WHY JESUS IS MORE THAN A PROPHET: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT – DID JESUS EXIST BEFORE MAN? By Deirdre [November 4, 2013 10:17 PM EST] In the Muslim community, there exists a belief that Jesus was only a prophet. Respectfully, this belief is not based on Truth. I will explain why Jesus is more than a prophet, so that the record can be straight. In this paper I will answer the question “Did Jesus Exist Before Man?” The answer is Yes. This paper provides the evidence and is Part II of what shall be a 4-part paper. The four parts are as follows: Part I – Introduction Part II – Did Jesus Exist Before Man? Part III - Can Jesus declare the end from the beginning? Part IV - Can Jesus bring to pass, that which He has spoken? My discourse on this topic, when completed, shall respectfully rebut the theory that Jesus Christ was only a prophet. My father Jesus tells me that at this time the only individual making a feasible argument in support of the “Jesus was only a Prophet” theory is Sami Zaatari, a Muslim. My father says that I should ask to receive the best. Send me the best from the Muslim community, if there is one better than Sami Zaatari, that can argue that Jesus was only a prophet, then please send him. My father, Jesus Christ, said send him! You see the point that my father, Jesus Christ, is making is that no one in the Muslim community has ever disproved the fact that Jesus is God. The only arguments coming out of the Muslim community is that “Jesus was only a Prophet.” Okay! I concede - partially. Jesus was a Prophet. But Jesus is more than a Prophet, Jesus is God. So this article focuses on providing you with the knowledge, wisdom and understanding necessary for you to comprehend that Jesus is God. You see we can debate forever as to whether Jesus was a man. At the end of the day, we will be forced to agree – because the truth is infallible – Jesus was a Man. But there is another Truth, a spiritual truth that can only be spiritually discerned (see 1 Corinthians 2 below), and that truth is simply this – Jesus Christ is God; He is the only begotten Son of the Father, YAHWEH (YHWH). Those who belong to God will hear the Truth; those who do NOT belong to God will NOT hear the Truth. “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” – John 8:47 So in this paper Part II, I will teach you that Jesus existed before Man, but in order for you to be prepared to understand that Jesus existed before Man, I must give a primer so that you have a basic understanding of God. God is a living being just like you and me. He has thoughts and feelings just like you and me, in fact we were made in His image, and all of our attributes are inherited from Him. It is difficult to accurately describe God using human language; God can actually be better described using computer language; so I am going to use concepts taken from object-oriented design in the discipline of software engineering to describe God. I will start with us. We were made in God’s image. As you know humans have many attributes. We inherit our attributes from God, our Father. One of our attributes (or properties) is our Presence. It can be said that when we are in a room people can either feel or not feel our Presence. The same is true for God, except God is far more advanced than us. God’s Presence is a life form unto itself. God’s Presence can travel separate and apart from God, and God can give His Presence instructions to go where He wants it go, separate and apart from Him. 14 And He [God] said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then he [Moses] said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. - Exodus 33:14-15 Can you imagine telling your presence to go somewhere separate and apart from you, while you are still sitting at home? Or can you imagine one of your attributes, with a mind of its own, deciding it is not going to listen to you anymore and it goes out and gets involved in mischief. What if for example your temper decides it is not going to listen to you anymore, in other word you lose control of your temper, and it kills someone? An alibi that you were home while your temper was out committing a crime would be valid, if your attributes acted separate and apart from you. This is a real capability for God. God’s wrath is like our temper, He can send it to deal with His enemies, while He is doing something else. So all of God’s attributes are separate life forms in their own rights. God’s Word, God’s Wrath, and Gods Presence are three of God’s attributes that can exist separate from God, yet their existence is IN God, in the same manner that your word, temper, and presence are IN you. This is how God is everywhere at once, because everything exists in God, including you and me. You can think of God as a human body, and you and I are mere cells in that body, a body that contains millions upon millions of cells. So to summarize this primer, God has attributes, like we have attributes, except God is more advanced when it comes to managing His attributes. Attributes of God (i.e. Word, Wrath, Presence, etc.) have properties and attributes of their own which enable them to operate separately from God, though they exist in God and require God for existence. So now you have the foundation necessary to understand that Jesus is God. If this primer is still unclear, go out and buy yourself a book on object-oriented computer design for non-computer professionals. So let’s move on now to answering the question: Did Jesus exist before Man? DID JESUS EXIST BEFORE MAN? I shall start in the New Testament because this is where Sami Zaatari obtained the information that he relied upon to prove what we already know -- that Jesus was a man. So there is no reason for me to hash or rehash what we already agree upon – Jesus Christ was a man. I am here to declare that Jesus is God. Jesus existed before man; this is a fact that has also been stated in the New Testament, but until now, Man has failed to comprehend it, because Man exists in darkness. According to the Gospel of John, Jesus Christ is an attribute of God. Jesus Christ is the Word of God, and the Word in its capacity to operate separate and apart from God, upon the command of God, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” – John 1:1-5 14 And the Word became 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.” – John 1:14 So the New Testament says that before Jesus Christ became flesh and dwelt among us, Jesus was manifested as the Word of God. So what is the Word of God? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary a Word is a sound or a combination of sounds. But we know from both the primer above and the Bible that the Word of God is a living entity that can operate separate and apart from God. We see God’s Word traveling throughout the Bible; Genesis 15:1 and Jeremiah 1:13 are just two examples. After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” – Genesis 15:1 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north. – Jeremiah 1:13 So since Jesus is the sound made by God’s vocal apparatus, the question really becomes “Did God speak before man existed?” God created the heaven and the earth and everything in it, in seven days. Man was created on the sixth day. God first spoke on the first day, so yes, Jesus existed before Man. God created Jesus in Genesis 1:3, when He spoke Jesus into existence. “Then God said “Let there be light”; and there was light.” – Genesis 1:3 This shows us that God has the capability to create new attributes as He sees fit. So the vibration that was transmitted by God’s vocal apparatus in Genesis 1:3 was Jesus. The vibration that God named Jesus is light. This is the science behind Jesus -- Jesus is light. This is consistent with what Jesus taught us: “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12 “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because there deeds were evil” – John 3:19 So every reference to God’s Word in the Bible, is a reference to the manifestation and activity of Jesus, because Jesus is the Word of God. This means that Jesus has been the mediator between God and Man since the existence of Man, because the only way that Man has ever interfaced with God is through hearing His Word – this is true for Abraham, Moses and all of the Prophets. This is consistent with what both Paul and Jesus taught. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,” – 1 Timothy 2:5 Jesus said to them, Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” – John 8:58 So let’s look at one final example. I have annotated relevant excerpts from 1 Kings 19, to demonstrate Jesus manifested as the Word operating as God, for God, and with God. (see full text of 1 Kings 19 at end of this article) At 1 Kings 19:9 the scripture says “And there he [Elijah] went into a cave and spent the night in that place; and behold, the WORD of the Lord [Jesus] came to him [Elijah], and He [Jesus] said to him [Elijah], “What are you doing here, Elijah?” At 1 Kings 19:11 the scripture says “Then He [Jesus] said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord [God the Father].” And behold, the Lord [God the Father] passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord [God the Father], but the Lord [God the Father] was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord [God the Father] was not in the earthquake;” So at this point the scripture references both the Lord [Jesus] who is inside the cave and the Lord [God the Father] who is outside of the cave. At 1 Kings 19:12, the scripture says: “and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord [God the Father] was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice [Jesus]. So it was, when Elijah heard it [the still small voice of Jesus], that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice [voice of God the Father as opposed to the small still voice of Jesus] came to him [Elijah], and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” – 1 Kings 19:12-13 So at this point God the Father is outside the cave asking Elijah the same question that Jesus asked Elijah inside the cave. Elijah REPEATS for God the Father, the answer Elijah gave to Jesus. So notice, Jesus is the Word of God, but both God the Father and God the Son have their own ‘Voices,’ as distinguished by the scripture. In 1 Kings 19:9 the scripture states “…the WORD of the LORD came to him” In 1 Kings 19:13 the scripture states “ … Suddenly a VOICE came to him…” In 1 Kings 19:15 the scripture states “Then the LORD SAID to him …” Also in 1 Kings 19:12 the scripture states “after the fire a still small voice” So it is demonstrated in the scripture that like God’s presence, God’s Word [Jesus] travels separately and distinctly from God. The WORD of the LORD is Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ was in the midst of things during God’s interaction with Elijah and Jesus worked with His father throughout the Old Testament, before His Father sent Him into the world as flesh. The scripture makes clear that there were two voices: the still small voice of God [Jesus] inside the cave was separate and distinct from the VOICE which came to Elijah outside of the cave. The scripture makes a clear distinction between the location of The WORD and the location of The LORD that the WORD spoke of. The scripture makes a distinction between the still small voice that Elijah heard while still inside the cave, and the VOICE of God that came to him, once he was standing outside of the cave. So, Praise God! We have been shown the Son and the Father working together in the Old Testament. 1 Kings 19 shows us Jesus WITH God, manifested as the WORD, speaking to Elijah -- this demonstrates the Word, Jesus, acting separately and distinctly from the Father in the Old Testament. We know this to be true about Jesus “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1 So 1 Kings 19:9-18 (Old Testament Scripture) validates John 1:1 (New Testament Scripture) There has been much debate about the still small voice, from personal experience I know the still small voice is the voice of God the Son, Jesus Christ because I have heard the voice of God the Father, it is a strong thunderous voice that comes from the heavens, whereas the still small voice, the voice of Jesus Christ comes from within. So there we have It! PROOF, Jesus is more than a man, He is God, and He existed in the form of the WORD before He became flesh and dwelt among us. “And the Word became 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.” – John 1:14 Also, I wrote another article on the significance of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, where Jesus is seen on the mountain with Moses and Elijah. The significance of the Transfiguration is to demonstrate that Jesus is God. Jesus had a relationship with Moses and Elijah before He became flesh. The significance of the three speaking is to demonstrate that God can interact with the Spirit World and the Earth simultaneously and as He sees fit. It also gave God an opportunity to fulfill Moses prayer whereby Moses asked to see the glory of God. Jesus is the glory of God. The article on the significance of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ is available on the Ministrys web site TheMinistryof2Timothy.org Full Text of Scripture referenced in this article is provided below for your own edification. 1 Corinthians 2 New King James Version (NKJV) Christ Crucified 2 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony[a] of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human[b] wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Spiritual Wisdom 6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”[c] 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy[d] Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?”[e] But we have the mind of Christ. John 1:1-34 New King James Version (NKJV) The Eternal Word 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend[a] it. John’s Witness: The True Light 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.[b] 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own,[c] and His own[d] did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. The Word Becomes Flesh 14 And the Word became 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. 15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” 16 And[e] of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son,[f] who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. A Voice in the Wilderness 19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,”’[g] as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” 28 These things were done in Bethabara[h] beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The Lamb of God 29 The next day John 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 is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” 32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” John 3:16-21 New King James Version (NKJV) 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 8:48-59 Before Abraham Was, I AM 48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” 52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ 53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your[m] God. 55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple,[n] going through the midst of them, and so passed by. 1 Kings 19 New King James Version (NKJV) Elijah Escapes from Jezebel 19 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” 3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” 5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel[a] touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 And the angel[b] of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 So he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” God’s Revelation to Elijah 11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 And he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” 15 Then the LORD said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17 It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. 18 Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” Elisha Follows Elijah 19 So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21 So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant. Footnotes: a. 1 Kings 19:5 Or Angel b. 1 Kings 19:7 Or Angel
Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 09:27:34 +0000
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