The purpose of this dissertation is to prove that Jesus Christ is God within the beliefs and teaching of Trinitarianism. Three distinct personalities, persons and offices equal in power, presence and knowledge in one God. The union of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in one God. Jesus Christ the Son of God being equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Outside of the personal revelations that the Holy Spirit has given to men and women through the ages, all that we know of Jesus Christ is given in one book, the Bible. Other books have been written, however the King James Version of the Bible is the only one in which we can have the confidence that it is inspired of God. II Timothy chapter 3 verses 16 and 17 says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. II Peter 1:20-21 says, Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

We read in Colossians chapter 1 verses 15 through 17, and the ‘Who’ in verse 15 is God the Father, Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 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: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. This verse tells that all thing were created and consist because of Jesus. Hebrews 1:10-12, ‘Thou, Lord’ is referring to Jesus Christ,  And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. I John 5:7 says, For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. The ‘Word’ spoken of here is Jesus. The Gospel of John chapter 1 verses 1 to 5, referring to The Word says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. Continuing in verses 10 and 14 speaking of Jesus, He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. And verse 14, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. These scriptures clearly shows that Jesus, who was from the beginning, recognized as the ‘Word’ created all things. Jesus who had no beginning of himself, was before Genesis 1:1.

Genesis 1:1, says In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The Hebrew word for God used here is Elohiym which is masculine plural for Elowahh. The plural form of God would support the doctrine of the Trinity. We have seen from previous verses that by Jesus all things were created and consist. Having a trinity that is equal in power, presence and knowledge, God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were all involved in the creation. Another point that needs to be discussed is the word ‘created’. The Hebrew word for created is bara which means “(absolutely) to create”1 as opposed to make or made. God spoke the heaven and earth into existence from nothing. Genesis 1:26 says, And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Notice the Bible says, Let us (plural) make man in our (plural) image, after our (plural) likeness. God being a trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, he has made man in his image as a trinity also. In I Thessalonians 5:23 says, And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have a spirit, soul and body. Like the Godhead, our spirit pictures the Holy Spirit, our soul pictures the Father and our body pictures the Son. Genesis 1:27 says that God created man, however, look at Genesis 2:7 and 2:19, the Bible says that God ‘formed’ man and every beast of the field out of the dust of the ground. To have a better understanding of what that means go back to Genesis 1:2 and the Bible says, And the earth was without form, and void. The Hebrew word for ‘form’ in this application is tohuw, it means “to lie waste; a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert; fig. a worthless thing.”2 The earth as it was created in Genesis 1:1 was a waste land desolate and in that condition a worthless thing to man. It could not support life as it had been created. The English definition of ‘form’ is “The shape and structure of anything, as distinguished from the material of which it is composed; particular or distinctive disposition or arrangement of matter; figure.”3 Let me explain, “the shape and structure of anything as distinguished from the material of which it is composed”, means if as we look at the created earth, from an unscientific point of view, you would not be able to tell what material was used to compose the trees, water, the air that we breath, the herbs and fruit that we eat or the fish in the ocean. The earth when it was void and before it was formed was made of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, helium, carbon, titanium, iron, copper, aluminum, tin, lead and on and on. Jesus took those elements and  formed them to make trees, grass, water, fruits and vegetables. As the definition goes on to say, “a distinctive arrangement of matter”. To look at them you can’t tell what they are formed from. In other words, to form, means to take the elements and arrange them in an order that you can’t tell from what they were made. When I look at my Bible, had I not been taught, I would not have known it was made from trees, cattle for the cover and petroleum based ink. Jesus took all of the elements and matter that the earth was composed of and formed them into what we see today. Jesus formed man out of the dust of the earth, to look at man you wouldn’t know that. So at a point in eternity past Jesus was prepared to move upon earth and make it complete for human habitation.

There is another aspect of creation by Jesus and that is of the spirit and soul. The spirit and soul of all living creatures, human, beasts of the field, fowls of the air or fish in the sea. The Bible says in Genesis 2:7, And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. In connection with the creation in Genesis the Bible doesn’t make the destination between the spirit and the soul, however, both would be required and both would have an origin. Reading in Ecclesiastes 12:7, Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it, Adam received his spirit just as he did his soul and at the same time. Zechariah 12:1, says, The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. These verses also indicates that the spirit is eternal and even though the man dies, his spirit will return to God until the rapture for the saved man or the judgment for the lost man. At that time the resurrected body, soul and spirit will be united once again.

So, as we read in Colossians all thing were created by Jesus and for Jesus.

The Gospel According to St. John chapter 17 verse 5 says, And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Jesus was with the Father before the world was, He was with the Father during the creation of Genesis and now we shall see Jesus before he came to this world as the Messiah, born of a virgin, Isaiah 7:14.

We will first look at the appearances of Jesus in the Old Testament where He takes on the form of an man but referred to as an angel. We will only look at a few examples.

Theophany means, “A physical manifestation of the presence of God or a god to man, esp. by incarnation in a human body or appearance in human form”.4 These appearances of Jesus can be identified in the Bible by the term “the angel of the Lord”. ‘The’ is a definite article, a particular angel not just any angel but “the angel of the Lord”, Jesus. Angels in the Bible always take on the appearance of men, thus when Jesus makes a pre-incarnate appearance it’s as “the angel of the Lord” it is usually as a man but later we will see His appearance as something other than the form of a man. We will also see an appearance of Jesus with no mention of an angel but as a man, a king and a priest.

The first mentioned in the Bible of the phrase, the angel of the Lord, is in Genesis 16. The story of Abram, Sarai, Hagar who was Sarai’s handmaid and with Abram’s child. Sarai confronted Hagar because Sarai felt Hagar despised her, and Hagar fled. Starting in verse 7, And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me.

All that the angel of the Lord had said unto her has come to pass. Even today we live with the descendants of Ishmael and his hand is still against every man. His seed has been multiplied exceedingly and are found in every part of the world. What would the world look like today had Abraham and Sarai believed God and Ishmael would not have been born. Only Jesus as God could have possibly known the impact upon the future world that we have today and what lies ahead for us.

The next place we find the angel of the Lord, Jesus Christ, is when Abraham was told by God to take his only son, Isaac, and go to the mount Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering. In Genesis 22:10-12 the Bible says, And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. Here we see that the angel of the Lord acknowledges that He is God, for now I know that thou fearest God. Only God knew the heart of Abraham and that he was going to fulfill the offering. Hebrews 11:6 says, But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:17-19, By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. Abraham knew the promises that God had given and said in Genesis 22 verse 8, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. This angel who knew the heart of Abraham was Jesus and we will see this in verses 15-18,  And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. Notice the angel is still speaking and the context said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord. The angel is saying, I’m the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. And again only God knows the future and that Abraham’s seed, through Isaac, will become great in numbers just as Ishmaels. Only God would know the great conflict this world is experiencing today because of Isaac and Ishmael.

The third place I want to look at in the Bible is where the angel of the Lord appears as a man in Numbers. Balaam was riding his ass towards Moab and the angel appeared unto him. Numbers 22:27 says, And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam. Verse 31-32, Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me. Notice the angel of the Lord did not say, get up don’t worship me I’m as you. No angel of God would have allowed someone to, bow down his head, and fell flat on his face. In Revelation 19, John is worshipping someone other than the Lord God and in verse 10 we read, And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant. Only the Father, Son and Holy Spirit deserve our worship and this angel of the Lord did not stop Balaam because he is Jesus and Jesus deserves our worship.

There are other appearances of Jesus in the Old Testament without the mention of an angel as found in Genesis chapter 3. Eve and Adam had tasted of the ‘tree of the knowledge of good and evil’. In verse 8 it says, And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. They didn’t see God, they just heard the voice of God walking. The trinity of God in man is our spirit is the Holy Spirit of God, our soul is the Father and our body is the Son. So only the Son, the Lord Jesus, could you hear the voice of God walking. This portion of text does not speak of the angel of the Lord but only an angel would have the voice of walking.

Another account in the Bible where Jesus appears to someone as the angel of the Lord but not in the form of a man is His first appearance before Moses. Exodus 3, Moses is tending the flock of his father in-law when he sees something strange. Exodus 3:2-6 says,  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. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 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. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 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. Here the angel of the Lord does not appear as a man but as a flame of fire. Notice how God called unto him out of the midst of the bush. The Bible is connecting the angel of the Lord and God as one. The angel of the Lord being Jesus and the Bible is calling Jesus God.

Now we will look at an appearance where Jesus is not referred to as an angel of the Lord but a man. In The Book of Joshua, Joshua is by Jericho but the city has not yet been defeated. Chapter 5 verses 13 through 15 says, And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 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? 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. And Joshua did so. Here Joshua recognized this man, the captain of the host of the Lord, as God and did worship him. Just as with Balaam had this man not been God he would have stopped Joshua. Also, like Moses, Joshua found himself standing on holy ground. Now this account continues on into chapter 6 and we will see that in verse 2 the Lord is speaking. Chapter 6 verses 1 and 2, Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. Here we’ve seen the Lord appear to Joshua and this can only be Jesus, Who is the image of the invisible God, Colossians 1:15.

Lets look at one more example of the pre-incarnation of Jesus as God. Melchizedek of Genesis chapter 14. Abram had rescued Lot and was returning to the plain of Mamre, were his tent was, and was met on the road by Melchizedek king of Salem, who brought bread and wine. Genesis 14:18-20, And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. Reading these verses there is nothing that would lead you to believe that Melchizedek is anything but an ordinary priest serving God. Hebrews 7:1-5, For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham. Now lets compare this king with Jesus. Jesus is the King of kings, Revelation 17:14. Jesus is the King of Jerusalem, which some believe is the same as Salem. Jesus Christ is our High Priest, Hebrews 3:1. We give our tithe to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ the righteous, for us, I John 2:1. Jesus is The Prince of Peace, Isaiah 9:6. Jesus was without father, mother and with no beginning of days, nor end of life; 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 1:8. Melchizedek was Jesus before his incarnation, The Lord Jesus Christ is God, as a king and a priest.

To research the life of Jesus Christ as God manifested in the flesh, we must first go back into the Old Testament to see the prophecy of when the coming of Israel’s Messiah was to happen.

The Bible says in Daniel 9:24-26.  Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. This portion of scripture tells us that from the time the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to the time when the Messiah was to be killed for the people of Israel shall be sixty nine weeks. Each week is represent by a week of years or each week is equal to seven years. Nehemiah was given that commandment in chapter 2 verses 1 through 8 by King Artaxerxes in B.C. 450. The first seven weeks or 49 years was required to rebuild the city. So Jerusalem was rebuilt by B.C. 401. Then 62 weeks later, or 434 years, was when the Messiah was to be ‘cut off’ from the people. This would locate the time of the death of the Messiah as A.D. (year of our Lord) 33.

When Daniel wrote this prophecy he was living captive in Babylon. Because he had the Spirit of the Lord with him he was able to make a name for himself by interpreting the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar. This was done after Nebuchadnezzar’s wise men; magicians, astrologers and soothsaers were unable to interpret the dream. He soon became governor of Bablyon and later ‘chief of the governors’. Now I believe because of the wise men’s resentment towards Daniel and wanting to discredit him they kept all of his writings and knew of his prophecy of the time of the coming of the Messiah of Israel. They would have know the time of his death, 483 years after the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem, so they would be looking for some signs of the Messiah prior to that date. Since they were astrologers it would be likely they would immediately recognize some change in the size or location of a star. Even though it would be years after the death of Daniel, I believe they were still looking for any opportunity to discredit him or the possibility to verify Daniel’s prophecy.

Daniel refers to the Messiah which in the New Testament would be Christ. Christ is the Messiah the Anointed. Matthew chapter 1 verse 18 says, Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise. Jesus was the child’s name and Christ was his title, the Christ or the Messiah, the Anointed one. Luke chapter 1 verse 27 tells us that the child’s mother’s name was Mary and that Mary was a virgin and, that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost, Matthew 1:20. Verse 21 goes on to say, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Only God can forgive sins and this is what we were told is the purpose of Jesus’ coming. Verse 23 validates that Jesus is God when it says, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. While Jesus was walking on the earth God was with them.

In John chapter 14 Philip was speaking to Jesus and said, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 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? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. In this portion of text Jesus is trying to make Philip understand that he is the visible Father. Colossians 1:15a says, Who is the image of the invisible God. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father, John 6:46.

Jesus performed many miracles while here as a man. He healed the blind, deaf and dumb. He freed a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years and who was bowed down and could not lift herself up. Twice he fed thousands with just a few fish and loaves of bread. John says it best in chapter 21 verse 25, And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.

In the epistle to Titus Paul makes it clear three times that he believes Jesus is God. We will see in each chapter that Paul refers to God our Saviour and Jesus Christ our Saviour and the only conclusion you can come to is that Jesus Christ is God. In chapter 1 verses 3 and 4 Paul says, But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour; To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. In chapter 2 verses 10 and 13, the Bible says, Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Verse 14 goes on to say, Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Who else but God could redeem anyone from all of their iniquity and purify them. Paul goes on in chapter 3 verses 3 through 6, For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. In spite of what we had become Jesus Christ our God, in kindness and love, came to us to save us, not by any means of our own but through his abundant mercy.

At the time of the crucifixion it was Jesus who ‘yielded up the ghost’, Matthew 27:50. There were many eye witnesses and Matthew tells us on one centurion in verse 54,  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

Paul tells us in I Corinthians 15 verses 3 through 8, For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. Luke adds additional information of Jesus’ last days on earth after his resurrection in Acts chapter 1 verses 2 through 5, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Continuing on in verses 9 through 11 the Bible says, And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 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. Before the crucifixion when Jesus was been questioned by the chief priests and all the council they asked him in Mark chapter 14 verses 61 and 62, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. I Peter 3:21-22 tells us that after the resurrection, Jesus will seated on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. Jesus will have the authority over authorities and powers on earth and in heaven. Hebrews 1:3 and 12:2 also tell us that Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the Father.

With Jesus’ resurrection and ascension comes his exaltation by the Father. Hebrews 2:9-10 says, He was crowned with glory and honour, But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Ephesians 1:22 says, all things have been put under Him. After His ascension he was seen by Stephen standing on the right hand of God, Acts 7:55. He was seen by Paul as a great blinding Light and spoke to Paul in Acts 9:3-6 and Acts 22:6-11. John saw Jesus numerous times as recorded in Revelation.

When Jesus took his position on the throne with the Father he also became our High Priest who make intercession for us. Hebrews 7:24-28, But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore. Since we have a High Priest who knows what it is to be tempted, yet He himself was without sin, we can now with confidence, because of the grace of God, go in boldly before the throne of grace and let our requests be made known to Him, Hebrews 4:14-16.

While Jesus is at the right hand of the Father three major events happen. First is the rapture of the church, second is the judgment seat of Christ, where all Christians will be judged, not for whether or not they are allowed into Heaven but for their works on earth after they received Jesus as their saviour and third will be the marriage supper of the Lamb.

The rapture of the church. I Thessalonians 4:13-18, But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. The first group spoken of here is those people who have believed that Jesus died and rose again, who they themselves have died and their bodies are waiting for the rapture. After them will the believers who are still alive and then they also will receive their resurrected bodies and we will all meet in the air. I Corinthians 15:51-58 speaks of the resurrected body, Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

For the judgment for Christians we will first look at I Corinthians 3:13-15 says, Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. We will all be judged by our works while here on earth. Romans 14:10-12, But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. II Corinthians 5:8-10 says, We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

So we first have the rapture of the church where all believers will receive their resurrected bodies, we then go through the judgment seat of Christ were we must answer for all that we have done on earth for Jesus whether good or bad. Then we will go to the marriage supper of the Lamb. This is where Jesus and his church are married, the church being the ‘Bride of Christ’. II Corinthians 11:2, Paul speaks of the church as being espoused,  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. Paul continues on in Ephesians 5:27, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Revelation 19:7 says, 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. And Revelation 2:9-10 says, And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. So, the bride of Christ is the body of believers called the church and as the bride we will be present at the marriage supper of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.

The church has been looking forward to the second coming of Jesus ever since the disciples were told of his return in Acts chapter 1 verse 11 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. But now Jesus is returning to restore Israel to himself and their land to them, to judge the nations, and to bind Satan, the Beast and the False Prophet. And finally to set up his kingdom. A kingdom in which He will rule the world, from David’s throne, in Jerusalem.

Zechariah 14:1-4 says, Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 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. The nations shall be judged and the Lord Jesus Christ will go before the nation of Israel and destroy the armies of the nations against Israel. Jeremiah 33:14-16 says, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness. Jesus has promised  and he will execute judgment in the land.

Revelation 19:11-13, 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. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. This Word of God who is also called Faithful and True is Jesus Christ. Revelation 19:19-21 goes on to say, 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. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 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. The beast and the false prophet were cast into the lake of fire. With them bound and the armies of the world destroyed by Jesus the only thing left was to bind Satan also and Jesus gave that task to an angel from heaven, Revelation 20:1-3.

In II Samuel 7:8-17 God promised David that he would set up His kingdom. In Luke 1:31-33 the Bible says, And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. 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: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. The angel Gabriel, verse 19, made it clear that Jesus was to sit on the throne.

VI. Jesus in the Millennium.

Matthew 6:9-10, After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Revelation 20:6, Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Zechariah 14:9, And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. During this 1000 year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ here on earth his kingdom is a visible earthly kingdom. Jesus will reign over all of the earth from Jerusalem upon David’s throne (Jeremiah 23:5-6, Isaiah 11:3-4 ). We who were are part of the first resurrection will reign and rule with Him. This will be the kingdom that the Jews were expecting at the first coming of the Messiah but which was delayed because of their rejection of Jesus.

During this time the world will finally have the peace for which it had been seeking. Besides the peace will come righteousness.

Revelation 21:1-3,  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. Revelation 22:1-6, 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. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 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: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

The new heaven and new earth and new Jerusalem. Now the eternal kingdom in which Jesus is Lord.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Notes:

l.  Thomas Nelson Inc., The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc. 1996

(Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Hebrew Bible, Number 1254 Page 22)

2.  Thomas Nelson Inc., The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc. 1996

(Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Hebrew Bible, Number 8414 Page 150)

3. G. & C. Merrian Company, Webster’s New International Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition, Unabridged, G. & C. Merrian Company, Publishers, Springfield, Mass. 1949 (Page 991, I. Abstract Senses: 2)

4. G. & C. Merrian Company, Webster’s New International Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition, Unabridged, G. & C. Merrian Company, Publishers, Springfield, Mass. 1949 (Page 2620)

All scripture is italicized and from the King James Version.