Is Jesus Who He Claimed to Be? :: By Grant Phillips

 

First of all, who did Jesus claim to be? It is without argument that He claimed to be the second person of the triune Godhead, i.e., God the Son. In other words, He claimed to be God by His actions and His very words.

In John 14:6-11, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’ Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.'”

If that isn’t strong enough for you, consider what Jesus says in John 10:27-30, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” (emphasis mine)

In John 8:58, Jesus says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

If you recall, when God told Moses that he was to go to Egypt and bring God’s people out of Egypt, Moses said, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” (Exodus 3:13).

Do you remember God’s reply to Moses in the very next two verses? “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ Moreover God said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations'” (Exodus 3:14-15).

Jesus claimed equality with God in forgiving sins and raising the dead. He actually did raise the dead, if you recall: Lazarus, the daughter of Jairus, and the son of the widow at Nain. By the way, these are the only three mentioned, but I personally feel there were probably many more (John 21:25).

Jesus’ followers recognized Him as God and worshiped Him as God. Stephen called out His name while dying (Acts 7:59). The demon-possessed man in Mark 5, the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15, the ruler in Matthew 9, and James and John’s mother in Matthew 20 all worshiped Him, just to name a few.

These are only a few brief examples of Jesus definitely claiming to be the one and only God by His words and His actions. Is Jesus God? Is He now in Heaven as the Bridegroom preparing to return for His bride, the Church? All who have ever put their faith in Him know He really is God. I know Jesus is God because He is my God, my Lord and my Savior. Millions of others can echo these same words today.

Jesus does not need me to defend Him. The only thing that can change a person’s thinking is to have a change of heart, and that can only come through coming to Jesus with a repentant heart and asking Him to save them.

That being said, I would like to provide something to think about for those who are “riding the fence,” so to speak.

There were over 300 prophecies (some say 375) that Jesus fulfilled in relation to His first coming when He paid our sins upon the cross of Calvary. Obviously, I cannot list that many and comment on them in a short article such as this. So, consider the few shown below if you please.

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES FULFILLED BY JESUS:

Genesis 12:1-3, 7; 17:19; Numbers 24:17 (Galatians 3:15-18) prophecy that Jesus will be of the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is fulfilled in Matthew 1:1-2.

Genesis 49:10 prophesies that Jesus will come from the tribe of Judah. Fulfilled in Luke 3:33.

Isaiah 9:6-7 says that Jesus will be heir to David’s throne. Fulfilled in Luke 1:32-33.

Micah 5:2 states that Jesus will be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah. Fulfilled in Luke 2:4, 5, 7.

Note: There were two towns named Bethlehem at that time. One was in the region of Judea (Bethlehem Ephrathah), and the other was to the north in the region occupied by the tribe of Zebulun. Matthew 2:1 and Luke 2:4, 5, 7 fulfill Micah 5:2 to the letter.

Daniel 9:25 prophesies the time of Jesus’ birth, and it is fulfilled in Luke 2:1-2 (a historical fact).

Isaiah 7:14 says that Jesus would be born of a virgin, and that is fulfilled in Luke 1:26-27, 30-31.

Hosea 11:1 tells of the flight to Egypt. Fulfilled in Matthew 2:14-15.

Zechariah 11:12 informs us that Jesus would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. Fulfilled in Matthew 26:14-15.

Psalm 34:20 says that Jesus would have no bones broken. John 19:32-33, 36 fulfills this prophecy.

After reading just these eleven prophecies out of over 300 that were prophesied, if Jesus was not God, how did they all come true? They all have been fulfilled to the letter because Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be. He is God. Think about the following questions.

Have you ever known anyone who could determine:

  • Who would be included in his bloodline,
  • Which tribe he would be born in,
  • Which king’s throne he would sit on,
  • Which locale he would be born in,
  • When he would be born,
  • That his mother would be a virgin (ever known anyone else born of a virgin?), and
  • His parents’ flight to Egypt?

When Judas betrayed Jesus, he made that deal on his own [30 pieces of silver], and when Jesus was hanging on the cross, He was at the mercy of His executioners [no bones broken].

When Jesus came to earth the first time, He came to die for the sins of the world and offer eternal life to any who would believe upon Him. When He returns, He will be coming as Judge. If you have not put your faith in Him, now is the time to do so. It will be too late after He returns or if death takes you to the grave beforehand.

If Jesus was not God but just an ordinary man, there is absolutely no way he could have fulfilled the outcome of the prophecies I mentioned, much less all the other prophecies that are recorded of Him.

Also, ask yourself why would His followers die for a lie? His apostles and other followers died horrible deaths, except the apostle John. All they had to do was keep quiet and go back to fishing or other trade, and they would not have suffered. Why didn’t they do that? Why did they choose to suffer and die for their belief in Jesus? It is because they all knew that Jesus was exactly who He claimed to be.

Jesus is God.

Grant Phillips

Email: Phillip5769@twc.com
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html

Let’s Get a Grip on Reality :: By Dave Hubley

 

For quite some time now, I have watched and listened to many, many people in many, many venues talking about the myriad of events and “news” that abound in this country, and I am not surprised that we, as a nation here in America, and the world in general, are in the mess we are in.

In addition to God’s prophetic warnings contained in His Word, there is the overwhelming weight of world history that provides all the proof anyone could reasonably need as to the patterns we see developing.

Cognitive reasoning and simple application of common sense seem to have been abandoned. This is not the least surprising, both in a world that is in open rebellion against God and as the fruit of modern “education.”

If, as a population/nation, current events noted below (and this is a very short list) don’t stimulate people to wake up, the consequences will be staggering.

This is not “out there.” No, it is at the door.

Let’s take a few examples into consideration. I am not an educated man (perhaps that is a blessing in the current times), and I don’t think it requires a degree or some alphabetical suffix to make these associations and draw these elementary conclusions. It simply requires the most basic form of situational awareness.

Am I imagining the elephant in the room? Or is it about to trample people to death under an avalanche of reality? I’ll let you decide.

1) This country is constantly referred to as a democracy! It is not! It is/was a Constitutional Representative Republic! There is a PSYOP being perpetrated in this narrative, and people don’t seem to see it. Referring to America as a “democracy” plants a subliminal association with “Democrat” and implies that that party is more in line with our country’s founding principles than the “rebellious” Republicans (not that the majority of “Republicans” are in line either).

Let me ask you, does the current Democrat Party ideology and actions have even the faintest resemblance to America’s founding principles?

Worse, you almost never hear the Republican “legislators” call our Constitutional Republic by its proper nomenclature. You would think that they would know better. “Democracies” eventually turn into a reversed form of mob rule with a fluffy name that evolves into some depraved aristocracy. Like now.

This link (https://bearstatebooks.com/blog/2021/03/07/the-tytler-cycle-suggests-a-democracy-only-lasts-200-years/), I believe, will make the case well, especially if considered in light of the current state of things.

2) Biden is referred to by both Republicans and Democrats alike as “the president”! Based on the overwhelming evidence that has come to light, do you think that is even remotely true? Yet, some sort of warped legitimacy is assigned to this travesty by the very people who should be stopping it.

3) Cadets in US Army uniforms marched wearing women’s red high heel shoes! This debacle can be readily viewed by a simple internet search. It happened twice! America’s enemies are rightly mocking and laughing at this sickening absurdity WHILE they are cleaning their weapons and sharpening their bayonets. Make no mistake about it.

4) The Afghanistan “withdrawal”; No stronger message could have been sent to our enemies (and they are many) than was sent by this action. But the greater harm is that:

  1. a) These advanced weapons will most likely be used against us at some point. By “us,” I don’t mean American troops only. I mean US! Potentially all of us!
  2. b) We don’t have some sort of unlimited supply of weapons within our borders. These will be badly needed for the defense of the homeland in the not-so-near future (in my opinion), and they will not be here.
  3. c) The “coincidental” loss of food processing factories, agricultural production, and destruction of animal resources (cattle, chickens, pigs, etc.), dearth of fertilizer supplies, and farmland taken out of production. The lack of baby formula! The general population is clueless as to the end result of these events. It is ongoing worldwide even now. How does anyone expect this is going to end?

If you have ever cut down a dead tree and found it infested with carpenter ants, then you saw that when the nest is exposed to the light, the ants immediately scramble to protect the nestlings. They grab their eggs and run for cover.

However, that is not what the globalists are currently doing. They see that their tactics and plans have been exposed. And now, instead, they must “go for broke.” That is what is really happening.

It is common practice (because it is common sense) to correctly diagnose any illness before treating it.

The world’s diagnosis is clear. The verdict is in with all necessary evidence. This is all being intentionally engineered!

Anyone who actually accepts that this is all coincidental needs to have their head AND heart examined.

According to Walt Kelly’s Pogo, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

The reality that we need to get a grip on is that the God of our creation has been ignored and His word trampled. And worse, His Son, Jesus Christ, has been made a mockery of by so many people for so long that this world has become like a compromised ship, burdened with the rust and decay of sin that eats away at the integrity of the hull until it leaks. Once that hull has taken on more water than it can displace, it will sink.

Consider for a moment how many times over the course of a single day that the Name of God and of Jesus Christ is used as a common epithet or intentionally mocked and abused.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7).

I believe that the final events prophesied in God’s Word are now set in motion, and they are irrevocable. The Word of God has been available for many centuries, and its accuracy is 100%; yet, for many centuries, it has been ignored. Just like an approaching storm, it will soon break and run its course.

“Although you wash with lye and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before Me,’ declares the Lord GOD” (Jeremiah 2:22). There is no “God of the Old Testament” and no “God of the New Testament. There is only the One True God who has made that fact clear:

In the Old Testament – “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me” (Isaiah 46:9).

In the New Testament – “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).

The mountain of fulfilled prophecy is abundant evidence of this fact.

I would state that this mountain of evidence is irrefutable, but at this current time of delusion and depravity, where truth is (relative??), anything, no matter how obviously true, will be vainly disputed by someone or, unfortunately, multiple someones somewhere.

However, that secular, worldly argument does not put the slightest dent in reality.

The reality, as I believe this world will find out soon, is Truth from God’s perspective.

So, what am I offering as a solution? I don’t believe there is a solution in human terms. It is human activity, sin, rebellion, and depravity that has led us here.

“But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. God ‘will repay each one according to his deeds.’ To those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger” (Romans 2:5-8).

And now to the crux of this article.

To you who call yourselves Christians but have fallen under the spell of the modern, “progressive church,” easy believism and its focus on this world instead of the Lord Jesus Christ, I say with all love and compassion, GET OUT THE DOOR OF THAT CHURCH NOW BEFORE THE DOOR OF THE AGE OF GRACE IS CLOSED FOREVER! Find a church that preaches the unsullied Word of God, or if you can’t find one you can attend in person, you are better off to stay home! There are still numerous churches that are true to Jesus and stream their services online. Heed this warning by the Lord:

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.

‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches'” (Revelation 3:14-22).

For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life:

You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior.

It requires that you come before God on His terms.

And, what are His terms according to His Word?

  • Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
  • Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
  • That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
  • To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
  • Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross.
  • To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.

God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.

  • No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
  • No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
  • Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.

If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.

John 5:24: “Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life.”

There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics, or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.

The answers are in the Word of God – the Bible. If you ask God with all your heart, He will hear you.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Pro Salvator Vigilans

To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com