Come time back I ordered a Bible from the Watchtower Society. It  wasn’t too long after receiving it that a man and a boy showed up asking  me if I had received the Bible without any problem. They were assured that it was received without any complications. Of course they were only using the order I had made as a springboard for further discussion. To make a long story short after declining an offer for a study to be held they asked what church we attended and from there the discussion led to the use of the name Jehovah as being required for salvation. Letting a "little" vanity seep out I proceeded to explain to them that "Jehovah" is a corrupted translation of the tetragammaton. This he could not understand as he claimed Jehovah was an accurate English translation. After a few minutes trying to get across to him his error he mentioned that the only name whereby a person could be saved was Jehovah. I told him he was incorrect as it was Jesus Christ. He said no, that Jehovah was the name! I said it didn’t matter as they are one in the same. He emphatically said No, they are different beings!

Because of the above error in belief this article is being written with the hope that it will be of some help to any who have ears to hear.

Two main scriptures are used to supposedly prove that Jesus Christ was a created being just as were the angels. Some contend that He was the "first creation of God the Father."

Colossians 1:14-15, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature." According to them this scripture shows Jesus Christ was the first being created by God the Father. However, it is very obvious, if you let the Bible interpret the Bible, that this is speaking of Jesus Christ being the firstborn from the dead. Colossians 1:18, "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." Romans 8:29, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." Jesus Christ is the firstborn from the dead of many brethren. Note these verses are taken from the King James Version with the pronouns changed to current usage.

The other scripture used as "proof" that Jesus is a created being is Revelation 3:14, "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;." The Ferrar Fenton translation renders it correctly, that He is the "beginner" of the creation of God. The Greek word arche means leader, beginner or ruler. The New English Bible has "the prime source of all God’s creation." The New International Version has "the ruler of God’s creation." The Moffatt and Goodspeed versions have "the origin of God’s creation."

Psalm 90:1-2, "Eternal, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God." Revelation 4:8-10, "And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that lives for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created." The very fact that the Almighty has eternally existed and did not have a beginning is enough to blow your mind. As a child I used to ponder this and would only end up frustrated as you surely have done yourselves. In a sixth grade class our teacher was explaining that the universe never ended. A student answered surely it ends somewhere out there. The teacher responded that we should imagine a huge brick wall out there. What is on the other side of the wall?!! It is just beyond our human physical minds to comprehend eternity and infinity. We can only comprehend things with a beginning and an end.

We read the plain statement in Genesis 1:1 that "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." The Hebrew word used for "God" in this verse is "elohim" which means the "mighty ones." It is a uniplural word such as church or family.

Colossians 1:13-17, "Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." These scriptures show that the creation was created by Jesus Christ. John 1:1-3, 18, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him." This scripture states that the Word was GOD. Also, read Revelation 19:13, "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called the Word of God."

Jesus stated that He and His Father were one. John 10:30, "I and my Father are one." John 17:21-22, "That they all may be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that you have sent me. And the glory which you gave me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one." Also read John 17:11, "And now I am no more in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep through your own name those whom you have given me, that they may be one, as we are."

In the Old Testament when you see "Lord" written in all capital letters it is the transliteration of the Hebrew word YHVH. This word means "the eternal or ever living." It is an all encompassing word that can be interpreted as being at the extremes such as the extremes of the length, depth, breadth, and height of the universe. In one article I read it stated that it may be just about impossible to define the full magnitude of this Hebrew word or name. No one can be 100% certain of the true pronunciation to this Hebrew word. The Jews centuries ago considered it too sacred to even pronounce and the true pronunciation became lost. I have read it translated Yahvah, Yahweh, Yehveh, and about that many more ways! And each group can quote "proof" of it’s pronunciation being the correct one! If the exact pronunciation of YHVH was a required doctrine for our salvation it would be pointed out in the Bible. I have confidence in my Savior to be explicit from His Word about all points necessary for our salvation.

Even though it is not the purpose of this article to debate the Sacred Name doctrine I will quote a few authorities to back up what I have said. It is our intention to have a detailed article on this doctrine in the future.

"The pronunciation of the divine name as "Yahweh" RESTS UPON SAMARITAN tradition as given by Theodoret (fifth century A.D.), also upon evidence given by Clement of Alexandria (Heinisch, Theology of the Old Testament, p. 39). Note that this authority says the origin of the pronunciation "Yahweh" is of Samaritan origin — not Jewish!

In an article by Professor Eerdmans entitled "The Name Jahu" found in the theological journal Oudtestamentische Studien, vol. 5, pp 1-29 published by Brill Press, Leiden, Holland are found the following: "Theodoret said that the Samaritans used the name Jabai. In the treatise Quaestiones in Exodus he wrote this name Jabe. [The "J" had a "Y" sound and the "B" something close to our "V."] These passages have induced scholars to insert the vowels of the Samaritan Jabe into the original Hebrew consonants, pronouncing Yahweh. But this is a mere guess. It is inconsistent with other passages in Theodoret and lacks historical probability (page 2).

"Ezra . . . introduced a new alphabet, the "square script," to be used for the sacred literature. The refused Samaritans [their brand of religion was repudiated by Ezra] responded by making another alphabet for their own text of the Thora. They built their own temple on Gerizim and had their own priesthood. They thwarted the Jews whenever they could. The Sanhedrin of Jerusalem signalled the time of the great feasts by means of fires in the hills. Since the Samaritans lighted fires at inappropriate times in order to disarrange the Jewish calendar the Sanhedrin had to use messengers. On account of their attitude we may safely assume that the Samaritans had their own [different] pronunciation of the holy name. For this reason the Samaritan pronunciation should not have been regarded [by modern scholars] as evidence for the Jewish pronunciation . . . .

"Consulting other passages in the words of Theodoret we learn that the name of God used by the Jews was Jao (page 3). The evidence from other ancient authors is not in favour of the new-made term Yahweh, however generally it may be used in textbooks and sermons (pp. 4, 5)."

Professor Eerdmans then gives a list of ancient authorities dating back to the time of the Messiah who purport to give a pronunciation of YHVH. Diodorus Siculus, Irenaeus, and Epiphanius all said it was JAO. Origen wrote JAOU, Porphyry said JEUO and Jerome wrote JAHO (see pp. 5, 6). See the November-December 1972 issue of The Good News. The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia says the "prevailing opinion" is in favor of the reading Yahveh but this is also open to some question.

The oft quoted statement from the Encylopaedia Judaica that the pronunciation of the YHVH was never lost is based upon the idea that a few of the early Greek writers of the Christian Church testify to a pronunciation VERY NEARLY LIKE Yahweh. What these Sacred Names writers do not mention, with respect to the statement in the Encylopaedia Judaica, is that the preservation of the proper pronunciation of YHVH is limited to the first syllable, Yah, only (Encyclopaedia Judaica, Vol. I, article, "God, Names of").

Jahoweh might be the true pronunciation based on arguments on pages 215-224 of The Law and the Prophets, edited by John H. Skilton, Milton C. Fisher, and Leslie W. Sloat.

Let’s look at a few scriptures that use this YHVH in the Old Testament. Exodus 14:13-18, 24-25, "And Moses said unto the people, Fear you not, stand still, and see the salvation of YHVH, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom you have seen to day, you shall see them again no more for ever. YHVH shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. And YHVH said unto Moses, Wherefore criest you unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift you up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharoah, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am YHVH, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharoah, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And it came to pass, that in the morning watch YHVH looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, And took off their chariot wheels, and they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for YHVH fights for them against the Egyptians."

Exodus 20:1-3, "And God spake all these words, saying, I am YHVH your God, which have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me." This being is talking the tense that He is YHVH and had brought the Israelites out of Egypt! How this can be understood to be an angel speaking for YHVH is incomprehensible! It would be like me sending a person to represent me and then this person claims that he is me! He would be an impostor!! Jesus Christ was no impostor. He said He was YHVH plain and simple and on more than this occasion as we will see as we progress. Exodus 33:8-9, 12-23, "And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. And Moses said unto the LORD, See, you said unto me, Bring up this people: and you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, I know you by name, and you have also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found grace in your sight: and consider that this nation is your people. And he said, My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. And he said unto him, If your presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and your people have found grace in your sight? is it not in that you go with us? so shall we be separated, I and your people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that you have spoken: for you have found grace in my sight, and I know you by name. And he said, I beseech you, show me your glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. And he said, You can not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen." This being is identified as the LORD or YHVH. He spoke with Moses and even allowed Moses to see his back. Remember this incident as well as the others you will be given later on when proof will be given that this being was not the Father but was the being who became Jesus Christ.

Exodus 24:3, 6-11, "And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Eternal, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Eternal has said will we do. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Eternal has said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Eternal has made with you concerning all these words. Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink." Notice this scripture said they saw him!

John 1:18, "No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him." I John 4:12, "No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us." John 5:37, "And the Father himself, which has sent me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape." Notice these scriptures say no man has seen God at any time. We just read where Moses and the Elders saw him and ate with him. This being was called God. Since the Father has not been seen or heard then there had to be another being that was seen and heard by Moses, Aaron, Abraham and even the prophets. In Genesis 1:26, God said let us make man in our image and Jesus said He and His Father are one. There is more than one being in the "Elohim" family. As has already been stated the Hebrew word elohim is a uniplural word such as family or church.

We should also read two other scriptures proving YHVH was seen and heard by mortal man. The first is Genesis 18:1-33, "And the Eternal appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in your sight, pass not away, I pray you, from your servant: . . . And he said, I will certainly return unto you according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah your wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it from the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the Eternal said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the Eternal? At the time appointed I will return unto you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but you did laugh. And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. And the Eternal said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Eternal, to do justice and judgment; that the Eternal may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him. And the Eternal said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Eternal. And Abraham drew near, and said, Will you also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: will you also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from you to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from you: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And the Eternal said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: will you destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. And the Eternal went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place." Please note the places where Eternal is stated above. This was translated from YHVH and shows this being that appeared to Abraham and spoke with him was YHVH! Abraham appears to have recognized the Eternal immediately indicating this was not their first meeting. Proof of this can be found by comparing Genesis 14:18-20 with Hebrews 7:1-17.

The second scripture is Genesis 32:30, "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." This was the occasion where the Eternal wrestled with Jacob through the night to dawn.

John 5:37, "And the Father himself, which has sent me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape." Since the Father has not been seen or heard then there had to be another being that was seen and heard by Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Aaron and even some of the prophets. In Genesis 1:26 God said let us make man and Jesus said He and His Father are one. Simple deductive reasoning here shows there is more than one being in the "Elohim" family.

Psalms 110:1, "The Eternal said unto my Lord, Sit you at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." This scripture shows two beings in the Elohim family. YHVH said unto my, (David’s), Lord, sit you at my right hand. To verify this read Hebrews 1:13, "But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool?" That should make the meaning of the scripture very clear. Our Saviour was no angel!!

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheel as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." This shows two in the Godhead. As a side thought on this scripture it says all nations and languages shall serve Him. God created the languages and no language is pagan of itself.

The Holy Spirit is the power they share. Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit but prayed to His Father. If the Holy Spirit was a being in the Godhead then Jesus should have prayed to the Holy Spirit since He would have been his Father. There is no trinity of God beings. Every scripture you find such as Daniel 7:9-11, 13-14 shows a duality of God beings.

John 8:52-58, "Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that you have a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and you say, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Are you greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom do you make yourself? Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honours 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 saying. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was I am." The Jews understood what he meant!! Read the next verse for their reaction. The Jews wanted to kill Him for such a remark! You can discern from the context of the above scripture that they knew Jesus was claiming to have existed before He had been born a human. It is sheer folly to try to reason around this by saying Jesus' future existence was so firmly etched in the Father’s mind that He already considered Jesus in existence before He was born!

Compare the above scriptures with Exodus 3:13-14, "And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers has sent me unto you: and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, thus shall you say unto the children of Israel, I AM has sent me unto you." This name means the same as YHVH.

John 18:5-8, "They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said unto them, I am. [the He is in italics and not in the original manuscripts.] And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I AM, they went backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked he them again, Whom seek you? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I AM: if therefore you seek me, let these go their way." This expression is the same as we have read in Exodus 3:13-14. The mob, under the influence of demonic powers, fell away backward at the expression, I AM. This demonstration shows they knew Jesus' rank both then and before His human birth.

Hebrews 7:1-4, "For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abides a priest continuously. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils." A Jehovah’s Witness tried to explain this away as Jesus did not have a published genealogy! Note that the scripture calls Him "King of Righteousness." No human being can be called that by God! Read verse 21, "For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec." Jesus Christ is called "King of Kings" (I Timothy 6:15, Revelation 19:16), "King of Saints" (Revelation 15:3), and "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6), and was declared "a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec." No amount of scripture twisting will adequately negate the force of this text that most, if not all deceivers, leave out of their treatises entirely!

John 20:28, "And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God." Thomas called Him my God. It should be noted that Jesus Christ did not correct him for this statement.

I Timothy 1:15-17, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen." In this scripture the Apostle Paul calls Jesus Christ God.

Titus 2:10, 13, "Not purloining, but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." These witnesses should be enough for anyone desiring to live by every word of God. Thomas and Paul both called Jesus God.

Now let us look at the scripture pertaining to the birth of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." This name has the meaning of "God with us." Jesus Christ was God with us as we read in John 1:1.

Micah 5:2, "But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall he come forth unto me that is the ruler of Israel; whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting." Note your marginal reference for the word "everlasting." It should be translated, "the days of eternity."

We read in Psalms 110:1 earlier, now read our Saviour’s remarks concerning this scripture in Matthew 22:41-46, "While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them saying, What think you of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He said unto them, How then does David in spirit call him Lord, saying The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit you on my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither did any man from that day forth ask him any more questions." This is a fair question from the Saviour to those today who try to relegate his preexistence to being an angel or denying He ever preexisted!

Another bit of evidence that shows Jesus Christ was not angelic is Revelation 22:8-9, "And I John saw these things and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then said he unto me, See you do it not: for I am your fellowservant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God." Also read Revelation 19:10, "And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See you do it not: I am your fellowservant, and of your brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Jesus Christ did allow himself to be worshipped. For proof read Matthew 2:11; 8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 15:25 and Mark 5:6 These scriptures are all BEFORE the resurrection of Jesus Christ! He did not stop these people from worshipping Him! And our Saviour did not condone the breaking of the first commandment. See also Joshua 5:14 where the "captain of the host of the Eternal" was worshipped and did not stop Joshua from doing it. Jesus Christ was not or never has been an angel.

I Corinthians 10:1-4, "Moreover brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea: and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea: And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." Compare this with II Samuel 22:2-3, "And he said, The Eternal, (YHVH), is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him I will trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; you save me from violence." The same expression is found in Psalms 18:1-2. The Rock is YHVH as we discern from these scriptures. Further proof of Israel actually being led by YHVH and not an angel can be ascertained by reading Exodus 33:1-23. In verse 2 YHVH says He will send His angel before them but He will not go because of the stiffnecked attitude of the Israelites. Moses beseeches Him to continue with them in verses 13-16. YHVH accedes in verse 17. YHVH went with Israel. He was their Rock as I Corinthians 10:4 proves YHVH was Christ!

John 4:42, "And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of your saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." Now compare this scripture with Isaiah 60:16, "You shall also suck the milk of Gentiles, and shall suck the breast of kings: and you shall know that I the Eternal am your Saviour and your Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob." These scriptures reveal Jesus as the Saviour of the world since there is no Saviour but Him as proven from Acts 4:10-12, "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him does this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Also, compare this verse with Hosea 13:4, "Yet I am the Eternal your God from the land of Egypt, and you shall know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me." From the above scriptures the only logical conclusion is Jesus is the only Saviour and that Saviour has to be YHVH!

In Isaiah 8:13-14 we find that YHVH is called a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel and many would stumble, and fall, and be snared. Compare this with I Peter 2:7-8, "Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed."

For a real clincher read and compare the following four scriptures: Isaiah 40:3, "The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the Eternal, [YHVH], make straight in the desert a highway for our God." Matthew 3:1-3, "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent you: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." Mark 1:3, 7, 14-15, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And preached saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. Now after that John was put in prison. Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent you, and believe the gospel." John 1:15, 29-33, "John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that comes after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. The next day John sees Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizes with the Holy Spirit." Notice in two verses it quotes John as saying that Jesus was before him! Jesus was the one that John was preparing the way for! Jesus Christ verified this from His own mouth! Read Matthew 11:7-10, "And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went you out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went you out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went you out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, which shall prepare your way before you." How many more witnesses does a person need? Especially when one is a direct quote from the Saviour! It should also be noted than John the Baptist was born between three to six months before Jesus Christ so John’s statement had to do with Jesus' preexistence!

Micah 4:1-4, "But in the last days it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the Eternal shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow into it, And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Eternal, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Eternal from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Eternal of hosts has spoken it." Compare the above scripture with Revelation 11:15-17, "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thanks, O Lord God Almighty which are, and was, and are to come; because you have taken to you your great power, and have reigned." You should also read Revelation 19:5-20 which also shows Christ, the Word of God, returning to rule all nations with a rod of iron.

For final proof read John 17:5 and John 6:62. John 17:5, "And now, O Father, glorify you me with your own self, with the glory I had with you before the world was." Please note this verse! The statement "with the glory I had with you before the world was" should at least refute the arguments that Christ did not exist at all before His human birth!! John 6:62, "What and if you shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before." Same comment applies to this verse!

The belief that Michael was the being who became Christ does not even begin to hold water. In Daniel 9:25 the Messiah is called the prince but this does not mean He was Michael. Daniel 10:13 calls Michael one of the chief princes. There was a prince of Persia also. Christ created the angels as can be verified by reading again John 1:1-3, 14.

You have now read the scriptures given as proof that Jesus Christ was the YHVH of the Old Testament. Trying to reason around this fact by saying He was the "Angel of YHVH" and as such could use the name or description of YHVH is ludicrous. If I send a person to represent me to a group of people, with the authority to sign my name or act in my name, it would be a lie for this representative to say his name was Ronald Stewart. It would be a lie and there is no way around it!! To say that God the Father thought so fervently of Christ (before His birth), that to the Father Christ existed already, in His mind, even though He didn’t exist yet, to explain John 17:5 is very close to adding to the scriptures. It is clear speculation without facts to back it up. Our Father is not insane. If a human being, such as I, went around believing I had a son before the birth of my son I would be looked upon as very much mentally disturbed. Or if I dated my son’s existence from the date I decided to produce one the same thoughts would exist in people’s minds. Jesus Christ said "And now, O Father, glorify you me with your own self with the glory I had with you before the world was." If a person can’t depend on a plain statement such as that he or she will not be able to comprehend pages of proof!

It is hoped that this article will help all who honestly are seeking the truth on the subject. We can rest assured that the death of our Saviour was worth all the lives of all humans who ever lived or will ever live because He was the being who created them, John 1:3, 14, and as such His life was worth more than all humanity! He willingly came and died for us, Philippians 2:5-8, "Let this mind be in you, which was also What did He empty himself of? His divinity of course! How clear this scripture is. It is unbelievable to the lengths men have gone to in their vain imaginations to interpret this to suit their own desires! People who deny the preexistence of Christ today are in the same boat as the Jews in Jesus Christ’s time who could not accept the fact of his preexistence either.

God help us to see and treasure this precious TRUTH!!

  — written by Ronald H. Stewart W

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