Aunty Jane
Well-Known Member
And what an interesting link it is…...do his assertions stand up to scrutiny?Rather than try to just copy and paste an explanation, I'll put the link here for you that explains that Jesus is God, knew it, and claimed it to be so: Jesus Knew He Was God, and Said So
Your reference states….
”Jesus does make such a claim several times, but it isn’t easy for us to see today, because we are not familiar with the first-century Jewish context he draws upon, and since these claims are somewhat veiled to our eyes, people can reinterpret Jesus’ words to explain away his divine self-reference. While such words can be explained away, Jesus’ audience’s reaction to his words isn’t so easy to dismiss.”
So we start by assuming that first century Jews had the correct context of anything scriptural. They were castigated by Jesus for their failure to observe God’s word by putting man-made traditions in their place…something the RCC has also done. (Matt 15:7-9; Matt 23:13)
What was “veiled” to their eyes is also “veiled” to the eyes of misunderstanding Daniel’s prophesies. What did God tell Daniel to do with his records of the things God revealed to him?
Daniel 12:4….
“As for you, Daniel, keep the words secret, and seal up the book until the time of the end. Many will rove about, and knowledge will become abundant.”
No one would understand Daniel’s prophesies until “the time of the end” where we find ourselves right now in this present age.
It goes on to say…
”The charge of blasphemy was serious, and stoning was against Roman law. Therefore, the reaction of Jesus’ original hearers provides a solid indicator as to whether he claimed to be divine.”
Jesus claiming to be the Messiah was not a claim to be God. He only ever said that he was the “son of God” but the church changed that to “God the Son”…..scriptural sleight of hand.
Read John 10:31-36….
”Once again the Jews picked up stones to stone him. 32 Jesus replied to them: “I displayed to you many fine works from the Father. For which of those works are you stoning me?” 34 Jesus answered them: “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said: “You are gods”’? (theos) 35 If he called ‘gods’ (theos) those against whom the word of God (ho theos) came—and yet the scripture cannot be nullified— 36 do you say to me whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the son of God’ (ho theos)?”
Here we have Jesus quoting his Father’s word, calling the judges in Israel “gods” (theos) but when referring to his Father the Greek uses “ho theos” which was identifying Jehovah. Calling Jesus divine was not calling him Jehovah.
Strongs primary definition of the word “theos“ (god) is…
“a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities”…..so calling Jesus “theos” is not calling him God but referring to his divine appointment as Messiah. The Father is identified in that verse by the use of the definite article….something that is omitted from Christendom’s translations. It’s a small word but with a very important meaning.
If human judges in Israel were called “gods” by the Father himself, because of their divine appointment as his representatives in Israel, then calling the son “theos” can mean the same divine authority was conferred on him.
John 1:1 ….”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, (ho theos) and the Word was God (theos)”. So this omission is misleading because the definite article is plainly seen in reference to the Father, but not the son. Therefore this is not a declaration of Jesus’ deity, but of his divine origin and authority from the Father, directly assigned as Israel’s Messiah….the promised one…..YET they wanted him dead….why? Because he did not present himself as THEY expected their Messiah to come...to aggrandize them, and to restore Israel’s glory to these corrupt men. This is the reason why they wanted to pin a charge of blasphemy on him….to have an excuse to execute him.
Continuing from your reference…..after quoting Daniel 7:9, 10, 13, 14….he says….
“In this passage, “one like a son of man” comes “with the clouds of heaven” and presents himself before God (the Ancient of Days) and receives universal and everlasting dominion over the whole earth.
These two passages together cause a certain amount of exegetical tension. If God is one, why set up more than one throne? Who sits on the other throne? Indeed, how can any creature be worthy to be enthroned next to God?
Who indeed? Reading on in Daniel in the next few verses, (15-18) we see exactly who occupies the thrones (not numbered and assumed to be two, rather than three if one is supposed to be supporting a three headed god)….
“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me because the visions of my head frightened me. 16 I went near to one of those who were standing there to ask him about the true meaning of this. So he replied and made known to me the interpretation of these things.
17 “‘These huge beasts, four in number, are four kings who will stand up from the earth. 18 But the holy ones of the Supreme One will receive the kingdom, and they will possess the kingdom forever, yes, forever and ever.’”
Who are “The holy ones of the Supreme One” mentioned here with Jesus being crowned as King of God’s Kingdom…..remembering that this vision was part of the prophesies pertaining to “the time of the end”….?
The thrones represent the “saints” (holy ones, elect, chosen ones) who will rule as kings with Christ in heaven, (Rev 20:6) replacing the faithless Jews who, as a nation, murdered their own Messiah and disqualified themselves from citizenship in that coming kingdom. (Matt 23:37-39)
If one allows the Bible to explain itself, we can see that there is no real evidence for Christendom’s errors but we do see in Daniel the reason why they are so blinded….(2 Cor 4:3-4)
Again God tells Daniel in Daniel 12:9-10…
”Then he said: “Go, Daniel, because the words are to be kept secret and sealed up until the time of the end. 10 Many will cleanse themselves and whiten themselves and will be refined. And the wicked ones will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand; but those having insight will understand.”
This is the time for ‘knowledge to become abundant’ and for those who are of the right heart to “cleanse whiten and refine” their beliefs in light of that knowledge, previously hidden from corrupted religious leaders, but revealed to “the holy ones” in this “time of the end”……who are they? God will lead right-hearted ones to them. (John 6:44, 65) The rest will be left to wallow in their errors right up to the end, because they preferred the convenient lies, to the inconvenient truth. (2 Thess 2:9-12; Matt 7:21-23)
Those on the road to life are “few”….but those on the highway to destruction are “many”. (Matt7:13-14)
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