The AntiChrist, AntiGod Teachings
Connected With the Godhead and Christ Being Begotten
“In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.” John
1:1
“And without
controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of
angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into
glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16
In an attempt to distance themselves from the Trinity Doctrine,
undiscerning men are falling into error all as antiChrist and antiGod. They achieve this by either of four teachings:
1. That Christ was begotten (sourced/generated) by the
Father at some subsequent time in eternity. Thus, there was not a
(trio)/trinity from eternity as the Trinity Doctrine teaches. (Terry Hill). The
truth is that there was not a trio until the Incarnation, at which time the Son
divested His Holy Spirit from the personality of His humanity, and His Holy
Spirit then became the Holy Ghost, and a third person. So there was not a trio
from eternity. The Trinity Doctrine teaches that there was a trio (Trinity)
from eternity. That is antichrist heresy.
2. That Christ is not God and should not be worshipped as
God, and that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of the Father, and that it is the
Father’s Spirit that is sent to us as the Holy Spirit. (Russell Unterschultz).
3. That there are not three persons to the Godhead; that
it is the Father’s spirit that is sent as the Holy Spirit. (Russell
Unterschultz).
4. That the Son of God, at His Incarnation, DID NOT
divest, separate, empty, split-off, anything from His previous existence as
DIVINE HOLY SPIRIT NATURE ONLY. (Terry Hill, Russell Unterschultz,
Robert Sessler, Nicholas Petula,
Gary Cain, Craig Kalkofen, Jorge Garay, Roberto Diaz, Seventh Day Remnant
Publishing Association), most every so-called SDA independent ministry and the
SDA church.
The SDA church
embraces omega of apostasy antichrist, antiGod teaching by embracing the
Trinity Doctrine. All of the above must be exposed for their omega heresy just
as John Harvey Kellogg was exposed and named by God’s prophetess, Ellen G.
White, for his alpha of apostasy. Every party named in this document teaches
heresy that sweeps away the entire Christian economy.
The antichrist
teaching is circulating amongst professing Adventists that the Christ Ellen
White presented was a begotten Christ, in the sense that He was sourced/generated
by the Father, albeit this begetting was so far back in eternity that it is
beyond the human mind to even contemplate it. It is contested that this was the
early 1900’s faith of Seventh-day Adventists. We will prove that Ellen White
did not teach that position and that it is contrary to other of her statements
and Bible evidence as well.
The following verse is
used by those who believe the Son was sourced/begotten
of the Father at some time unbeknownst to man. But Jesus is speaking of His
being sent to this earth by His Father, not of being sourced/generated from the
Father.
42 Jesus said unto
them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came
from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. John 8:42.
Jesus was clearly
speaking of His being sent to this earth at His Incarnation. In His Incarnation
Jesus did indeed proceed from God the Holy Spirit for
by such He entered Mary’s Womb to be combined with humanity.
E.J. Waggoner
misapplied John 8:42:
“There was a time when Christ proceeded forth and came from God, from
the bosom of the Father (John 8:42 and 1:18), but that time was so far back in
the days of eternity that to finite comprehension it is practically without
beginning. Waggoner,‘Christ
and His Righteousness’, page 21-22, ‘Is Christ a created being?’
Clearly, we can see from the following statement that the Son was torn
from the Father’s bosom when He was sent down to this earth! Waggoner was no
authority on this issue, and proved such by finally siding with Kellogg on
pantheism. But Terry Hill cites him as an authority. And Ellen White was in Austrailia when Waggoner’s book was circulating. She made
plenty of statements saying that Christ was eternal. And how can you know for
sure? It’s simple! God is a spirit. There is ONE Spirit. The heavenly trio is
of that ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT. All three persons of the Godhead vested with that
Spirit are thus eternal, but the difference is when the Son’s Holy Spirit was
divested from the Son’s human personality at His Incarnation. His Holy Spirit
had always existed, and in His humanity His divinity always existed. So in a
way, it makes it more clear to say that when the Son
divested His Holy Spirit from His humanity at His Incarnation, that is when He,
as combined with His humanity became the third person. And this is proper
because Ellen White defines the Holy Spirit as the soul of His life, and yet
she says they are two distinct persons. But the Trinity Doctrine says there
were three persons from eternity, so that would deter from the third person
accruing at the Incarnation. The Son as combined with humanity DID NOT EXIST
FROM ETERNITY in that form. But His Divine Nature existed from eternity. How
the Son could divest His Holy Spirit from the personality of His humanity and
still be FULLY DIVINE, is part of the mystery that no man knows.
If three persons existed from eternity, when the Son was combined with humanity, that would make a fourth person! But that is not
the case. A third person accrued when the Son divested His Holy Spirit from His
humanity because His Holy Spirit was cumbered by His humanity.
Did Ellen White agree with Waggoner? Nay! She said that His only
begotten Son was torn from His bosom and made in the express image of His
person in the context of when He was sent down to earth.
“The Eternal Father,
the unchangeable one, gave his only begotten Son, tore from his bosom Him who was made in the express image of his person, and sent him down to earth to reveal how greatly he loved mankind." (Ellen G. White, Review & Herald 9th July 1895 ‘The Duty of
the Minister and the People’).
The following statement is proffered by Terry Hill as proof that Ellen
White agreed with Waggoner:
“A complete offering
has been made; for "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten
Son,"-- not a son by creation,
as were the angels, nor a son by
adoption, as is the forgiven sinner, but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father's person, and
in all the brightness of his majesty and glory, one equal with God in
authority, dignity, and divine perfection. In him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” (Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, 30th May
1895, ‘Christ our complete salvation’).
Ellen White was clear that the Son did not derive from the Father:
Life, Original,
Unborrowed, Underived—Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” In
Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. “He that hath the Son hath
life.” The divinity of Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal life.—The Desire of Ages, 530 (1898). {Ev
616.2}
Clearly, if Christ was
sourced/generated by/from the Father at any point in
time, He would have life derived from the Father. Many believe that Christ could
not properly be called God’s Son if there was not some kind of
sourced/generation by/from the Father. That is not necessarily so. Why? Because Jesus is also called the Everlasting Father and Jehovah in
Scripture.
Christ’s begottenness means unique, one of a kind and that is all we
can safely conclude and comprehend without incurring contradictions when
applying all the weight of evidence that we have privy to at this time.
Official Current
Seventh-day Adventism View
In the official Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist theology (this
is the official exposition of what Seventh-day Adventists are said to believe),
Fernando Canale, in summary of what he has previously
said, puts it this way:
“There is, therefore, no ground within the biblical understanding of
the Godhead for the idea of a generation of the Son from the Father.” (Fernando Canale, Seventh-day
Adventist Encyclopaedia, Volume 12, page 125, ‘The doctrine of God’).
He also says on the same page:
“In the Bible, therefore, no ground is found for the idea that there is
an ontological subordination of the Son to the Father or that the divine
reality of the Father has in any way a primacy of origin over the divine
reality of the Son”. (Ibid)
Terry Hill’s Comment on the above statement by Canale:
“Regarding whether Christ is truly the pre-existent Son of God or not,
this really does sum up the current official position of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church. This says that He is not begotten (sourced) of the Father
therefore He is not truly a son, at least not in His pre-existence.”
Again, men like Terry Hill, conclude that if Christ was not definitely sourced/generated by the Father at some time future to the
Father’s beginning, that He (Christ) could not be a Son to the Father. Evidently,
that is not true because Ellen White says Christ is not derived from the
Father. Some believe that statement was not made by Ellen White, but there is
no proof, and if we start conjecturing what Ellen White did and did not say,
who is the final authority? This is a dangerous course and some men like
Russell Unterschultz have embarked on that course.
Terry Hill further comments: “It must be said that this does not
automatically make current Seventh-day Adventist theology wrong. It may have
been that early Christianity, also early Seventh-day Adventists, also Ellen
White, had it wrong concerning Christ. This is something that every individual
needs to decide for him or herself. It must be determined by the weight of
evidence available.”
Terry Hill seems liberal in his above statement, but in his study on
the issue, he is very serious in stressing that he believes the Son was sourced/generated by/from the Father, and relating and
applying what the early church fathers had to say on the issue of begottenness. Terry agrees with certain of the early
Fathers of Christianity who taught that Christ was sourced/generated
by/from the Father. Terry cites the Bishop of Alexander as saying:
“This unbegotten view of Christ is the same view that the Bishop of
Alexander did not regard with very much esteem. He said that it was only
believed by those who “have their intellects blinded.”
If that is true, then Ellen White’s intellect would have been blinded
when she said there never was a time when Christ was not in close fellowship
with the Father! And John the Revelator would have
been blinded in Revelation 22:12, 23, where Jesus refers to Himself as the
Alpha and Omega.
Ellen White had the following to say about the early church fathers
whose teachings Terry Hill seems to embrace when they support his theory of “begotteness” in the sense of his belief that the Son was
sourced/generated by the Father at some time future to the Father’s existence:
Church Fathers --
"'Search the scriptures.' This is the word which comes to us from Christ. If it had been essential for us to search the [church] Fathers, Christ
would have told us so. But the Fathers do not all speak the
same thing. Which of them shall we choose as a guide? There is no need
for us to trust to uncertainty. We pass by the Fathers to learn of God out
of His Word." E.G. White, The
Upward Look, p. 52.
The church fathers were
dead wrong on the Trinity Doctrine as regards the Godhead! So it is kind of
foolish to use them as a standard of what we should believe just because of
what those early “Christians” believed. This is the irony of Terry Hill’s
teaching. He stresses that his “begotten” teaching is what the early Christians
believed, but they were divided on this teaching as well as being errant on the
Trinity Doctrine, which he loathes, and he fails to understand and teach the
truth on the Godhead as does Russell Unterschultz.
There are Bible verses and statements by Ellen White that agree
perfectly with Fernando Canale. The Son did not have
to be sired by the Father in order to be the Son of God, for He is described as
self-existent. The Son/Father term is used by God that man might understand the
close relationship between the two. They both are the Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end, without derivation, equal to one another in every
regard. They both are of the same substance—Spirit, Holy Spirit. That is what
makes them ONE GOD.
However, Christ’s humanity is regarded as a Son of God. So knowing from
the beginning that Christ would become combined with humanity forever, it is
reasonable that this is the reason Christ was referred to as God’s Son from
eternity.
There are two prime
reasons the four different heresies being taught are antichrist:
1. Because the ten commandments
instruct us to worship no other God than Jehovah. If Christ is not Jehovah, as
well as the Father being Jehovah, then we would not worship Christ. But
Scripture refers to Christ as Jehovah, and instructs us that Christ is to be
worshipped. This poses a great problem to men like Russell Unterschultz, who
claim that the Father is the only God and that there are not three persons to
the Godhead. Ellen White mentions a heavenly trio a number of times and she
designates the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in particular as three
distinct personages to the Godhead.
2. Because the heresies being taught on the Godhead and
Christ’s “begottenness” totally deny Ellen White’s
definition of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, as being the soul of the life of
Christ, and when a third person accrued to the Godhead—at the Incarnation.
What is the connection
between the heresy of “begottenness” and the truth on
the Godhead? Ellen White says that the Holy Spirit is the soul of the life of
Christ. God’s Word says that God is a Spirit and that there is ONE SPIRIT, ONE
ETERNAL SPIRIT. We know that much about the nature of God. That is about all we
know of His nature—that He is a Spirit and that there is ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT. If
the soul of the life of Christ is of that nature—the ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT, then
He is eternal of necessity. This is indisputable.
Then, it also follows,
that if the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is the soul of the life of Christ, as
Ellen White testifies, and the Holy Spirit is a distinct third person, as she
also testifies, then our teaching on the Godhead is the only possible way
Christ could be one of the three distinct persons of the
Godhead, and still be the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, which is the Holy Ghost
of His pre-Incarnation DIVINE NATURE HOLY SPIRIT existence. We are told by
Ellen White that Christ divested His Holy Spirit from the personality of His
humanity at His Incarnation. Then the Holy Ghost would at that time become a
third person, or Christ as combined with humanity would be the third person,
but the Holy Ghost is generally recognized as the third person of the
Godhead. This differs from the Trinity
Doctrine, in that such doctrine teaches that there were three persons
constituting the Godhead from eternity. So that would totally
ignore the eternal sacrifice made by Christ at His Incarnation—the divesting of
His Holy Spirit from the personality of His humanity. Quotes on this
will be forthcoming shortly in this document.
“The Comforter that
Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the
fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who
receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these
powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to
live the new life in Christ.”—Special
Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, pp. 62, 63. (1905). {Ev 615.1}
“The Pre-existent,
Self-existent Son of God—Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God.... In speaking of his pre-existence,
Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time
when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. He to whose voice the Jews were then listening had
been with God as one brought up with Him.—The
Signs of the Times, August 29, 1900. {Ev 615.2}
If Christ was later
sourced/generated by/from the Father at some point in time, there would have
been a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God.
He was equal with God,
infinite and omnipotent.... He is the eternal, self-existent Son.”—Manuscript 101, 1897. {Ev 615.3}
If Ellen White says
there never was a time when Christ was not in close fellowship with the eternal
God, the Father, then how could anyone who believes in her gift to the church
challenge such a statement?
From
Everlasting—“While God’s Word speaks of the humanity of Christ when upon this
earth, it also speaks decidedly regarding His pre-existence. The Word existed
as a divine being, even as the eternal Son of God, in union
and oneness with His Father. From everlasting He was the Mediator of the covenant, the one in whom all nations of the
earth, both Jews and Gentiles, if they accepted Him, were to be blessed. “The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Before men or angels were created, the Word was with God, and was God.”—The Review and
Herald, April 5, 1906. {Ev 615.4}
Christ shows them
that, although they might reckon His life to be less than fifty years, yet His
divine life could not be reckoned by human computation. The existence of Christ
before His incarnation is not measured by figures.—The Signs of the Times, May 3, 1899. {Ev 616.1}
Nor is the existence
of the Father measureable by human computation and/or figures.
Life, Original,
Unborrowed, Underived—Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” In
Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. “He that hath the Son hath
life.” The divinity of Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal life.—The Desire of Ages, 530 (1898). {Ev
616.2}
With the Father at
Sinai—“When they [Israel] came to Sinai, He took occasion to refresh their
minds in regard to His requirements. Christ and the Father,
standing side by side upon the mount, with solemn majesty proclaimed the Ten
Commandments.”—Historical Sketches, p. 231. (1866).
{Ev 616.3}
“The Eternal
Dignitaries of the Trinity—The eternal heavenly dignitaries—God, and Christ, and
the Holy Spirit—arming them [the disciples] with more
than mortal energy, ... would advance with them to the work and convince the
world of sin. Evangelism, p. 616.4
(EGW)
Was the Son eternal?
Yes! Was His Holy Spirit (only) existence before His Incarnation--eternal? Yes!
Was His Divinity as combined with Humanity when He was placed in the womb of
Mary—eternal? Yes! No man knows how the Son could divest His past Holy Spirit
only attributes from the personality of His humanity, and still be fully
divine. This is the mystery part which Ellen White says we will study for
eternity.
Note: Some may think
that I do not teach three eternal dignitaries. That is not true. I teach:
1.
The Father and His one
eternal Spirit.
2.
The Son and His one
and the same eternal Spirit.
3.
The Son’s Holy Spirit
as divested at His Incarnation, from the personality of His humanity--is an
eternal dignitary. That same eternal Holy Spirit of the Son became a third
person at His Incarnation because of the divestment of His Holy Spirit from His
humanity, because His humanity cumbered the attributes of that Spirit.
"Cumbered with
humanity Christ could not be in every place personally. Therefore it was
altogether for their advantage that He should leave them to go to His Father
and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is
Himself, divested of the personality of humanity and
independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His
Holy Spirit" E.G. White, (Manuscript
Releases Volume 14 (No’s 1081-1135) MR No.1084.
Definition of Divest
di•vest
[dih-vest, dahy-] Show IPA
verb (used with object)
1.to strip of clothing, ornament, etc.: The wind
divested thetrees of their leaves.
2.to strip or deprive (someone or something),
especially ofproperty or rights; dispossess.
3.to rid of or free from: He divested himself of
all responsibilityfor the decision.
4.Law. to take away or alienate (property,
rights, etc.).
5.Commerce.
a.to sell off: to divest holdings.
b.to rid of through sale: The corporation
divested itself ofits subsidiaries.
Origin: 1595–1605; < Medieval Latin
dīvestīre, equivalent to dī-di-2 + vestīre to dress, vest
Related forms
un•di•vest•ed, adjective
Synonyms 1. unclothe, denude. 2. See strip1.
World English Dictionary
—vb (usually foll by of) |
|
1. |
to strip (of clothes): to divest oneself of one's coat |
2. |
to deprive or dispossess |
3. |
property law to take away an estate or interest in propertyvested (in a person) |
[C17: changed from earlier devest] |
|
di'vestible |
|
—adj |
|
divestiture |
|
—n |
|
divesture |
|
—n |
|
di'vestment |
|
—n |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete
& Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Some have thought that
Genesis 1:2 disproves my teaching on the Godhead. That is not true. The Holy
Spirit of Christ was fully intact during the creation week and until His
Incarnation, at which time, because His humanity cumbered that Spirit, He divested it from His Humanity and it became a separate and
distinct third person.
2And
the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the
deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2.
Christ as Jehovah
“Jehovah is the name given to Christ. “Behold,
God is my salvation,” writes the prophet Isaiah; “I will
trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song;
He also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy
shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day ye shall
say, Praise the Lord, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name
is exalted.” “In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and
bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth
may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee,
because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever; for in the Lord
JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.” {E.G. White, ST May 3,
1899, par. 18}.
Christ is called
Jehovah in the Old Testament
No man has seen
God, but Jesus appeared unto Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by the name of Jehovah:
2.
"Jehovah is the name given to Christ. 'Behold,
God is my salvation,' writes the prophet Isaiah 'I will trust, and not be
afraid for the Lord Jehovah is my
strength and my song He also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall
ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day ye shall say,
Praise the Lord, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people, make
mention that His name is exalted.' 'In that day shall this song be sung in the
land of Judah: we have a strong city salvation will God appoint for walls and
bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth
may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee,
because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever
for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." E.G.
White, The Signs of the Times, May 3, 1899, p. 2. SDA Bible
Commentary, Vol. 7a, p. 439.
Jehovah-- Exd 6:3 http:www.blueletterbible.orgkjvExdExd006.html
“And I appeared unto
Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by [the name of] God Almighty, but by my
name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.”
It goes without
saying that I don’t agree with the Trinity Doctrine as mentioned in the
following linked article, but I do agree with what the person says about the begottenness of the Son of God.
Question: "What does it mean that Jesus is God's
only begotten son?"
http://www.gotquestions.org/only-begotten-son.html
Answer: The phrase “only begotten Son” occurs in John
3:16, which reads in the King James Version as, "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." The phrase
"only begotten" translates the Greek word monogenes. This word is variously translated into English as
"only," "one and only," and "only begotten."
It's this last phrase ("only begotten" used in the KJV, NASB and the
NKJV) that causes problems. False teachers have
latched onto this phrase to try to prove their false teaching that Jesus Christ
isn't God; i.e., that Jesus isn't equal in essence to God as the Second Person
of the Trinity. They see the word
"begotten" and say that Jesus is a created being because only someone
who had a beginning in time can be "begotten." What this fails to note is that "begotten"
is an English translation of a Greek word. As such, we have to look at the
original meaning of the Greek word, not transfer English meanings into the
text.
So what does monogenes mean? According to the Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (BAGD, 3rd Edition), monogenes
has two primary definitions. The first definition
is "pertaining to being the only one of its kind within a specific
relationship." This
is the meaning attached to its use in Hebrews
11:17 when the writer refers to Isaac as Abraham's "only
begotten son." Abraham had more than one son, but Isaac was the only son
he had by Sarah and the only son of the covenant.
The second definition is "pertaining to being the only one of its
kind or class, unique in kind." This is the meaning that is implied in John 3:16. In fact, John is
the only New Testament writer who uses this word in reference to Jesus (see John
1:14, 18; 3:16,
18;
1
John 4:9). John was primarily concerned with demonstrating that
Jesus was the Son of God (John 20:31), and he uses this word to highlight Jesus as uniquely God's Son—sharing the same
divine nature as God—as opposed to believers who are God's sons and
daughters through faith.
The bottom line is that terms such as "Father" and "Son,"
that are descriptive of God and Jesus, are human terms used to help us
understand the relationship between the different Persons of the Trinity [The heavenly Trio as Ellen White teaches it--rb]. If you can understand the relationship between a human father and a
human son, then you can understand, in part, the relationship between the First
and Second Persons of the Trinity [Trio--rb].
The analogy breaks down if you try to take it too far and teach, as some
Christian cults (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses), that Jesus was literally
"begotten" as in “produced” or “created” by God the Father. End of
linked article.
The Ten Commandments and Worship--Bible Evidence of Christ Being
Worshipped
God’s commands instruct us to worship
ONE GOD. If Jesus is not God, He should never have been worshipped. But He is
very God in the highest sense says Ellen White and Scripture.
Christ was the object
of unreproved worship even when a babe, by the wise men who came to see the
new-born King. Matt. 2:2-11. Even the angels delighted to do Him honor:
"When He bringeth
the first-begotten into the world, He saith, "And let all the angels of
God worship Him." Heb. 1:6.
Christ never reproved
any one for acts of worship offered to Himself, but when Cornelius offered such
service to Peter--the leading apostle-- "he took him up, saying, stand up;
I myself also am a man." Had Christ not been more than a man the same
reason would have prevented Him from receiving worship.
God’s Word says that every knee should bow at the name of Jesus and
confess that Jesus is Lord. That is worship!
8And being found in
fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross.
9Wherefore God also
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10That at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and
things under the earth;
11And that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father.
12Wherefore, my
beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much
more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Philippians 2:8-12.
Jesus said He thought
it not robbery to be equal to the Father. Equal is equal! If the Father is to
be worshipped. Then Jesus must equally be worshipped if He
is indeed equal as He said He is. And if
the Holy Spirit is the soul of His life, as Ellen White states, when we worship
Jesus, we automatically worship the Holy Spirit.
"The priests and elders of Jerusalem were
not as ignorant concerning the birth of Christ as they pretended. The report of
the angels’ visit to the shepherds had been brought to Jerusalem, but the
rabbis had treated it as unworthy of their notice. They themselves might have
found Jesus, and might have been ready to lead the magi to His birthplace; but
instead of this, the wise men came to call their attention to the birth of the
Messiah. “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?” they said; “for we have
seen His star in the East, and are come to worship Him.” {DA 62.4}
Jesus did not rebuke
the men afflicted with unclean spirits that fell at His feet to worship Him:
“With authority He
bade the unclean spirits come out of them. His words penetrated the darkened
minds of the unfortunate men. They realized dimly that One was near who could
save them from the tormenting demons. They fell at the
Saviour’s feet to worship Him; but when their lips
were opened to entreat His mercy, the demons spoke through them, crying
vehemently, “What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God most high? I
beseech Thee, torment me not.” {DA 337.3}
“Jesus asked, ‘What is
thy name?’And the answer was, “My name is Legion: for we are many.” Using the
afflicted men as mediums of communication, they besought Jesus not to send them
out of the country. Upon a mountainside not far distant a great herd of swine
was feeding. Into these the demons asked to be allowed to enter, and Jesus
suffered them. Immediately a panic seized the herd. They rushed madly down the
cliff, and, unable to check themselves upon the shore,
plunged into the lake, and perished.” {DA 338.1}
The blind man cast
himself at the Saviour’s feet in worship. If that was wrong, Jesus would have
been remiss in not correcting this “idolatry” of bowing to other than God the
Father.
“To the Saviour’s
question, the blind man replied by asking, “Who is He, Lord,
that I might believe on Him?” And Jesus said, “Thou hast both seen Him,
and it is He that talketh with thee.” The man cast himself
at the Saviour’s feet in worship. Christ had been
revealed to his soul, and he received Him as the Sent of God.” {HLv 321.6}
The family of Adam
cast their crowns at the Saviour’s feet and bowed in adoration (worship):
“The Saviour leads him
to the tree of life and bids him eat. He beholds a multitude of his family
redeemed. Then he casts his crown at the feet of
Jesus and embraces the Redeemer. He touches the harp, and the vaults of
heaven echo the triumphant song: “Worthy, worthy, is the Lamb that
was slain.” Revelation 5:12. The family of Adam cast their crowns at the
Saviour’s feet as they
bow in adoration. Angels wept at the fall of Adam and
rejoiced when Jesus opened the grave for all who should believe on His name.
Now they behold the work of redemption accomplished and unite their voices in
praise.” {HF 392.2}
Jesus as Jehovah
Deuteronomy 6:4 states
“Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.” The first of the ten commandments stated at
Exodus 20:2-3:
"I am Jehovah
your God, who have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
slaves. You must not have any other gods against my face."
Ellen White says it
was Christ who brought the Israelites out of Egypt:
“In all these
revelations of the divine presence the glory of God was
manifested through Christ. Not alone at the
Saviour’s advent, but through all the ages after the Fall and the promise of
redemption, “God was in Christ, reconciling the
world unto Himself.” 2 Corinthians 5:19. Christ was the foundation and center of the sacrificial system in both
the patriarchal and the Jewish age. Since the sin of our
first parents there has been no direct communication between God and man. The
Father has given the world into the hands of Christ, that through His
mediatorial work He may redeem man and vindicate the authority and holiness of
the law of God. All the communion between heaven and the fallen race has been through
Christ. It was the Son of God that gave to our
first parents the promise of redemption. It was He who revealed Himself to the
patriarchs. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses understood the gospel.
They looked for salvation through man’s Substitute and Surety. These holy men
of old held communion with the Saviour who was to come to our world in human
flesh; and some of them talked with Christ and heavenly angels face to face.”
{PP 366.1}
“Christ was not only the leader of the Hebrews in the wilderness—the Angel in whom was the name of Jehovah,
and who, veiled in the cloudy pillar, went before the host—but it was He who gave the law to Israel.
Amid the awful glory of Sinai,
Christ declared in the hearing of all the people the ten precepts of His
Father’s law. It was He who gave to Moses the law engraved upon the tables of
stone.” {PP 366.2}
Only one equal to God could atone for any breach in that Law. In
volunteering to become Incarnate and dying for man’s sin, this very act
testifies that Jesus was equal to the Father as God. If Jesus was not equal to
the Father, there has been no atonement, no pardoning act for sin; no
redemption of man. So when men like Russell Unterschultz say that only God the
Father is God and only He should be worshipped as God, that is antiChrist and antiGod, and thus sweeps away the entire Christian economy.
Russell’s teaching renders the Sanctuary and the Atonement GONE (INVALID), just
like Kellogg’s error in the Alpha of apostasy did. Now in the Omega, we have
men like Russell Unterschultz and Terry Hill doing the same thing. Should their
names be mentioned? Should Ellen White have mentioned Kellogg’s name that we
might beware?
“It was Christ that
spoke to His people through the prophets. The apostle Peter, writing to the
Christian church, says that the prophets “prophesied of the grace that should
come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ
which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of
Christ and the glory that should follow.” 1 Peter 1:10, 11. It is the voice of
Christ that speaks to us through the Old Testament. “The testimony of Jesus is
the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10. {PP 366.3}
“In His teachings
while personally among men Jesus directed the minds of the people to the Old
Testament. He said to the Jews, “Ye search the Scriptures, because ye think
that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of Me.” John 5:39, R.V. At this time the
books of the Old Testament were the only part of the Bible in existence. Again
the Son of God declared, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear
them.” And He added, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will
they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” Luke 16:29, 31. {PP 367.1}
“The ceremonial law
was given by Christ. Even after it was no longer to be observed, Paul presented
it before the Jews in its true position and value, showing its place in the
plan of redemption and its relation to the work of Christ; and the great
apostle pronounces this law glorious, worthy of its divine Originator. The
solemn service of the sanctuary typified the grand truths that were to be
revealed through successive generations. The cloud of incense ascending with
the prayers of Israel represents His righteousness that alone can make the
sinner’s prayer acceptable to God; the bleeding victim on the altar of
sacrifice testified of a Redeemer to come; and from the holy of holies the
visible token of the divine Presence shone forth. Thus through age after age of
darkness and apostasy faith was kept alive in the hearts of men until the time
came for the advent of the promised Messiah. {PP 367.2}
“Jesus was the light
of His people—the Light of the world—before He came to earth in the form of
humanity. The first gleam of light that pierced the gloom in which sin had
wrapped the world, came from Christ. And from Him has come every ray of
heaven’s brightness that has fallen upon the inhabitants of the earth. In the plan of
redemption Christ is the Alpha and the Omega—the First and the Last.” {PP 367.3}
Father and Son Gave the Law at Sinai
The ten-commandment
law is referred to as the Law of God. Both Jesus and the Father gave the law at
Mt. Sinai. They are both ONE GOD, for they share the same ONE ETERNAL SPIRIT,
that constitutes God.
Father and Son gave law at Mt. Sinai:
"In union with
the Father, Christ proclaimed the law amid the thunders of Sinai..." E.G.
White, The Signs of the Times, 11-12-94,
pr. 07.
Now we know how she
knew this--by the following verses:
"Then went up
Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. And
they saw THE GOD OF ISRAEL: and there was under his feet as it were a paved
work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his
clearness." Exodus 24:9, 10.
“Christ and the
Father, standing side by side upon the mount, with solemn majesty proclaimed
the Ten Commandments..." E.G. White, Evangelism, p. 616.
"The most
fatal delusion of the Christian world in this generation is,
that in pouring contempt on the law of God they think they are exalting Christ.
What a position! It was Christ who spoke the law from Sinai. It was Christ who
gave the law to Moses, engraven on tables of stone. It was his Father's law;
and Christ says, "I and my Father are one." The Pharisees held the
reverse of the modern position, but were in just as great an error. They
rejected Christ, but exalted the law. And it makes little difference which
position is taken, so long as we ignore the true one,--that faith in Christ
must be accompanied by obedience to the law of God." {ST, September 4,
1884 par. 13}
Ellen White further
contributes to this matter by testifying that both the Father and the Son were
on Mt. Sinai giving the Law. She is right because Moses spoke face to face with
the Son, but only saw the backside of the Father.
Deu 5:4 The LORD
talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
Read Deu. 5:1-4, to
see that THE LORD OUR GOD made a covenant with us in Horeb, where is Mt. Sinai.
Verse 3 says: “The Lord our God made not this covenant with our fathers, but
with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.” Verse 4: “The Lord
talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire.” Verse
6 says: “I am the Lord THY GOD, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt,
from the house of bondage.”
Ellen White says it
was Christ who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt.
Here Jesus is
called LORD and GOD. Yes, God the Father was IN CHRIST, reconciling the world
to Himself, but it was not the Father who died. The Son died as the Testator of
that Covenant. Therefore, if Christ was not equal to God the Father in the Old
Testament pre-Incarnation phase of His Being, then there has been no ratified
Covenant--no Atonement, no heavenly Sanctuary sacrifice at the Incarnation—No
death of the Testator TO ANYTHING—
who was the Son
before His Incarnation. In other words, some form of God as Testator had to die
to something forever, to pay the wages of our sin which is eternal death. The
Testator met the prescribed limit of a sacrifice as Testator before the cross.
That prescribed limit was death of the Testator in some form before the cross.
This was achieved when Christ divested His Holy Spirit from the personality of
His humanity at the Incarnation heavenly Sanctuary part of the Atonement.
Addendum by rwb
It is interesting to note the definition
of begotten in the following text as compared to John 3:16.
“We know that whosoever is born of God
sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth
himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” 1 John 5:18
Definition of Begotten in the above
verse: What would the definition “of God making His son” have to do with us
being born of God?
http://bible.worthwhile.com/bible.php?b=1john&c=5&v=0&d=5&w=0
Number 1080
Transliteration:
gennao
{ghen-nah'-o}
Word
Origin:
from a variation
of 1085
TDNT:
1:665,114
Part
of Speech:
verb
Usage
in the KJV:
begat 49, be born
39, bear 2, gender 2, bring forth 1, be delivered 1, misc 3
Total: 97
Definition:
1.
of men who fathered children
A.
to be born
B.
to be begotten
a.
of women giving birth to children
2.
metaph.
A.
to engender, cause to arise, excite
B.
in a Jewish sense, of one who brings
others over to his way of life, to convert someone
C.
of God making Christ his son
D.
of God making men his sons through faith
in Christ's work
TDNT
- Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
TWOT - Theological Word Book of the Old Testament
Now let’s do the same with
John 3:16, to find that begotten means “single of its kind, only”
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. John 3:16
http://bible.worthwhile.com/bible.php?b=john&c=3&v=0&d=3&w=0
Number 3439
Transliteration:
monogenes
{mon-og-en-ace'}
Word
Origin:
TDNT:
4:737,606
Part
of Speech:
adjective
Usage
in the KJV:
only begotten 6,
only 2, only child 1
Total: 9
Definition:
1.
single of its kind, only
A.
used of only sons or daughters (viewed in
relation to their parents)
B.
used of Christ, denotes the only begotten
son of God
TDNT
- Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
TWOT - Theological Word Book of the Old Testament
What
Teachers of the False Concept of Christ Being Begotten Future in Time to the
Father, Cannot Address
I have never seen a teacher of the false
concept of “Christ being begotten,” who was able to satisfactorily explain the
following Bible texts when Revelation 22:12, 13 is factored in. I asked Terry
Hill and Russell Unterschultz to reconcile their teachings with these verses
and I have never received a satisfactory answer from either of them that
answers Revelation 22:12, 13.
Rev 1:8 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.
I understand that it is Jesus who is to come. So Jesus is speaking these
words in Revelation.
Rev 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book,
and send [it] unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto
Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto
Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of
the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end, the first and the last.
Let’s look at the context of the last
two references (above) in Revelation:
First, Revelation 21:6:
Revelation 21
1And I saw a new
heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed
away; and there was no more sea.
2And I John saw
the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband.
3And I heard a
great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God.
4And God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away.
5And he that sat
upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me,
Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6And he said
unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him
that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
It was Jesus who spoke these
words.
7He that overcometh
shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8But the
fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers,
and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
9And there came
unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven
last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the
bride, the Lamb's wife.
10And he carried
me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great
city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11Having the
glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a
jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12And had a wall
great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names
written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of
Israel:
13On the east
three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the
west three gates.
14And the wall
of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb.
15And he that
talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof,
and the wall thereof.
16And the city
lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured
the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth
and the height of it are equal.
17And he
measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to
the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18And the
building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto
clear glass.
19And the
foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious
stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a
chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20The fifth,
sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the
ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the
twelfth, an amethyst.
21And the twelve
gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street
of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
22And I saw no
temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23And the city
had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God
did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24And the
nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of
the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25And the gates
of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26And they shall
bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
27And there
shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever
worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's
book of life.
Second,
Revelation 22:13:
Revelation
22
King James Version (KJV)
Revelation 22
1And he shewed
me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the
throne of God and of the Lamb.
2In the midst of
the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life,
which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the
leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3And there shall
be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his
servants shall serve him:
4And they shall
see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5And there shall
be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the
Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
6And he said
unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets
sent his
angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
7Behold, I come quickly: blessed
is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Jesus is the one of is to come
quickly. So it is Jesus who is speaking.
8And I John saw
these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to
worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
9Then saith he
unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren
the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
10And he saith
unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at
hand.
11He that is
unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy
still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is
holy, let him be holy still.
12And, behold, I come
quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work
shall be.
13I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first
and the last.
14Blessed are
they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life,
and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15For without
are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and
whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
16I Jesus have sent mine
angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the
offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
This leaves no doubt who is
speaking through the angel.
17And the Spirit
and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that
is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
18For I testify
unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man
shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are
written in this book:
19And if any man
shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take
away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book.
20He which testifieth
these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21The grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Christ as God in the Highest Sense
Is it possible that if Christ was/is God in
the highest sense, that the Father is a higher God?
“Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all,
blessed forevermore.” {RH, April 5, 1906 par. 6}
“The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person,
yet one with the Father.” {RH, April 5, 1906 par. 7}
Throughout the entirety of her writings, Ellen White
maintained that Christ was God essentially. Never once did she waver from this
view.
In such statements
through the spirit of prophecy Seventh-day Adventists were told the following
about Christ:
“This Saviour was the brightness of His Father's glory and the express
image of His person. He possessed divine majesty, perfection, and excellence. He was equal with God. "It pleased the Father that in Him
should all fullness dwell." "Who, being in
the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him
the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of
men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Ellen G. White,
Testimonies Volume 2 page 200, ‘The sufferings of Christ’).
“The Eternal Father, the unchangeable
one, gave his only begotten Son, tore from his bosom Him who was made in the express image of his person, and sent him down to earth to reveal how greatly he lovedmankind."
(Ellen G. White, Review & Herald 9th July 1895 ‘Te
Duty of the Minister and the People’).
“When in the fullness of time the Son of the
infinite God came forth from the bosom of the Father to this world, He came in the
garb of humanity, clothing His divinity with humanity.” (Ellen G. White, Signs
of the Times, 17th May 1905, ‘A teacher sent from God’).
“But while
God's Word speaks of the humanity of Christ when upon this earth, it also speaks
decidedly regarding his pre-existence. The Word existed as a divine being, even as the eternal
Son of God, in union and
oneness with his Father.” (Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, 5th April
1906, ‘The Word made flesh’)
The above statements depict when Christ was “made,” in the
express image of the Father, and came forth from the bosom of the Father to this world. In was indeed when He came to this world!
That is clear as crystal! It was at His Incarnation when He was sent down to
earth. He was at that time torn from the bosom of the Father, meaning that He
experienced a separation from the estate of being Divine Holy Spirit only, to
be combined with humanity forever. This is the only way one can interpret this
matter without making the following statement contradictory:
12And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with
me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first
and the last. Revelation 22:12. 13.
Here Jesus is speaking. He is the
one who will come quickly. He says He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end, the first and the last.
The Son
and the Father as Brought Up Together
The following data
supports the eternal twin duplication concept as regards the Father and Son
being the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
They were as brought up together. That is why and how they are both Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. Knowing the
end from the beginning, God certainly knew that man would sin and His Son was
the proviso cure for sin from everlasting. He was not just an afterthought when
sin occurred!
Through Solomon
Christ declared: "The Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works
of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning,
or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I
was brought forth when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the
mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth. . . . When He
gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not pass His commandment
when He appointed the foundations of the earth then I was by Him, as one brought
up with Him and I was daily His delight,
rejoicing always before Him." Proverbs 8:22-30.
John 8:42 is often
linked with Proverbs 8:22-30 in an attempt to prove that the “brought forth” of
Proverbs is the same as the “proceedeth forth” in John 8:42. However, the
latter obviously refers to Christ being sent to this earth.
42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded Forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. John
8:42.
When man can
interpret Proverbs 8:22-30 so that it does not contradict Revelation 22:12, 13,
he will properly interpret Proverbs 8. But it does not stop there! There are
many Bible and Spirit of Prophecy proofs of Christ’s existence from eternity
and they are documented herein.
If the Father and
Son were both the Alpha and Omega, as brought up with one another, we cannot
reasonably interpret by assumption that the Son was brought forth some time
future to the Father. Being brought forth from everlasting, from the
beginning—as one brought up with the Father, gives no man sanction to interpret
the description “begotten” as the Son being sourced or generated by the Father,
at some time future to the Father’s existence. Both were everlasting and from
the beginning.
"Before
Abraham was, I am."Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God.
The message He gave to Moses to give to the children of Israel was, "Thus
shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me
unto you." The prophet Micah writes of Him,
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, tho thou be little among the thousands of
Judah, yet out of Thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in
Israel whose goings forth have been from of old, from
everlasting." {ST, August 29, 1900 par. 13}.
Ellen White also said
in 1877
“The Son of God was in the form of God, and he
thought it not robbery to be equal with God. He was the only one, who as
a man walked the earth, who could say to all men, Who of you convinceth me of
sin? He had united with the Father in the creation of man, and he had power
through his own divine perfection of character to atone for man's sin,
and to elevate him, and bring him back to his first estate.” (Ellen
G. White, Spirit of Prophecy Volume 2 page 10, ‘The first advent of Christ’,
1877).
There are false teachers
amongst professing Seventh-day Adventists who are antichrist in robbing Christ
of being equal with God by teaching that Christ came into existence (was
brought forth) at some time future to the Father. That totally contradicts
Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy. These men are interpreting in a way that
makes both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy contradict. Never in one
case do such false teachers teach the correct teaching on the Godhead as
regards the Holy Spirit being the soul of the life of Christ, and how that
could be so while both are two distinct persons!
Men like Russell
Unterschultz are teaching that God the Father is the only God and that Jesus is
not equal with Him. Terry Hill teaches the antichrist concept on the Holy
Spirit, and that Jesus was begotten at some point in time future to the
Father’s existence. He interprets “begotten” in an antichrist sense that
disagrees with Ellen White and Jesus’ own words in Revelation 22:12, 13,
referring to Himself as the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. Ellen
White does speak of Christ being begotten and made in the express image of the
Father, but that does not mean that He was created or generated by the Father,
because other Ellen White statements would contradict either of those conclusions,
to wit:
“Life,
Original, Unborrowed, Underived—Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection, and the
life.” In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. “He that hath the
Son hath life.” The divinity of Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal
life.”—The Desire of Ages, 530
(1898). {Ev 616.2}
If the Father “made”
or begot the Son at some future time, future to the Father’s existence, then
how would Christ have life original, unborrowed and/or underived?
“The Eternal Father, the
unchangeable one, gave his only begotten Son, tore from his bosom
Him who was made in the express image of his person, and sent
him down to earth to reveal how greatly he loved mankind." (Ellen
G. White, Review & Herald 9th July 1895 ‘The Duty of the
Minister and the People’).
The above statement seems to imply that the Son was torn from His
Divine Only relationship with the Father at His Incarnation, at which time the
Son was “made” in the express image of His (The Father’s person) and sent down
to earth to reveal how greatly the Father loved mankind. This seems to be the
only interpretation that is not fraught with contradictions. At the
Incarnation, a body was certainly “made” for the Son. In that sense, He was
then begotten from the bosom of the Father forever, because of being combined
with humanity forever. The Son would never again be DIVINE ONLY.
In volume three of the
Spirit of Prophecy Ellen White wrote (1878):
“The Jews utterly failed to understand the spiritual
connection which identified Christ with both the human and the divine, and gave
fallen man a presentation of what he should strive to become. Christ was God in the flesh. As the son of David,
he stood forth a perfect type of true manhood, bold in doing his duty, and of the
strictest integrity, yet full of love, compassion, and tender sympathy. In his
miracles he revealed himself as Lord. When he was asked by Philip to show him
the Father, he answered, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou
not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father.” (Ellen G.
White, Spirit of Prophecy, Volume 3 page 259, 1878, ‘Ascension of Christ’)
In 1893 in the Signs of the Times the same author said:
“The Redeemer of the world clothed his divinity with humanity,
that he might reach humanity; for, in order to bring to the world
salvation, it was necessary that humanity and divinity should be united.
Divinity needed humanity, that humanity might afford a channel of communication
between God and man, and humanity needed divinity, that a power from above
might restore man to the likeness of God. Christ was God, but he did not
appear as God. He veiled the tokens of divinity, which had commanded the
homage of angels and called forth the adoration of the universe of God. He made
himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in
the likeness of sinful flesh. For our sakes he became poor, that we through his
poverty might be made rich.” (Ellen G. White, Signs of the
Times, 20th February 1893, ‘The plan of salvation’).
In 1906 Ellen White wrote
“The world was made by him, "and without him was
not anything made that was made." If Christ made all things, he existed
before all things. The words spoken in regard to this are so decisive that no
one need be left in doubt. Christ was God essentially, and in the highest
sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed
forevermore.” (Ellen White, Review and Herald, 5th April
1906, ‘The Word made flesh’)
This was indeed the faith of early Seventh-day
Adventists. This faith was that Christ is no one less than God Himself in
the person of His own Son. We shall now take a look at the latter from
the viewpoint of the writings of Ellen White. This will serve to further
endorse the begotten theology.
God in the person of His Son
Many statements of Ellen White can be found expressing
the view that Christ was God Himself in the person of His Son, such as:
“We are called upon to behold the Lord our Father
in the person of his Son. Christ came in the robe of the flesh, with his
glory subdued in humanity, that lost man might communicate with him and live.
Through Christ we may comprehend something of him who is glorious in holiness. Jesus is the mystic ladder by which we may mount to
behold the glory of the infinite God. By faith we behold Christ standing between humanity and divinity,
connecting God and man, and earth and heaven.” (Ellen G.
White, Signs of the Times, 20th January 1890, ‘God made manifest in
Christ’).
The “Lord our Father” is obviously God our Father in
the person of Jesus, His Son.
In a General Conference Bulletin in 1899 Ellen White
said:
“In the person of his only begotten
Son, the God of heaven has condescended to stoop to our
human nature. The Father in heaven has a voice and a person which Christ expressed.” (Ellen G. White, General Conference Daily
Bulletin. 6th March 1899, ‘Special Testimonies’)
Who did Ellen White say had condescended to take human
nature? It was God Himself - in the person of
His own Son.
In The Review
and Herald of 1898 and 1904 Ellen White wrote:
“In the person of his only begotten Son, the God of
heaven has condescended to stoop to our human nature. To the question of Thomas, Jesus said: "I am the
way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye
had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know
him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it
sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath
seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak
not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe
me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the
very works' sake." (Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, 8th November
1898, ‘The revelation of God’, see also Review and Herald 17th March
1904.
In Desire of Ages the same thought comes out
even more clearly:
“God has adopted human nature in the person of His
Son, and has carried the same into the
highest heaven. It is the "Son of man" who shares the throne of the
universe. It is the "Son of man" whose
name shall be called, "Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isa. 9:6. The I Am is the Daysman between God and humanity,
laying His hand upon both. He who is "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners," is not ashamed to call us brethren. Heb. 7:26; 2:11.” (Ellen
G. White, The Desire of Ages, page 25, ‘God with us’).
“What an ocean of love is circulating, like a divine
atmosphere, around the world! What manner of love is this, that the eternal God should adopt human nature in
the person of his Son, and carry the same
into the highest heaven!” (Ellen G. White, Youth’s
Instructor, 29th July 1897, ‘The gift of God’s grace).
These statements and others like them can only be
fully understood in a ‘begotten Christ’ concept as that term is defined at the
beginning of this document. To view them any other way they do not make sense.
To view Christ as begotten in the sense of being brought forth at a time future
to the Father, would contradict Christ’s own words that He is the alpha and
omega, the beginning and the end.
Praise the Lord – Praise is Worship – Worship the Lord
-- There is ONE LORD
The Lord our God is one Lord:
Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God [is] one LORD:
Zec 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the
earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
Mar 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the
commandments [is], Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is
one Lord:
1Cr 8:6 But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom [are] all things, and we in
him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [are] all
things, and we by him.
Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Worship the Lord
1Sa 15:25 Now
therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
1Sa 15:30 Then
he said, I have sinned: [yet] honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of
my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy
God.
1Ch 16:29 Give
unto the LORD the glory [due] unto his name: bring an offering, and come before
him: worship
the LORD
in the beauty of holiness.
Psa 29:2 Give
unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of
holiness.
Psa 96:9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of
holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
Isa 27:13 And
it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the great trumpet shall be blown, and
they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the
outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at
Jerusalem.
Note: We all know who will officiate at the Holy Mount
at Jerusalem.
Jer 7:2 Stand
in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear
the word of the LORD, all [ye of] Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.
Mat 4:10 Then
saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy
God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Luk 4:8 And
Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written,
Thou shalt worship
the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Praise the Lord
Rom 15:11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and
laud him, all ye people.
Psa 146:2 While I
live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
Psa 147:12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.
Psa 148:7 Praise the LORD from the earth,
ye dragons, and all deeps:
Psa 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
Isa 12:4 And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name,
declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
Isa 62:9 But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of
my holiness.
Jer 33:11 The voice of joy, and the voice
of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice
of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of
hosts: for the LORD [is] good; for his mercy
[endureth] for ever: [and] of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise
into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the
land, as at the first, saith the LORD.
Examining the Position of Russell Unterschultz
At this link http://maranathamedia.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=778%3Athe-holy-spirit-the-third-person-of-the-godhead&catid=64%3Amyblog&Itemid=110
Russell
says:
“Three Persons in the
Godhead appears one time only in all her writings, but this is a supplied title
by the publishers of the S.D.A. Bible
Commentary Vol. 7A. It should be noted that this volume was first published
in 1970 and Sister White was not the author of this title.”
Full honesty in practice would recall the number of
times Ellen White refers to three persons as part of the Godhead, to wit:
Three Persons in the
Godhead by Ellen White
There are three living
persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are
baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven
in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.—Evangelism, 615. {7ABC 441.9}
“The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave themselves to the working out of
the plan of redemption.”—Counsels on Health, 222. {7ABC 442.1}
Keep in mind that Ellen White says that the Holy
Spirit is the soul of the life of Christ. Find the quote in this document.
“Those who proclaim the third angel’s message must put
on the whole armor of God, that they may stand boldly at their post, in the
face of detraction and falsehood, fighting the good fight of faith, resisting
the enemy with the word, “It is written.” Keep yourselves where the three
great powers of heaven, the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit, can be your efficiency. These powers work with the one
who gives himself unreservedly to God. The strength of heaven is at the command
of God’s believing ones. The man who takes God as his trust is barricaded by an
impregnable wall.”—The Southern Watchman,
February 23, 1904, p. 122. {7ABC
442.2}
“Our sanctification is the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is the fulfilment
of the covenant that God has made with those who bind themselves up with Him,
to stand with Him, with His Son, and with
His Spirit in holy fellowship. Have you been born again? Have you become a new
being in Christ Jesus? Then co-operate with the
three great powers of heaven who are working in your behalf. Doing this you will
reveal to the world the principles of righteousness.—The Signs of the Times, June 19, 1901. {7ABC 442.3}
“The eternal heavenly dignitaries—God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit—arming them [the
disciples] with more than mortal energy, ... would advance with them to the
work and convince the world of sin.—Evangelism,
616. {7ABC 442.4}
“We are to co-operate with the
three highest powers in heaven,—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,—and these powers will
work through us, making us workers together with God.—Evangelism, 617. {7ABC 442.5}
“Those who are baptized in the threefold
name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, at the very entrance of their
Christian life declare publicly that they have forsaken the service of Satan
and have become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King.”—Testimonies for the Church 6:91. {7ABC 442.6}
“There are three
living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great
powers—the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are
baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven
in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.”—Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, pp. 62, 63. (1905). {Ev 615.1}
Russell Unterschultz says the Holy Spirit is not a
person. See the following quote by him at this link: http://maranathamedia.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=778%3Athe-holy-spirit-the-third-person-of-the-godhead&catid=64%3Amyblog&Itemid=110
“(2) Next note that when God's people pray “My Father,
give us Thy Spirit” Jesus then breathes upon them the Holy
Ghost. It is the Father’s Spirit that Jesus breathes. The
fact that the Holy Ghost is breathed by Jesus shows that it is not a Being like
the Father and His Son.” Russell Unterschultz, The Holy Spirit, the Third
Person of the Godhead.
Ellen White says that the Holy Spirit is as the
personal presence of Christ:
"The work of
the Holy Spirit is immeasurably great. It is from this source that power and
efficiency come to the worker for God and the Holy Spirit is
the Comforter, as the personal presence of Christ to the soul." (HM, Nov 1 1893)
Ellen White said
that the Holy Spirit is the soul of the life of Christ. She says Christ sends
HIS SPIRIT, not the Father’s! She says the gift of Christ’s Spirit is the
highest good, crowning gift that heaven can bestow. She says Christ has given
HIS SPIRIT as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated
tendencies to evil, and to impress his own character upon the church, to wit:
"Christ declared that after his
ascension, he would send to his church, as his
crowning gift, the Comforter, who was to take his place. This Comforter is the Holy Spirit,--the soul
of his life, the efficacy of his church, the light and life of the world. With his Spirit Christ sends a
reconciling influence and a power that takes away sin.
In the gift of the Spirit, Jesus gave to man
the highest good that heaven could bestow....
The Spirit was given as a regenerating agency,
and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail....
It is by the Spirit that the heart is made
pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given his Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary
and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress his own character upon the
church." E.G. White, Review and
Herald Articles, May 19, 1904, vol. 5, p. 42.
In attributing the Holy Spirit to be the
Father, Russell Unterschultz totally undermines the highest good, crowning
sacrificial gift heaven can bestow and thus sweeps away the entire Christian
economy by denying the Sanctuary/Atonement sacrifice that made Christ’s Holy
Spirit available as a bequeathed gift to man.
“In the first chapter of Second Peter is presented the
progressive work in the Christian life. The whole chapter is a lesson of deep
importance. If man, in acquiring the Christian graces, works on the plan of
addition, God has pledged Himself to work in his behalf upon the plan of
multiplication. “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge
of God, and of Jesus our Lord.” The work is laid out before every soul that has
acknowledged his faith in Jesus Christ by baptism, and has become a receiver of
the pledge from the three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (Manuscript 57,
1900). {6BC 1074.9}
"The work of
the Holy Spirit is immeasurably great. It is from this source that power and
efficiency come to the worker for God and the holy Spirit is the Comforter, as the personal
presence of Christ to the soul." (HM, Nov 1 1893).
More on the Three
Persons to the Godhead
"The prejudice of the Jews was aroused because
the disciples of Jesus did not use the exact words of John in the rite of
baptism. John baptized unto repentance, but the disciples of Jesus, on
profession of the faith, baptized in the name
of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The teachings of John were in
perfect harmony with those of Jesus, yet his disciples became jealous for fear
his influence was diminishing. A dissension arose between them and the
disciples of Jesus in regard to the form of words proper to use at baptism, and
finally as to the right of the latter to baptize at all." {2SP 136.3}
“The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He
ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making
manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as
a personal Saviour. There are three living
persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these
three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive
Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the
obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.—Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7,
pp. 62, 63. (1905). {Ev 615.1}
Terry Hill and Russell Unterschultz teach that there
was a time when Christ was not in fellowship with the eternal God, nor even yet
brought forth.
“The Pre-existent, Self-existent Son of God—Christ is
the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God.... In speaking of his
pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures
us that there never was a time when He
was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. He to whose voice the Jews were
then listening had been with God as one brought up with Him.—The Signs of the Times, August 29, 1900. {Ev 615.2}
He was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent.... He
is the eternal, self-existent Son.—Manuscript 101, 1897. {Ev 615.3}
“From Everlasting—While God’s Word speaks of the
humanity of Christ when upon this earth, it also
speaks decidedly regarding His pre-existence. The Word existed as a divine being, even
as the eternal Son of God, in union and oneness with His Father. From everlasting He was the Mediator of the covenant, the one in whom all nations
of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, if they accepted Him, were to be blessed.
“The Word was with God, and the
Word was God.” Before men or angels were created, the
Word was with God, and was God.”—The
Review and Herald, April 5, 1906. {Ev 615.4}
“Christ shows them that, although they might reckon
His life to be less than fifty years, yet His divine life could not be reckoned
by human computation. The existence of Christ before His incarnation is not
measured by figures.”—The Signs of the
Times, May 3, 1899. {Ev 616.1}
Christ’s Divine life is the Holy Ghost, His Holy
Spirit. How long has the ONE ETERNAL HOLY SPIRIT existed? From eternity! There
is ONE SPIRIT, says Scripture and that God is a Spirit.
“Life, Original, Unborrowed, Underived—Jesus declared,
“I am the resurrection, and the life.” In Christ is life, original, unborrowed,
underived. “He that hath the Son hath life.” The divinity of Christ is the
believer’s assurance of eternal life.”—The
Desire of Ages, 530 (1898).
{Ev 616.2}
If the Father generated the Son, the son would not
have life original, unborrowed and underived.
“With the Father at Sinai—When they [Israel] came to
Sinai, He took occasion to refresh their minds in regard to His requirements.
Christ and the Father, standing side by side upon the mount, with solemn
majesty proclaimed the Ten Commandments.—Historical
Sketches, p. 231. (1866).
The Eternal Dignitaries of the Trinity—“The eternal
heavenly dignitaries—God, and Christ, and
the Holy Spirit—arming them [the disciples] with more than mortal energy, ... would
advance with them to the work and convince the world of sin. {Ev 616.3} Evangelism, p. 616.4 (EGW)
In the above statement the words “The Eternal
Dignitaries of the Trinity” were supplied by the editors. Ellen White never
ONCE used the word trinity lest she be identified with the heretical teachings
of that Roman doctrine.
Russell Unterschultz
on the Deity of Christ
Ellen White says the Holy Spirit is the soul of the
life of Christ. Russell Unterschultz says that the Holy Spirit is the Father’s
Spirit sent to us. So when Russell denies that the Holy Spirit is the soul of
the life of Christ, he also denies the essence, the substance of Christ. He
also denies the equality of the Son with the Father. If they are of ONE
SUBSTANCE, SPIRIT, HOLY SPIRIT, to deny any part of that Spirit is to deny all
parts of it and there could be no greater antiGod, antiChrist teaching in the
universe.
“The Jews had never before heard such words
from human lips, and a convicting influence attended them; for it seemed that divinity flashed through humanity as Jesus said,
“I and My Father are One.” The words of Christ were full of deep meaning as He put forth
the claim that He and the
Father were of one substance,
possessing the same attributes.”—The
Signs of the Times, November 27, 1893, p. 54. {7ABC 437.3}
The Bible says that God is a Spirit. It says there is
ONE SPIRIT. If the Holy Spirit is the soul of the life of Christ, He and the
Father are of the same ONE substance, and that is what makes them ONE GOD. If
the Son was of that ONE and the same substance/SPIRIT before His Incarnation,
then He was eternal because that ONE SPIRIT WAS ETERNAL, to wit:
Hbr 9:14 How
much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God?
Ellen White on the
Deity and Nature of Christ
“Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was One with the
eternal Father,—one in nature, in character, in purpose,—the only being that
could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God. ‘His name shall be
called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace’ (Isaiah 9:6). His ‘goings forth
have been from of old, from everlasting’” (Micah 5:2).—Patriarchs and Prophets, 34. {7ABC 437.2}
“The Jews had never before heard such words from human
lips, and a convicting influence attended them; for it
seemed that divinity flashed through humanity as Jesus said, “I and My Father
are One.” The words of Christ were full of deep meaning as He put forth the claim
that He and the Father were of one
substance, possessing the same attributes.”—The Signs of the Times, November 27, 1893, p. 54. {7ABC 437.3}
“Yet the Son of God was the
acknowledged Sovereign of heaven, one in power and authority with the Father.”—The Great Controversy, 495.
{7ABC 437.4}
“To save the transgressor of God’s law, Christ, the One equal with the Father, came to live heaven
before men, that they might learn to know what it is to have heaven in the
heart. He illustrated what man must be to be worthy of the precious boon of the
life that measures with the life of God.”—Fundamentals
of Christian Education, 179. {7ABC
437.5}
“The only way in which the fallen race could be
restored was through the gift of His Son, equal with himself, possessing the attributes of God. Though so highly
exalted, Christ consented to assume human nature, that He might work in behalf
of man and reconcile to God His disloyal subject. When man rebelled, Christ
pleaded His merits in his behalf, and became man’s substitute and surety. He
undertook to combat the powers of darkness in man’s behalf, and He prevailed,
conquering the enemy of our souls, and presenting to man the cup of salvation.—The Review and Herald, November 8, 1892,
p. 690. {7ABC 437.6}
“The world was made by Him, “and without Him was not
anything made that was made.” If Christ made all
things, He existed before all things. The words spoken in regard to
this are so decisive that no one need be left in doubt. Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense.
He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore....” E.G. White, {7ABC 438.1}
“There are light and glory in the truth that Christ was one with the Father before the foundation
of the world was laid. This is the light shining in a dark place, making it
resplendent with divine, original glory. This truth, infinitely mysterious in
itself, explains other mysterious and otherwise unexplainable truths, while it
is enshrined in light, unapproachable and incomprehensible.” —The Review and Herald, April 5, 1906, p.
8. {7ABC 438.2} S.D.A. Bible Commentary
Vol. 7A, p. 438.3 (EGW)
The Angels Worshipped Christ
“The King of the universe summoned the heavenly hosts
before Him, that in their presence He might set forth the true position of His
Son, and show the relation He sustained to all created beings. The Son of God
shared the Father’s throne, and the glory of the eternal, self-existent One
encircled both....
The angels joyfully
acknowledged the supremacy of Christ, and prostrating themselves before Him,
poured out their love and adoration. Lucifer bowed with them, but in
his heart there was a strange, fierce conflict. Truth, justice, and loyalty
were struggling against envy and jealousy.”—Patriarchs
and Prophets, 36. {7ABC 438.3}
I directly quote
Russell Unterschultz below. I am speaking of what Russell is saying in the
statement below and no other statement.
“(2) Next note that
when God's people pray “My Father, give us Thy Spirit” Jesus then breathes upon
them the Holy Ghost. It is the Father’s Spirit that Jesus breathes. The
fact that the Holy Ghost is breathed by Jesus shows that it is not a Being like
the Father and His Son.” Russell Unterschultz, The Holy Spirit, the Third
Person of the Godhead.
Russell states:
·
"It is the
Father's Spirit that Jesus breathes."
·
"The fact that
the Holy Ghost is breathed by Jesus shows that it is NOT A BEING LIKE THE
FATHER AND HIS SON.
·
Russell says that the
Holy Ghost breathed by Jesus is not a Being like the Father and His Son. Ellen
White says that the Holy Spirit is a distinct person.
· Personality of the Holy Spirit—"We need to realize that the Holy
Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through
these grounds."—Manuscript 66, 1899 (From a talk to the students at the
Avondale School.). {Ev 616.5}
"The Holy Spirit
is a person, for He beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children
of God. When this witness is borne, it carries with it its own evidence. At
such times we believe and are sure that we are the children of God...."
{Ev 616.6}
"The Holy Spirit has a personality, else
He could not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the
children of God. He must also be a divine person, else He could not search out
the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God. “For what man knoweth the
things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of
God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”—Manuscript
20, 1906. {Ev 617.1}
§ The Holy Ghost is Christ's Divine only Nature Holy
Spirit, which He divested (emptied) from His humanity at His Incarnation.
§ “The Son of the infinite God came to this earth,
and honored it with his presence. He emptied himself of his glory, and clothed his divinity with humanity, that humanity might
touch humanity, and reveal to fallenman the perfect
love of God.” (Ellen G. White, Review
and Herald, 6th June 1907, ‘No other Gods before me’).
§ Ellen White says that Christ sends HIS HOLY SPIRIT,
not the Father's Spirit, to wit:
"Christ declared that after his
ascension, he would send to his church, as his
crowning gift, the Comforter, who was to take his place. This Comforter is the Holy Spirit,--the
soul of his life, the efficacy of his church, the light and life of the
world. With his Spirit Christ sends a reconciling influence and a power that takes away sin.
In the gift of the Spirit, Jesus gave to man
the highest good that heaven could bestow....
The Spirit was given as a regenerating agency,
and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail....
It is by the Spirit that the heart is made
pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given his Spirit as a divine
power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress
his own character upon the church." E.G. White, Review and Herald Articles, May 19, 1904, vol. 5, p. 42.
·
Ellen White says that the Holy Spirit is the soul of CHRIST'S
LIFE.
·
She says it is with HIS SPIRIT (CHRIST'S SPIRIT) He sends a
reconciling influence.
·
Thus, it IS NOT the Father's Spirit that Jesus breathes. It is
His own
Spirit.
"Cumbered with humanity Christ could not
be in every place personally, therefore it was altogether for their advantage
that He should leave them to go to His Father and send the Holy Spirit to be
His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality
of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in
all places by His Holy Spirit.” E.G. White, (Manuscript Releases Volume 14
(No’s 1081-1135) MR No.1084.
Eternal Sacrifice
Divine Soul
"The apostle
would call our attention from ourselves to the Author of our salvation. He
presents before us His two natures, divine and human. . . . He voluntarily
assumed human nature. It was His own act, and by His own consent. He clothed
His divinity with humanity. He was all the while as God, but He
did not appear as God. He veiled the demonstrations of
Deity which had commanded the homage, and called forth the admiration of the
universe of God. He was God while upon earth, but He divested
Himself of the form of God, and in its stead took the form and fashion of a
man. He walked the earth as a man. For our sakes He became poor, that we
through His poverty might be made rich. He laid aside His glory and His majesty. He
was God, but the glories of the form of God He for awhile relinquished. . . . He bore the sins of the world, and endured the penalty
which rolled like a mountain upon His divine
soul. He yielded up His life a sacrifice, that man should not eternally die. He died, not through being compelled to die, but by His
own free will." E.G. White, SDA
Bible Commentary, Vol. 7a, p. 446.
Ellen
White says that Christ’s divinity did not die on the cross. According to the
Testator’s Testament (Covenant), the Testator must die to something eternally
for while the Testator lives, the Testament is of no strength says Scripture.
The Testator was Christ. The Cross atonement was of no avail without the
heavenly Sanctuary/Atoning sacrifice, whereby Christ sacrificed His Holy Spirit
only existence in order to bequeath the gift of His Holy Spirit Divine Nature
to us as a cure for sin. The cure was just as important as the redemptive act
on the cross, and without the cure, His sacrifice on the cross would have been
to no avail but to pardon sin forever. This will be evident from the following
statements by Ellen White.
The Cross Redeemed Us From Our Repented of Sins, But it
did not Provide the Cure for Sin
Without
the “highest good, crowning gift” of Christ’s Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the
soul of His life, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross would have been of no
avail. The cross redeemed us from our sins by Christ having taken them upon
Himself as the sacrificial Lamb, but the cure for sin was provided by the
heavenly Sanctuary/Atonement act of the Son sacrificing His Holy Spirit Divine
Life only, as His “highest good, crowning gift” that heaven could bestow. This
was/is the cure for sin, without which, His death on the cross would have been
to no avail but to pardon sin forever.
"Christ declared that after his
ascension, he would send to his church, as his
crowning gift, the Comforter, who was to take his place. This Comforter is the Holy Spirit,--the soul of his life,
the efficacy of his church, the light and life of the world. With his Spirit Christ sends a
reconciling influence and a power that takes away sin.
In the gift of the Spirit, Jesus gave to man the highest good that heaven could bestow....
The Spirit was given as a regenerating agency,
and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail....
It is by the Spirit that the heart is made
pure. Through
the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has
given his Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated
tendencies to evil, and to impress his own character upon the church." E.G. White, Review and Herald Articles, May 19, 1904, vol. 5, p. 42.
Atonement --
"The atonement of Christ is not a mere skillful way to have our sins
pardoned it is a divine remedy for the cure of transgression and the
restoration of spiritual health. It is the heaven-ordained means by which the
righteousness of Christ may be not only upon us, but in our hearts and
characters.--Letter 406, 1906." E.G. White, SDA Bible Commentary,
Vol. 7a, 464.
Comment on verse 11
(Romans 3:24-26). A Divine Remedy for
Sin—“The atonement of Christ is not a mere skillful way to have our sins
pardoned; it is a divine remedy for the cure of transgression and the restoration
of spiritual health. It is the Heaven-ordained
means by which the righteousness of Christ may be not only upon us but in our
hearts and characters.” (Letter 406, 1906). {6BC 1074.2}
The Heaven-ordained
means by which the righteousness of Christ may be not only upon us, but in our
hearts and characters is the gift of Christ’s Holy Spirit, which He bequeathed
to us at His Incarnation in the heavenly Sanctuary Atonement at His
Incarnation. Christ indwells us by the gift of His Divine Nature Holy Spirit,
the soul of His life before His Incarnation, and which is now His Holy Ghost,
Holy Spirit.
"He (Christ)
suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which WAS
His." Desire of Ages, p. 25 1 Cor. 11:24-265, cf. John 6:53,
54, Titus 3:5, 6.
What life WAS HIS?
(Past tense) It was His pre-Incarnation life consisting of His Holy Spirit
Divine Nature ONLY. He forfeited the state of being DIVINE ONLY, by His forever
death to the state of being DIVINE ONLY, to become combined with humanity
forever. That is the form of forever death which paid the wages of our sin
which is eternal death. It was that death that met the prescribed limit of a
sacrifice BEFORE THE CROSS.
"The darkness rolled away from the Saviour
and from the Cross. Christ bowed His head and died. In His Incarnation He had reached
the prescribed limit as a sacrifice, but not as a redeemer." E.G. White Manuscript Releases Volume Twelve, p. 409.
In His heavenly Sanctuary Incarnation act itself, He
had reached the prescribed limit as a sacrifice. What was that prescribed
limit? That the Testator must die to something forever, for that is the wages
of man’s sin—eternal death. But that did not redeem man from his sins. That was
achieved by the spilling of the Lamb’s blood on the cross when Christ first
took upon Himself all man’s sins. The cross redeemed us from sin. The Sanctuary/Atonement act in heaven
provided/provides the cure for sin—the gift of the Son’s soul of His life—His
Holy Spirit—now the Holy Ghost of His pre-Incarnation existence as Holy Spirit
Divine Nature only.
“God showed his love for us by adopting our nature, in the person of his
Son. God himself inhabited humanity, making us partakers of the
divine nature, that by the incarnation and death
of his only begotten Son, our adoption as heirs of God and joint heirs with
Christ might be fully accomplished. The origin of this wonderful achievement
was his own spontaneous love.” (Ellen
G. White, Youth’s Instructor, 16th December 1897, ‘The New Commandment part 1).
(Matthew 4:1-11; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 45; Philippians
2:5-8; Hebrews 2:14-18; 4:15). Strength in Cooperating With
God—[Romans 5:12, 18, 19 quoted.] “The apostle
contrasts the disobedience of Adam and the full, entire obedience of Christ.
Think of what Christ’s obedience means to us! It means that in His strength we
too may obey. Christ was a human being. He served His heavenly Father with all
the strength of His human nature. He has a twofold nature, at once human and
divine. He is both God and man.” {6BC 1074.3}
“Christ came to this
world to show us what God can do and what we can do in cooperation with God. In
human flesh He went into the wilderness to be tempted by the enemy. He knows
what it is to hunger and thirst. He knows the weakness and the infirmities of the
flesh. He was tempted in all points like as we are tempted.” {6BC 1074.4}
“Our ransom has been
paid by our Saviour. No one need be enslaved by Satan. Christ stands before us
as our divine example, our all-powerful Helper. We have been bought with a price
that it is impossible to compute. Who can measure the goodness and mercy of
redeeming love?” (Manuscript 76, 1903) {6BC 1074.5}
Christ a Free Moral
Agent—“The second Adam was a free moral agent, held responsible for His
conduct. Surrounded by intensely subtle and misleading influences, He was much
less favorably situated than was the first Adam to lead a sinless life. Yet in
the midst of sinners He resisted every temptation to sin, and maintained His
innocency. He was ever sinless.” (The Southern Work, September 29, 1903). {6BC 1074.6}
Man on Vantage Ground With God—“As related to the first Adam, men receive from him
nothing but guilt and the sentence of death. But Christ steps in and passes
over the ground where Adam fell, enduring every test in man’s behalf. He
redeems Adam’s disgraceful failure and fall by coming forth from the trial
untarnished. This places man on vantage ground with God. It places him where,
through accepting Christ as his Saviour, he becomes a partaker of the divine
nature. Thus he becomes connected with God and Christ.” (Letter
68, 1899). {6BC 1074.7}
“There are light and
glory in the truth that Christ was one with the Father before the foundation of
the world was laid. This is the light shining in a dark place, making it resplendent
with divine, original glory. This truth, infinitely mysterious in itself,
explains other mysterious and otherwise unexplainable truths, while it is
enshrined in light, unapproachable and incomprehensible.” (Ellen
G. White, Review and Herald, 5th April
1906, ‘The Word made flesh’).
The following is an
article by Ellen White, so I will put quotation marks only at the beginning and
the end of the article:
The Word Made Flesh
RH April 5, 1906
Mrs. E. G. White
[REPRINTED BY REQUEST, FROM THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES OF APRIL 26, 1899.]
[Reprinted Again in RH
Sep 14 1922 and Dec
19 1974]
"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
anything 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. . . . 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."
This chapter
delineates the character and importance of the work of Christ. As one who
understands his subject, John ascribes all power to Christ, and speaks of his
greatness and majesty. He flashes forth divine rays of precious truth, as light
from the sun. He presents Christ as the only Mediator between God and
humanity.
The doctrine of the
incarnation of Christ in human flesh is a mystery, "even the mystery which
hath been hid from ages and from generations." It is the great and
profound mystery of godliness. "The Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us." Christ took upon himself human nature, a
nature inferior to his heavenly nature. Nothing so shows the wonderful condescension
of God as this. He "so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son." John presents this wonderful subject with
such simplicity that all may grasp the ideas set forth, and be
enlightened.
Christ did not make
believe take human nature; he did verily take it. He did in reality possess
human nature. "As the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also
himself likewise took part of the same." He was the son of Mary; he was of
the seed of David according to human descent. He is declared to be a man, even
the Man Christ Jesus. "This Man," writes Paul, "was counted
worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded
the house hath more honor than the house."
But while God's Word
speaks of the humanity of Christ when upon this earth, it also speaks decidedly
regarding his pre-existence. The Word existed as a
divine being, even as the eternal Son of God, in union and oneness with his
Father. From everlasting he was the Mediator of the covenant, the one in whom all nations of the
earth, both Jews and Gentiles, if they accepted him, were to be blessed.
"The Word was with God, and the Word was God." Before men or angels
were created, the Word was with God, and was God.
The world was made by
him, "and without him was not anything made that was made." If Christ
made all things, he existed before all things. The words spoken in regard to
this are so decisive that no one need be left in doubt. Christ was God
essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God
over all, blessed forevermore.
The Lord Jesus Christ,
the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with
the Father. He was the surpassing glory of heaven.
He was the commander of the heavenly intelligences, and the adoring homage of the angels was
received by him as his right. This was no robbery
of God. "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way," he
declares, "before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from
the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought
forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains
were settled, before the hills was I brought forth; while as yet he had not
made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part
of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he
set a compass upon the face of the depth."
There are light and
glory in the truth that Christ was one with the Father before the foundation of
the world was laid. This is the light shining in a dark place, making it
resplendent with divine, original glory. This truth, infinitely mysterious in itself, explains other mysterious
and otherwise unexplainable truths, while it is enshrined in light,
unapproachable and incomprehensible.
"Before the
mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the
world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." "The
people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to
them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." Here
the pre-existence of Christ and the purpose of his manifestation to our world
are presented as living beams of light from the eternal throne. "Now
gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he
hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the Judge of Israel with a rod
upon the cheek. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the
thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be
ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from
everlasting." "We preach Christ crucified," declares Paul,
"unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but
unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and
the wisdom of God."
That God should thus
be manifest in the flesh is indeed a mystery; and without the help of the Holy Spirit
we can not hope to comprehend this subject. The most humbling
lesson that man has to learn is the nothingness of human wisdom, and the folly
of trying, by his own unaided efforts, to find out God. He may exert his intellectual powers to the utmost, he may have what
the world calls a superior education, yet he may still be ignorant in God's
eyes. The ancient philosophers boasted of their wisdom; but how did it weigh in
the scale with God? Solomon had great learning; but his wisdom was foolishness;
for he did not know how to stand in moral independence, free from sin, in the
strength of a character molded after the divine similitude. Solomon has told us
the result of his research, his painstaking efforts, his
persevering inquiry. He pronounces his wisdom altogether vanity.
By wisdom the world
knew not God. Their estimation of the divine character, their imperfect
knowledge of his attributes, did not enlarge and expand their mental
conception. Their minds were not ennobled in conformity to the divine will, but
they plunged into the grossest idolatry. "Professing themselves
to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible
God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed
beasts, and creeping things." This is the worth of all requirements and
knowledge apart from Christ.
"I am the Way,
the Truth, and the Life," Christ declares; "no one cometh unto the
Father, but by me." Christ is invested with power to give life to all
creatures. "As the living Father hath sent me," he says, "and I
live by the Father; so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. . . .It is
the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they
are spirit, and they are life." Christ is not here referring to his
doctrine, but to his person, the divinity of his character. "Verily
verily, I say unto you," he says again, "The hour is coming, and now
is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear
shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son
to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also,
because he is the Son of man."
God and Christ knew
from the beginning, of the apostasy of Satan and of the fall of Adam through
the deceptive power of the apostate. The plan of salvation
was designed to redeem the fallen race, to give them another trial. Christ was appointed to the office of Mediator from
the creation of God, set up from everlasting to be our substitute and surety. Before the world was made, it was arranged that the
divinity of Christ should be enshrouded in humanity. "A body," said
Christ, "hast thou prepared me." But he did not come in human form
until the fulness of time had expired. Then he came to our world, a babe in
Bethlehem.
No one born into the
world, not even the most gifted of God's children, has ever been accorded such
demonstration of joy as greeted the Babe born in Bethlehem. Angels of God sang
his praises over the hills and plains of Bethlehem. "Glory to God in the
highest," they sang, "and on earth peace, good will toward men."
O that today the human family could recognize this song! The declaration then made, the note then struck, the tune then started, will
swell and extend to the end of time, and resound to the ends of the earth. It
is glory to God, it is peace on earth, good will to
men. When the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings, the
song then started in the hills of Bethlehem will be re-echoed by the voice of a
great multitude, as the voice of many waters, saying, "Alleluia, for the
Lord God omnipotent reigneth."
By his obedience to
all the commandments of God, Christ wrought out a redemption
for man. This was not done by going out of himself to another, but by taking
humanity into himself. Thus Christ gave to humanity an existence out of
himself. To bring humanity into Christ, to bring
the fallen race into oneness with divinity, is the work of redemption. Christ took human
nature that men might be one with him as he is one with the Father, that God
may love man as he loves his only begotten Son, that men may be partakers of
the divine nature, and be complete in him.
The Holy Spirit, which
proceeds from the only begotten Son of God, binds the human agent, body,
soul, and spirit, to the perfect, divine-human nature of Christ. This union is represented by the union of the vine
and the branches. Finite man is united to the manhood of Christ. Through faith
human nature is assimilated with Christ's nature. We are made one with God in
Christ.” End of Article.
—rwb