THE DEITY OF CHRIST 2: THE LIGHT

In the previous installment, the deity and warning of Christ was covered. We shall continue that subject here by embarking upon the examination of the first chapter of the book of John in our chapter-by-chapter study of this intriguing and supremely important book of the Bible.

We are all familiar with the opening verses of the Gospel of John (book of John). Many Christians have memorized them. This Gospel is so popular, it is printed in booklets and given away as tracts, and sometimes given to new converts. But do you know just what John meant when he introduced Jesus as the “Word“? John was telling us that Jesus is God – the Creator of the material universe and the giver of all life, both plant and animal, temporal and eternal …

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3).

That was only John’s introduction of Jesus. He goes into more detail in the book of Revelation. There, he reveals that Christ is the “Alpha and Omega” – the first and the last letters in the alphabet …

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).

Most readers would just pass over that statement without trying to understand it. Jesus was not referring to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. He was talking about the Hebrew alphabet, of which the first and last letters are aleph א and tahv ת.

The reason that this is so important is that those two letters are found throughout the Old Testament in connection with God. The aleph-tahv את, pronounced “eht” is so powerful, no English translation can explain it. There are those in theological circles that call this combination of these two letters the “Word of Creation.”

Genesis

These remarkable term called Genesis is first found in the opening verse of the Bible:

“In the beginning God את created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

But you have to see the verse in the Hebrew language in order to appreciate the impact of the eht (pronounced “eight”) aleph-tahv את. It is located right in the middle of the verse …

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Note that there are seven words, a menorah design, and that the aleph-tahv את sits in the position of the center lamp, which is the servant lamp.

The translation is as follows:

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית Bereshit – “In the beginning”
בָּרָ֣א barah – “created”
אֱלֹהִ֑ים Elohim – “God”
אֵ֥ת eht – aleph/tahv – no translation
הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם ha-shamayim – “the heavens”
וְאֵ֥ת va-eht – “and”
הָאָֽרֶץ ha-eretz – “the earth”

The eht, made up of aleph/tahv, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet are so profound, there is no adequate English translation. This is what some call the “Word of Creation.” Note that it is located next to Elohim – the Hebrew term for “God.” It is always associated with Deity and stands for the Creator and sustainer of all things – what we can see with the telescope, what we can see with the microscope and things that we cannot see at all.

Jesus is revealed as the Aleph-Tahv את in Revelation 1:8. The Apostle John turns to see the Savior and finds him standing in the middle of the seven-branched lamp stand. Jesus is the “Word of Creation” and source of the Primeval Light.

Habakkuk

It is rather interesting that the very name of the Savior is recorded in Habakkuk 3:13 along with the aleph-tahv את – “Jesus את Christ …

“You went forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation את with your anointed …” (Habakkuk 3:13).

The KJV translation of the Hebrew says, “salvation with thine anointed.” However, the Hebrew text uses the very words that translate, “Yeshua את Messiah,” or as the Greek/English would render it: “Jesus את Christ.” The name Jesus means “salvation.” The name Messiah (or Christ) means “thine anointed.” But you have to see it in Hebrew to appreciate its spectacle and noteworthiness – and shall we say – its awesomeness:

יָצָ֙אתָ֙ לְיֵ֣שַׁע עַמֶּ֔ךָ לְיֵ֖שַׁע אֶת־מְשִׁיחֶ֑ךָ

The translation is as follows:

יָצָ֙אתָ֙ y’tsat – “You were forth”
לְיֵ֣שַׁע le-y’shua – “for salvation”
עַמֶּ֔ךָ amach – “your people”
לְיֵ֖שַׁע le-y’shua – “for salvation”
את eht – aleph/tahv – “no translation“
מְשִׁיחֶ֑ךָ messiah – “thine anointed”

The lamed לְ in le-y’shua is translated as “for.” So, the KJV English says, “for salvation את with thine anointed.” There He is, big as life – Yeshua את Messiah. Jesus is actually named in the Hebrew text, with the aleph-tahv את right in the middle of His name!

Zechariah

The prophet Zechariah gives a vivid account of the Jews recognizing the Messiah when he comes to rescue them from their destruction in the end of days. It is a prophecy about Christ’s Second Coming. The prophet says …

“They will look upon me את whom they have pierced …” (Zechariah 12:10). Here, the placement of aleph-tahv את after “me” and before “whom” leaves no doubt that the “Word of Creation” was “pierced!” They go on to ask Him, “What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (Zechariah 13:6).

Again, here it is in the Hebrew text of Zechariah 12:10:

והביטו אלי את אשר דקרו

The translation is as follows:

והביטו vahebim – “they will look”
אלי eliy – “upon me”
את eht – aleph/tahv – no translation
אשר asher – “whom”
דקרו dakar – “they have pierced”

The prophet Zechariah leaves no doubt as to the identification of the “One” who was pierced. He is both the Messiah and the aleph/tahv – the “Word of Creation.”

Isaiah

There are three passages in Isaiah that corresponds to Revelation 1:8. They plainly say that Jehovah is the “first” and “last” …

“… I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he” (Isaiah 41:4).
“… I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6).
“… I am he; I am the first, I also am the last” (Isaiah 48:12).

Note that these references are near the end of the book of Isaiah. But earlier in the book, Isaiah uses the aleph-tahv את in the same special way, which we have observed in other places. For example, in the opening chapter, Isaiah reminds the people that they have “forsaken the את LORD” and have “provoked the את Holy One of Israel …” (Isaiah 1:4). The Hebrew text shows it best:

עָזְב֣וּ אֶת־יְהוָ֗ה נִֽאֲצ֛וּ אֶת־קְדֹ֥ושׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל

Here is the translation:

עָזְב֣וּ owbo – “They have forsaken”
אֶת eht – aleph/tahv – no translation
יְהוָ֗ה Yahweh – “LORD”
נִֽאֲצ֛וּ gazo “they have provoked”
אֶת eht – aleph/tahv – no translation
קְדֹ֥ושׁ kodosh – “Holy One of”
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל Yishrael – “Israel”

There are two references to Jesus in this verse. He is both Jehovah and Messiah – “Yahweh” and the “Holy One.” Also, when Isaiah had a vision of God’s glory, he left no doubt about who he saw …

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the אֶת Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the אֶת temple” (Isaiah 6:1).

Here it is in the Hebrew text:

רם ונשא ושוליו מלאים את ההיכלבשנת מות המלך עזיהו ואראה את אדני ישב על כסא

The placement of the aleph/tahv את next to Adonai אדני (Lord) and again next to ha heykal ההיכל (the temple) makes it clear that aleph/tahv was sitting upon the throne … and that He was sitting in His holy Temple.

Isaiah’s great passage about the virgin birth contains the aleph-tahv את twice. Isaiah is talking with King Ahaz …

“But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the את Lord. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:12-14).

Here it is in the Hebrew text:

וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אָחָ֑ז לֹא־אֶשְׁאַ֥ל וְלֹֽא־אֲנַסֶּ֖ה אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֖א בֵּ֣ית דָּוִ֑ד הַמְעַ֤ט מִכֶּם֙ הַלְאֹ֣ות אֲנָשִׁ֔ים כִּ֥י תַלְא֖וּ גַּ֥ם אֶת־אֱלֹהָֽי׃
לכן יתן אדני הוא לכם אות הנה העלמה הרה וילדת בן וקראת שמו עמנו אל׃

The placement of the aleph-tahv אֶת next to Yahweh יְהוָֽה (LORD) and again next to Elah אֱלֹהָֽי (God) shows that both names refer to the same eternal being and that He is the “Word of Creation” i.e. Jesus. Even Judaic rabbis have written that aleph-tahv אֶת is the “Word.” The Apostle John also makes it clear that Jesus is the “Word” (logos in Greek) and the aleph-tahv אֶת (eht in Hebrew). To John, they are the same expression of Deity. Here is John 1:1 in English and the Hebrew right below it, the very verse that proclaims Jesus (the Word) as God. Again, we find the aleph-tahv אֶת right in the middle, smack dab in the center …

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
בראשית היה הדבר והדבר היה את האלהים ואלהים היה הדבר

There are many such references in the Old Testament, but these should help to convince anyone who truly wants to know the identity of Jesus, that they might believe on Him and obtain eternal life. God has revealed himself in Jesus in His word in the most dramatic of ways so that those who want to know can indeed know and thus come to believe and grab hold of believing, saving faith. But without the required belief and trust in Him to produce repentance of unbelief and obtain said eternal life, only the opposite awaits the human soul that remains in unbelief …

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

Got Faith?

“In The Beginning …”

John opens this Gospel with the same term Moses used to introduced the story of Creation. So, what is this “beginning?” Since there was a beginning, did anything exist before it? Where was God before all of this? Suddenly, our minds are filled with all of those unanswerable questions – like “Where did God come from?” “Who made God?” Since he always was, what is this “beginning” all about? Our packaged “answer” is that God created the dimension we call “time” and “space,” before which, God existed in some unfathomable “eternity” or ever-present “now.” However, if given a little time to contemplate, we decidedly arrive at an incomprehensible dead end. We simply are not programmed to understand such a concept. There are many things about this subject that we cannot fathom – no more than a person who is deaf and blind can comprehend a symphony or a sunset. We simply do not have the intellectual or spiritual capacity to understand all there is to Creation. To learn that Jesus was the Creator is an awesome concept to think upon.

What we do know, however, is that Jesus was already there at the “beginning.” In the second verse, Moses tells us that the earth was without form and void and the Spirit moved upon the face of the waters. At this point, before God said, “Let there be light,” was there already a planet filled with water? When was it created? The only answer we have is: “In the beginning.” We cannot conceive of a world without time and space.

Men love to tickle their minds with science fiction in hopes of comprehending the incomprehensible, but have you noticed that every alien on Star Trek looks like a human in costume, and speaks English? A crewman will say something like, “I haven’t slept for days.” What days? What sunrise and sunset did he encounter out there in space? In other words, there is no ability within us to fathom something that we have not experienced.

Prior to Creation there was no sun or moon – they were created on the fourth day. There was no light or darkness – they were created on the first day. Is the concept of darkness without light a contradiction in terms? If there was no light, then was there automatic darkness? Is not darkness the absence of light? Even that basic concept is a product of our earthbound experience. So that being the case, how was it then a “created” thing?

The Primeval Light

Next, John tells us that Jesus is the source of the Primeval Light and giver of all life …

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:4-5).

It is possible that when God said, “Let there be light” the “Word” brought forth the essence of “Himself.” In other words, He was that light. Ancient writings in Jewish literature (albeit uninspired writings) refers to a “Primeval Light” because there was no sun until the fourth day. For the first three days, the “Word of Creation” provided that light from His very presence.

In his book called The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet, Michael Munk writes …

“The Primeval Light was spiritual in nature and was revealed in the first act of Creation mentioned in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible penned by Moses) … and is reserved for the righteous in the hereafter. The great Primeval Light of Creation had been available to all, but when God saw that few people would be worthy of enjoying it, He concealed it. Where did He hide it? In the Torah.

These statements were chosen from among hundreds of similar discourses in Jewish literature. Note their agreement concerning “the righteous in the hereafter.” Still, can it really be true that God actually took the Light of Creation and hid it in the Torah? As we answer this question, it becomes clear that such a thing quite literally did happen. Though at first, they may appear as mere teaching devices, these statements reflect a truth that is central to the redemptive process – that the true light was hidden in God’s Word. More specifically, it was concealed in “the Word,” as given in the opening verses of John’s Gospel. Jesus was the Torah personified.

It came from God – Elohim – as He spoke the words, Ye-hee Ohr אוֹר יְהִ֣י (read from right to left). Since the verb “to be” is not expressed as such in Hebrew, God’s command is really an expression of His person: “Me … come into existence … light.” Thus, the light is only an expression of His own radiance. As in Isaiah 45:7, where the Lord says, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” In his present state, man cannot see the pure light of God. It is veiled, while the faithful function as lights in a world of darkness.

Somehow, the Primeval Light (also known as Shekinah) emanates a unique process we can only describe as “life.” That’s what makes carbon-like substances imbued with water, burn with the “fire” or light of life. Scientists can collect all of the ingredients that go to make up a single cell, be it plant or animal, but cannot make it come to life. Yet, life abounds throughout the earth, even in the most unlikely places. Life is found in the most inhospitable regions – from the hottest desert to the frozen tundra of the arctic, from the highest mountains to the lowest regions of the oceans. The secret of “life” lies just beyond man’s grasp, yet proliferates everywhere. According to John, life emanates from the Word of Creation.

John said that this “life” source is a light that cannot be comprehended by darkness …

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:3-5).

It seems that some were right in saying that God created darkness as well as light. They suggested that darkness was not just the absence of light, but a separate entity in itself – created to hide the presence of God. Darkness simply cannot comprehend or detect God’s presence. He is there, all around us, but we cannot see Him. Even with our most sophisticated scientific instruments, we cannot discover the reality of Heaven. God has purposely hidden himself from detection, but He is there. His elusive Primeval Light literally shines in the dark, yet does not dispel it. It is designed so that darkness cannot comprehend it.

Some theologians say that God chose to be hidden within the universe. Perhaps he created darkness in order to diminish the perceptibility of His holiness. He hid himself from His creatures. This extent of hiddenness continued until it reached the right state – the state at which man could be deceived into thinking there is no God except for the dictates of his senses and his lust for power and license.

But God also wanted to be perceived by the sincere seeker. He wanted every man and woman to be able to find His divine presence on Earth in every aspect of life. Therefore, when God reached a certain point of hiddenness, He stopped the process of hiding. Perhaps the creation of “darkness” constituted this very process.

It is conceivable that during the first day, light and darkness were intermixed (Genesis 1:4). One might surmise that if light was present everywhere, for God is everywhere, then darkness could not have existed – unless it was a specific Creation that was not subject to the light. It may well be that, in the spiritual sense, the darkness of that first day was the very limitation that obscured God’s presence. It was when the extent of material obscurity had adequately veiled the clarity of spiritual vision that God declared an end to the process of ever-expanding darkness. Whatever darkness is, it cannot comprehend or detect the Primeval Light of life – the omnipresence of the Word of God.

The term “Light” is used seven times in this chapter. This is no coincidence. John developed a menorah design that corresponds to the seven golden lamps in the opening chapter of Revelation. There, Christ stands in the midst of the menorah. These lights are given in verses 4,5,7,8 and 9. They all point to Jesus as the “true Light, which lighteth every man that comes into the world” (verse 9). The evidence is overwhelming. John was not mistaken. There is no more powerful evidence in the entire Bible that proves the deity of Christ than this passage. This “true light” i.e. Primeval Light” is exactly what we see happening in the miraculous image on the Shroud of Turin. As covered in the previous article, the Shroud of Turin has long been known and scientifically shown to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. The cloth shows the body of the crucified Christ. With the invention of photography, the image becomes a remarkable photograph. A black and white negative actually produces a positive print. The evidence confirms the image to be that of Christ at the very moment of Resurrection.

Jesus Christ, the Word who is called “The true Light,” reflects the ancient thought that the Primeval Light was hidden within the Word of God himself. At the moment of Christ’s resurrection, the Primeval Light, (i.e. the Holy Spirit) burst forth from within and brought his body back to life and imprinted his image onto the cloth. The image exhibits not only facial features, but the skull, the sinus cavities and roots of his teeth… all this from an unearthly light that had to eminate from within.

No matter how difficult this may be for our minds to process this information, John is telling us that the Creator, Himself, became a man!

Can the Primeval Light shine and not be seen? According to 2 Kings 6:17, Elisha could see God’s chariots of fire protecting the citadel of Dothan, though others could not. They were there all along, but Elisha had to pray that God would open the eyes of the fearful young man …

“And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17).

Those heavenly charioteers didn’t just turn on their headlights. The chariots were burning with the Primeval Light all the time. They were just hidden from the eyes of man.

Today, Israel’s leading rabbis refuse to let their people walk on the Temple Mount because they think that the Shekinah still ascends from the place where the Holy of holies used to be. They fear that someone might accidentally walk through that ascending light and be killed. If it is still there, it certainly cannot be seen. But such is the nature of the Primeval Light. One may well wonder if it is still there. Perhaps, perhaps not. I’m more inclined to think that this light of protection may well be better thought of as now being hidden in Christ since his first advent – that it is now hidden there and nowhere else unlike in Old Testament days.

Throughout the Gospel of John, the Apostle John adds several insights to his introduction of this “Light.” In chapter 3, John speaks of this Primeval Light in metaphoric terms …

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:19-21).

John gives the metaphoric aspects of good and evil, as seen in light and darkness. In chapter 8, John tells us that the Savior, Himself, claimed to be the Light …

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).

In chapter 12, Jesus returns again to the same theme …

“Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them” (John 12:35-36).

There are several biblical views of this heavenly light that seem to make the subject much clearer. We can understand the reality of this light in such subjects as the flaming sword at the east gate of Eden; the burning bush; and the pillar of fire that protected the camp in the wilderness. Someday, the saints of God will live in a heavenly city, which is called the “New Jerusalem” in Revelation 21.

It will need no sun or moon because there will be no night there. The glory of God and of the Lamb (Jesus) are the Light of it. What we now have difficulty comprehending, then will be understood and enjoyed forever.

John the Baptist

God maintained His “hiddenness” and purposely managed to be rejected, betrayed and crucified. In order to incite the rejection of Temple authorities, this eternal Word sent the spirit of Elijah disguised as John the Baptist, yet allowed him no miracles. John’s ministry ended in execution, thus creating a climate that was certain to lead to the Savior’s death. Looking back, we are told that all of this was planned. Jesus was in complete control of His own rejection and crucifixion. In chapter 10, Jesus made a startling statement …

“Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father” (John 10:17-18).

His death on the cross was not the result of a catastrophic failure, as some liberal theologians would suppose. Jesus came to Earth for the express purpose of dying for the sins of the world. We should note a two-fold purpose for the ministry of John the Baptist. In addition to causing Temple authorities to reject the Savior, the Baptist also bore a true witness to the deity of Christ, so that all men and women might have the opportunity to believe and receive eternal life …

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:6-9).

The testimony of John the Baptist is so important that I shall endeavor to cover it more fully in a future posting. Here in this posting, I want to stay with the Apostle’s theme of the Primeval Light and the Savior’s connection to it. I’ll only note that the Baptist came to bear witness of the metaphysical Jesus. The subjects of Light and Word were more than descriptive terms. Yet, we cannot comprehend the reality of these subjects. We know that both communication and direction are essential for us. We are given eyes to see where we are going. We are given ears and a mouth in order to communicate with others. At the same time, we are given a mind that processes these instruments of interaction. What would we be without them?

But more than that, we are given spiritual insight in order to understand how to communicate with God. Our eyes help us to read the Word of God, without which, we would have no hope of the future. Our language, though learned, was divinely bestowed upon the human race that we might be able to speak to God – whether audibly or mentally – we use the same language. What we think and what we say uses essentially the same mental process. So, who made our eyes that we might see? Who made the light to play upon the cones of each retina? Who made our eardrums and connected them to our brains? Who made our tongues to articulate our language skills? It was Jesus – and no one else. Verse 10 explains …

“He was in the world, and the world was made by him and the world knew him not” (John 1:10).

The Apostle John is quite clear on this point. Jesus was far, far more than history has painted Him to be. All of the accolades and poetry; all of the songs and symphonies; all of the sermons of all of the saints throughout history are woefully inadequate to explain who Jesus really was and is. We can spend a lifetime reading about Him and never fully understand how enormous and powerful He really is. The Creator of all that is, both in Heaven and in Earth; both of this universe and of the others, however many of them there are, came to live among men. He came to Earth to talk to humans; to feel our pitiful conditions; to experience our hunger; poverty; sorrow; loneliness; anxiety; to walk in our shoes; and yes, to feel rejection and be cruelly mistreated as we have been by our fellow humans.

John explains only part of man’s cruelty toward the One who made the world and us …

“He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 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: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:11-13).

Here, we learn that He had prepared a chosen people down through history, beginning with Abraham, a man of excellent lineage. He had carefully watched over the genealogies of a particular family dynasty – beginning with Adam, there were 66 generations rounding out Matthew’s list, and 77 generations completing Luke’s list – that he might be the perfect God-man. Having finally arrived, the Jews could not believe, nor accept their own heritage.

But for all who understand John’s Gospel; for all who believe in Jesus; for all who receive Him, a spiritual birth occurs – a new family emerges – and they are called “Sons of God!” With the arrival of Jesus, family lineage is no longer important. What is important is who will join His family now? God’s life-giving Primeval Light can be bestowed upon you and me, as it has been given to all believers down through history. Our human heritage, from Adam until now, brings only death and condemnation. This Primeval Light that was hidden within Jesus is being offered to whomever will receive it today. He is prepared to give it. It is the very light that will be vital for a human being to possess in the hereafter in order to co-exist with God in the heavenly kingdom. It is a light that literally regenerates the dead human soul/spirit back to life from its current state of death in those who have not yet personally received Jesus Christ as Savior.

The process of saving regeneration is an almost simple one to understand. When one is born into the world, he or she is born with a fallen, sinful nature. The sins that we human beings commit is only a symptom of the much bigger problem. Our spirits, the part of us that will live on in eternity, is in a state of death. In order for us to escape condemnation and damnation, our spirits must be brought back to life through regeneration. This is what having to be born again to inherit eternal life as stated by Jesus really means. It means that when one receives Christ as his or her personal savior by fully trusting on and personally receiving him as his or her savior, the spirit of God literally and instantly inhabits the body of said person and instantly regenerates the person’s spirit from it’s state of death back to life. Romans 6:11 puts it this way…

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11).

This verse of scripture is basically confirming and reinforcing what Christ said about having to be “born again.” The “light of life” (Jesus through the Holy Spirit – the third person of the Godhead) literally takes up residence within the receiving person and regenerates them (their dead spirit) back to life from its state of death – thus being imbued with this eternal life that does not, and will not, ever leave the receiver.

Ever since the fall of Adam, mankind has walked in a state of spiritual death and darkness. So, Why Did Adam Sin? Was it in the plan of God to allow Adam to sin? If so, why? For a good review of this, see a previous posting titled “GOD’S ANCIENT PLAN FOR LUCIFER’S DEFEAT” in the “Recommended Reading and Viewing” section at the end of this article.

The Tabernacle That Dwelt Among Us

There are many nuances about the Gospel of Jesus given through the Apostle John that are commonly overlooked. Here is one of them …

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The use of the highlighted term “dwelt” in the above passage of scripture refers to the Tabernacle in the wilderness described in the Old Testament. The Tabernacle in the wilderness was a portable tent in which God’s presence dwelt while the Hebrews received the Law of God (Torah) and prepared to organize a nation (Israel). It was constructed in the wilderness, and hundreds of years later, King Solomon placed it in a magnificent Temple in Jerusalem. Many theologians have noted the fact that this term “dwelt” refers or hints back to the Tabernacle, but John actually begins at the east gate of the Tabernacle courtyard, alludes to the Brazen Altar, Laver, Holy Place, Menorah, Altar of Incense, Table of Shewbread and Holy of holies twice in the course of this profound book. John 1:11 offers a tour of the Tabernacle. John 12-21 offers a second tour of the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle is central throughout the entire Bible all the way from Creation, to its central focus upon Jesus and His presence within the believer who has personally received Him for the gift of eternal life. In fact, the Tabernacle itself was layed out in the form of a cross – the cross of Christ … the Light.

And finally, the Tabernacle in the Wilderness finds itself strategically placed right down to the very end of days and finds itself ensconced within America itself – with yet again as Jesus “the Light” as its central focus.

Though I will not take the time for an extended tour of the detailed function of the Tabernacle in its central function throughout all of history including the present in this posting, please read a previous in-depth treatment of the subject in a posting titled AMERICA AND A PROPHETIC FOUR DIMENSIONAL TRIP THROUGH THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES.

JESUS THE LIGHT’S MESSAGE TO YOU:  YOUR ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN

This same Jesus, the “Light,” the very Son of God – God himself incarnate in human flesh, promises eternal life only to a certain category of people.

In order to accept the offer of God’s grace and his salvation, you must take the crucial three steps of …

1. Agreeing – A belief and agreeing with God in all that he says in his word, the Bible, about the fact that you are separated from God, as every man and woman on the face of the earth are before accepting his salvation.  The Bible reveals that all are separated from him in a spiritual state of death, or said another way that the Bible reveals it, in a state of sin, that will result in damnation in the afterlife.  Agreeing with God in your heart that you are in need of his salvation.  The Bible reveals that God looks upon the heart of a man or woman, and thus, responds accordingly to the person who comes to him for salvation in recognition of his inability to save himself.  The Bible makes these facts very clear – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).  The Bible describes these three kinds of death:

• physical death (the state experienced when life leaves our bodies).
• spiritual death (spiritual separation from God caused by our state of spiritual death inherited from the first man Adam – the state of sin that results in our daily outward acts of sin, whether deliberate or not, whether omissive or not; and finally …
• the second death (the fixed state entered into by the individual who dies physically while he or she is dead spiritually). This state is entered into after the death of the body which results in punishment in the afterlife until the event of the Great White Throne Judgment occurs wherein the damned are resurrected from Hades, or Hell, and are judged according to their works and finally destroyed and cease to exist after being cast into the Lake of Fire. Revelation 14 refers to this tragic end of the unsaved as the “Second Death” (verse 14). It is this state of suffering entered into after physical death and then final destruction at the Great White Throne Judgment in particular which is the horrible result of receiving the wages of sin (unforgiven due to unbelief and rejection of Christ). The Lord Jesus Christ frequently described such a death as being irrevocable in a destiny which he called Hell.  He described Hell as a literal place of judgment (Matthew 13:42); a place of everlasting fire (Matthew 18:8); a place of torment (Luke 16:24,28); a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:50); a place of remorse (Mark 9:44-48); of bitter memory (Luke 16:25), and a place originally prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).  In fact, Jesus more often warned about Hell than he spoke about Heaven.

It is not God’s will or desire that any person should be consigned to perish in Hell (2 Peter 3:9), but rather that all should come to repentance of unbelief toward him and believe on him for the salvation of the individual’s soul.  But God’s justice requires that the “soul who sins” (remains in it’s state of death or state of sin) is the one who will die a second time after a long period of torment (Ezekiel 18:4).  So, agree with God, admitting that you are unable to save yourself and in a state of sin under God’s just condemnation for that sin and that you are in need of his salvation.

2. Believing – Then, believe that God does not want you to perish eternally in the torment of Hell because of your sin.  Believe that God loves you so much that he provided a way whereby he could still be a just, holy and righteous God, and yet pardon you.  Believe that God did not just overlook sin, but that he sent his only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to provide salvation by personally paying the penalty for sin.  Believe that Jesus Christ, whose life, death, burial and resurrection is the best-attested fact of antiquity, did come to earth to live, die, rise again and ascend to Heaven in order to provide justification and salvation for all who trust him.  Believe that he, and he alone, can save you because he has fully satisfied the just demands of God.  Believe that you can’t become righteous in God’s sight by your own effort.  Believe that he wants to save you and that he will save you.  The Bible provides a solid basis for such belief …

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). 

“But God demonstrates his love toward us in this:  while we were yet sinners,  Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). 

God presented him (Jesus Christ) as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood.  He did this to demonstrate his justice because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies the man or woman who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:25-26). 

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures … ” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). 

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). 

“Jesus answered, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).  “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out [drive away]” (John 6:37).

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

3. Calling – It is not enough to agree with God, admit your need, and believe that Christ can and will save you.  You must act upon those facts. God’s requirement is that you repent of your unbelief toward him and actively call upon him for the salvation of your soul based on the fact that you cannot save yourself. It is unbelief in particular that damns the soul to its horrible fate …

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

You must be willing to completely turn from your own efforts to save yourself or from any other hope.  You must come to Christ, calling upon him for salvation and counting on the fact that he will do what he has promised.  This means simply taking the gift of pardon and eternal life which he offers.  Merely believing about Jesus Christ without coming to him makes as much sense and is as effective as believing that a medication can successfully treat a fatal disease, but failing to take it.  Yet again, the Bible emphatically and authoritatively provides the basis for such statements.

The word translated “believe” here means to “rest one’s entire weight and trust on the object or person in which the belief is placed.”  It requires action in keeping with the intellectual assent of that belief.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

” … but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The logical question you may be asking at this point is:  “how do I come to Christ and call upon him?”  The answer is that “calling upon the Lord” is just another term for praying, or talking to God.  To talk to God is not a complicated process, dependent upon some special rituals.  God has invited people to approach him through his Son in simple, straightforward terms.  In fact, Jesus approved of the dishonest, despised tax collector who simply prayed, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”  While the exact words of your prayer to God are not of vital importance (since God sees and knows the attitude of your heart), the following is the kind of prayer that you could pray in calling upon God for salvation …

“Dear Lord Jesus:  I realize that I need you.  I admit that I have sinned and that I deserve your just, eternal punishment for that sin.  But I am sorry for my sin and I am turning to you and asking for forgiveness.  I believe that you died and rose again to pay sin’s penalty on my behalf.  I come to you and open my heart to you.  I ask you to come into my life, forgive me for all of my sin and make me your child.  I invite you to take control of my life and to cause me to be the kind of person you would have me to be.  I thank you for doing this because you have promised that whosoever calls upon you, as I am doing now, shall be saved.  I pray this in the name of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.”

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, I urge you to sincerely and genuinely express it to God as your prayer.  The Bible makes clear that when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in our heart, God forgives our sins and counts us righteous, and that when we openly confess with our mouth what we have done in our heart,  God gives us assurance of that salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:3-7).

The next installment of this book of John series can be read in the link below.
THE DEITY OF CHRIST 3: THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

Recommended Reading and Viewing:

GOD’S ANCIENT PLAN FOR LUCIFER’S DEFEAT

END OF THE SIXTH DISPENSATION: THE SIGN OF THE 30-YEAR 153/11 WHIRLPOOL CROSS CODE

RIGHTLY DIVIDING WRONGLY