NKJV (Isaiah 9: 6) 6 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.
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The Jewish people are no longer God’s people, a long time already. They did not accept the promised Messiah when Jesus appeared to them.
According to Paul, Christians (out of the Jews and Gentiles) are now God’s people:
NKJV (2 Corinthians 6: 16) 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”
NKJV (Romans 9: 24-26) 24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? 25 As He says also in Hosea: “I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved.” 26 “And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
Theme; Who is the Prince of Peace and how is the Divine relationship combined, to be children of God or to be children of Satan and how some unbelievers are still drawn to the God of peace.
The Jewish people did not distinguish the promised Prince of Peace in their day
Christians out of the Jews and Gentiles have believed God’s Son.
The Jewish people will realize in the end times that they have not recognized the promised Prince of Peace:
NKJV (Revelation 1: 7) 7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. (See also John 19:37 and Zechariah 12:10)
NKJV (Luke 19:42) 42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
Who is the Prince of Peace?
Jesus had his beginnings or origins in heaven, a very long time ago:
NKJV (Micah 5: 2) 2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.“
NKJV (Hebrews 1: 5) 5 For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”?
NKJV (John 17:24) 24 Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
According to Hebrews 1: 5, Jesus was begotten, but the angels were created.
The Son of God, the Spokesman, created the entire creation in consultation with His Father:
NKJV (John 1: 1-3,10) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made….10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
NKJV (Ephesians 3: 9) 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;
NKJV (Colossians 1:16) 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
NKJV (Hebrews 1: 2) 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
Angels are referred to as God’s sons in the Scriptures (Genesis 6: 2), but Jesus is the only truly begotten and therefore pure Son of God (Heb. 1: 5). Jesus was not created, but born. Jesus is the firstborn therefore of pure Divine origin.
He is – to the people – the visible Image of the invisible God YHWH:
NKJV (Colossians 1:15) 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
NKJV (Hebrews 1: 6) 6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”
The angels are urged to worship Jesus.
In fact, this makes Jesus equal to God. Yet Jesus never equated himself with God (YHWH), but always exalted the Father (‘Hallowed be Your name’ Luke 11: 2).
The Spirit of YHWH is according to the Scripture the source of all wisdom and knowledge. (Ex. 35:31)
Jesus gave his consent to be implanted as a fruit within Mary (Luke 1: 26-38) and offered himself therewith as a slave:
NKJV (Philippians 2: 6-7) 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond-servant, and coming in the likeness of men.
NKJV (John 5:18) 18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
Jesus is described as ‘God’ in most Bible translations
Monotheism means, that there is only one true or all-powerful God.
In Isaiah 9: 6 it is written about Jesus: Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Also in Hebrews (and Psalms 45) the Prince of Peace is described as ‘God’.
The designation ‘God’ should therefore not be confused with the almighty God YHWH:
NKJV (Hebrews 1: 8-9) 8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” (See also Psalms 45: 2, 6-7)
This is due to the use of the word Theos in the Greek Scriptures.
Whether Jesus should be distinguished as ‘God’ or as ‘a god’ is still a matter of debate. According to our research is reasoning towards ‘a god’ too simply.
It is certain that Jesus is not the almighty God YHWH.
Below are some examples (from Jesus as Theos; in Greek θεός) from the Scriptures:
NKJV (Romans 9: 5) 5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
NKJV (1 John 5:20) 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
See as support also: https://www.biblehub.com/greek/theos_2316.htm
If we check the various translations, we see that of the 311 times that Theos occurs, only 1 x is deviated from and God (Theos) is written with a small letter ‘g’.
It concerns the designation as Satan as god of this world:
NKJV (2 Corinthians 4: 4) 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
In the creation story, in the book of Genesis, the designation Elohim is regularly used for God. Elohim is a plural form and has, according to various researchers a much larger meaning than just the word ‘God’ itself. It is the Hebrew way to display God’s qualities in the plural form. By displaying God with His qualities as the infinite God or as the almighty God.
Remarkable in the Scripture is the reaction of (the unbeliever) Thomas and of the apostles:
NKJV (John 20:28) 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
NKJV (Matthew 28: 17-18) 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Jesus did not correct both Thomas and the apostles.
Jesus is not only a human Image of God, but also does – in consultation – exactly what His Father wants.
That is also the reason why Jesus said: He who has seen Me has seen the Father:
NKJV (John 14: 8-10) 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
NKJV (Colossians 2: 9) 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus.
It is a unique and extraordinary (Divine) relationship between the Father and the Son.
Such as the cooperation of the Father with the Son during creation:
NKJV (Genesis 1:26) 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
The Divine relationship between the Father and the Son must in any case not be understood as a relationship as with people between a father and his begotten son.
How must that relation then to be understood of a perfect God with His perfect Son?
There is in no way a male-female relationship of YHWH during the begetting of His Son.
What we know for sure is that the Father YHWH and the Son are different persons or personalities. Some examples:
NKJV (Matthew 26:39) 39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
NKJV (Mark 15:34) 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?“
NKJV (John 6:38) 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Jesus forms a close bond of unity with His Father, a unity of thought and actions:
NKJV (John 10: 28-30) 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.“
No one can snatch the sheep from the hand of Jesus or from the hand of the Father.
Because the Father and the Son are fully attuned and are one in protecting the sheep.
As said before, there is according to the Bible only one almighty God, that is God the Father:
NKJV (Deuteronomy 4:35) 35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord Himself is God; there is none other besides Him. (See also Deut. 6:4, Isa. 45:5, Mark 12:29)
NKJV (James 2:19) 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe–and tremble!
Some things cannot be contained or understood by people. That the universe is infinite, or that God YHWH has always been and always will be. But also the Divine relationship.
The special relationship between the Father and the Son is much more comprehensive than an ordinary relationship. How it exactly works?
The Scripture does not provide a thorough answer in any case.
Jesus loved clear statements and clear examples. Statements that fit into the thinking pattern and imaging of people. Jesus wanted clarity, not confusion.
Jesus did not go deeper about His Divinity as Son.
What we can understand is, that Jesus’ sacrifice has been of great value, an ordinary person could not have made this offering with perfect blood.
We will certainly still hear how the Divine relationship is composed between the Father and the Son. What we do know is that the whole creation is meant for the Prince of Peace as Heir (Heb. 1: 2): ‘All things were created through Him and for Him.’ (Col. 1:16)
The scroll with the 7 seals; a brief summary
The heavenly vision can be broadly divided into three parts, towards a stepped climax.
The Lamb opens the scroll with the 7 seals (Revelation 6: 1-17, 8: 1-5):
Rev. 8: 6 The opening of the 7th seal includes the blowing of the seven trumpets
Rev. 16: 1 The blowing of the 7th trumpet includes the pouring out of the seven bowls of wrath
Rev. 16:17 After pouring out the 7th bowl of wrath: “It is done!”
In the article 2. Prince of Peace https://www.dojc.nl/?p=7154&lang=en the second seal was opened and a rider on a red horse gets the power to take peace from the earth. (Rev. 6: 4) We are now living in this phase.
The opening of the third seal means famines. (Rev. 6: 6)
According to the Scripture, we are now just before famines.
According to Jesus, there are not only famines, but also earthquakes, troubles or riots, infectious diseases and great signs from heaven:
NKJV (Mark 13: 8) 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.
NKJV (Luke 21:11) 11 And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.
According to Luke 21, great signs from heaven will soon take place.
Are these the signs that we read about in Isaiah chapter 24? Where it seems as if God will use a strange planet in the end time, which ends up in an orbit near the earth and makes the earth shake exceedingly?
NKJV (Isaiah 24: 17-20) 17 Fear and the pit and the snare Are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. 18 And it shall be That he who flees from the noise of the fear Shall fall into the pit, And he who comes up from the midst of the pit Shall be caught in the snare; For the windows from on high are open, And the foundations of the earth are shaken. 19 The earth is violently broken, The earth is split open, The earth is shaken exceedingly. 20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, And shall totter like a hut; Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, And it will fall, and not rise again.
To be children of God or to be children of Satan?
Satan was a murderer from the beginning. According to Jesus, he was an accomplice in the murder of the righteous Abel by Cain (Gen. 4: 8) (Matt. 23: 33-35):
NKJV (John 8:44) 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
When children or adults still fall into the trap of the devil, education with meekness is the only way to reach those individuals with the truth:
ASV (2 Timothy 2: 24-26) 24 And the Lord’s servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing, 25 in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves; if peradventure God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him unto his will.
The sinner who repents
The inhabitants of heaven will joy over every sinner who repents:
NKJV (Luke 15: 3-7) 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Converted Christians want to reach as many people as possible under Satan’s influence to save them:
NKJV (Ephesians 2: 2) 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
Finally:
Keep the peace in your heart to give testimony in the very last days, during the 2 witnesses’ prophecy, along with God’s prophets: (Rev. 11: 1-14)
NKJV (John 14: 27) 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
NKJV (Matthew 24: 13-14) 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
The last worldwide preaching will also be the last chance for the unbelievers.
Go and tell powerfully about God’s kingdom, with Jesus as King and Prince of Peace:
NKJV (Matthew 13:43) 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
In the next and final article, we will talk about Christians being persecuted and in doubt, to rule with arod of iron and people who get a second chance on the new earth.