Who is Jesus (No. CB2)

Introduction

Before we can really begin to discuss who Jesus is, we need to look at how all things came into existence. We know that in the very beginning, God the Father only existed. He alone existed and is the One true God.

Deut 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; 5 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. (RSV)

We are to love God with our entire being.

In Hebrew God the Father’s name is Eloah. Eloah is a singular word and admits no puralities. The name Eloah is used in the Old Testament to refer to God the Father and the name Eloah occurs over 46 times alone in the book of Job.

God the Father’s creation began with the power by which he could communicate with his creation. That power in Hebrew is named Rucah, which is translated a “breath”, “wind” or “spirit”. The Holy Spirit is a power, not a person. God created numerous spiritual beings. In Rev. 5:11, it refers to the "myriad of myriads" of angels.

Rev 5:11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands (RSV)

Jesus Christ was the first born of the created spiritual beings. He is referred to as the first begotten (prototokos) of the creation.

Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation (RSV)

That makes him the beginning (arche) of the creation of God.

Rev 3:14 And to the angel of the church in La-odice'a write: The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. (RSV)

He is the only born (monogene) Son of God.

John 1:18 No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known. (RSV)

1John 4:9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. (RSV)

There were a multitude of spiritual beings created by God the Father. Each of these spiritual beings knew God and had various roles and responsibilities.

These spiritual beings are referred to as the elohim which means gods. The word Elohim occurs more than 2500 times in the Hebrew Bible, with meanings ranging from "gods" in a general sense (as in Exodus 12:12, where it describes "the gods of Egypt"), to specific gods (the frequent references to Yahweh as the "elohim" of Israel). The elohim, or sons of God, were present when God the Father created the earth as we know from Job and we see them shouting for joy with the work that God the Father, Eloah did.

Job 38:4-7 Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (RSV)

Due to His wisdom, God the Father, Eloah, created the perfect plan of Salvation. God Almighty knew some of the spiritual beings and all of mankind would sin and thereby need a plan to be restored back to their relationship with God the Father. This was to be accomplished through Jesus Christ giving up his spiritual existence and being born of the virgin Mariam as a man.

For other references see the papers Who Is God? (No. CB01), The Creation of the Family of God (No. CB4) and God's Plan of Salvation (No. CB30).

The Man Jesus

The birth of the man we know as Jesus was known long before it actually happened: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel (Isa. 7:14).

Through a miracle of the One True God, Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of his human mother, the virgin Mariam (Lk. 1:26-35; Mat 1:23). She is often referred to incorrectly as Mary. Mariam’s husband was named Joseph, but he was not the natural father of Jesus.

The prophet Isaiah spoke about his birth and role in God’s plan a long time ago.

Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (KJV)

The future king spoken of by Isaiah above was born over 2,000 years ago in a stable and laid in a manger. His birth was announced to the shepherds as, good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord (Lk. 2:8-12).

Jesus was born of the tribe of Judah (one of the 12 tribes of the nation of Israel) in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the Great (Mat. 2:1). Herod was an Idumean or Edomite, a descendant of Esau, whose people had been converted to Judaism some two hundred years before. Remember, Esau was the twin brother of Jacob and they were the sons of Isaac (Gen. 26:21-27).

The Bible does not tell us exactly when Jesus was born. That is for a good reason, because we are not to celebrate his birthday. For that matter, we are not to celebrate the birthday of anyone else either. See the paper Birthdays (No. 287). Instead of celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Bible teaches us to remember the death of Jesus, and we do that each year at the Passover. That will be explained more fully in the paper God’s Holy Days (No. CB22).

Most people in the Christian nations today celebrate the birth of Jesus on the 25th of December. We will see in another paper that the pagan customs and traditions of Christmas have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus (see the paper (see the paper Why we don’t celebrate Christmas (No. CB24)).

Son of God

Many people today think Jesus, God the Father and the Holy Spirit are a Trinity and therefore Jesus is God. It is true that he is a god (elohim), but he is not the One True God (Eloah). Jesus is the Christ (which means Anointed One or Messiah; Jn. 1:41), the Son of the living God (Mat. 16:16). Eloah is God’s Name in Hebrew and He is Messiah’s God and our God. The name that was given to the Messiah on Earth in Hebrew was Yahoshua or Yashua. In the English language it is Joshua.

Jesus is the Son of God and he shares that title with other beings that are also sons of God. Jesus is called the “Son of the Most High God” (Mk. 5:7). However, Jesus is the only born Son of God (Mat. 3:17; Jn. 1:18; 1Jn. 4:9).

There is one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom this age was created and through whom we live (1Cor. 8:6). The Bible is clear that there is only One True God and that He sent Jesus Christ to do a job.

John 17:1-4 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, 2 since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. 4 I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do; (RSV)

Part of this job was to be our Saviour and Redeemer (Mat. 14:33; Jn. 8:42; Eph. 1:7; Tit. 2:14).

Jesus is the way to the Father. We can only know the One True God through his Son Jesus Christ. This is why we pray to the Father in the name of His Son (Jn. 14:12-14; 15:16). We do not worship Jesus, but only the Father. This is because the First Commandment says: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3). We are to worship only the One True God. Even Jesus Christ taught us that we are only to worship God the Father

Matthew 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Begone, Satan! for it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” (RSV)

At some point in time, even before the creation of the spiritual Host and mankind, God the Father (Eloah) was alone. This God cannot die (1Tim. 6:16). But we will see from the Scriptures that Jesus did die. So we know for sure that Jesus Christ is not the Supreme God. He is not the final boss, as we might say.

Christ tells us that he came out of God (Jn. 8:42). For that matter, everything is “out of” or “came from” God the Father (Rom. 11:36). The Father is greater than all (Jn. 10:29). The Father gave life to his Son (Jn. 5:26). Jesus said he lived because of the Father (Jn. 6:57). He did what the Father wanted him to do and not what he wanted to do by himself.

In other words God the Father created this Son (who became Jesus) and the other spiritual Host as well. They were created long before the physical creation. In fact, they were all there when the Earth was created.

Job 38:4-7 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (RSV)

The Scriptures also tell us that God the Father (Eloah) cannot be seen or heard by men (Jn. 1:18; 5:37). This does not apply to the Son of God. He was the Image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15), but he was seen and heard by mankind. So the Son was actually representing the Father in what he said and did. In Old Testament times people saw and spoke to elohim, but as we have learned, this was not really the One True God. The elohim, or angels, are God’s messengers and they are the ones who talked to humans on behalf of God and were seen by them. The Bible says Adam saw the Lord God in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:8-19). Abraham saw and spoke to the Lord (Gen. 12:7; 17:1-3). Moses met him on the mount (Ex. 3:2-7). Joshua met him at Jericho (Josh. 5:13 to 6:2, RSV).

These were real visits. They actually saw someone and heard his voice. There are many more such incidents where the Bible says that people saw and talked to God, but we understand this was one of the elohim and not God the Father. This cannot have been the One True God, because no one has ever seen Him or heard His voice (Jn. 5:37). When Philip asked to be shown the Father, Christ said: “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn. 14:8-10). Jesus Christ’s character and way of life were representative of his Father and therefore to know him was to know God the Father.

Prior life of Jesus

This spirit being in the Old Testament referred to as God and Lord and who was seen and heard could only have been the elohim that later became Jesus Christ. He was called the Angel of Yahovah in the Old Testament (refer to the paper the Angel of YHVH (No. 024)). The Bible says that Christ had life as a spiritual being in heaven before the Earth was created (Jn. 6:38; 8:23,58; Phil. 2:5-7, RSV).

John 17:5 and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made. (RSV)

John the Baptist clearly says that Christ was “before” him (Jn. 1:15-18). However, the Bible tells us that John was six months older than Christ. It was not possible for Christ to have been before John unless he was already living. This life, prior to becoming a human, was as a god, an elohim (Heb.), or theoi (Gk.). Elohim is a plural word in Hebrew, which means god or gods and is applied to all the spiritual sons of God and to some humans also. People in ancient times knew the difference between God (Eloah) and the Elohim, who appeared to humans and spoke to them.

The apostles taught that Jesus Christ was that great angel in the wilderness that the Israelites relied upon. (1Cor. 10:4)

The New Testament also shows from Christ’s own words that he lived before he became the man Jesus. In fact, he said: before Abraham was I Am (Jn. 8:58). He is saying here that he was already alive even before Abraham was born. So he was a god, and he was an angel, or a messenger of the One True God, as we have seen, who spoke for the Most High God (see the paper The Angelic Host (No. CB28)). Then he became a man. See also the paper The Pre-Existence of Jesus Christ (No. 243)).

Why did Jesus come?

Jesus came to fulfill his role as the Passover Lamb. Jesus came to the world so that whoever believed in him would have eternal life (Jn. 3:16). Jesus voluntarily died as the Passover Lamb in order to give eternal life to his (and God’s) people. Adam had a chance to do this but he sinned. Because of this sin humans were denied access to the One True God. Sin separates us from God. So when we are adults we must repent and be baptised in order to receive God’s Holy Spirit. Jesus came to give his life (i.e. to die) that we might have eternal life with him and the Father. By his death humans can repent of their sins and again have access to the Father through His Holy Spirit. The curtain of the temple was torn in two at the death of Jesus Christ symbolizing that we could now have direct access to God the Father through prayer.

Mat 27:50-51 And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split; (RSV)

We will all die a human death, but we will all have a chance to live again. We cannot live forever in a human (physical) body, as this is only a temporary life. All the dead will be resurrected from the grave (Jn. 5:25-26). The One True God has a much greater Plan for mankind (1Cor. 2:1-16).

During the life of Jesus

Many people would not listen to Jesus and they said he was a demon (Jn. 10:20). While the priests and religious leaders wanted to kill him, the ordinary people liked to listen to him. He had a power about him and his teaching (Lk. 19:47-48). People were astonished at his teaching (Mat. 7:28-29).

Jesus spoke in parables, i.e. he told stories that had a hidden meaning. Most people could not understand them, and Jesus only told the real meaning to his disciples (Mk. 4:34). Jesus liked to eat and have a drink of wine, which is a normal thing for a man to do. But some people said he was eating and drinking too much. They called him a glutton and a wine-bibber (Mat. 11:19) because they themselves were self-righteous.

In Matthew chapter 4, Satan tried to tempt Jesus to accept and work with a different plan for ruling the world. “All these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me” (Mat. 4:9). Satan wanted Jesus to acknowledge him as the supreme God and ruler. Jesus knew this was breaking the First Commandment and he said: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve”. Then the devil left him (Mat. 4:10-11).

We should not listen to those who say Jesus came to do away with the Law. Jesus taught us that the Law will not pass away.

Mat 5:17-19 Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (RSV)

As the Christ, or Messiah, his sacrifice was a replacement only for the sacrificial law (Heb. 10:1-18). The Laws of God (the Ten Commandments) remain and are binding on us today, as they always were, from the creation of the spiritual Host, and on to the first humans in the Garden of Eden.

Miracles Jesus Performed

Through the power of God’s Holy Spirit Jesus performed many miracles while he was on Earth. Here are just a few of them. Look up the Scriptures and read about these things.

• He healed the sick (Mat. 4:23-24).

• He turned water into wine (Jn. 2:1-10).

• He walked on water (Mat. 14:22-33).

• He stilled the storm (Mk. 4:35-41).

• He forgave and healed a paralytic (Lk. 5:17-26).

• He raised Lazarus from the dead (Jn. 11:38-44).

• He cast out demons (Mk. 5:1-16).

• He fed five thousand with five loaves and two fish (Lk. 9:10-17).

Death of Jesus

Just as it was known long ago that Jesus would be born, it was also known that he would be put to death and raised after three days and three nights in the tomb (Mat. 16:21). He would then return to Heaven (Jn. 14:2,3).

The death (crucifixion) and resurrection of Christ are very important events in human history, but most religions today don’t understand this properly. One of the things they teach about the death of Jesus is that he was crucified on a cross. But the Greek word stauros means an upright pale or stake, to which criminals were nailed for execution. So Jesus actually died on a stake and not a cross. For more details of this see the paper The Cross: Its Origins and Significance (No. 039)).

Messiah is identified as the Lamb of God.

John 1:29-30 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, `After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.' (RSV)

As the “Lamb of God” Jesus had to be killed at exactly the right time. Otherwise the symbolism of Jesus as our Passover Lamb would not be fulfilled. We know from the writings of the historian Josephus (Wars of the Jews, Bk. VI, ix, 3) that the lambs for Passover were killed from the ninth hour to the eleventh hour, (i.e. from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.) on the afternoon of the fourteenth of the First Month, according to God’s Calendar. This month is called Abib or Nisan. The lambs were then prepared and eaten on the evening of 15th. However, only the first lamb slaughtered at 3 p.m. was laid before the High Priest as the Passover sacrifice. For more details on this refer to the paper The Death of the Lamb (No. 242).

Jesus actually died on the 14th of the First Month of God’s Calendar. He died at the ninth hour, or 3 p.m. on a Wednesday in the year 30 CE as the first Passover Lamb was being slaughtered. This was during the reign of Tiberius Caesar. There is much confusion among the various religions today about the day and the year in which Jesus died. This is all a bit complicated for those young in the faith. It is not important at this stage to know all this. What is important is that Jesus died at the right time on God’s Calendar, and fulfilled the role as our Passover Lamb (see the paper God’s Sacred Calendar (No. CB20)).

For further information and study of this aspect refer to the paper Timing of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection (No. 159).

Most people believe that Jesus died on a Friday and was raised from the dead on the following Sunday. But what they believe is not possible if we take a closer look at the Bible. Just like Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so Christ was to be three days and three nights in the tomb (Mat. 12:39-41). Saying that Jesus died on a Friday and rose from the dead on the following Sunday is obviously wrong, as this only covers two nights (almost) and one day.

Jesus died on a Wednesday and rose from the dead on Saturday around sunset. So this was before the start of the day Sunday, which is the first day of the week. Remember, the days started and ended after sunset or dark on God’s Calendar, and not from midnight as it is done in most of the world today. So, let us do some counting of days and nights. Wednesday night was the first night, followed by Thursday the first day. Then there was Thursday night, which was the second night, followed by Friday the second day. Friday night was the third night followed by Saturday the third day, which ended at sunset or dark. Now that makes three days and three nights, just like the Bible tells us.

The disciples believed that Jesus was a human Messiah and a physical descendant of David from the tribe of Judah. But they thought he would rescue them and take over the Roman government and be their earthly king (Jn. 6:15; Lk. 23:2). His death was a shock and a disappointment (Lk. 24:21).

His enemies wanted to kill him because he claimed to be a king. When brought before Pilate Jesus was asked if this were true and he replied, “My kindgom is not of this world …(Jn. 18:36). Pilate asked, “Are you a king then?” Jesus answered, “For this cause was I born and for this cause I have come into the world…”(Jn. 18:37).

The Jews did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah sent from God the Father. They also expected the Messiah to be their earthly ruler and king. The Roman authorities whipped and flogged (scourged) him. Pilate listened to the will of the mob (crowd) because they demanded that Jesus be killed. He had to endure a form of death that was slow and painful. This was called death by crucifixion, and it was used by the Romans and Greeks for the worst kind of criminals. It was a terrible way for the Son of God to die.

But Jesus knew how and when he would die and he was willing to do all this. He tried to warn the disciples but they did not seem to understand.

Luke 9:20:22 And he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God”. 21But he charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22saying, “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (RSV)

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