In this episode, Arnie and Fred begin by looking at passages that refer to the Light and include both Jehovah and Jesus. We then look at the references to I Am and who that refers to. We move on to the Shepherd as relating to Jehovah and Jesus. There are many passages that refer to the Glory of God. We discuss several of them that identify Jehovah in them and look at whether or not Jesus is included. We also find passages that refer to the First and the Last. We talk about who this refers to. We close out this episode by noting the references to the term Redeemer. Many are familiar with this word, and we look at several passages that mention it. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript provided of this Buzzsprout episode for your convenience.
In this episode, Arnie and Fred begin by looking at passages that refer to the Light and include both Jehovah and Jesus. We then look at the references to I Am and who that refers to. We move on to the Shepherd as relating to Jehovah and Jesus. There are many passages that refer to the Glory of God. We discuss several of them that identify Jehovah in them and look at whether or not Jesus is included. We also find passages that refer to the First and the Last. We talk about who this refers to. We close out this episode by noting the references to the term Redeemer. Many are familiar with this word, and we look at several passages that mention it. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript provided of this Buzzsprout episode for your convenience.
This is a presentation of the Woodland church of Christ meeting at 3370 Broad Street in Sumter, South Carolina. We meet for worship on Sunday at ten thirty am and five thirty pm. We meet for bible study at nine thirty am on Sunday, and seven pm on Wednesday. If you have questions or comments on this lesson, you may email them to Fred Gosnell at fgosnell@ftc-i.net Or to Arnie Granke at agranke440718@twc.com.
Arnie:Good afternoon. This is Arne Granke and Fred Gosnell, and this is what does the Bible say, brought to you by the church of Christ at Woodland in Sumter, South Carolina. And last week, we began to talk about whether Jesus is Jehovah. And there's a reason for that. In the King James Old Testament, as well as a few more recent translations, the Hebrew word that we would in English usually speak of as being Jehovah is pronounced differently in Hebrew, denoted denoting self existence or eternal, is consistently rendered in capital letters, at least in the King James Version, and sometimes translated, Lord, in other versions, as well. It's always, Lord in the King James. Believe it or not, that's 6828 times that that word appears and is handled in in that way to let you know that it's not really just Lord, but it is, in fact, a word that denotes self existence or eternal, Him being eternal. And yet there are some groups, religious groups, that people, the members don't think that Jesus really is divine, that he's a member of the Godhead that he's in some other capacity, that there's only the one that's called God, not we would speak of as the Father, and no one else. So what we were looking at, was trying to resolve that, that problem, because there are a number of examples that that show that in fact, Jesus is divine, when things that are said about the Father and are exclusive to deity, are said in the New Testament about the Son, then we understand that he's exactly the same substance, divine as the Father. So we've we've looked at him being, being the creator, being the savior, raising the dead, being a judge. What's another one we can use Fred?
Fred Gosnell:Well, He's talked about as being the light and the first passage that yeah, the first passage would be in the Old Testament in Isaiah 60, verses 19 and 20. And there Isaiah writes, he says, The sun shall be no more thy light by day, neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee. But the Lord that is, Jehovah shall be unto thee an everlasting light and thy God glory. Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdrawal itself, for the Lord, shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Then in the New Testament, we have in John one, four through 14. Of course, John, the Baptizer, is the one that makes the declaration. And John John's writing here, John, the apostle, he says, In Him was life, that's Jesus, and the life was the light of men, and the light sunshineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came for a witness to bear witness of the light. And of course, he bore witness of Jesus, That all men through him might believe. He was not that light, as John was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came into his own, and his own received Him not, but as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them which believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. Of course, the Word that John said in the beginning was the Word the Word was with God, the Word was God. And then John identifies the Word as coming in the flesh. Of course, that's Jesus. And then he also says he is, that John is the one who bore a witness to bear witness of the light, and Jesus is referred to as the light there. So Jesus is, is the light. Well, Jehovah is the light. Then I think we have one more short, short verse,
Arnie:So, Jesus must be Jehovah then.
Fred Gosnell:Ten Jesus is Jehovah. A short verse John in eight, verse 12. And John writes, he says, Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world, He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. So Jesus describes himself as the light. So that's what the Bible says, Arnie. And that's the name of our program. So Jesus is Jehovah. And this last passage, by his own statement.
Arnie:And just just for clarification. it's easy you know, when you have a name like John, that there are several individuals in the scriptures that are that are known by that name, that the book of John, the Gospel, according John is, is John the son of Zebedee, his brother was was James. And but down in around verse, verse six, that John has spoken about as John the Baptist. So don't get those confused, because they're there other. There are several individuals in the New Testament that have that, that name. That happens occasionally. Some of those names were kind of popular at the time that those individuals were, were born and their parents gave them those names. In Exodus chapter three, and beginning in verse 13, Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come into. Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, The God of our fathers had sent me unto you, and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM that I AM. And he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent you unto me. So here is is Jehovah. He's, he's identified as I AM. This is an unusual situation because it doesn't, doesn't name him as being Lord, but puts I AM in caps, I AM is in caps, and then THAT I AM, is in capital letters, also. And then then at the end of that when he says, I AM hath sent you un, hath sent me unto you. That's, that's the same word. So that's the word for for Jehovah. But when we look in John, the book of John, again, in John chapter eight, beginning in verse 21, just pretty, pretty close to where we left off there a moment ago. Then said Jesus again, unto unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins. Wither I go, you cannot go, come. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? Because he saith, Whither I go, you cannot come. He said unto them, Ye are from beneath, I'm from above. Ye are of this world, I'm not of this world. I said therefore unto you, That ye shall die in your sins, for if you believe not that I AM, you shall die in your sins. Well, the fact of the business is He's quoting that, using the same terminology and and quoting from old, the old testament again, identifying Christ as being the I AM. And the, so he is the exact same type of individual as the Father is, He's He's divine. By the way, something else to watch out for. Several places in the New Testament, the King James Version thought maybe that they needed to add a word to that. And they added the word he so that the sentence in verse 24 is if you believe not that I am He you shall die in your sins. Well, the question would be raised, He who? That there wasn't a he that was spoken of as, as being appropriate in that place. Draw a line through that word in your Bible, it should be in italics, because it doesn't belong there. It's just, if you believe not, that I AM, you shall die in your sins. And that's the point that Jesus is making. Down at, verse 28, of the same same chapter, Jesus said unto them, when you've lifted up the Son of Man, then ye shall know that I AM,, scratch through the he there, it doesn't belong there, and in the King James Version, or any other translation that has that. And that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And then one more passage in verse, verse 58, Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. So here's, here's the term remember, the the term for I AM means self existent, or it means eternal. And if that's a characteristic of the Father, and then Jesus says that He is I AM. And it's characteristic of him, they're of the same substance. They're identical in just as you and I are all flesh and blood. Jesus and the Father as well as the Holy Spirit, are all I AM?
Fred Gosnell:Yes. And then Jehovah is also referred to as, as the shepherd. And David first does that in Psalm 23 one. Course many of us are familiar with that Psalm. Verse one, David writes, he says, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. So Jehovah is my shepherd, I shall not want. But then, in John 10, Jesus is speaking there in verses 11 through 14. And Jesus says, I am the good shepherd, The Good Shepherd, giveth his life are the sheep, but he that is an hireling and not the shepherd, whose own life sheep are not, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth and the wolf catches them and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he isan hireling and cares not for the sheep, I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. So Jehovah is the shepherd. Well, Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. Of course, he says, I am before doesn't He. So So Jesus is. So Jesus ultimately has to be referred to as Jehovah by his own, by his own words. Then Peter talks about this, in First Peter chapter 2, 21, to 25. And there, he begins in verse 21, For even hereunto were you called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, who, when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered, he threatened not but committed himself to him that judges righteously, Who his own self, bear ourselves in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye are a sheep going astray, but are now returned unto the shepherd and overseer of your souls. So this, again, Peter refers to Jesus as the shepherd, and the overseer of your souls. And then finally, we have a reference again by Peter in chapter five of his First Peter, and in verse one, Peter writes, he says, The elders which are among you I exhort, that am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God, which is among you taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly not a filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, be clothed with humility for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. So So again, Peter refers to Jesus as the chief Shepherd. So he's the chief Shepherd, he's the shepherd and overseer of your souls, but Jehovah is the shepherd. So the unavoidable conclusion is that Jesus is Jehovah. And that's what the Bible says. So these people who don't believe it simply ought to listen to what the Holy Spirit says in the words he provided us, that we have written down.
Arnie:And along with that thought, you know, Fred, is the problem that sometimes these various groups have some sort of a printing house or someplace where they can get books that say what they wanted to say. And so they edit some of the some of these books, and edit the edit the text, it's in them, so that they're, their readers, wind up getting false information out of the out of the books. So watch out, when when you're going into a bookstore, to buy a Bible or wherever you wherever it is that you buy a text of, of God's word, make sure that you're getting something that's that's a genuine text, and not something that has been edited by, by human wisdom. And that's an important thing for us to keep in mind. Think about the glory of God. One of the things that I think necessarily, is, is associated with God in in our minds is, is the fact of his of his glory. And in Isaiah chapter 42, and verse eight, God tells Isaiah to write, I am the Lord. And the word Lord is in all caps. So that's the word for for being eternal. It's I am, so, I am the Lord. That is my name, my glory, I will not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Verse. Chapter 48, beginning in verse 11, is a similar passage. Several times here we find Isaiah, writing what God has told him to write about, about his, his being glorious, and being eternal. Verse 11, of Isaiah 48 says, For mine own sake, for my own sake, will I do it. For how should my name be polluted? And will not give my glory, I will not give my glory unto another. Hearken unto me, Oh, Jacob, and Israel, my called, I am he, I am the first. I'm also the the last. So here two of these passages in in Isaiah speak of God's glory. By the way, there's an addition, there's another one of those words that translators have slipped into the text and doesn't belong there. In verse 11, for mine own sake, even my own sake. Well, wait a minute. There's no even in the original Hebrew text. We need to stop adding to God's word. And be careful about that. So here's God being spoken of as Jehovah, being spoken of as being glorious, in addition to being Jehovah. But then when we go into the New Testament, and read John chapter 17, we find out that the same characteristics are true of Christ as well. And at the verse, at the Last Supper, in verse one of John 17, These words spake, Jesus, lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come, Glorify thy son, that thy glory, that thy son also may glorify Thee, as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. For this is life eternal, that they they know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do, and now O Father glorify me with thine ownself with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Look at first five again, Father glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Jesus is eternal. And and he has glory, exactly as, as the Father has it as well. So when we see the same thing being said of Christ, we can't just decide, well, we don't like it that way, we're gonna reword it and change it to where it doesn't say, what we don't believe.
Fred Gosnell:Yes, and we can't do that. And be right about it. And Isaiah, when when you read that, Isaiah 48, concerning Jehovah, having having glory, and he said, My glory, I'll not get to another, the last part of the verse, he said, I am the first also I am the last and, and that's the next point. Jehovah is both the first and the last. And Isaiah says that again, in Isaiah 41, one through four. He says, Keep silence before me O islands and let the people renew their strength. Let them come near, let them then let them speak. Let us come near together. It's a judgment, who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nation's before him and made him rule over kings? He gave them as the dust to his sword and as driven stubble to his bow. He pursued them and passed safely, even by the way that he had not gone with his feet. Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord the first and with the last I am he. And again, Jehovah specifies that I am the first and with the last I am he. Then again, Isaiah, in Isaiah 44, in verse six, Thus saith the LORD, Thus saith, Jehovah, the king of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, I am the first, I am the last. And beside me there is no God. So Jehovah says that he is the first and the last, and he is God. But then when we get to the New Testament, notice, notice what is said in Revelation chapter one, verses 10 through 18. And John is writing this and he says, I was in, I was in spirit. This is another case there, the word the is not in the text. It is I was in spirit on the Lord's Day. And all that means is that he was receiving revelation, And heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, and what thou seest write in a book and send it unto the seven churches, which are in Asia unto Ephesus, to Smyrna, and to Pergamos and to Thyatira and into Sardis and unto Philadelphia and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me, and being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; his eyes, were as a flame of fire. And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace and his voice as the voice as the sound of any waters. He had in his right hand seven stars and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword, and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell in his feet, as dead, and he laid his hands upon me, saying unto me, Fear not, I am the First and the Last. I am he that liveth and was dead and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen, and have the keys of Hades and, and death. And of course, he was the one he says, I am, he that was dead and behold, I'm alive evermore. Of course, this is, this is Jesus who's who's doing the speaking here. But he is, I am the first and I am the last and again, which then identifies him as Jehovah. Then in Revelation chapter two, verse eight, he's writing to the church at Smyrna says Unto the angel, or the messenger of the church at in Smyrna write, These things. saith, the first and the last which was dead and is alive. Again. Jesus identifies himself as the first of the last, he identifies himself as Jehovah. Then finally Revelation Chapter 22, 13 through 16, Jesus just says I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do His commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates of the city. For without are dogs and sorcerers and whore mongers and murderers and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie, Je, I, Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright and the morning star. Again, he identifies himself as Jesus. He identifies Himself as the first and the last. So he is Jehovah. Jesus is God. We have God the Father, who is Jehovah, but we have God the Son, Jesus, who was Jehovah. And that's what the Bible says, Yes, I would.
Arnie:Okay. So, so be very, very careful that you don't Wow, that's pretty powerful. There they just the allow yourself to be drawn off into, into thinking some things statement after statement that identifies Jesus in in this way. and believing some things about the book that that simply are not true. Because that will take you away from recognizing the, Jesus' role as being with the Father from the very beginning, the first and the last, as well as some other characteristics of Him. Jesus, of course, is the Redeemer. I think that everybody One thing to understand when you're when you're reading in should probably recognize, recognize that. A lot of churches have songs that identify him as the Redeemer, but still there are those groups that don't want to identify him as having the characteristics of the Father, and one of the one of the characteristics of God is that He's the Redeemer. In Hosea chapter 13, verse four, says, Yet I am the Lord thy God. The word, Lord, there, of course, is, is YAHWAH. And it means that the book of Revelation, a lot of people think that that's a, he's eternal, I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, doesn't mean that God was was from Egypt. It means that, that it was in Egypt, that, that God had sent Moses and and had reidentified Himself to those people who seem to have lost some track of of that. So, I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, thou shalt know no God, but me. For there's no savior beside me. And so so somebody says, Oh, so you see that's a difficult book, and that it's really complicated. the Lord Jesus isn't there beside beside the Father. Well, we'll talk about that in a minute. Verse 14, says, I will ransom them with the power of the gr, grave, I will redeem them from death; O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave I will be thy destruction. Repentance, shall be hid from mine eyes. Then one other place in in the book of Revelation here. In down in verse, Revelation, verse, verse five. They sang a song, a And they have theories about what it's about. You better new song. This, by the way, is the four beasts. This in chapter there are four beasts that are mentioned, and 24 elders there. So, They sang a new song saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us, to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. Well, of course, this is speaking with study the book of Revelation carefully. And I would suggest regard to to God that has has redeemed them. But which member of the Godhead Is it that it's talking about? Is it talking about the Father being the Redeemer? Or is it talking about the Son? Well, I think if we go to down to Hebrews nine, chapter nine, beginning in verse 12, Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Aha, who that you understand that it's about the same thing that would that be/ That would have to be, have to be Christ. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctified to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? For this cause he's the mediator of the New Testament, that by the means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under Matthew 24 Is, is about. Would you agree with that, Fred? the First Testament, they which are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. Both the Father and the Son are spoken of as the Redeemer. Each of them, there are two and I suspect the Holy Spirit would qualify in that the same way as well. Thank you for listening. We hope to talk to you again next Lord's Day. Have a good week.