said unto
her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the
Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband {are} at the
door, and shall carry thee out. {the Holy Spirit is unquestionably called
God, by simple deduction}
5) ACTS
13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate
me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. {only God
calls}
6) ACTS
28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that
Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet
unto our fathers, {Isaiah 6:8-10, which is quoted in Acts 28:26-27, applies
the words cited to God; thus the Holy Spirit and God are equated in these
two passages}
7) 1
CORINTHIANS 2:10-13 But God hath revealed {them} unto us by his Spirit:
for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (11)
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which
is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of
God. (12) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit
which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to
us of God. (13) Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's
wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual
things with spiritual.
8) 1
CORINTHIANS 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and {that}
the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? {cf. to 1 Cor 6:19}
9) 1
CORINTHIANS 12:4-6,11 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same
Spirit. (5) And there are differences of administrations, but the same
Lord. (6) And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God
which worketh all in all . . . (11) But all these worketh that one and
the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
10) 2
CORINTHIANS 3:6,17-18 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament;
not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit
giveth life . . . (17) Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit
of the Lord {is}, there {is} liberty. (18) But we all, with open face beholding
as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from
glory to glory, {even} as by the Spirit of the Lord.
11) EPHESIANS
4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto
the day of redemption.
12) HEBREWS
9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself without spot to God, . . .
13) 1
PETER 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification of the spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood
of Jesus Christ: . . .
Additionally,
in the following four parallelisms, the Holy Spirit is equated with God
the Father twice, and with God the Son, Jesus twice:
{
* = God the Father / <> = The Holy Spirit / + = Jesus }
14) Who Spoke
Through the Prophets?
*LUKE
1:68,70 Blessed {be} the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed
his people . . . (70) As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which
have been since the world began: {cf. Is 6:8-10 w/ Acts 28:25-27}
<>ACTS
28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that
Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet
unto our fathers,
15) Who "Works"
All Things?
*1 CORINTHIANS
12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which
worketh all in all.
<>1
CORINTHIANS 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit,
dividing to every man severally as he will.
16) Who is
Speaking to the Churches in Revelation 2 and 3?
+REVELATION
2:18 . . . These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto
a flame of fire, and his feet {are} like fine brass; {cf. 1:18, 2:8}
<>REVELATION
2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;
. . . {cf. 2:11,17,29, 3:6,13,22}
17) Who Intercedes
For Believers?
+ROMANS
8:34 . . . {It is} Christ . . . who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. {cf. Heb 7:22,25, 1 Jn 2:1}
<>ROMANS
8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not
what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (27) And he that searcheth
the hearts knoweth what {is} the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh
intercession for the saints according to {the will of} God.
VII.
13 DESCRIPTIONS APPLIED TO ALL THREE IN THE TRINITY
{
* = God the Father / <> = The Holy Spirit / + = Jesus }
1) Who Indwells
Believers?
*JOHN
14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep
my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make
our abode with him.
*1 CORINTHIANS
3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and {that} the Spirit
of God dwelleth in you? (17) If any man defile the temple of God, him shall
God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which {temple} ye are.
*2 CORINTHIANS
6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the
temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk
in {them}; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. {cf. Ex
29:45, Jer 31:33, Ezek 37:27}
*1 JOHN
4:12-16 . . . If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love
is perfected in us. (13) Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in
us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. (14) And we have seen and do
testify that the Father sent the Son {to be} the Saviour of the world.
(15) Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth
in him, and he in God. (16) And we have known and believed the love that
God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God,
and God in him.
<>JOHN
14:16-17 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter,
that he may abide with you for ever; (17) {Even} the Spirit of truth; whom
the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:
but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. {cf. Jn
14:18 below}
<>ROMANS
8:9,11 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,
he is none of his . . . (11) But 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. {cf.
Rom 8:10 below}
<>1
CORINTHIANS 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but
the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely
given to us of God.
<>1
CORINTHIANS 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the
Holy Ghost {which is} in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your
own? {cf. to 1 Cor 3:16}
<>GALATIANS
4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son
into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
<>1
JOHN 3:24 . . . And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit
which he hath given us.
<>1
JOHN 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he
hath given us of his Spirit. {cf. Neh 9:20, Jn 14:26, 15:26, 16:7-8,13-15,
Rom 8:14, 2 Cor 13:14}
+JOHN
14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. {cf. Jn 14:16-17
above}
+JOHN
14:20 At that day ye shall know that I {am} in my Father, and ye in me,
and I in you.
+JOHN
14:23 . . . If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will
love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
+JOHN
15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
+JOHN
17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;
. . .
+ROMANS
8:10 And if Christ {be} in you, the body {is} dead because of sin; but
the Spirit {is} life because of righteousness. {cf. Rom 8:9 above}
+1 JOHN
3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him
. . .
2) Who Raised
Jesus From the Dead?
*GALATIANS
1:1 . . . God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) {cf. 1 Thess 1:10}
<>ROMANS
8:11 . . . the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in
you, . . .
+JOHN
2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three
days I will raise it up.
+JOHN
10:17-18 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life,
that I might take it again. (18) No man taketh it from me, but I lay it
down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it
again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
3) Who Searches
Minds and Hearts?
*JEREMIAH
17:10 I the Lord search the heart, {I} try the reins, even to give every
man according to his ways, {and} according to the fruit of his doings.
<>1
CORINTHIANS 2:10 But God hath revealed {them} unto us by his Spirit: for
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
+REVELATION
2:23 . . . I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give
unto every one of you according to your works.
4) Who Sanctifies
Us?
*1 THESSALONIANS
5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; . . .
<>1
PETER 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification of the spirit, . . .
+HEBREWS
13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his
own blood, suffered without the gate.
5) Who Gives
Us Words to Speak?
*MATTHEW
10:19-20 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall
speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
(20) For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh
in you.
<>MARK
13:11 But when they shall lead {you}, and deliver you up, take no thought
beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever
shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak,
but the Holy Ghost. {cf. Lk 12:11-12, Jn 14:26}
+LUKE
21:14-15 Settle {it} therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what
ye shall answer: (15) For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all
your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
6) Who Gave
the New Covenant?
*JEREMIAH
31:33-34 But this {shall be} the covenant that I will make with the house
of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their
inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and
they shall be my people. (34) And they shall teach no more every man his
neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall
all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the
Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin
no more.
<>HEBREWS
10:15-17 {Whereof} the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that
he had said before, (16) This {is} the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts,
and in their minds will I write them; (17) And their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more.
+HEBREWS
12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, . . . {cf. 8:1-13,
10:29, 13:20}
7) Who is the
Creator?
*Gen
1:1, Is 44:24, Acts 17:24, Eph 3:9 / <>Job 33:4 / +Jn 1:3, Col 1:16,
Heb 1:8,10
8) Who is Our
Helper?
*Heb
13:6 / <>Rom 8:26 / +Heb 4:16
9) Who Are
We Baptized in the Name of?
* <>
+ Mt 28:19
10) Who Comforts
Us?
*2 Cor
1:3-4 / <>Acts 9:31 / +2 Cor 1:5 {cf. Jn 16:7}
11) Who Gives
us Peace?
*Phil
4:7, 1 Cor 14:33 / <>Gal 5:22 / +Jn 14:27, Eph 2:14
12) Who Sends
Out Christians?
*Mt 9:38
/ <>Acts 13:4 / +Mt 10:16, Mar 3:14, Jn 20:21
13) Who Calls
Christians to Ministry?
*Rom
8:28-30, Gal 1:15 / <>Acts 13:2 / +Rom 1:6
VIII.
GOD'S APPEARANCES AS A MAN IN THE O.T. (THEOPHANIES)
1) GENESIS
18:1-4 And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat
in the tent door in the heat of the day; (2) And he lift up his eyes and
looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw {them}, he ran
to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, (3)
And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away,
I pray thee, from thy servant: (4) Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched,
and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: {cf. 18:13,17,22}
2) GENESIS
32:24,30 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until
the breaking of the day . . . (30) And Jacob called the name of the place
Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. {cf.
35:9-15}
3) EXODUS
24:10-11 And they saw the God of Israel: and {there was} under his feet
as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of
heaven in {his} clearness. (11) And upon the nobles of the children of
Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, . . .
4) ISAIAH
6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon
a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
5) EZEKIEL
43:6-7 And I heard {him} speaking unto me out of the house; and the man
stood by me. (7) And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne,
and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst
of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of
Israel no more defile, {neither} they, nor their kings, by their whoredom,
nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.
6) The
"Angel of the Lord" Furthermore,
the "Angel of the Lord" is identified as YHWH/God/The LORD several
times in Scripture. Yet, in other instances, his identity is distinguished
from God (e.g., 2 Sam 24:16, 1 Kin 19:6-7, 2 Kin 19:35, Dan 3:25,28, 6:23,
Zech 1:8-14), or is ambiguous (Num 22:22, Josh 5:13-14). In the following
passages this Angel is regarded as God Himself, either directly or inferentially:
7) GENESIS
31:11-13 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, {saying}, Jacob:
And I said, Here {am} I. (12) And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and
see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle {are} ringstraked, speckled,
and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. (13) I {am}
the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, {and} where thou vowedst
a vow unto me: . . .
8) EXODUS
3:2-6 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out
of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with
fire, and the bush was {not} consumed. (3) And Moses said, I will now turn
aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. (4) And when
the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the
midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here {am} I. (5)
And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet,
for the place whereon thou standest {is} {holy} ground. (6) Moreover he
said, I {am} the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look
upon God.
9) EXODUS
3:14,16 And 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 . . .
(16) Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The
Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared
unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and {seen} that which is done
to you in Egypt:
10) JUDGES
2:1 And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I
. . . have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and
I said, I will never break my covenant with you.
11) JUDGES
6:12,14 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him,
The Lord {is} with thee, thou mighty man of valour . . . (14) And the Lord
looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel
from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? {cf. 6:16,20-23}
12) JOSHUA
5:14-15 And he said, Nay; but {as} captain of the host of the Lord am I
now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and
said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? (15) And the captain
of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot;
for the place whereon thou standest {is} holy . . .
13) ZECHARIAH
12:8 In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and
he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house
of David {shall be} as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.
In Acts
8:26,29, an identification of the Angel of the Lord with the Holy Spirit
might be inferred:
14) ACTS
8:26,29 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and
go toward the south . . . (29) Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near,
and join thyself to this chariot. {cf. Gen 16:7-14, 21:17-19, 22:11-18,
31:11-13, Ex 13:21 w/ 14:19, Jud 13:13-22, Zech 3:1-2}
IX.
JESUS IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE FATHER
A. God the
Father is Invisible, and Can't be Seen
1) EXODUS
33:20,23 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man
see me, and live . . . (23) And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt
see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. {cf. Jud 13:22}
2) JOHN
1:18 No man hath seen God at any time . . .
3) JOHN
5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of
me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
4) JOHN
6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he
hath seen the Father.
5) COLOSSIANS
1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
6) 1
TIMOTHY 1:17 . . . the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise
God, . . .
7) 1
TIMOTHY 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no
man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: . . .
8) 1
JOHN 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time . . .
B. Jesus Reveals,
and is the Image of, the Father
1) JOHN
1:18 . . . the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father,
he hath declared {him}. {RSV,NIV: "made him known"}
2) JOHN
12:45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.
3) JOHN
14:7-9 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from
henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. (8) Philip saith unto him, Lord,
shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. (9) Jesus saith unto him, have
I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he
that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou {then}, Shew
us the Father?
4) 2
CORINTHIANS 4:4 . . . Christ, who is the image of God, . . .
5) COLOSSIANS
1:15 . . . the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
6) HEBREWS
1:3 Who being the brightness of {his} glory, and the express image of his
person, . . .
7) REVELATION
22:1,3-4 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb . . . (3) And there
shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be
in it; and his servants shall serve him: (4) And they shall see his face;
. . .
8) The
"Seen"/"Unseen" Paradox The
seeming contradiction of God being "seen" (as in the theophanies
above, and in other passages such as Gen 17:1, 33:11, Num 12:7-8, Deut
34:10, Jud 13:22, Is 6:5), and "not seen" (in passages such as
Ex 33:20, 1 Tim 6:16, and 1 Jn 4:12), has been explained variously. One
can take the position that all or some of the theophanies and appearances
of the Angel of the Lord (as God Himself) are pre-incarnate appearances
of Christ, which would solve the paradox. The Apostle John (Jn 12:41) appears
to interpret Isaiah's vision of God (Is 6:1-8) as precisely such an appearance.
Or, it is possible to maintain that God created visual manifestations of
Himself which were not identical with Himself. In these instances what
is being seen are the effects of God's unmediated presence.
Theophanies,
in any event, are not always personal appearances of God. For example,
non-personal theophanies include the burning bush (Ex 3:1-6), the pillars
of cloud and fire (Ex 13:21-22), the cloud and fire of Mt. Sinai (Ex 24:16-18),
and the Shekinah glory cloud (Ex 40:34-38). No one would hold that
the non-personal appearances represent a direct experience of God's essence.
In the same fashion, the personal theophanies can be considered as manifestations
one step removed from the actual Father Himself. But, on the other hand,
for those who deny the incarnation of Christ, theophanies do show that
the notion of God becoming a man is not altogether incomprehensible or
impossible, but rather, somewhat plausible (based strictly on the existence
and function of theophanies alone). As such, theophanies might be considered
precursors (along with verses such as Is 9:6 and Mic 5:2) of the incarnation
of the Messiah Jesus, the Son of God (and literally so, if it is believed
that these theophanies are pre-incarnate appearances of Christ).
Whenever
God is seen, it must either be in the sense of one of these manifestations,
or else a beholding of the Son, Jesus, who reveals the Father, as in the
verses directly above. In this way, the passages about the invisible God
are explained in a non-contradictory manner. Jesus' role as the "image"
(Greek, eikon) of the Father also is harmonious with the biblical
trinitarian view of the nature of God, while contrary views encounter insuperable
logical problems with many biblical passages which appear at first to be
contradictory. Not only in this area, but in hundreds of analogous texts,
as illustrated above, will the non-trinitarian be hard-pressed to explain
rationally the biblical picture of the theology of God (assuming he accepts
the validity of the inspired Bible itself). Only trinitarianism can make
sense out of, and harmonize all the biblical material, and this is proven
beyond refutation in the above copious and comprehensive biblical evidences.
X.
A DEFINITION OF THE TRINITY: THE ATHANASIAN CREED
In the
early centuries of its existence, the Catholic Church, in order to codify
and crystallize all of the biblical data on the Holy Trinity, and to counter
various heresies, produced Creeds. The most famous of these are the Apostles'
and Nicene Creeds, recited in church by most Christians regularly.
But the Athanasian Creed is the classic statement of trinitarian
theology. It was not written by St. Athanasius, but was later named after
this great saint who fought (almost singlehandedly at times) against the
Arian heretics of the fourth century, who denied the Trinity. Its authorship
and precise dating are, strangely enough, shrouded in mystery, but scholars
believe it probably originated in the middle of the fifth century in southern
France (by literary deduction, it can almost certainly be dated no earlier
than 415, nor later than 542).
The Creed
is clearly Augustinian in influence and character, and is in fact directly
derived in several places from St. Augustine's work On the Trinity
(c.415), as well as St. Vincent of Lerins' Notebooks (c.434), and
Excerpta (c.440). Accordingly, St. Vincent, or perhaps an admirer
of his, have been considered by some as possible authors. In the context
of its historical period, the Athanasian Creed was written in opposition
to the Nestorian and Eutychian heresies. It does not allude to the Monophysite
and Monothelite errors (which fact offers a strong indication as to its
date of composition). In a general way it opposes Unitarianism, tritheism,
and Arianism.
Protestant
church historian Philip Schaff comments on it with the following glowing
words:
Beyond
[the Athanasian Creed] the orthodox development of the doctrine in the
Roman and Evangelical churches to this day has made no advance. This Creed
is unsurpassed as a masterpiece of logical clearness, rigor, and precision;
and so far as it is possible at all to state in limited dialectic form,
and to protect against heresy, the inexhaustible depths of a mystery of
faith into which the angels desire to look, this liturgical theological
confession achieves the task . . . The Athanasian Creed . . . clearly and
concisely sums up the results of the trinitarian and Christological controversies
of the ancient church . . . The anathema is to be referred to the heresies,
and may not be applied to particular persons, whose judge is God alone.
{History
of the Christian Church, vol. 3, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1974 (orig.
rev. ed., 1910), 690, 697}
The Athanasian
Creed follows, taken from Schaff's work:
1. Whosoever
will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic
faith.
2. Which
faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall
perish everlastingly.
3. But this
is the catholic faith: That we worship one God in trinity, and trinity
in unity;
4. Neither
confounding the persons; nor dividing the substance.
5. For there
is one person of the Father: another of the Son: another of the Holy Spirit.
6. But the
Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one:
the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.
7. Such
as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
8. The Father
is uncreated: the Son is uncreated: the Holy Spirit is uncreated.
9. The Father
is immeasurable: the Son is immeasurable: the Holy Spirit is immeasurable.
10. The
Father is eternal: the Son eternal: the Holy Spirit eternal.
11. And
yet there are not three eternals; but one eternal.
12. As also
there are not three uncreated: nor three immeasurable: but one uncreated,
and one immeasurable.
13. So likewise
the Father is almighty: the Son almighty: and the Holy Spirit almighty.
14. And
yet there are not three almighties: but one almighty.
15. So the
Father is God: the Son is God: and the Holy Spirit is God.
16. And
yet there are not three Gods; but one God.
17. So the
Father is Lord: the Son Lord: and the Holy Spirit Lord.
18. And
yet not three Lords; but one Lord.
19. For
like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person
by himself to be God and Lord:
20. So are
we forbidden by the catholic religion to say, there are three Gods, or
three Lords.
21. The
Father is made of none; neither created; nor begotten.
22. The
Son is of the Father alone: not made; nor created; but begotten.
23. The
Holy Spirit is of the Father and the Son: not made; neither created; nor
begotten; but proceeding.
24. Thus
there is one father, not three Fathers: one Son, not three Sons: one Holy
Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
25. And
in this Trinity none is before or after another: none is greater or less
than another.
26. But
the whole three Persons are co-eternal together, and co-equal.
27. So that
in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity
is to be worshiped.
28. He therefore
that will be saved, must thus think of the Trinity.
29. Furthermore,
it is necessary to everlasting salvation, that we believe also rightly
in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
30. Now
the right faith is, that we believe and confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, is God and Man.
31. God,
of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds: and Man, of
the substance of His mother, born in the world.
32. Perfect
God: perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
33. Equal
to the Father as touching His Godhead: inferior to the Father as touching
His Manhood.
34. And
although He be God and Man; yet He is not two, but one Christ.
35. One,
not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the Manhood
into God.
36. One
altogether, not by confusion of substance; but by unity of person.
37. For
as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ.
38. Who
suffered for our salvation: descended into Hades: rose again the third
day from the dead.
39. He ascended
into heaven. He sits on the right hand of God, the Father almighty:
40. From
whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
41. At whose
coming all men must rise again with their bodies;
42. And
shall give account for their own works.
43. And
they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; but they that
have done evil, into everlasting fire.
44. This
is the catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he
cannot be saved.
{For many more Trinitarian
and Christological evidences, see also Jesus is God:
Biblical Proofs}