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JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

For a long time, I used to be confused as to who was the one who 'walked in the garden of Eden', 'gave the ten commandments', and who 'dwelt in the tabernacle'. Was it God the Father? Or was it Jesus Christ? But after studying this, I came to an understanding that it was in fact Jesus Christ the Son of God who spoke and appeared on earth as 'the LORD' [Jehovah]. Now many Trinitarians believe that because it was Jesus who appeared in the Old Testament, and that He bore the name 'the LORD' [Jehovah], as for example, when He appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18, then they take this to mean that Christ Himself is the one true God. But there is a problem with that. The Bible and Spirit of Prophecy says that 'no man has ever seen God or can see God and live', look:

1 John 4:12 ...'No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.'

1 Timothy 6:16 ...'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.'

John 1:18 ...'No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.'

"I saw a throne, and on it sat the Father and the Son. I gazed on Jesus' countenance and admired His lovely person. The Father's person I could not behold, for a cloud of glorious light covered Him. I asked Jesus if His Father had a form like Himself. He said He had, but I could not behold it, for said He, 'If you should once behold the glory of His person, you would cease to exist." (E.White, Early Writings, p.54)

So straight away we have a problem if we believe that Jesus is the one true God. Because if we cannot be in the presence of the Father's person, or behold God 'face to face', then how is it that a number of Old Testament people, like Abraham, Jacob and Moses have 'seen the LORD [Jehovah] face to face' and lived? This is a clear contradiction. Yes, a contradiction only if you believe that Jesus is the one true God.

So how can we reconcile the fact that Jesus the Son of God is the one whom appeared to the people in the Old Testament, and was called 'the LORD' [Jehovah] (Genesis 18). Isn't that name solely reserved for the one true God, the Father? To answer this, as we do with all questions, we turn to the inspired scriptures.

Philippians 2:9 ...'Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.'

The scriptures reveal that Christ has been given a name that is above every other name. What name is that? Think about this. What name does a child receive on earth? A child receives the name of their father right? Just like I have a son and he bares my name. Does this apply to Christ?

John 5:43 ...'I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.'

John 10:25 ...'Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.'

Hebrews 1:4 ...'Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.'

"Jehovah is the name given to Christ. 'Behold, God is my salvation,' writes the prophet Isaiah; 'I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation." (E.White, Signs of the Times, May 3, 1899, par.18)

Yes! This also applies to Christ being the Son of the living God. He bares the name of His Father. Think about it. What does John reveal in the first chapter of John? He reveals that Jesus is the WORD OF God. Christ is the one who communicates with us. He is the one who reveals the will of the Father to us. As we have seen above, God the Father dwells in 'light unapproachable' (1 Timothy 6:16) who no man can see. Therefore, God needs a 'Mediator' between man and Himself, so that the Father can reveal Himself to us, without us being destroyed. And who is that 'Mediator' between God and man? It's Jesus Christ, the SON of God.

1 Timothy 2:5 ...'For there is one God, AND one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.'

Speaking of Jacob, sister White says ... "With joy and gratitude he saw revealed a way by which he, a sinner, could be restored to communion with God. The mystic ladder of his dream represented Jesus, the only medium of communication between God and man." (E.White, Steps to Christ, p.19-20)

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 ...'And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.'

"No man has seen God at any time except as He is revealed through Christ." (E.White, Testimonies, vol.8, p.265)

So who was the one who appeared to the people in the Old Testament? It was Jesus Christ the Son of God. And what 'name' did Jesus bare? 'The LORD' [JEHOVAH], which is His Father's name. Does this make Jesus the one true God or God the Father? No. The Bible reveals that Jesus is the 'one Mediator' between God the Father and man. You see, Trinitarians and those of the 'oneness' group, take these Old Testament verses where Jesus appears to Abraham, Jacob and Moses, and instead of applying the rest of scripture and inspiration to these verses, they take these verses on their own to build a faulty doctrine, in saying that Jesus is the one true God. When Jesus Himself told us in John 17:3 that His Father is the one true God, NOT Himself. This, Paul also confirmed in 1 Corinthians 8:6.

Just think about this for a moment. When King Nebuchadnezzar looked into the fiery furnace, what did he say he saw? ... "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). Why didn't Nebuchadnezzar simply say the fourth was 'God'? Why did he say 'like the SON OF GOD'. Because Daniel and his three friends declared the truth to the king during their time in Babylon and made known to the king the 'Redeemer', the Son of God, that was to come. And it was the Son who was to carry out all the purposes of God.

"Since the sin of our first parents there has been no direct communication between God and man. The Father has given the world into the hands of Christ, that through His mediatorial work He may redeem man and vindicate the authority and holiness of the law of God. All the communion between heaven and the fallen race has been through Christ. It was the Son of God that gave to our first parents the promise of redemption. It was He who revealed Himself to the patriarchs. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses understood the gospel. They looked for salvation through man's Substitute and Surety. These holy men of old held communion with the Saviour who was to come to our world in human flesh; and some of them talked with Christ and heavenly angels face to face. Christ was not only the leader of the Hebrews in the wilderness--the Angel in whom was the name of Jehovah, and who, veiled in the cloudy pillar, went before the host--but it was He who gave the law to Israel. Amid the awful glory of Sinai, Christ declared in the hearing of all the people the ten precepts of His Father's law. It was He who gave to Moses the law engraved upon the tables of stone. It was Christ that spoke to His people through the prophets. The apostle Peter, writing to the Christian church, says that the prophets '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.' 1 Peter 1:10-11." (E.White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p.366)

"The great Creator assembled the heavenly host, that he might in the presence of all the angels confer special honor upon his Son. The Son was seated on the throne with the Father, and the heavenly throng of holy angels was gathered around them. The Father then made known that it was ordained by himself that Christ, his Son, should be equal with himself; so that wherever was the presence of his Son, it was as his own presence. The word of the Son was to be obeyed as readily as the word of the Father. His Son he had invested with authority to command the heavenly host. Especially was his Son to work in union with himself in the anticipated creation of the earth and every living thing that should exist upon the earth. His Son would carry out his will and his purposes, but would do nothing of himself alone. The Father's will would be fulfilled in him." (E.White, Spirit of Prophecy, vol.1, p.17)

Can you see this beautiful truth? From eternity past, God the Father was to carry out His will and purposes THROUGH JESUS CHRIST HIS SON. So who do you think was the one who appeared in the Old Testament? It was Christ. Does this make Christ the one true God? No. It merely confirms that God the Father was to be present amongst His people and guide His people THROUGH HIS SON JESUS. Jesus has always been the 'Mediator' between God and all of His Creation. This has never changed.

Luke 10:22 ...'All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.'

So while the Father is the one true God and 'Lord of heaven and earth' (Matthew 11:25). God has appointed One to be equal with Himself and to carry out His purposes. God has appointed One to be 'Judge' and 'Ruler' of all. And that is Jesus Christ His Son. It was the Son who was to represent the Father in all ages. Not just in the New Testament, but in the Old too. This is why Thomas could call Jesus 'his God'. And this is why Jesus can be our God and be worshipped. Because God the Father has exalted Jesus into that position. The Bible also says that Jesus is the 'Word of God' and speaks FOR the Father:

John 1:1,14 ...'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with [the] God, and the Word was God ... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.'

John 12:49-50 ...'For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.'

John 7:16 ...'Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.'

God the Father has GIVEN ALL THINGS into the hands of His Son, including the 'name that is above every other name' (Philippians 2:9). And God has made Jesus the Mediator between Himself and all creation (1 Timothy 2:5). So there is no conflict whatsoever between Jesus being the 'I AM' of the Old Testament, and the truth that Jesus Christ is the literal Son of the one true God the Father. A truth that the Trinity doctrine rejects! (see links below for more on the Father and Son).

NOW PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS IMPORTANT POINT: If Jesus Christ is the one whom God the Father has given all authority to, to carry out His will and purposes, which divine scriptures and inspiration reveals, and there is no other through whom God fulfills His purposes, which the scriptures also reveal. Then the Holy Spirit CANNOT be a 'third separate being' from the Father and Son. Who is 'the LORD' who has come in Both the Old and New Testaments? It is Jesus Christ the Son of God. Therefore, the 'Spirit OF the LORD', which the Old and New Testaments declare, has to be the Spirit of Jesus Christ, NOT a 'third being'.

2 Corinthians 3:17 ...'Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.'

1 Peter 1:10-11 ...'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.'

Galatians 4:6 ...'And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.'

REMEMBER: Jesus is the only medium of communication between God and man (E.White, Steps to Christ, p.19-20), (1 Timothy 2:5).

God the Father has given ALL THINGS unto His Son. And that includes the Father's own divine Spirit (Revelation 5:6, Acts 2:33). Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. He is the only one who can and has revealed the Father. He is the only one who can redeem us. He is the only one who can comfort us. He is the only one who can help us gain victory over sin.

"There is no power in you apart from Christ, but it is your privilege to have Christ abiding in your heart by faith, and He can overcome sin in you, when you cooperate with His efforts." (E.White, Our High Calling, p.76)

Again, please see below links for more on the Holy Spirit, but this truth about Christ proves the Trinity doctrine to be false, and that the Holy spirit cannot be a 'third being', but rather the Spirit of Jesus Christ, which He has received from God the Father. Friends, there is a beautiful truth that the majority of professed Christians are missing out on, because they refuse to study for themselves, and just accept the mainstream teachings. We must study ourselves, to show ourselves approved before God (2 Timothy 2:15). Study this for yourself, and you will see the beauty and TRUTH of this message.

If you would like to dig deeper regarding the Holy Spirit, the false trinity, and the Father and Son, then please take a look at our following pages:

THE TRINITY EXPOSED           WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

URGENT APPEAL TO CHRISTIANS           HOW MANY BEINGS IN THE GODHEAD?

IS JESUS THE LITERAL SON OF GOD?           IS JESUS CHRIST GOD?