Almighty Jehovah God Unveiled and Revealed in Jesus

ALMIGHTY JEHOVAH GOD UNVEILED AND REVEALED IN JESUS

ALMIGHTY JEHOVAH GOD UNVEILED AND REVEALED IN JESUS

The WORD, THE SON OF GOD, THE SON OF MAN

JIM TAYLOR

New Harbor Press

RAPID CITY, SD

Copyright © 2019 by Jim Taylor

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

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Almighty Jehoval God Unveiled and Revealed in Jesus/ Jim Taylor. -- 2nd ed.

Other books by Jim Taylor:

REVELATION TO JOHN’S APOCALYPSE UNVEILED AND REVEALED: The Spiritual View of a Carnal War

LEVITICUS UNVEILED AND REVEALED: The Lamb and the Altar—The Lamb of God and the Cross

THE POWER OF THE CROSS UNVEILED AND REVEALED IN JESUS: One Man Sinned and all Men Died, another Man Died so all Might Live

All scripture quotations are taken from the American Standard Version (Public Domain).

REVIEWS OF THIS BOOK BY READER VIEWS (5 Stars)

6705 HWY 290 W, Suite 502-255 Austin, Texas 78735 512.280.2001 www.readerviews.com admin@readerviews.com.

Almighty Jehovah God Unveiled and Revealed in Jesus, Jim Taylor, Reviewed by Sheri Hoyte for Reader Views (2/19)

How is it possible to know God? The simple answer is through our faith. But that begs even more questions! In Almighty Jehovah God Unveiled and Revealed in Jesus, author and minister Jim Taylor provides thoughtful and meaningful assessment into biblical passages that reveal the answers to these very questions. The first thing impressed upon readers is the critical need to have a relationship with God in order to enter into eternal life. Recognizing the importance of this truth, while clearly the first step down the right path, it can nevertheless be intimidating trying to understand what is written in the Bible. Perhaps the most endearing part of this study is Jim Taylor’s personality jumping off the pages. With patience, a clear understanding of the Word, and a sensible yet no-nonsense style, he exudes a comfortable, caring and supportive tone encouraging and inspiring readers to want to learn more. By getting to know Jesus, we begin to understand just how deep and all-encompassing God’s love is. Divided into pertinent chapters, Taylor engages readers by introducing us to Jesus in his multiple roles – as the Son of God, as the Son of Man, as the Word of God and as Jesus the Man. He also provides significant insight into the Spirt of Jesus – the Holy Spirit. He relates the impact of each of these roles in the necessary procession towards the forgiveness of the original sin and all sin occurring thenceforth, without which there could be no eternal life. This book is compact in length but generous in substance, with too many items of import to highlight in a mere book review. Regardless, I will feature a few moments in the reading providing personal aha moments of clarification, along with a need to know more.

God will never tempt us beyond what we are able to endure. Like many people perhaps, I have had moments in my life where my choices were questionable, leading to consequences that, had I considered beforehand, I might have taken another route. But maybe not. In hindsight it makes sense that I needed to go through all of these moments to get on the right path. I recall a moment when I wanted to give up, hearing the distinct message, haven’t you had enough? It was a pivotal moment for me, one that changed my life

Being baptized is not a free ride. I’ve always wondered how some seemingly Christian people could be so…well, evil. Is it presumed that being baptized means we can do whatever we like without consequence? Jim Taylor’s explanation provided great insight for me in this area. Truly eye-opening.

Jesus literally went through hell for us. I have never read such a compelling presentation of this fact and Jim Taylor’s delivery of the magnitude of this act will stick with me forever. The depths of love and sacrifice are beyond human comprehension. Jesus The Perfect Man in Whom Dwells the Fullness of God, by Jim Taylor is perhaps the most well-defined explanation I have read of how to get to know God through Jesus. Straightforward and personable, it is a timely breath of fresh air.

This book is dedicated to the Mountain View Church of Christ in Buena Vista, Colorado, and to the Poncha Springs Church of Christ in Poncha Springs, Colorado, for all of the mission work they have done, working together with Judy and me in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. Those churches have supported the preacher in Mazatlán for many years, and they have worked together to purchase considerable amounts of food (beans and rice) for hungry brethren.

Contents

About This Book

Preface

Introduction

Jesus: Almighty Jehovah God—the Son of God

Jesus: Almighty Jehovah God—the Son of Man

Jesus: Almighty Jehovah God, Priest of God Most High—Melchizedek and the Word

Jesus the Man, Almighty God, Ruler of Heaven and Earth

Jesus is Coming Again

The Price God Paid to Redeem his World from Sin and Death—the Three Days of the Cross

The Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit

Water Baptism, Baptism into the Holy Spirit, and the Gift of the Holy Spirit

CONCLUSION

About This Book

Jesus said, "And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ (John 17:3). The knowledge of God is vitally important in our entering into eternal life and having a Father and son relationship with the Almighty. Hosea wrote, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.… (Hosea 4:6). Paul wrote, For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge (Romans 10:2). But the question is:—How is it possible to know God? How can we have the knowledge of someone who is holy, infinite, eternal, and Spirit—when we cannot see him, we cannot feel him, and we cannot hear him or even sense his presence? We see no immediate reaction or reward from the Almighty when we do something for him that we know was very well pleasing to him. We see no immediate reaction or punishment from God when something very bad and evil has been executed against him. Therefore—the only way to know God is not by our works and our feelings, but by our faith. We can know God by believing him and abiding in his Word, by trusting in his promises, and by doing our very best to walk in his light and keep the faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him." Therefore, we can know God by abiding in his Word (John 8:31–32), by walking in his light (1 John 1:6–7), by keeping his commandments (1 John 2:3; 3:24; 5:2–3), and by completely trusting him every day of our lives, even in the days when it seems like our lives have been completely turned upside-down. The only way we can accomplish all of that is by comprehending God’s Word, by knowing his Will, by understanding his promises, and then walking in that light, or that understanding. We can achieve that by diligently studying the Scriptures (Acts 17:11) and then trying to live according to that understanding.

We can see clearly from the creation that God exists, or else this world could not even be here (Romans 1:20). We know from the Bible that God is our loving Father and that he is the Creator of all things. We know from the Bible that it was God, our caring Father, who sent his own Son into the world to take the punishment for all sin upon himself, and to pay in full for all the damage that sin had caused. Jesus accomplished all of that by offering up his own life on the cross. We know that to believe that GOD IS and he is a rewarder of all those who seek after him and come to him in faith shall have eternal life (Hebrews 11:6). We know that God dwells in the heart of every person who believes in him and loves him (1 John 4:11–16). We know that when Abraham believed God it was reckoned to him for righteousness, and he became the friend of God (James 2:23). It is by faith that we know all of these things are absolutely true and certain. We know that by faith we are made righteous (1 John 3:7), and that we not only become friends of God, but we are made to become sons of God (Matthew 5:9; Galatians 3:26). We know that as God’s children we have eternal life in him and in his Son who is Jesus. But how is it possible to establish that faith when it is so difficult to know just exactly who God really is?

There is a way we can know God more intimately and more perfectly. We can know God by knowing his Son, the very One whom God sent to us as the Savior and Redeemer of this lost world—his name is Jesus, and he is the Almighty Jehovah God himself. We can know Jesus intimately as our best Friend (John 15:15), and as our Brother (Hebrews 2:11–14), and as our Father (Isaiah 9:6–7; John 10:30, 14:6–11), because even though he is God he became one of us exactly, a Man, just like all other men in every respect (Hebrews 2:14–18). Jesus lived in this present evil world (Galatians 1:3–5) exactly as we live in it, and that way was by faith. The only way Jesus could work miracles, escape danger so he could just keep on living, and to have the things he needed just to survive in this present and cruel world was by trusting his Father, and having complete faith and confidence in the promises his Father made to him. That is what made Jesus one of us, a human, exactly like us, because that is exactly the way we must live also. So, whatever we learn by studying Jesus, his teachings, and his life, we are learning about our loving Father, our God, God’s Spirit, and our Creator.

Most of the books that have been written about God view him as three persons, or, the Father, the Son (the Word), and the Holy Spirit. That is the correct view, for that is who God is. But this book will view the Godhead from a different perspective still believing that God is the Father, the Son (the Word), and the Holy Spirit, and yet he is one God. This book will view the fullness of God as seen in one Man, God’s Son, and that is a scriptural view. Paul wrote in his letter to the Colossians,

Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ: for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and in him ye are made full, who is the head of all principality and power. (Colossians 2:8−10)

If in Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead (or God), and if he is the head of all principalities (governments) and powers, then where else could we go to learn as much about God as it is possible to know—than by just studying Jesus? And what makes this even more reasonable is—we know more about Jesus than we know about any other person in history, both present and past. The gospels, and especially the book of John give an intimate view into the life and times of Jesus our Savior. We know who Jesus’ parents were right back to the very first man, Adam (Luke 3:23–38). We know how Jesus thought, how he prayed, how he lived, and how he taught. This book will put all of those facts together and just study Jesus, his teachings, and his life—so that we might know more about our loving Father, our God, and our Creator.

The Thomas Nelson American Standard Version (ASV) Study Bible is used in this book for all scriptural references. (The New American Standard Bible calls the American Standard Bible, THE ROCK!)

Preface

There have been many books written about God—who he is, how holy he is, how glorious and powerful he is, how he knows all things, and how he has complete power and control over everything. In fact, so many books have been written about God, and about Jesus, that there seems to be room for no more. However, if a person wants to know everything that it is possible to learn about God there is only one book he can turn to for that information—that book is the Bible. If a person wants to write a book about God, he also has only one resource he can to turn to for his material, and again, that source is the Bible. The Bible is unique. It was written by some forty men who were prophets, and who wrote the Bible over a time period of about 1,600 years. All of those holy men of God were in perfect agreement with each other. The Bible those men wrote has no errors or contradictions, and it has one common theme—that theme is Jesus.

The message of the Old Testament is the creation of the world, its fall because of sin, the establishment of the penalty for sin which is death, and the founding of the Law of Moses and the nation of Israel. Israel is the nation from which the Messiah came to be the Savior of the world (John 4:22). The message of the New Testament is the restoration of the creation by the cross of God’s Son, the offer of the forgiveness of sin to all sinners, and the gift of the Holy Spirit and eternal life to all who believe in Jesus. The principal message of the Old Testament is—someone is coming. The message of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is—he came, and he is here with us now. The message of Acts through Revelation is—he left, but he is coming back, he shall return.

Many of the men who wrote the Bible had very little, if any, formal education. They certainly did not have high degrees from a university in Hebrew or Greek literature, and they were not authors until they wrote their part of the Bible. That is because it was the Holy Spirit who told them what to write and how to write it. David, the king, grew up tending his father’s sheep, and he must have had no time whatsoever for school (1 Samuel 16:11−13). When he was called to be the king of Israel at a very young age, not even old enough to be in the army of Israel as were his brothers (1 Samuel 16:5–13), he spent his life running from Saul. Saul was the established king and it was his intent to kill David at any expense. Yet David wrote the most of the Psalms, a masterpiece of all literature.

The prophet Amos told Amaziah, the king, and those to whom he spoke and wrote, that he was a herdsman and a farmer. He probably never spent a day of his life in school, and yet he wrote the letter of Amos.

Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore-trees: and Jehovah took me from following the flock, and Jehovah said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. (Amos 7:14−15)

What God wanted was not learned and polished men of high status and formal education. God wanted spiritual men who believed in him, obeyed him, and sought for him with all of their heart, mind, and soul. When they met that requirement God gave them everything else they needed in order for them to be able to fulfill their course in their service to the Almighty, and to do everything God wanted them to do.

Peter and John were fishermen. They probably had very little formal education. Luke said in his letter of the Acts of the Apostles,

Now when they [the Pharisees] beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man that was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it" (Acts 4:13−14).

And yet Peter wrote first and second Peter, both works of literary art, and John wrote his gospel of John, three other epistles, and the letter of Revelation to the seven churches of Asia, all masterpieces of literature.

But the words these men wrote which compose our Holy Bible were never edited. They were never looked over for corrections or errors and they were never sent to a publisher. They were compiled as they were originally written, word for word, and then sent to the churches, or to the people to whom they were addressed. After the churches received those letters they were passed on to other churches (Colossians 4:15–16) and somehow saved for hundreds of years, a miracle in itself. Then they were all compiled together to make up one Book—our Holy Bible. All of the letters that those men wrote have been put together as one masterpiece of all literature that shall never be equaled. We call that masterpiece our Holy Bible. It is the only book that has been translated into almost every language spoken on earth.

The writings of the prophets and the apostles, our Bible, all came together as one book by the foreknowledge and power of God. It stands alone as a miracle in itself. Just as God gave us the Bible through the writings of the prophets, he has all power to preserve it in all of its holiness, simplicity, purity, and fullness, until he comes again (2 Corinthians 11:3). Books today are not written, they are edited.

How can this be? How can men of little or no formal education write masterpieces of literature, such as the Psalms, that stand out as being the greatest of all writings? The answer is: The Bible was not written by those men. It was written by the Holy Spirit, and men do not edit nor do they correct the Spirit of God.

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation. For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20−21)

But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. And that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14−17)

The books I have read about God describe Him as being three persons. He is called the Father, the Son, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. But in the Old Testament it is extremely difficult to see God as three persons. In the Old Testament there was no person in the Godhead who had a relationship with God as the Son of God. Jesus, who is God, was not the Son of God, or the Son of man, until he was born of Mary—it was Jesus being born of a woman, born under the law (Galatians 4:4) that made him the Son of God, and the Son of man.

Before Jesus became the Son of God and the Son of man he was the Word (John 1:1–4) and becoming the Son of man did not change that—Jesus is still the Word. John wrote, 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 through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made (John 1:1−2). Then, as John continued on he said, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth (John 1:14).The relationship of the Godhead in the Old Testament was the Father, the Word, and the Spirit. That relationship shall never change, and Jesus has always been the Word, and he shall always be the Word. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day, yea and for ever."

It is these three Persons who are one God, and each Person had his own work to do when God created the universe. The Father designed the creation and had it fully established in his mind when he spoke it into its existence (Psalms 33:6; Revelation 4:11). The Word took what the Father had designed, and had spoken, and he physically created all things (John 1:1−4; Colossians 1:12−18; Hebrews 1:1−2). But what the Word created was not organized into the perfectly predictable and orderly world as we see it now. It was nothing but time, space, material, and energy, and it was waste and void (Genesis 1:2). It was the Holy Spirit who moved, or vibrated over everything the Word had created, and it was He who organized it into the perfectly ordered and predictable world we live in today. From this we see at least two persons in the Godhead working together in the creation of the universe, that is, the Father who designed the worlds and spoke them into their existence (Psalms 33:6), and the Holy Spirit who organized them into their perfect order and harmony.

When we read John 1:1−4, we see another person involved in the creation of the world. He is called the Word, and he was with God in the beginning, and he is God, and it is he who is the creator of all things.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. (Genesis 1:1−5)

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 through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. (John 1:1–3)

The word which is translated God (Genesis 1:1) is actually a plural word meaning Gods. It is used some six-thousand times in the Old Testament. It is the Hebrew word Elohim, and it means someone of