Jesus: Deity in the Old Testament

(8) Conclusions From Isaiah's Witness

2009-09-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

The evidence we have heard from the Old Testament witnesses for the deity of Jesus is compelling. When this evidence is put together with facts about Jesus and the witnesses of the New Testament, the case for the deity of Jesus is quite impressive. We are well on our way to establishing a very strong case to prove the deity of Jesus!

Yes, you can read about it in fairy tales and novels. You can see it in cartoons and movies. Jasmine did fall in love with Aladdin, the prince did switch places with the pauper. But the reality is far more amazing. God did come near. Jesus, the eternal Son of God did become one of us. This is not a fairy tale. This is not the idea of a great novelist. This is not fiction. This is fact. This is truth. This is reality. Meet Jesus . . . Up close & personal.

Are you amazed? Are you overwhelmed with the glorious truth that Jesus, the God who created the entire universe stepped down into humanity and time? You should be.

It would be one thing for a great king or president to show up at your home to spend some time with you. But the glorious unimaginable reality is that GOD showed up. GOD came to walk, talk, eat, live with us. How incredible is that? That’s greatness. And the descent to greatness is absolutely breath-taking.

That’s right, the descent to greatness. The true greatness of this story is that God descended from heaven to come to earth, to become human. That’s the great glory of Jesus: up close and personal. Jesus, being God did not try to stay exalted and isolated from man in heaven. He became man. He didn’t distance Himself from the great plight of man, dying in his sin. He became man. He did not remain in the beauty, perfection, and comfort of Heaven. He became a man. He came to earth. He stepped down. Way down. For you. That deserves worship. Passionate, authentic worship from the heart.

So, how do you measure greatness? How do you assess your own greatness? By how far you’ve ascended, or how far you’ve descended? Take a fresh look at true greatness and be humbled, be broken. Worship the King of Glory who became a man like you so He could save you from your humanity to reign with Him. Choose to humble yourself to even the most undesirable task to serve even the most untouchable. That’s true greatness!

Next: (9) The Deity of Jesus in the New Testament - Introduction

(7) The Gory of Jehovah-Jesus

2009-09-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

If you’re a courtroom drama fan, you’ve probably seen numerous times when one attorney or another holds on to his best evidence until late in the case. Perhaps in our discovery of evidence for the deity of Jesus in the Old Testament, we have saved some of the best evidence for last.

Most of us are familiar with Isaiah’s life defining vision of God, recorded in Isaiah six. Let's look at it again.

In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD [Yahweh/Jehovah] of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.

Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven."

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.' "Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed." Isaiah 6:1-8 (NLT)

Notice, Isaiah sees Yahweh or as we say it, Jehovah. What an incredible experience! To see Yahweh, the glorious God of the universe in all His glory! Our minds can only begin to imagine what Isaiah saw and experienced. This must have been an amazing experience. But, what is equally amazing is what the Apostle John said about this vision. Look at what John says about Isaiah's vision and how it relates to Jesus.

Though he [Jesus] had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them." Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. (John 12:37-41 )

Do you see it? This is extremely important. John says that in Isaiah’s vision, he saw Jesus! Don't miss this incredibly important testimony to the deity of Jesus. Isaiah says he saw Jehovah, John says he saw Jesus. What does this mean? It clearly means that Jesus is Jehovah! Jesus is God! Now that's what I call some pretty good evidence for proving the deity of Jesus.

Next: (8) Conclusions from Isaiah's Witness

(6) Is Jesus Jehovah?

2009-09-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

Our witness continues to testify. And Isaiah continues to declare to us the very words of God. "You are My witnesses," declares the Lord, "And My servant whom I have chosen, in order that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the Lord; and there is no savior besides Me (Isa. 43:10-11)." God says that He alone is God, there is no other. And, there is no other savior besides Him. Yet, God declares through His angel messengers, "for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11)." On the one hand God says He alone is savior and on the other, He identifies Jesus as savior. This is not water-tight, irrefutable proof of the deity of Jesus, but the evidence is mounting.

In Isaiah’s testimony, He again shares the words of Jehovah.

Isaiah 48:11-17

"For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another. "Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last. "Surely My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together. "Assemble, all of you, and listen! Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; he will carry out His good pleasure on Babylon, And His arm will be against the Chaldeans. "I, even I, have spoken; indeed I have called him, I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful. "Come near to Me, listen to this: From the first I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit." Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go.

Now, notice a few of the statements that Jehovah (Yehweh) makes in this passage and let’s also hear from some other New Testament witnesses concerning Jesus.

Once again, we are not presented with an iron-clad indisputable argument for the deity of Jesus. But, we do have more evidence mounting that adds to the case. This evidence is leading us toward the inescapable conclusion that the testimony of the witnesses strongly supports the deity of Jesus.

Are Jesus and Jehovah one and the same? Certainly there is something here that bears closer investigation. We need to allow Isaiah to continue his testimony.

Next: (7) The Glory of Jehovah-Jesus

(5) Isaiah: Back on the Stand

2009-09-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

Let’s go back to our first witness, Isaiah once again. God gave Isaiah another startling prophecy of the coming Messiah. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Each of these titles is rich in meaning. For our case, we need to focus on two of them. First, this child is called “Mighty God.” The Hebrew word translated, "Mighty" is packed with the idea of strength but also of being a valiant warrior in battle, a hero to the people. So, Isaiah gives us his witness (received from God Himself) that this child will be God, having great power and ability to accomplish great feats. He will be a valiant warrior in battle; the source of victory over evil who will ultimately gain victory over all evil. And, he will be a great hero, someone that we can look up to and someone we can model our lives after. This child is a Hero-God, a Valiant Warrior, Mighty God.

Isaiah also testifies that this child will be called “Everlasting Father.” "The everlasting Father", is literally "Father of Eternity." In Hebrew thought, the one who "possesses" a thing can be called "the father of." Therefore this child is the source of, the creator of, the possessor of, and the ruler of eternity! He is eternal; before all creation and so, uncreated. This amazing child was Father, Everlasting Father, before He was born into time. He created His own human self.

While these truths are absolutely amazing and downright mind bending, they are not the evidence we need unless they can be shown to apply to Jesus. So, how do we know this is speaking about Jesus? We must look again at the context of Isaiah’s testimony.

Isaiah 9:1-6

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-- The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

In his prophecy – or testimony for our purposes – Isaiah gives us clues to identify who this miracle child will be. This child will grow up and bring light to the darkness in the geographic regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, also known as “Galilee of the Gentiles.”

Again, we turn to our supporting witness, Matthew.

Matthew 4:13-16

Leaving Nazareth, he [Jesus] went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali-- to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

That should bring a shout of “Hallelujah!” or at least a hearty “Amen!” All the glorious truths Isaiah packed into the titles “Mighty God” and “Father of Eternity” speak of Jesus!

Next: (6) Is Jesus Jehovah?

(4) The First Witness: Isaiah

2009-09-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

Let’s go to court and get back to our exploration of proof regarding the deity of Jesus. We will begin our journey toward the discovery of evidence by looking in the Old Testament. This is an important place to start because Jews will usually disregard the New Testament.

From the time of Abraham, the expectation of a coming savior grew and developed as the great hope of the Jewish people. This “Messiah” or anointed one was promised by God. The prophets kept this hope alive even in Israel’s darkest days. It was a hope and dream passed on from one generation to the next.

Our first witness to the deity of Jesus is the prophet Isaiah. Of all the voices of the prophets that spoke of the anticipated Messiah, Isaiah clearly stands alone in his volume and clarity particularly in reference to the deity of the Messiah. Every Christmas we hear messages, listen to music, and even sing Isaiah’s prophecies of the deity of Jesus. But perhaps in our familiarity and in the festivity of celebrating the birth of Jesus, we miss the significance of the message. "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel." (Is. 7:14 NIV)

At first glance, this verse doesn’t look like a slam-dunk proof positive declaration of the deity of Jesus. But when we look closer, the message becomes clearer. First of course, is the statement that a “virgin” will give birth. While the Hebrew word translated “virgin” does not precisely mean a woman who has never had sexual relations, that is the most common meaning of the word. Second, the title “Immanuel” is a compound word joining the thought “with us” with the Hebrew word, “El” or “God”. Literally, the word means “with us God.” Clearly this is a child who will be born through miraculous circumstances. Clearly, this is a child who will be a unique manifestation of God. If taken literally, at face value, it is a statement that this child will be God himself.

“But,” the skeptic might say, “This verse does not mention Jesus. How do you know it is speaking about Jesus?” This is a very reasonable question don’t you think? We need some proof that this is speaking about Jesus don’t we? And we have it. We have a witness to add to the witness of Isaiah. Matthew speaks of the birth of Jesus and refers to Isaiah’s prophecy stating that Jesus is the “Immanuel” child, born of a virgin. "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." (Matthew 1:23) Let’s look at this verse in it’s context.

Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way. While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph, her husband to be, was a righteous man, and because he did not want to disgrace her, he intended to divorce her privately. When he had contemplated this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." This all happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: "Look! The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Emmanuel," which means "God with us." When Joseph awoke from sleep he did what the angel of the Lord told him. He took his wife, but did not have marital relations with her until she gave birth to a son, whom he named Jesus.

Here’s our witness. Matthew gives testimony that Jesus was born of a virgin. He states it three times! Marry and Joseph had not “come together”, she was a “virgin”, she and Joseph did not have “marital relations” until after she gave birth to Jesus. Matthew also gives testimony two times that the child has been conceived by the Holy Spirit.

The reasonable conclusion to all this is that our witness, Matthew, has testified that Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, that He was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit, and that Jesus is God.

Next: Isaiah: Back on the Stand

(3) Can You Prove It?

2009-08-31T22:48:00.000-07:00

There are many exciting, life changing truths yet to be discovered in our study of Jesus: Up Close & Personal that will fill our hearts with wonder and worship. But let me bring our wonder and worship to a screeching halt with a challenge: What if Jesus was not God?

“What? Jesus not God? How dare you suggest such a thing? Of course He’s God!” Well, let me ask you a question, “Can you prove it?” How well would you fare in a debate with someone where you had to prove from scripture that Jesus was in fact God? Do you believe this because you have seen it for yourself in scripture or just because that’s what you’ve always been taught?

Let’s say that next Saturday morning you’re relaxing at home and there’s a knock on the front door. You glance through the window and see two strangers there. They’re dressed nicely and have Bibles and Watchtower papers in their hands. You know who it is, don’t you? Jehovah’s Witnesses.

So many thoughts run through your head. “I don’t want to be bothered!” “But I know it shouldn’t be a bother.” “I don’t have time for this.” “Well, I was just relaxing.” “They need Jesus.” “But they don’t believe in Jesus, don’t’ even believe He’s God.” “I don’t know what to say.” “I really, really don’t know what to say.” “Where does the Bible say that Jesus is God?” “Where??” “I really don’t know what to say!!”

Could this be you? Can you show someone from scripture that Jesus is in fact God? Can you handle their objections? Interact with them knowledgeably regarding the deity of Jesus? Remember, many Jehovah’s Witnesses as well as practicing Jews reject the deity of Jesus and are also very well versed in scripture they will use to support their beliefs. Would you just have to say, “I believe Jesus is God, I know the Bible teaches that Jesus is God, I just can’t show you where.” How convincing would you be?

So how can we be better prepared to prove the deity of Jesus from scripture? Where do we go in scripture to find the proof? Well, before we get to the matter of proof, perhaps it might be good for us non-lawyer types to get a crash course in matters of legitimate, legal proof. Try to bear with me for a moment, this will get a bit technical.

In a court of law, in order to establish proof of a fact or circumstances of an event, one presents evidence. This evidence may be an object like a knife or gun. The evidence may be the testimony of a witness to the facts. There is also circumstantial evidence meaning that when you put two established facts together, it leads to an obvious and reasonable conclusion that supports the facts or events in question. All of this evidence is joined together to establish a case for judgement. The goal is for the evidence to show “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the facts have been established, guilt or innocence can be determined. “Beyond reasonable doubt” implies that there may be some slight thread of doubt, but the evidence is such that this minor doubt is not enough to change the verdict in the matter. In the end, there will never be enough evidence for the person who is determined to believe something no matter what they hear or observe. The lawyer’s job is to present adequate evidence that a reasonable person who is open to discovering truth can make a rational evaluation. In the end, no matter how many facts or how much evidence is presented it still comes down to a person’s choice as to what they will believe.

Next: The First Witness: Isaiah

(2) True Greatness

2009-08-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

Though he was God,

he did not think of equality with God

as something to cling to.

Philippians 2:6

Jesus, the eternal Son of God became one of us. This is not a fairy tale. This is not the idea of a great novelist. This is truth. This is reality. This is not fiction. This is fact.

But, this is more than just fact. If this is only a matter of fact, only a matter of a historical event, then we have not really understood. If our emotions are impacted by the stories of Prince Edward, Princess Jasmin and Princess Diana then we ought to be touched to the very core of our emotions when we consider the true wonder of majesty among humanity – Jesus. If the beauty, humility, kindness, grace, mercy, and warmth of Princess Diana’s work tugs at our hearts and moves us to compassion and a desire to impact people like she did, then surely a look at Jesus will move us, inspire us, compel us with a passion to be like Him. Take a look at the real King among the people.

Let me draw the contrasts a little more clearly. On the one hand, you have human royalty humbling themselves to the level of the common man and you admire them. On the other hand, you have the Son of God humbling himself to become a man. What admiration do you have for Him? On the one hand, you have a princess visiting people in hospitals and orphanages and you take note of compassion and mercy. On the other hand, you have the perfect, sinless, pure, holy Son of God who actually healed disease and took children into His arms and blessed them. Do you see the true glory of real compassion and mercy? You see a princess befriending the citizens of her country and you applaud her, praising her for being approachable and meek. On the other hand, you have the one who existed in unimaginable glory who calls you His friend. Can you contain the applause and praise? She was human – created, born, lived died. Just like every other human. And you recognize greatness because she, being royalty, touched the lives of the people. He is God – Creator. Here’s the glory of it all: Jesus: Up close & Personal. You cannot really appreciate the magnificence of these truths if you don’t let them sink deep within your meditations and resonate in your heart. So, stop for a moment right now and meditate on the glory of God coming to live with us. Let the wonder, and magnificence touch your heart. Born, lived, died, alive again. Not like any other human. That’s true greatness.

Next: Can You Prove It?

(1) The Descent to Greatness

2009-08-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

You can read about it in fairy tales and novels. You can see it in cartoons and movies. But it just doesn’t happen in real life. Jasmine was drawn outside the palace walls to befriend a peasant boy. She dressed like Aladdin and mingled with the people in the market. She even got herself in trouble with the palace guard along with Aladdin. But that was simply Disney’s fantasy. This just doesn’t happen in real life. Princesses don’t do these kinds of things.

Mischief and mayhem followed when Young Prince Edward switched places with pauper Tom Canty in Mark Twain’s novel-made-movie The Prince and the Pauper. But this just doesn’t happen in real life. Princes don’t switch places with paupers.

Princesses and princes, kings and queens, presidents, celebrities. They all have something in common. They tend to stay away from, even be isolated and protected from us common folk. Oh, they’ll make occasional, brief appearances and even mingle a bit with us, but we know they aren’t eager to identify with us. We know they aren’t looking to be our friends or build a relationship with us. No, they’re elite. We’re just ordinary people. And they’re happy to keep it that way thank you very much.

Every once in a while, someone special comes along. They’re one of the elite, but they don’t act like it. They actually do want to intermingle. They actually do build relationships with the ordinary people. And they stand out. People take notice. They are unique, special.

Princess Diana was that kind of person. She was so approachable that she was called "the people’s princess." She gave everyone the feeling they could be her friend. She didn’t act like she was different or above others. She really did step out of the palace and intermingle with the common folk. In fact, in 1987 she was one of the first high-profile celebrities to be photographed touching one of the most "untouchables" of society at the time, a person infected with HIV. She was greatly admired. When she died, it was not just the people of England who mourned her death, but also, the people of the world. The gates of the formal and stately Buckingham Palace became merely a backdrop for the wreaths, flowers, stuffed animals, notes and other expressions of love and mourning. She stepped out of the palace, lived among the people, loved the people, befriended the people and deeply touched their lives. She was a fairy tale come to life.

But the greatest decent from greatness took place long before Mark Twain wrote The Prince and the Pauper. Long before Disney’s Aladdin. Long before England’ great princess. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. (John 1:1, 14) God came near. The greatest fairy tale of all time is reality. The creator stepped down into creation. The creator took on the nature of the creature. Eternal God stepped into time. The King of all creation entered into a dirty stable, born of a peasant woman and a simple carpenter. This just doesn’t happen.

But it did. God did come near. Jesus, the eternal Son of God became one of us. This is not a fairy tale. This is not the idea of a great novelist. This is truth. This is reality. This is not fiction. This is fact.

The Word became flesh

and took up residence among us.
John 1:14

Next: True Greatness