[Donald Ward] Today I’m going to begin some teaching – I don’t know how long it will take – regarding the nature of God the Father and Jesus Christ – getting to know them and also defining distinctions within the Godhead. Do you understand the distinctions in the Godhead? And why it is important to understand the distinctions in the Godhead? It’s very important in that virtually all of nominal Christianity – that is, Christianity in name – believes and teaches some form of Trinitarianism, which we will briefly explain in just a moment.

To really know God the Father, to really know Jesus Christ, to really know the work of the Holy Spirit, that God is spirit, that Jesus Christ is spirit – the same spirit that is in God is in Christ is in each one of us. Trinitarians teach that God is triune in nature – that is, in His essential being. In other words, these components that we’ll talk about – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the model that they set up is essential for God’s being – His existential being – for Him to be. So what does this mean? It means that, according to their teaching, all three entities – Father, Son and the Holy Spirit – are co-equal and co-eternal beings, yet one.

Now you should have already have written many notes. These – what we’re going to engage in – will not be for the lazy-minded, for the simple-minded, but your eternal salvation might depend on your understanding of what we’re going to be talking about today, and probably next week, and maybe the week after – whatever – as we cover this material.

See, Satan’s great blow to the church began in the late 1980’s, when this talk about the nature of God began, and the first booklet that came out titled, God Is…, and then it was followed by a paper titled, The Trinitarian Problem. And I wrote a memo and a critique almost immediately to the Pastor General and to his assistant when that came out, and also did a critique of the paper, and attached it, and sent it to them. I’m thinking about sending that critique to the entire ministry.

Now what this means – triune being – three entities – Father, Son, Holy Spirit – are co-equal and co-eternal beings, yet one – is that all three jointly participate in whatever action is needed to fulfill a role. If the Father does something, then according to this model, the Son and the Holy Spirit also are involved in this action. All three are viewed, in one sense, as individual entities – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is viewed as a person and referred to in their teaching as “he.” This means that when the Father acts, the Son and Holy Spirit jointly participate in that action to fulfill whatever role or function that is needed to fulfill whatever the task or the job might be.

In the classic Trinitarian paradigm, or model, if you would draw three concentric circles on your paper, and put God in the middle of that, write God’s name in the middle of that first circle. Circle one – God, circle two around that – Son, circle three around that – Holy Spirit. What they’re saying is, that God is eternal in His being, and God the Father eternally generates the Son. So the Son owes His existence to being eternally generated by the Father. And then, in the Western world, the Catholic Church and Protestant daughters, they contend that the Holy Spirit is being generated by the Father and the Son. The Latin term is filioque which means the Son also – in other words, the Son is also generating the Holy Spirit.
In about 1000 AD, a great split occurred between the Western church – the Catholic Church – and the Eastern church – the Greek Orthodox Church – there were two great headquarters – one in Rome and one in Constantinople, or Istanbul – over the procession of the Holy Spirit – procession. Look at John 15. In John 15, verse 26, we’ll see very clearly the procession of the Holy Spirit – not possession, but procession.

John 15:26 – But when the comforter is come – the parakletos….  And comforter is masculine in the Greek, so therefore, the reference pronouns were in the masculine form. …whom I will send to you from the Father – so Jesus Christ plays a role in the sending – whom I will send to you, even the spirit of truth…. Now spirit of truth is pneuma. It’s in the neuter and therefore a reference of pronouns should be in the neuter. …which proceeds from the Father – “which proceeds from the Father.”

Now if you look back at John 14:26, it tells you that the comforter is the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26 – But the comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, he – or it – shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I’ve said unto you.

So the Father, they say, is eternally generating the Son, and the Father and the Son are eternally generating the Holy Spirit – three persons in one. Now in the Greek Church – and that’s what was presented in this paper, called  The Trinitarian Problem – instead of saying three persons in one, they said three hypostasis in one. And so the Father, in that paradigm of the Eastern Church, would be the one who is generating the Son and the Holy Spirit – the Son not generating the Holy Spirit.

Now the logical fallacy of both models is that when the Son was “made flesh and dwelt among us,” there were supposedly still three in heaven existing in a triune model, because the teaching is that these three in heaven are – that model is necessary for their essential being – for their existence. So when Jesus Christ – the Word – was “made flesh and dwelt among us,” John 1, verse 1 says:

John 1:1 –In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Then in John 1:14 it says:

V-14 – And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

So now you have the Son of God – the begotten Son of God – on earth, yet they contend this model is still existing in the heavens. When I asked the Greek scholar, “Well how can this be?” He said, “Well, the essence was not completely exhausted in the heavens, so you had enough to have one here and enough to have one still up there” – which is, of course, is sheer folly. And then the fallacy is further highlighted by the resurrection of the Son from the dead. He’s identified in scripture as sitting at the right hand of God. So we look at Acts 2, over just a few pages – Acts 2, and verse 33. There are numerous scriptural references to most of what we’ll be saying here today, but you don’t have time to turn to every one. In each case, you can do a search either by a computer or a concordance.

Acts 2:33 – “Therefore being by the right hand of God” – who is this? Verse 32 – “this Jesus has God raised up, wherewith we are all witnesses, therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has shed forth this which you now see and hear.”

Now if you turn to Acts 7, and verse 55 – Stephen’s inspired sermon in which he was moved by the Spirit of God to give his great testimony, and they began to gnash upon him with their teeth and they stoned him – they killed him. See, with regard to the incarnation, when Jesus Christ was first born – was here on earth and made flesh – the contention of the Trinitarians is that this model – this Trinitarian model – continues to exist in the heavens – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And then, after Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrected and ascended back to the Father, we see here in Acts 2:33, that there’s one sitting at the right hand of God – there are many places; we’re just reading two. In Acts 7, and verse 55:

Acts 7:55 – But he, being full of the Holy Spirit – that is, Stephen – looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, “Behold, I see the heavens open and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord and cast him out of the city and stoned him. They killed him and laid their clothes down at one named Saul, who became Paul.

According to Trinitarian teaching, this model is essential to the being of the triune God – in other words, the existence of Father, Son and Holy Spirit depends on this model. Therefore, it is a closed system. The best humans can do is go to heaven and walk on the streets of gold, or as some talk about in a sarcastic tone, float around on clouds all the day. Yet the Greek Orthodox, the Russian Orthodox, which is a copy of the Greek Orthodox, the Catholic Church, the Protestant world will say, “Well, these are children of God.” But they are not spirit beings on the same plane of existence as God.

See, we know that upon death and when Jesus Christ returns and the resurrection takes place, we will be born into the family of God and will be on the same plane of existence as God and Christ. But they talk about the children of God – we are – all of humanity – are children of God by creation – all of humanity. As it talks about in Acts 17, that of one blood has He made all of the peoples of the whole earth. So we are children in the created sense – everybody is – but when it comes to being spirit beings in the Kingdom of God, it requires another birth. And that is being born in the family of God.

Now look back at John 1, and verse 12. I have quoted John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God.” That verse shows (1) existence – in the beginning was God – Greek was en, means to exist – with God – relationship – was God – identity – and He was made flesh. But verse 12, look at it:

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.

So to be a son or daughter of God in the eternal sense, one must be begotten of God’s Spirit and then born into the Kingdom of God.

Now the question of immortality, according to Trinitarian teaching, is answered upon conception and birth, according to their teaching, each person is given an immortal soul. And then the challenge is to save your soul, so you won’t live forever in hell fire – you can go to heaven. You cannot be in this model, though, you cannot be God as on the God plane – a spirit born person. Now they talk about born again now – “Brother, have you been born again?” But we have received new life from above. When we receive the Holy Spirit, it is the earnest – the down payment – on eternal life. But as we know, we are not born of God until we are resurrected.  Like it says in Revelation 1, verse 5, with regard to Jesus Christ, “He is the firstborn from the dead.”  How did that birth take place? It took place through a resurrection.

God reveals Himself through His name to a large degree, which we shall pursue in just a moment. The understanding of the true nature of God and the distinctions in the God head is vital for understanding the great plan and purpose of God, because Trinitarian doctrine strikes at the very heart of who and what God is, what is His plan, and what is His purpose. If you would, turn to Malachi 3:16. In Malachi 3:16, we see here an exhortation, at least we should be exhorted by what’s contained here.

Malachi 3:16 – Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another, and the Lord harkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon His name.

His name, and the various names of God, have great meaning. And those names, to a large degree, distinguish the roles of God the Father and Jesus Christ. And God the Father and Jesus Christ do great works of power through the Holy Spirit, which is their essence.

I gave a Bible Study at the Feast on the Nature of God and Christ, and one person asked later in the week, “Well, what do you mean, the essence of God?” Well, perhaps the best way to say this is, “What is my essence?” My essence is flesh. That’s what I’m composed of. That’s my substance. Now with God, who is spirit, you could say, the Holy Spirit is His substance, but substance indicates something that you can discern through the five senses. Essence, or being, God is invisible except when He chooses to manifest Himself in a theophany of God appearance. So, the name of God defines, to a large degree, who is fulfilling a certain role and who is doing what.

Now continuing here with verse 17…I think verse 17 also helps us understand, maybe, the time frame in which “they who fear the Lord spoke often to one another and a book of remembrance was made…those that feared Him and thought upon His name.” Verse 17:

V-17 – “And they shall be Mine,” says the Eternal of hosts – says the Eternal of hosts. This is the God of gods – the God above all gods. Scores of times in the Bible, this term – the Eternal of hosts – “the Eternal of hosts” is used. And God the Father is the God of hosts. He is above all gods. At some point in eternity, before the spiritual creation, before the angelic realm was created, before the physical realm was created, this great plan of salvation was worked out and the role of God the Father and the role of Jesus Christ was also worked out. And the Word who was on the same plane as God – being co-equal, in one sense, and also co-eternal – both existing in eternity – that this One humbled Himself, and said, “I’m going to take on this role and be subservient to the Father,” as we shall see that, in this role, He fulfills – He being the One who became Jesus Christ – and Jesus Christ fulfills many roles.

Malachi 3:17 – “They shall be Mine,” says the Eternal of hosts – the One who is over all and above all, God the Father. And as we progress through this, we should be able to understand it far more clearly. As I said, I don’t know how long it would take. Now we’re into study that requires some focus, some meditation. It’s not just, “Well, here’s a nice story, and you too can apply these principles and be a nice guy or a nice woman.” This is the Bible. This is scripture. “In that day when I make up My jewels, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son that serves Him. Then shall you return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serves God and him that serves Him not.”

So it sounds like this is going on right at the end of the age – “…that they who feared the Eternal and thought upon His name….a book of remembrance was made.” And we’re living in critical crucial times, and I know that we are talking, and we’re saying various things. We’re wondering. And we know how it’s eventually going to turn out, but on the way there are many twists and turns. On the way, there will be many deceptions. Matthew 24 says that “if it were possible, the very elect would be deceived.” How do you avoid being deceived? One of the principle ways, of course, is the love of the truth.

One of the commendations to the Church in Philadelphia – if you turn to Revelation 3…. In the seven messages to the seven churches, various commendations are given to the churches. You could back probably four years ago now. I gave – I don’t know – one or two studies, sermons and gave even a handout on the messages to the seven churches, showing how, first of all, you have characteristics of Jesus being listed. Then you have what’s wrong, or in some cases, it’s what’s right commendation. So you have what’s wrong and commendation, and then you have the instructions to repent, and then the reward, and then the admonition to every church is, “he who hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.” In Revelation, chapter 3, and verse 7:

Revelation 3:7-13 – “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He that is holy – I said, each message to the seven churches begins with some of the characteristics of Jesus – He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that opens and no man shuts, and shuts and no man opens, “I know your works” – speaking of Philadelphia. “Behold I have set before you an open door, no man can shut it. And you have a little strength – that word strength in the Greek is dunamis, and it means supernatural strength – and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” “You have kept My word, you have not denied My name.” Remember those who feared God and thought upon His name. “Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not, but do lie, behold I will make them to come and worship before Your feet….” If they’re going to worship before your feet, if God is making them do this, you must be on the God-plane yourself. “I will make them worship before your feet and to know that I have loved you. Because you have kept the word of My patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation – or trial – which shall come upon the world to try them that dwell upon the earth” – that great hour of trial defined in Matthew 24:20-22 – along in there – the great tribulation. “Behold, I come quickly. Hold fast that which you have that no man take your crown. Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go out no more. And I will write upon him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, which is New Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven from My God. Jesus Christ called His Father, “My God.” And I will write upon Him My new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit says unto the churches.”

Now one of the things about the book of Revelation, which oftentimes goes over some people’s heads, is the fact that this revelation is from God the Father. The chain of revelation is God the Father, Jesus Christ, in some cases an angel, and then a human being, and on to the churches. How do I know this? Look at Revelation 1:1. Some people mistakenly say…and I know the term “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” is given here, but it’s preceded by something which is very important.

Revelation 1:1 – The Revelation of Jesus Christ – I said, “preceded;” it’s succeeded – which God gave unto Him – who gave it to Jesus Christ? God. God gave it unto Him – to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass. And He sent and signified it by His angelos – which can be translated a human messenger or a spirit being…and unto His servant John.

So it went from God the Father to Jesus Christ to the angel to John. That is the chain of revelation. And that is, basically, the chain of revelation throughout. We’ll have more to say about that as we go along with this. So God gave the Revelation to Christ, who gave it to the angel, who gave it to John, and now we have the book. So we must never be in the role of denying the name of God.

There are three primary names for God in the Old Testament: El – and in English, it’s spelled EL – capital E, capital L – EL, which means the strong One. Anytime you see a name in the Bible that has EL in it, it’s a part of the name of God. For example, Joel is “the Eternal, He is God,” Joel is probably the most godly name you could possibly have – Joel. So in the Bible, EL appears as capital G-O-D. This is in the Old Testament. So if you look at Genesis 15, and verse 2, this is one of the first places in which you see all caps G-O-D. Now there are some very interesting things about the name of God, especially in the Pentateuch, which we’ll, hopefully, make it as clear as we can. In Genesis 15, let’s read verse 1:

Genesis 15:1 – After these things, the word of the Eternal – we’ll get to that name in just a moment. Anytime you see all caps L-O-R-D, the Hebrew word is Yahweh, which means “the Eternal, the ever existing One, the I AM that I AM.” After these things, the word of the Eternal came unto Abram in a vision saying, “Fear not Abraham. I am your shield and your exceeding great reward.”

We’ll repeat…obviously, some of the things will be repeated, but hold your place and look at Hebrews 1:1. Now another thing about these things has to do with, you’re not going to remember it if you just heard the sermon and, you say, “Oh well, this went over my head, and that did this, this did that.” You have to study it. You have to meditate on it. It has to become a part of your thinking, your understanding.

Hebrews 1:1 – God, who at sundry times and in different ways, spoke in times past unto the fathers… The Patriarchal Age consists of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. …spoke to the fathers – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Perhaps others would be included in that, but those are the three principle patriarchs mentioned. The promises were first given to Abraham, passed to Isaac, passed to Jacob, and of course, on to the nation of Israel, and now to the Israel of God. …has in these last days spoken unto us by a Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds. Jesus Christ is the agent of creation.

Now we go back there to Genesis 15, verse 2:

Genesis 15:2 – And Abram said – his name had not yet been changed to Abraham. And Abram said, “Lord…. When you see that lower case L-o-r-d, that’s one of the primary names of God, and it is Adonai. It indicates a master/servant relationship. Abram is saying, “Look, You are the master. You’re the owner. You’re the possessor of all things. I am Your servant. I am in submission to You. And Abram said, “Lord GOD…. And then you see all caps, G-O-D. That’s EL, strong one. And Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will you give me, seeing I go childless and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?” So that’s an example of where you’ll see that.

Now we should note at this point, Exodus, chapter 6. Here’s a very interesting thing. Most people, I guess, I’m sure there will be people in the kingdom of God who probably never paid any attention much to this verse, maybe not at all. In Exodus, chapter 6, beginning in verse 1:

Exodus 6:1-3 – Then the Yahweh said unto Moses, “How shall you see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand – should be “now” – I’m going to get these glasses changed. Now shall you see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of the land.” And God – that’s Elohim – which we’ll talk about in a moment – and Elohim spoke unto Moses, and said unto him, “I am the Eternal – the Yahweh – and I appeared unto Abraham and unto Isaac and unto Jacob – the patriarchal fathers – “in times past I spoke to the fathers in visions and dreams.”

We’ve seen, from Genesis 15, that Abraham had this vision, and God spoke to him in some way, “I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by the name of God Almighty – El Shaddai – see, God the strong One, Almighty, the Sustainer, the Nourisher. Now the true meaning of El Shaddai is not like what a lot of people…“God Almighty” (appearing to tremble). He does have…God, the strong One indicates He has all power and all of that, but this word “almighty” – Shaddai…. The Hebrew word for a woman’s breast is shad, or a derivative thereof, and so it has to do with God Almighty, the Nourisher, the Sustainer, the One who watches over, the One who protects, the One who takes care. Abraham knew God only through the name God Almighty, yet we have read different names in Genesis 15. So what happened is that Moses, who wrote the Pentateuch put the name in that best describes and suits the action that is being portrayed – best describes, suits the action being portrayed.

So in Genesis 15, verses 1 and 2, you don’t read in every case, God Almighty, but you see LORD God, Adonai – master/servant relationship – all caps G-O-D – the strong One – but that’s not what Abraham heard at that time, according to this:

Exodus 6:3 – “I appeared unto Abraham and to Isaac and Jacob by the name of God Almighty, but by My name Yahweh – or the Eternal – I was not known unto them. I have also established My covenant with them – the promises were passed from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob – to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimages – see, they left their homeland up in what was modern day Iraq…beyond what is modern day Iraq – the land beyond the rivers – wherein they were strangers. I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel and the Egyptians kept in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.” In other words, I’m going to fulfill My promises.

So as we look at this, we can conclude that Moses, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, when writing the Pentateuch, uses the name of God that was appropriate for the action that was being performed.

The next primary name is Yaweh, which we’ve already mentioned. We will view it in a little more detail now. The next primary name we’ve mentioned is Yahweh, which means the ever existing One – the Eternal. It appears in the Bible as all caps, L-O-R-D. So now let’s go to Exodus 3, back a few pages. In Exodus, chapter 3, God has appeared to Moses, and tells him, “I want you to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, out of bondage.” And during the course of this conversation, we’ll look at verse 13:

Exodus 3:13 – And Moses said unto – Elohim…. And Moses said unto God, “Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, ‘The Elohim of your fathers’ – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – ‘sent me unto You.’ And they shall say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say unto them?” And Elohim said unto Moses, “I AM THAT I AM,” which means The Ever Existing One. And He said, “Thus shall you say unto the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me unto you.’”

So God reveals here that He is the Eternal – that He is the Ever Existing One. Now God the Father and the Word are co-eternal. Once again, they’ve always existed in eternity. So the name I AM can refer to either one, since they both are eternal. Now look at John 8, and verse 58. John 8 is taken back into a kind of hostile conversation between the Pharisees and Jesus Christ. They were hostile toward Him, and He was giving answer to their various insults and charges. So in John 8, we’ll read verse 54:

John 8:54 – Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father that honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I should say, ‘I know Him not,’ I shall be a liar like unto You. But I know Him and keep His sayings. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see this day and he saw it and he was glad.” Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily, I say…. Well, let me read verse 57. Then said the Jews unto Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and how can you say you have seen Abraham?” And Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM.” I have existed in eternity.

Now you look at Revelation, chapter 1, beginning in verse 4, and we’ll see that that appellation, or that term – name – is also given to the Father. The Father, obviously, is ever existing. He has existed in eternity.

Revelation 1:4-8 – John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:“Grace be unto you and peace from Him which is – this is speaking of the Father – the Revelation of the Father, which He gave to Jesus, who gave it to the angel, who gave it to John, who wrote it to the seven churches. Grace from Him which is, which was, which is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before His throne.” At the present time, Jesus Christ has sat down on the right hand of His Father, on His Father’s throne – that’s Revelation 3:21. And… – notice this – see, verse 4 is the Father and verse 5 is the Son. “…and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and He has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.” Behold, He comes with clouds and every eye shall see Him, and they also, which pierced Him, and all kindred’s of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen. “I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending,” says the Eternal, “which is, which was, which is to come, the Almighty.” And virtually every case where you see the Almighty it is referring to the Father.

Now the third primary name of God is Adonai. It appears, as we’ve already mentioned, as lowercase L-o-r-d and it means Master, and is used to denote a master/servant relationship. So Abraham addressed God as Adonai, or Master. The Master has the right of possession. And the one possessed is charged with submission to God. We are owned now. We are owned by God and Jesus Christ.  The price paid for us was the life of the Son of God. Look at this briefly in 1 Corinthians, chapter 6:19:

1 Corinthians 6:19 – What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is in you, which we have of God…. God is the one who begets us. He calls us. He begets us, He brings us to birth. He gives us the Kingdom. …which you have of God and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price – and that price was the very life blood of Jesus Christ – for you are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

So we see that lower case…well, capital L and then lower case o-r-d – Lord – refers to Adonai and it indicates a master/servant relationship – that we are in submission to God. He owns us. That was the case in the Old Testament of those through whom God was working and, of course, it is surely the case now, as we just read from 1 Corinthians 6, for us. So all three of the primary names of God are used oftentimes in tandem – like Lord God, or God – Yahweh – God the Eternal. They’re used oftentimes in tandem and they are oftentimes used in plural or compound form. So now we look at the one, that we’re perhaps most familiar with, in the plural form and that is the plural of EL – the strong One. And the plural form of El is Elohim. Elohim is a uniplural noun – the Father directed the Son in the act of creation. Let’s go to Genesis 1 and verse 1:

Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…. See that…Elohim…and this name appears scores of times – capital G and lowercase o-d – when you see that, that’s Elohim – that is, El in plural form. We call it a uniplural noun, because it could refer to the Father or the Son, and it can refer to both working in unison.

Now, I’m not going to turn there, but you already know this by heart. In John, chapter 1, we read that through Him – that is Jesus Christ – all things were created. We also read in Colossians, chapter 1, that through Him – that is, through Jesus Christ, all things were created. Whether there be thrones, dominions, principalities, visible and invisible, all things were created by Jesus Christ. So that, once again, tells you that Jesus Christ was in submission to the Father before the material realm or the spiritual realm was created – the spiritual realm, the angelic realm, was created before the physical realm. We read about, in Job 38, where the morning star sang for joy.

Now the fact, when they saw the earth suspended out there, the heavenly bodies.

Now uniplural…the reference pronouns to Elohim are in the plural form. For example, we look at Genesis 1:26:

Genesis 1:26 – And God said – Elohim said – “Let us make man in Our image after Our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, over the cattle of the earth, every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So Elohim created man in His own image. In the image of God created He him. Male and female created He them.

In most cases, in the book of Genesis – not every case, by any means – but in most cases, in the book of Genesis, we’ll find Elohim over and over again. Now look at chapter 2, verse 4:

Genesis 2:4-5 – These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Eternal – the Yahweh Elohim – made the earth and the heavens, every plant of the field before it was on the earth and every herb of the field before it grew. For the Yahweh Elohim had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

V-7 – And the Yahweh Elohim…

V-8 – And the Yahweh Elohim…

V-9 – …the Yahweh Elohim…

Now I’m going to read a direct quote from Mystery of the Ages. We’ve heard this many times back in Worldwide, Mr. Armstrong. And I’m reading directly a quote from him in Mystery of the Ages. He oftentimes used the analogy of making Ford automobiles.

“Mr. Ford was called the maker of the Ford car, but he made the cars by these workmen who used the power of electricity and machines. In the same manner, God the Father is Creator....” God the Father is our Creator. This is parenthetical – what I’m saying now – will read in just a moment. Therefore, Jesus Christ is the agent of creation, the One through whom He worked, as this brings out. I continue now to read. I’ll read that sentence again. “In the same manner, God the Father is Creator, but He created all things by Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Word. It is written, ‘He spoke and it was done.’ (Psalm 33:9). God tells Christ what to do (John 8:28-29), Jesus then speaks as the workman, and the Holy Spirit is the power that responds and does what Jesus commands.”

See, the Holy Spirit is the essence of God and Jesus Christ. And through the Holy Spirit, works of power are done. Here is another direct quote from Mystery of the Ages:

“God is Creator of all.” Read it again, “God is Creator of all, of everything in the vast universe, the stars, the galaxies and endless space, the earth, man and everything in the earth. That is what God is, what He does. He creates! He designs, forms and shapes, He gives life, He is the great giver and His law, His way of life is the way of giving, not getting, which is the way of the world.” Both of these quotes are found in chapter one.

At present, there are two beings in the God head – God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. God the Father has a role to fulfill and Jesus Christ the Son has a role to fulfill. God the Father is the God of gods. That means He is over all gods. Let’s look now at Matthew 22. In Matthew 22, verse 31…on the way there, I will quote once again Hebrews, chapter 1, verse 1:

Hebrews 1:1 – In times past God spoke to the fathers in different manners and different ways, has in these last days spoken to us by a Son. In Matthew 22:31:

Matthew 22:31-40 – But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken unto you by God? Who spoke it unto them? See, this is Jesus Christ speaking. He’s speaking to the detractors of the day. This begins up earlier with the lawyer asking Him, “What is the greatest commandment?” Don’t let this go over your head. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying – in other words, Jesus Christ is saying, “My Father said this.” “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at His doctrine. But when the Pharisees heard that He had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. And they tried to trip Him up. Let’s continue reading here. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, saying, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” And He told them to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul. The second is like unto it. Love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Then notice what He engages:

V-41 – When the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What think you of Christ? Whose Son is He?” And they said unto Him, “The Son of David.” Of course, they knew prophecy after prophecy says that Jesus Christ would come from the house of David. See, they were looking for a physical Messiah. They were not looking for the Son of God – One who had lived in eternity, a suffering Messiah who would come on the scene and give His life for the sins of the world. So they, when Jesus asked the question, they immediately, “Oh He’s the son of David.” Well, Jesus Christ even fulfilled that in the earthly fleshly sense. He was of the house of David, but much more, as He continues here in verse 43.

V-43-45 – He said unto them, “How then – Jesus then asked them this question – How then does David in spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying…. So now Jesus quotes Psalm 110, verses 1, 2 and so on:
‘The Lord said unto my Lord….’ So David is saying, “My Lord, my master, the One that I’m trying to please, said unto my Lord.... See the Eternal, the ever existing One said unto my Lord, who is also eternal and ever existing: “Sit you on My right hand. Who sits on the right hand of the Father? Well, we read two scriptures from Acts. It is Jesus Christ. “Sit you on My right hand till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” If David then calls Him Lord. how is He his Son? See, He is David’s son according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, He is the Son of God.

V-46 – And no man was able to answer Him a word, neither dared any man from that day forth to ask him anymore questions.

Now look at Psalm 110:1:

Psalm 110:1 – The LORD – the Yahweh, the Eternal – said unto my Lord – Adonai – “Sit you on My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool.” See, David knew that there is One who is greater than all and He is the One who makes it possible, when all is said and done, for this One to sit on His right hand. Of course, the One who sits on His right hand had to fulfill many roles as well. The LORD – the Yahweh – shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion – rule You in the midst of Your enemies! The people shall be willing in the day of Your power; in the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning. You have the dew of Your mouth. The Eternal has sworn and will not repent, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizadek.”

And of course, we will introduce that and talk about that later.

So here we have made good progress so far with regard to distinguishing between the Father and the Son – the roles that each play. There is much, much more to be said, and we will pursue it. So, in the meantime, I would ask you to carefully study and carefully consider what we have said here. You might want to do a study on these names. You could look at them and so much more. So we will pursue it and continue from this point.