God desires an intimate relationship with those who truly love Him. And, mankind desperately needs to know our Great and AWESOME God in a very personal and intimate way. So far, in our studies, we have covered ...

God is ...
1) an INVISIBLE,
2) Omnipresent (Everywhere at one time),
3) Omnipotent (Almighty or All Powerful) and
4) Omniscient (All Knowing)
5) SPIRIT (without flesh and bones) AND
6) there is NONE like Him, NOR
7) is there anyone "helping" ... or "assisting" ... Him!

Also, He is Holy, Just, Loving, True and Wise. He is our Creator, Who created everything alone and by Himself. And, He has a "Master Plan". Furthermore, He will NOT give His Glory to another! He and He alone is Almighty God! And, there can't be but ONE Almighty ... there is NO room for any "co-equals". In addition, down through the ages, mankind referred to God in many ways. And, God gave mankind glimpses into His identity and an abbreviated form of the name He later revealed.

There was about 400 years of silence between the last of the Old Testament prophets and the voice of one crying in the wilderness ... John the Baptist. During that time, the Jews (in general) had become steeped in their traditions with all of their arrogance and pomp. And, their service to God had become very slack. Their rituals and formality was basically exercises of carnality and hypocrisy. Although they took great pride in their "assumed" position with God, and went to great length to be seen worshiping God with their mouths, their hearts were very far from Him. In my opinion, that draws a very close parallel with what's going on in our world today. **IF** One God, Jesus Name, people are not very, very careful concerning their relationship with God, they will be weighed in the balances and found just as wonting and just as guilty as the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes who strutted around like they were the cat's meow when Jesus walked the sandy shores of Galilee. If you notice, Jesus did NOT go to their synagogues to call His inner circle. No siree! He went down to the sea shore and called some rough and rugged seamen who had some grit in their craw, and whose hide was as tough as shoe leather. The job ahead was NOT for the faint-hearted. Or for those who were passive, soft and wore fair clothing. Also, if you'll notice, John the Baptist did NOT come out of the synagogues of his day. He was definitely NOT like the crowd. The job ahead of him was NOT for the passive, mealy-mouthed type do-gooders. I am persuaded to believe that God is looking for men and women today who are NOT like the crowd, but who love God enough AND are committed (and tough) enough to stand through every fiery trial as well as against all the attacks from the devil, and do the job that is ahead of them with honor and valor. In short, God is like the Marine Corps. He is looking for a "few" good men (and women). Because He can get more done with a few good 'uns that with a whole battalion of middle of the roaders. Any how, getting back on track ... In our last lesson, we went over the various ways God was known, and described as, in the Old Testament ... including the use of "Jehovah" (the abbreviated form of the name He later revealed) with the following descriptive terms ...

Jehovah-Jireh - The LORD will provide. Jehovah-Rapha - The LORD that heals. Jehovah-Mekoddishkem(m-qadash)-The LORD who Sanctifies You ... who makes Holy. Jehovah-Nissi - The LORD My Banner, The LORD my Miracle. Jehovah-Sabaoth (se ba'ot) - The LORD of Hosts, The LORD of Powers. Jehovah-Shalom - The LORD is peace. Jehovah-Raah - The LORD is my shepherd. Jehovah-Tsidkenu (tsid-kay'-noo)- The LORD our righteousness. Jehovah-Shammah - The LORD is there.   In this lesson, we will be talking about the fully "revealed" name of God.

Fosset’s Bible Encyclopedia declares that Jesus means Jehovah-Salvation, or Jehovah is become Saviour. I could stop right here. And, that, alone, should be proof enough as to who Jesus "really" is. However, we will document this little known fact (among multitudes of "professing" Christians), as we look further into the Scriptures AND history in this lesson.

Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

Micah 1:2-3 Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.

Habakkuk 1:5 Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.

Zechariah 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

When the time came for the "new thing" that God had promised in Isaiah 43:19, He revealed His name to Joseph and Mary when He dispatched it to them ... separately ... by the angel. It is ... JESUS ... which literally means, "Jehovah-Salvation," or "Jehovah is become Saviour." Jesus was more than a prophet ... more than an angel ... more than a created being ... and more than any inferior subordinate person theory which evolved centuries AFTER Christ. The name, "JESUS," is the greatest name that has ever been uttered by mortal tongue. YHWH was just an abbreviation ... a prelude ... a substitute just like the substitute that took Isaac's place upon the altar of sacrifice until the "real" Lamb of God came. Jesus, was NOT just a name that Joseph and Mary woke up one morning, and decided on.

The angel announced, "For unto you is born this day a Saviour, which is CHRIST THE LORD." Luke 2:11. When God prepared Himself a body to redeem man from sin, He then revealed His name ... JESUS.

I truly wish those who accuse "oneness" people (who embrace the Apostles' One God Monotheistic Doctrine) of being "JESUS ONLY," fully understood who Jesus "really" is! And they could **IF** they would only lay aside their biased indoctrination, traditions, preconceived ideals, and theories ... and diligently pray about this and independently study their Bible with an open heart and an open mind ... that's how it was revealed through the scriptures to me, anyway. Then, they would come to understand that we are NOT "Jesus only" but "Jesus fully" ...

Colossians 2:8-10 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 [Christ] dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Throughout the Old Testament God is also called the Lord. Deuteronomy 6:4 clearly tells us ... "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD:" Therefore, compare the following references:

The Lord God is the Creator. Isaiah 42:5. The Lord Jesus is the Creator. John 1:3, 10.   The Lord God said, "I am He." Isaiah 43:10. The Lord Jesus said, "I am He." John 8:24.   The Lord God is the only Saviour. Isaiah 43:10, 11. The Lord Jesus is the Saviour. Titus 1:4.   The Lord God shall reign forever. Psalms. 146:10. The Lord Jesus reign forever. Luke 1 :33.   The Lord God is the King of Israel. Isaiah 43:15. The Lord Jesus is the King of Israel. Matt. 27:37.   The Lord God is the First and the Last. Isaiah 44:6. The Lord Jesus is the First and the Last. Revelation 1:8.   The Lord God is Almighty. Genesis 17:1. The Lord Jesus is Almighty. Revelation 1:8.

According to the Bible, God is described as ...

1) NUMERICALLY ONE
2) ETERNAL
3) INVISIBLE
4) SPIRIT
5) ALONE and by Himself is man's Creator AND Saviour
6) Almighty (there can't more than ONE be "Almighty")
7) Without flesh and bones
8) ALONE knows the thoughts and intents of the heart
9) All knowing ... omniscient
10) All powerful ... omnipotent
11) Everywhere at all times ... omnipresent.

According to Deuteronomy 6:4 and Ephesians 4:5 There is only ONE Lord. When Paul was struck down on the road to Damascus, he cried, "Who art thou, Lord?" And the Lord said, "I AM JESUS." Acts 9:5. Beyond a shadow of a doubt the Lord God Jehovah of the Old Testament is the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament!

Jesus confirmed that He was NOT a separate Person, but God manifested in the flesh when He said to Philip, " ... He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.. .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 ..." John 14:9-11. Jesus also simply stated, "I and My Father are ONE (not two)." John 10:30 ... prompting the Jews to immediately to take up stones to stone Him because, as they put it, "...thou, being a man, makest thyself God."

When Jesus emphasized the importance of people knowing His identity as He taught in the temple by saying, "...For if ye believe not that I AM HE, ye shall die in your sins ...They understood not that He spake to them of the FATHER." John 8:24-27.

Because of the indoctrination they've been subjected to, people today still do not understand the terms Father and Son, as it relates to God. The Eternal Spirit and the mortal flesh He revealed Himself in ... Jesus ... had 2 natures ... one human and one Divine. He was BOTH God and man. When Jesus was baptized by John in Jordan River, the voice of God spoke, "This is my beloved Son, IN WHOM I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17. Notice, God said, "IN WHOM" - not with whom! "To wit, that GOD WAS IN CHRIST, reconciling the world unto Himself..." 2 Corinthians 5:19. "... the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." John 14:10.

The difference in the tabernacle of badgers skins and the tabernacle of flesh was, the tabernacle of badgers skins was inanimate, and the tabernacle of flesh was a living, breathing, supernaturally conceived and born human who had 2 natures ... one Divine and one human. I use the analogy of Clark Kent and Superman a lot when talking about God being BOTH Father and Son because most people can relate to Clark Kent being Superman incognito ... not two separate "persons."

It is important to keep in mind that God can manifest Himself in a multitude of different ways to multitudes of different people in billions of different geographical locations all over the globe ... SIMULTANEOUSLY ... but that does NOT make Him more than ONE PERSON. Also, it is important to point out that Jesus almost always said and did the things He said and did for the benefit of others ... and to set an example. The voice from heaven was for the benefit of others:

John 11:42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

John 12:28-30 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

God had to do many things just for the benefit of doubting, sinful humanity. Do you really think it was necessary for the stone be rolled away for Jesus to come out of the grave? No way! But He did it for our benefit. Once a person understands who Jesus "really" is, they will not stumble at His words as many did way back then ... and as many still do to this very day. However, just as there were those way back then who had "ears to hear," there are people today who have laid aside their indoctrination with all the creeds, statements, declarations and articles of faith of denominationalism and have opened their mind and heart to the unadulterated Word of God ... and are discovering for themselves, through independent study (just as I did), the Truth of God's Word IN ITS ENTIRETY!

Many people have been taught that the words of Matthew 28:19 are to be "quoted" at baptism without realizing that "quoting" Matthew 28:19 does NOT "fulfill" Matthew 28:19. Father is NOT a name. Son is NOT a name. And, Holy Ghost is NOT a name. Besides, Jesus said to baptize in the NAME (singular) of the Father, AND of the Son, AND of the Holy Ghost. He did NOT say to baptize in the "names" (plural) of the Father, AND of the Son, AND of the Holy Ghost. And, those who had it right ... the "footprint followers" of our Lord and the "original" New Testament leaders always baptized converts in the NAME OF JESUS. Before we document this irrefutable fact, let's look at a few Scriptures that those who have been taught to believe the man-made doctrine that evolved out of Rome a couple centuries AFTER Christ (the trinity), probably have never noticed or given much consideration to ...

John 5:43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. ... Father's name = JESUS ** Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. ... Son’s name = JESUS ** John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. ... Holy Ghost's name = JESUSColossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, .....In addition to invoking the name "Jesus" when they baptized, here is where the name of Jesus was invoked in two other places ... in word AND deed ... by those who understood who Jesus "really" is ...

Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

Acts 16:18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

Jesus was NOT telling his disciples what to "SAY" in Matthew 28:19, He was telling them what to "DO." Jesus is the name of the Father (John 5:43), Jesus is the name of the Son (Matthew 1:21) and Jesus is the name of the Holy Ghost (John 14:26). And, here's where they obeyed the Great Commission of Jesus found in Matthew 28:19 ...

Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the NAME of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

Acts 8:16 "(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the NAME of the Lord Jesus)."

Acts 10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days." (This is how it appears in the King James Version. In some of the other versions, it reads, "in the name of the Lord Jesus". Let me ask you this question. Did the formula Peter used to baptize people change somewhere between Acts 2:38 on the day of Pentecost and the 10th Chapter of the Book at Acts? I don't think so!)

Acts 19:5 "When they heard this, they were baptized in the NAME of the Lord Jesus."

The Bible, as well as recorded history, will support the fact that the "original" New Testament Church invoked the name of Jesus in their baptismal services. Now, having said that .... when a person is baptized in the name of Jesus, they have been baptized in the name of the Father, AND of the Son, AND of the Holy Spirit, because the name "Jesus" IS the revealed name for Father, Son, AND Holy Ghost ...

Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics (1951). II, 384, 389: "The formula used was "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" or some synonymous phrase; there is no evidence for the use of the trine name… The earliest form, represented in the Acts, was simple immersion… in water, the use of the name of the Lord, and the laying on of hands. To these were added, at various times and places which cannot be safely identified, (a) the trine name (Justin)…"

Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible (1962), I 351: "The evidence… suggests that baptism in early Christianity was administered, not in the threefold name, but 'in the name of Jesus Christ' or 'in the name of the Lord Jesus.'"

Otto Heick, A History of Christian Thought (1965), I, 53: "At first baptism was administered in the name of Jesus, but gradually in the name of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (1898). I, 241: "[One explanation is that] the original form of words was "into the name of Jesus Christ" or 'the Lord Jesus,' Baptism into the name of the Trinity was a later development."

Williston Walker, A History of the Christian Church (1947), page 58: "The trinitarian baptismal formula,,, was displacing the older baptism in the name of Christ."

The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge (1957), I, 435: "The New Testament knows only baptism in the name of Jesus… which still occurs even in the second and third centuries."

Canney's Encyclopedia of Religions (1970), page 53: "Persons were baptized at first 'in the name of Jesus Christ' … or 'in the name of the Lord Jesus'… Afterwards, with the development of the doctrine of the Trinity, they were baptized 'in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.'"

Encyclopedia Biblica (1899), I, 473: "It is natural to conclude that baptism was administered in the earliest times 'in the name of Jesus Christ,' or in that 'of the Lord Jesus.' This view is confirmed by the fact that the earliest forms of the baptismal confession appear to have been single-not triple, as was the later creed."

Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. (1920), II 365: "The trinitarian formula and trine immersion were not uniformly used from the beginning… Bapti[sm] into the name of the Lord [was] the normal formula of the New Testament. In the 3rd century baptism in the name of Christ was still so widespread that Pope Stephen, in opposition to Cyprian of Carthage, declared it to be valid."

The Bible as well as History proves that the truth about one God was universally preached by the "original" New Testament Church. It was only after the development of the "trinity" doctrine by the Roman Catholic Church that many began preaching the doctrine of man and baptizing in the titles of Father, Son and Holy Ghost ...

Encyclopedia International, 1975 Edition, Vol.18, p.226 - The doctrine of the "Trinity" did not form part of the apostles’ preaching, as this is reported in the New Testament.

New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967 Edition, Vol.13, p.1021 - The first use of the Latin word "trinitas" (trinity) with reference to God, is found in Tertullian’s writings (about 213 A.D.) He was the first to use the term "persons" (plural) in a Trinitarian context.

Encyclopedia Americana, 1957 Edition, Vol.27, p.69 - The word "Trinity" is not in Scripture. The term "persons" (plural) is not applied in Scripture to the Trinity.

World Book Encyclopedia, 1975 Edition, Vol. T, p.363 - Belief in Father, Son and Holy Ghost was first defined by the earliest general council of churches. This was the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.

New International Encyclopedia, Vol.22, p.476 - The Catholic faith is this: We worship one God in Trinity, but there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son and another of the Holy Ghost. The Glory equal - the Majesty co-eternal. The doctrine is not found in its fully developed form in the Scriptures. Modern theology does not seek to find it in the Old Testament. At the time of the Reformation the Protestant Church took aver the doctrine of the Trinity without serious examination.

Life Magazine, October 30, 1950, Vol.29, No.18, p.51 - The Catholics made this statement concerning their doctrine of the Trinity, to defend the dogma of the assumption of Mary, in an article written by Graham Greene: "Our opponents sometimes claim that no belief should be held dogmatically which is not explicitly stated in Scripture... But the PROTESTANT CHURCHES have themselves accepted such dogmas as THE TRINITY, for which there is NO SUCH PRECISE AUTHORITY in the Gospels"