Is Jesus God? Part 2

Last week, we examined John 1:1 in relation to our topic "Is Jesus God?" Now, let's examine Psalm 110 and compare it to Christ. This is also where the Prophecies concerning Christ come into play... CAUTION: THIS IS VEEERRY LONG, but please read it through -- it's well worth your time. verse 1: "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." This is how Jesus interprets it: "And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son?" (Mark 12:35-37). Jesus was saying that He is God; notice the reference to the Christ not being the Son of David, but "LORD." In Mark 16:19, after Jesus gives the disciples the Great Commission, Mark says of Him, "So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God." How could Mark so boldly write that Jesus sat down at the right hand of God? It is very simple: He had seen it happen. This is recorded in Acts 1:9-11 as follows: "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Luke also writes of this in Luke 24:50-51 stating, "And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." (Some try to claim that the disciples merely hallucinated Christ's Resurrection and Ascension, but that is not plausible.) When Matthew records this event in Matthew 28:16-20, he does not mention Christ's ascension. However, it is interesting to notice what he does say: "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen." Here, we see that Jesus says that He has "all authority in heaven and on earth." Psalm 62:11 states, "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God." Also, Revelation 4:11 says, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Next, notice that Jesus says to baptize them "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" -- they are One! And if that were not enough, Jesus also says that He is with us to the end of the world -- quoting numerous Old Testament Scriptures about God, Hebrews 13:5 states, "For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So, even here, we see that Jesus is God! But to continue on with the ascension, In Luke 22:69, Jesus says, "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God." Then, Matthew records (26:65-66), "Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death." Why would the high priest and the chief priests respond like this? It was because they understood perfectly Jesus' claim to Deity. (And this was not the only time that Jesus claimed to be God, incurring the wrath of the Pharisees and Sadducees; we'll examine that later.) In Ephesians 4, Paul is encouraging the Ephesians to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" by following the calling that Christ has given each of us and doing it in love. Verses 6-13 state, "One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." First, notice the reference to Christ's ascension. Second, notice that Christ "fill[s] all things"; this will be important to remember later, because Ephesians 1:23 -- which we'll examine in context and see that Jesus is God -- says of Christ, "the fullness of Him who fills all in all." Third, this passage implies (as we know) that Christ was perfect. 1 Peter 1:13-16 states, "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'" This last phrase is a reference to Leviticus 19:2 -- "Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: 'You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy." So even here, we see that Jesus is God. 1 Timothy 3:16 states, "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." GOD was manifest in the flesh -- we learned last week that "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us," the Word being Jesus. GOD was justified in the Spirit -- Jesus said, "The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life." Also, in Matthew 3:16, we read, "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him..." (see also John 1:29-34). GOD was seen by angels -- just verses before the passage in 1 Peter that we looked at, Peter says (vs. 10-12), "Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things which angels desire to look into." GOD was preached among the Gentiles -- Paul states in Ephesians 3:8, "To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ..." There are numerous other examples of the disciples preaching Jesus among the Gentiles; for example, Peter preached to Cornelius and his household -- they were Gentiles. Another example is found in Acts 13:46-49, "Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, 'It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us: "I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth."' Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region." The disciples went throughout the Gentile world preaching Christ. GOD was believed on in the world -- we just saw that the Gentiles to whom Paul and Barnabas preached believed. There are also numerous other examples in Scripture of people who believed on Christ; in Acts 2:41, three thousand people believed, and in John 10:41-42, it is said of Jesus, "Then many came to Him and said, 'John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.' And many believed in Him there." GOD was received up into glory -- we just saw that Jesus was received up into glory where He sat down at the right hand of the Father! These are references to Christ, but Timothy says that it was God who did these things -- once again, we see that Jesus is God. verses 2-3: The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. Notice the key words "rod" and "rule" ("righteousness" and "faithfulness" are also key words, as we shall see). Isaiah 11:1 states, "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots..." This is a Messianic Prophecy, which continues, "And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins." Here is how we know that it refers to Jesus: 1) The stem of Jesse -- "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David" (Lu 1:32). "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). Notice the reference to "Christ, the LORD." (The geneologies in the NT also refer to Christ as a descendant of David, who was Jesse's son.) 2) And as for ruling/judging, Jesus says in John 5:22-23, "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him." Then He turns around and says that He doesn't judge, but the Father does: "And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." But what does He continue on to say? "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak" (John 12:47-49). So we see that Jesus only spoke what the Father told Him to speak; hence, when He judged, the Father was also judging, because the Father was telling Him what to say -- and this is why Jesus could say that He didn't judge; He didn't judge of Himself. Here is how John 8:14-18 explains it: "Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me." Perhaps it is more clearly stated in John 5:30 "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." It is abundantly clear from these passages that Jesus and the Father are One; they BOTH judge, and One cannot function without the Other. 3) As for "the dew of youth" mentioned in Psalm 110 -- Psalm 45:2 states, "Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever." 4) The rest of the chapter (Psalm 45) seems to go well with the judging aspect: "Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Notice that it says, "O Most Mighty"; this is a reference to God, but let's see how this passage applies to Jesus, as well. Compare the key words in this passage to Revelation 19:11-16, which says, "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in Righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." You will notice that this refers to the Word of God, Whom we know as Jesus; then, later in the passage it says that He is "King of Kings and LORD OF LORDS" -- He is God. And as for the rest of the Psalm 45 passage, Hebrews 1:8-9 quotes it, but with more detail... "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." We will talk about how this passage refers to Jesus as God under verse 7, and we will also see how Psalm 2 comes into play here (under verses 5-6)... for now, notice the reference to the Son -- "Your throne, O GOD..." -- Jesus is God. verse 4: "The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 7:1-3, 14-17 states, "For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. .... For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." We know that this passage is speaking about Jesus. You will notice that it says that Jesus possessed "an endless life"; this is also true of God -- Psalm 9:7 states, "But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment." (And this Scripture would further support the fact that the Father also judges. Also remember Hebrews 1:8 -- "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever...") Also notice that Melchizedek was refered to as "King of Righteousness" or "King of Peace." We've already seen how Jesus is a righteous king, but is Jesus peace, as well? Isaiah 9:6-7 states, "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." This is a Messianic Prophecy. In it, we see that Jesus is called Prince of Peace, and "of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end." However, that is not all that we see; we also see that He is "Mighty God, Everlasting Father"; remember, Psalm 45 refers to God as "O Most Mighty," and here we have Jesus referred to as "Mighty God" AND "Everlasting Father" -- once again, we see that Jesus IS God; Jesus the Son of God and God the Father are one! (Another point about this passage is that it further supports the fact that Jesus judges and that He is a descendant of David, two points which we have already discussed in our examination of Jesus as God.) Verse 5-6: "The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries." Psalm 2:1-12 clarifies that "the Lord" being referred to here is Jesus: "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." Also, remember Psalm 45; the whole passage would apply here, as well -- specifically verse 5: "Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee." And as for the reference to the King being on the holy hill of Zion -- remember Psalm 110:2 : "The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies." We learned from Isaiah 11 and other passages that this refers to Christ as God (see verses 2-3). Verse 7: "He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head." First, let's look up what it means to "drink of the brook." Matthew 26:42 states, "Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.'" In John 18:11 we read, "So Jesus said to Peter, 'Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?'" So this means that Jesus would have trials, and we know that Christ's cup of suffering of which He drank was the Crucifixion and all the horrible things which that entailed. Now, let's examine the phrase, "lift up the head." Philippians 2:5-11 says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 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. Therefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Ephesians 1:19-23 says, "And [that you may know] what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far ABOVE all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." Notice the phrases, He "put all things under his feet," and "set him at his own right hand." Hebrews 1:1-14 brings out these point about Christ being above all and shows how God and the Father are one: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" Remember Psalm 110:1 -- "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." This passage is not talking about Christ and then shifting to talk about God as two different people; rather, it uses "the Son" and "Lord" interchangeably -- we can clearly see that this is referring to Jesus, but it calls Him Lord. When we examined the numerous passages about Christ's ascension, we saw that He is God. Here, we have more Scriptures clarifying that; Jesus is at the right hand of God, which we also talked about in connection with His Divinity. I encourage you to read over the points presented under Psalm 110 verses 1-3 and compare them with those Scriptures present here under verse 7. If I tried to put them all here again, this post would be WAY too long (and it already is long enough!)... If you do this objectively, you can see that 1) Jesus is at the right hand of God, yet He is still referred to as God, 2) Jesus is equal to God, and 3) Jesus is above all and all things are under His feet, a point which refers to God as well. That is the point: Jesus is God; He is not merely the Messiah or some good Teacher -- He is GOD. We have already seen evidence of this in these first two posts. Next time, we'll look at the second Psalm which cooberates the Trinity, Psalm 118. After that, we'll look at what Jesus and others had to say about His Divinity.