The Great Jehovah.
Is Jehova the Father, how the Jehova's witnesses mantain or just Jesus?
The first time that the name Jehovah appears in the Bible is soon after Adam and Eve were driven out from the garden of Eden. In the first chapters of the Bible, the most used name for God was Elohim. However, after chapter 4, the name used for God became Jehovah and Adonay. It is clear to me that from the time Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden, at that moment the Great Mediator between man and God became the Lord Jehovah. I know this can be somewhat confusing to most Christians, especially the Jehovah's witnesses, but we will look at the Bible and we see what it tells us.
According to what we read in the scriptures, our Lord had many names, but when He presented Himself to Moses He used the name "Jehovah" (meaning "I am") to identify Himself. This name sounded very strange to me the first time I read it, but when I was converted to the church and I learned more about the doctrine of who God is, the more that name became familiar to me.
As Latter-day Saints, we believe that the first principle of the Gospel is "faith in The Lord Jesus Christ." That means we have full trust in His mission, which, above all other things, means believing in His Atonement and victory over death. Death has been conquered because Christ rose from the grave as a resurrected being and He has made it possible for all of mankind to likewise rise from the grave someday. Furthermore, that means we believe Christ is still a living, resurrected person and not an intangible, immaterial, vaporous spirit.
We also believe that Jesus of the New Testament is the same being known as the Lord Jehovah in the Old Testament. I know that some Christians don't agree with this, especially the Jehovah's witnesses, but either its the truth or it isn't, regardless of who believes what. Then let's seek to find what is the truth.
The word Jehovah can be translated means "I Am." One day, when Jesus was talking to a group of Jews, He told them, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. Then took they up stones to cast at him" (John 8:56-59, emphasis added). Why did the Jews stone Jesus for this statement? Because, when He used the term "I Am," the Jews understood this as meaning that Jesus was calling Himself the Lord Jehovah. The word "Jehovah" can also be translated as, "I am that I am" or, "I cause Myself to exist." A similar thought is conveyed with the term "Alpha and Omega." Thus, the word Jehovah indicates that God is ALIVE and has the power to give life.
When God reveal to Moses that His name was Jehovah, it is the first recorded testimony we have where God declares that He is a living being. It was an reassurance to the Israelites that He was not an inanimate God like the wooden and golden gods of the Egyptians. In the same way, the New Testament gives us the same wonderful assurance that, because Jesus Christ rose from the dead, He is no longer in the grave but is still a living God. More than that, by the power of the resurrection which His resurrection brought to all mankind, we too can rise from the grave and be alive for all eternity. That is why Jesus clearly taught, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John14:6). (see Mosiah 15:8 2, Nephi 9:10, Mosiah 16:8, Mormon 7:5, and Alma 22:14.) So we see that the name "Jehovah" represents a lot more then a simple "I am"
In our modern age, we have the same proclamation from Joseph Smith who boldly declared, "And now, after the many testimonies, which have been given of Him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of Him, that He lives" (D&C 76:22).
Therefore, it's clear that the very name of God is a testimony to the fact that He is a living being, and not an imaginary or mythical person.
The most important thing for us to know is that He lives. And because He lives, the resurrection of the body from the grave is not only possible but is available for everyone. And because of our faith in Jesus, we can have hope that death has been destroyed. And without hope, charity has no real meaning because if we don't rise from the dead, what good does charity to us? But if we want to be saved, then we must have FAITH, HOPE and CHARITY, because all of these are related in the great plan of salvation.
In order for us to understand the great plan of salvation, it is very important to determine whether Jehovah and Jesus are the same person. And if they are, we come to learn several interesting things.
The first problem we need to solve is the question of the Trinity, or God being three persons in one. It could be pointed out that Jesus said that the Father was greater than Him (John 14:28), but that can be countered by showing that the Father and the Son are one (John 10:30). It's a little bit harder to explain how the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one when Jesus was in the water being baptized by John the Baptist and the Holy Ghost descended in the form of a dove while the voice of the Father was heard from the Heaven.
It's even a little bit more harder to explain how the Father and Son are one when Steven was stoned and He saw the Son sitting on the right side of the Father. It's also somewhat hard to explain when Jesus was speaking to the Apostles and the voice of the Father spoke to them from Heaven (John 12:28). Yet, despite these incidents, some people could still maintain that it is written "I and the Father are one." On the other hand, there are certain verses that maintain that we are in Him and in the Father, making all believers one with the Father (John 14:20). In this case, we see that the "Trinity" is actually thousands and perhaps millions of people. But let's look at some other scriptures.
John 17:21-23 "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."
Here we see that all believers are one with the Father even as, or in the same way as, the Father and the Son are one. But I guess it makes a lot more sense to some people to think about three different persons making up the one God. I could spend more time and quote more scriptures about this but if you want to read more about it, read "Our God is One" at www.erols.com/crest/one.htm
But let's look at this question from a different perspective. While Jesus lived upon the earth, He spoke Hebrew, not Greek. This is important to recognize. The New Testament was written in Greek but because Jesus spoke Hebrew there are several places where the text didn't make a lot sense to the translators. To correct this problem, the Greek translators would occasionally add some clarifying words to the text. However, to show that these words were not in the original Masoretic text, they would put them in parenthesis. With that understanding, let's reexamine the verses we previously read.
John 8:24-25,28, 58-59, "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning...
"Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things...
"Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stone to cast at him but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by."
In my Italian Bible next to the word "He," in parenthesis are the words "The Christ" - like this: (The Christ). Now, if we replace the words "I am he" with the correct word that Jesus used in Hebrew - "Jehovah" - then their reaction makes sense. In other words, Jesus was stating that He was Jehovah who had spoken to Abraham. If this understanding isn't correct, then Jesus would have said "I WAS" not "I am." Also look at the reaction of the Jews when Jesus said this. It must be remembered that people were stoned only for very serious offenses against the Law of Moses. With that understanding, let's take a look and see why they wanted to stone Jesus.
John 10:31-36 "Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself GOD. (Who was the God of the Israelites? Jehovah! It's clear from this passage that they understood what Jesus meant when He said "I am he.")
"Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Ye are Gods! Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?"
We learn two things from this scripture. The first one is the key. This is the first and only time Jesus ever stated that "THE SCRIPTURE CANNOT BE BROKEN." And why did He say this? Because He wanted to make sure that they would understand this glorious message.
And secondly, was Jesus simply saying that He was the Son of God? No! He was saying that he was THE LORD GOD, JEHOVAH! That's why they became so angry at Him and wanted to stone Him. It was only after He identified Himself as Jehovah that He added, "I am the Son of God."
But are there other times when Jesus made this declaration of who He was?
John 18:3-6 "Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I AM he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon as Jesus had said unto them, "I AM he", they went backward, and fell to the ground."
WHAT A STRANGE REACTION! They had all intentions of taking Jesus boldly. They why did they move away from Him and fall to the ground? If you once more put the right words in the right context you can better understand why they acted that way. First of all, most of these people who came to arrest Jesus were priests and Pharisees. When Jesus asked them, "Whom seek ye?" they said "Jesus." But then He replied, "I am Jehovah." They feared the sacred name of God and that's why they went backward and fell to the ground. If this is not the explanation, then why did they react so weirdly to what He said?
The late Elder Mark E. Petersen wrote an unbelievable booklet regarding this topic and I suggest that you read it. But I want to add some more things to what he said. Every Christian knows that the New Testament clearly identifies Jesus by the name of Alpha and Omega, the first and the last (Revelation 1:8,11). We also know that He is the creator of everything (John 1:3).
In Isaiah 48:12-16 we read, "Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous. Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me."
The New Testament identifies Jesus as Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, while the Old Testament identifies Jehovah as being the first and the last. The New Testament declares that it was Jesus who created the earth, while the Old Testament says that Jehovah created the earth. Are there two Gods with the same name who created the earth or is Jesus and Jehovah the same being? Since we believe there is only one God, then we are forced to conclude that Jesus Christ of the New Testament is the same as Jehovah of the Old Testament.
But notice what Jehovah said: "I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me." In other words, Jehovah was sent from another God and His Spirit. That makes three different persons in the Godhead who have three different callings. Although Jehovah was known to the Israelites from their beginning, yet they didn't understand His relationship with Elohim. Unfortunately, most Christians today don't understand this relationship..
Fortunately Jesus explained this relationship in John 17:26: "And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them."
Paul supports this concept in Ephesians 3:14-15 "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named."
Here we have another great key, Paul is saying that the Father gave the name of the whole family in heaven and hearth. The Word Elohim is plural, and comes from a singular feminine word Alah or Eloh. When we add "IM" to a Hebrew singular word, it becomes plural. However, "IM" is usually the ending of the plural masculine, but here it is added to a feminine name. Therefore, the word "Elohim" conveys the sense of a feminine and masculine power being united. In marriage we also see feminine and masculine power united and becoming one (Genesis 2:24). And it is the power of a man and a woman in marriage that is needed to create a family. Could it be the word Elohim also means "FAMILY?"
Mormons believe that all of mankind belongs to a celestial family. Paul also tells us there is a family in heaven (Ephesians 3:15). Was he also a Mormon? But he didn't need to be, because it is so easy to understand. If there is a Son of God, who is Jesus, and that He had a Father in heaven, does that not indicate that there is a FAMILY in heaven? But if there is a Father and a Son in heaven, is there perhaps a Mother in heaven as well? And if not, what kind of strange Family do we have here? I am not trying to be funny. Instead, I am only trying to understand what Paul and Jesus meant by what they said.
Another intriguing declaration that Jesus made is that He called Himself "the Son Of Man." In fact, He called Himself by that name eighty-four times. But what did He mean by this title? Was He trying to point out that His Father was a Man? Most Christians say "no", but Joseph Smith learned in his First vision that indeed God is a glorified and perfect man.
Hebrew 1:1-3
- 1
- God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
- 2
- Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
- 3
- Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of His person and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:
- well I don't need to add nothing more.
- (To understand more about this subject see "The Son of Man" at www.erols.com/crest/sonoman.htm)
But what kind of a being is God? According to many people He is invisible. And why do people believe that? Because of what the apostle John wrote: "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us" (John 4:12). But this seem to contradict what the Old Testament says. Many of the prophets, such as Ezekiel, Isaiah. and especially Moses, saw God many times and in many different ways.
In Numbers 12:6-8 we read, "he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him 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?"
Does this mean that the New and Old Testament contradict each other? Not at all. In the Old Testament, the prophets spoke face to face with the Son, Jehovah, who is Jesus. On the other hand, John was referring to the Father, not the Son. Obviously, many people saw God, the Son, especially when He walked among men in the flesh. Then why doesn't God, the Father, appear to man? Because, after the fall, it was always Jehovah, the great Mediator between God and man who spoke to the prophets. That is why He is called the "Word" of God. Notice that even when He manifested Himself to Joseph Smith, the Father only introduced His Son, but then it was Jesus who did all the talking.
John 17:22-24 "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedest me before the foundation of the world."
Here we see that the Father and the Son have the same glory and dwell in the same place. But more than that, our Brother (remember if Jesus and Adam are sons of God, that makes Jesus our brother) loved us so much that He gave His life to help us come live with them in the same place.
Psalms 82:1, 6: "God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.... I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High." If God stands in the congregation and judges among the gods, who are the gods that He is referring to? Our Christian friends say that the gods spoken of in Psalms are referring to heathen gods. But if that is so, then that means the true and living God was judging among, or, in other words, with the heathen Gods. But how can this be if the heathen gods are myths? Yet, in the same Psalm, our God clearly states that WE are gods and are therefore children of God. Thus, it is obvious that the gods our Father judges among is US! And if we are children of God, then we must have within us the potential to become like God.
But what was God judging among, or with the gods about? In Job 38:3-7 we read, "Gird up now they loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"
We're told that the "sons of God shouted for joy" when God built the earth. Who are the "sons of God"? Notice that it speaks of them in the plural sense, so it can't be referring to the one and only begotten Son of God, Jesus. In Psalms we find out that WE are the sons of God. Therefore, it must have been US who shouted for joy when the earth was created. It seems clear to me that this was what God stood in the congregation of His sons and daughters and took judgment about with them.
I believe in the words of Jesus when He said, "the scripture can't be broken." The scriptures mean what they say, and they say that Jehovah and Jesus are the same person, that the Son of God is separate and distinct from God the Father, that we too are the sons of God, which makes us all part of the same Family. More than that, we too can someday be with Him and be like Him because Jesus took away the curse of death. That's why I called Him the GREAT Jehovah.
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