The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet #4470

Jesus is the Word and Jesus is God

My Hi-lite: John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2  The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Where have we heard "In the beginning" before? Right! In the beginning of the Word of God, in Genesis 1:1 to which this same time frame refers. Of course "kids" always want to know when "in the beginning" was. We tell them that God "always was" and "always will be" and they say, "I don't understand, is that the best you can do?" Well, perhaps. But know this, time is not a measurement of the spiritual dimension just as a "thought" has no length, or breadth or height, does it?

Man has his limitations in the flesh. If he could hear all sounds in the city, he would be deafened. If he could see all the molecules and particles in the air, he would be blinded. He can only reach about three feet and jump so high. And the same limitations apply to the flesh mind. I like to use the "carrot" test to illustrate the point.

Close your eyes and envision 3 carrots. Pretty easy, isn't it? Now close your eyes and see exactly 148 carrots. You can't do it? Our minds can't even SEE 148 objects and yet we want someone to explain infinity and then the Trinity. There are some things that lie beyond man's ability to comprehend. They belong to the other dimension, behind the veil which separates this one from that one.
However, there is one thing we do know as revealed in God's Word, and that is that "In the beginning" was BEFORE CREATION!  Yes, there was a time before this planet earth even existed, but He who always was and always will be was there, even the Father, the Word and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
Proverbs 8:22-26
The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
Wisdom was with God before any of His works, i.e. creations.
[23] I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
There was no earth "In the beginning".
[24] When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

[25] Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:

[26] While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.

Was "the beginning" only 6,000 years ago as the unlearned claim? Hardly! It was aions ago, or as the late Carl Sagan would say "Billions and billions and billions of years ago".

So what did exist "In the beginning"? We just read it in the first verse of John. Let's read it again:

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John certainly knows who the Word of God is. He saw Jesus Christ many times, in the flesh, transfigured, and in while in heaven. Here's his description of Him in heaven.
Rev. 19:13
And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.
So the Word of God was in the beginning with God, because He was God.
John 1:2
The same was in the beginning with God.

Christ is the Living Word of God. He always was and He always will be. He changes not!

[3] All things were made by Him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
So when we read Genesis 1:1 we now know Who it was that did all the creating. It was the Word of God who created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Hey, the apostle Paul knew it was the Word of God who created the heaven and the earth:
Hebrews 11:3
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
We understand through faith because "that's the best we can do" because of the "Carrot Factor", i.e. the problem we have seeing into the other dimension. So we don't know how He did it, but we know He did it.

The apostle Peter knew it was the Word of God who created the heaven and the earth:

2 Peter 3:5
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
Everyone knows it was the Word of God who created the heaven and the earth, don't they? Oh, I forgot about the public school systems and the scoffers who are willingly ignorant of God's Word. They have no idea and so they keep "big banging" their heads trying to figure it all out.

And everyone knows that life can only come from life, don't they? Life existed before the creation of the world, and it is that life from which all that has life comes.

John 1:4
In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Yes, but unfortunately we know there was one who didn't want to walk in that light, and his name was Lucifer. And he brought darkness into the "world that then was" but he did not prevail.
John 1:5
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
"Comprehend" is the Greek word katalambano; Strong's #2638, and means to take eagerly, to seize, or to overcome. Satan wanted to seize or usurp the light, the throne of God, but the darkness could not overthrow the Light.

And as everyone knows (don't they), God destroyed the "world that then was", the first earth age (2 Pet. 3:5-6) and created the heaven and earth age that exist now.

2 Peter 3:5-7
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

[6] Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

All Gone! You can see the fossils and remains of the dinosaurs, etc., in the bedrock all over the earth.

And so in Genesis 1:2 the earth became utterly wasted, and 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.

Genesis 1:3
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Genesis 1:4
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

That's right! God separated the darkness from the light! The Word of God separated Satan from the Light of men and He sentenced him to outer darkness and eternal death! And following this present earth age, when the plan of salvation of the sons of God is complete, there shall come a new heaven and a new earth, the final one which will last for all eternity.
2 Pet. 3:7
But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
There will be a new heaven and a new earth after the Millennium. John actually got to see the New Jerusalem come right down out of heaven (Rev. 21).
Rev. 21:1
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 so it is that John has given credentials to Jesus Christ as God Himself. He is the very Living Word of God and we have His Written Word in our hands.

What say we then? Shall we walk in darkness or in light? Here are Christ's words as recorded by John:

John 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.

John 1:6  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Was Jesus Christ actually God?  The Gospel of John declares Him so! So anyone who tells you that He wasn't is a liar and the truth is not in him. This same John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, declares them so in his epistles.

Next we will learn about the forerunner of Jesus Christ who was sent by God to declare that the Word of God, the Light of men, was come into the world to dwell among men.

John 1:6
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
We call him John the Baptist, and he wasn't a self proclaimed prophet, for he was the very last prophet before the Messiah, and he was SENT from Almighty God in the Spirit of Elijah with a specific mission which will be defined in the next verse. In fact, he was sent [placed in his mother's womb] just 6 months before Mary's miraculous conception on the day we now celebrate as Christmas.

It should be noted that the word "sent" used here is the Greek word apostello and it means set apart and sent out. It is the very word from which we get "apostle". And as we read the next few verses we will discover that John indeed was the apostle sent forth to proclaim and bear testimony of the Light which was to come, even God Himself, the Word, in the flesh.

So John the Baptist didn't just happen along. His birth was perfectly planned, perfectly timed, and perfectly well announced by a very high ranking angel, and Luke perfectly documents it with specific and revealing details. Don't think for one minute that the Holy Spirit moved Luke to just tell a nice "story" of the birth of John and Jesus so we could have material for Christmas plays and pageants. There are no "filler words" and wasted space in the Word of God. Therefore much can be learned when one knows there is a reason and a purpose for ALL that is written.

So if you take the time to read and rightly divide the account of Luke concerning how John the Baptist was SENT into this world you will discover some amazing truths which are "hidden" from the majority of Christianity. Understand, they [the amazing truths] are only "hidden" because people refuse to "take heed" and study His Word seriously, like as if it was written from the Creator of all the Universe. Think about it! Either the Bible is the Word of God, or it isn't! Your belief as to the verity of that statement determines the seriousness of your study.

So here are some examples of the wonderful gems you can possess from reading the account of John the Baptist's birth:

(Gem #1) The reason it is documented that both Zecharias and Elizabeth, John's parents, were descendents of Aaron is to show that they were both of the tribe of Levi, the tribe from which the "priesthood" came. Why is that important? Because it is also written that Elizabeth was Mary's cousin, which means that their mothers were sisters.

Note: Mary's genealogy is given in Luke chapter 3 beginning with her father Heli, who was of the tribe of Judah as the account shows. Don't be confused because the genealogy begins with Joseph, Mary's husband. Even a cursory examination of the scriptures shows that Joseph was the "son-in-law" of Heli, which is what the phrase "as was supposed" means in the Greek. Joseph's genealogy is given in Matthew chapter 1.

So what does all this mean? It means that Mary was 1/2 of the tribe of Judah, the Kingship line, and 1/2 of the tribe of Levi, the Priesthood line. AND SO, Jesus Christ qualified right down to His very genealogy as The KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS. Both the ROD and the SCEPTER belong to Him BY HIS VERY BIRTHRIGHT! He is our KING and our HIGH PRIEST! Is the Word of God perfect or what?

Note: Next time someone tells you that Jesus was a Jew, you can confirm that they are partially correct. He was also a Levite.

(Gem #2) The reason Luke wrote that Zacharias was in the Course of Abia is so that we could know what time of year it was! Why is that important?  You see, we are told that it was 6 months after John the Baptist was begotten that Mary was found to be with child. Do you realize that if we only knew when John the Baptist was conceived we would know when Christ was conceived and thus WHEN JESUS WAS BORN! And guess what? WE DO!

The actual DATES for the 24 Courses of the Levitical priests are GIVEN in the Book of I Chronicles, chapter 24! How many people do you know who have ever read the Book of Chronicles? In fact, for those of you who sometimes think that we're a little too "hard" on the ignorance of Christianity, especially those who are in charge of leading and teaching Christians, then perform this little test anytime, anywhere. Ask a professing Christian what the Course of Abia was that the father of John the Baptist, Zacharias, was performing in the "Christmas story" account of Luke. Your answer will be "The Course of What?" You'll know right then and there that they are believers in the traditions of men and believe Christ was born on December 25th. They probably also believe there were 3 Wise Men when there is absolutely no documentation as to how many there were (except for the song "We Three Kings", the lyrics of which are not scripture). They also construct Nativity Scenes with the Wise Men in attendance, when only the shepherds from the field were present. The wise men entered into Joseph and Mary's house in Nazareth when Jesus was about 2 years old.

The point is, WHERE are the teachers of our people?

Well, if you want to know when Christ was born you'll need the Book of Chronicles. We are not going to go into detail, but you will find that John the Baptist was conceived around June 24, 5 B.C., and that 6 months later, on December 25th, CHRISTMAS DAY, Jesus Christ was CONCEIVED. He was then born on September 29th, 4 B.C., on the 1st Day of the Feast of Tabernacles! Do you know what the Feast of Tabernacles signifies? God dwelling in the FLESH, an earthly tabernacle, a temporary dwelling! Is God's Word perfect or what?

(Gem #3) If you calculate the conception of Jesus to His birth you will find there were EXACTLY 280 days, which is the perfect gestation of a human being! In Biblical numerics it is 40 weeks or forty sevens, or 7 x 5 x 8= 280. Now you know why a lot of babies are considered a little past due.

(Gem #4) Do you recall the account when Mary, who had just conceived, immediately ran to her cousin Elizabeth and the babe, John the Baptist, leapt in his mother's womb? Now you know the answer to the question, "When is a fetus viable?" There is life at CONCEPTION! I didn't say that life began at conception, for those who are familiar with the "world that then was" know that ALL of us were with our Father before He SENT us here too!

Note: For a further study and more details on the SENT of John the Baptist and the BIRTH of Jesus see appendix 179 in the Companion Bible. There you will find some more gems explained.

Let us now return to the Gospel of John and read why God sent John the Baptist.

John 1:7
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. John the Baptist came to bear a witness, i.e. to declare that the Light is coming and to prepare, as he himself said in John 1:23 "He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias."
[8] He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
Again, John was not the Light, but he was SENT to testify and bear witness of the Light. Even as we read this Gospel he is bearing witness of the Light, isn't he? I guess we could say he "left the light on".
[9] That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
And that Light is there for any and every one who "will" be illuminated by Him. It is hard to imagine that there are those who prefer darkness rather than light, but there are. Jesus Christ said it's because they have something to hide, like sins and evil deeds.
John 3:19
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

[20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

[21] But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

As we read this next verse keep in mind from the first verses of this chapter that the true Light created all things and that nothing was made that was not made by Him. Think about how He must have felt.
John 1:10
He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew him not.
The world didn't recognize their very Creator. But they will ALL recognize Him the next time He comes!
[11] He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Even His own kinfolk did not receive Him as Messiah.
[12] But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
It takes POWER to be a Child of God. Whether you like it not, or whether you believe it or not, there's a spiritual WAR going on out there. The forces of darkness are Waging War against the Children of Light.
Ephes. 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
So let's be about using that POWER and stomp some Dragon!
Luke 10:19
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Again, He gave us the power! We have the power! But it is up to us to use it!
Ephes. 6:10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
And He will never let us down.

One last thought before we conclude our study. Let's review to whom Jesus Christ gives power:

John 1:12
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:
He gives the power to become sons of God to "them that believe on His name". Just what does it mean to believe on His name?  The answer lies in knowing "What His Name Is"! And John told us in our last study.
Rev. 19:13
And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.
The Word of God gives you the POWER to be a son or daughter of God!

13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
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.
15  ¶John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16  And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
18  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
19  ¶And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
20  And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
21  And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
22  Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
23  He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
24  And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
25  And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?
26  John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
27  He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
28  These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

chapter 1, verse 13, continuing with the subject of the Light coming into the world. Some might say that this verse is simply talking about being "born again" of the spirit, and if that is how you see it, that is OK, but on a deeper level this verse addresses the subject of predestination. Let's read it first.
John 1:13
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Instead of "Which were born" (the word born meaning begotten) some of the manuscripts (as noted in the Companion Bible) read "Who was begotten", which is singular, referring to the subject being discussed of the Light coming in to the world, i.e. Jesus Christ. And of course the begetting and birth of Christ was not dependent on mankind, or on the course of nature, or on the will of the flesh, or on family planning. No, His birth was due to the Will of God.

But didn't we just read in our last study that the begetting of John the Baptist was also by the will of God? Our Father SENT him here, right?

We also read the following verse in our last study:

John 1:12
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:
Are you one of those to whom He has given power? Do you believe on His name, the Word of God, both Living and Written?  Then as one of God's elect your begetting and your birth WAS NO ACCIDENT either. It was also not dependent on mankind, or on the course of nature, or on the will of the flesh, or on family planning. No, your birth, like John's, was due to the Will of God.

If you have studied with us through the books of Genesis or Ephesians or Peter, etc., then you are familiar with the "World that then was" (II Pet. 3:6), before God destroyed it at the rebellion of Satan. And before He even formed this present earth age He set your time to be sent here, as one of His.

Ephes. 1:4
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

[5] Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Your Father SENT you here to be a part of this final generation of the fig tree. You are somebody! You are a child of the Living God and you are truly well blessed indeed!

And because of His love for His children, having made them all to be born in the flesh, He Himself became born of flesh to dwell among us. (No one will ever be able to say at judgment, "Oh yeah, you try living in one of those flesh bodies once." He did!)

John 1:14
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.
Dr. Moffat translates "full of grace and truth" as "full of grace and reality".

And John the Baptist, who was sent by God in the Spirit of Elijah, as the voice crying in the wilderness, bare witness of Jesus Christ that He was indeed the Word of God, the One who existed in the beginning, the One by whom all things were created, who now was made flesh and dwelled among us.

[15] John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was He of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before me.
The Word was in the Beginning, long before John or you or me.

And get this next verse:

[16] And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
We can get all spiritual here and overlook the fact that ALL we have received, from our very souls to this beautiful place called earth, yes, the very air we breathe, came from Him. EVERYTHING!
1 Cor. 10:26
For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.
Plus we have all received grace because of His grace, His love.

And we need grace because we are all yucky sinners. The law, that wonderful schoolmaster that sets the standard, lets us know we indeed fall short.

John 1:17
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
But through Jesus Christ grace and reality are ours.
[18] No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.
Have you seen God at any time? See, the Bible is true!

Flesh man cannot see behind the veil into the spiritual dimension, so the Word became flesh that the Father might be declared. You see, Christ could actually be SEEN so that we know the Father!

Just wait until we get to chapter 14 and Thomas and Philip are talking face to face with the Word of God in the flesh and the subject of the Father comes up.

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

[7] If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him.

This is way too deep for Philip so he speaks up, "I don't see anyone, Lord, just show us the Father and I be satisfied."
[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?

"Come on Philip, old buddy, old pal, get with the program. He that has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you saying, Show us the Father?" Philip is now formulating a new phrase "Like Father, like Son!"
[10] 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.
Next we have the account of John the Baptist discussing "who's on first" with the confused religious leaders of the Jews.
John 1:19
And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
Priests: "Hey, you over there!"

John: "Who me?"

Priests: "Yes, you, the one with the honey coated locusts. Who are you?"

[20] And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
John: "Well, I'm certainly not the Messiah, if that's what you are thinking! Want to try again?"
[21] And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
Priests: "What then? Are you Elijah?

John: "Nope, wrong again. I'm not Elijah."

Priests: "Are you the prophet we await?"

John: "No! So you guys are priests, huh? You're not too good at playing 'What's My Line?' are you?"

[22] Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

Priests: "All right, we give up. Look, we have to report back to the Jews who sent us to find out who you are. So tell us who you say you are."


John: (Thinking to himself how clueless these priests are, he decides to give them a "clue" and quote from Isaiah 40:3).

John 1:23
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
Of course these guys didn't want to ask a "layman" what that verse meant, so they moved to the next question.
[24] And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
Oh, now we see who these dudes really are! Careful John!
[25] And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?
Priests: "So tell us, what are doing baptizing people if you are not the Messiah, or Elijah, or that prophet? Where are your credentials?"
[26] John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

[27] He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

John: "Oh, I just baptize with water! But there is One among you, of course you don't know Him anymore than you know who I am, Who comes after me, Whose shoes I'm not worthy to untie. Tell that to those who sent you! Good day gentlemen."
[28] These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29  ¶The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
30  This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
31  And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
32  And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
33  And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
34  And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
35  Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
36  And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

There are basically two approaches to reading and studying the Bible. The first approach is where you already have a doctrine or even a theory that you believe, probably because you grew up believing it and/or your church teaches it and believes it. So since you already believe this doctrine to be truth, after all the church is a good church, the people are good people, and the minister is a good minister, you then read the Bible and look for scriptures to support that doctrine. This method is very safe. The only problem is that the Word of God is secondary to the doctrine, or the tradition, i.e. the religion comes first, then the Word of God, but only to the point it backs up the religion. Then too, the entire church group itself also serves as a prejudiced grand jury which will not permit new evidence, even if it is directly from scriptures, to be entered into the body.

The second approach, however, is much riskier and requires the courage to be able to face reality head-on and accept the facts as they exist and are documented without the twist of the Spin-Ministers. It may require one to admit he or she has been or is wrong! God forbid! Discovery, a legal term meaning gathering information and facts which can be a lot of work, is often required before beginning to rightly divide the truth from the spin. Of course you must then use your own mind to "think" instead of trusting someone else's!

Let's use an example from yesterday's study.

There are those who teach and believe that John the Baptist was actually Elijah the Prophet. After all, during discovery you will find it is recorded in Malachi 4:5, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:". This passage was well known by the scribes in Christ's time and we find in Mat. 17:9-13 and Mark 9:11-13 that the disciples told Christ that the scribes were saying that "Elijah must come" before the Messiah. Jesus said, "Yes I know, but they are clueless for Elijah is come already and they knew him not."

You see in Mat. 11:10 Jesus was discussing John the Baptist and He quoted Mal. 3:1, not Mal. 4:5, which says, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me..." Then in verse 14 of Mat. 11, Jesus said that "IF you will receive", i.e. if they had repented and believed, "this is [represents] Elijah, which was for to come." In other words, Christ would have ushered in the Kingdom of God had the nation repented and accepted Him and John the Baptist would have been reckoned as Elijah. (See notes on Mal. 4:5 in the Companion Bible).

Then Christ said "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." That is a statement made to God's elect, to those to whom He has "given power", i.e. to those whom He has sent. The Pharisee's were sent by MAN. John the Baptist was sent by GOD. The Pharisees therefore did not have ears to hear.

Now for someone to say that John the Baptist came in the "Spirit of Elijah" would be quite accurate indeed, for we just read that he would have been reckoned as Elijah had the nation received the Messiah. But to teach that he actually "was" Elijah is quite another matter.

Do you know of any servant of God who didn't know who he was? If you asked Isaiah if he was Jeremiah, what do think he would say? If you asked Daniel if he was Ezekiel, what do think he would say? If you asked John the Baptist, "Who are you?", do think he would say "Hmm, I don't really know. I know I have been sent by God so maybe I'm Elijah the Prophet!" Well, for those who don't have eyes to see or ears to hear it sometimes has to come down to this level. Remember, there are no "filler words" in the scriptures, so the discourse between the priests, sent by man, to ask John the Baptist, sent by God, if he was indeed Elijah, is recorded for a purpose and a reason.

 
John 1:21
And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias?
 
And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
Question: Was John the Baptist Elijah the Prophet?

Answer using Method #2: No!

Answer using Method #1: Well, that depends on your definition of the word "No!"

We now move to the beginning of the ministry of the Messiah according to the Gospel of John. The account is still of John the Baptist's witness.

 
John 1:29
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John the Baptist obviously knew the Oracles of God, the scriptures, very well. He quoted from Isaiah to the Pharisees and now declares Jesus as the Lamb of God, even the Passover Lamb, the sacrifice of which is for the remission of sins. This comes directly from Isaiah 53:7.

So did John know that Christ would not be accepted and that He would be the Lamb Slain? Of course he did!

 
Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not his mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not his mouth.
And what did Jesus have to say for Himself at His midnight trial? He fulfilled this verse!
 
John 1:30
This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for He was before me.
When a true prophet says so, it happens! John already documented the Word was from before the foundation of this earth in the beginning of this chapter.
 
[31] And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
John the Baptist was Jesus' cousin, remember? However, there is no Biblical record of where Jesus was from age 12 until this verse where He is age 30.  We'll read later in chapter 6 of this book that even the townspeople said "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?"

So here in verse 31 John says, as Dr. Moffat better translates it, "I myself did not recognize Him." (Moffat) Why didn't John and the people recognize Him? Because He had been away! History records that Jesus traveled abroad with His mother and His very wealthy uncle, Joseph of Arimathaea, back and forth to Glastonbury, England, and other diverse locations.

Note: If you haven't read the booklet "The Traditions of Glastonbury", by E. Raymond Capt, then you are in for a real treat should you decide to get a copy and read it. We have copies available here at the Chapel.

So we read in verse 31 that John's mission was to preach repentance, baptizing with water, and making known to ISRAEL that He was coming.

 
John 1:32
And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
[33] And I knew him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
John was named by God, and sent by God, and told by God, Who gave him his commission, that he would know Him when he saw the Spirit "descending" and "remaining" on Him.
34] And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
[35] Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
Andrew and John, the writer of this Gospel, were these two disciples of John the Baptist. I'm sure he had more. So in other words, they were students of the Word, taught by John the Baptist, who documented in scripture that the Lamb of God was coming. I'm sure that was exciting!
John 1:36
And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
Wow! That had to be an awesome experience.
[37] And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
They heard John the Baptist speaking, not Jesus. Verse 40 documents it.
[38] Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
Jesus turned and asked them what they wanted. They opened their mouths to say "ARE YOU REALLY THE MESSIAH?" and out came "Uh, hi Rabbi, where are you from?"

Since it was about 4 PM Jesus figured He'd invite them over for dinner.

[39] He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
[40] One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
Andrew means "manly", Peter means "rock".
[41] He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
Andrew, all excited no doubt, went and found Peter, his brother, and said, "Peter, He's here! We have found the Messiah that John's been teaching us about in God's Word. You've got to come meet Him."
[42] And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.
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