After reviewing seven descriptions of Jesus in the previous two installments, we continue on our journey of looking at more of these.

• The Son of Man

We saw in the previous section above, that Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matthew 16:13). This is a Name that He used to refer to Himself.

In our Q&A entitled: “Why did Jesus call Himself ‘The Son of Man?’” we quote Wikipedia as follows:

“The expression ‘the Son of man’ occurs 81 times in the Greek text of the four Canonical gospels, and is used only in the sayings of Jesus.  The singular Hebrew expression ‘son of man’ (ben-‘adam) also appears in the Hebrew Bible over a hundred times.”

We go on to say that one commentator on the internet made these observations: “In the gospels, there are more than 80 places where Jesus refers to himself in the third person as the ‘Son of Man’. In most of those places, he is associating it with one of two prophecies concerning himself; either that the Son of Man will suffer and be killed (Matthew 17:12, Mark 8:31, 9:12, Luke 9:22) or that the Son of Man will come again in glory and for final judgement (Matthew 16:27, 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26, 21:27).  Often the two images are linked, and in only a very few places he doesn’t use ‘son of man’ that way.”

We also stated this: “It would appear that, with the use of the phrase “Son of Man”, Jesus wanted to show everyone that when He dwelled among us, He was entirely human and that He was fully man. In the book of Ezekiel, the phrase ‘son of man’ is used many times for the prophet Ezekiel, but he was just a man with no previous supernatural background. On the other hand, with Jesus, previously a supernatural Being from all of eternity, it was somewhat different.  By using this phrase, He showed that He, who had been God, became fully human, but He also showed that He, the Person who had lived in the flesh and who had died for us, would be resurrected and return as a glorified immortal and eternal God being–the King of kings and the Lord of lords–to rule over all mankind.”

• The Lamb of God

We read in John 1:29 that John the Baptist bore witness of Jesus: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’”   And in verses 35-36 we read: “Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’”

Jesus was the perfect and ultimate Sacrifice for sin.   In Isaiah 53, we read about the prophetic sufferings of the Messiah and in verse 7 is a prophecy that Jesus fulfilled: “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.”

When Philip preached to the Ethiopian, he quoted Isaiah 53:7 and showed how this was fulfilled by Jesus, as we read in Acts 8:34-35: “So the eunuch answered Philip and said, ‘I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?’  Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.”

We understand that when the ancient Israelites were preparing to leave Egypt, they were to put the lamb’s blood on the two doorposts and lintel of their house for the protection of their firstborn (Exodus 12:7) so that the death angel would pass over them (verse13).  In Exodus 12:5, we read: “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.”   God had Israel act out, in a physical way, a type of Christ who was the Lamb of God.  Around 1,500 years later, Jesus would shed His blood, giving His perfect sinless life as a Sacrifice to pay the penalty for our transgressions of God’s Law.

The shed blood of lambs applied by the ancient Israelites to the doorposts of their houses protected their firstborn from the plague of death.   Today, we can be protected from eternal death through the blood of Christ – the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for us on the day of the Passover nearly 2,000 years ago.  This perfect Sacrifice was where Jesus gave His life for the world as we read in John 3:16: “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

For more information on the tremendous importance of Christ’s Sacrifice, please see our booklet, “The Meaning of God’s Spring Holy Days.”

• The Light of the World

We read in John 8:12: “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’”

Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise) observes: “Christ is the Light of the world. God is light, and Christ is the image of the invisible God. One sun enlightens the whole world; so does… Christ… What a dark dungeon would the world be without the sun! So would it be without Jesus, by whom light came into the world. Those who follow Christ shall not walk in darkness. They shall not be left without the truths which are necessary to keep them from destroying error, and the directions in the way of duty, necessary to keep them from condemning sin.”

In John 9:5, Jesus repeated that He was the light of the world and as we are to be like Him we, too, should be the light of the world as He remarked in Matthew 5:14: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Compare also Ephesians 5:8 and Philippians 2:15.

• The Bread of Life

In John 6, Jesus spoke about the necessity of spiritual food, that which lasts (compare verse 27), and in verses 33-35, He stated that: ‘”For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, give us this bread always.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’” 

In verse 48, Jesus again says: “I am the bread of life,” and in verse 51, we read: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

Jesus taught that “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6), explaining that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

• King of the Jews

Jesus is referred to as the King of the Jews in all four gospel accounts. For instance, in Matthew 2:1-2, we read that “wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.””   We see that even as a small child there was the acknowledgement that He was the King of the Jews.

In passing, the “star” went before them and showed them the way to the house where Jesus was staying. This was not an ordinary star, but an angel (compare for instance Revelation 1:20); the wise men did not visit Christ on His birthday, but much later, and by that time, Christ was no longer a baby in the manger, but a “young Child” (compare verses 9-11).

In Matthew 27, we see further evidence of Jesus being given this title of “King of the Jews.” In verse 11, we read:  ^“Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you say.’”

Pilate was amazed that Jesus wouldn’t answer him further (verse 14).   When the soldiers mocked Jesus just before His crucifixion, they used this description as we see in verse 29: “When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’”  Verse 37 reads: “And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”  We know from John 19:19 that it was Pilate who wrote this title and so Jesus must have made quite an impression on Pilate who was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea. Pilate referred several times to Jesus as the King of the Jews when the crowd demanded His crucifixion (compare Mark 15:9, 12-13).

Zechariah 9:9 is prophetic: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.”  Matthew 21:4-5 shows that this was fulfilment of that prophecy. 

• King of kings

We read about ten European core nations of the beast power in Revelation 17 who make a move to wage war with the returning Jesus Christ.  “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 17:14).

In Revelation 19:16 is a prophecy showing Christ’s authority will be worldwide: “And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

These titles imply complete authority and are well placed as Jesus was the One whom the Father used to create all things (compare Colossians 1:16) and, at the time when it will be necessary at the end of the rule of man, such a strong and fair ruler will be vital.   Gone will be the earthly rulers, royalty, prime ministers, presidents and all the other human leaders—leaders from the dawn of civilisation until the present day who have brought us to the brink of extinction.

The return of Jesus Christ as King of kings will accomplish a complete revolution about how things should be, and only He can bring that about and implement it by and through the direction of the Father. Those “who are with Him,” “the called, chosen and faithful” (compare again Revelation 17:14), will rule under Christ as born-again members of the God Family for a thousand years (Revelation 20:6). Christ will be their KING and LORD, but they themselves will be kings and lords as well.  

• Rabbi

Wikipedia states that “The title ‘Rabbi’ occurs… in the books of Matthew, Mark and John in the New Testament, where it is used in reference to ‘Scribes and Pharisees’ as well as to Jesus.” 

Jesus was referred to by His disciples as “rabbi” in John (1:38, 49, 3:2, 4:31, 6:25), and the term “rabbi” means “teacher” or “master” or “leader” in Arabic. “Rabbi” can also mean “my great one.”

We read in John 3:1-2 that “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’”  This clearly indicates that Nicodemus, a member of the religious establishment at that time, acknowledged that the term, Rabbi, was an appropriate name for Jesus.

But what we read in the gospels also emphasise Jesus’ difference from normal Rabbis. “And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:28-29).

It is fair to say that by the end of His ministry, the disciples would have realised who Jesus really was, which was very much more than just a Rabbi. Rather, He was their Master, teaching them with authority, and Christ had warned them that they should not be called “Rabbi,” “for One is your Teacher (Margin in the New King James Bible: Leader), the Christ, and you are all brethren” (Matthew 23:8).

In our Q&A, ”Please explain Christ’s sayings in Matthew 23:8-10,” we state the following:

“… the word ‘Rabbi’ means, ‘my great one’ (‘The New Bible Commentary–Revised’). Christ emphasized the fact that even though He bestowed on His ministry certain functions and responsibilities toward ‘feeding’ the flock, the ministers are to understand that they are not in any way ‘better’ than others…

“Christ specifically said that ministers are not to exercise ‘lordship’ over the flock [Luke 22:24-26; compare 1 Peter 5:3]; and that they must not accept ‘superior’ religious designations and titles which are reserved for God–including titles such as ‘the Anointed One,’ ‘the Lawgiver,’ ‘the Prophet,’ ‘Doctor of Divinity,’ ‘His Holiness,’ ‘Father’ or even ‘Holy Father.’ The title ‘Reverend’ should not be used by God’s ministers, either, as the Bible uses this word ONLY in reference to God (compare Psalm 111:9, Authorized Version). The same is true for the term, ‘Holy Father,’ which is exclusively used for God (compare John 17:11).”

(To be continued)

Lead Writers: Brian Gale (United Kingdom) and Norbert Link

In the first installment, we learned that it has been said that there are some 200 names and titles of Christ found in the Bible, and we started reviewing some of these. We now continue with some more descriptions of Jesus.

• The “I AM”

We understand that Jesus was the God of the Old Testament. In Exodus 3:13, we read: “Then Moses said to God, ‘Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they say to me, “What is His name?” what shall I say to them?’”   In verse 14 is a telling piece of information: “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”’”

In the New Testament, in John 8:58-59, we read: “Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”

In our booklet, “Do You Know the Jesus of the Bible?,” we read the following on page 5:

“When Jesus said, ‘I AM,’ rather than, ‘I WAS,’ the Jews understood that He identified Himself as God—as ‘Yahweh,’ the ‘I AM’ or Eternal of the Old Testament. That is why they ‘took up stones to throw at Him’ (verse 59).

“The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown commentary adds the following thoughts:

“‘Before Abraham was, I am’ — The words rendered ‘was’ and ‘am’ are quite different. The one clause means, ‘Abraham was brought into being’; the other, ‘I exist.’ The statement therefore is not that Christ came into existence before Abraham did… but that He never came into being at all, but existed before Abraham had a being; in other words, existed before creation, or eternally… In that sense the Jews plainly understood Him, since ‘then took they up stones to cast at Him,’ just as they had before done when they saw that He made Himself equal with God [John 5:18].’”

For further information, reading this booklet would be helpful, and also please see our Q&A: https://www.globalchurchofgod.co.uk/was-jesus-christ-the-god-of-the-old-testament/.

• The Son of God

Jesus was and is the Son of God.  We read in John 3:16-17 some of the most famous words in the Bible: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

We read further, in John 10:36-38: “…do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.’”

There are many other Scriptures that confirm that Jesus was and is the Son of God.   Matthew 3:17 reads: “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’”   Luke 3:22 also confirms this fact: “… and a voice came from heaven which said:, ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.’”  Also, Romans 1:3-4: “…concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”

Jesus Christ was always the Son of God, but this passage explains to us that after His death as a human being, He was resurrected as the powerful Son of God—the Spirit being who He had been before He became the Son of Man.

Even a quick glance at a Bible Concordance will reveal many other references to Jesus being the Son of God.

• Immanuel

In Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, they state the following under the heading “Immanuel”: ‘God (is) with us’. A symbolic name given to the child who was announced to Ahaz and the people of Judah as the sign that God would give them deliverance from their enemies.   Matthew applies it similarly to Jesus the Messiah.”

Wikipedia has this to say about Ahaz: “Ahaz was 20 when he became king of Judah and reigned for 16 years.  Ahaz is portrayed as an evil king in the Second Book of Kings (2 Kings 16:2). The Gospel of Matthew lists Ahaz of Judah in the genealogy of Jesus. He is also mentioned in Isaiah 7 and Isaiah 14:28.”

We further read at https://www.associationcovenantpeople.org/the-sign-given-to-king-ahaz/:

“But God nevertheless gave Ahaz this sign, so strangely different from anything that might have been expected, ‘Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,’ That is ‘God with us’. The birth of Jesus was still 742 years away. How could this be a sign of victory for King Ahaz? Yet the name ‘Emmanuel’ ‘God with us’, was a prophecy for that day and for all time, so far as the peoples were concerned, and the prophecy came true both for the immediate deliverance of Jerusalem and later for the birth of Emmanuel the Redeemer of the nation and Saviour of His people.”

In Isaiah 7:14, we read:

“Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

We see in the book of Matthew that Jesus’ birth would be the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Matthew 1:23 states: “‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’”

A further Scripture in Isaiah 8:8 is instructive: “He will pass through Judah, He will overflow and pass over, He will reach up to the neck; And the stretching out of his wings Will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel.”

The Matthew Poole’s Commentary observes:

“Of thy land, O Immanuel; of the land of Judah, so called because the Messiah, who is called by God himself Immanuel, Isaiah 7:14, should certainly be born, and live, and die there. And this is added emphatically for the consolation of God’s people, to assure them, that notwithstanding this dreadful scourge, yet God would make a difference between Israel and Judah; and whereas Israel should be so broken by the Assyrian, that they should not be a people, as was threatened, Isaiah 7:8, Judah should be restored and preserved, for the sake of the Messiah, to be the place of his birth and ministry, according to that famous prophecy, Genesis 49:10.”

While the House of Israel never returned to the Promised Land and became known as the “lost ten tribes” (even though they have been identified in our time), the House of Judah did return to the Promised Land.

• Redeemer

We read in Isaiah 44:24: “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: ‘I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself…’”

The Hebrew word for redeem is “gaal” which is to “free by avenging and repaying.”  Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible explains: “Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer… These are the words of the Son of God, of Christ, the Redeemer of his people; and the following show him to be the mighty God, and so able to redeem them, and therefore was appointed to this work, and undertook it.”

There are a number of references in the book of Isaiah about our Redeemer, one of which is chapter 54:5 which reads: “For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.”

As an interesting observation, please note that in the Hebrew, the words for “your Maker” and “your husband” are in the plural, showing again that God the Father made everything through Jesus Christ.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers comments as follows: “‘The “Redeemer’ in this context suggests the idea of the next of kin (such, e.g., as Boaz was to Ruth), taking on himself the kinsman’s duty of protection (Ruth 4:4-6).”

We read in the heading to Job 19, in the New King James Bible, that “Job Trusts in His Redeemer.”   Verse 25 is a very well-known verse: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth…”   As Jesus Christ was the God of the Old Testament who dealt directly with the people, it would have been Him with whom Job was interacting.

• The Christ

Quoting from Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, the comments under “Christ” reads as follows: “The official appellation of the long promised and long expected Saviour, denoting his kingly authority and mediatorial position as the ‘Servant of the Lord.’”  

“Jesus” [meaning, “the Lord Is Salvation” or “the Lord saves”] was His common name among men during His lifetime as a human being, and He is generally so called in the Gospels, while “the Christ” or “Jesus Christ” is generally used in the Epistles.  The meaning of “Christ” is the “anointed one” or “the chosen one.” There are hundreds of references in the New Testament to Christ and Christ Jesus, and we will review just a few of these.

In Wikipedia, under the heading “Christ – title,” is the following information:

“Christ, used by Christians as both a name and a title, unambiguously refers to Jesus. It is also used as a title in the reciprocal use ‘Christ Jesus’, meaning ‘the Messiah Jesus’, and independently as ‘the Christ’.  The Pauline epistles… often refer to Jesus as ‘Christ Jesus’ or ‘Christ’…”

The word “Messiah”—derived from the Hebrew Mashiach—means, the “anointed one “ or the “chosen one.” Therefore, the expression “Christ Jesus,” in using “Christ” first, teaches us that “Christ,” the “Messiah”—the chosen one or the anointed one by God the Father—is THE One—the ONLY One—through whom we can have salvation, reflected by the name “Jesus.” So, the Creator, the Word, the “I Am,” the Son of God and the Redeemer is the CHOSEN and ANOINTED One who saves us—through whom we can have salvation.

Continuing with Wikipedia:

“Christians believe that Jesus is the messiah foretold in the Hebrew Bible… Jesus was usually referred to as ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ or ‘Jesus, son of [Jospeh.]’… Jesus came to be called ‘Jesus Christ’ (meaning ‘Jesus the Khristós’, i.e. ‘Jesus the Messiah’ or ‘Jesus the Anointed’ by Christians, who believe that his crucifixion and resurrection fulfill the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.”

In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (verse 13).   It was interesting to hear the answers: “So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets’” (verse 14).  “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’  Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’  Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven’” (verses 15-17).   The revelation was from the Father.

Jesus also forecasted that there would be imposters.   In Matthew 24:4-5, we read that He was answering questions about the sign of the times and the end of the age: “And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many.’”   This is specifically speaking about the time now but it is fair to say that there have been false christs down through the ages.  In verses 23-24, the same theme is reiterated by Jesus: “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

Many have come and will come saying that they believe in Jesus and that Jesus was the Christ—even though their belief is mostly in a false Jesus, not the Jesus of the Bible (compare 2 Corinthians 11:4)—but then there are those who claim that they themselves are Jesus. The Bible foretells of a coming apostasy or a falling away from the Truth and of the revelation or manifestation of a religious figure—the man of sin—who will sit in the Temple of God, claiming to be God (compare 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). It appears that he will claim that he is Christ who has returned.

We can’t say that we haven’t been warned.   There is only one person who has this Name and that is the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

The answer is, probably more than most of us would have thought.   As we will see, when reviewed thoroughly, there are very many names, descriptions, attributes, functions and references that apply to Jesus Christ.

With this question, the first thing that may come to mind is the debate about what and how to call Jesus.   There are those who insist that it must be Yeshua.  Many others disagree:

On the website: https://biblescienceforum.com/ we read about the transliteration of Yeshua into the name Jesus.

Hebrew/Aramaic                   Yeshua                      

Greek                                    Ie-s-ous                     

Latin                                      Ie-s-us                        

English                                  Jesus                         

We might also add the following:

German                                  Jesus

French                                    Jésus

Spanish                                  Jesús

Italian                                      Gesù

In a Newsweek article from December 2018, we read the following: “Jesus Christ is celebrated as the reason for the season for many Christians–but is that his actual name? Due to the numerous translations the Bible has undergone, ‘Jesus’ is the modern term for the Son of God.

“His original Hebrew name is Yeshua, which is short for yehōshu’a. It can be translated to ‘Joshua,’ according to Dr. Michael L. Brown.” 

“Though his name may actually be Joshua, the name ‘Jesus’ wasn’t born out of creativity but also translation. When Yeshua is translated into Greek, which the New Testament is derived from, it becomes Iēsous, which in English spelling is ‘Jesus.’

“While some religious groups, like Messianic Jews, believe in worshipping Yeshua instead of Jesus, there doesn’t seem to be a complete right or wrong way to do it. It is said in the Bible that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord [will be] saved… (Romans 10:13). 

“Overall, the difference in names is due to translation. While a religious group may prefer one of the other, the Bible doesn’t explicitly deem one translation more respectful.”

To clarify, much more is involved for salvation than just calling on the name of the Lord, as a “magical formula.” We must understand that only in Jesus we can obtain salvation (Acts 4:12), but calling on and believing in Jesus is just the first step. It must be followed by repentance, believing in Jesus as our Savior for the remission of sins, believing in the gospel, proper baptism, the receipt of the Holy Spirit, and living a life of obedience to God until the day we die. 

We further read on the website oneforisrael.org: “It is true that his mother and friends called him Yeshua rather than Jesus, but if you know him as Jesus, does he mind that? Is it incorrect to call him Jesus? There are some who would argue till they’re blue in the face that it is critical to call him Yeshua and not Jesus, but Yeshua’s coming was also God’s time to take salvation to the gentiles. I believe that it was no accident that his name was disseminated in the international lingua-franca of the day: Greek. It was to go far and wide, to every nation on earth.”

On the website gotquestions.org, this matter is covered as follows (and we quote selectively for brevity):

“Yeshua is the Hebrew name, and its English spelling is ‘Joshua.’ Iesous is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name, and its English spelling is ‘Jesus.’ Thus, the names ‘Joshua’ and ‘Jesus’ are essentially the same; both are English pronunciations of the Hebrew and Greek names for our Lord. (For examples of how the two names are interchangeable, see Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8 in the KJV. In both cases, the word Jesus refers to the Old Testament character Joshua.)”

For clarification, the translation of the Authorized Version (KJV) of the word as “Jesus” is clearly wrong, as the Scriptures refer to “Joshua,” not “Jesus.” Still, the argument regarding the name as such is still valid. Continuing:

“Changing the language of a word does not affect the meaning of the word. We call a bound and covered set of pages a ‘book.’ In German, it becomes a buch. In Spanish, it is a libro; in French, a livre. The language changes, but the object itself does not. As Shakespeare said, ‘That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet’ (Romeo and Juliet, II:i). In the same way, we can refer to Jesus as ‘Jesus,’ ‘Yeshua,’ or ‘YehSou’ (Cantonese) without changing His nature. In any language, His name means ‘The Lord Is Salvation.’

“The Bible nowhere commands us to only speak or write His name in Hebrew or Greek. It never even hints at such an idea. Rather, when the message of the gospel was being proclaimed on the Day of Pentecost, the apostles spoke in the languages of the ‘Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene’ (Acts 2:9-10). In the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was made known to every language group in a way they could readily understand. Spelling did not matter.

“We refer to Him as ‘Jesus’ because, as English-speaking people, we know of Him through English translations of the Greek New Testament. Scripture does not value one language over another, and it gives no indication that we must resort to Hebrew when addressing the Lord. The command is to ‘call on the name of the Lord,’ with the promise that we ‘shall be saved’ (Acts 2:21; Joel 2:32). Whether we call on Him in English, Korean, Hindi, or Hebrew, the result is the same: the Lord is salvation.”

As mentioned above, we know that when we read the promise that “we shall be saved” when we call “on the name of the Lord,” it is very much more than that as we have covered in many sermons and our literature over many years.  It has to become a Way of Life not just by a once-in-a-lifetime acknowledgement of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

What we have covered so far is just one question about Jesus’ Name.   But there are so many more descriptions of Jesus.

In his book “Names, Titles, and Metaphors of the Lord Jesus Christ,” Donald W. Parry lists “more than one hundred names, titles, and metaphors of the Lord, together with references from the Old Testament. And remember that the Lord is none other than the premortal Jesus Christ. Each name or title serves to describe God’s perfections, attributes, divine qualities, sacred character, or His mission to humankind. For example, ‘Beloved, Glorious Lord,’ ‘Righteousness,’ and ‘Wonderful’ describe divine qualities. ‘Fountain,’ ‘Stone,’ ‘Star,’ and ‘Water’ are metaphors that describe one or more aspects of His nature or character. ‘Advocate,’ ‘Judge,’ ‘King,’… set forth [some] of His roles in the plan of salvation. ‘God of Heaven,’… and ‘King over all the earth’ portray His exalted position, majesty, and omnipotence. ‘Redeemer’ and ‘Savior’ describe aspects of the atoning sacrifice.  

“A number of these names and titles appear only once in the Old Testament, but others are attested multiple times. The names Holy One of Israel, God, Lord, Lord God, Lord of hosts, and Redeemer, for instance, each appear a dozen or more times in the book of Isaiah. No doubt there are other names and titles that can be added to the list.” 

Another author attests that there are some 200 names and titles of Christ found in the Bible.

We will review just some of these descriptions and will refer, where applicable, to previous Q&As or booklets that we have available. While we may make quite a few comments under some headings, generally we will be brief and limit comments because of the number we will cover in this series.  It might be worthwhile for readers to review each one in more depth at their own leisure.

We will underline the description or name that is attributed to Jesus. 

1. Creator

The Scriptures show us the might and majesty of the One whom the Father used to create all things as we see in Colossians 1:16-17 where Paul was writing about the pre-eminence of Christ: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”   Also, see 1 Corinthians 8:6.  At the instruction of the Father, He was Creator.

In our booklet: “Do You Know the Jesus of the Bible?” we quote two commentaries, as follows on pages 4 and 5:

“Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible points out, regarding Colossians 1:16: 

“‘Jesus Christ is the Creator of the universe; of all things visible and invisible; of all things that had a beginning, whether they exist in time or in eternity… he was prior to all creation, to all beings, whether in the visible or invisible world… Now, allowing… Paul to have understood the terms which he used, he must have considered Jesus Christ as being truly and properly God… Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things, therefore Jesus Christ must be, according to the plain construction of the apostle’s words, truly and properly God.’

“Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible comments on John 1:3:

“‘In this place it is affirmed that “creation” was effected by “the Word,” or the Son of God. In [Genesis 1:1], it is said that the Being who created the heavens and the earth was God. In [Psalm 102:25–28], this work is ascribed to Yahweh. The “Word,” or the Son of God, is therefore appropriately called “God”… he was the agent, or the efficient cause, by which the universe was made. There is no higher proof of omnipotence than the work of creation; and, hence, God often appeals to that work to prove that he is the true God, in opposition to idols… The Being, therefore, that “created” all things must be divine; and, since this work is ascribed to Jesus Christ, and as it is uniformly in the Scriptures declared to be the work of God, Jesus Christ is therefore equal with the Father.’”

In our recent booklet “God the Father is the Highest,” we read in our Introduction the following:

“There is a tendency in many churches to either under- or overemphasize the role and position of God the Father and of Jesus Christ. It is of tremendous importance that we understand the Truth in this regard, as it is revealed in the pages of the Bible. This booklet will show that God is a Family and a hierarchy, and this means, God the Father is the highest in the Godhead; He and Jesus Christ are NOT equal in authority. This understanding has tremendous importance for our daily Christian life.”

2. The Word

We read in John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” And in verse 14: “And the Word became 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.”

In Genesis 1:1 we read about the creation: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Later in the chapter, after much creation, we see that the Father and the Word created man: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (verses 26-27).

God the Father created everything through Jesus Christ, the “Word” or the “Spokesman.” God the Father gave the command to Jesus; Jesus as the Spokesman or Executor uttered the word (Psalm 33:6; first phrase), and through the power of the Holy Spirit, creation occurred (Psalm 33:6, second phrase; the word “breath,” ruach in Hebrew, should be translated here as “spirit”; note also Psalm 104:30). 

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

We recently had an e-mail from someone who had received our advertised booklet “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People.” This person wrote:

“Thank you for your literature.  However, I am shocked and surprised that in Chapter 11 you refer to ‘God’s anger… In my experience God would not know anger – He is loving, kind and non-judgemental. You may be referring to the old testament of course in which God is portrayed as a human emotional being capable of such feelings. Thank God this beautiful power is far beyond that.”

The person then requested to be “unsubscribed” as a consequence. 

It is sad that due to ignorance, the clear teachings of the Bible are here being questioned.

In this Q&A, we will answer the two references that the writer makes about the God of the Old Testament and the assertion that God would not know anger.  

We have no reason to spend a lot of time on who was the God of the Old Testament, as we had numerous pieces of literature on the subject, including a Q&A entitled “Was Jesus Christ the God of the Old Testament?” which was in our weekly Update dated 6^th August 2021.

Just a few points from that Q&A should suffice, as follows:

“The Church of God has understood for many years that Jesus Christ was THE God of the Old Testament…

“Notice the dialogue and the reaction of the Jews to Christ’s words in John 8:56–58: ‘[Jesus said,] “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”’

“When Jesus said, ‘I AM,’ rather than, ‘I WAS,’ the Jews understood that He identified Himself as God—as ‘Yahweh,’ the ‘I AM’ or Eternal of the Old Testament. That is why they ‘took up stones to throw at Him’ (verse 59)…

“According to Biblical testimony, some did see ‘God’ in Old Testament times, and they did hear His voice. On the other hand, Christ and the apostles taught that no human has ever seen or heard the voice of ‘God.’ Since God does not contradict Himself in His Word, He is obviously talking about two different personages here. Indeed, the Bible clarifies that no one has ever seen God the Father (compare again John 5:37; 6:46). But some did see ‘God’—that is, the second being in the God Family—Jesus Christ, in His glorified state…

“The Jews at the time of Christ did not know—and most still don’t know today—that God is a Family, presently consisting of two God beings. Christ came to REVEAL the Father to them (Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22). The Jews thought they knew the Father, not realizing that the God of the Old Testament, who directly worked with and dealt with Israel, was Jesus Christ—not God the Father…

“In conclusion, the world has been cut off from God the Father, the HIGHEST of the Godhead, as well as the knowledge as to who God the Father and Jesus Christ are. The Father did not deal directly with mankind, and He was not generally worshipped by the overwhelming majority, including those who read but did not understand the Scriptures. No one has ever seen the Father or heard His voice. It was Christ who showed Himself to and dealt with the people. It was He who was THE God of the Old Testament.”

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 is a most telling passage of Scripture:

“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”

Our correspondent said that “You may be referring to the old testament of course in which God is portrayed as a human emotional being capable of such feelings. Thank God this beautiful power is far beyond that.”

It appears to this person that the God of the Old Testament [who was Jesus Christ] was portrayed as an emotional human being, which is clearly not the case. Of course, mainstream church theology states erroneously that God the Father was the God of the Old Testament.

To look at the second area of this person’s disagreement with God’s Word is that it is asserted that “In my experience God would not know anger – He is loving, kind and non-judgemental.” In this context, the person refers to chapter 11 of our booklet, “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People.”    Let us look at this at the beginning of that chapter, under the heading, “God’s Anger Against, and Mercy for, Judah”:

“The Bible tells us that in the near future, God will bring terrible punishment on the modern descendants of the ancient house of Judah, not because of the conduct of ancients, but because of their own conduct.

“Defeat in War and Captivity Prophesied for Judah

“In speaking of OUR day, God tells us that modern Jews WILL repent and accept the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, but only AFTER they have been held captive by foreign invaders.”

To say that God would not know anger is to ignore many passages in the Bible.

Biblegateway.com, under the heading “DICTIONARY OF BIBLE THEMES—1025 GOD, ANGER OF,” defines anger as follows: “The punitive and vindicatory reaction, legitimate and controlled, yet awesomely emphatic, of God the righteous judge to unrighteousness in his human creatures. Up to the present, the expression of God’s anger and wrath has had the purpose of drawing sinners to repentance and conversion, but this will not be the case at the final judgment.”

We know that, by definition, God is love.   One of many descriptions is given in 1 John 4:7-12:

^“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

God is love but that can be manifested in different ways as we will see.

BibleGateway.com gives a comprehensive list of the nature of God’s anger. They point out that it is fearsome, reluctant and short-lived; consistent with His righteous and merciful character; and that it fulfils God’s purpose. They also list the causes for God’s anger as idolatry and unbelief; disobedience and disloyalty; ungodly living; pride, arrogance and hypocrisy; complaints against, and opposition to, God’s purposes; injustice; and the rejection of God’s servants. They continue to show that God’s anger is revealed in present times and in a future “day of wrath” which is anticipated. They then list the consequences of God’s anger in that punishment will be experienced by rebellious people.

To meet the erroneous assertion that in the New Testament, God does not know anger,  the website quotes among many other Scriptures John 3:36; Romans 1:18-23; Romans 2:5, 8; Ephesians 5:6; Jude 14-15; Hebrews 10:29-31; Matthew 21:33-41; Matthew 18:34-35; and Matthew 25:28-30. 

This shows how ridiculous it is to make the assertion that “God would not know anger” as “He is loving, kind and non-judgemental.”

God’s wrath—both of the Father and of the Son—is also vividly described in the Book of Revelation. 

We read in Psalm 7:11 that “God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.” In this context, please read our Q&A, titled, “Would you please explain Psalm 7:11, which says that God is angry with the wicked every day. Why would God be angry.”

Please also note our Q&A about the wrath of God, explaining God’s anger and the causes for it in great detail, titled, “Can you explain what the Bible says about Wrath?” (Part 2) 

God judges and has to be “judgemental.” There is nothing wrong with being angry as long as it is righteous anger – and with God that must always be the case as He is perfect.    For example, Jesus was angry with the money changers in the Temple (compare Matthew 21:12-13).

In recent weeks we have run a three-part series of Q&As entitled “Does God Love Everyone?  Does the Bible Teach Unconditional Love?”     In repeating the notes from our correspondent: “In my experience God would not know anger – He is loving, kind and non-judgemental,” we see that such “understanding” goes against what the Bible tells us and we will quote, very briefly, from part 2 of our Q&A to prove that God does love and does judge all people:

“It is true that some will end up in the lake of fire. But even this does not prove God’s hatred for them. Sadly, there are those who have had their opportunity to choose righteousness and accept God’s love, but instead they have committed the ‘unpardonable sin.’ They knew and understood perfectly well that they had to submit to Christ, but they refused to do so. They became bitter, hateful, resentful and malicious. They made the unchangeable decision NEVER to repent. If a person has reached that stage that he cannot repent, because he has made the final decision NOT to WANT to repent, then God will not force repentance on such a person. God grants repentance, but a person must want to receive it. A person, though, who maliciously rejects Christ, would only continue to live in misery and pain–and that is why God will save such a person from eternal misery, by DESTROYING him or her in a lake of fire.”

Also, in part 3 of this series, we stated this:

“God’s love and His righteousness do not tolerate or justify an unrepentant sinner’s continued ungodly lifestyle. God sees how much suffering and pain for others the sinner’s conduct causes. And so, we read in John 3:36 (Revised Standard Version): ‘He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.’ Romans 1:18 adds: ‘For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…’

“And so, we read the following alarming pronouncement by Christ in Matthew 24:48-51: ‘But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“This evil servant is one who has committed the unpardonable sin, and whose fate it is to be thrown into the lake of fire where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth (compare Matthew 13:41-42, 49-50). But before he ends up in the lake of fire, he will be ‘cut in two.’ This ‘correction’ is not for the purpose of leading him towards salvation; rather, it is punishment for his evil deeds with which he influenced and tortured others, without a willingness to repent. His punishment reflects God’s love for others, as well as His righteousness, which demands that the sinner has to pay. It is clearly NOT a reflection of God’s ‘unconditional’ love for the incorrigible sinner.”

We can always have faith that God has a reason for what He chooses to do or not to do.  And He does get angry for all the right reasons and has to be “judgemental” in many ways.   To say otherwise is a denial of all that we read in the Word of God.

Lead Writers: Brian Gale (United Kingdom) and Norbert Link