Truth Seeker - Jesus Christ

Page Index:

Jesus Christ	Being One – How?
Perfection, Jesus, Mary & other children	Christ's resurrection
Jesus is the Messia, the Christ	Sign of Jonah: What is it? Was it fulfilled?
Jesus is a Created Being	The Events and Timing of Jesus' Arrest and Death
Jesus is God's Only Begotten Son

(Last edit: 2009.02.23)

Jesus Christ

Heb 5:5,7, So Christ also did not glorify himself,. . . but he (God, insert) that said unto him: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
7(Christ) Who in the days of his flesh, with a strong cry and tears, offering up prayers and supplications to him that was able to save him from death, was heard for his reverence. (DRC)

(Click the link John 1:1 for a discussion on that scripture. For a discussion about the trinity, see the Athanasian Creed page!)

Jesus was born around October 1, 2BC. This date is most likely accurate to within plus-minus two weeks. This date may be calculated from Biblical information pertaining to his birth and death using historical focal points.

Before Jesus was born as a human, he existed in heaven. It may be stated with a high degree of probability that Jesus' heavenly identity is Michael the archangel. (see Jesus' Pre-human Existence) His Father, Jehovah, transferred Jesus' essence into a human fetus that was planted or created in the young virgin Mary's womb by means of the Holy Spirit.

Micah 5:2 And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephratha, are few in number to be reckoned among the thousands of Judah; yet out of you shall one come forth to Me, to be a ruler of Israel; and His goings forth were from the beginning, even from eternity. (AB)

John 8: 58 Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (Darby)

Matthew 1:18-20 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was thus: His mother, Mary, that is, having been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit. 19. . . an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, fear not to take to thee Mary, thy wife, for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit. (Darby)

Perfection, Jesus' family, etc

Because of the manner of his being begotten, he was born as one of Adam's descendants, of the tribe of Judah, of the line of King David, and a perfect human being – he did not share in humanity's imperfection. Christ became a second Adam, the phrase being 'the last Adam' indicates his perfection. (1 Cor 15:45)

As a child Jesus must have been exceptional, though little is known. We do know that his knowledge of the Holy Inspired Scriptures was profound in both knowledge of data and of how to interpret them. This next scripture shows him at twelve:

Luke 2:46-47 And it came to pass, after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers and hearing them and asking them questions. 47And all who heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. (Darby)

Just as the priests of Israel had to wait until they turned thirty to start their sacred service to God, Jesus also waited until he turned thirty to present himself for his sacred service as high priest to the new covenant. (Numbers 4:30)

The reason behind the statement that Christ started as high priest then is that Jesus said he had the right to forgive people their sins while he walked among us on earth. Since forgiveness of sins require a blood sacrifice, God would have had to consider Christ's ransom so assured that this power had already been bestowed upon Jesus. (Heb 9:22) Of course, the point may be argued., but not by me. (?)

Only logic tells us that Jesus was born as any normal child and obviously had to study the scriptures to get to know them. Through them, by his parents relaying their experiences, by his extreme intelligence, and by the fact that he was unusual when comparing himself to his friends – he realized in early childhood who he was and what his life's purpose was to be.

Perhaps when Jesus became God's spirit anointed son upon his baptism, his memory of his pre-human life was restored to whatever degree a human mind can cope with such alien and incredible data.

Combined with the fact that the family only paid the minimum permitted for a firstborn child when Jesus was presented at the temple, the indication is that the family was quite poor. We are told that the Joseph was a carpenter. This must have been hard work. Naturally, Jesus also helped with this hard work and was called a carpenter himself by his former neighbours. (Mark 6:3)

Luke 2:21 And when eight days were fulfilled for circumcising him, his name was called Jesus, which was the name given by the angel before he had been conceived in the womb. 22And when the days were fulfilled for their purifying according to the law of Moses, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord), 24and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord: A pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons.

Did Mary have other children - two viewpoints presented

Though it would seem that the scriptural evidence supporting this view is overwhelming and impossible to reject, the fact that the language in the Bible applies the words sisters and brothers to both siblings and cousins causes this evidence to become ambiguous. For this reason, the scriptures below become insufficient in proving this point.

However see for yourself what we have:

Luke 1:36, DRC, And, behold, thy cousin_<4773> Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
Strongs Greek Dictionary: 04773:
4773 suggenes soong-ghen-ace' from 4862 and 1085; a relative (by blood); by extension, a fellow countryman:--cousin, kin(-sfolk, -sman). see GREEK for 4862 see GREEK for 1085

Mark 6:33, Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother_<80> of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters sisters_{<3588> <79>}here with us? And they were offended at him.
Strongs Greek Dictionary:
00080:
80 adephos ad-el-fos' from 1 (as a connective particle) and delphus (the womb); a brother (literally or figuratively) near or remote (much like 1):--brother. see GREEK for 1 see GREEK for
00079:
79 adelphe ad-el-fay' fem of 80; a sister (naturally or ecclesiastically):--sister. see GREEK for 80

For the sake of seeking the truth, the dissenting viewpoint must be examined. While I believe Mary had many children and perhaps may use the language seen describing Elizabeth and Mary's relationship in Luke 1:36 because it differs from Mark 6:3 to support this view, the fact is that both the ones for and against Mary having other children have good arguments, so that to be honest, the answer remains ambiguous.

Matthew 12:46-47 As he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak to him. 47And one said unto him: Behold thy mother and thy brethren stand without, seeking thee. (DRC)

Matthew 13:55-56 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude: 56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence therefore hath he all these things? (DRC)

Thus Mary may have born Joseph many children after Jesus was born is all that can be claimed. One of them, James, became a disciple of Jesus after his death and wrote a letter of the Bible. (Mr 6:3; Gal 1:19, Ac 12:17, Jas 1:1, Mt 13:55, 1 Cor 9:5)
At this point, the dissenting viewpoint is presented. It is presented as provided me. The reader should examine the information personally and decide which to believe:

Mary had no other children viewpoint

Source: this answer was received on a Yahoo Question and Answer in the R&S section. I was given permission to use it by that person. I only know this person's avatar. The Bible version used is unknown. Though some of the material was not used, all the material found in that person's lettered paragraphs was used.

A. While James and Joses are mentioned as Jesus's brothers in Matthew 13:55, it is made clear in Mathew 27:56 and Mark 15:40 that their mother was another Mary.
Matthew 27:56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

This "other Mary" at the Cross, is revealed in John 19:25 to be the wife of Cleophas. Mary of Cleophas is therefore revealed as the mother of two of Jesus's so-called "brothers", James and Joses.

B. In John 19:25, the original Greek states. "But by he cross of Jesus were the Mother of Him AND the sister of the Mother of Him, Mary the wife of Cleopas AND Mary the Magdalene." The precise positioning of the ANDs in the original Greek makes it clear that Mary the Wife of Cleopas, is also referred to as the Virgin Mary's sister. Since we know no-one has two daughters and calls them BOTH Mary, we know that sister here does not mean sister. The same would apply to "brother" with reference to Jesus.

C. In the introduction to the Book of Jude, Jude introduces himself as: Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and a brother of James. If Jude/Judas were truly the brother of Jesus, why wouldn't he say so? He identifies himself in his letter as brother of James, but significantly not as a brother of Jesus, only as a servant. To have identified himself as Jesus's blood brother would have added enormous weight to his epistle, but Jude doesn't so identify himself here. We know the reason, because James and Joseph have already been revealed to be sons of the other Mary in Matthew 27 and Mark 15. Judas then must also be a son of this other Mary. Mary wife of Cleophas. So another of Jesus's so-called "brothers" is eliminated.

D. James "Brother of Jesus" is referred to as one of the APOSTLES by Paul in Galatians 1:19. . We know from Matthew 10:2-4 that neither of the Apostles named James was actually a Son of Mary. So James, "brother of Jesus" cannot be a Son of Mary. He is actually James, Son of Alphaeus (thought to be another form of Cleophas)! James is a kinsman of Jesus, but not a sibling.

In Luke 2:41-51, the twelve-year-old Jesus goes missing on a trip to Jerusalem, and is only found three days later in the temple. Yet in all this time no mention at all is made of any other children, even though the entire family made the journey together. If all the people mentioned in Matthew were actually surviving children of Mary, she would have had at least seven children younger than Jesus to look after! In fact both Mary and Joseph race back to Jerusalem to find him, through country filled with bandits, something they could not have done if there had been babies and other young children in need of care!

The people of Nazareth refer to Jesus as "the son of Mary" (Mark 6:3), not as "a son of Mary"

Finally, if James and Joseph, Simon and Jude, were children of Mary, and if Jesus had even more brothers and sisters, why did Jesus commit His Mother to the care of St. John at His death?

Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ

The terms christ and messiah both mean anointed one. For this reason, we at times address Jesus as Christ or Messiah since there is only one selected for the office of high priest according to the manner of Melchizedek who paid the ransom for those who have faith.

Be aware, though, that in Israel's history many were anointed with oil for whatever positions they were meant for, King, High priest, etc. Thus one might say that they also were messiahs or christs, but not that they were the Christ or Messiah. This official title only refers to Jesus who was anointed with God's Holy Spirit. (Matt 3:16)

Other titles referring to Christ are (translation dependent) God's Master Worker, Wisdom (personified), Archangel, the Word, Amen, and Apostle & High priest after the likeness of King-Priest Melchizedek.

(the Word, John 1:1, Archangel, 1 Thess 4:16, Apostle & High priest, Heb 3:1, Wisdom, Prov 8:12, Master Worker, Proverbs 8:30, Amen, 2 Cor 1:20 & Rev3:14)

Jesus is a created being!

In the following scripture, Christ is God's Amen.

2 Corinthians 1:19-20 and God is faithful, that our word unto you became not Yes and No, 19for the Son of God, Jesus Christ, among you through us having been preached--through me and Silvanus and Timotheus--did not become Yes and No, but in him it hath become Yes; 20for as many as are promises of God, in him are the Yes, and in him the Amen, for glory to God through us; (YLT)

As God's Amen, we read,Rev 3:14b, by two different translations that the Amen, Christ, is God's beginning of creation!

Rev 3:14b

(KJV) These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.

(ASV) These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.

He is God's firstborn
He is God's image or exact representation.

(Rotherham)

Col 1:13b-17, into the kingdom of the Son of his love; 14In whom, we have our redemption—the remission of our sins – 15 Who, is an image of the unseen God, Firstborn of all creation — 16Because, in him, were created all things in the heavens and upon the earth, the things seen and the things unseen, whether thrones or lordships or principalities or authorities,—they all, through him and for him, have been created, 17And, he, is before all, and, they all, in him, hold together.

Heb 1:1, Whereas, in many parts and in many ways of old, God spake unto the fathers, in the prophets, 2At the end of these days, He hath spoken unto us in his Son,—whom he hath appointed heir of all things, through whom also he hath made the ages; 3 Who, being an eradiated brightness of his glory, and an exact representation of his very being, also bearing up all things by the utterance of his power, purification of sins, having achieved, sat down on the right hand of the majesty in high places:

Though the NIV Bible has many fine renderings, it also has several major differences that seriously affect dogma. Thus, I advise that alternate translations are consulted such as: KJV, ASV, DRC, Darby, YLT, Webster, Rotherman, ACV, Emphatic Diaglott, etc.

The following text is from the Emphatic Diaglott's Greek Interlinear portion.

On-line verification by a different Interlinear rendition may be examined on:

Scripture4All, Westcott-Hort text from 1881 PDF file

The link displays Revelation chapter 3. Please find verse 14 yourself if you are verifying! The two readings verify that Christ, God's Amen, is a created being! Below verify Rev 3:14's translation!

The text picture has been replaced with a handmade copy below in order to eliminate 'ein bild' loading errors. Some of the accent marks over the Greek letters are missing due to the limitations of the editing software.

Verse 14: (dotted spacing used to indicate verbatum translation)
και · τω αγγελω ·              της εν λαοδικια εκκλησιας γραψον ·    ταδε ·            λεγει ο αμην
kai · tō angelō ·                 tēs en laodikia ekklēsias grapson ·    tade ·                legei o amēn
And · by the messenger · of the in Laodicea congregation write; · These things · says the Amen,

ο μαρτυς · ο πιστος και αληθινος, η αρχη · της κτισεως του θεου
o martys ·    o pistos kai alēthinos, ē archē · tēs ktiseōs tou theou
the witness · the faithful and true,    the beginning · of the creation of the God;

And by the messenger of the in Laodicea congregation write: These things says the Amen, the witness the faithful and true, the beginning of the creation of the God.

The Beginning of the creation of God – a personal understanding

It must be emphasized that Jesus as God's firstborn creation was no mere angel. We are told in John 1:1 that he was God's Logos - "the divine expression" according to Strong's dictionary. He was God's word, his spokesman. This Word, Logos, Divine Expression was such from that beginning. That was his function in regard to all creation, angelic and human.

Proverbs chapter eight contains a portion about personified wisdom. This refers to Jesus Christ. Here we see him endowed with female characteristics. Obviously gender in heaven is function dependent and not a quality of being, the animalistic quality. We also know that Jesus is the exact representation of God, his exact image. Isaiah wrote that he is a mighty god and gave him other superlative qualities (Isaiah chapter 9).

What is interesting is that the woman mentioned from Genesis onward to Revelation never has been clearly identified. Who is she?

It is my interpretation that Jesus is as follows. He is God's wife, the woman of the Bible to whom the seed would be born. Wasn't Jesus used to give 'birth' to all creation though our Father, God Almighty, is the creator? Indeed our Father would be given this honor. Repeating then - Jesus is that woman, God's wife. He is God's son; the only begotten god, a mighty god – though not the Almighty God, our Father. It is not some angelic group of beings that constitute God's wife. It cannot be because they never took part in giving birth to each other. Only Jesus was used as the vessel through whom all things were created. This clinches this issue in my mind.

As a wife and husband becomes one flesh when marrying and as most married people who love each other feel - they are truly feeling as one, complete with each other – in this sense, Jesus and God are one unit while being two beings separate. It is a concept we are fully at home with and may relate to. As is stated in John 17:20-23, in the same manner that God and Christ are one, the disciples of Christ will become one with them. This assures us that this interpretation is correct.

As seen then, Christ has always been a mighty god, a go between for God. He has always spoken for God whether to angels or men. He never was a mere angel, but is something more than they, and something less than God, the Father, the Almighty. As God's son he assumes the male gender and as he also does in regard to the bridegroom of the Saints. In regard to God he becomes a she, the mother of all. She also becomes a he, as the Word of God. The gender role is independent on the being, the physical form, while being dependent on role performing.

The question is . . .

- do we see gender switching that is dependent on function rather than on biology in other parts of the scriptures? The answer is affirmative very much so.

The Saints are told by Paul, ". . . there is neither male nor female . . ." Though the occasion is different, it is emphasized here. The Saints are to be kings and priests with Christ. This is clearly male. Only males could be priests under the Law Covenant, and the depiction of the kings and priests is as males. What do we see though? We see that these same 'male' kings and priests are Christ's bride, a female function.

Thus it is clear that biology serves no purpose in determining gender use in heaven. Instead, it is demonstrated to be by function. Finally, this gender dependent switching demonstrates in a male to female manner how God is male and Christ is female in the creative process. How? A scripture tells Christians (1 John 3:9) that in them functions God's reproductive seed. The words used in the NWT gives the best image by using the words "reproductive seed;" the other Bibles say seed. It is obvious that God gave of this 'reproductive seed,' his holy spirit, to Jesus - for Jesus to be able to be the vessel through whom all things were created. This establishes once again how God functioned as the male while Jesus as the female on that occasion.

There is however no place in the scriptures where God's function is that of the female. This switching of gender role is reserved for his creation.

I do not claim any special gifts; you must determine if my logic and conclusions are correct yourself. That is your responsibility before God and Christ, our Lord and only owner.

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(Other parts of this website may not contain this update. If you find places where I state something different, please let me know)

Jesus Christ is God's Only begotten Son, only begotten god.

John 1:14, "And, the Word, became, flesh, and pitched his tent among us, and we gazed upon his glory,– a glory, as an Only-begotten from his Father. Full of favour and truth." (Rotherham)
John 1:18, "No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten god who is in the bosom [position] with the Father is the one that has explained him." (NW)

The Greek text from this Interlinear translation below of John 1:18 is from The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, a modern-language translation of the Westcott and Hort Greek Text from 1881.

(As above, the text picture has been replaced with this hand copied version.)

John 1:18

θεον ·    ουδεις ·   εωρακεν · πωποτε · μονογενης ·       θεος · ο ων · εις ·
theon · oudeis · eōraken · pōpote · monogenēs ·        theos · o ōn ·    eis ·
God · no one ·   has seen · at any time · only begotten · god · the (one) · being

τον κολπον ·        του πατρος ·      εκεινος εξηγησατο
ton kolpon ·           tou patros ·       ekeinos exēgēsato
into the bosom · of the Father · that (one) explained.

V18. English rendering of that translation:

No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten god who is in the bosom position with the Father is the one that has explained him.

Many translations omit stating that Christ is God's only begotten god. Still ASV has an interesting footnote. Here are a two translations:

(KJV) " 18No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. "
(ASV) "18No man hath seen God at any time; (1) the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him .(1) Many very ancient authorities read God only begotten ) "

Being One – How?

Some argue that God and Christ are one in a trinity, others argue that the two are a single individual to whom two names are applied. The argument is supported through the misapplication of many scriptures, including this one: " I and the Father are one." (John 10:30, DRC)

What these individuals refuse to consider is all of the information contained on the various pages on this HP showing Jehovah and Christ's true relationship. However, even more directly, they ignore this either out of ignorance or by choice:

John 17:20-23 That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, as we also are one: 23I in them, and thou in me; that they may be made perfect in one: and the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast also loved me. (DRC)

Thus the question for those of us who consider ourselves one with Christ and his Father is this: am I Jehovah or Jesus Christ? No, that is not possible. It cannot be what it means. Rather, it refers to being one in purpose and goal. This truth is demonstrated repeatedly by Jesus, and is seen here in one example:

John 6:38-40 Because I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39Now this is the will of the Father who sent me: that of all that he hath given me, I should lose nothing; but should raise it up again in the last day. 40And this is the will of my Father that sent me: that every one who seeth the Son, and believeth in him, may have life everlasting, and I will raise him up in the last day.

Christ's resurrection

Christ was not resurrected a man, in the flesh -- since he had sacrificed his human body that was impossible. Instead, he was resurrected a spiritual being, a heavenly archangel. (1 Thess 4:16)

1 Cor 15:
50Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; (Webster)
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ risen. 14And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty.
35But some man will say, How are the dead raised, and with what kind of body do they come? (ACV)
40And there are heavenly bodies, and earthly bodies: but different is the glory of the heavenly, different that of the earthly: (Darby)
44It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul, the last Adam [was made] a vivifying spirit. (Webster)

The above is emphasized by Peter here:

I Peter 3:18 for Christ indeed has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God; being put to death in flesh, but made alive in the Spirit, (Darby)

Sign of Jonah

Because the provider changed the format of the pages, including some advertisement at the top, this page and others, perhaps, have been truncated. Thus I find it necessary to divide the page here and continue it on a separate page, page two. The link is given below and what used to be described below is now on it.

Jesus Christ -2