We Are to Be One With the Father and the Son
Jesus also taught:
I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one (John 17:20-23).
Jesus is one with God the Father as He expects His people to be one. As His people are made up of different individuals, so therefore is God. Jesus continually emphasized the family relationship between Himself as Son and the Father. Furthermore, Jesus' statement makes it clear that those called will be part of God's family as well--how else will true Christians attain the same glory as Jesus? Paul essentially reiterates this in Romans 8:28-29.
The key to eternal life is found right here and in no other formula or doctrinal creed!
John 17:3 (ASV)
3 And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God (Jehovah), and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ.
Very telling passage here in Revelation. In verse 7 we see Jesus Christ "The Lamb" taking the scroll out of the right hand of Him (Jehovah God) who sits on the throne. This right here is evidence enough that Jehovah God and The Lord Jesus Christ are two seperate distinct individual persons and are not the same substance as some doctrines teach. They are not play acting, Jesus is not taking the scroll from His own right hand. Also look at verse 10, the Bible is clear that we will live on this earth for eternity once it is made new (Revelation 21 and Isaiah 65:17-25). The earth will not be restored to it's edenic beauty and paradise until after the millennium reign in Heaven of the Saints with Jehoshua. The false teaching of an earthly millennium is unbiblical and it's sets people up to be deceived by the antichrist and his establishment of an earthly New World Order which will promise "peace and safety" but instead sudden destruction will be their fate. The earthly millennium teaching uses scripture, for proof of their doctrine, that actually applies to the New Heaven and New Earth after the Second resurrection of unbelievers. This earth will only be restored one and one time only and that is after this current earth is purified by Jehovah once he executes unbelievers after the second resurrection in a Lake of Fire right here on this earth. This fire will consume unbelievers into annihilation and destroy them hence annihilationism rather than unending fire. In other words they will cease to exist. Sodom and Gomorrha is the example set forth of the destruction of unbelievers in the Lake of Fire meaning that it will destroy forever those who are part of the second death and leave no traces of them afterwards. This is exactly what happened to Sodom and Gomorrha, go there now and there is no trace of any of them and the fire has been
extinguished (Jude 5-7.amd 2 Peter 2:4-6).
Revelation 5:1-10 (NKJV)
1 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.
4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read[a] the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose[b] its seven seals.”
6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.”
Here we see the Lord Jesus Christ and Jehovah God receiving worship from all creation. So clearly Jesus is worthy of being worshipped which refutes the False Watchtower Bible and Tract Society teaching that only Jehovah can be worshipped. Verse 11 shows Jehoshua receiving worship by the angels and elders in Heaven. Verse 14 shows all creation worshipping Jehoshua and Jehovah. Anyone that teaches that our Lord Jesus Christ is not to be worshipped is teaching heresy. Scripture clearly teaches that both the Father Jehovah and The Son Jehoshua are both to be worshipped as separate distinct individual persons (John 17:3)
Revelation 5:11-14 (NKJV)
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,12 saying with a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.
Further scriptural proof in verse 10, that Salvation is found in the Father Jehovah God and The Son Jehoshua Messiah. This corresponds to John 17:3. Eternal life is in these two seperate distinct individual persons of The GodHead. Believe scripture over the councils and creeds of men I.e. Nicene, Athanasian, Constantinople etc.
Revelation 7:9-12 (KJV)
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
"In the Council of Rimini, 359 A.D...nearly all bishops present, 400 in number" decided "to sign a semi-Arian creed" (Kramer H.B. L. The Book of Destiny. Nihil Obstat: J.S. Considine, O.P., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: +Joseph M. Mueller, Bishop of Sioux City, Iowa, January 26, 1956. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 165).
Hence, the idea that the majority in the 4th century were semi-Arian has a lot of support in Greco-Roman writings. Also, the fact that 400 bishops who met in Rimini, Italy in 359 A.D. signed a "semi-Arian creed" indicates that the majority of leaders in West accepted some type of non-trinitarian position on the Godhead.
The Council of Rimini was also called the Council of Ariminum. Notice what Sozomen reported about it:
The partisans of Acacius remained some time at Constantinople, and invited thither several bishops of Bithynia, among whom were Maris, bishop of Chalcedon, and Ulfilas, bishop of the Goths. These prelates having assembled together, in number about fifty, they confirmed the formulary read at the council of Ariminum, adding this provision, that the terms "substance" and "hypostasis" should never again be used in reference to God. They also declared that all other formularies set forth in times past, as likewise those that might be compiled at any future period, should be condemned (Sozomen, Book IV, Chapter 24 ).
Socrates Scholasticus reported the following as part of the declaration of that Council:
We believe in one God the Father Almighty…And in…Christ our Lord and God…
But since the term ούσία, substance or essence which was used by the fathers in a very simple and intelligible sense, but not being understood by the people, has been a cause of offense, we have thought proper to reject it, as it is not contained even in the sacred writings; and that no mention of it should be made in future, inasmuch as the holy Scriptures have nowhere mentioned the substance of the Father and of the Son. Nor ought the "subsistence" of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit to be even named. But we affirm that the Son is like the Father, in such a manner as the sacred Scriptures declare and teach (Socrates Scholasticus, Book II, Chapter 41, pp. 221,222).
The same Council also taught this about the Holy Spirit:
We believe also in the Holy Spirit…as the Comforter; according to how it is written, the Spirit of truth (Ibid, p. 221).
So while Semi-Arians believe that there is a Holy Spirit, they tend to limit their beliefs to what the Bible says about it—they do not declare it to be the third co-equal person."
I believe that we are now living in Jesus' millennial Kingdom (Colossians 1:12-13). The true Sabbath of the new covenant is the Davidic King, Jesus Christ (Shiloh). My blessed hope is the Second Advent of Jehovah's only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, at the last day. Those in the Kingdom of Jesus will preach his Davidic Kingship as a present reality on the throne of David in New Jerusalem. Those who call on the name of Jehovah in these last days will be saved (Joel 2:32). Psalm 2:7!
The Three Angels' of Revelation 14:6-12
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