Atheists
- An atheist is generally one who prides himself on being an intellectual, so, he’ll be too smart to deny the existence of Jesus Christ because the fact of Jesus’ life is an undisputed historical fact.
- An atheist believes that Jesus Christ was only a man. They’ll give you the fact that Jesus was a very moral, intellectual, and a very influential teacher and philosopher and all of that—but they don’t believe that He rose from the dead, because that, of course, would mean that He was God—because He exercised power over death, and of life. This is what C.S. Lewis had to say about atheists.
I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.‘ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else He would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
C.S. Lewis
Christadelphians
- This is another group that you may not have even heard of, but you will and you ought to at least know where they’re coming from. Their beliefs are very similar to some false teachings that date back as far as the first and second century under the name of “Gnosticism.”
- They believe that at a certain point in time, God created Jesus, just like He did man and the angels. As a created being, Jesus will never be equal to God, or totally divine. They believe, however that Jesus is the literal “Word of God” who became flesh. In that flesh, He was a very special, and yet mortal man.
- They believe that at His baptism, He received the “Christ Spirit”, or His divine power, but at the beginning of His suffering on the cross, the “Christ” or “God” part left, leaving the man Jesus to die there. Since they assert that man has no soul, He ceased to exist during the three days He was dead, and then upon His resurrection, they believe Jesus became the fulness of deity in bodily form.
Jehovah’s Witnesses
(Who I like to refer to as Jehovah’s False Witnesses to qualify their real identity)
- They teach that Jesus was created by God just prior to the creation of everything else. Then, Jesus, “a” god, (but not “The” God) created everything else. That’s why, where our Bible reads in Col. 1:16…“For by him were ALL THINGS created,” the Jehovah’s False Witnesses Bible…The New World Translation (NWT) inserts the word “other” before “things” in Col. 1:16, 17, to make the text read, “By Him all OTHER things were created.” There’s not a Greek manuscript anywhere in existence, or that has ever been in existence, that has the word “other” in Col. 1:16.
- And to make sure that He’s kept distinct from “Jehovah God”, where our Bible reads in John 1:1
- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God.”
- Their New World Translation takes the verse and inserts the word “A” before the word “God.” So that John 1:1 reads- “And the word was A God.”
Mormons
(Also called “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints”)
- There’s a phrase that is used within Mormonism that pretty much sums up their theology: “As man now is, God once was…as God now is, man can become.”
- They believe that Jesus was created by God, and is a “brother” to Satan. They teach what is called “divine progression.” And the way this fleshes out in their doctrine is that Jesus was once just a man who lived on another planet, but He eventually “progressed” to a state of being equal to God, and came to colonize planet earth with “gods-to-be” or, what we call humans. But, unforeseen to Christ, Satan (and of course, you remember that he’s Jesus’ brother…and they had a little sibling rivalry as you know brothers are prone to do)…
- Satan put a kink in His plan when he deceived Adam & Eve, and as a result of their sin, Jesus was then required to die for fallen man—His creation. Jesus, therefore, is a model for us, and we, too, have the possibility of becoming equal to God and colonizing other planets. They teach that there are millions of other planets being colonized right now, in the same way, in other galaxies.
- The Mormon hope is to marry—through a Mormon Temple ceremony, as many earth women as possible and to establish what they believe will be an eternal celestial marriage. And the way the thing comes down in their teaching is that in the resurrection, all good Mormon men will call from the dead those women they married in a temple ceremony, and then, they’ll fly off to some uninhabited planet with their many polygamous wives and populate that planet, where they’ll be God…just like Jesus is God of planet earth. Wow!!!
If you are unfamiliar with the true doctrine of Jesus Christ that is taught in the Bible know, first of all, that He in no way, shape or form resembles any of the teachings we just listed above!
- The Bible teaches that Jesus pre-existed His physical birth.
- That He was the creator of ALL things, and therefore is not a created being.
- He is the second person of the trinity.
- The Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit are one in essence and attributes, and yet three in distinct work and purpose.
- Jesus is co-equal, co-eternal, and coexistent with the Father and the Spirit.
- The Bible does teach that one day we will share the divine pattern of moral conduct, and be equal to God in righteousness, but mankind will in no sense ever be considered or have become divine, or equal to God in essence.
That’s what the Bible says, and anything less than that is a lie right out of the pit of Hell…literally!
But how do we take our Bibles and actually prove that Jesus Christ is JEHOVAH GOD?
Basic Understandings
Here are some basic understandings that we’ve got to get under our belt:
- In the Old Testament— which is, of course, where we’ve gotta begin— because that’s where God Himself began the process of revealing Himself to His creation…There are three key Hebrew names that are ascribed to God.
- “JEHOVAH”—or “YAHWEH”…And it is the name of God applied only to the true God.The Hebrew definition of the word “JEHOVAH” means, “the self-existing One.” (In other words, the One who has always existed.) But, God gives His own definition in Exodus 3:13-14, When Moses asks God—When I tell the people that You sent me them, Who should I tell them sent me?…And God told Moses His name, by giving His definition of His name. He said, “Moses, tell them I AM THAT I AM” sent you. And as I mentioned, God is very stingy with that name, “Jehovah.” It is only used in reference to Himself, the one true God. And you find over in Revelation 1:4, God gives you the biblical description of His name. He describes Himself as HIM “which IS AND WHICH WAS, AND WHICH IS TO COME.”And then, there’s a second Hebrew name for God in the Old Testament…
- “ELOHIM.”
It’s a word, unlike “JEHOVAH,” that is used to speak of both the true God and the false gods of the heathen world.It’s exact meaning is somewhat uncertain, but seems to speak of being “great” and “mighty,”and sometimes is translated with those words. Something to note about the word is the fact that it’s a plural word! That’s why on the 6th day of the creative week when God prophesied the fact that He would create man in His own image and likeness, Genesis 1:26 says,”And God said (“Elohim” said…), Let us make man, in our image, after our likeness.” And that, of course, is because God is three —and yet He’s one, just like 1 John 5:7 says! “For there are THREE that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: AND THESE THREE are ONE.”And then there’s a third name for God in the Old Testament and it’s the word… - “ADONAI.”
And the word “ADONAI” simply means “master” or “Lord.” And certainly, God is that—but the word is also used of men—who are masters over their servants.
The English Key To The Hebrew Names Of God
There are a lot of times in the Old Testament that you’ll see these words joined to each other in various combinations to become the “Lord God” or “God, the Lord.” And something real interesting is that you don’t have to be a Hebrew scholar to figure out which word is which because the translators in the King James Version and some other versions made the distinction for us in English, so we would always know what we were dealing with…And this is one of those little keys that you ought to write into one of the margins somewhere close to the beginning of your Bible. Every time the translators translated the Hebrew word “JEHOVAH”—they let you know that by translating it into the English word “LORD”—but they used a large capital “L”— with smaller capital “ORD.” (Lord)
Now, when they were translating the Hebrew word “Adonai”—they let you know that by translating into the English word “Lord”— But they used a capital “L”—With lower case letters for “ord.” (Lord)
When it’s the Hebrew word “Elohim”, in reference to the true God…our God— It’s capital “G” with lower case “od.” (God)
And you see the distinction even with the combination names—for example…
When the Hebrew word for God is “Jehovah-Elohim”— Jehovah is translated “Lord”—and it’s capital “L” with smaller capital “ORD,” and “Elohim” is translated “God”— And it’s capital “G”, lower case “od.” (Gen. 2:4)
- Now, when the combination is “Adonai-Jehovah”—Adonai is translated “Lord”- and it’s capital “L” with lower case “ord,” and “Jehovah” is translated “GOD” with capital “G” and smaller capital “OD.”
- When the combination is “Adonai-Elohim”—Adonai is translated “Lord” with a capital “L” and lower case “ord.”.
- “Elohim” is translated “God”—with a capital “G” and lower case “od.”
- I think that will help you as you study your Bible to be aware of that—but understanding some of these key names of God will be very helpful for what we’re trying to do as far as proving the DEITY of Christ.
Biblical Proof That Jesus Christ Is Jehovah God
The Old Testament Predicted A “Divine Savior” Would Come
This is so key because a lot of people have a hard time understanding how the true God of the Old Testament—”JEHOVAH GOD” could be Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ was a “man!” A “literal” man who was born into this world at a particular point in time, and was made of flesh and blood just like all of us!
But you see, God prophesied that very fact all through the Old Testament! I mean, there’s no reason in the world anybody would need to doubt the deity of Christ because of His humanity. It was clearly prophesied that God would come to this planet that way!
For example, in Psalm 2:11-12, which is referred to as a “Messianic Psalm” (it is prophesying concerning the “Messiah” or “the Christ”). Someone might say,“Well, that’s great, you make your point by reading into the passage that it’s talking about Jesus. How do I know Psalm 2 is talking about Jesus?” Well, you know it, because God tells you it is! God makes a specific point in the Book of Acts to let you know that it is, so there’s no question in anybody’s mind.
In Acts 13, the Apostle Paul is preaching to Jews, and the theme of his message is the theme of this message—that Jesus is “the Christ.” And notice what he says in Acts 13:33. “God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; (here it is now…) “as it is written” (Where? in the SECOND PSALM) “THOU ART MY SON, THIS DAY HAVE I BEGOTTEN THEE.” Okay, so there’s no doubt in the fact that Psalm 2 is written in reference to Jesus. And watch what it says in verses 11 and 12… “Serve the Lord with fear…” Now look closely at the word “Lord” there, and notice who the Lord is in this verse… “JEHOVAH”, right? “Serve the Lord, (or, serve “JEHOVAH”) with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”
And notice verse 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” And what we have in verses 11 and 12 is what is called “Hebrew poetic parallelism.” Where the writer will make two parallel statements that are the logical equivalent of each other. And the phrase in verse 11, “Serve JEHOVAH” is parallel with the phrase in verse 12 “Kiss the Son.” In other words, “Serve JEHOVAH” means “KISS THE SON”!!! “Kiss the Son” is the logical equivalent of “Serve Jehovah.” And when you back up and look, the whole Psalm presents “the Son” as identical in character and rank as the Father!!
Look at verse 2… “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord (Jehovah) and against his anointed,” or “against His Messiah”… “The CHRIST.” And this is in reference doctrinally, to the time at the battle of Armageddon when the kings and rulers of the earth corroborate against the Lord Jesus Christ and you see it here again… The Psalm says they gather “against JEHOVAH”… They gather “against the Son”…the “Messiah”— “the anointed of God.” Gathering against “Christ” is gathering against “Jehovah.”
Let me show you another one in Psalm 110, which is another Messianic Psalm—not because I want it to be, or because I say it is, or I think it is— The writer of Hebrews identifies it that way, in Hebrews 1:13; 5:6; 7:17, where he quotes directly out of Psalm 110, with specific reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. And look at Psalm 110:1…”The Lord (that is Jehovah) said unto my Lord (and again, the Book of Hebrews lets you know who David was referring to as “my Lord”—it was the Lord Jesus Christ!!) And, “The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” And the point is, a 1000 years before Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, David already recognized that the MESSIAH existed—and that the Messiah was His Lord and Savior…and that He would one day come to this earth to mete out His judgment upon His enemies!!
And note this about this Psalm… Psalm 110 isn’t just my argument to prove the deity of Jesus Christ!! Did you know the Lord Jesus Christ Himself used this very Psalm as proof of His deity in the Gospel of Matthew 22!
In Matthew 22, the Pharisees are trying to trip Jesus up. They had decided that Jesus wasn’t “the Christ” and so they were trying to catch Him on something to prove that He wasn’t. The Sadducees had already given it their best shot, and He shut them up. And then, the Pharisees thought they’d give it a shot… You see all of that in verse 34… “But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.” They were gathered together to try to “silence Him.” So they give it their best shot in verses 35 and 36, and they ask Him a question. Jesus answers in such a fashion in verses 37 to 40 that they weren’t gonna get anything to “go off” on.
But then in verse 41, Jesus returns the favor, and He’s got a question for them! Verse 41 says, “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ?” And you see, He knows they don’t think He’s “THE CHRIST”— so He asks them… “this One who is promised in the Old Testament who will come to this earth as the Christ… whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? (and of course, He quotes Psalm 110:1 there) If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?”
And watch verse 46 (I love this…) “And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.” He “stopped their mouths!” (Titus 1:11)
And the point I’m wanting you to see here is that Jesus knew that a proper understanding of Psalm 110 proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that “the Christ” who would come would be the Savior of the world…that He pre-existed His physical birth…and was, in fact, GOD! And, He calls it to their attention, and they didn’t ask any more questions because they understood the answer. You see, the Old Testament was very clear that “the CHRIST” who would come was GOD HIMSELF!!!
And perhaps, Isaiah makes that more clear than anyone else. In Isaiah 7, I want you to see the prophecy concerning the Lord Jesus Christ in verse 14 (actually a double prophecy.) “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son (that’s the first part of the prophecy—you’ll know the Messiah has come, by a sign…) That is, He’ll come by way of a miraculous birth… a virgin birth. A virgin (having never physically been with a man…) will conceive, and give birth to a Son…
And here’s the second part of the prophecy… “His name shall be called “Immanuel.” And you know what “Immanuel” means? It means, “God with us.”
And of course, the fulfillment of those two prophecies are found in the New Testament Book of Matthew 1:18—Joseph finds out that Mary is with child, and at this point, all he knew is that the child wasn’t his! And verse 20 says, “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” In other words, “Joseph, Mary is that virgin of Isaiah 7:14 who would conceive…” And the angel goes on in verse 21…”And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS”... And we know from the book of Joshua that the name of Jesus means “JEHOVAH IS SALVATION.” That’s why the rest of verse 21 is there— to let you know why He would be called “Jehovah is SALVATION”… “…For he shall save his people from their sins.” Verse 22- “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,” Verse 23- “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is GOD WITH US.”
And, of course, that’s exactly what the Lord prophesied in Isaiah 7:14. And just a little footnote… You’ll notice that the spelling of “EMMANUEL” is different in Matthew 1:23 than it was in Isaiah 7:14, and that’s because the New Testament was written in Greek, and the Greek spelling of “Emmanuel” is with an “E.” The Old Testament, of course, was written in Hebrew, and the Hebrew spelling of Immanuel is with an “I”…
But one of the beautiful things about this quote from Isaiah 7:14 going from the Hebrew to the Greek— God included right into the New Testament text, the interpretation of this word “EMMANUEL” so all of us folks who don’t know Hebrew would never have any doubt whatsoever about WHO this One prophesied to be born of a virgin in Isaiah 7:14 actually is. He spells out exactly who He is! HE IS GOD! GOD WITH US! He is JESUS!JEHOVAH! JEHOVAH, who was born into this world of a virgin, to provide our SALVATION.
There are other names that the Old Testament prophesied of Him that further prove His DEITY… Look at Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder…” So we know the context… this is in reference to the Son that would be born of the virgin who would establish on this earth, a governmental kingdom over which He will rule and reign…which of course, is Jesus Christ. And watch what verse 6 goes on to say…”and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, (and check this out now…) “THE” MIGHTY GOD!!! This “child” this “son” is none other, than “THE MIGHTY GOD!” And if that doesn’t seal it—and it does to any person who is honestly seeking to know His identity…but even if someone wanted to say “Well, God the Father created Him at sometime in eternity past— so, yeah, He’s “A” God”… “He’s even A MIGHTY GOD,” “but that doesn’t mean He’s equal to the Father!”
Well, the next title blows that theory right out of the water, because, check it out… This “child” who is born, this “son” who is given…is the “FATHER”! And just so we’d know that it wasn’t just a “title” He acquired, or a “position” He was delegated… It says He is “THE EVERLASTING FATHER!” The “ETERNAL” Father! The self-existent One! The One who had always been and will always be— Co-EXISTENT, Co-EQUAL and Co-ETERNAL with the Father!
And the prophet Micah comments further on this same point. Micah 5:2 is the reference that the chief priests and scribes quoted in Matthew 2:6, when Herod had asked them what the Old Testament had prophesied about where the One who would be born “King of the Jews” would actually be born. They quoted Micah 5:2 because it prophesied the birthplace of the Messiah… “But thou Bethlehem Eph-ra-tah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; (and watch what is said about this One who would be born in Bethlehem) … WHOSE GOINGS FORTH HAVE BEEN FROM OF OLD” (in other words, He existed before His birth! And again, so that no one could ever come along and have a leg to stand on that God created Him some time long ago in eternity past… He says, “His goings forth” have not just “been from of old” but “FROM EVERLASTING!!!” Listen ya’ll, this one born in Bethlehem is the EVERLASTING FATHER!!!
Now, you see, for most of us, that’s just as clear as it can be. But, if you were dealing with someone who had been well-trained in their system, they’re gonna say— “Yeah, all of those are fine, but none of those actually said that Jesus Christ was ‘Jehovah.’ It just said He was ‘Elohim’ or just referred to Him as ‘Adonai.’” And that’s why I separated out this second proof as it’s own point. Not only did “THE OLD TESTAMENT PREDICT A DIVINE SAVIOR WOULD COME,” but…
The Bible Specifically Refers To Jesus Christ As Jehovah
This is a monumental, irrefutable point!! Since the “Jehovah’s False Witnesses” believe “Jehovah” is the one true name, of the one true God, if we could just come up with some verses that specifically apply the term “Jehovah” to “Jesus Christ”, it would absolutely annihilate their entire theology.
You say, “Are there verses that do that?” Well, I’m glad you asked! Let’s look at Isaiah 6.
Now, this is a very familiar passage of Scripture. It’s where Isaiah writes about the vision he received when he was caught up to the very throne room of God, and he saw Him high and lifted up, and His train filling the Temple, and the angelic hosts crying out His holiness. And now, watch Isaiah’s response to it all in verse 5:”Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”
So, who does Isaiah say he saw? “Jehovah” (Lord)…in all of His glory.
Okay, hang on to that, and now lets look at John 12, beginning in verse 37. The Apostle John writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:” (Now who is “He” in the context? Who is it that had done the miracles…but they didn’t believe Him? Jesus, right?) “That the saying of Esaias” ( Isaiah…again, dealing with the Greek rendering of the Hebrew “Isaiah”) But he says, “that the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again,” (and now He’s gonna quote another of Isaiah’s prophecies…) “He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.” (And now here comes the crushing blow!) Verse 41- “These things said Esaias [Isaiah] when he saw his glory, and spake of him.”
When Isaiah saw whose glory? When Isaiah spake of whom? CHRIST! That’s what John said! “Well, the Book of Isaiah said it was JEHOVAH”…that’s right! And the Holy Spirit prompts John to put it right here to show you and me that what Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6:5 was CHRIST’S glory— and spoke of CHRIST!! Because Jesus Christ is JEHOVAH!!
Now let’s go back to the Book of Isaiah to chapter 40. Isaiah 40 is another very familiar portion of Scripture, because it’s a very famous prophecy concerning John the Baptist. Verse 3- “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness.” And there’s no doubt about who this is in reference to. John 1:22-23 and Matthew 3:1-3 tells us very specifically that it was John the Baptist, preaching about the fact that Christ was about to begin His ministry. In John 1:23 and Matthew 3:3, John the Baptist himself said… “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias (Isaiah). So, we know who John the Baptist was preaching about. But watch how Isaiah identifies Him here…in Isaiah 40:3:“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord.” (and who’s that?) “JEHOVAH”!
Isaiah says, John the Baptist is gonna come out preaching, “Prepare ye the way of ‘JEHOVAH’—make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” And when the prophecy is fulfilled in John 1:23, “JEHOVAH GOD” is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ!!!
And let me show you another prophecy in the book of Jeremiah 23:5-6…“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord [Jehovah], 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.” (And there’s no doubt in anyones mind about who Jeremiah is prophesying about —this is obviously a Messianic prophecy, fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ!!) Now look at verse 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 [or, “JEHOVAH”] our RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Again, another reference where Jesus Christ is specifically referred to as “JEHOVAH.”
Let’s look at one more in Joel 2:32. “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord (and that’s “JEHOVAH”!!!) shall be delivered.”
Now look at Acts 2:16-21: “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. ” Peter is preaching Jesus to the Nation of Israel on the Day of Pentecost, showing that He was the Promised Messiah. And notice that he takes them back to the prophecies in the Book of Joel. He quotes to them Joel 2:32 that said “whosoever shall call upon the name of ‘JEHOVAH’ would be saved.” And in verse 21, Peter quotes it here to the Nation of Israel in reference to JESUS! And if you doubt that— just look at the very next verse…verse 22 “The ‘Lord,’”whose name you better call upon to be saved, is “Jesus of Nazareth”— because He is Jehovah!!!
And in Romans 10:13, Joel 2:32 is quoted again… “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” And Joel told us who the Lord is that you better call on! It’s “JEHOVAH”!!! And Paul uses that verse here, just like Peter did, in reference to JESUS CHRIST! Notice back in Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth (whom?) the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead—thou shalt be saved.” Again, irrefutable proof that Jesus Christ is, in fact, JEHOVAH!
But, not only did the Old Testament PREDICT THAT A “DIVINE SAVIOR” WOULD COME…
And, not only does THE BIBLE SPECIFICALLY REFER TO JESUS CHRIST AS “JEHOVAH”…
The Titles Reserved Only For Jehovah Are Applied To Jesus Christ
Before we get into these I want you to notice the emphasis there on ONLY. And what I want to make sure you understand is that it’s not that I’m saying that these titles are ONLY RESERVED FOR JEHOVAH. What you’re going to see is that with each one of these titles that I’m about to show you, everyone of them!—God’s gonna say that! With each one of these God makes a point of showing us that these are EXCLUSIVE of JEHOVAH. And here’s the first one,
Jehovah is the “ONLY” Creator.
Isaiah 44:24 says: “Thus saith the Lord [JEHOVAH], thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord [Jehovah] that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by MYSELF.”
Now, I don’t know how God could make it any clearer than that. It was HE, “JEHOVAH” who made ALL THINGS— and He says “I did it ALONE”… “I did it BY MYSELF!!” There were no ANGELS involved. There were no sub-gods, no lesser gods, no other created beings whatsoever—Jehovah, and Jehovah ALONE!
But now, look in the Gospel of John 1:1-3… “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (And of course we see in verse 14 that the Word is Jesus Christ. Because “the Word” is the part of the Godhead that was made flesh and dwelt among us.) Now look at verse 2:
“The same” (which, of course, is “the Word”) was in the beginning with God. Verse 3: “All things were made by him (Who? The WORD! Jesus!) and without him was not anything made that was made.”
Do you see that? Isaiah 44:24 tells us that it was Jehovah “ALONE” who made all things. John 1:3 tells you who Jehovah is…JESUS! Because Jesus “ALONE” is the one who made all things. And Colossians 1:16 affirms that same truth: “For by him (Jesus!) were all things created!”
Jehovah Is The “Only” Rock
Deuteronomy 32 are the words of a song that Moses spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And in verse 3, He sings “I will publish the name of the Lord (and note that the song is about JEHOVAH.) …ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the ROCK, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” And you’ll notice back in verse 9, Moses starts singing about the Nation of Israel, represented in Jacob. And verse 12 says, “So the Lord [JEHOVAH] (who is the “ROCK,”and check out the next word…) “ALONE did lead him,” (that is Jacob.) So, Moses let’s us know, Jehovah is “the ROCK”— and Jehovah “ALONE” is the Rock!
Samuel says virtually the same thing in 2 Samuel 22. David is in the midst of a song about Jehovah as well. Look at verse 1… “And David spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: And he said, The Lord [Jehovah] is ‘MY ROCK,’ and my fortress, and my deliverer.” So David also identifies JEHOVAH as the ROCK. And in verse 32 says “For who is God, save the Lord? Who is a rock, save our God? And David not only identifies Jehovah as “the Rock”— but the “only” Rock! Again, the same thing that Moses said.
And now move to the Book of 1 Corinthians 10. Paul is recounting the working of God in the Old Testament, when he says in verse 2, how our fathers “were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual ROCK that followed them: (and here it is…) and that ROCK was CHRIST.” The Old Testament said, JEHOVAH is the “ONLY ROCK”…and 1 Corinthians 10:4 tells you who the Rock is— it is JESUS! JEHOVAH GOD!
Jehovah Is The “Only” Savior
Look at Isaiah 43:10 “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, [Jehovah] (these are the true Jehovah’s Witnesses!) and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.” (And God goes into the exclusiveness of Himself. And He continues it in verse 11. “I, even I, am the Lord [I am Jehovah], and beside ME there is no SAVIOR. There’s only one “JEHOVAH.” And “JEHOVAH” is the “ONLY SAVIOR.” That’s clearly established.
But now look at Titus 2:13—”Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of THE GREAT GOD and OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.” And there you have Jesus Christ clearly identified as THE GREAT GOD, and the recipient of the title “SAVIOR.” A title reserved only for JEHOVAH GOD. Because that is in fact, who He is!!
And then, look at 2 Peter 1:1: “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of GOD and our SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.” Again, Jesus is “God,” Jesus is “Savior”…two titles reserved ONLY for JEHOVAH!
But, not only are “THE TITLES RESERVED ONLY FOR JEHOVAH APPLIED TO JESUS CHRIST…” but
The Attributes That Are Characteristic Only Of Jehovah Are Characteristic Of Jesus Christ
Jehovah “Alone” Knows Hearts
1 Kings 8:22 says “And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:” And in verse 23, he begins to pray… “And he said, “Lord God of Israel (Jehovah Elohim), there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:” And now drop down to verse 39— He’s still praying to JEHOVAH GOD, the ONE TRUE GOD. “Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, (and watch this now…) whose HEART thou knowest; for thou, even thou ONLY, knowest the hearts of all the children of men.” Do you see that? Only the one TRUE GOD, only JEHOVAH GOD, possesses the attribute of knowing what’s in man’s heart.
But look with me at Mark 2:5. Some men have brought a man sick of the palsy to Jesus, for Him to heal him. Verse 5 says “When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only? (and they’re right about that!!) And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, why reason ye these things in your hearts?” Check it out… Jesus knows what only JEHOVAH knows!!! He knows what’s in man’s heart. So, if ONLY “JEHOVAH” knows– and “Jesus” knows— Who is Jesus? JEHOVAH!
Jehovah Is The “Only” Eternal God
And let me show you this in Isaiah 44:6: “Thus saith the Lord [Jehovah] the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; (and check that out…the differentiation between “Jehovah” and His Redeemer “Jehovah,” and watch this characteristic of JEHOVAH) I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” You see—there is only one eternal God who is the first and the last.That attribute is true only of JEHOVAH GOD.
But turn to Revelation 1, and you’ll notice in verse 10, John hears a voice, and he goes on in the passage to tell us that it was the voice of Jesus Christ. And listen to what Jesus says in verse 11— “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.” He says it again in chapter 2:8 “These things saith the first and the last.” And then again in Revelation 22:13 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” And Isaiah 44:6 says that there is only one eternal God who can make that claim—and it’s JEHOVAH. And yet, JESUS repeatedly makes that claim. Again, because He “IS” Jehovah God—the eternal God—who is the first and the last!
And then, another proof that Jesus possesses the attributes of Jehovah…
Glory Belongs To Jehovah “Alone”
Isaiah 42:8 says, “I am the Lord [JEHOVAH]: that is my name: and my GLORY will I not give to another.” So check out what He says… GLORY BELONGS TO JEHOVAH ALONE!! To no other. And Jehovah says He won’t share it with any other person, or any other being. It is His alone. But look at what it says in John 1:14: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and again, that’s Jesus Christ…) and we beheld (what?) HIS GLORY, THE GLORY AS OF THE ONLY BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER, full of grace and truth.” If Jesus isn’t Jehovah, then answer me— where did He get His glory? Because JEHOVAH said in Isaiah 42:8 it was His alone, and that He wouldn’t give it to any other! And here Jesus is showing up with it! And He does because He IS “JEHOVAH!”
Someone says, “Yeah, but look right there, it says Jesus was begotten of the Father.” Well, just make sure you keep reading because verse 18 lets you know that He wasn’t begotten as a God— Verses 1 and 2 already let us know that He has always been God. But He was begotten at a certain point in time— in Bethlehem, “As a SON.” And Hebrews 1:5 also makes that point very clear.The Father said to the Son— Thou art my Son, THIS DAY have I begotten thee.” And He was begotten as a SON, to declare the glory of the Father. But He certainly was not, and is not a begotten God!
In John 17 we have what is called the High Priestly Prayer, where Jesus is praying to the Father. And He says in verse 5, “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” In other words, with the glory which has always been mine. And again, the point is— If GLORY BELONGS TO JEHOVAH ALONE (And He clearly said He wouldn’t give it to any other) —You have to answer how it is that Jesus Christ shared the glory of the Father before He was begotten as a Son! And why it is that Jesus was expecting to share that same glory with the Father after the price of sin was paid. There’s only one answer… He’s Jehovah God!!!
And the next proof that Jesus Christ is God…
Jesus Receives The Worship Reserved Only For Jehovah
Only Jehovah Is To Be Worshipped
God made it extremely clear in the Old Testament that He— “Jehovah God” was the only God that is to be worshipped. I mean, what is the very first of the 10 Commandments? “Thou shalt” what? “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Let’s look at Exodus 20:1-5, where God gives to Moses the 10 Commandments.“And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, [JEHOVAH GOD] which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [JEHOVAH] am a jealous God.” So that’s clear. There is one God. And He alone is to be worshipped and served.
Now look over at Exodus 34 where he repeats the principle, or the command in verse 14. “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD [JEHOVAH], whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:” Are you beginning to get the idea that God is serious about this thing?
Let me show you just one more in Deuteronomy 6:13–15: “Thou shalt fear the LORD [JEHOVAH] thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by His name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you. (For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest thy anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.”
I don’t think God could make it any more clear! You worship and serve only one God and it is to be “JEHOVAH,” the one true God!
One thing you need to understand is that Jesus knew and understood this commandment! In fact,
It Was Affirmed By Jesus Himself
Look at Matthew 4:8–10. The context here is when Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” He quotes to him the very Scriptures we just read! And the point I’m wanting you to see here, is Jesus fully understood that Jehovah God is the only one who is to be worshipped. And just file that for now. So not only was it affirmed by Jesus himself, but…
It Was Affirmed By Peter
In Acts 10 God has instructed Peter to go to a man’s house by the name of Cornelius and we’ll pick up in verse 25. “And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.” And watch Peter’s response in verse 26, “But Peter took him up” (in other words, he grabs him by his shirt, and says) “Stand up; I myself also am a man.” Peter understood theres only one who is to be worshipped and it certainly isn’t a man! It is only Jehovah God! And he wasn’t about to allow anybody to worship him, bow before him, or kiss his ring, or anything of the kind. Now let’s look at Acts 14 where there’s a similar story.
It Was Affirmed By Paul
In Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas come into Lystra to preach the gospel. Verses 8–15 say, “And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:” In other words, “He’s the only One who is to be worshipped! For crying out loud! Don’t worship us!” And it’s so appalling to them, they rent their clothes! Which in the Jewish culture at that time was a demonstration of deep grief or extreme indignation. I mean, they don’t want to leave doubt in anybody’s mind about how detestable it would be for anyone but JEHOVAH GOD–the “living God”– to receive worship of men.
Let me show you one more in Revelation 19.
It Was Affirmed By Angels
Now in Revelation 19, John is in the midst of getting himself absolutely blown away by everything that he was seeing in the Revelation, and God had an angel that was serving as sort of a guide. And John finds himself so blown away that in verse 10 he writes, “And I feel at his feet” (that is, the ANGEL’S!) “to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it now: I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus:” (and what was His testimony: We looked at it just a minute ago…) “WORSHIP GOD”!! Only Him!
And in Revelation 22, John again makes the same mistake! Verse 8– “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I feel down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am they fellow servant” (I am a servant of God just like you are…) “and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.” You see, the angel affirmed it as well. The teaching of this Book is, you worship God, and GOD ALONE!
The OLD TESTAMENT affirmed it. The ANGELS affirmed it and refused to be worshipped, and rebuked those who tried to worship them. The apostle PAUL affirmed it and refused to be worshipped, and rebuked those tho tried to worship him. The apostle PETER affirmed it and refused to be worshipped, and rebuked those who tried to worship him. And JESUS HIMSELF affirmed it. But you know what’s interesting? On numerous occasions through out His ministry…
Jesus Accepts Worship
And never—not on any occasion, or from any person, did He ever refuse anyone’s worship. Nor did He rebuke anyone for worshipping Him. He welcomed it!
Matthew 14:33 says: “Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”
John 9:38 says: “And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.”
Matthew 28:9 says: “And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them saying, ALl hail, and they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him
Matthew 28:17 says: “And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
So, Jesus didn’t refuse worship. He rather, welcomed it. He certainly didn’t rebuke anyone for it! In fact, what you find is Jesus rebuked those who reproved His worshipers!
In Luke 10:42, Martha was rather upset that Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet in the position of worship, and Jesus said to her, “[Martha] One thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” In other words, “Martha, leave her alone. She’s doing what she’s supposed to be doing, and that which will last forever.”
In Matthew 26, a woman came, and with all of her heart and all of her substance she worshipped at the feet of Jesus and she poured out a very costly ointment upon them. In verse 8 it says that the disciples were “indignant” about it and thought the ointment should have been sold and the money given to the poor. But Jesus said to them in Matthew 26:10, “Why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought a good work upon me.” In other words, “Don’t try to stop her from doing this. This is good. This is right.”
Now, if Jesus Christ is not Jehovah, and is just an angel of great authority as the Jehovah’s False Witnesses teach, then why is it that the angels in heaven “refuse” worship, but Jesus didn’t? And why is it that when God the Father brought the Son into the world, Hebrews 1:6 says that the Father said ”Let all the angels of God worship Him.” And if He’s not Jehovah God, then let’s do away with all of these shenanigans about Him being some great person, and don’t patronize Him on my doorstep for being some wonderful Savior, because if He’s not Jehovah God, there’s nothing wonderful or great about Him! If He’s not Jehovah God, He’s the biggest hypocrite who ever lived. Because to affirm that only Jehovah God is to be worshipped and served on one occasion, and then have people bowing in worship before you, and kissing your feet, and anointing your feet and accepting it, not only was He a hypocrite, He was exactly what the Scribes and Pharisees accused Him of being–a BLASPHEMER!
If he wasn’t Jehovah God, He committed the most heinous of all sins when He lived on this planet! If he isn’t Jehovah God, he committed the same sin that Lucifer committed that caused him to lose his position as the anointed cherub that covereth! He usurped the position of the Most High God.
But let me tell you something. He wasn’t a hypocrite! He wasn’t a blasphemer! And He didn’t usurp anything! He accepted worship and never rebuked anyone for worshipping Him, and the Father commanded that all the angels worship Him because He WAS and IS Jehovah God wrapped in a human body! He received worship because He is worthy of worship! And He’s seated right now at this very moment on His throne in heaven, clothed with the glory that was his before His incarnation. And you know what is happening before that throne? Worship!! And Revelation 5:11–14 even let’s us know the words that are being spoken there! John says in verse 12 they’re proclaiming with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing!” And John says, “And every creature which is in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth forever and ever.”
Listen, Jesus Christ is receiving worship in heaven now, at this very moment, as Jehovah God, just as He did when He was on the earth. And like I’ve said, for anybody who’s really wanting truth, the first 5 points of our outline are more than sufficient evidence to prove that Jesus Christ is in fact, God and very God.
But there’s more!
