Does God Have a Name by Life Network

DOES GOD HAVE A NAME?

ÂŠ1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2012 Dr. Bernie L. Wade

Books by Dr. Bernie L. Wade

Does God Have a Name? Baptism According to Matthew 28:19 The Next Wave – Restoration of the Charismata I Was the Ugly Duckling Charismata – A History of Apostolic Reformation The Israel of God The Biblical Marriage Manual How to Be a Christian Without Going to Church IS CHRISTMASs CHRISTIAN? The Israel of God - A Destiny Enjoyed

BOOKS BY OTHER AUTHORS

INTRODUCTION

Many years ago I heard a minister talk about his conversion experience. He had a personal encounter with God where God dealt with him about His name. The minister said, “It never occurred to me that God had a name. When it did occur to me, I determined to understand what was the name of God.” The minister was in very good company. Throughout history there have been numerous men and women who sought to receive a revelation on the name of God. Moses was among those who were not satisfied with just titles and attributes. In Scripture we find Moses trying to persuade God to reveal more to him as he prays: “Now therefore, I pray three, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy ways, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight; and consider that this nation is thy people” This man is one sharp negotiator! Here he asked to see more of God and to see His way. What Moses really wanted is to know what His Name was and to see Him. So here he bargains to gain ground in his desire toward this ultimate goal. God understood the intent of the heart, and this is so very obvious in the response he gives to the prayer of Moses: “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” Good enough for some, but not Moses! He continues to negotiate with God; he tries a more direct approach: “I beseech thee, show me thy glory.” Moses knew he could not see God. So, he asked to see His glory, or the manifestation of God. God finally concedes to allow Moses to have a glimpse of Him: “I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the Name of the Lord before thee.” No doubt, Moses thought, “YES! Now, I will see Him!” God continues: “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me and live”

This may seem like a long introduction for a book dealing with the Name of God. However, the search for the name of God was not just a passing fancy. Over and over in the Old Testament, men sought to find the name and the attributes of God. Does God have a name? In this modern world men have forsaken God and lost sight of the fervor that we should seek His name. This is a travesty in light of the fact that so many of the Old Covenant desired to know what we know. They did not know his name and they did not know what he looked like. Many times the Israelites fell into idol worship trying to set a definition to God. God is without definition. The revelation of the name did not arrive on the doorstep of any of the great prophets. None of the Kings of Israel were privy to the revelation. Nehemiah, the man who rebuilt the temple did not know the name. Yet, the name was revealed. The revelation was given to a young lady in Israel. “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, name Nazareth, Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin‟s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou that are highly favored, the Lord is with thee: Blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou has found favor with God. And Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Can you imagine this young girl, Mary, being given the revelation that all the prophets longed to know and hear! This is what Moses and Isaiah were looking for! Tell us his name! Can you imagine Mary slipping off to some quiet place to whisper his name? Can you imagine the forces of hell quivering at the mention of the name of God!? Isaiah left off with the description of this one occupying the throne of David forever, and the angel Gabriel informs Mary that this child she will deliver is the one! Later, in Mark 14:62, Jesus answers the direct question of another Man as He had answered Moses centuries before. The high priest asked him, Art thou the Christ, the

son of the Blessed? Jesus replied, “I AM”. They crucified him because he has said he was God. Numerous times throughout the Scriptures, we can find men trying to find the revelation of the name of the God. Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the Lord looking for His name. Enoch sought the name, so did Daniel and in the New Testament the disciples asked Jesus to show them the Father! Why all of the interest? Man was created with natural curiosity. His inability to explain the origin of God has always been a puzzle. Somehow to know the name of God and to be able to see Him might curb this desire. The Prophets inquired and searched diligently for the grace that should come. Their searching was for what or what manner. The Spirit of Christ that was in them did signify when it testified beforehand the suffering of Christ, and the glory that should follow. The coming of Almighty God in flesh, Jesus Christ, was the greatest historical event. Yet, man was not really aware of the importance of His coming until He had come and gone. This has resulted in many ideas, theories and doctrines concerning His presence here on earth. Some one hundred years after He came, men began to change what He said and adopt other theories as to who He was and why He came. When Christ was being tried by the Jewish high court the Roman government washed their hands of Him denying Him the justice that was promised Him under Roman Law. The Roman‟s using the Jewish religious court crucified Jesus for declaring that He was God. Three hundred years after Christ the Roman Government would use their own religious system (Roman Catholic Church) to mandate that Jesus Christ was not God but instead part of a triad of deities. Today, many religious systems have adopted the idea that Jesus Christ was not all that He claimed. This book uses the Scripture to deal with the subject of the Godhead. The Word of God, after all, is really the only place one need consult concerning God.

In this book we will answer the following three questions:

The First: Does God have a name? The Second: Does God exist as a triune deity? The Third and most important:

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

DOES GOD HAVE A NAME?

The Spirit of God came to lead us into all truth, but sometimes it is very hard for God to get truth to any of us and especially to those who have had a good Christian experience. WE are so afraid of anything that is not taught in our particular denomination and are apt to see whether or not it is really found in the Word of God. Saul of Tarsus believed that he was doing God‟s service when he persecuted and bound the Christians of his day, but after Jesus appeared and spoke to Saul, we find him declaring that: “After the manner which some call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers.” The first question we seek to answer is Does God Have a Name? Assuming He does, what is that name? The easiest path to the answer to this age old question is to turn to the New Testament. Here we find the fulfillment of a plethora of Old Testament prophecies as Jesus Christ comes to keep the promise made by Malachi that God would come thus turning the „heart of the Father to His Children‟. In the New Testament, God keeps His promise and manifest Himself as Jesus Christ. “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” Careful examination of these verses reveals many things of interest.  God was manifest in the flesh. This means that God was made „clearly visible or revealed‟ in the flesh! Jesus Christ was the visible image of the Almighty God! Men had sought to see him since the beginning of time! There can only be one time that God is made clearly visible and that is in His coming as Christ Jesus.  Justified in the Spirit. This means „vindicated or proven‟ in the Spirit.

 Seen of Angels. It may surprise those who are not well versed in Scripture that this phrase is there. What could it mean that He was seen of angels? It obviously means that the angels were able to see the manifested version of God, Jesus Christ. However, it meant something more. God is a Spirit. Mankind is unable to see spirits. Apparently, Angels are also unable to see spirits. All of Scripture indicates that the angels are unable to see God. Yet, in God‟s manifestation as Jesus Christ even the ANGELS were able to see God! No wonder the angels sang, “Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace, good will toward men. Peace had certainly come to the earth. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace!  Preached unto the Gentiles. Jesus Christ preached to the Gentiles. It is an amazing note that the writer did not say just, „preached‟. Clearly, the message is „to the gentiles‟. In the annals of Scripture, none of the prophets were sent to the gentiles. The Jews scorned Jesus for preaching to the Gentiles because they had no dealing with the Gentiles.  Believed on in the World. The evidence of those who believed in God because of His manifestation in Christ is everywhere. Apostle Peter believed Him and told Him, “Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God! It would be Apostle Peter‟s message on the Day of Pentecost (Act Chapter 2) that would be preached to that in attendance that day and to all that were in the future, till this very day.  Received up into glory. This is significant as it marks the ONLY time that someone ascends up in this manner. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up a cloud received him out of their sight. Here we have reviewed a volume of evidence given to us that points to Christ as the fulfillment of these things. While we are told this is about God, the fulfillment is all done by Jesus proving for those who were unaware that Jesus is God. Thus, attaching the only proper name revealed in Scripture to God – Jesus Christ. Lots of titles and attributes are listed for God, but Jesus is the only name.

Apostle Paul had much personal experience with the revelation of God. When he wrote about the mystery of Godliness perhaps he had in mind the vision of his amazing encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. There he

directly asks “Who are thou Lord?” He doesn‟t ask for the revelation of a name as some of the Old Testament encounters (such as Moses and Jacob) reveal. Being a Pharisee of Pharisees, Apostle Paul was well aware of the interest in the name of God. Perhaps he was more amazed with the revelation of the name of God than he was the overall response to his question. The response was, “I am Jesus whom thou persecuteth”. Here we have a question to God about who He is and He says, “I am Jesus!” He makes it clear that he need not only be revealed in attributes or titles but that He now has a name. A name that Scripture exalts above every other name. Apostle Paul also understood that men of his day would seek to pervert the gospel and wrote accordingly, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing sprits, and doctrines of devils.” Today, we know that many have departed from the faith. In the centuries since the departure of the Apostles there have been numerous concerted efforts to depart from the original faith as given by Jesus. This has allowed many different spirits and doctrines to come into the church. Apostle Paul also said they would “speak lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” Later, Apostle Paul reveals that these hypocrites would be those: “Forbidding to marry; and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” This is a large, apostate, religious system that forbids their priesthood to marry. This group forbids their followers to eat meat at certain times of the year. From this first scripture we have gleaned a great deal of material concerning whether or not God has a name. It is most obvious that these scriptures in Timothy, while the Bible says they speak of God are describing Jesus Christ. Could one Scripture describe both? Possibly. However, the obvious answer is simple. Jesus is God. The name of God is Jesus!

However, let us NOT establish doctrine on one verse (or no verses) as the cults and false religious systems. There must be more than one Scriptural reference to substantiate any doctrine. By the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established. Jesus Christ is the express image or glory of God. “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 purges our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” The Scriptures that refer to the glory of God speak directly of Jesus. Consider this one, “Which none of the princes of this world knew; for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.“ We realize that man is also referred to as the image and glory of God. Most of us realize that this is not a reference to man being deity but referring to man being the glory of God through Christ in us. Thus, all of the Scriptures speaking of the glory of God point or refer to Jesus Christ. “Christ is the head of the Church, and the man is His image and glory so also is the woman the glory of man. To whom God would have made known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” How can we be so certain that Jesus is God? Simple. Using the word of God, we have already established that Jesus Christ is the glory of God. With this knowledge we can much more easily comprehend other scriptures such as this: “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”

God has clearly stated that He will not give His glory to another. How then could He give it to Jesus? The only way that this could be established and be compatible with the Word of God is by the fact that Jesus is the glory of God! Jesus is God. Imagine for a moment that you are God. As God, you want to communicate with mankind. How would you accomplish this communication? As God you might decide that you want to come to earth. As God you have made a promise to redeem mankind from the sin nature that he took on in the Garden of Eden. If you are God and want to accomplish this you can‟t just come down to earth. God is a Spirit. Men cannot see spirits. So, how would you accomplish such a mission? Now, God had tried numerous times in different ways to communicate with man, but this time would be different. This time he wanted not just to communicate with men, but he wanted to be a just like a man. If you were God how would you accomplish this? Just like He did. He overshadowed Mary and she conceived. He robed himself in that flesh and walked among mankind. Just like you might use an automobile to transport you from one place to another. That automobile is not really you, but just a vehicle. People who know you might even see your car coming and identify it as your arrival. Yet, the car is not you. The flesh (Jesus Christ) was not God, but just a vehicle to carry out His divine plan to become the sacrifice to end all sacrifices for mankind. Theologians will quickly point out that this chapter, Isaiah Chapter 42, is prophetic. Then they try to ignore the fact that it points to Jesus. “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… Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth.” During the Reformation, men began to take a stand against the changes that had been made to the original Apostles doctrine. Few of them had questioned the

mode of baptism as offered by the religious system. Perhaps for good reason, as they were enthralled in trying to fight for the opportunity to worship the Lord as the Scripture commanded. Not as the Roman religious system had dictated to them. These reformers would make many changes, but would not return to biblical baptism. The Roman religious system had changed the baptismal formula, mode of baptism, the purpose for baptism as well as multitudes of other things. Nevertheless, the true church had never been eradicated. There were still pockets of believers that held to the original tenets of baptism and from time to time these reformers crossed their paths. Thus, these reformers began to be influenced by the truth concerning baptism. History records volumes of miniature revivals where seekers of Christ found experiences similar to those of the 120 believers in Acts 2. History records many of these believers were indeed baptized in the name of the true and living God, Jesus Christ, and turned away from the ideas offered by the triune religious system. For more information on baptism read the book, “Baptism According to Matthew 28:19”. One can easily see that the Romans created a religious system to control their widely expanding empire. The empire had conquered a wide variety of people, most of whom were pagans. By overhauling the pagan religion and combining just enough truth to make it look good, there were able to convince almost everyone that they were „the Church‟. Then they used the military and the power of the empire to enforce their religious system. One of the reformers, John Wycliffe stated that he would do only those that were „Apostolic‟ and nothing that the papacy said to do. God wanted to make sure, in case there was any doubt, that he was the ONLY God. To this end God issues a challenge: “To whom will he liken me, and make me equal, and compare me that we may be like?”

"Christianity did not destroy paganism - it adopted it. . . . From Egypt came the idea of a divine trinity." -- (Historian Will Durant)

"The [pagan] trinities had all the prestige of a vast antiquity... The pagan converts therefore eagerly accepted the Trinity compromise, and the Apostate Church baptized it. Now at length we know its origin." --- John Newton

Does God Exist as a Triune Deity?

This is the question of the ages. Is God a Trinity? In the Bible we find no reference to doubt the singularity of God. It was not until Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt that the Children of Israel became acquainted with the multiplicity of gods common to paganism. The Israelites, obviously contaminated by the idolatry of Egypt, would act out their new found worship of other Gods. This perversion prompts the Lord to make the subject of His singularity very clear: The Egyptian Trinity

“Hear O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.”

This is made very plain and clear so that there is no misunderstanding. God is one, not more than one! “Hath not one God created us?” When Jesus spoke to the scribe in the Gospels he responded to Jesus with: “Well, Master, thou hast said the truth; for there is on God, and there is none other but he.” There are seven references in the bible that make it very clear there is only one God. There was no misunderstanding of this throughout the Bible. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO SCRIPTURE REFERENCE THAT REFERS TO GOD AS THREE SEPARATE PERSONS OF TRIAD. ABSOLUTELY NONE. Apostle Peter misunderstood the manifestations on the Mount of Transfiguration and thought it might be a good idea to build three tabernacles. God made sure there would be no mistake about who was important in the Godhead. The answer came from a cloud overshadowing Jesus and the disciples: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” Notice, there is no reference to any plurality. There are no those, them, triad or trinity. Just Hear ye HIM (singular). The intention was for man to listen to Jesus Christ for answers to his salvation needs. The idea that there are three deities that are all Gods is as ridiculous as Peter suggesting that they build three tabernacles. God has repeatedly made it clear that He will not give his glory to another. The number three is not mentioned in connection with God until 1 John:

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one.” So that none would be confused John‟s revelation of those who bear record in heaven is summarized with the edict that the three are one. John knew and understood the pagans, followers of Plato and followers of other false religions thought of their gods as being plural. These primarily influenced by the Greeks had no One God. Rather they had a pantheon of gods. There Gods were often described as three, a triad or trinity. There are many trinities connected with paganism, but none are found in the Scripture. The pagans worshipped the earth, air and fire as one of their many Trinities. John is serving the pagans notice that there are only three on record in heaven and they are all one. He further informs that there are three that support this conclusion on earth and these are also not identified as a trinity. “And there are three that bear witness in earth; the Spirit, and the water and the blood and these three agree in one.” The Spirit, the water and the blood can all witness that there is only one God. The spirit of God dwelt in the flesh; Jesus Christ. The water can witness that there was one baptized in it, and the blood can witness that there was no blood like that of Jesus Christ! Yet, all of these agree in Jesus Christ. Sorry Plato, God does not exist as Plato suppositioned. He was the Creator of fire, earth and water not defined by this triad! The idea that God is a triune deity does not come from Holy writ. Rather it comes to us from the pagan religions of the world. "Bel (Lord) was the oldest and mightiest of the gods of Babylonia, one of the earliest trinities. He was "Lord of the World. The "doctrine of the Trinity" is first met northeast of the Indus; and, tracing it to Asia Minor and Europe, one recognizes it among every people who had anything like an established religion. It was taught in the oldest Chaldean, Egyptian, and Mithraic schools. The Chaldean Sun-god, Mithras, was called "Triple “and the Trinitarian idea of the Chaldeans was a doctrine of the Akkadians who, themselves, belonged to a race which was the first to conceive a metaphysical trinity.

According to the archeologist Rawlinson, the Chaldeans were a tribe of the Akkadians who lived in Babylonia from earliest times..."1 "At first, the Trinity doctrine was merely 1

- THEOSOPHY, Vol. 52, No. 6, April, 1964 (Pages 175-182) THE CHALDEAN LEGEND

humanism, the man, Nimrod making himself god. The first humanism trinity of record to be setup and worshiped as gods, was that of Nimrod, Simeramus, and Tammuz. These are in the Old Testament in the Canaanite language identified as Baal, Ashtoreth, and Tammuz. At the dispersion of the people at the Tower of Babel, this trinity doctrine of humanism was spread all over the world. Each religion of all the pagan religions held two common traits: 1.) A trinity of gods and; 2.) These were in a form of human gods."2 "Long ago - right after the Flood, a man named Nimrod emerged on the scene of history. His name means "let us rebel". He led the founding of the first great civilization â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Babylon. He led the people to rebel against God. Nimrod had tremendous power, so much that he became a god in the eyes of the people. When he died, his wife, Semiramis, recognized that without him she might lose power herself, so she devised a clever plan. Semiramis was pregnant. She told everyone that the child in her womb was none other than Nimrod being reborn. This was the beginning of Remember God is not a the greatest perversion... the mathematical formula concept of father/son deity, the very first but the number one is a incomprehensible divine trinity (the whole number that mystery)..."3 unexplainable

when divided gives you a fraction. God cannot be divided.

The idea that God is a triune deity does not come from Holy Writ. It is not implied, suggested or thought of in the pages of the Bible. The number three occurs 485 times in the Bible in 426 verses. There is NO reference to the Trinity, Holy Trinity, triune Godhead, three persons, or anything even close to resembling God being involved in a Triune godhead. The number one is mentioned 1967 times in Scripture. When a number is mentioned in connection with God it is always one. You may ask, how did the idea of a triune God arrive in the modern Church world? During the first three centuries of the Church apostasy was rampant. The written word of God was not readily available and learned men began to take advantage of the unlearned for their own personal gain and profit. The Emperor Constantine decided to quell some of the confusion by establishing his own state religion. Rome had existed in 2 3

Jesus Messiah Fellowship The Trinity Doctrine Is Pagan By Cohen G. Reckart, Pastor Resurrection Sunday and the Babylonian Connection. By Errol Hale

a triune government known as a triumvirate. This word meant a coalition of three men in office or authority. This Roman system of government was designed to keep on ruler from achieving too much power. It met with varied success, but was widely accepted by the Roman subjects as „the right way to govern‟. The thought was that when these three leaders had unity or tri-unity things would be governed well. The word tri-unity was shortened to trinity or triune. The apostate church that was developing was all too willing to squander the gospel of Jesus Christ for recognition as the State Religion and an opportunity to line their own pockets. They quickly adopted this triune government as the government of their quasi-religion. This appeased Emperor Constantine and kept the other Roman leaders happy. Little regard was given to the fact that the Apostles had considered Jesus Christ more than an equal with God, but that they had considered Him God and the one with “all power and authority” (Matthew 28:18). The masses, who had no scripture in their own tongue and were by this time several generations removed from the Apostles doctrine, began to goose step with this new religious system. After all it had found new favor with the imprimatur of the Emperor or Rome. During the following few centuries this new system would change, alter or destroy much of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Apostles delivered it unto the Church. Many times in the New Testament, Jesus made it unambiguous that he was God. In John Chapter 14 he makes the point repeatedly. Philip is still unsure. He asked Jesus to show him the Father. Jesus response was: “Have I been so long time with you and yet thou hast not known me Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” In Chapter 43 we find further revelation concerning the singular existence of God. “I, even I am the Lord; and beside me there is no Savior” How can we see the simplicity of the plan of God? He clearly declares that HE IS THE SAVIOR! Yet, Scripture boldly declares that Salvation comes through Jesus Christ! Be

it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. “Neither is there salvation in any other (name); for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” God and Jesus are one, or else the Scripture contradicts itself, for God states that there is no savior beside Him and then we find salvation comes through Jesus Christ. Again, the simple answer is that Jesus Christ is God. One and the same. “So also Christ… who in the days of His flesh when he offered up prayers and supplications… and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisadec.” Who was this Melchisadec? According to the Bible, he was the king of Salem. Salem means peace. Since He was King of Peace, then He was God. Jesus Christ was the Prince of Peace. Melchisadec simply was God appearing in vesture that Abraham could see and recognize. Abraham gave Him tithes. Jesus Christ is our high priest and the author of eternal Salvation. Notice that Jesus is not the Co-Author. He did it all! He was and is and will forever be God. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. “Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me…” Did God in His infinite wisdom foresee that man would be confused concerning His name?! He must have: “One shall say, I am the Lord’s; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel. Thus saith the LORD, the King of Israel and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first I am the last; beside me there is no God;” Once again, we have Apostle John contending to set the record straight. He makes it comprehensible that the WORD was in the beginning with God and the Word is God. “The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

John continues to explain that it was the Word (which is God) that accomplished the creation of all things. Then he drops a bombshell. “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.” The Word, which is God, became flesh. God became flesh and walked on earth. Man could not see God, for God is a spirit. Man could see the flesh because man is flesh. So man could see the flesh that God robed himself in and walked on earth. In John Chapter 5 Jesus spoke to the subject that man could not see God. “And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time or seen His shape.” Jesus tells them that they think that they have eternal life because they have read the Scripture, but they do not. He further tells them that they do not have eternal life except they receive Him. He continues to tell them that Moses prophesied of His coming, but they believed not Moses so they would not believe Jesus Christ. Today, they will accept the doctrines of false religions and religious systems and receive eternal damnation, rather than believe the Word of God and have eternal life. If one cannot believe Moses sought the name of God, how can they accept that Jesus is God? Friend, everyone will not be thrilled that you desire to seek truth. Jesus Christ was truth in the flesh and the answer to the World‟s problems. Yet, the world (that He created) chose to crucify Him. Should you expect anything less for your dedication to His truth? Jesus said that we would be hated of all men for His NAME. Think for a moment of the marvelous revelation that we are privileged to know. We know this not because of anything that we have done, but because of the grace that comes through Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ we have the revelation of the name of God. So many of the Old Testament men of God longed to know this great truth. Can we then neglect so great a salvation? Jesus said, when he prayed in the garden for His disciples and for us, (realizing that His time was at hand): “…as thou Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be on in us; that he world may believe that thou hast sent me… And I have declared unto them thy

name, and will declare it; that he love wherewith thou has loved me may be in them, and I in them.” Jesus condemned the very desire of men to see God when He spoke thus: “… ye also have seen me and believe not.” This angered the Pharisees so that they murmured, because Jesus claimed to have “come down from heaven”. The Jews could only see the flesh. They could not understand that the flesh they were looking at housed the eternal God. Even the disciples were confused by the words of Jesus. He later explains to them that the words He was speaking to them were the very Spirit and life. “IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD AND THE WORD WAS GOD”. Jesus declared that He was God, by what he spoke being both the word and life. Jesus lets them know that He has seen and knows God. No man hath seen God and lived. Finally, He says for those who are struggling with the fact that He was God. He simply states: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” What was he saying? He was saying, I am the one that Moses sought after. If Moses could only have seen Jesus, and known His name! He was not just a man. He was God. “I am one that bear witness of myself and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.” Jesus told them that they judged after the flesh. Thus, they could not understand. The disciples asked Him, “Where is the Father”. Jesus told them, “If ye had known me you would have also known my Father.” What else need He say for them to understand that He is God?! “…then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself… and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Now, if you realize that Jesus is God, then you need to make certain that you obey his word. If you have not already you need to repent of your sins, be baptized in His name for the remission of sins and you will receive the Holy Spirit.

The promoters of the tri-god idea try to advance the conception that in the book of Genesis, God is speaking to other gods or personages in the Godhead when he said, “Let us make man.” This is quite an interesting theory but raises many questions. Did He (Almighty God) need help or approval? Are we to conclude from the tri-theist interpretation that God was unable to create man by Himself? Did He lack power? IF the Scripture is a reference to His speaking to other persons in some pantheon of gods why did he not name them? Why does the verse not say, “Then God said to the second and third persons in the trinity?” Why is it that no one in the whole of the Scripture ever indicates that there is more than one deity in this Godhead? To believe a doctrine other than one offered by Scripture is to ignore a volume of evidence. The main problem with any discourse on the Bible is that most of the participants in the discourse have never read the Bible. Many of those who have only believe those parts they choose to believe. The key is whether o not one believes the Bible. For those who do believe the bible here is a list of facts:  The word Trinity is not in the Bible. Neither are the words tri-unity, second person, third person, pope, purgatory, and more  The Bible says nothing about three person in the Godhead  The only place the Bible even references three is a verse making it clear that God is NOT a trinity. Here the writer makes it clear that the three referenced are all ONE. (I John 5:7)  The number one is used in the Bible in reference to God over a dozen times. Zech 14:9, Mal 2:10, Mark 2:29-32, John 8:41, Gal. 3:20 and more.  The Bible does NOT say that there are two person in the Godhead  The bible does say that there is ONE person in the Godhead. Job 13:8, II Cor. 4:4, Col. 1:19, 2:9, Hebrews 1:3.  The prophet Isaiah said that Jesus was the Father. Isaiah 9:6  When God said „Let us make man in our image‟, He was not talking to another person in the Godhead. Malachi 2:10  The Bible says that Jesus is the Almighty. Rev. 1:8  Jesus said he was the first and the last yet some claim that those offices are reserved for the first and the third persons of the Trinity.  John saw the throne and there was only one sitting on it. Rev. 4:2 Tri-theists claim there were two thrones and bird perch in heaven, but no one is sure who saw this vision. It certainly is not recorded in the Word of God.  The Devil believes in One God. James 2:19  The Bible says that there is only one Lord. Eph. 4:5  The Bible says that there the Lord is God. Acts 2:39  When Apostle Paul asked who the Lord was the answer, “I am Jesus”.

Jesus was “God with us.” Matt. 1:23 Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” John 10:30 The Bible says that God shed His blood. Acts 20:28 God said He did not know another God. Isaiah 44:8 There is no „person‟ in the Godhead except that of Jesus Christ. The Father and the Holy Spirit are spirit.  One may argue that the Godhead has more than one role or office, but then it would not be able to be limited to three. There are hundreds and even thousands of titles, attributes, offices or roles of God. To use this argument for the Godhead would require that we add Lord, Word, Almighty, I AM, Master, Rabbi, Savior, King of Kings, Prince of Peace, Wonderful, Councilor – just to name a few.     

"The trinity got its start in Ancient Babylon with Nimrod - Tammuz - and Semiramis. Semiramis demanded worship for her husband and her son as well as herself. She claimed that her son was both the father and the son. Yes, he was "god the father" and "god the son" The first divine incomprehensible trinity." --The Two Babylons ; Alexander Hislop; p.51

"The Council of Nicea was a pivotal event in the history of Christianity. The sudden adoption of a quasi-philosophic term to define the historic Jesus as equal to God was a major departure from scripture.... Further, the use of this term "trinity" in a Creed meant that, from 325 on, Nicenes could and did proclaim other dogmas that have no basis in Scripture." - -State Church of the Roman Empire; Ben H. Swett; 1998

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? When men, theologians and otherwise, are asked to explain this theory of the triune God they often are unable to do so. They will sometimes resort to pat answers like, “try to understand the trinity and you will go crazy; deny the trinity and you will go to hell”. This shows the ignorance and the brazen stupidity of men. They cannot explain God. If this mythical trinity is the answer then why did Jesus Christ come, bleed and die? Let it be clearly stated that the Trinity as a doctrine is totally incompatible with the Word of God. Those who claim to make them compatible do so by wresting the Scripture to fit their preconceived notions. Men have ignorantly embraced the idea of a three part God with little or no thought to its incompatibility to Scripture. The Trinity was developed not to give people a better understanding of God. Rather, the Trinity was borrowed from the Pagans to make the new Christianity compatible with the Roman Emperor‟s desires. The Trinity was developed in humanism. The pagans determined that the triangle was the symbol of the gods (or one of them). They explained that the three equal sides of the triangle were the three co-equal and co-eternal gods of the universe. The triangle showed their shared responsibility and codependence. This idea was adopted after the flood by the Babylonians. The early humanists discovered that man was composed of three parts; soul, body and spirit. Thus, he created an explanation of God that also was three parts. Men who sought to be God seemed to be closer to their goal by reducing God to mathematical comparisons, human attributes and human limitations. Thus, men created an explanation of God with three parts. They defined these as Fire, Air and Water. Humanism has never died. Since the confusion of the languages at Babel, man had striven to advance the theories of humanism. This theory began when Satan offered it to Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan promised Eve that if she would disobey the commandments of God she would become a god. Of course, Eve did not become a God. Instead Eve‟s delusion led her out of her privileged place. In the New Testament the writer cautioned:

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and NOT after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” “And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of ALL principality and power: …buried in Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead”. Could the writer have explained it more evidently? He is making sure that we understand that Jesus held the entire Godhead? The word Godhead is only mentioned three times in Scripture. All of those references are in the New Testament. No where did the monotheism of the Old Testament get discarded in favor of the tri-theistic one of the pagans. When the multitude assembled on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), they asked the Apostles “What they must do we to be saved?” The answer given from Apostle Peter was succinct: 1. Repent 2. Be Baptized 3. Receive the Holy Ghost

SELF TEST 1. Where in the Bible is the Trinity mentioned?

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2. How many Gods are there?

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3. What is the only proper name we have been given for God?

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4. The Trinity got its start where?

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5. God was made clearly visible (manifest) in what?

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6. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess what?

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7. In the Old Testament there were how many in the Godhead?

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8. Jesus said he came to bear witness of whom?

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9. What is the only proper noun associated with the Godhead?

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10. Melchisadec shared a title with God. What was it?

__________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Bernie Wade has dedicated his entire life to working in ministry. As a child he helped his parents pioneer a number of church plants. As a young man he served as an evangelist, assistant pastor, pastor and more. Today, he fills his busy schedule writing, teaching, preaching and traveling around the world ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is a focused on the restoration or reformation of the Church to the tenets that were taught by the New Testament Church and the original Apostles of Jesus Christ. Toward this end most of his writing focuses on those essential biblical doctrines. He is committed to teaching and focusing other church leaders to return to our Biblical foundation. He serves as President to the global ministry of International Circle of Faith (ICOF). ICOF is a global network of ministers, churches, ministries and more. ICOF’s global network has more than 40,000 ministers and some 20 million adherents, with representation in nearly every country in the world. For more information visit: http://www.icof.net International Circle of Faith Colleges Seminaries and Universities (ICOF CSU) is a global network of Christian schools of higher learning and represents ICOF’s leaders collective commitment to quality Christian education. Dr. Bernie Wade sees the current spiritual climate as another great wave of the Holy Spirit similar to the wave of the Spirit that swept the world after the Wales and Azusa Street revivals a century ago. With this wave of the Holy Spirit in mind, Dr. Wade is instructing leaders to position themselves and their followers to get ready for The Next Wave. In this light a magazine was launched appropriately called, “The Next Wave”. To learn more about The Next Wave Magazine visit: http://www.icof.net/index.php/thenextwave Welcome to The Next Wave! Bishop Daniel Joseph, Bishop Joseph Rankin and Bishop Wade with many other ministers at an ICOF Leadership Summit in Ghana West Africa.