WEBVTT
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Ask five different people
about Jesus Christ and
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you'll likely get five
different opinions.
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However, one question
sits at the heart of
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the religion that bears
His name: Is Jesus God?
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And today, we're gonna
answer that question.
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Don't go away.
00:17.884 --> 00:24.524
♪
00:24.591 --> 00:26.826
Greetings, and welcome
to Tomorrow's World,
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where we help you make
sense of your world,
00:29.162 --> 00:31.398
through the pages
of the Bible.
00:31.464 --> 00:33.666
We're glad you're here,
and today's question
00:33.733 --> 00:36.870
is one of the most important
questions you could ever ask:
00:36.936 --> 00:39.906
Is Jesus God?
00:39.973 --> 00:42.509
Today, we'll answer that
question, and we'll also
00:42.575 --> 00:45.111
give you an opportunity
to get our free resource
00:45.178 --> 00:48.515
Restoring Original
Christianity.
00:48.581 --> 00:51.451
Believe it or not, that is
not the Christianity you'll
00:51.518 --> 00:53.186
find in most churches.
00:53.253 --> 00:55.688
Keep an eye on your screen
for the information you need
00:55.755 --> 00:58.024
to get your free copy.
00:58.091 --> 01:00.894
This question about
Jesus is important.
01:00.960 --> 01:05.198
Estimates indicate around
2.4 billion people in the
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world claim Christianity
as their religion--almost
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half a billion more than
claim Islam and more than
01:13.440 --> 01:15.442
a billion more than
claim Hinduism.
01:15.508 --> 01:19.345
Yet, even as almost one-third
of the planet claims a
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religion centered on the
person of Jesus Christ,
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many of those same people disagree on exactly who
01:26.319 --> 01:27.787
He really was.
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For some, even some claiming
to be Christian, Jesus was
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simply a man--a Jewish teacher in the first century, who just
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happened to have an outsized impact on world culture.
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The late Shelby Spong, a bishop in the Episcopal Church,
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was quite famous for his stance
that Jesus was not actually God,
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was not born from a virgin,
and was never resurrected.
01:52.512 --> 01:55.415
Other religions claiming to be Christian teach different
01:55.482 --> 01:57.283
things about Jesus' divinity.
01:57.350 --> 02:01.387
Some teach that Jesus was a created being, like the angels.
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Some identify Him with
the archangel Michael.
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Others claim that Jesus and
the Devil were brothers
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in the past.
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And others, further, claim
that Jesus and the Father
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are the very same person,
and not two separate
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divine persons, at all.
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Outside of nominal Christianity, ideas vary, as well.
02:21.274 --> 02:24.811
Some religions consider Jesus
to have been a holy man,
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or wise guru, or even a
prophet, but not truly
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divine in the way
God is divine.
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Others consider Him a
manifestation of God,
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like an avatar, or some
sort of ascended master
02:37.423 --> 02:39.325
in the manner of
new age teachings.
02:39.392 --> 02:42.829
And then, there are those
who don't think He ever
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existed--as if He were a
figment of the imagination,
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or a fiction created in the first century to form the
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basis of a new religion.
02:51.437 --> 02:54.407
Perhaps we should tackle this question first, in the event
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some of you have been infected by this pernicious lie.
02:58.611 --> 03:02.715
There is abundant evidence
that Jesus of Nazareth did,
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indeed, exist.
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Even if we treat the
New Testament not as
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Scripture, but as a mere
human product of history,
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like Homer's Iliad or Caesar's commentaries, it provides
03:14.460 --> 03:18.298
abundant evidence that
Jesus was a real person,
03:18.364 --> 03:21.868
going back to within two or three decades of His life.
03:21.935 --> 03:24.704
We even have a fragment
from the gospel of John,
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the famous Rylands Library
Papyrus P52, that dates back
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to within a handful of years after the Apostle John is
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believed to have written it.
03:35.481 --> 03:38.184
And, outside of the New
Testament, a number of
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secular historical records
refer to Jesus and the impact
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of His teachings and example
in the first century.
03:45.458 --> 03:47.827
The contemporary Jewish
historian Josephus,
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the Roman historian Tacitus,
and Pliny the Younger all
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speak of Jesus Christ as
a real person--much too
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early in the historical
record for some imaginary
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account to have taken
hold so profoundly.
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In fact, one of the most
effective defenders of the
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very real existence of Jesus Christ is New Testament
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scholar Bart Ehrman.
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While Ehrman has publicly
declared that he does not
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believe Jesus was divine,
does not believe in the
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supernatural, and does
not consider himself a
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Christian, he is just as
clear that the evidence
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for Jesus' existence
is overwhelming.
04:26.165 --> 04:28.301
Referring to those who
claim Jesus' existence
04:28.368 --> 04:30.737
is just a myth,
Ehrman writes,
04:30.803 --> 04:34.507
"It is fair to say that mythicists as a group,
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and as individuals,
are not taken seriously
04:38.011 --> 04:41.414
by the vast majority of
scholars in the field
04:41.481 --> 04:44.550
of New Testament, early Christianity, ancient
04:44.617 --> 04:46.853
history, and theology."
04:46.919 --> 04:51.958
In fact, almost all scholars, secular and religious alike,
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tend to agree.
04:53.259 --> 04:54.661
As Ehrman summarizes,
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"Despite the enormous
range of opinion, there
04:58.297 --> 05:01.234
are several points on which virtually all scholars
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of antiquity agree.
05:02.835 --> 05:05.638
Jesus was a Jewish man,
known to be a preacher
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and teacher, who was
crucified (a Roman form
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of execution) in Jerusalem
during the reign of the
05:12.645 --> 05:16.215
Roman emperor Tiberius,
when Pontius Pilate was
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the governor of Judea."
05:17.950 --> 05:21.587
In short, those who say that Jesus never existed should be
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taken as seriously as those
who say the tooth fairy or
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Santa Claus do exist.
05:27.326 --> 05:29.295
Facts are facts.
05:29.362 --> 05:33.066
And the man Jesus of Nazareth did live and walk this earth
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around two thousand years ago
in Judea, teaching around
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the Sea of Galilee
and in Jerusalem.
05:39.572 --> 05:41.708
But is that where
the story ends?
05:41.774 --> 05:44.410
A great teacher dies in His early thirties and just
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happens to have a religion founded in His name?
05:47.213 --> 05:49.649
Or was Jesus more than a man?
05:49.716 --> 05:53.152
Is Jesus God?
05:53.219 --> 05:56.923
In our next segment, we
dive into God's own word
05:56.989 --> 05:58.324
to answer the question.
05:58.391 --> 06:00.860
But first I want to give you
an opportunity to request
06:00.927 --> 06:04.831
today's free resource,
Restoring Original Christianity.
06:04.897 --> 06:07.567
Yes, one-third of the world's people claim to be Christian,
06:07.633 --> 06:10.603
but, to be very frank, the religion that Jesus Christ
06:10.670 --> 06:13.873
founded is nothing like
the religion that the vast
06:13.940 --> 06:16.542
majority of Christians
believe and practice.
06:16.609 --> 06:19.979
If we want to truly walk in
the steps of Jesus Christ,
06:20.046 --> 06:22.815
to live according to
His actual teachings,
06:22.882 --> 06:26.152
and to understand and
obtain the reward He
06:26.219 --> 06:29.155
actually offered, then
we need to be willing to
06:29.222 --> 06:33.059
embrace Christianity as He
founded it--not the subtly
06:33.126 --> 06:36.229
twisted version we find
in the world around us.
06:36.295 --> 06:40.133
Request your 100-percent free copy of Restoring Original
06:40.199 --> 06:43.202
Christianity right now,
and I'll be back in just
06:43.269 --> 06:45.772
a moment to show you the
Bible's evidence concerning
06:45.838 --> 06:48.541
who exactly Jesus was.
06:48.608 --> 06:49.876
Don't go away.
06:49.942 --> 06:50.710
♪
06:50.777 --> 06:57.784
For today's free
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Or go to...
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This clear and
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will help you understand
this vital truth--
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straight from the
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07:11.564 --> 07:14.167
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and modern culture will
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Or go to...
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♪
07:50.369 --> 07:51.437
Welcome back.
07:51.504 --> 07:53.940
In our last segment,
we discussed the many
07:54.006 --> 07:56.909
different opinions about
who Jesus was, and we
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highlighted that, no
matter anyone's opinion,
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He was real--He did exist.
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And the question at the heart
of our discussion today--
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Is Jesus God?--is
either true or false.
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So, which is it?
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Admittedly, the idea that
Jesus could be God, like God
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the Father is God, is a large and audacious claim, to be sure.
08:19.532 --> 08:22.735
And the only way to know
is to let God, Himself,
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reveal the answer to us.
08:24.904 --> 08:27.106
Let the scholars and
skeptics have their
08:27.173 --> 08:29.408
opinions and debate
their conclusions.
08:29.475 --> 08:33.946
What should concern us
is what God says of Jesus.
08:34.013 --> 08:36.148
What does God's word say?
08:36.215 --> 08:37.950
Was Jesus merely a man?
08:38.017 --> 08:40.353
Or, perhaps, something
greater than a man but
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less than God,
like an angel?
08:42.989 --> 08:46.592
Or was He truly
God in the flesh?
08:46.659 --> 08:50.029
The Bible answers these
questions plainly:
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Jesus is God.
08:53.733 --> 08:56.002
In fact, His identity
as God was declared
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long before He
was even born.
08:58.838 --> 09:03.809
In his gospel, Matthew explains that Jesus' virgin birth
09:03.876 --> 09:07.413
had been prophesied long
before by Isaiah,
09:07.480 --> 09:10.349
"So all this was done that
it might be fulfilled
09:10.416 --> 09:13.619
which was spoken by the Lord
through the prophet, saying:
09:13.686 --> 09:17.790
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,
09:17.857 --> 09:21.193
and they shall call His
name Immanuel," which is
09:21.260 --> 09:24.931
translated, "God with us."
09:24.997 --> 09:30.469
That's right: Jesus is,
literally, "God with us".
09:30.536 --> 09:33.606
The Apostle John, in his
gospel account, explains
09:33.673 --> 09:35.308
this in some detail.
09:35.374 --> 09:40.379
Let's read it in John 1, beginning in verse 1:
09:40.446 --> 09:43.082
"In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word
09:43.149 --> 09:46.552
was with God, and
the Word was God.
09:46.619 --> 09:49.989
He was in the
beginning with God.
09:50.056 --> 09:52.325
All things were made
through Him, and
09:52.391 --> 09:55.928
without Him nothing
was made that was made.
09:55.995 --> 09:59.632
In Him was life, and the
life was the light of men.
09:59.699 --> 10:02.134
And the light shines in
the darkness, and the
10:02.201 --> 10:04.603
darkness did not
comprehend it."
10:04.670 --> 10:07.740
The "Word"--or, in
Greek, the "Logos"
10:07.807 --> 10:12.311
or "Spokesman"--is the One
who became Jesus Christ.
10:12.378 --> 10:16.282
In the event it is not
clear, John specifies
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a few verses later:
10:17.650 --> 10:21.354
"And the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us,
10:21.420 --> 10:26.359
and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only
10:26.425 --> 10:30.863
begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth."
10:30.930 --> 10:32.531
John is plain.
10:32.598 --> 10:36.068
The One now known as Jesus
Christ had been with God
10:36.135 --> 10:39.338
and was, Himself,
God also.
10:39.405 --> 10:44.243
He had been with God in eternity past before Creation existed.
10:44.310 --> 10:47.747
In fact, in His final
Passover on this earth,
10:47.813 --> 10:51.584
Jesus prayed that after
His crucifixion He would
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be returned to this
state of glory with His
10:54.954 --> 10:58.090
Father--back to the state
of eternal co-existence
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they had known before
He became flesh.
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We read it in John 17 and
verse 5, where Jesus prays,
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"And now, O Father, glorify
Me together with Yourself,
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with the glory which I had with You before the world was."
11:14.373 --> 11:17.610
Yes, existing in eternity
past with the One we
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now call the Father,
Jesus, too, was God.
11:22.314 --> 11:25.384
John calls Him the Word,
or the Logos in Greek.
11:25.451 --> 11:28.754
This is because He has always been the Spokesman for God,
11:28.821 --> 11:32.758
representing the Father's
will and the Father's word.
11:32.825 --> 11:36.962
Jesus says this,
in John chapter 12,
11:37.029 --> 11:40.733
"For I have not spoken on My
own authority; but the Father
11:40.800 --> 11:46.005
who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what
11:46.072 --> 11:47.339
I should speak."
11:47.406 --> 11:51.777
Jesus plainly knew who He
was--one of the two divine
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members of the God Family.
11:53.712 --> 11:56.449
During His ministry, He
made numerous statements
11:56.515 --> 11:59.752
illustrating this--so
clearly that Jewish
11:59.819 --> 12:02.621
authorities sought to
stone Him for what they
12:02.688 --> 12:04.924
saw as blasphemous claims.
12:04.990 --> 12:08.861
In John 8, for instance,
Jesus speaks of the ancient
12:08.928 --> 12:12.865
patriarch Abraham,
beginning in verse 56:
12:12.932 --> 12:16.902
"Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see My day,
12:16.969 --> 12:19.705
and he saw it
and was glad."
12:19.772 --> 12:22.908
Then the Jews said to Him,
"You are not yet fifty years
12:22.975 --> 12:25.244
old, and have You seen Abraham?"
12:25.311 --> 12:33.085
"Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."
12:33.152 --> 12:36.655
There should be no doubt
about this statement.
12:36.722 --> 12:40.759
Jesus did not say,
"Before Abraham was, I was."
12:40.826 --> 12:45.331
He said, "before
Abraham was, I AM."
12:45.397 --> 12:49.034
That otherwise ungrammatical statement is a direct call back
12:49.101 --> 12:52.972
to God's statement to
Moses in Exodus 3:14,
12:53.038 --> 12:57.543
And God said to Moses,
"I AM WHO I AM."
12:57.610 --> 13:00.713
And He said, "Thus you shall
say to the children of Israel,
13:00.779 --> 13:04.350
'I AM has sent me to you.'"
13:04.416 --> 13:07.720
The Jews of Jesus' day
understood His claim
13:07.786 --> 13:10.089
and sought to
stone Him for it.
13:10.156 --> 13:13.659
Later, He makes a similar
claim of His own divinity.
13:13.726 --> 13:16.629
We see this in John 10:
13:16.695 --> 13:19.698
"I and My Father are one."
13:19.765 --> 13:23.769
Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
13:23.836 --> 13:26.605
Jesus answered them,
"Many good works I have
13:26.672 --> 13:28.340
shown you from My Father.
13:28.407 --> 13:30.709
For which of those works
do you stone Me?"
13:30.776 --> 13:34.747
The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not
13:34.813 --> 13:38.918
stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man,
13:38.984 --> 13:41.587
make Yourself God."
13:41.654 --> 13:45.124
Yes, Jesus knew who He
was, and the religious
13:45.191 --> 13:47.393
leaders of His day
understood exactly
13:47.459 --> 13:49.094
what His claims meant.
13:49.161 --> 13:52.431
Not only did Jesus
understand who He was,
13:52.498 --> 13:55.301
His first century
followers did, as well.
13:55.367 --> 14:00.005
And if He is anything less
than God, the core beliefs,
14:00.072 --> 14:03.943
practices, and truths of Christianity become a lie.
14:04.009 --> 14:06.545
We'll see this in
our next segment.
14:06.612 --> 14:10.049
But first, let me give you another opportunity to request
14:10.115 --> 14:14.420
today's free offer, Restoring Original Christianity.
14:14.486 --> 14:17.056
Will you take a stand
for the truth?
14:17.122 --> 14:20.826
Or are the lies told in
Jesus' name too comfortable?
14:20.893 --> 14:24.129
Request your free copy of Restoring Original Christianity
14:24.196 --> 14:26.932
right now, and we'll be back
to show you what Jesus'
14:26.999 --> 14:31.403
disciples understood about
His divinity--and the
14:31.470 --> 14:32.838
implications for us today.
14:32.905 --> 14:33.906
♪
14:33.973 --> 14:35.808
This clear and
straight-forward resource
14:35.874 --> 14:38.410
will help you understand
this vital truth--
14:38.477 --> 14:41.347
straight from the
pages of the Bible.
14:41.413 --> 14:42.514
Call now!
14:42.581 --> 14:46.452
Or go to...
14:46.518 --> 14:49.421
♪
14:49.488 --> 14:52.124
Yes, Jesus knew who He was.
14:52.191 --> 14:53.926
And His followers did, as well.
14:53.993 --> 14:57.263
In Colossians 2:2, the
Apostle Paul referred to
14:57.329 --> 15:01.600
"the mystery of God, both of
the Father and of Christ."
15:01.667 --> 15:04.937
Yes, the godhead consists
of the Father and Christ--
15:05.004 --> 15:07.072
the two members of
the God family.
15:07.139 --> 15:10.342
Speaking of Jesus Christ,
Paul writes earlier in
15:10.409 --> 15:13.545
Colossians 1, beginning
in verse 16,
15:13.612 --> 15:17.850
"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven
15:17.916 --> 15:21.487
and that are on earth,
visible and invisible,
15:21.553 --> 15:25.257
whether thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers.
15:25.324 --> 15:30.162
All things were created
through Him and for Him.
15:30.229 --> 15:35.801
And He is before all things,
and in Him all things consist."
15:35.868 --> 15:39.872
Such words echo what we read earlier from John 1, that:
15:39.938 --> 15:43.242
"All things were made through Him, and without Him
15:43.309 --> 15:45.944
nothing was made
that was made."
15:46.011 --> 15:48.747
That is a very
thorough statement.
15:48.814 --> 15:51.617
Henry Ford is properly
credited with creating
15:51.684 --> 15:55.120
the "Model T" in America,
but others were the hands
15:55.187 --> 15:56.989
that accomplished the work.
15:57.056 --> 16:00.926
So, too, God the Father is
our Creator, yet the Bible
16:00.993 --> 16:05.331
makes plain whose hands,
as it were, did the work:
16:05.397 --> 16:08.901
those of the One who
became Jesus Christ.
16:08.967 --> 16:12.971
All was created through
Him and for Him.
16:13.038 --> 16:16.709
Jesus Christ is, in a very
real way, our Creator,
16:16.775 --> 16:18.677
just as the Father is.
16:18.744 --> 16:22.281
Together, they are the reason that Genesis 1:26 says,
16:22.348 --> 16:28.387
"Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..."
16:28.454 --> 16:31.957
Because there were two
God beings speaking.
16:32.024 --> 16:35.127
In fact, the Hebrew word
translated "God" in this
16:35.194 --> 16:39.865
passage, Elohim, is unusual
for being a singular word
16:39.932 --> 16:43.335
that is plural in form--
another hint that there
16:43.402 --> 16:45.904
is more to "God" than
meets the eye.
16:45.971 --> 16:50.943
Paul is just as blatant in
Ephesians 3 and verse 9,
16:51.009 --> 16:52.644
where he says he seeks
16:52.711 --> 16:56.548
"to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery,
16:56.615 --> 17:00.018
which from the beginning of
the ages has been hidden in
17:00.085 --> 17:05.324
God who created all things through Jesus Christ."
17:05.391 --> 17:09.495
These passages and others make it clear that Jesus Christ
17:09.561 --> 17:12.698
is not an angel, not even
the archangel Michael.
17:12.765 --> 17:15.634
Note Hebrews 1 and verse 5,
17:15.701 --> 17:18.470
"For to which of the
angels did He ever say:
17:18.537 --> 17:22.708
'You are My Son, today
I have begotten You'?
17:22.775 --> 17:25.778
And again: 'I will be to
Him a Father, and He shall
17:25.844 --> 17:27.546
be to Me a Son'?"
17:27.613 --> 17:29.281
And, too, in verse 13,
17:29.348 --> 17:33.118
"But to which of the angels
has He ever said:
17:33.185 --> 17:35.821
'Sit at My right hand,
till I make Your enemies
17:35.888 --> 17:37.256
Your footstool'?"
17:37.322 --> 17:40.526
These are rhetorical questions because the answer is meant
17:40.592 --> 17:45.197
to be obvious: To none of the angels has God ever said this.
17:45.264 --> 17:48.600
They've only been spoken to
the Father's co-creator,
17:48.667 --> 17:53.405
who was with God and who was God--the One we now call
17:53.472 --> 17:55.274
Jesus Christ.
17:55.340 --> 17:58.911
In fact, all the vital truths
at the very heart of the faith
17:58.977 --> 18:02.948
of the Bible depend on the
truth that Jesus is God.
18:03.015 --> 18:04.183
Consider...
18:04.249 --> 18:08.153
How is it that Jesus Christ
has standing to die in our
18:08.220 --> 18:10.222
stead for our sins?
18:10.289 --> 18:14.059
He has that standing because,
as our Creator, He can take
18:14.126 --> 18:16.528
that responsibility on Himself.
18:16.595 --> 18:20.065
And how is it that His life
is sufficient to pay for
18:20.132 --> 18:21.934
all of our sins?
18:22.000 --> 18:26.305
It is because, as God, His life is worth infinitely more than
18:26.371 --> 18:31.009
all of our lives combined--
an eternal life given as the
18:31.076 --> 18:34.179
payment for the eternal
death that we've earned.
18:34.246 --> 18:39.651
And so, our Creator became a human being, born of a woman,
18:39.718 --> 18:42.921
to be able to die and
pay that penalty.
18:42.988 --> 18:47.226
In explaining this, the Apostle Paul, again, explains just
18:47.292 --> 18:49.194
who Jesus really is.
18:49.261 --> 18:52.831
Read with me in Philippians 2, where some translations don't
18:52.898 --> 18:57.002
always communicate the fullness of what Paul is saying:
18:57.069 --> 19:03.542
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who,
19:03.609 --> 19:07.713
being in the form of God,
did not consider it robbery
19:07.779 --> 19:12.184
to be equal with God, but
made Himself of no reputation,
19:12.251 --> 19:15.120
taking the form of a bondservant, and coming
19:15.187 --> 19:16.955
in the likeness of men.
19:17.022 --> 19:20.759
And being found in appearance
as a man, He humbled Himself
19:20.826 --> 19:25.063
and became obedient to the
point of death, even the
19:25.130 --> 19:26.598
death of the cross."
19:26.665 --> 19:28.867
The New King James'
phrasing here about
19:28.934 --> 19:31.737
"consider[ing] it robbery
to be equal with God"
19:31.803 --> 19:35.340
and "making Himself of
no reputation" is awkward,
19:35.407 --> 19:38.076
and other translations
take it differently.
19:38.143 --> 19:40.178
For instance, the
English Standard Version
19:40.245 --> 19:44.182
translates verses 6 and 7 this way, saying that Christ,
19:44.249 --> 19:48.387
"though he was in the form of God, did not count equality
19:48.453 --> 19:53.292
with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking
19:53.358 --> 19:57.396
the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."
19:57.462 --> 20:02.200
Although He existed in glory with God from eternity past,
20:02.267 --> 20:05.203
He did not consider that something He had to desperately
20:05.270 --> 20:09.141
cling to, but, instead, was willing to empty Himself
20:09.207 --> 20:13.011
of His divine prerogatives
and become just like us,
20:13.078 --> 20:17.482
His creation, to serve us
with His life and death.
20:17.549 --> 20:20.986
The awe-inspiring truth
of Jesus Christ--the Word,
20:21.053 --> 20:24.957
the divine Spokesman of
the God Family--is truly
20:25.023 --> 20:26.491
humbling to consider.
20:26.558 --> 20:30.095
He lowered Himself from
glory to become like us,
20:30.162 --> 20:34.700
all so that He might one
day lift us up to join Him
20:34.766 --> 20:38.203
and His Father in
that same glory.
20:38.270 --> 20:41.206
But understanding this
profound truth about the
20:41.273 --> 20:44.977
identity of Jesus is more
than an academic exercise.
20:45.043 --> 20:49.915
It has profound implications
for our lives and choices today.
20:49.982 --> 20:52.651
We'll discuss those
in our final segment.
20:52.718 --> 20:56.421
But before we do, let me give you one more opportunity to
20:56.488 --> 21:01.226
request today's free resource, Restoring Original Christianity.
21:01.293 --> 21:03.962
Everyone today seems to
be looking for a cause to
21:04.029 --> 21:07.499
throw themselves behind,
but what greater cause can
21:07.566 --> 21:11.336
there be than restoring to
the world the Christianity
21:11.403 --> 21:13.538
of Jesus Christ, Himself?
21:13.605 --> 21:17.743
It's time for you to take
your stand alongside them--
21:17.809 --> 21:20.646
and alongside your Savior.
21:20.712 --> 21:24.282
Request your free copy of Restoring Original Christianity,
21:24.349 --> 21:27.519
and I'll be right back to
reveal the implications of
21:27.586 --> 21:32.157
Jesus' identity as God that many lack the courage to accept.
21:32.224 --> 21:33.025
♪
21:33.091 --> 21:40.032
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21:40.098 --> 21:45.037
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21:47.973 --> 21:50.642
will help you understand
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21:50.709 --> 21:53.912
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21:53.979 --> 21:56.281
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22:00.919 --> 22:04.289
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22:04.356 --> 22:06.958
and modern culture will
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22:07.025 --> 22:10.962
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Call today and join
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♪
22:32.751 --> 22:36.421
When we understand who
Jesus really is, it's no
22:36.488 --> 22:39.324
wonder the Apostle
Thomas, upon seeing the
22:39.391 --> 22:43.929
resurrected Christ, called
Him "my Lord and My God."
22:43.995 --> 22:46.732
And it's also no wonder
that those living under
22:46.798 --> 22:49.367
the Family of God in the
Millennial reign of the
22:49.434 --> 22:52.104
Kingdom of God will
refer to Him as
22:52.170 --> 22:53.939
"Mighty God".
22:54.005 --> 22:57.542
The Word, the Logos, the
divine Spokesman for the
22:57.609 --> 23:01.813
God Family willingly set
aside the indescribable
23:01.880 --> 23:05.350
glory, power, and majesty
He had eternally shared
23:05.417 --> 23:08.820
with the Father to live
a perfect human life,
23:08.887 --> 23:13.125
set us an example of
righteousness, and became our
23:13.191 --> 23:17.062
perfect sacrifice so that we might be cleansed of our sins.
23:17.129 --> 23:20.298
Then, three days and three
nights later, after His death,
23:20.365 --> 23:22.567
He was, in the words of Paul,
23:22.634 --> 23:26.838
"declared to be the Son of God with power according to the
23:26.905 --> 23:31.109
Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."
23:31.176 --> 23:34.246
Yet, many who claim to be
Christians seek to avoid
23:34.312 --> 23:38.116
the full implications of
Jesus' identity as God.
23:38.183 --> 23:41.553
For instance, many write off
the God of the Old Testament
23:41.620 --> 23:45.390
as cruel and heartless--
unlike Jesus, who is seen
23:45.457 --> 23:47.425
as loving and merciful.
23:47.492 --> 23:50.462
And God's commandments are
often slandered as too
23:50.529 --> 23:52.564
restrictive and harsh.
23:52.631 --> 23:56.501
Yet, consider--who was it who thundered the Ten Commandments
23:56.568 --> 24:00.572
to ancient Israel on Mount Sinai and served as the Commander
24:00.639 --> 24:04.676
of the Army of the Lord, as
He called Himself to Joshua?
24:04.743 --> 24:08.079
The Apostle Paul makes the matter clear; we see this
24:08.146 --> 24:12.384
in 1 Corinthians 10,
beginning in verse 1:
24:12.450 --> 24:15.687
"Moreover, brethren, I do
not want you to be unaware
24:15.754 --> 24:19.891
that all our fathers were
under the cloud, all passed
24:19.958 --> 24:24.095
through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the
24:24.162 --> 24:28.466
cloud and in the sea, all
ate the same spiritual food,
24:28.533 --> 24:31.770
and all drank the
same spiritual drink.
24:31.837 --> 24:35.507
For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them,
24:35.574 --> 24:39.511
and that Rock was Christ."
24:39.578 --> 24:44.249
Yes, it was Jesus Christ--as
the divine Logos or Spokesman--
24:44.316 --> 24:46.785
who thundered the
Ten Commandments.
24:46.852 --> 24:52.390
Consider: Exodus 33 and 34
explain that Moses saw
24:52.457 --> 24:56.294
God from behind
with His own eyes.
24:56.361 --> 25:00.298
And the account of Exodus 24
is even more explicit:
25:00.365 --> 25:04.636
"Then Moses went up, also
Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu,
25:04.703 --> 25:08.506
and seventy of the elders
of Israel, and they saw
25:08.573 --> 25:10.876
the God of Israel.
25:10.942 --> 25:14.412
And there was under His
feet as it were a paved
25:14.479 --> 25:17.515
work of sapphire stone,
and it was like the very
25:17.582 --> 25:19.584
heavens in its clarity."
25:19.651 --> 25:21.119
Note, it says plainly:
25:21.186 --> 25:24.789
"[T]hey saw the God of Israel."
25:24.856 --> 25:27.759
Yet compare that to
John 1:18, which says,
25:27.826 --> 25:31.229
"No one has seen God
at any time,"
25:31.296 --> 25:34.165
and Jesus' words
of John 6:46,
25:34.232 --> 25:37.969
"Not that anyone has seen
the Father, except He who
25:38.036 --> 25:42.340
is from God; He has
seen the Father."
25:42.407 --> 25:46.411
Yes, the elders of Israel
saw God, but they did not
25:46.478 --> 25:47.846
see the Father.
25:47.913 --> 25:50.448
Rather, the Member of the
God Family they saw was
25:50.515 --> 25:55.287
the One who would become
the Son, the divine Logos.
25:55.353 --> 25:59.157
So, if it was Jesus Christ who spoke those Ten Commandments,
25:59.224 --> 26:03.261
including the Sabbath command, should they not mean more
26:03.328 --> 26:06.598
to followers of Jesus Christ than they seem to mean to
26:06.665 --> 26:08.667
most self-proclaimed
Christians today?
26:08.733 --> 26:11.503
And consider, too,
our ultimate destiny.
26:11.569 --> 26:16.308
In 1 John 3 and verse 2, note what the Apostle writes to us,
26:16.374 --> 26:21.546
"Beloved, now we are children
of God; and it has not yet
26:21.613 --> 26:24.950
been revealed what we
shall be, but we know
26:25.016 --> 26:29.120
that when He is revealed,
we shall be like Him,
26:29.187 --> 26:32.891
for we shall see
Him as He is."
26:32.958 --> 26:36.394
If we're to become like
Christ is now, and Christ
26:36.461 --> 26:40.065
now possesses the glory He
had with the Father before
26:40.131 --> 26:43.768
the world was, then what does that say about the glorious
26:43.835 --> 26:48.106
future existence ahead for
those who await His return?
26:48.173 --> 26:51.176
And what does it say about
Jesus' prayer on His last
26:51.242 --> 26:56.982
Passover that His followers
may one day be one, just as
26:57.048 --> 26:59.751
He and His Father are?
26:59.818 --> 27:03.722
My friends, we are only
scratching the surface.
27:03.788 --> 27:06.358
Understanding the deity of
Jesus Christ is the beginning
27:06.424 --> 27:09.828
of tapping into the most profound truths of God.
27:09.894 --> 27:12.597
If you're brave enough to
begin tapping into those
27:12.664 --> 27:16.167
truths yourself, I highly
recommend today's free offer,
27:16.234 --> 27:20.972
Restoring Original Christianity, as a great way to start.
27:21.039 --> 27:23.541
And I recommend, as well,
that you'll come back to
27:23.608 --> 27:24.709
Tomorrow's World again.
27:24.776 --> 27:27.112
When you do, you'll find
Gerald Weston, Richard Ames,
27:27.178 --> 27:30.582
Rod McNair, and me right
here waiting, eager to
27:30.648 --> 27:33.551
share with you the teachings
of Jesus Christ, the good news
27:33.618 --> 27:36.588
of the coming Kingdom of God, and what Bible prophecy
27:36.654 --> 27:39.290
reveals about the
days just ahead of us.
27:39.357 --> 27:41.793
Until that time,
take care.
27:41.860 --> 27:42.660
♪
27:42.727 --> 27:49.734
For today's free
offer call...
27:49.801 --> 27:54.572
Or go to...
27:54.639 --> 27:57.008
Call today and join
millions around the world
27:57.075 --> 27:59.744
who are turning to
Tomorrow's World for
27:59.811 --> 28:03.882
truth, prophecy, and hope
in these confusing times.
28:03.948 --> 28:20.298
♪
28:20.365 --> 28:22.767
The preceding program
is produced by the
28:22.834 --> 28:23.935
Living Church of God.
28:24.002 --> 28:24.903
♪