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Latter-day Saints aren't Christians?
FAIR ^

Posted on 01/07/2011 2:21:27 PM PST by Paragon Defender

Latter-day Saints aren't Christians?

 

 

 

Criticism

Critics claim that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not "Christian."

A related claim is that the Church has only recently begun to portray itself as "Christian" in order to gain adherents.

See also: Source(s) of the criticism

 

 

Response

It is evident from what has been said, that the Mormons, as such, can have no part or lot in the religion of Jesus Christ—and we do not see how any one can be their friend, (as Mormons,) without being an enemy to God.

—James M’Chesney,
An Antidote To Mormonism, revised by G. J. Bennet (New York, NY: Burnett & Pollard, 1838), 49. off-site Full title

LDS Not Excluded by Belief or Practice

When critics make the claim that LDS are not Christian, they typically will present a laundry list of doctrines and practices that they believe put LDS outside the category of "Christian." At its base, this claim is an excellent example of the No true Scotsman fallacy.

There are two problems with such lists. The first, and most important, is that the original and enduring meaning of "Christian" has been a person or group whose beliefs or practices are founded on the life and/or teachings of Christ. That is, all groups whose religion is founded on Jesus of Nazareth have been classified as Christian since the term was first coined in the first century, regardless of specific beliefs and practices. "Christian" has always included such wildly diverse groups as the Ebionites, the Marcionites, and the Christian Gnostics of ancient times, along with Unitarians and Coptic Christians in modern times. Critics may believe that LDS are "false Christians" or "heretical Christians" or "hell-bound Christians," seeing that such terms are subjective and without standard definitions, but neither belief nor practice can exclude any group from the family of Christian religions and denominations if that group claims to be founded on the life or teachings of the first-century Jesus of Nazareth.

The second problem with the critics' list is that their list of objectionable beliefs and practices used to exclude LDS from the Christian family are lists of beliefs and practices that are found in other groups that are clearly classified as Christian. The claimed bases for the charge that the LDS are not Christians include:

Unfortunately for the critic, all of these doctrinal differences have been held not just by the LDS, but by other Christians as well, including the early Christians of the first and second centuries.[1] These Christians:

One might debate whether these Christians were correct or complete in their beliefs, but can the critics seriously exclude them from the family of Christians?[2]

The critics essentially create a definition of "Christian" that includes their brand of Christianity, and excludes others with whom they disagree.

LDS Classified as Christian

The assertion that Latter-day Saints are not Christian has at its base the idea that the Latter-day Saints don't meet the definition of the word "Christian." But the meanings of words are determined by usage and acceptance. If a definition is widespread (used by many people), persistent (used over a long period of time), and established (accepted by individuals and organizations that are respected and assumed to be knowledgeable) then we can confidently state that the definition is correct and accurate.

The attempt to define "Christian" in such a way as to exclude Latter-day Saints (and many other groups that are generally considered to be some kind of Christian denomination or religion) is really the recent work of a minority group within Protestantism. The nearly-universal and nearly-2000-year-old usage of the word "Christian" has clearly included unorthodox groups that disagree, sometimes sharply, with the teachings and practices of those who claim to be able to define Latter-day Saints out of the Christian fold.

The following are some organizations and resources that classify The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as Christian. The range of sources from encyclopedias to media outlets to government organizations supports the fact that the definition of "Christian" includes Latter-day Saints.

Saints claim to be Christian only recently?

This claim is absurd. The critics depend on their audience not knowing much about LDS history for this claim. Enemies and members of the Church have long known that Church members consider themselves "Christian" (italics added in all cases):

1830s

1830
“They call themselves the church of Christ, and the only church of Christ. All professing Christians who do not adhere to their system, they consider as formalists; ‘having the form of Godliness, but denying the power’”.[3]
1831
“Old Joe . . . and several others . . . admitted [that the new faith] was an improvement in Christianity”.[4]
1832
The Mormonites “say the Millennium is soon to commence and that Christ is to come personally and take up His residence with them. . . . In its general principles this sect entirely coincide with others which have from time to time sprung up in Christendom”. [5]
1833
There is “a civil war between the Mormonites and their brother Christians”. [6]
1834
"Brother Joseph . . . went on to show the brethren how wicked and unchristianlike such conduct [among them] appeared before the eyes of truth and justice”.[7]
April 1834
The only name given under heaven, whereby man can be saved, is Jesus Christ. Men in days of old heard the glad tidings, that the Son of Man would come in the fulness of his own time, to make intercession for the children of men, and suffer, the just, for the unjust, and rise from the dead, that the bands of the temporal death might be broken, that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that they might stand in the presence of God to be judged according to their works.—These glad tidings were communicated from heaven to earth, by the ministering of holy angels and by the voice of the living God. Thousands have looked forward with an eye of faith, and a confidence unshaken in the promises of God, to the time when the great and last sacrifice should be made for fallen man. Many have rejoiced to see the day of the Son of Man, have seen it, and were glad; and have fallen asleep after obtaining the promise, that they should see God in the flesh and should reign with him on the earth a thousand years....The news that the gospel brought in days of old, was, that Jesus Christ would come into the world; that he would suffer according to the flesh; that he would rise from the dead, and thereby redeem his people from the power of the grave.[8]
1835
“the doctrine promulgated by the ‘latter day Christians’ in the newly discovered Bible”.[9]
1836
“This morning a minister from Conne[c]ticut by the name of John W. Olived called at my house . . . . [He] asked me wherein we differ from other Christian denomination[s]”.[10]
1836
“they have the appearance of being devout Christians. . . . They call themselves ‘Latter-day Saints,’ and profess to be the only true church, to have the only gospel order, consisting of apostles, elders, bishops, etc., etc., which several orders of the Christian hierarchy have been distinctly brought to light in the Book of Mormon”.[11]
1837
“a large society of Christians who style themselves ‘Latter-day Saints’ or Mormons.” (Painesville Republican, vol. 1, no. 31, 15 June 1837).
1838
"The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it".[12]
1839
"This sect took its rise, A. D. 1830, in the county of Ontario, and State of New York. In April of that year, the society was organized as a Christian Church".[13]
1839
The Mormons “were singing a hymn as other good Christians are wont to do . . . . [One of them offered] a very good Christian prayer . . . . [which petitioned that the Mormons might have] Christian fortitude.” (Peoria Register and North-Western Gazetteer, vol. 3, no. 17, 27 July 1839)
1839: Benjamin Dobson to the editor, June 16, 1839, “The Mormons,” Peoria Register and North-Western Gazetteer (Peoria, Illinois) 3, no. 13 (27 July 1839). off-site

1840s

1840
“We want no religion but pure Christianity”.[14]
1840
The heaven-born doctrines of christianity are so opposite to the vain, grovelling, and selfish sentiments of corrupt human nature, and the self-denying practices of genuine believers are so repugnant to the feelings of those whose nature is “earthly, sensual, and devilish,” that it is utterly unreasonable to suppose that anything like amity, concord or peace, can possibly exist between the church and the world. [John Taylor, Calumny Refuted and the Truth Defended (Liverpool: J. Tompkins, 1840), 1–12 off-site Full title]
1840
The citizens of Nauvoo are “a people, professing to be Christians.” (Quincy Whig, vol. 3, no. 13, 25 July 1840).
1840
The Mormons retain “many truths which are held in common by different denominations of Christians.” (The Alton Telegraph, vol. 5, no. 46, 14 November 1840).
1840
"We want no religion but pure Christianity." [Parley P. Pratt, Plain Facts (Manchester: W. R. Thomas, 1840), 5. off-site Full title]
1840
"If every friend to the cause of apostolic christianity, would subscribe and pay in advance for the above mentioned books [Book of Mormon, hymn books]...." [Anon., "Books!!!," Times and Seasons 1 no. 9 (July 1840), 139–40. off-site GospeLink (requires subscrip.) off-site
1841
“I understood from [the Mormons] as follows, . . . that they did not discard the Bible as used by other Christian sects”.[15]]
1841
"why it is, that so many professing Christianity, and so many professing to reverence the sacred principles of our Constitution (which gives free religious toleration to all), have slandered, and persecuted this sect of Christians."[16]
1841
"The object of our visit to your city is not to subvert any moral or truly Christian principle, or to promulgate any doctrine other than that which was advocated by Patriarchs, Prophets, Christ and the Apostles; which doctrine or gospel, we believe is the same invariable plan of salvation that it ever was, and that it ought to be taught, administered and obeyed in the present age, precisely as it was in the primitive or golden period of Christianity." [E. Snow and Benjamin Winchester, "An Address to the Citizens of Salem (Mass.) And Vicinity," Times and Seasons 2 no. 24 (1 October 1841), 574-76. off-site GospeLink (requires subscrip.) off-site]
1841
"Many of them have given up home and friends in obedience to what they consider the call of Christ, their Master.... The Mormons not only claim to be Christians, but the only Christians." [“The Mormons,” Auburn Journal and Advertiser (22 December 1841). off-site]
1842
“the great Christian city of Nauvoo”.[17]
1842
[Mormons teach that] "no man can be a Christian, or be admitted into the kingdom of God, unless he is baptized by immersion by an authorized person." [R.T.M., “The Mormons,” Religious Monitor and Evangelical Repository (18January 1842): 345–46. off-site]
1842
Hyrum Smith is "one of the most pious and devout christians in the world." (New York Herald (19 February 1842); cited in Veritas, "The Mormon Prophets," Millennial Star 3 (May 1842): 8.)
1842
Mormons “are Christians in the fullest sense of the term, believing in the Old and New Testaments.” (The New York Herald, vol. 7, no. 419, 16 May 1842).
1842
Mormons are described as – “A Christian sect in Illinois.” (Alton Telegraph and Democratic Review, vol. 7, no. 25, 18 June 1842; emphasis in original).
1842
"All these letters and documents [about the Mormons] disclose a most extraordinary movement in human affairs. What they mean we can hardly tell, but is it not time for some great religious revolution, as radical as Luther's, to take place in the Christian world?...Unlike all other Christian sects, they adopt at once all the modern improvements of society, in art and literature; and from their singular religious faith give the highest enthusiasm to the movement at large. There is nothing odd, or singular, or absurd about them.” ("Wonderful Progress of Joe Smith, the Modern Mahomet.—Spread of the Mormon Faith, and a New Religious Revolution at Hand," N.Y. Herald (17 June 1842); emphasis added).[18]
1842
"Mr. Whitney then asked if we acknowledged any to be Christians except those who embraced our doctrines and joined our church." (Orson Hyde letter, Times and Seasons, vol. 3, no. 18, 15 July 1842, 849).
1842
A Baptist complained that a Church preacher "declined making an honest confession of those peculiarities which separate them as widely from the Baptists, as from every other denomination of the christian church." [19]
1842
Wrote the Daily Sun of Cincinnati:
Whatever this new doctrine may be, it is extremely pleasing to the world, and death to the constituted church creeds of every name but that of Mormon. It is destined to spread, for every man that takes it upon him to speak in its favor, is fully competent to make out his case. One is very much surprised to see with what facility they prove their doctrine from the holy scriptures. Mr. Adams remarked, that he did not care whether a man believed the Book of Mormon or not, so that he came forward with a broken heart, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and in baptism for the remission of sins—let him come forth, and if God did not reveal to him the truths of the Book of Mormon, he need not believe it. [Anon., "Mormonism [Reprinted from the Daily Sun, Cincinnati]," Times and Seasons 4 no. 2 (1 December 1842), 28–29. off-site GospeLink (requires subscrip.) off-site
1842
"The Mormons were Christians in belief, and looked for the second Advent of Christ—when he shall come, surrounded by the angels of Heaven to dwell in person upon the earth....We confess that Mr. Winchester has changed our opinion of the sect; for we held them in contempt if not in abhorrence, from the representations we had read of them, whereas, if what Mr. Winchester states be true (and we have no reason to doubt him,) we can recognize them as professing Christians, tinged with peculiarities on particular points." [Anon., "Mormons, or Latter Day Saints," Times and Seasons 4 no. 2 (1 December 1842), 27–28. off-site GospeLink (requires subscrip.) Reprinted from the Baltimore Clipper. off-site]
1843
"So far we are agreed with other Christian denominations. They all preach faith and repentance. The gospel requires baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, which is the meaning of the word in the original language—namely, to bury or immerse".[20]
1843
Joseph Smith, in a public discourse, compared the Mormons to other denominations of Christians. (New York Spectator, vol. 46, no. 46, 23 August 1843).
1844
The Mormons are “calling themselves Christians . . . . Christians, as they claim to be.” (The Warsaw Signal, NS no. 4, no. 121, 6 March 1844).
1844
“The [Saturday] Courier should for the sake of truth and consistency, strike its flag of neutrality in RELIGION, while it wages a war of extermination against the Mormons; the only sect in Christendom, who in this nineteenth century can exhibit the irresistible evidence of martyrdom, in support of its cause”.[21]
1844
"On Sunday I was invited to give, in a public discourse, the points of difference between faith of the Latter-day Saints and other professors of [p.417] the Christian religion."[22]

1850s

1853
Now, we ARE believers in the Bible, and in consequence of our unshaken faith in its precepts, doctrine, and prophecy, may be, attributed "the strangeness of our course," and the unwarrantable conduct of many towards this people. Come, my brother Presbyterian; come, my brother professors of every persuasion of long standing and popular distinction in the world, who are dubbed with the word "ORTHODOX;" come, we are all good Christians; I find no fault with you—why should you find fault with me?[23]
1854
“Mormonites . . . . call themselves Christians, it is true” (The Daily Globe, vol. 6, no. 261, 5 October 1854).
1857
"Their religious teachers of Mormonism, preach to them, as they call it, "Christianity in its purity." (S[olomon] N. Carvalho, Incidents of Travel and Adventure in the Far West; with Col. Fremont's Last Expedition, chapter 22. off-site
1859
We, as Christians, are divided and subdivided into many systems varying in doctrinal points. This one says, "I am right;" and that one says, "I am right;" another rises up and varies, more or less, from the doctrines of the Church he has left, and says he is right.[24]

1860s

1861
"…who is there that was not startled when he heard that a sect, affecting to be Christian beyond all other sects, which had sprung up in broad day from amidst the civilization of the United States…"[25]
1863
Should you ask why we differ from other Christians...Are all this people, in the Scriptural sense, Christians? They should be. Do they all serve God with an undivided heart? They should. Many of them do, seeking daily to do his will.[26]
1864
The Latter-day Saints differ from their Christian brethren.[27]
1866
Now, we as Christians desire to be saved in the kingdom of God.[28]
1866
President B. Young preached a very interesting and instructive discourse, in which he showed that professing Christians believe all that the Jews believe, which appertains to life and salvation, and have accepted principles in advance of the Jews, including faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; and that the Latter-day Saints receive all believed in by other professing Christians, appertaining to life and salvation, accepting, as a part of their religious faith, principles in advance of them which are taught in the Scriptures. He touched upon the history of the Jewish people, showing the penalties which they had incurred by disobedience to the commandments of God, and pointing to the promises made to the patriarchal fathers concerning them. And deduced that if the condition of professing Christians is to-day better than that of the Jews, for believing more of the revelations of God, so the condition of the Saints is preferable to that of the other inhabitants of Christendom, in accepting all the revelations which the Lord has been pleased to give. [29]
1866
"On one occasion one of the native brethren who had been persecuted, claimed his rights as a Swiss citizen, and the question was brought up in the Swiss Congress, Are the 'Mormons' Christians? After some discussion, the conclusion was arrived at that they were, and must accordingly be protected."[30]

1870s

1870
Have you embraced truth, Latter-day Saints? Have you anything different from other Christians?[31]
1871
If you should have visits here from those professing to be Christians, and they intimate a desire to preach to you, by all means invite them to do so. Accord to every reputable person who may visit you, and who may wish to occupy the stands of your meeting houses to preach to you, the privilege of doing so, no matter whether he be a Catholic, Presbyterian, Congregationalist, Baptist, Free-will Baptist, Methodist, or whatever he may be; and if he wishes to speak to your children let him do so. Of course you have the power to correct whatever false teachings or impressions, if any, your children may hear or receive. I say to parents, place your children, as far as you [p.196] have an opportunity to do so, in a position or situation to learn everything in the world that is worth learning. You will probably have what is called a Christian Church here; they will not admit that we are Christians, but they cannot think us further from the plan of salvation as revealed from heaven than we know them to be, so we are even on that ground, as far as it goes.[32]
We are preaching to the people far and near; our Elders are traveling through the earth; strangers are coming here, and we are declaring to them that the Gospel of the Son of God is true. Whether they believe or not, it is no matter. That book (the Bible)contains the words of the Almighty…. I know of the bright promises which he gave to his disciples anciently. I live in the possession of them, and glory in them and in the cross of Christ, and in the beauty and holiness that he has revealed for the salvation and exaltation of the children of men. I do wish we would live to them, and may the Lord help us. [33]
1872
We, as Christians, believe in God, in Christ and in his atonement, in repentance and obedience, and in receiving the Spirit.[34]
"we take the liberty to believe the Bible, which our fellow Christians, generally throughout the world, profess to believe in…”[35]
“We are looking for him [i.e. Second coming of Christ]. The Christians of all denominations expect that he will appear in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. The Latter-day Saints expect this in common with all other Christians.”[36]
1876
These are only a few reflections, when we take into consideration our Christian religion.[37]
Brother Cannon speaks of Christians. We are Christians professedly, according to our religion.[38]
“How shall we, as Christians, reconcile these words of our Savior with the reception everywhere given by the world to Messrs. Moody and Sankey? They are, professedly, Christian ministers, yet they are largely entertained by the world, extolled by the world, and apparently loved by the world….”[39]
“But Joseph Smith reiterates the Savior’s promises. He has no fear of being proved a false teacher. He professes to be a Christian minister called and sent of God….”[40]
“Immediate revelation was the life of primitive Christianity, and when that ceased to be given to men, Christianity waxed feeble, waned and died. With the restored Gospel came immediate revelation, and Christianity was born again upon the earth.”[41]

1880s

1881
We are a Christian community; we believe in God and in Jesus Christ...[42]

1890s

1892
"What a singular sort of ‘Christian community’ that must be that will not tolerate an unorthodox Christian society in its midst!”[43]
“The insinuation in this [written attack on the LDS by a Protestant minister in SLC] is to the effect that a ‘Mormon’ is not a Christian, and the ‘Mormon’ religion is not a Christian religion, and further that the Supreme Court of the United States has virtually so decided…. But if a ‘Mormon’ is not a Christian then there are no Christians in America…. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is at least as fairly entitled to the appellation of a Christian as a member of the Presbyterian Church”[44]
“[with reverence to Revelation 1. 12] We accept—as all Christians do—that God inspired the words ‘to see the voice.’”[45]

1900-1950

1907
If it be true Christianity to accept Jesus Christ in person and his mission as divine; to revere him as the Son of God, the crucified and risen Lord, through whom alone mankind can attain salvation; to accept his teachings as a guide, to adopt as a standard and observe as a law the ethical code he promulgated; to comply with the requirements prescribed by him as essential to membership in his Church, namely, faith, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost,—if this be Christianity, then are we Christians, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Christian church.[46]
1917
[W]e are a Christian people, we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we feel that it is our duty to acknowledge him as our Savior and Redeemer.[47]

After 1950

1956
We are not Catholic, Protestant, nor Jewish, and yet this disclaimer should not be taken to mean we are not Christian. You who heard the powerful address of President Clark this morning will know that we are Christians, for central to everything we believe and teach is our faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. We are grateful for our Judeo-Christian heritage, for the Holy Bible which we accept without reservation as the word of God, except as to some errors that have crept in through translations.[48]
1997
Jacob Neusner, one of the great Judaism scholars of the twentieth century: "Christianity encompasses a remarkably diverse set of religious systems that have some qualities in common—belief in Jesus Christ—but also differ deeply, especially about matters on which they seem at first glance to concur. For example, who, exactly was, and is, Jesus Christ? No one imagines that by describing a single common denominator Christianity tells us about one unitary religion. Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox, Methodist, Mormon, and Lutheran—each is comprised by clearly delineated groups of Christians, all of them with their respective systems of belief and behaviour...as the world knows Christianities, but no single Christianity, so the world has known, and today recognizes, diverse Judaisms, no single Judaism."[49]
2006
Bart Ehrman, a leading expert on the text of the New Testament: "...just as Christianity today is incredibly diverse (compare the Roman Catholics with the Mormons with the Pentecostals with the Seventh Day Adventists with the Eastern Orthodox… and so on!), it was even more diverse in the early centuries..." ("A Few Questions for Bart Ehrman," Oxford University Press Blog (OUPblog) (9 October 2006). off-site

Clearly, the Church has "claimed" to be Christian for a long time, and even hostile critics realized it. To insist that this is a new, public relations move is false. Neutral observers have also seen the Church as Christian. Only a recent, intolerant fringe of fundamentalist Christianity has tried to exclude the Church from Christianity by self-serving definitions.

Conclusion

Critics use a self-serving and self-referential definition of "Christian" to exclude the LDS. They ignore the fact that many other Christians over the millennia would have disagreed with them on the same points, yet this does not disqualify these other believers from the family of "Christians."

Claims that the Church has only recently been asserting its Christian status are false, as attested by LDS scripture, practice, doctrine, and public statements of its leadership and its early critics.

Ironically, many of those who attack the Church and its members for not being Christians show a distinct lack of the Christian virtues themselves:

There has been no end to opposition. There are misinterpretations and misrepresentations of us and of our history, some of it mean-spirited and certainly contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ and His gospel. Sometimes clergy, even ministerial organizations, oppose us. They do what we would never do. We do not attack or criticize or oppose others as they do us...Strangest of all, otherwise intelligent people claim we are not Christian. This shows that they know little or nothing about us. It is a true principle that you cannot lift yourself by putting others down.[50]

Endnotes

  1. [note]  For a discussion by a non-LDS, conservative evangelical on points of doctrine upon which modern evangelical Christianity differs with the doctrines taught by the early Christian Fathers, see: David W. Bercot, Will The Real Heretics Please Stand Up: A New Look at Today's Evangelical Church in the Light of Early Christianity, 3rd edition, (Tyler, Texas: Scroll Publishing Company, 1999[1989]), 1. ISBN 0924722002
  2. [note]  For a discussion of these issues, see Daniel C. Peterson and Stephen D. Ricks, "Comparing LDS Beliefs with First-Century Christianity, (Provo, Utah: FARMS, no date). off-site
  3. [note]  Rev. John Sherer to Absalom Peters, 18 November 1830, published in Dan Vogel (editor), Early Mormon Documents (Salt Lake City, Signature Books, 1996–2003), 5 vols, 4:93.
  4. [note]  “Mormon Religion—Clerical Ambition—Western New York—The Mormonites Gone to Ohio,” Morning Courier and New-York Enquirer (New York City, New York) 7, no. 1331 (1 September 1831). off-site
  5. [note]  The Farmer’s Herald, vol. 4, no. 49, 6 June 1832 [Johnsbury, Vermont]
  6. [note] Liberal Advocate, vol. 3, no. 6, 30 December 1833 [Rochester, New York]
  7. [note] Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 volumes, edited by Brigham H. Roberts, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1957), 2:83. BYU Studies link
  8. [note]  "The Gospel," The Evening and The Morning Star 1:81-83 (April 1833) .
  9. [note]  Painesville Telegraph, vol. 1, no. 35, 4 September 1835 [Painesville, Ohio]
  10. [note] Dean C. Jessee, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, revised edition, (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 2002), 144. ISBN 1573457876. off-site
  11. [note]  James H. Eells to Joshua Leavitt, 1 April 1836, New York Evangelist (New York) 7, no. 15 (9 April 1836): 59. off-site (letter written on 1 April 1836 by James H. Eells who lived in Elyra, Ohio)
  12. [note]  Joseph Smith, Jr., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected by Joseph Fielding Smith, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1976), 121. ISBN 087579243X. off-site
  13. [note] Francis G. Bishop, Brief History of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints (Blum and Son, Salem, Massachusetts 1839), 2.
  14. [note]  Parley P. Pratt, Plain Facts (Manchester: W. R. Thomas, 1840), 6. off-site Full title
  15. [note]  Upper Mississippian, "Nauvoo Mormon Religion," (15 February 1841) Times and Seasons 2:324.; reprint of an article from the Upper Mississippian
  16. [note]  Extract from a Letter in the Juliet Courier, dated from Monmouth, Illinois (June 1841); cited in Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 volumes, edited by Brigham H. Roberts, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1957), 4:381. BYU Studies link
  17. [note]  Chicago Democrat, May 1842; editorial by John Wentworth
  18. [note]  Cited by Helen Mar Whitney, Woman's Exponent 10 no. 13 (1 December 1881), 97–99. Available in Jeni Broberg Holzapfel and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, eds., A Woman's View: Helen Mar Whitney's Reminiscences of Early Church History (Provo: Religious Studies Center, BYU, 1997), 149. ISBN 1570083576. ISBN 978-1570083570. GospeLink (requires subscrip.)
  19. [note]  "A Baptist," letter to the editor published in the North Staffordshire Mercury, "Difference Between the Baptists & Latter-day Saints," (1 October 1843) Times and Seasons 3:931-932. (italics added)
  20. [note]  Joseph Smith, Jr., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected by Joseph Fielding Smith, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1976), 314. ISBN 087579243X. off-site
  21. [note] Philadelphia Sun reprint, "Magna est veritas, et praevalebit’ (Not sure of translationvol=5," Times and Seasons no. 15 (15 August 1844), 621. off-site GospeLink (requires subscrip.)
  22. [note]  D.S. Hollister to Joseph Smith, 9 May 1844; cited in Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 volumes, edited by Brigham H. Roberts, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1957), 6:416–417. BYU Studies link
  23. [note] Brigham Young, "Effects and Privileges of the Gospel," (24 July 1853) Journal of Discourses 1:237-237.
  24. [note]  Brigham Young, "Government of God," (22 May 1859) Journal of Discourses 7:148.; Brigham Young, "Government of God," Deseret News 9 no. 13 (1 June 1859), 104.
  25. [note]  Juley Remy, Journey to Great Salt Lake City (1861), 2:82–83; cited by B. Carmon Hardy (editor), Doing the Works of Abraham: Mormong Polygamy, Its origin, practice and demise, Vol. 9 of Kingdom in the West Series: The Mormons and the American Frontier (series editor Will Bagley), (Norman, Oklahoma: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 2007), 195. ISBN 0870623443. ISBN 978-0870623448..
  26. [note] Brigham Young, "Advice To California Emigrants. — The Principles Of The Gospel, etc.," (8 July 1863) Journal of Discourses 10:230-231.
  27. [note] Brigham Young, "Difference Of Ideas Entertained Respecting God, etc.," (31 July 1863) Journal of Discourses 10:318-319.
  28. [note] Brigham Young, "Remarks by President Brigham Young," (19 August 1866) Journal of Discourses 11:268-268.
  29. [note]  Brigham Young, Deseret News Weekly 15/109 (4 March 1866): page?.; cited in Eldon Watson (editor), Brigham Young Addresses (1982), 5:32.
  30. [note]  William W. Riter, "Minutes of a General Council; Birmingham,England; January 5, 1866," Millennial Star 28 no. 12 (24 March 1866), 179.
  31. [note] Brigham Young, "The Saints Are A Strange People Because They Practise What They Profess," (20 February 1870) Journal of Discourses 13:237-238.
  32. [note]  Brigham Young, "Discourse by President Brigham Young," (3 June 1871) Journal of Discourses 14:195-196.; Brigham Young, "Discourse by President Brigham Young," Millennial Star 33 no. 27 (4 July 1871), 418–420.; DNW 20:235.
  33. [note]  Brigham Young, "Remarks by President Brigham Young," (27 August 1871) Journal of Discourses 14:227.; Discourse by President Brigham Young, Deseret News 20 no. 31 (6 September 1871), 357–358.
  34. [note] Brigham Young, "Riches — Hurry — Fashion — Helping The Poor — Mysteries," (26 May 1872) Journal of Discourses 15:42-42.
  35. [note]  John Taylor, "Discourse by Elder John Taylor," (3 March 1872) Journal of Discourses 14:338. Discourse by Elder John Taylor, Deseret News 21 no. 36 (13 March 1872), 65, second column.
  36. [note]  Orson Pratt, "Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt," (10 March 10 1872) Journal of Discourses 14:348.; Orson Pratt, "Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt," Deseret News 21 (20 March 1872), 77, fourth column.
  37. [note] Brigham Young, "Discourse By President Brigham Young," (15 August 1876) Journal of Discourses 18:217-217.
  38. [note] Brigham Young, "Discourse By President Brigham Young," (17 September 1876) Journal of Discourses 18:231-231.
  39. [note] Editorial (Elder David McKenzie), "Christianity and Revivalism," Millennial Star 38 no. 10 (6 March 1876), 152.
  40. [note] Editorial (Elder David McKenzie), "Gifts of the Holy Ghost," Millennial Star 38 no. 13 (27 March 1876), 200–201.
  41. [note] Editorial (Elder David McKenzie), "Evidences of the Truth," Millennial Star 38 no. 14 (3 April 1876), 217.
  42. [note] Francis M. Lyman, "General Conference (5 April 1881)," Millennial Star 43 no. 19 (9 May 1881), 292.
  43. [note]  Editorial on citizens of Beaver Dam, Virginia removing Mormon Elders by force to another part of the state, Deseret News Weekly 45/13 (17 September 1892): 396.
  44. [note]  "Intolerant Discrimination", Deseret News Weekly 45/14 (24 September 1892): 441.
  45. [note]  "The Book of Mormon", Deseret News Weekly 45/25 (10 December 1892): 780.
  46. [note] First Presidency, "Address to the World," Improvement Era 10 (May 1907), 481–495.
  47. [note]  Joseph F. Smith, General Conference address (April 6, 1917)
  48. [note] Hugh B. Brown, "Discourse," Improvement Era 10 (December 1956), 949–949.
  49. [note]  Jacob Neusner, The Way Of Torah, 6th edition, (Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1997), 15. ISBN 0534516033.
  50. [note]  Boyd K. Packer, "A Defense and a Refuge," Ensign (November 2006), 85–88. off-site

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


TOPICS: Apologetics; Ecumenism; Other Christian; Theology
KEYWORDS: ctr; lds; mittromney; mittromneysreligion; mormon; mormonism; mormons; romney; romneysreligion; trinitarianism
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To: fishtank

elca, but i am not sure. i go with her to the Christmas Eve service, other than that, we each go to our own church. I clearly see Luther’s Augustinian background in the order of service, almost like being at Mass. Luther also believed in the Real Presence!


121 posted on 01/07/2011 9:15:09 PM PST by one Lord one faith one baptism
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To: Paragon Defender

You are not a Christian, PD. Get over it.


122 posted on 01/07/2011 10:31:37 PM PST by P-Marlowe (LPFOKETT GAHCOEEP-w/o*)
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To: reaganaut
This is a PRO-Mormon article, posted by a Mormon.

Actually it is an "Anti-Mormon" article because it is designed to convince Mormons that believing in the damnable doctrines of Mormonism will not result in them ending up in Hell.

People who love Mormons will warn them of the dangers of the false gospel and false Christ of Mormonism.

123 posted on 01/07/2011 10:41:25 PM PST by P-Marlowe (LPFOKETT GAHCOEEP-w/o*)
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To: one Lord one faith one baptism; sasportas; P-Marlowe

others believe it needed to be restored in the 16th century.

- - - - —

No, they believed it needed to be REFORMED, not restored.

Luther set out to right the abuses he saw in the everyday PRACTICE of the hierarchy, that is all. It then snowballed from there but that was not his original intend.

BTW, I believe in one holy, catholic (small c), apostolic church (ekklesia), which is the Body of Christ. That doesn’t mean Jesus set out to start a denomination, rather ‘ekklesia’ means assembly, it is a general not a specific term as it is used in modern English.


124 posted on 01/07/2011 10:48:46 PM PST by reaganaut (Ex Mormon, now Christian - "I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see")
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To: MHGinTN; webboy45; colorcountry; Colofornian; Elsie; FastCoyote; svcw; Zakeet; SkyPilot; ...

. That you can repeat the canned objections conjured up by the dead-soul leadership of Mormonism is not surprising. What is surprising is the way you proudly refuse to do the work to find out if these teachers are lying to you and dragging you along with them on their plummet into Hell! [MHG to webboy]

- - - - - - - - - - -

It really isn’t surprising at all. The LDS are taught not to think, and it is easier to repeat the canned responses they hear in Sunday School and Sacrament meeting without checking them out such as:

“The trinity is unscriptural and created by a pagan emporor” (we see variations on this a lot by the LDS here).

“Anti’s hate Mormons and lie, and distort our beliefs”(no, we used their own words against them, no lying needed)

“The Bible has been corrputed by the traditions of men”

The members will CLAIM they researched or read about it themselves, but far more often than not they are just parroting.

How do I know? Because when I was LDS everyone did the same thing, including me. The difference is that I wanted to be an apologist and discovered that the ‘pat answers’ were easily refuted, which sent me out on a quest to get better answers and found out that the ‘pat answers’ are lies the leadership tells or ‘faith promoting statements’ that the membership repeats without thinking.

That they are not encouraged to think for themselves (and we see this here with their repetition rather than actual debate) goes a long way to show the high level of brainwashing that goes on in Mormonism.

Anyone who knows Church history knows Constantine was a Christian before Nicaea, and if they know the Bible they know that the Trinity is in there, even if the word is not used (btw,the LDS use the term ‘atonement’ which wasn’t coined until the 16th century yet they complain about the word ‘trinity’).

One of the hardest things when witnessing to the LDS is to get them to think for themselves rather than parrot the comfortable lies they are told. We even see this with Glenn Beck and that debacle regarding Nicaea and the Dead Sea Scrolls last year. He was merely repeating what he has been told at church without checking out the facts. It is very common in Mormonism, far more common than not.


125 posted on 01/07/2011 11:04:52 PM PST by reaganaut (Ex Mormon, now Christian - "I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see")
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To: one Lord one faith one baptism; fishtank

Correct. Mormonism also took the idea of ‘the great apostasy’ from Baptists. Yes, baptists put a later date 300s, while the Mormons took it earlier to just after the Apostolic era, but the idea was the same.


126 posted on 01/08/2011 12:16:30 AM PST by Cronos (Kto jestem? Nie wiem! Ale moj Bog wie!)
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To: Normandy; colorcountry; Colofornian; Elsie; FastCoyote; svcw; Zakeet; SkyPilot; rightazrain; ...

Then why don’t they wear a Cross or use Crosses? Why is the emphasis ALWAYS on the garden??

LDS doctrine has changed alot since D&C days and there was NEVER any mention of the Cross (other than derisively) when I was LDS by ANYONE.

What I did hear was a lot of LDS make fun of crosses and say things like “well the cross was just a means of death, if Jesus was beheaded would you wear a knife around your throat?” The cross was never spoken about in a good light, and there are NEVER any picture of Christ on the cross (or an empty Cross) but nearly, if not every latter day saint has a picture of Christ in the garden. Why? Because to them THAT IS THE FOCAL POINT OF THE SIN BEARING.

Mormons get around this by claiming that the ‘atonement’ took place in the garden AND on the cross, but they neglect to mention that to them ‘the atonement’ comprises both the sin bearing (only after we do our part) and the resurrection, thus the cross is included.

Any other ex-mo’s care to join in?

Link at bottom.

# BYU professor Robert J. Matthews, who on page 282 of his book, A Bible! A Bible!, wrote, “It was in Gethsemane, on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, that Jesus made his perfect atonement by the shedding of his blood-more so than on the cross.”
# Mormon Apostle Bruce McConkie, stated, “Where and under what circumstances was the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God made? Was it on the Cross of Calvary or in the Garden of Gethsemane? It is to the Cross of Christ that most Christians look when centering their attention upon the infinite and eternal atonement. And certainly the sacrifice of our Lord was completed when he was lifted up by men; also, that part of his life and suffering is more dramatic and, perhaps, more soul stirring. But in reality the pain and suffering, the triumph and grandeur, of the atonement took place primarily in Gethsemane,” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, vol. 1, p. 774, emphasis mine).

“Our church believes that Christ’s crucifixion was an important part of the atonement, but we believe that a more important part was when he suffered for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane,” (”Q&A: Questions and Answers,” New Era, Sept. 1996, p. 18, emphasis mine).

“Jesus paid for all our sins when He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane,” (Laurel Rohlfing, “Sharing Time: The Atonement,” Friend, Mar. 1989, p. 39).

# “There is perhaps one other occasion on which Michael, as a spirit, may have played a particularly significant role in the plan of our Father. Luke records that on the night of Atonement, following the Last Supper, Jesus bowed in awful alienation and grief in the Garden of Gethsemane beneath the load of the world’s sins. He uttered his soul-cry: ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done,’” (Robert L. Millet, “The Man Adam,” Liahona, Feb. 1998, p. 19, emphasis mine).
# “The Savior atoned for our sins by suffering in Gethsemane and by giving his life on the cross. It is impossible for us to fully understand how he suffered for all of our sins. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the weight of our sins caused him to feel such agony and heartbreak that be bled from every pore (see D&C 19:18-19). Later, as he hung upon the cross, Jesus suffered painful death by one of the most cruel methods known to man.” (Gospel Principles, Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1979, p. 66, emphasis mine).

There is no biblical record of Jesus atoning for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Garden is where He suffered greatly in prayer because He did not want to go through the coming ordeal of His beating and crucifixion. The agony of the Garden was so intense for Him that He apparently sweat blood (Luke 22:44). But, the only references in the Bible dealing with Christ and the atonement are in reference to the cross, not the Garden of Gethsemane.

http://carm.org/religious-movements/mormonism/interesting-quotes-atonement-mormon-writings

http://carm.org/mormonism-and-atonement-of-jesus


127 posted on 01/08/2011 2:11:55 AM PST by reaganaut (Ex Mormon, now Christian - "I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see")
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To: ejonesie22; webboy45; Godzilla

In Hebrew the form of the word Elohim, with the ending -im, which normally indicates a masculine plural, however with Elohim the construction is usually grammatically singular, (i.e. it governs a singular verb or adjective) when referring to the Hebrew God, but grammatically plural (i.e. taking a plural verb or adjective) when used of pagan divinities (Psalms 96:5; 97:7).

- - - - - - - -
That is correct, it is always singular when used with the Hebrew God. The word most often used for pagan deities is elohenu (the gods of them).


128 posted on 01/08/2011 2:14:39 AM PST by reaganaut (Ex Mormon, now Christian - "I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see")
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To: one Lord one faith one baptism; sasportas

but hold other novel doctrines that no Christian believed before the 16th century.

-0 - - - - -
Not true, sorry.

Many reformation doctrines, aside from biblical support, also came about through a study of the Early Church Fathers.


129 posted on 01/08/2011 2:19:22 AM PST by reaganaut (Ex Mormon, now Christian - "I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see")
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To: webboy45
There is ONE God, of 3 distinct persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The following scripture is clear, ONE God, the Triune God:

Matthew 3:16-17 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

2 Corinthians 13:14 14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

John 15:26 26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.

Matthew 28:19 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Genesis 1:26 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,

Deuteronomy 6:4 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

John 10:30 30 I and the Father are one.”

1 Corinthians 8:4 4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.”

130 posted on 01/08/2011 4:30:19 AM PST by Vegasrugrat
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To: Paragon Defender
 
----- Original Message -----
 

How can a HERESY claim to be CHRISTIAN and by blather and constant repetition, attain the status of a CHRISTIAN denomination?
 
" The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success
unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly -
- it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over."


131 posted on 01/08/2011 5:59:37 AM PST by Elsie
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To: Paragon Defender
FAIR is not owned, controlled by, or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All research and opinions provided on this site are the sole responsibility of FAIR and should not be interpreted as official statements of LDS doctrine, belief, or practice.

Thanks again, PD, for these WONDERFUL links...

The above is WAY down at the bottom of the page.

And why does FAIR feel the need to PIGGYBACK on the LOOK and FEEL of WIKI?

Remember that MORMONism does the same with CHRISTIANITY.

132 posted on 01/08/2011 6:04:17 AM PST by Elsie
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To: sasportas; one Lord one faith one baptism
 
Do NOT let the MORMON TarBaby get you STUCK on #13 and/or 14!!
 

 
                       Standard LDS responses to data put to them:
 
 1. How you interpret it is wrong...
 2. You are too ignorant to really understand it because you are not a member....
 3. You're not qualified to judge because you're no LONGER a member...
 4. You are just a bigot for bringing the whole ugly truth to light ...
 5. So's yer Mama!
 6. Laugh it all off and post some silly image.
 7. Jump down the rabbit hole; Alice!
 8. Bait & Switch
 9. The OTHER 'half' of the truth is what we are avoiding.
10. "I Know It When I See It"
11. Hand waving...
12. YOU play defense for a while.
13. HEE Hee hee... let's get the Calvinists and the Armenians fighting!
14. GREAT FUN! Let's get the Catholics and the Protestants fighting!
15. Huh? Did you say something?
16. If I repeat this enough times some folks will be fooled into thinking it's true.
17. Playing dumb.
18. Refusing to answer because your ATTITUDE offends them.
19. (Let's see if they'll fall for the 'Defend a freak' ploy.)
20. And the MOST used... IGNORE what they posted and answer the question that SHOULD have been asked.

133 posted on 01/08/2011 6:09:20 AM PST by Elsie
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To: fishtank
 

Elca or LCMS?



Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump.

 

I shouted, "Don't do it!"

He said, "Nobody loves me."

I said, "God loves you. Do you believe in God?"

He said, "Yes."

I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?"

He said, "A Christian."

I said, "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?"

He said, "Protestant."

I said, "Me, too! What franchise?"

He said, "Baptist."

I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?"

He said, "Northern Baptist."

I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?"

He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist."

I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?"

He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region." I said, "Me, too!"

I said, "Northern Conservative†Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?"

He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912."

I said, "Die, heretic scum!"

 

And I pushed him over.


134 posted on 01/08/2011 6:11:08 AM PST by Elsie
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To: MHGinTN
MHGinTN, someone else posted this also - fairly recently on one of the long threads, but I can't remember which thread. It may have even been on one of the Mormon threads.

One of the reasons it is so powerful is that it is not polemic. It is for the most part an archive of comparative, categorized Biblical passages regarding the Names, Attributes, Deity, etc of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

No Mormon or other cultist will be able to comment intelligently on it as a whole, not to mention even reading all of it. Anyone who does read it should note the code designations for passages representing the Father, Son & Holy Spirit, respectively: { * = God the Father / <> = The Holy Spirit / + = Jesus } The link is at the bottom:

_____________________________________________________

(KJV unless indicated otherwise)

*****originally written in 1982; revised only slightly subsequently*****

C O N T E N T S

I. FORTY DESCRIPTIONS APPLIED BOTH TO GOD/YHWH AND JESUS
II. GOD/YHWH, THE MESSIAH, AND JESUS: PARALLEL PASSAGES
III. THE UNITY OF GOD AND MONOTHEISM
IV. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND/OR TRINITARIANISM
V. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON: FORTY PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
VI. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD: DIRECT BIBLICAL EVIDENCE
VII. 13 DESCRIPTIONS APPLIED TO ALL THREE IN THE TRINITY
VIII. GOD'S APPEARANCES AS A MAN IN THE O.T. (THEOPHANIES)
IX. JESUS IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE FATHER
X. A DEFINITION OF THE TRINITY: THE ATHANASIAN CREED


I. FORTY DESCRIPTIONS APPLIED BOTH TO GOD/YHWH AND JESUS

{ * = God/YHWH (God the Father) / + = Jesus (God the Son) }

1) Name of God: "I AM"

*EXODUS 3:14 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 me unto you.

*DEUTERONOMY 32:39 See now that I, {even} I, {am} he, and {there is} no god with me . . . {cf. Is 41:4, 43:10-13, 48:12}

+JOHN 8:24 . . . if ye believe not that I am {he}, ye shall die in your sins.

+JOHN 8:28 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. {cf. 8:58, 13:19}

2) Raises the Dead and Gives Life

*DEUTERONOMY 32:39 . . . I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: . . .

*1 SAMUEL 2:6 The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. {cf. Rom 4:17}

+JOHN 5:21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth {them}; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

+JOHN 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any {man} pluck them out of my hand. {cf. Jn 1:4, 1 Jn 5:11}

3) "Good Shepherd"

*EZEKIEL 34:11-12,15,22,31 For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, {even} I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. (12) As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep {that are} scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day . . . (15) I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God . . . (22) Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle . . . (31) And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, {are} men, {and} I {am} your God, saith the Lord God. {cf. Ps 23:1, 80:1, 100:3, Is 40:11, Jer 23:1, 31:10}

+JOHN 10:7,11,14-16,26-29 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep . . . (11) I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep . . . (14) I am the good shepherd, and know my {sheep}, and am known of mine. (15) As the Father knoweth me, even so I know the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. (16) And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, {and} one shepherd . . . (26) But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. (27) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (28) And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any {man} pluck them out of my hand. (29) My Father, which gave {them} me, is greater than all; and no {man} is able to pluck {them} out of my Father's hand. {cf. Ezek 34:23, Mic 5:4, Zech 13:7 w/Mt 26:31, Heb 13:20, 1 Pet 5:4, Rev 7:17}

4) Author of Eternal Words

*ISAIAH 40:8 . . . the word of our God shall stand for ever.

+MATTHEW 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

5) Worshiped and Praised by Angels

*PSALM 148:1-2 Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights. (2) Praise ye him, all his angels : praise ye him, all his hosts.

+HEBREWS 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

6) "Bridegroom"

*ISAIAH 62:5 For {as} a young man marrieth a virgin, {so} shall thy sons marry thee: and {as} the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, {so} shall thy God rejoice over thee. {cf. Is 54:5-6, Hos 2:16-20}

+REVELATION 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. {cf. Mt 24:44, 25:1,6,13, Jn 3:29, Rev 21:9}
7) "Glory" of God

*ISAIAH 42:8 I {am} the Lord: that {is} my name: and my glory will I not give to another, . . . {cf. 48:11}

+JOHN 17:5 . . . Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

+HEBREWS 1:3 Who being the brightness of {his} glory, . . . {cf. Mt 25:31, Lk 2:32, Jn 1:14, 16:14, 17:1, 1 Cor 2:8}

8) Seeker of the Lost

*EZEKIEL 34:16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, . . .
+LUKE 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

9) "Lord of Lords"

*DEUTERONOMY 10:17 For the Lord your God {is} God of Gods, and Lord of Lords, a great God, . . . {cf. Ps 136:2-3, 1 Tim 6:15}

+REVELATION 17:14 . . . the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: . . .{cf. Rev 19:16}

10) "Lord of Glory"

*PSALM 24:10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he {is} the King of glory. Selah.

+1CORINTHIANS 2:8 . . . had they known {it}, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

11) "Above All"

*EPHESIANS 4:6 One God and Father of all, who {is} above all, and through all, and in you all. {cf. Ps 97:9}

+JOHN 3:31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

12) "All in All"

*1 CORINTHIANS 15:28 . . . that God may be all in all.

+COLOSSIANS 3:11 . . . but Christ {is} all, and in all.

13) "Over All"

*PSALM 83:18 . . . Jehovah, {art} the most high over all the earth.

+ROMANS 9:5 . . . Christ . . . , who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

14) "Light"

*1 JOHN 1:5 . . . God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. {cf. Ps 27:1, 1 Tim 6 16}

+JOH 8:12 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. {cf. 1:9}

15) "Holy One"

*ISAIAH 48:17 Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; . . . {cf. 10:20, 43:3, 1 Sam 2:2, Ps 89:18}

+ACTS 3:13-14 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; . . . (14) But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, . . . {cf. Acts 2:27 w/ Ps 16:10, Is 49:7}

16) Redeemer

*ISAIAH 43:14 Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; . . . {cf. 41:14, 44:6,24, 47:4, 48:17, 54:8}

+TITUS 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, . . . {cf. Rom 3:24, Gal 3:13, 4:5, Eph 1:7, Titus 2:14, Heb 9:12, Rev 5:9}

17) Illuminating Light

*REVELATION 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: . . . {cf. Is 60:19}

+REVELATION 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb {is} the light thereof.

18) "First and Last"

*ISAIAH 44:6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I {am} the first, and I {am} the last; and beside me {there is} no God.

*REVELATION 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

*REVELATION 21:6-7 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end . . . (7) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. {cf. Is 41:4, 48:12}

+REVELATION 1:17-18 . . . Fear not; I am the first and the last: (18) I {am} he that liveth, and was dead; . . .

+REVELATION 2:8 . . . These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

+REVELATION 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. {identified as Jesus in 22:16}

19) Satisfier of the Thirsty

*REVELATION 21:6 . . . I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

+JOHN 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. {cf. 6:35, 7:37, Rev 22:17}

20) All-Powerful "Hand"

*DEUTERONOMY 32:39 . . . neither {is there any} that can deliver out of my hand. {cf. Jn 10:29}

+JOHN 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any {man} pluck them out of my hand.

21) Sound of Voice

*EZEKIEL 43:2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice {was} like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.

+REVELATION 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

22) "Horn of Salvation"

*2 SAMUEL 22:3 The God of my rock; . . . He is my shield, and the {Horn Of} my salvation, . . . {cf. Ps 18:2}

+LUKE 1:68-69 Blessed {be} the Lord God of Israel; for he . . . (69) . . . hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

23) Divine Discipline

*PROVERBS 3:12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son {in whom} he delighteth.

+REVELATION 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
24) Appearance of God

*EZEKIEL 1:26-28 And above the firmament that {was} over their heads {was} the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne {was} the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. (27) And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. (28) As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so {was} the appearance of the brightness round about. This {was} the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw {it}, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

*DANIEL 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the ancient of days did sit, whose garment {was} white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne {was like} the fiery flame, {and} his wheels {as} burning fire.

+REVELATION 1:13-16 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. (14) His head and {his} hairs {were} white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes {were} as a flame of fire; (15) And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. (16) And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance {was} as the sun shineth in his strength.

+REVELATION 2:18 . . . Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet {are} like fine brass;

25) Destroyer of Death

*ISAIAH 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; . . .

+2 TIMOTHY 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light . . .

26) "Render According to Deeds"

*PSALM 62:12 . . . unto thee, O Lord, {belongeth} mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work. {cf. Is 40:10}

+MATTHEW 16:27 For the Son of man shall . . . reward every man according to his works.

+REVELATION 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward {is} with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

27) Separator of Sheep and Goats

*EZEKIEL 34:17 . . . Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.

+MATTHEW 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth {his} sheep from the goats:

28) Receiver of Glory

*GALATIANS 1:4-5 . . . according to the will of God and our Father: (5) To whom {be} glory for ever and ever. Amen.

+2 PETER 3:18 . . . our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him {be} glory both now and for ever. Amen. {cf. Heb 13:21}

29) Possessor of the Kingdom

*JOHN 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and {of} the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. {cf. Mt 21;31, Lk 7:28, Acts 1:3, Rom 14:17, 1 Cor 4:20, 15:50, Col 4:11, Rev 12:10}

+COLOSSIANS 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated {us} into the kingdom of his dear Son: {cf. Jn 18:36, Eph 5:5, 2 Tim 4:1, Heb 1:8, 2 Pet 1:1}

30) "For Whom Are All Things"

*ROMANS 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, {are} all things: to whom {be} glory for ever. Amen.

*HEBREWS 2:10 For it became him, for whom {are} all things, and by whom {are} all things, . . .
+COLOSSIANS 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether {they be} thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: {cf. Mt 11:27, Jn 3:35, 13:3, Phil 3:21}

31) Lawgiver

*ROMANS 7:22 . . . the law of God . . . {cf. Ps 19:7}

+GALATIANS 6:2 . . . fulfil the law of Christ.

32) "The Spirit of . . ."

*ROMANS 8:9 . . . the Spirit of God . . .

+ROMANS 8:9 . . . the Spirit of Christ, .. . {cf. Phil 1:19}

+GALATIANS 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, . . .

33) Our Hope

*PSALM 71:5 For thou {art} my hope, O Lord God: . . .

+1 TIMOTHY 1:1 . . . Lord Jesus Christ, {which is} our hope; {cf. Col 1:27}

34) Granter of Grace For Salvation

*TITUS 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

+ACTS 15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

35) Head of the Angels

*JOHN 1:51 . . . the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. {Lk 12:8-9, Heb 1:6}

+2 THESSALONIANS 1:7 . . . the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, {cf. Mt 16:27}

36) "His Saints"

*COLOSSIANS 1:26-27 {Even} the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: (27) To whom God would make known . . .

+1 THESSALONIANS 3:13 . . . at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

37) Sender of Angels

*REVELATION 22:6 . . . the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel . . .

+REVELATION 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches . . .

38) "The Gospel of . . ."

*ROMANS 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called {to be} an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, {cf. Mk 1:14, Rom 15:16, 1 Thess 2:2,8-9, 1 Pet 4:17}

+ROMANS 15:19 . . . I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. {cf. Rom 1:16, 1 Cor 9:12, 2 Cor 2:12, 1 Thess 3:2}

39) "Church of . . ."

*1 CORINTHIANS 15:9 . . . I persecuted the church of God. {cf. 1 Cor 11:22, Gal 1:13}

+MATTHEW 16:18 . . . thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; . . .

+ROMANS 16:16 . . . The churches of Christ salute you.

40) "Servants of . . ."

*TITUS 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, . . . {cf. Rom 12:11, Lk 4:8- ". . . him only shalt thou serve"}

+ROMANS 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, . . . {cf. Eph 6:6, Col 3:24; servants of both: Jas 1:1, Rev 7:3, 11:18, 19:5}

II. GOD/YHWH, THE MESSIAH, AND JESUS: PARALLEL PASSAGES

{ * = God/YHWH (God the Father) / # = The O.T. Messiah / + = Jesus (God the Son, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Messiah, the Christ, the Saviour, the Redeemer, the Lamb) }

A. The Saviour

1) *ISAIAH 43:3 For I {am} the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: . . .

2) *ISAIAH 43:11 I, {even} I, {am} the Lord; and beside me {there is} no saviour.

3) *ISAIAH 49:26 . . . I the Lord {am} thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

4) *HOSEA 13:4 Yet I {am} the Lord thy God . . . {there is} no saviour beside me. {cf. Ps 106:21, Is 45:21-22, 60:16, 63:8}

5) *LUKE 1:47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

6) *1 TIMOTHY 4:10 . . . the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. {cf. 1 Tim 1:1, 2:3, 2 Tim 1:9, Titus 1:3, 2:10, 3:4, Jude 1:25}

1) #ISAIAH 49:5-6 And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb {to be} his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, . . . (6) And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

2) #ISAIAH 53:1,4-6,10-12 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? . . . (4) Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (5) But he {was} wounded for our transgressions, {he was} bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace {was} upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all . . . (10) Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put {him} to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see {his} seed, he shall prolong {his} days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. (11) He shall see of the travail of his soul, {and} shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. (12) Therefore will I divide him {a portion} with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. {cf. Is 52:10, 59:16, 63:5, Zech 9:9}

1) +LUKE 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

2) +JOHN 5:24 . . . He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

3) +JOHN 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

4) +ACTS 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand {to be} a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

5) +TITUS 2:13 . . . great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

6) +2 PETER 1:1 . . . God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

7) +1 JOHN 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son {to be} the Saviour of the world.

{cf. Jn 1:29, 3:16-17,36, 4:42, 5:34,40, 6:40, 8:12,51, 11:25-26, 14:6, Acts 4:10-12, Rom 6:23, Phil 3:20, 1 Thess 5:9, 2 Tim 1:10, Titus 1:4, 3:6, 2 Pet 1:11, 2:20, 3:18, 1 Jn 4:9-10, 5:11-12, Rev 7:10, 19:1}

B. Worshiped

1) *ISAIAH 45:23 . . . unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. {cf. 66:23}

2) *DANIEL 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom {is} an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. {cf. Dan 4:34, Rev 4:9-11}

3) *REVELATION 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him {be} glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

1) #PSALM 2:12 Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish {from} the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed {are} all they that put their trust in him.

2) #DANIEL 7:13-14 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, {one} like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. (14) And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion {is} an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom {that} which shall not be destroyed.

3) #ISAIAH 52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

1) +EPHESIANS 1:20-22 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set {him} at his own right hand in the heavenly {places}, (21) Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: (22) And hath put all {things} under his feet, and gave him {to be} the head over all {things} to the church,

2) +PHILIPPIANS 2:9-11 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of {things} in heaven, and {things} in earth, and {things} under the earth; (11) And {that} every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ {is} Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

{cf. Rev 5:12-14 - IV., 6,}

C. Second Coming

1) *ISAIAH 35:4 . . . behold, your God will come {with} vengeance, {even} God {with} a recompence; he will come and save you.

2) *ISAIAH 40:5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see {it} together: . . .

3) *ISAIAH 40:10 Behold, the Lord God will come with strong {hand}, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward {is} with him, and his work before him.

4) *ISAIAH 59:19-20 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. (20) And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, . . .

5) *ISAIAH 66:15 For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.

6) *JOEL 2:4-5 The appearance of them {is} as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. (5) Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.

7) *JOEL 2:10-11 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: (11) And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp {is} very great: for {he is} strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord {is} great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

8) *ZECHARIAH 2:10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.

9) *ZECHARIAH 9:14 And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.

10) *ZECHARIAH 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for {his} only {son}, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for {his} firstborn.

11) *ZECHARIAH 14:3-5 Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (4) And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which {is} before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, {and there shall be} a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. (5) And ye shall flee {to} the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, {and} all the saints with thee.

12) *REVELATION 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. {cf. Ps 110:3, Is 30:20}

1) #ISAIAH 11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

2) #DANIEL 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, {one} like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, . . .

1) +MATTHEW 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

2) +MATTHEW 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. {cf. Zech 12:10}

3) +MATTHEW 26:64 . . . Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. {cf. Mk 14:62}

4) +ACTS 1:9-12 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. (10) And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; (11) Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (12) Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. {cf. 1:12 with Zech 14:4}

5) +2 THESSALONIANS 1:7-8 . . . the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, (8) In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

6) +REVELATION 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they {also} which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. {cf. Zech 12:10}

7) +REVELATION 19:11,13-16,19,21 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him {was} called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war . . . (13) And he {was} clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. (14) And the armies {which were} in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (15) And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (16) And he hath on {his} vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS . . . (19) And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army . . . (21) And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which {sword} proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

8) +REVELATION 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward {is} with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

D. Judge

1) *PSALM 50:6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is {judge} himself. Selah.

2) *PSALM 96:13 Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

3) *ECCLESIASTES 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether {it be} good or whether {it be} evil.

4) *ISAIAH 40:10 Behold, the Lord God will come with strong {hand}, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward {is} with him, and his work before him.

5) *JOEL 3:12-13 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. (13) Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness {is} great. {cf. 2:11}

6) *ZEPHANIAH 1:14-15 The great day of the Lord {is} near, {it is} near, and hasteth greatly, {even} the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. (15) That day {is} a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

{cf. Gen 18:25, 1 Sam 2:10, Ps 9:7-8, 62:12, Ecc 3:17, Is 2:4, 24:21, 26:21, 33:22, 34:2, 35:4, 66:15-16, Ezek 7:19}

1) #PSALM 2:9,12 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel . . . (12) Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish {from} the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed {are} all they that put their trust in him.

2) #PSALM 110:1-2,5-6 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. (2) The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies . . . (5) The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. (6) He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill {the places} with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. {cf. Mt 26:64}

3) #MICAH 5:1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

4) #ISAIAH 11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. {see 11:1-3, Job 4:9, Hos 6:5, 2 Thess 2:8}

5) #ISAIAH 49:2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a Polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

1) +JOHN 5:22,27 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son . . . (27) And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

2) +JOHN 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

3) +ACTS 10:42 . . . it is he which was ordained of God {to be} the Judge of quick and dead.

4) +2 TIMOTHY 4:1 I charge {thee} therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

5) +REVELATION 6:16-17 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: (17) For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

6) +REVELATION 14:14-16 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud {one} sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. (15) And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. (16) And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

7) +REVELATION 19:11,15 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him {was} called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war . . . (15) And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

{cf. Mt 3:10-12, 16:27, 25:31-33,41, Acts 17:31, Rev 17:14, 22:12}

E. King

1) *PSALM 24:10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he {is} the King of glory. Selah.

2) *ISAIAH 24:23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

3) *ISAIAH 33:17,22 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off . . . (22) For the Lord {is} our judge, the Lord {is} our lawgiver, the Lord {is} our king; he will save us.

4) *EZEKIEL 20:33,40 {As} I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you . . . (40) For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.

5) *MICAH 4:3,7 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more . . . (7) And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.

6) *ZECHARIAH 14:9,16 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one . . . (16) And it shall come to pass, {that} every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

{cf. Is 52:7, Ezek 37:24-27, 43:7, Dan 4:34, 7:27, Zech 2:10, Rev 21:3}

1) #PSALM 2:6-8 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. (7) I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou {art} my son; this day have I begotten thee. (8) Ask of me, and I shall give {thee} the heathen {for} thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for {thy} possession.

2) #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. (7) Of 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.

3) #JEREMIAH 23:5-6 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. (6) In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this {is} his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

4) #JEREMIAH 30:9 But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.

5) #EZEKIEL 34:23-24 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, {even} my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. (24) And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken {it}.
6) #EZEKIEL 37:24-25 And David my servant {shall be} king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. (25) . . . and my servant David {shall be} their prince for ever.

7) #ZECHARIAH 2:11 And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee.

8) #ZECHARIAH 6:13 Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. {cf. Heb 7:17}

{cf. Ps 110:4, Is 11:4,10, 32:1, 42:1-4, Jer 33:15, Dan 7:14, Hos 3:5, Mic 5:2-5, Zech, 9:9-10}

1) +MATTHEW 21:4-5 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, (5) Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

2) +MATTHEW 25:31-32,34,40 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: (32) And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth {his} sheep from the goats . . . (34) Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world . . . (40) And the King shall answer and say unto them, . . .

3) +LUKE 1:31-33 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. (32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: (33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

4) +LUKE 22:29-30 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; (30) That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

5) +JOHN 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth . . .

6) +HEBREWS 1:8 But unto the Son {he saith}, Thy throne, O God, {is} for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness {is} the sceptre of thy kingdom. {cf. Ps 45:6}

7) +REVELATION 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and {to} his throne.

8) +REVELATION 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: . . .

{cf. Mt 19:28, Lk 23:3, Eph 1:20-21, Heb 5:5, 7:17, Rev 7:17, 19:13,16, 20:6}

F. God's Throne

1) *1 KINGS 22:19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

2) *PSALM 11:4 The Lord {is} in his holy temple, the Lord's throne {is} in heaven: . . .

3) *PSALM 47:8 . . . God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.

4) *PSALM 93:2 Thy throne {is} established of old: . . .

5) *REVELATION 4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and {one} sat on the throne.

6) *REVELATION 4:10-11 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, (11) Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: . . .

7) *REVELATION 7:10 . . . Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

8) *REVELATION 19:4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

1) #EZEKIEL 1:26 And above the firmament that {was} over their heads {was} the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne {was} the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

2) #EZEKIEL 43:6-7 And I heard {him} speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. (7) And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, . . .

1) +MATTHEW 19:28 . . . when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

2) +MATTHEW 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

3) +HEBREWS 1:8 But unto the Son {he saith}, Thy throne, O God, {is} for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness {is} the sceptre of thy kingdom.

4) +REVELATION 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, . . .

5) +REVELATION 22:1,3-4 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. (3) And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: (4) And they shall see his face; and his name {shall be} in their foreheads.

III. THE UNITY OF GOD AND MONOTHEISM

1) DEUTERONOMY 6:4 Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God {is} one Lord:

2) DEUTERONOMY 32:39 See now that I, {even} I, {am} he, and {there is} no god with me: . . .
3) ISAIAH 37:16,20 O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest {between} the Cherubims, thou {art} the God, {even} thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth . . . (20) Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou {art} the Lord, {even} thou only.

4) ISAIAH 43:10-13 . . . I {am} he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. (11) I, {even} I, {am} the Lord; and beside me {there is} no saviour. (12) I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when {there was} no strange {god} among you: therefore ye {are} my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I {am} God. (13) Yea, before the day {was} I {am} he; and {there is} none that can deliver out of my hand: . . .

5) ISAIAH 44:6,8 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I {am} the first, and I {am} the last; and beside me {there is} no God . . . (8) . . . Is there a God beside me? yea, {there is} no God; I know not {any}.

6) ISAIAH 45:5 I {am} the Lord, and {there is} none else, {there is} no God beside me: . . . {cf. Is 45:6,21-22, 46:9, Mal 2:10}

7) MARK 12:29 . . . The first of all the commandments {is}, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

8) 1 CORINTHIANS 8:4,6 . . . we know that an idol {is} nothing in the world, and that {there is} none other God but one . . . (6) But to us {there is but} one God, the Father, of whom {are} all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom {are} all things, and we by him. {cf. Eph 4:4-6, 1 Tim 2:5, Jas 2:19}

9) Polytheism Condemned Furthermore, there is no such thing as a "Big God and a little god" scenario in Scripture, as Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and other heretics maintain. Polytheism is condemned as vigorously as Monotheism is proclaimed (see esp. Deut 32:39 above). Satan is called "the god of this world" in 2 Cor 4:4, but this is to be understood as a "god" not in nature or essence, but only in the sense that people idolatrously worship it, him, or her, as in the following passages:

2 KINGS 17:35 . . . the Lord . . . charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:

ISAIAH 37:19 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they {were} no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.

1 CORINTHIANS 8:5-6 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) (6) But to us {there is but} one God, the Father, of whom {are} all things, . . .

GALATIANS 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.

{cf. Is 44:10,15,17, 46:6, Acts 14:11, 28:6}

IV. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND/OR TRINITARIANISM

1) GENESIS 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness {was} upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

2) GENESIS 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: . . .

3) GENESIS 3:22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: . . .

4) GENESIS 6:3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, . . .

5) GENESIS 11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, . . .

6) NEHEMIAH 9:20 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, . . .

7) ISAIAH 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? . . .

8) ISAIAH 40:13 Who hath directed the spirit of the Lord, or {being} his counseller hath taught him? {cf. Rom 11:34, 1 Cor 2:16}

9) ISAIAH 63:10-11,14 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: . . . (11) Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, {and} his people, {saying}, . . . where {is} he that put his holy Spirit within him? . . . (14) As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest: . . .

10) HAGGAI 2:5 {According to} the word that I covenanted with you . . . , so my spirit remaineth among you: . . .

11) ZECHARIAH 2:8-11 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. (9) For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me. (10) Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. (11) And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee.

12) ZECHARIAH 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for {his} only {son}, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for {his} firstborn. {applied to Jesus in Jn 19:37}

13) MATTHEW 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

14) LUKE 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

15) LUKE 12:12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

16) JOHN 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, {they} are spirit, and {they} are life.

17) JOHN 14:26 But the Comforter, {which is} the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

18) JOHN 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, {even} the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

19) JOHN 16:7-8 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (8) And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

20) JOHN 16:13-15 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, {that} shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. (14) He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew {it} unto you. (15) All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew {it} unto you.

21) 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. (22) And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: (23) 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.

22) ACTS 7:51 . . . ye do always resist the Holy Ghost. . .

23) ACTS 8:29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

24) ACTS 10:19-20 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. (20) Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.

25) ACTS 13:4 . . . being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; . . .

26) ACTS 15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden . . .

27) ACTS 16:6-7 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, (7) After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.

28) ACTS 20:23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.

29) ACTS 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers . . .,

30) ACTS 21:11 . . . Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver {him} into the hands of the Gentiles.

31) ROMANS 8:14,16 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God . . . (16) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, . . .

32) 2 CORINTHIANS 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, {be} with you all. Amen.

33) PHILIPPIANS 1:19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

34) 1 TIMOTHY 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, . . .

35) HEBREWS 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

36) 1 JOHN 5:7-8 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (8) And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

37) REVELATION 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed {are} the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

38) REVELATION 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come . . .

V. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON: FORTY PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

1) Helps: Jn 14:16,26, 15:26, 16:7, Rom 8:26, 1 Jn 2:1.
2) Glorifies: Jn 16:13-14.
3) Can be Known: Jn 14:17.
4) Gives Abilities: Acts 2:4, 1 Cor 12:7-11.
5) Referred to as "He": Jn 14:26, 15:26, 16:7-8,13.
6) Loves: Rom 15:30.
7) Guides: Jn 16:13.
8) Comforts: Jn 14:26, 15:26, 16:7, Acts 9:31.
9) Teaches: Lk 12:12, Jn 14:26.
10) Reminds: Jn 14:26.
11) Bears Witness: Jn 15:26, Acts 5:32, Rom 8:16.
12) Has Impulses: Jn 16:13.
13) Hears: Jn 16:13.
14) Leads: Mt 4:1, Acts 8:39, Rom 8:14.
15) Pleads: Rom 8:26-27.
16) Longs (Yearns): Jas 4:5.
17) Wills: 1 Cor 12:11.
18) Thinks: Acts 15:25,28.
19) Sends: Acts 13:4.
20) Dispatches: Acts 10:20.
21) Impels: Mk 1:12.
22) Speaks: Jn 16:13-15, Acts 8:29, 10:19, 11:12, 13:2.
23) Forbids: Acts 16:6-7.
24) Appoints: Acts 20:28.
25) Reveals: Lk 2:26, 1 Cor 2:10.
26) Calls to Ministry: Acts 13:2.
27) Can be Grieved: Is 63:10, Eph 4:30.
28) Can be Insulted: Heb 10:29.
29) Can be Lied to: Acts 5:3-4.
30) Can be Blasphemed: Mt 12:31-32.
31) Strives: Gen 6:3.
32) Is Knowledgeable: Is 40:13, Acts 10:19, 1 Cor 2:10-13.
33) Can be Vexed: Is 63:10.
34) Judges: Jn 16:8.
35) Prophesies: Acts 21:11, 28:25, 1 Tim 4:1.
36) Has Fellowship: 2 Cor 13:14.
37) Gives Grace: Heb 10:29.
38) Agrees: 1 Jn 5:7-8.
39) Offers Life: 2 Cor 3:6, Rev 22:17.
40) Is the Creator: Job 33:4.

VI. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD: DIRECT BIBLICAL EVIDENCE

1) JOB 33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. {Creator}

2) MATTHEW 12:31 . . . All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy {against} the {Holy} Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. {only God can be blasphemed}

3) JOHN 4:24 God {is} a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship {him} in spirit and in truth.

4) ACTS 5:3-4,9 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back {part} of the price of the land? (4) Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God . . . (9) Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband {are} at the door, and shall carry thee out. {the Holy Spirit is unquestionably called God, by simple deduction}

5) ACTS 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. {only God calls}

6) ACTS 28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, {Isaiah 6:8-10, which is quoted in Acts 28:26-27, applies the words cited to God; thus the Holy Spirit and God are equated in these two passages}

7) 1 CORINTHIANS 2:10-13 But God hath revealed {them} unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (11) For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. (12) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. (13) Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

8) 1 CORINTHIANS 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and {that} the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? {cf. to 1 Cor 6:19}

9) 1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-6,11 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. (5) And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. (6) And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all . . . (11) But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

10) 2 CORINTHIANS 3:6,17-18 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life . . . (17) Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord {is}, there {is} liberty. (18) But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, {even} as by the Spirit of the Lord.

11) EPHESIANS 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

12) HEBREWS 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, . . .

13) 1 PETER 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: . . .

Additionally, in the following four parallelisms, the Holy Spirit is equated with God the Father twice, and with God the Son, Jesus twice:

{ * = God the Father / <> = The Holy Spirit / + = Jesus }

14) Who Spoke Through the Prophets?

*LUKE 1:68,70 Blessed {be} the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people . . . (70) As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: {cf. Is 6:8-10 w/ Acts 28:25-27}

<>ACTS 28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,

15) Who "Works" All Things?

*1 CORINTHIANS 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

<>1 CORINTHIANS 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

16) Who is Speaking to the Churches in Revelation 2 and 3?

+REVELATION 2:18 . . . These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet {are} like fine brass; {cf. 1:18, 2:8}

<>REVELATION 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; . . . {cf. 2:11,17,29, 3:6,13,22}

17) Who Intercedes For Believers?

+ROMANS 8:34 . . . {It is} Christ . . . who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. {cf. Heb 7:22,25, 1 Jn 2:1}

<>ROMANS 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (27) And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what {is} the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to {the will of} God.

VII. 13 DESCRIPTIONS APPLIED TO ALL THREE IN THE TRINITY

{ * = God the Father / <> = The Holy Spirit / + = Jesus }

1) Who Indwells Believers?

*JOHN 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

*1 CORINTHIANS 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and {that} the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (17) If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which {temple} ye are.

*2 CORINTHIANS 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in {them}; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. {cf. Ex 29:45, Jer 31:33, Ezek 37:27}

*1 JOHN 4:12-16 . . . If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. (13) Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. (14) And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son {to be} the Saviour of the world. (15) Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. (16) And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

<>JOHN 14:16-17 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; (17) {Even} the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. {cf. Jn 14:18 below}

<>ROMANS 8:9,11 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his . . . (11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. {cf. Rom 8:10 below}

<>1 CORINTHIANS 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

<>1 CORINTHIANS 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost {which is} in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? {cf. to 1 Cor 3:16}

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

<>1 JOHN 3:24 . . . And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

<>1 JOHN 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. {cf. Neh 9:20, Jn 14:26, 15:26, 16:7-8,13-15, Rom 8:14, 2 Cor 13:14}

+JOHN 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. {cf. Jn 14:16-17 above}

+JOHN 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I {am} in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

+JOHN 14:23 . . . If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

+JOHN 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

+JOHN 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; . . .

+ROMANS 8:10 And if Christ {be} in you, the body {is} dead because of sin; but the Spirit {is} life because of righteousness. {cf. Rom 8:9 above}

+1 JOHN 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him . . .

2) Who Raised Jesus From the Dead?

*GALATIANS 1:1 . . . God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) {cf. 1 Thess 1:10}

<>ROMANS 8:11 . . . the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, . . .

+JOHN 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

+JOHN 10:17-18 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. (18) No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

3) Who Searches Minds and Hearts?

*JEREMIAH 17:10 I the Lord search the heart, {I} try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, {and} according to the fruit of his doings.

<>1 CORINTHIANS 2:10 But God hath revealed {them} unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

+REVELATION 2:23 . . . I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

4) Who Sanctifies Us?

*1 THESSALONIANS 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; . . .

<>1 PETER 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the spirit, . . .

+HEBREWS 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

5) Who Gives Us Words to Speak?

*MATTHEW 10:19-20 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. (20) For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

<>MARK 13:11 But when they shall lead {you}, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. {cf. Lk 12:11-12, Jn 14:26}

+LUKE 21:14-15 Settle {it} therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: (15) For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

6) Who Gave the New Covenant?

*JEREMIAH 31:33-34 But this {shall be} the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (34) And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

<>HEBREWS 10:15-17 {Whereof} the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, (16) This {is} the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; (17) And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

+HEBREWS 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, . . . {cf. 8:1-13, 10:29, 13:20}
7) Who is the Creator?

*Gen 1:1, Is 44:24, Acts 17:24, Eph 3:9 / <>Job 33:4 / +Jn 1:3, Col 1:16, Heb 1:8,10

8) Who is Our Helper?

*Heb 13:6 / <>Rom 8:26 / +Heb 4:16

9) Who Are We Baptized in the Name of?

* <> + Mt 28:19

10) Who Comforts Us?

*2 Cor 1:3-4 / <>Acts 9:31 / +2 Cor 1:5 {cf. Jn 16:7}

11) Who Gives us Peace?

*Phil 4:7, 1 Cor 14:33 / <>Gal 5:22 / +Jn 14:27, Eph 2:14

12) Who Sends Out Christians?

*Mt 9:38 / <>Acts 13:4 / +Mt 10:16, Mar 3:14, Jn 20:21

13) Who Calls Christians to Ministry?

*Rom 8:28-30, Gal 1:15 / <>Acts 13:2 / +Rom 1:6

VIII. GOD'S APPEARANCES AS A MAN IN THE O.T. (THEOPHANIES)

1) GENESIS 18:1-4 And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; (2) And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw {them}, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, (3) And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: (4) Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: {cf. 18:13,17,22}

2) GENESIS 32:24,30 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day . . . (30) And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. {cf. 35:9-15}

3) EXODUS 24:10-11 And they saw the God of Israel: and {there was} under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in {his} clearness. (11) And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, . . .

4) ISAIAH 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

5) EZEKIEL 43:6-7 And I heard {him} speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. (7) And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, {neither} they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.

6) The "Angel of the Lord" Furthermore, the "Angel of the Lord" is identified as YHWH/God/The LORD several times in Scripture. Yet, in other instances, his identity is distinguished from God (e.g., 2 Sam 24:16, 1 Kin 19:6-7, 2 Kin 19:35, Dan 3:25,28, 6:23, Zech 1:8-14), or is ambiguous (Num 22:22, Josh 5:13-14). In the following passages this Angel is regarded as God Himself, either directly or inferentially:

7) GENESIS 31:11-13 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, {saying}, Jacob: And I said, Here {am} I. (12) And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle {are} ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. (13) I {am} the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, {and} where thou vowedst a vow unto me: . . .

8) EXODUS 3:2-6 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was {not} consumed. (3) And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. (4) And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here {am} I. (5) And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest {is} {holy} ground. (6) Moreover he said, I {am} the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

9) EXODUS 3:14,16 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 me unto you . . . (16) Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and {seen} that which is done to you in Egypt:

10) JUDGES 2:1 And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I . . . have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

11) JUDGES 6:12,14 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord {is} with thee, thou mighty man of valour . . . (14) And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? {cf. 6:16,20-23}

12) JOSHUA 5:14-15 And he said, Nay; but {as} captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? (15) And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest {is} holy . . .

13) ZECHARIAH 12:8 In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David {shall be} as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.

In Acts 8:26,29, an identification of the Angel of the Lord with the Holy Spirit might be inferred:

14) ACTS 8:26,29 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south . . . (29) Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. {cf. Gen 16:7-14, 21:17-19, 22:11-18, 31:11-13, Ex 13:21 w/ 14:19, Jud 13:13-22, Zech 3:1-2}

IX. JESUS IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE FATHER

A. God the Father is Invisible, and Can't be Seen

1) EXODUS 33:20,23 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live . . . (23) And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. {cf. Jud 13:22}

2) JOHN 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time . . .

3) JOHN 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

4) JOHN 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

5) COLOSSIANS 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

6) 1 TIMOTHY 1:17 . . . the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, . . .

7) 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: . . .

8) 1 JOHN 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time . . .

B. Jesus Reveals, and is the Image of, the Father

1) JOHN 1:18 . . . the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared {him}. {RSV,NIV: "made him known"}

2) JOHN 12:45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.

3) JOHN 14:7-9 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. (8) Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. (9) Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou {then}, Shew us the Father?

4) 2 CORINTHIANS 4:4 . . . Christ, who is the image of God, . . .

5) COLOSSIANS 1:15 . . . the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

6) HEBREWS 1:3 Who being the brightness of {his} glory, and the express image of his person, . . .

7) REVELATION 22:1,3-4 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb . . . (3) And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: (4) And they shall see his face; . . .

8) The "Seen"/"Unseen" Paradox The seeming contradiction of God being "seen" (as in the theophanies above, and in other passages such as Gen 17:1, 33:11, Num 12:7-8, Deut 34:10, Jud 13:22, Is 6:5), and "not seen" (in passages such as Ex 33:20, 1 Tim 6:16, and 1 Jn 4:12), has been explained variously. One can take the position that all or some of the theophanies and appearances of the Angel of the Lord (as God Himself) are pre-incarnate appearances of Christ, which would solve the paradox. The Apostle John (Jn 12:41) appears to interpret Isaiah's vision of God (Is 6:1-8) as precisely such an appearance. Or, it is possible to maintain that God created visual manifestations of Himself which were not identical with Himself. In these instances what is being seen are the effects of God's unmediated presence.

Theophanies, in any event, are not always personal appearances of God. For example, non-personal theophanies include the burning bush (Ex 3:1-6), the pillars of cloud and fire (Ex 13:21-22), the cloud and fire of Mt. Sinai (Ex 24:16-18), and the Shekinah glory cloud (Ex 40:34-38). No one would hold that the non-personal appearances represent a direct experience of God's essence. In the same fashion, the personal theophanies can be considered as manifestations one step removed from the actual Father Himself. But, on the other hand, for those who deny the incarnation of Christ, theophanies do show that the notion of God becoming a man is not altogether incomprehensible or impossible, but rather, somewhat plausible (based strictly on the existence and function of theophanies alone). As such, theophanies might be considered precursors (along with verses such as Is 9:6 and Mic 5:2) of the incarnation of the Messiah Jesus, the Son of God (and literally so, if it is believed that these theophanies are pre-incarnate appearances of Christ).

Whenever God is seen, it must either be in the sense of one of these manifestations, or else a beholding of the Son, Jesus, who reveals the Father, as in the verses directly above. In this way, the passages about the invisible God are explained in a non-contradictory manner. Jesus' role as the "image" (Greek, eikon) of the Father also is harmonious with the biblical trinitarian view of the nature of God, while contrary views encounter insuperable logical problems with many biblical passages which appear at first to be contradictory. Not only in this area, but in hundreds of analogous texts, as illustrated above, will the non-trinitarian be hard-pressed to explain rationally the biblical picture of the theology of God (assuming he accepts the validity of the inspired Bible itself). Only trinitarianism can make sense out of, and harmonize all the biblical material, and this is proven beyond refutation in the above copious and comprehensive biblical evidences.

[snip]


http://socrates58.blogspot.com/2005/09/holy-trinity-biblical-proofs.html

Cordially,

135 posted on 01/08/2011 6:14:46 AM PST by Diamond (He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people,)
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To: Vegasrugrat; webboy45

There is ONE God, of 3 distinct persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The following scripture is clear, ONE God, the Triune God:




Godhead

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) believe, as do other Christians, in one Supreme Being who governs the universe, and who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving. However, Mormons don't believe that He works alone but as the presiding member of what they call the godhead.

The Bible dictionary says that God is “The Supreme Governor of the universe and the Father of mankind. We learn from the revelations that have been given that there are three separate persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. From latter-day revelation we learn that the Father and the Son have tangible bodies of flesh and bone, and that the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit without flesh and bone (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22-23).”

 Mormons believe that these three gods—”separate in personality {but}. . . united as one in purpose, in plan, and in all the attributes of perfection” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 317)—are the partnership which rules the universe, with God the Eternal Father the controlling and governing power. LDS Apostle James E. Talmage states it this way: “These constitute the Holy Trinity, comprising three physically separate and distinct individuals, who together constitute the presiding council of the heavens” (Jesus the Christ, p. 32).

This belief is distinct from the traditional Christian doctrine of the Trinity, which generally maintains that they are three persons but one in essence. All three members of the Godhead are eternal and equally divine, but play somewhat different roles.

 



(From MORMON.wiki --->  http://www.mormonwiki.com/Godhead )   Move along: no agenda here...



 

PD; you have got some EXCELLANT web links!
I'm SO glad you've posted them!!!

136 posted on 01/08/2011 6:16:13 AM PST by Elsie
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To: Diamond

Gee, thanks!

Now I have to drive clear into town buy another big bucket of ELECTRONS!


137 posted on 01/08/2011 6:18:48 AM PST by Elsie
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To: Elsie
Hey, I'm just your humble servant trying to emulate you!:^)

Cordially,

138 posted on 01/08/2011 6:23:10 AM PST by Diamond (He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people,)
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To: Diamond

Posting a reply containing four linear feet of text is no way to win friends and influence people on any FR forum, no matter what the topic, imho.


139 posted on 01/08/2011 6:24:07 AM PST by RegulatorCountry
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To: RegulatorCountry
four linear feet of text

Of which probably over 95% is relevant Biblical text. Maybe that's why it offends you. It apparently influenced at least one person, MHGinTN some years ago before you were even here because he asked me to post it here on this thread.

Cordially,

140 posted on 01/08/2011 6:32:01 AM PST by Diamond (He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people,)
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