10-31-20 The Testimony of Jesus
The Testimony of Jesus :: By Bill Pierce
HOW GOD MANIFESTS HIS TRUTH
MANIFEST means: ‘Plain, open, clearly visible to the eye or obvious to the understanding; apparent; not obscure or difficult to be seen or understood. From the testimony, the truth we conceive to be manifest.’ ESSENCE means: ‘that which constitutes the particular nature of a being’ (Noah Webster, 1828).
The Master diamond cutter — Diamond cutting is the practice of changing a diamond from a rough stone into a faceted gem. One single diamond prepared by the diamond cutter has many [manifold] sides called facets [or faces]. Many times, God uses words that are singular that also exhibit manifold [many] facets or faces. A facet is simply one side of a multi-sided object, a prominent attribute or aspect of something. On several occasions, God manifests his truth like a master diamond cutter. God first creates a perfect spherical diamond—his holy word. Then he cuts several facets on it by which God magnifies the brilliance of his pure word to men (Psalm 138:2).
EXAMPLES OF MANIFESTED TRUTH
THE GODHEAD — The word of God declares: “The LORD our God is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4; Zechariah 14:9; Mark 12:29; 1Corinthians 8:6): the “LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king” (Jeremiah 10:10; 1Thessalonians 1:9) who is manifested in the scriptures as three Persons. God’s word manifests the three facets of the one LORD when it declares: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1John 5:7)!
THE FATHER — The Son is the physical manifestation of the Father, who is “the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15): “No man hath seen God [“the Father” (John 6:46)] at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18; 1John 4:12). God’s Son is “the brightness of his [the Father’s] glory, and the express image of his person” (Hebrews 1:1-3). Jesus said unto Philip, “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (John 14:9).
THE SON — The Son is the physical manifestation of God. The apostle John testified of the fellowship the disciples experienced when the Son of God walked among them: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1John 1:1-3).
The Son is God the creator — The “Word was God” (John 1:1) who was “made flesh” (John 1:14). The “Word,” who is the“only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18), is God “manifest in the flesh” (1Timothy 3:16).
Although men could not visibly see the Godhead when they looked upon the Lord Jesus Christ, the scripture tells us plainly:“For in him [Jesus] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). The Son “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 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: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:15-18).
THE HOLY GHOST — The Son is also the manifestation of the Spirit. Being “the fulness of the Godhead bodily”(Colossians 2:9), and having received the unmeasured fulness of the Spirit from God (John 3:34). When men saw the Son of God, they saw a perfect physical manifestation of the Spirit of God.
THE NAME OF GOD
One name signifies many facets — The scripture never speaks of the names [plural] of God, but always declares the name[singular]. Then the word of God manifests many names by which he is addressed and may be known to men. Examples follow.
Prophecy of his name — Isaiah prophesied of the birth of God’s “holy child Jesus” (Acts 4:30) when he wrote: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name[singular] shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”(Isaiah 9:6). And in perfect agreement with Isaiah, the prophet Micah also declared the child to be “from everlasting”(Micah 5:2; Psalm 90:2).
God with us — Also Isaiah prophesied: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). After she conceived of the Holy Ghost, the angel of the LORD confirmed Isaiah’s prophecy when he told Joseph that Mary “his espoused wife” (Luke 2:5) “shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 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” (Matthew 1:20-23).
The great post-resurrection gospel commission — Jesus commanded his disciples: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name [singular] of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). Notice that “the name” is manifest as the three members of the Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
THE SPIRIT OF GOD
Seven facets of One Spirit — The Lord Jesus Christ plainly declared: “God is a Spirit [singular]: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Many other scriptures verify that “a Spirit” (John 4:24) signifies “one Spirit.” When men are “born of the Spirit” (John 3:8), the Lord Jesus baptizes them “by one Spirit”(1Corinthians 12:13)—“the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 3:11), and they all are “made to drink into one Spirit” (1Corinthians 12:13): “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4).
The corrupted bibles have omitted the letter ‘a,’ and have written: ‘God is Spirit…’ (NKJV). This corruption—instead of identifying God’s Spirit as ‘a’ unique Spirit, wholly separate from the spirits of men and devils, leaves men open to all sorts of deceptions and false teachings, such as pantheism, which teaches that God’s spirit is in every material thing, and is, therefore, one with all other spirits, including the spirits of angels (Psalm 104:4; Hebrews 1:7), the unclean spirits of devils (Matthew 10:1; 8:16), evil spirits (Luke 7:21), wicked spirits (Luke 11:26), and seducing spirits (1 Timothy 4:1)! The omission of one little letter changes the truth and allows for much confusion and deception!
Isaiah the prophet, who called the coming Lord Jesus Christ a “Branch” (Isaiah 11:1; see also Isaiah 53:2; Revelation 5:5, 22:16; Jeremiah 23:5, 33:15; Zechariah 3:8, 6:12), wrote that “the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom…understanding…counsel…might…knowledge and of the fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:1-2).
In these verses, Isaiah records six facets of the Spirit of the LORD. However, we Bible believers know that the Spirit of Godmust exhibit seven facets, because the Lord Jesus Christ “hath the seven Spirits of God” (Revelation 3:1), and there are“the seven Spirits which are before his throne” (Revelation 1:4). We also read of “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God” (Revelation 4:5). And finally, the apostle John testified: “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth” (Revelation 5:6).
The seventh facet of the Spirit—After one of the seven angels which had the seven vials showed the apostle John “the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters” (Revelation 17:1), John “heard a great voice of much people in heaven” (Revelation 19:1) praising and worshipping the Lord our God. Then the angel said unto John, “Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS IS THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY [emphasis mine]” (Revelation 19:9-10).
It is so wonderful when the word of God shines light on itself! Praise God for the light his word brings to the believer! I joyfully join with the psalmist who wrote: “In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word” (Psalm 56:10), and: “In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me” (Psalm 56:4).
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Nine manifestations of the Spirit — “But the fruit [singular] of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). Every one of these godly attributes are produced by submitted believers through the Spirit of God working in them to produce fruit (Hebrews 9:14; Psalm 1:3, 92:14; Jeremiah 17:10, 21:14, 32:19; John 15:5, 16; Romans 6:22, 7:4; Ephesians 5:9; Hebrews 9:14, 12:11, 13:15; James 3:18).
THE TESTIMONY OF MANY WITNESSES
A WITNESS is: ‘One who gives testimony.’ A TESTIMONY is ‘A solemn declaration or affirmation made for the purpose of establishing or proving some fact’ (Noah Webster, 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language).
THE TESTIMONY OF [by] JESUS CHRIST
The faithful and true witness — The Lord Jesus Christ is “the faithful witness” (Revelation 1:5) who bears “witness unto the truth” (John 18:37). He is “called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war”(Revelation 19:11). Except for the witness of “the holy scriptures” (Romans 1:2; 2 Timothy 3:15), there is no other witness among “the sons of Adam” (Deuteronomy 32:8) that can be confidently trusted (Jeremiah 17:5; Proverbs 28:26). But the LORD may be safely trusted (Proverbs 30:5-6): And, “The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory” (Psalm 64:10).
Jesus witnessed to Pilate — When Pilate said, “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. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (John 18:37).
Jesus witnessed to Nicodemus — “We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness” (John 3:11).
Jesus witnessed to the Jews who sought to slay him — After Jesus told the Jews that John the Baptist bore a true witness of him (John 5:32-35), he said to them that he had greater witness than that of John: “for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. 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. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not” (John 5:36-38). When Jesus was baptized and came up out of the water, the Father bore witness of his Son “saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17; John 10:25).
Jesus witnessed to the Pharisees — “Jesus answered and said unto them…It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me” (John 8:14-18; Matthew 3:16-17, 17:5).
TESTIMONY OF [about] JESUS BY OTHERS
The greatest prophet — The Lord Jesus testified, “Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist” (Luke 7:28). John “came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all menthrough him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light” (John 1:7-8).
John testified that Jesus the Son of God “must increase, but I must decrease. 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. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:30-36, 1:15, 3:26-28).
The witness of Moses — Moses testified of the Lord Jesus Christ unto the Jewish fathers when he said, “A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people” (Acts 3:22-23; Deuteronomy 18:15-19). All of the Old Testament words were written by“holy men of God” (2Peter 1:21), chosen and sent by the LORD.
The witness of the apostles — Jesus appeared in the midst of the apostles “And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:46-48).
At the Passover meal before the cross, Jesus told his apostles: “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: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:26-27; Acts 1:8, 3:15, 4:33, 10:39, 41; 13:31).
The witness of Paul — Ananias said to Saul of Tarsus after the Lord Jesus appeared to him: “For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard” (Acts 22:15; 26:16).
The apostle Paul preached in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia: “For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him” (Acts 13:27). Paul wrote to the Romans: “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of Godwhich is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference” (Romans 3:21-22).
Paul the apostle, who was at first known as Saul, wrote “unto the church of God which is at Corinth” (1Corinthians 1:2). In this letter Paul declared both the soul saving “gospel of Christ” (Romans 1:16) and listed the witnesses of the Lord’s resurrection in two sentences: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time” (1Corinthians 15:3-8; Acts 13:31).
The witness of Peter — After Peter preached the death and resurrection of Jesus to the people in the temple, he concluded saying that “those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled” (Acts 3:12-18).
After preaching the gospel to those who were in the house of Cornelius, Peter said, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43).
In his first epistle Peter wrote: “Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (1Peter 1:10-11).
The witness of God’s goodness — “Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17; John 14:11).
TESTIMONY OF THE SCRIPTURES ABOUT JESUS
Moses was the first man to write scriptures—After Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword, God told Moses: “Write this for a memorial in a book” (Exodus 17:13-14). Later, on mount Sinai, the LORD wrote the Ten Commandments on two tables of stone (Exodus 34:28), and gave Moses the words of the covenant of the law. And “Moses wrote all the words of the LORD” (Exodus 21:1, 24:4-7, 34:27). Jesus warned the Jews who wanted to kill him when he said,“Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5:45-47).
Because of the Lord’s statement that Moses wrote of him, any controversy over the authorship of the first five books of the Holy Bible should mean nothing to any born-again believer: to any follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Genesis, the first book of the Holy Bible, Moses wrote the first prophecy of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus when he recorded the words which the LORD said unto the serpent—later identified as “the Devil, and Satan” (Revelation 20:2, 12:9). The LORD prophesied, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).
TESTIMONY OF THE HOLY GHOST
God’s anointing teaches truth — The Holy Ghost teaches by “comparing spiritual things [words and lines of scripture] with spiritual [other words and lines of scripture].” (1 Corinthians 2:12-13; Isaiah 28:9-13). By his Spirit, God has anointed, sealed, and given “the earnest of the Spirit [the down payment that assures the believer of the blessings of eternal things to come] in the hearts of every born-again believer (2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 4:30). Believers are commanded: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).
God gave some of the churches, “apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-16).
But we must remember that false teachers and prophets have risen up to lead the flock of God astray. Therefore, we are commanded: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1John 4:1). Every believer has received the anointing of the Holy Ghost: “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him” (1John 2:27). Therefore, the believer’s final authority is the Holy Bible, and his master teacher is the Holy Ghost.
The FIRST and the LAST — The scriptures declare both “God” and the “Lord Jesus Christ” to be “the first and the last.”By comparing the following scriptures, the believing student who studies and rightly divides the “word of truth” (2Timothy 2:15) will understand that the Lord Jesus Christ is himself the LORD JEHOVAH who was made flesh (John 1:14) and came “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Romans 8:3) so “that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). See the scriptures below.
The first verse of the Bible IDENTIFIES the Son — When Moses wrote the very first verse of the Holy Bible, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), he identifies the Son of God as God. The scriptures also declare that the Son is “equal” (John 5:18; Philippians 2:6) and “one” (John 10:30, 17:22) with God the Father. The scripture also declares that by the Son “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: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Colossians 1:13-17).
For about four thousand years, from “the beginning of the creation” (Mark 10:6) until “the fulness of the time was come, [when] God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4-5), the “Old Testament” (2 Corinthians 3:14) testifies that the Son of God appeared to men and called himself by many names.
The LORD told Moses, “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them” (Exodus 6:2-3; Genesis 17:1, 35:9-11, 48:3; Isaiah 12:2, 26:4). Both JEHOVAH and the Lord Jesus Christ are “Almighty” (Exodus 6:2-3; Revelation 1:8). In the book of Revelation, the Lord Jesus Christ identified himself by announcing: “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 1:8).
The last verse in the Bible NAMES the Son — When the apostle John wrote the last verse in the Holy Bible, he declared thename of “the great God and our Saviour” (Titus 2:13)! He wrote: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Revelation 22:21)! Jesus is the name of the “only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18), the one and only“mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1Timothy 2:5).
Testimony of [by] the LORD JEHOVAH — The “LORD the King of Israel” said to Israel, “I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God…Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any” (Isaiah 44:6, 8; 45:5). We know that the LORD is the first and the last, because he said, “I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me” (Isaiah 43:10).
Testimony of [by] the Lord Jesus Christ — The “Son of man” (Revelation 1:13), proclaimed to the apostle John: “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last” (Revelation 1:11, 17; 2:8, 13).
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD
His appearances and messages — When JEHOVAH—the Son of God, appeared to men, he appeared as “the angel of the LORD” (Genesis 22:7). He appeared in a similitude, which means: ‘Likeness; resemblance.’ It is important to observe that a created angel could not speak the words “the angel of the LORD” speaks in each of the following occasions.
He appeared to Moses — While Moses was shepherding Jethro’s sheep, “the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush…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” (Exodus 3:2-4). After the tabernacle had been built, “the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (Exodus 33:11).
After “Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married”(Numbers 12:1), the LORD called Moses, Aaron, and Miriam out of the camp of Israel, and told them that with Moses “will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” (Numbers 12:6-8).
He appeared to all the children of Israel — “And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you” (Judges 2:1-5).
He appeared to Hagar — When Hagar, her Egyptian handmaid, fled from Sarai’s face, “the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur” (Genesis 16:1-7). The angel of the LORD prophesied and told Hagar things that only the LORD alone could know (Genesis 16:8-12). Then Hagar “called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?” (Genesis 16:1-13). See also Genesis 12:17-19).
He appeared to Abraham — When the LORD saw that Abraham was obedient to his command to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering, he spoke to Abraham out of heaven and commanded him not to offer Isaac (Genesis 22:11-12). After Abraham offered a ram in the stead of his son, “the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:15-18).
He appeared to Jacob — Speaking to Rachel and Leah, Jacob said, “And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream,saying…I am the God of Bethel” (Genesis 31:4-13).
He appeared to Gideon — The scriptures that record his appearance to Gideon, also identify “the angel of the LORD” as the LORD himself (Judges 6:12-16).
He appeared to Manoah and his wife — After “the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman…the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible…Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD. And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour? And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?… Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God” (Judges 13:3-22).
He appeared to Nebuchadnezzar — After Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had been cast into the furnace, the king looked into the furnace, and “He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (Daniel 3:25). After the three Hebrew children came forth out of the furnace, “Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God”(Daniel 3:25-28).
He appeared to the apostle John — Exiled to the isle of Patmos, John wrote the book of Revelation, which opens with the declaration: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw” (Revelation 1:1-2).
JESUS IS THE ONE AND ONLY GOD AND SAVIOUR
The LORD — “Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me” (Isaiah 45:21; Hosea 13:4). The LORD God commanded Isaiah the prophet to speak the following to the unbelieving idolaters: “Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.”
The Lord Jesus Christ — Faithful believers are expecting and “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13).
EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW
The LORD declared — “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear” (Isaiah 45:21-23; Romans 14:11).
The scripture declares — that Jesus Christ “thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5-11).
THE SECRET NAME OF GOD REVEALED
The one and only saving name — The name of Jesus is the only “name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:10-12). Jesus is the name of the “man child” (Revelation 12:5) who is “God…made flesh” (John 1:1, 14; Hebrews 1:8). The name of “the man Christ Jesus” (1Timothy 2:5) was kept secret (Genesis 32:29; Judges 13:18) in the“first [Old] Testament” (Hebrews 9:15, 18).
The New Testament declares that he is “the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). The wonderful saving name of JESUS was not revealed to men until the beginning of the New Testament scriptures. After God the Father prepared a body for his Son (Hebrews 10:5; 1:5), and the virgin Mary conceived “of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:18-21; John 1:14), the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph, “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. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:18-21). The angel Gabriel also told Mary to give the child the name of “JESUS” (Luke 1:31).
THE HONOUR AND POWER OF JESUS REVEALED
At his second coming — The apostle Paul commanded Timothy: “That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen” (1Timothy 6:14-16).
JESUS TESTIFIED OF [about] HIMSELF BY THE SCRIPTURES
Many times the Lord Jesus Christ declared that the scriptures testified of [about] him. The Lord told the unbelieving Jews who sought to kill him: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).
On the day of resurrection — On the first day of the week when the Lord Jesus walked along the road with the two confused disciples, “he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:25-27). What a blessing it would be to have that message!
Later that same day, Jesus appeared in the midst of the disciples who were assembled together for fear of the Jews. He showed them his hands and feet and did eat before them. “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:36-48).
The apostle John also wrote of this event when he wrote that Jesus “breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost” (John 20:19-22). When they received the Spirit, their understanding was opened (1Corinthians 2:12-13).
TESTIMONY OF THE CREATION
The creation testifies of God’s power and glory — The inspired psalmist David wrote: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof”(Psalm 19:1-6).
The Sun is a type of Jesus — The prophet Malachi referred to the blessings of the reign of Christ after his second coming when he wrote: “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall” (Malachi 4:2). As nothing is hid from the heat of the sun (Psalm 19:6), so no one is hid from “the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:10; 2Chronicles 16:9), “beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3).
Jesus is the bridegroom — Isaiah wrote: “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels” (Isaiah 61:10, 62:5). After being caught up to heaven in the spirit, John the apostle “saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband…And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God” (Revelation 21:2, 9-11).
Speaking of his disciples, who would be among the first members of the church he is still building, Jesus said to the disciples of John the Baptist, “Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast” (Matthew 9:15). John the Baptist, the great Old Testament prophet, confessed: “He that hath the bride [the church] is the bridegroom[Jesus Christ]: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled” (John 3:29).
The moon is a type of the church (Song 6:10) — The moon produces no light of itself, but simply reflects the light of the sun to the earth at night. Jesus testified, “saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Jesus also said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). Jesus said to his disciples, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16).
Good works are produced by believers who are “labourers together with God” (1Corinthians 3:9), for God is working in them “both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Believers have no light of their own, but faithful believers reflect “the true light” (John 1:6-9) to the world. At the present time, the world is in darkness (John 8:12, 12:46; Ephesians 6:12; 1Thessalonians 5:5), and Jesus is in heaven (Acts 1:11). Therefore, the only true lights this world can observe with their eyes are the Holy Bible (Psalm 119:130) and the church, “the children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). Like when the moon eclipses the sun, and the earth is darkened, so when believers are carnal and worldly, the true light of Christ is darkened.
FINAL WARNING AND INVITATION
Jesus testified a final warning — Jesus himself testified a final warning to any man who would corrupt his holy words. He said:“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Revelation 22:18-21).
God’s final invitation in the scriptures — At this present time, “there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit[Holy Ghost (John 14:26; 16:7-11)], and the water [holy scriptures (Ephesians 5:26; Psalm 68:11)], and the blood [born-again living men (Leviticus 17:11)]: and these three agree in one” (1John 5:8). God’s last invitation in the scriptures is found in the final chapter of the last book of the Holy Bible: “And the Spirit and the bride [the church] say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).
All scriptures are the testimony of Jesus — All of the scriptures are “the record that God gave of his Son” (1John 5:10). When the Lord Jesus came into the world, he said unto his Father: “Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book [Holy Bible] it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God” (Hebrews 10:5-7; John 5:39). ‘The Scriptures or sacred writings, bound in a single volume, are called the Bible’ (Noah Webster, 1828).
Unbelievers are without excuse! — “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them [their conscience]; for God hath shewed it unto them [the creation]. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20).
A FINAL WORD TO UNBELIEVERS
Gandhi’s damnable error — If you are an unbeliever, I hope and pray that you will not make the same tragic mistake as Mahatma Gandhi. After being refused entrance into a church in India that would only admit high-caste Indians and white people, Gandhi declared, ‘I’d be a Christian if it were not for the Christians.’ Because he judged Jesus Christ by the evil testimony of hypocritical men rather than by the scriptures which testify of Jesus (John 5:39), Gandhi denied the Lord that bought him, and brought upon himself “swift destruction” (2Peter 2:1)! Even now, and for ever, Gandhi will suffer “the vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 1:7; Matthew 18:8; Revelation 21:8)!
Today, in the United States of America, the majority of people who claim to be Christians “profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16). Please don’t damn your own soul by judging Jesus Christ by the poor testimony of these hypocrites! Read for yourself“the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus”(2Timothy 3:15). Read the word of God, “which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).
God commands all unbelievers to repent and believe — The apostle Paul testified “both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21), because the Lord is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2Peter 3:9). Therefore, God “now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30), and “That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment” (1John 3:23).
God promises each and every sinner in the world, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). The jailor at Philippi brought Paul and Silas out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:30-31).
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