Lord Jesus Christ – God as Past Present & Future
As a Man – we cannot see God
“Who (God) only is having immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable, whom no one of men did see, nor is able to see, to whom is honour and might age-during! Amen.” – apostle Paul (1 Timothy 6:16, YLT)
God only revealed His Son as Equal to Him:
““If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:7 – 9, NASB)
“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” (John 1:18, KJV)
P/S:
(i) Past – Before the World, Christ was Equal to God
“Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” – Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:5, NASB)
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1, NASB)
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,” (Philippians 2:5 – 6, NASB)
(ii) On Earth, Christ left His-Godship in “Full” Power
Christ humbled Himself and made “lower” than the angels too:
“But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2;9, NASB)
When Christ ‘made Himself nothing as a Man’, He was ‘lower’ than the Father:
“You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” – Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:28, NASB)
“but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:7, NASB)
“And the Word became Flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, NASB)
“Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'” (John 20:17, NASB)
“The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” (John 10:33, NASB)
Only “God” can be “worshipped” & Christ did ‘not’ stop it toward Him in verse below:
“And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him (Jesus).” (John 9:38, NASB)
True, in Essence, He is still God being One with the Father (a ‘timeless’ Truth):
“I and the Father are One.” – Lord Jesus Christ (John 10:30, NASB)
Yes,
“And without controversy great is the Mystery of Godliness: God was manifest in the Flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16, KJV)
(iii) Present and Future – Christ is God
Because of His Humility to make Himself as “nothing” (Philippians 2:6 – 7), the Father makes Christ equal to Him again (for to “no” creation can one bow but except to God):
“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9 – 11, NASB)
Christ Returned Equal to God, as Almighty
As God, the “First and Last”:
“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last, And there is no God besides Me.” (Isaiah 44:6, NASB)
““Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”” – Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 22:12 – 13, NASB)
Yes, Christ Jesus is the “Lord God”, “the Almighty” God:
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is (Present) and who was (Past) and who is to come (Future), the Almighty.” – Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:8, NASB)
*(Emphasis mine)
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