KNOWING THE SEASON

D.P. Weary

January 2011

With all of the controversy concerning the time of the Rapture and the time of Christ’s Second Coming or His return to earth, let’s look at what the scripture actually says.

Jesus directly addresses this question in Mathew 24.

Mat 24:1 YNG - And having gone forth, Jesus departed from the temple, and his disciples came near to show him the buildings of the temple,

Mat 24:2 YNG - and Jesus said to them, `Do ye not see all these? Verily I say to you, there may not be left here a stone upon a stone, that shall not be thrown down.'

Jesus begins by prophesying the destruction of the Temple that
occurred in 70A.D.

Mat 24:3 YNG - And when he is sitting on the mount of the Olives, the disciples came near to him by himself, saying, `Tell us, when shall these be? and what [is] the sign of thy presence, and of the full end of the age?'

Notice that there is more than one question here regarding more
than one topic or event. The first question refers to the destruction of the Temple. The second and third questions refer to what we typically call “the last days”.

Mat 24:4 YNG - And Jesus answering said to them, `Take heed that no one may lead you astray,

Mat 24:5 YNG - for many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and they shall lead many astray,

False christs and false teachers will come and lead many astray.

Mat 24:6 YNG - and ye shall begin to hear of wars, and reports of wars; see, be not troubled, for it behoveth all [these] to come to pass, but the end is not yet.

There will be many wars between the time Jesus was speaking to them
          and the end, but the end is not yet.

Mat 24:7 YNG - `For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places;

Between the day Jesus was speaking to them and the end there will be
ethnic wars, and world wars, and there will be famines, various pestilences, and earthquakes, in many places.

Mat 24:8 YNG - and all these [are] the beginning of sorrows;

All of these things are just the beginnings of sorrows that are
associated with the last days.

Mat 24:9 YNG - then they shall deliver you up to tribulation, and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated by all the nations because of my name;

Jesus prophesies that there will be much trouble and many martyrs
down through the ages, including the disciples themselves. Jesus warns us that believers will be hated by all the nations down through the ages and especially near the end of days.

Mat 24:10 YNG - and then shall many be stumbled, and they shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.

This trouble will cause many to stumble and fall away from the faith.
 2 Thes. 2:3 tells us that there will be a great falling away from the faith before the Antichrist is revealed. Those without an intimate relationship with Jesus the Messiah will not have the fortitude to stand faithful to Him.

Mat 24:11 YNG - `And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray;

There will be many false prophets and false teachers. Even today, we
have many false prophets and teachers, men and women deemed “anointed”, who are popular with the people, but their message is not of the Lord. Their message is one of the flesh, one that “tickles the ears” of the listeners. We are in great need of discernment during this time (1 Cor. 12:10).

Mat 24:12 YNG - and because of the abounding of the lawlessness, the love of the many shall become cold;

There will be much lawlessness in the world (2 Tim. 3:13). (Lawless is
defined by Merriam-Webster as “1) not regulated by or based on law, and 2) not restrained or controlled by law”.) People will call that which is evil “good”, and that which is good “evil” (Isa. 5:20).

Mat 24:13 YNG - but he who did endure to the end, he shall be saved;

The implication is that towards the end, during the time frame of Jesus’ return, all of these things get worse and worse, much like the birth pains of a woman in childbirth. But Jesus also promises that those who stay true to Him, those who remain faithful and endure to the end, will be saved.

Mat 24:14 YNG - and this good news of the reign shall be proclaimed in all the world, for a testimony to all the nations; and then shall the end arrive.

The time between His second coming and the actual day He was talking to the disciples is to be a time of proclaiming the good news of the Gospel, the good news of the Kingdom of God, to all the nations.

Mat 24:15 YNG - `Whenever, therefore, ye may see the abomination of the desolation, that was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever is reading let him observe)

Now Jesus moves to the midpoint of Daniel’s last seven years when
the Antichrist desecrates the newly rebuilt Temple by standing in the Holy of Holies and declaring himself to be God (Dan. 11:31,12:11). This act of the antichrist is the Abomination of Desolation.

Mat 24:16 YNG - then those in Judea -- let them flee to the mounts;

Mat 24:17 YNG - he on the house-top -- let him not come down to take up any thing out of his house;

Mat 24:18 YNG - and he in the field -- let him not turn back to take his garments.

Mat 24:19 YNG - `And woe to those with child, and to those giving suck in those days;

Mat 24:20 YNG - and pray ye that your flight may not be in winter, nor on a Sabbath;

Mat 24:21 YNG - for there shall be then great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world till now, no, nor may be.

Mat 24:22 YNG - And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but because of the chosen, shall those days be shortened.

Jesus is speaking about the great time of trouble during the second
half of Daniel’s 7 last years. It is a time called the Time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jer. 30:7).

Mat 24:23 YNG - `Then if any one may say to you, Lo, here [is] the Christ! or here! ye may not believe;

Mat 24:24 YNG - for there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and they shall give great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, also the chosen.

These great signs and wonders would be those associated with the
Antichrist and the False Prophet taught about in the book of the Revelation. The signs Jesus speaks of here are not empowered by the Holy Spirit, but by the adversary, Satan. These occur during the last 3½ years of Daniel’s last 7 years.

Mat 24:25 YNG - Lo, I did tell you beforehand.

In other words, Jesus says, “I’ve told you ahead of time! Be
prepared!”

Mat 24:26 YNG - `If therefore they may say to you, Lo, in the wilderness he is, ye may not go forth; lo, in the inner chambers, ye may not believe;

Again, we are to use the gift of Discernment to know what is truly
from the Lord God Almighty, and what is from the adversary.

Mat 24:27 YNG - for as the lightning doth come forth from the east, and doth appear unto the west, so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man;

When Jesus returns to end the battles of Armageddon, everyone will
know it.

Mat 24:28 YNG - for wherever the carcass may be, there shall the eagles be gathered together.

This is the carnage that results from the battles of Armageddon
(Rev. 19:17-18).

Mat 24:29 YNG - `And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken;

These are the seven trumpet judgments and the seven bowls of wrath
spoken about in the book of the Revelation. Note that these events in the book of the Revelation are events that occur after the breaking of the 6^th and 7^th seals of the great scroll. This verse tells us that they occur immediately after the tribulation of those days. It follows then that this “tribulation of those days” refers to the wars and events of the first 5 seals as presented in Revelation 6.

Mat 24:30 YNG - and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in the heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth smite the breast, and they shall see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of the heaven, with power and much glory;

This is Jesus the Warrior King returning to destroy the armies of the
Antichrist and capture Satan to throw him into the Abyss for 1000 years. This occurs at the end of the seven years of tribulation, when Jesus returns to stand upon the earth once again to begin His reign. When He comes down from Heaven to earth, everyone will know it.

Mat 24:31 YNG - and he shall send his messengers with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the heavens unto the ends thereof.

This is the blast of the Shofar Hagadol spoken of the book of Isaiah
(Isa. 27:13). It is the blast of the Great Trumpet that gathers all Jews to Israel from the four corners of the earth. It is blown on the Day of Atonement, the day Messiah comes to establish His Kingdom on earth.

Mat 24:32 YNG - `And from the fig-tree learn ye the simile: When already its branch may have become tender, and the leaves it may put forth, ye know that summer [is] nigh,

Mat 24:33 YNG - so also ye, when ye may see all these, ye know that it is nigh -- at the doors.

Mat 24:34 YNG - Verily I say to you, this generation may not pass away till all these may come to pass.

In other words, Jesus says that just as anyone is expected to know when a certain season is coming by certain signs, we are also expected to know when the end times are near by the signs we see. Jesus also tells us that the generation that sees all of these things
happening, taken together will see Him coming as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Mat 24:35 YNG - The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Mat 24:36 YNG - `And concerning that day and the hour no one hath known -- not even the messengers of the heavens -- except my Father only;

Please note that Jesus tells us that the exact day and the hour of His
return not even the angels know. But it is only the day and hour that are not known.

Mat 24:37 YNG - and as the days of Noah -- so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man;

Mat 24:38 YNG - for as they were, in the days before the flood, eating, and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, till the day Noah entered into the ark,

Mat 24:39 YNG - and they did not know till the flood came and took all away; so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man.

Mat 24:40 YNG - Then two men shall be in the field, the one is received, and the one is left;

Mat 24:41 YNG - two women shall be grinding in the mill, one is received, and one is left.

Notice here a hint of the rapture. Suddenly, one person will disappear
and another beside him or her will be left. Also, remember that God told Noah beforehand what He was going to do. Noah had foreknowledge so that he could prepare.

Mat 24:42 YNG - `Watch ye therefore, because ye have not known in what hour your Lord doth come;

Again, the hour is not known.

Mat 24:43 YNG - and this know, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief doth come, he had watched, and not suffered his house to be broken through;

Mat 24:44 YNG - because of this also ye, become ye ready, because in what hour ye do not think, the Son of Man doth come.

Mat 24:45 YNG - `Who, then, is the servant, faithful and wise, whom his lord did set over his household, to give them the nourishment in season?

Mat 24:47 YNG - verily I say to you, that over all his substance he will set him.

Mat 24:48 YNG - `And, if that evil servant may say in his heart, My Lord doth delay to come,

Mat 24:49 YNG - and may begin to beat the fellow-servants, and to eat and to drink with the drunken,

Mat 24:50 YNG - the lord of that servant will arrive in a day when he doth not expect, and in an hour of which he doth not know,

Jesus tells His disciples that He expects them to keep watch and to be ready. Note that it is the evil servant that does not expect Him. The evil servant will be taken by great surprise when He does come. It is insinuated here that the good servant has been watching, does know, and so is prepared and not surprised.

Mat 24:51 YNG - and will cut him off, and his portion with the hypocrites will appoint; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.

This is a hard verse. The evil servant, the one who had given up on his
master coming back, the one who stopped watching for him (if he ever watched in the first place), the one who was not prepared and was therefore surprised at the master’s coming, it is he who is “cut off”. The evil servant receives the same “portion” (reward, inheritance) as the hypocrites, and because of this, the evil servant will greatly mourn.

Jesus also warned us in the book of Matthew about not discerning the signs of the times.

Mat 16:1 NKJV - Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.

Jesus is speaking to the “religious” leaders of the day, the very men
whom He called “hypocrites” and “snakes” and “false teachers”. These men were “religious” outwardly, but not changed by God inwardly.

Mat 16:2 NKJV - He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red';

Mat 16:3 NKJV - "and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.

Mat 16:4 NKJV - "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed.

Jesus calls the ones who can read signs in the weather but not “signs of the times” hypocrites and a wicked and adulterous generation.
The only sign He says He will give them will be His own death and resurrection. Yet we clearly know from previous verses that He does give varied and numerous “signs of the times” for those who are looking and watching, for those who “look up, for [our] redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).

Mark also discusses this time of the Lord’s return.

Mar 13:35 NKJV - "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—

Mar 13:36 NKJV - "lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.

Mar 13:37 NKJV - "And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"

Again, it is the exact day and exact hour when the Lord will come that is not known. The admonition is for us to be watching and not sleeping!

(For further study and reference, see also: Luke 21 and 22)

Now let’s turn to the teachings of Paul where he reveals the secret of the rapture.

1Th 4:16 KJV - For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1Th 4:17 KJV - Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1Th 4:18 KJV - Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Jesus goes only “to the clouds”. He does not set His feet upon the earth. (He will do that at His Second Coming.) He “descends” to a certain point and then calls His own to be “caught up” to Him.  Also note that it is the Lord Himself who descends, shouts with the voice of the archangel, and who blows the Trump of God, calling the faithful – both dead and alive – to meet Him in the clouds.

This is one of the two places in the Bible where we find the word ‘          archangel’ (archaggelos or chief messenger). The other is in Jude 1:9. The phrase “the angel of the Lord” is used 53 times in 12 books of the Bible referring to the presence of God or the Lord ("God" -Heb. 'elohim- or "the LORD" -Heb. YHVH) in the form or appearance of a man. Since no man has ever seen God the Father except Jesus (John 1:18, 5:37, 6:46, 1 John 4:12), it follows that this angel of the Lord is a pre-incarnation manifestation of Jesus. These appearances are called a Christophany.  We might conclude then that the archangel or chief messenger is in fact Jesus, the Chief Messenger of God the Father to mankind. It is interesting that in Jude, this chief messenger or chief prince is called Michael the archangel. In Daniel, Michael is called the Great Prince who stands guard over Israel. Sounds like Jesus to me.

Looking at this same teaching in 1 Corinthians:

1Cr 15:51 YNG - lo, I tell you a secret; we indeed shall not all sleep, and we all shall be changed;

1Cr 15:52 YNG - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in (at) the last trumpet, for it shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we -- we shall be changed:

First notice that a “secret” is revealed. God said in Amo. 3:7 and Isa. 42:9 that He would do nothing without first telling the prophets. God will tell us His plans if we are listening to Him (John 15:15).

An important thing here is to note that it is at the Last Trumpet that the rapture occurs. The key here is to understand this as a first century Jew would have understood it. They knew what the blast of the First Trumpet was, and they knew what the blast of the Last Trumpet was. So we must ask, 'what are they?'

In Jewish thinking and tradition, the blast of the First Trumpet was a
reference to the Feast of Pentecost – Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks. It celebrated the giving of the Law to Moses in the wilderness, and it was considered to be the time of the betrothal of Israel to God.  The Feast of the Blast of the First Trumpet ended the spring barley harvest and began the wheat harvest.

To the Jews, the Last Trumpet is Rosh HaShanah. This Feast occurs on the first day of Tishrei, a new moon, the 7th month of the religious calendar but the first month of the civil calendar. The Feast of Trumpets or Rosh HaShanah is also known in Judaism as Yom Teruah or the Day of the Awakening Blast or the Day of the Blowing of the Last Trump. The feast celebrates the last of the wheat harvest, and is considered to be the future the time of the wedding of Messiah.

Now let’s go back to 1 Thessalonians 5 to see why this is important to us. Immediately after teaching about the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul goes on to say:

1Th 5:1 NKJV - But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.

The “brethren” know full well about the “times and the seasons”.
Remember, this verse comes right after Paul speaking about what we call the rapture.

1Th 5:2 NKJV - For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

Refer back to Mark 13:35-37.

1Th 5:3 NKJV - For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

This day overtakes the “they”, those that are in darkness. “They”
does not include the “brethren”. Also, take note that the “they” will not escape the destruction.

1Th 5:4 NKJV - But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

Note that this day should not overtake the “brethren” as a thief.
That means that we are expected to know when He is coming.

1Th 5:5 NKJV - You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

First, note that this discourse is about “times and seasons”. He rebukes the Jews for not knowing the times and seasons of the rapture. He tells the Jews that when they say, “peace and safety”, sudden destruction will come upon them. This “they” are the people of darkness. The “brethren” were not supposed to be the people of darkness. The “brethren” were supposed to know the season. So, what was this “times and the seasons” they were supposed to know?

We turn to the Old Testament to find the answer.

Lev 23:2 YNG - `Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, Appointed seasons of Jehovah, which ye proclaim, holy convocations, [are] these: they [are] My appointed seasons:

Lev 23:4 YNG - `These [are] appointed seasons of Jehovah, holy convocations, which ye proclaim in their appointed seasons:

Lev 23:37 YNG - `These [are] appointed seasons of Jehovah, which ye proclaim holy convocations, to bring near a fire-offering to Jehovah, a burnt-offering, and a present, a sacrifice, and libations, a thing of a day in its day,

2Ch 2:4 YNG - lo, I am building a house to the name of Jehovah my God, to sanctify [it] to Him, to make perfume before Him, perfume of spices, and a continual arrangement, and burnt-offerings at morning and at evening, at Sabbaths, and at new moons, and at appointed seasons of Jehovah our God; to the age this [is] on Israel.

2Ch 8:13 YNG - even by the matter of a day in its day, to cause to ascend according to the command of Moses, on Sabbaths, and on new moons, and on appointed seasons, three times in a year -- in the feast of unleavened things, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of booths.

1Th 5:1 YNG - And concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need of my writing to you,

The “times and seasons” to the Jew are references to the Holy
Convocations of Jehovah, the Appointed Feasts of Israel. As Paul taught that the rapture would occur at the Last Trump, the hint here is that the rapture will occur some time during the 2 day Feast of Rosh HaShanah, the Feast of Trumpets (the Feast of the Blast of the Last Trump). Which day of the two day Feast, and at what hour it will occur, no one knows. But it seems that we are to know the season.

Knowing the Real Jesus

The Revelation of God to Mankind –

Meet the Real Jesus

D.P. Weary

January 2011 – The Year of the King

God has revealed himself to mankind in many ways but primarily by appearing to men in various encounters throughout the Bible. It is these encounters that we will deal with in this article. What did God show us about himself through these various encounters?

We begin with a dilemma. The Bible tells us that no one has ever seen God.

 JOHN 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (NKJV)

 JOHN 5:37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form." (NKJV)

      JOHN 6:46 “Not that any man hath seen the Father, except he who is from God, he hath seen the Father.” (RWB)

      I TIMOTHY 6:14 . . . Our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 who at the due time will be revealed by God, the blessed and only Ruler of all, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal, whose home is in inaccessible light, whom no man has seen and no man is able to see: to him be honor and everlasting power. Amen. (Jerusalem Bible)

     I JOHN 4:12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. (NKJV)

As you can see, the New Testament makes it abundantly clear that mankind has never seen the Father. So who was the one called "God" (Heb. 'elohim) or "the LORD" (Heb. YHVH) who appeared and spoke to Noah, Abraham, Moses and others in the Old Testament?

The ancient Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Scriptures are called Targums. These will shed much light on the issue of the manifestations of God on the earth.

“The Tartums reflect early Jewish ideas, customs, and Halakah as well as Jewish interpretation of Scripture. Hence the Targums are relevant sources for the study of the Hebrew OT not only because they demonstrate how the text was translated and understood, in much the same way as the LXX and other ancient Bible translations, but also because the Targums preserve remnants of Jewish thought from late antiquity. In this respect . . . they can elucidate Jewish life and understanding of the Scripture from the time of nascent Christianity. (pp. 727, 728, 729, vol. 4, "Targum") As the ISBE (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) points out, the Targums can be helpful in understanding the way a first- century Jew at the time of Christ would have understood the Hebrew Scriptures. When the Tanakh shows God ('elohim) or the LORD (YHVH) conversing with human beings, who would Yeshua's Jewish contemporaries have understood this to be?” (Bryan T. Huie)

The Angel of the Lord
In Genesis we find Hagar speaking with the Angel of the Lord, also called the Lord or YHVH.
GENESIS 16:7 Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.
13 Then she called the name of the LORD [YHVH] who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?" (NKJV)
The phrase “the angel of the Lord” is used 53 times in 12 books of the Bible referring to the presence of God or the Lord in the form or appearance of a man.

The Word of the Lord

The Targum translation says that this Angel of the Lord or YHVH was the Word of the Lord, Eloha, the Loving one of all Ages.

GENESIS 16:13 And Hagar gave thanks, and prayed in the Name of the Word of the Lord, who had been manifested to her, saying, Blessed be Thou, Eloha, the Living One of all Ages, who hast looked upon my affliction. (Jerusalem Targum, translated by J.W. Etheridge)

Then in GENESIS 18:1 Then the LORD [YHVH] appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. (NKJV)

The Hebrew text of Genesis 18:1 says that YHVH was the one who appeared to Abraham. However, the Jerusalem Targum gives us further identification of who came to him:

GENESIS 18:1 Therefore was there a word of prophecy from before the Lord unto Abraham the Just, and the Word of the Lord was revealed to him in the valley of vision; and he sat in the door of the tabernacle, comforting himself from his circumcision in the fervor (or strength) of the day. (Jerusalem Targum, translated by J.W. Etheridge)

Jacob also had an encounter with God. GENESIS 32:24 - Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" 27 So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob." 28 And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God ['elohim] and with men, and have prevailed." 29 Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray." And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God ['elohim] face to face, and my life is preserved." (NKJV)

The Targums give us a better understanding of who this Angel was that Jacob wrestled with, and why he could say that he had seen "God" ('elohim) face to face:

GENESIS 32:24 - And Jakob remained alone; and a Man wrestled with him till the morning ascended. 25 And he saw that he prevailed not with him, and he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was dislocated in wrestling with him. 26 And he said, Let me go; for the morning ascendeth. And he said, I will not let Thee go, unless Thou bless me. 27 And He said to him, What is thy name? And he said, Jakob. 28 And He said, Thy name shall be no longer Jakob, but Israel; for a prince art thou before the Lord, and with men, and thou hast prevailed. 29 And Jakob asked Him, and said, Show me now Thy Name! And He said, Why dost thou ask My Name? And He blessed him there. 30 And Jakob called the name of the place Peniel: because I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face, and my soul hath been saved! (Targum Onkelos, translated by J.W. Etheridge)

The Creator

Now we know who is “the Word of the Lord”.

JOHN 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (NKJV)

Jhn 1:2 NASB - He was in the beginning with God.

Jhn 1:3 NASB - All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

            Gen 1:1 NASB - In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Jhn 1:4 NASB - In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

JOHN 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (NKJV)

REVELATION 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." (NASU)

The use of the phrase “the Word of God, or of the Lord” and “the Angel of the Lord” in the Old Testament for physical appearance of “God” are clear evidence that Jesus did appear on Earth, before His incarnation as a human being (in the flesh of man). Jesus is the Word of the Lord, the Angel of the Lord, God ('elohim), the LORD (YHVH), and the Creator.

These appearances are called a Christophany. A Christophany is an appearance of Jesus in human form, which happens in the Old Testament. We need to recognize that none of these actually were God the Father.

The Rock

We also have clear evidence that Jesus manifested himself to the Hebrews in the wilderness as they escaped from Egypt (Num. 20:8-12).

I CORINTHIANS 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. (NKJV)

The Commander of the Army of the Lord

Joshua also had an encounter with Jesus.

Jos 5:13 NKJV - And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?"
Jos 5:14 NKJV - So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?"
Jos 5:15 NKJV - Then the Commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.
Angels are not worshipped, they are not called Lord, and there presence does not make holy ground. Here we see another pre-incarnation of Jesus. But here He is the Commander of the armies of Heaven.
In their commentary on this passage of Scripture, Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown state: "The address and the adoration of Joshua, the holiness communicated to the spot by the presence of this Personage, and the application to him of the name Jehovah (ch. vi. 2), identify Him with the Angel of the Lord . . . " (p. 13, vol. I, part 2, A Commentary: Critical, Experimental, and Practical).
Jesus is the Commander of the armies in Heaven. He is the Warrior King.

REVELATION 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." (NASU)

JUDE 14 It was also about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "See, the Lord is coming with ten thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on all, and to convict everyone of all the deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him." (NRSV)

MATTHEW 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory." (NKJV)

The Archangel Michael

This revelation of Jesus as the Commander of the Armies of Heaven gives rise to an interesting speculation. Bryan T. Huie in his article “Christ in the Old Testament” makes a case that perhaps Michael, the archangel, is a reference to Jesus. He says:

“The Messiah's position as the commander of the army of holy angels goes hand-in-hand with his role as guardian of the nation of Israel.
Is there any other character identified in the Bible as the commander of the holy angels and the protector of the nation of Israel?

DANIEL 12:1 "At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people [Israel], shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. (NRSV)

REVELATION 12:7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon [Satan]; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. (RSV)

Most people believe that Michael is one of several high-ranking "archangels" that serve God. Yet a look at what the Bible says about this topic shows that this belief is not scripturally substantiated. The term "archangel" is found only twice in the Bible.

 JUDE 9 - But Michael the archangel [ho archaggelos], when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (NASU)

I THESSALONIANS 4:16 - For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel [archaggelou] and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. (NASU)

The word "archangel" is simply a transliteration into English of the Greek word archaggelos. This compound word is comprised of the Greek words arche and aggelos. Arche means primacy, either in relation to time or rank; aggelos has the same meaning as the Hebrew word mal'ak; it refers to a messenger or an envoy. The literal meaning of archaggelos is "chief messenger." The Bible clearly shows that Christ was God's "chief messenger" to mankind.

JOHN 8:26 " . . . He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him." (NKJV)

JOHN 12:49 [Christ said] "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak." (NKJV)

In I Thessalonians 4:16, we see that the Lord Yeshua will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel. It is Yeshua who is shouting, and it is his voice that will raise "the dead in Christ." This is confirmed by Yeshua's own words, recorded in John 5:25:

JOHN 5:25 "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. (NASU)

This Scripture clearly shows that ONLY Yeshua's voice will initiate the resurrection of the dead. Paul tells us in I Thessalonians 4:16 that it is the voice of "archangel" that sounds at Yeshua's return and raises "the dead in Christ." Therefore, logic leads us to the conclusion that "the voice of the archangel" belongs to Yeshua. Additionally, Daniel records that the appearance of Michael the archangel at the end of the age will be accompanied by a resurrection (Dan. 12:1-2).
As we saw in the Scriptures above, Michael is the only "archangel" specifically referenced in the Bible. The belief in multiple "archangels" is not scriptural. A belief in archangels appears to have developed in early Judaism; a similar belief evolved in the Catholic Church. The concept seems to have been derived from a passage in the book of Daniel:

DANIEL 10:13 "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one ['echad] of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia." (NKJV)

In this verse, Michael is called "one" of the chief princes. The majority of translations render the Hebrew word 'echad as "one" here. Most scholars take this to mean that he is only one of an unspecified group of equivalent rank. However, 'echad can also be translated "first," as it is in Young's Literal Translation, shown below:

DANIEL 10:13 'And the head of the kingdom of Persia is standing over-against me twenty and one days, and lo, Michael, first ['echad] of the chief heads, hath come in to help me, and I have remained there near the kings of Persia;' (YLT)

When this meaning of 'echad is applied, Daniel 10:13 takes on an entirely different context. In Young's translation, Michael's position is shown to be above the other "princes." The Bible reveals that these rulers are actually powerful spirit beings (commonly called "angels") who have been given authority over the various nations of the earth. For additional details on this topic, see my article "The Heavenly Divine Council."
In Daniel 10:21 and 12:1, Michael is designated as the spiritual prince ruling over the nation of Israel:

DANIEL 10:20 Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I am through with him, lo, the prince of Greece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince. (RSV)

DANIEL 12:1 "At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time; but at that time your people shall be delivered, every one whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (RSV)

When all the Scriptures on this topic are objectively examined, we can see that the belief Michael is one of several archangels is not supported. In fact, The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary states this about the Jewish understanding of the identity of Michael in first-century Judaism:

Michael was sometimes spoken of as the angel who mediated between God and Moses in the giving of the law at Sinai (cf. Jub. 1:27; 2:1) and so may be the angel mentioned at Acts 7:38. (p. 716, "Michael")

As we have already seen, the angel mentioned by Stephen in Acts 7:38 is the Angel of the LORD, who has been identified with Yeshua the Messiah. Additionally, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan says the Angel who wrestled with Jacob was Michael.
The first-century messianic Jewish understanding of who Yeshua had been before his incarnation was one of the reasons the distinction between the Messiah and the other angels had to be drawn in the first chapter of Hebrews. Rather than denigrating the position of the angels, this chapter was meant instead to elevate the status of Michael (Christ) in order to clarify his role to the messianic Jews of that day.
There is another pair of Scriptures, one from the Old Testament and the other from the New Testament, that seem to connect the Angel of the LORD with Michael:

ZECHARIAH 3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" (NKJV)

JUDE 9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (NASU)

As you can see, in both instances Michael and the Angel of the LORD reacted identically to Satan. Taken with the other Scriptures we've examined, this is further evidence that Michael is another name for the Angel.
In fact, the Hebrew name "Michael" literally means "one who is like God." This name fits perfectly with the Angel of the LORD, who had God's name in him (Exo. 23:21) and was the "Presence" of YHVH (Exo. 33:14; Deu. 4:37; Isa. 63:9). It also fits perfectly with Christ, who was the exact image of God (II Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3). Michael, the one who will "appear" at the time of trouble at the end of this age and raise the dead with his voice, is surely another name for Yeshua the Messiah. The Bible shows it is the Messiah who will return at the end of the age and rule over his people, all the tribes of Israel, after they have been brought back into the Promised Land.
As we've seen from various translations of the Old Testament, the Messiah has had numerous roles in God's plan for mankind. He acted as the guardian of Israel when they came out of Egypt, traveling with them in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. The Messiah was the one who delivered God's words to the Israelites from Mount Sinai. He protected them in the wilderness and punished them when they sinned. This Angel stood up for God's people when Satan slandered them before the heavenly throne. As the commander of the holy host, Christ has battled against Satan and his demons and triumphed. It's time to realize and appreciate the central role that God designated in His plan for the one we know as Jesus Christ, Yeshua the Messiah. He's our Savior, Redeemer, Shepherd, Protector, Brother, and Lord.” (Bryan T. Huie)

What all of this is telling us is that it is Jesus that manifests God’s presence on the earth. In the Old Testament, Jesus appeared in human form but not in the actual flesh of a human being. Even angels have the ability to do this. Jesus appeared as “the Angel of the Lord”, “the Word of the Lord or of God”, as the one called "God" (Heb. 'elohim) or "the LORD" (Heb. YHVH) who appeared and spoke to Noah, Abraham, Moses and others in the Old Testament.

Then came the incarnation

John 1:14 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.
 
The Baby
Jesus manifested himself on earth as a human baby. He was totally God, but at the same time totally human. He appeared to be a six-pound or so, helpless human baby, totally dependant on Mary and Joseph to care for him, protect him, and feed him.
Luk 2:11 NASB - for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luk 2:12 NASB - "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
But, things were not as they seemed. This baby was a manifestation of God on earth. This baby was the Messiah!

The Boy
After His birth, God is revealed on earth as a twelve year old boy visiting Jerusalem.
Luk 2:42 NASB - And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast;
Luk 2:46 NASB - Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
Luk 2:47 NASB - And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.
Luk 2:49 NASB - And He said to them, "Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?"
Luk 2:50 NASB - But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them.
Luk 2:52 NASB - And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
 Even as a young boy, Jesus know that he was “the Son of God”. He was “God” manifested in human flesh. His understanding and wisdom, even at this young age astounded the religious teachers of his day. But, as a human boy, he was growing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God the Father and men.

The Man
We next find Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist.
Luk 3:21 NASB - Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,
Luk 3:22 NASB - and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased."
Luk 3:23 NASB - When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,
Jhn 1:39 NASB - He said to them, "Come, and you will see." So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
Jhn 1:40 NASB - One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
Mat 3:16 NASB - After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him,
Mat 3:17 NASB - and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
Mar 1:12 NASB - Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.
Mar 1:13 NASB - And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.
Mar 1:14 NASB - Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,
Mar 1:15 NASB - and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
Mar 1:16 NASB - As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.
Mar 1:17 NASB - And Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."

The Rabbi
Jhn 1:38 NASB - And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?"
Jhn 1:49 NASB - Nathanael answered Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel."
In these verses we see Jesus being released to begin His official ministry. As He is baptized, He is announced by God the Father’s voice out of the heavens saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” As the Spirit came upon Him “as a dove”, Jesus was empower and released to begin to proclaim the gospel of salvation in his name. the name of Jesus. Jesus spent the next forty days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. As a man, Jesus was to live as men do, being tempted by the devil. But Jesus overcame each temptation giving us an example of how we too are to overcome the temptations of the world (the devil). Jesus next goes about gathering His disciples. His first task was to gather together and build relationships with a group of select men who were to be the vehicles to begin the process of spreading the Gospel throughout the world. After this Jesus began teaching and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. (Matt. 4)
Jesus’ first miracle was to turn water into wine at a wedding (John 2:1-11). After this Jesus began teaching, training his disciples, and doing many miracles, signs and wonders. Things changed after about three years. As Passover approached, we find Jesus with his disciples celebrating the Passover meal. It is here that Jesus initiates the ritual of communion. To the Jews gathered in the room that night, as Jesus broke the bread and shared it with his disciples, they understood that the bread represented a bride price. And as Jesus offered then the cup of wine, they understood that it represented the wine cup of a Jewish wedding. As they drank the wine, they understood that they were accepting a proposal of marriage and committing them selves to serve Jesus and be committed to him as a Jewish bride to her espoused.
That night Jesus became the “sacrificial lamb of god”. That night the disciples became the first of many who were to become the Bride of Christ Jesus.

The Lamb of God
After the meal, Jesus and his disciple walked to a garden on the east side of the Temple Mount. There in that garden Jesus faced the great sacrifice that was before him. It was the “joy set before him” that kept him going that night (Hew. 12:2). Jesus was freely giving up his own life as the “bride Price" for his Bride. The joy set before his was his Bride. Jesus the teacher, the healer, the friend, became the “sacrificial lamb of god”, the suffering servant, that night (Isa. 53). The next day, Jesus was nailed to the tree, a Roman cross, where he died at exactly 3:00 in the afternoon, the same moment that the High Priest was slitting the throat of the Passover Lamb on the altar of sacrifice in the Temple. At that moment, the price for mankind’s sins was paid in full.
Jhn 1:29 NASB - The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Jhn 1:36 NASB - and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"

The Resurrected Jesus
It was the morning of the third day after Jesus’ crucifixion that death was defeated forever. On that morning, the dead human body of a man called Jesus was transformed into a new body, a heavenly body, a body that had never been seen before, on earth or in heaven. Jesus is now seen on earth in a new form. He was not a ghost or spirit. He was not in the form of an angel. He was not in the form of a natural human body. He was the first-born from the dead, the first of many yet to come. He revealed to us what we are to become at His coming when the perishable will put on the imperishable.
1Cr 15:42 NASB - So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;
1Cr 15:53 NASB - For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Cr 15:54 NASB - But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.
Jesus walked the earth in this new body for forty days. What a marvelous body it is. He let people touch him. He ate with them. He could change his countenance before them. He could walk through walls. This was the resurrected Jesus showing us what we are to become at his coming.

The Holy Spirit
Then one day on the Mount of Olives, he ascend up into a cloud before the eyes of his disciple (Acts 1).  But in Acts 2, Jesus returned to earth, this time not in human form, but as the Holy Spirit. Jesus was not to just be with his disciples, and with us, but he was to be in his disciples, and in us as we receive him as our Lord, Savior, and Master. Today Jesus manifested himself to us in a spiritual form, the form of the Holy Spirit. In this form, he empowers us to be his witnesses and to carry on the work be began when he walked the earth in a human body.
John 14:16 NASB - "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
John 14:17 NASB - that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
John 14:18 NASB - "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:19 NASB - " After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.
John 14:20 NASB - "In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
John 14:23 NASB - Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.

The Bridegroom
But this is not the end of the story. Jesus promised to reveal himself to his disciple once again. He promised to come for them, and for all of his disciples that are alive at this time, and call all of us, whether dead or alive, up to meet him in the air.
1Th 4:13 NASB - But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
1Th 4:14 NASB - For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
1Th 4:15 NASB - For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
1Th 4:16 NASB - For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
1Th 4:17 NASB - Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 NASB - Therefore comfort one another with these words
For those that belong to him, Jesus will reveal himself to us as the Heavenly Bridegroom and we will be taken to heaven for a wedding, our wedding to Jesus. What we will find is that our Bridegroom, Jesus, is the King of kings and Lord of lords and we will be his bride, his queen and we will rule and reign with him forever.
Mat 25:1 NASB - "Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:5 NASB - "Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep.
Mat 25:6 NASB - "But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'
Rev 19:7 NASB - "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."
Rev 21:9 NASB - Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
Rev 3:21 NASB - 'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Rev 5:10 NASB - "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth."
Rev 20:6 NASB - Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

The Judge
On earth though, the dwellers there will encounter Jesus in another way.
Rev 1:12 NASB - Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;
Rev 1:13 NASB - and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.
Rev 1:14 NASB - His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.
Rev 1:15 NASB - His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.
They will encounter a righteous judge, one who comes to judge the earth and the dwellers thereon. He comes in awesome power and with the wrath of God for those who rebel against him and have brought evil and injustice to the earth.

The Warrior 
Then after seven years, the earth dwellers will encounter a warrior, the Commander of the Armies of Heaven.
Rev 19:11 NASB - And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
Rev 19:12 NASB - His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
Rev 19:13 NASB - He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14 NASB - And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
Rev 19:15 NASB - From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
Rev 19:16 NASB - And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
As he comes as lightening from the east, every eye will see him. He comes with the armies of heaven and with the saints of God, his bride, at his side.
Zec 9:14 NASB - Then the LORD will appear over them, And His arrow will go forth like lightning; And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet, And will march in the storm winds of the south.
Mat 24:27 NASB - "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Luk 17:24 NASB - "For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day.

JUDE 14 It was also about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "See, the Lord is coming with ten thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on all, and to convict everyone of all the deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him." (NRSV)

MATTHEW 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory." (NKJV)

The King

On this day, the Warrior King, Jesus, takes his rightful place as King of kings. He will sit on the “Throne of David” and rule and reign from Jerusalem for 1000 years with his Bride (the Queen, the Church) sitting at his right side.
Isaiah 9:7 NASB - There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
Luke 1:32 NASB - "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
Revelation 20:6 NASB - Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
Rev 17:14 NASB - "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."
Matthew 25:31 NASB - "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
Hebrews 1:8 NASB - But of the Son He says, "YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM.
Quoting a beloved beaver from Narnia, “He is the King you know”.

The Eternal Judge
After ruling upon the earth for 1000 years, Jesus will sit as the eternal righteous judge upon a great white throne to judge the dead according to their deeds.
Rev 20:7 NASB - When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison,
Rev 20:8 NASB - and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.
Rev 20:9 NASB - And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
Rev 20:10 NASB - And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Rev 20:11 NASB - Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
Rev 20:12 NASB - And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
Rev 20:13 NASB - And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
Rev 20:14 NASB - Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
Rev 20:15 NASB - And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

The Creator once again
After this Jesus makes all things new.
Rev 21:1 NASB - Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
Rev 21:2 NASB - And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3 NASB - And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,
Rev 21:4 NASB - and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
Rev 21:5 NASB - And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
Rev 22:20 NASB - He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Rev 22:21 NASB - The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

Physical appearances of God in the Old Testament and what He was doing.

Gen. 3:8 – Walked with Adam and Eve – A companion and friend

Gen. 14:17-20 – Melchizedek – A priest and King

Gen. 16:7-13 – Blessed Hagar – A prophet, priest and miracle worker

Gen. 18:1-14 – Blessed Abraham – A prophet, priest and covenant maker

Gen. 32:24-30 – Blessed Jacob – One who strives with and tests men

Num. 22:22-35 – Warned Balaam – An adversary and instructor

Josh. 5:13-15 – Fought for Joshua and Israel – A warrior

Judges. 2:1-4 – Rebuked Joshua and Israel – A rebuker and judge

Judges. 6:11-22 – Fought for Gideon and Israel – A warrior and miracle worker

Judges. 13:1-22 – Raised up Samson for Israel – A judge, provider and deliverer

2 Sam. 24:13-17 – Chastened King David and Israel – A righteous but merciful judge

1 Kings 19:1-7 – Strengthened Elijah – An encourager, strengther and instructor

Dan. 3:23-28 – Protected Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – A protector

Zech. 1:7-19, 2:1-3, 3:1-6, 4:1-5, 5:5-10, and 6:4-5 – Revealed truth to Zechariah – A prophet and revealer of mysteries

Appearances of The Angel of the Lord

Gen 16:7 NKJV Gen 16:9 NKJV Gen 16:10 NKJV Gen 16:11 NKJV Gen 22:11 NKJV Gen 22:15 NKJV Exd 3:2 NKJV Num 22:22 NKJV Num 22:23 NKJV Num 22:24 NKJV Num 22:25 NKJV Num 22:26 NKJV Num 22:27 NKJV Num 22:31 NKJV Num 22:32 NKJV Num 22:34 NKJV Num 22:35 NKJV

Jdg 2:1 NKJV Jdg 2:4 NKJV Jdg 5:23 NKJV Jdg 6:11 NKJV Jdg 6:12 NKJV Jdg 6:21 NKJV Jdg 6:22 NKJV Jdg 13:3 NKJV Jdg 13:13 NKJV Jdg 13:15 NKJV Jdg 13:16 NKJV Jdg 13:17 NKJV Jdg 13:18 NKJV Jdg 13:20 NKJV Jdg 13:21 NKJV 2Sa 24:16 NKJV 1Ki 19:7 NKJV 2Ki 1:3 NKJV

2Ki 1:15 NKJV 2Ki 19:35 NKJV 1Ch 21:12 NKJV 1Ch 21:15 NKJV 1Ch 21:16 NKJV 1Ch 21:18 NKJV 1Ch 21:30 NKJV Psa 34:7 NKJV Psa 35:5 NKJV Psa 35:6 NKJV Isa 37:36 NKJV Zec 1:11 NKJV Zec 1:12 NKJV Zec 3:1 NKJV Zec 3:5 NKJV Zec 3:6 NKJV Zec 12:8 NKJV Mat 1:24 NKJV

The Names and Titles of Jesus in the Bible

            The names and titles of Jesus as recorded in the Bible reveal who Jesus was and what he did, who Jesus is and what he is doing, and who he is to be and what he will be doing. It is Jesus who reveals God to mankind throughout the entire Bible.

Hebrews 1:3 NASB - And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

·         Adam, 1 Cor. 15:45. Advocate, 1 John 2:1. Almighty, Rev. 1:8. Alpha and Omega, Rev. 1:8. Amen, Rev. 3:14. Angel, Gen. 48:16; Ex. 23:20,21. Angel of his presence, Isa. 63:9. Anointed, Psa. 2:2. Apostle, Heb. 3:1. Arm of the Lord, Isa. 51:9,10. Author and finisher of our faith, Heb. 12:2.

·         Beginning and end of the creation of God, Rev. 3:14; 22:13. Beloved, Eph. 1:6. Bishop, 1 Pet. 2:25. Blessed and only Potentate, 1 Tim. 6:15. Branch, Jer. 23:5; Zech. 3:8. Bread of life, John 6:48. Bridegroom, Matt. 9:15. Bright and morning star, Rev. 22:16. Brightness of the Father's glory, Heb. 1:3.

·         Captain of the Lord's host, Josh. 5:14. Captain of salvation, Heb. 2:10. Carpenter, Mark 6:3. Carpenter's son, Matt. 13:55. Chief Shepherd, 1 Pet. 5:4. Chief corner stone, 1 Pet. 2:6. Chiefest among ten thousand, Song 5:10. Child, Isa. 9:6; Luke 2:27,43. Chosen of God, 1 Pet. 2:4. Christ, Matt. 1:16; Luke 9:20. The Christ, Matt. 16:20; Mark 14:61. Christ, a King, Luke 23:2. Christ Jesus, Acts 19:4; Rom. 3:24; 8:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Cor. 1:30; Heb. 3:1; 1 Pet. 5:10,14. Christ Jesus our Lord, 1 Tim. 1:12; Rom. 8:39. Christ of God, Luke 9:20. Christ, the chosen of God, Luke 23:35. Christ the Lord, Luke 2:11; Christ the power of God, 1 Cor. 1:24. Christ the wisdom of God, 1 Cor. 1:24. Christ, the Son of God, Acts 9:20. Christ, Son of the Blessed, Mark 14:61. Commander, Isa. 55:4. Consolation of Israel, Luke 2:25. Corner stone, Eph. 2:20. Counselor, Isa. 9:6. Covenant of the people, Isa. 42:6.

·         David, Jer. 30:9. Daysman, Job 9:33. Dayspring, Luke 1:78. Daystar, 2 Pet. 1:19. Deliverer, Rom. 11:26. Desire of all nations, Hag. 2:7. Door, John 10:7.

·         Elect, Isa. 42:1. Emmanuel, Isa. 7:14. Ensign, Isa. 11:10. Eternal life, 1 John 5:20. Everlasting Father, Isa. 9:6.

·         Faithful and True, Rev. 19:11. Faithful witness, Rev. 1:5. Faithful and true witness, Rev. 3:14. Finisher of faith, Heb. 12:2. First and last, Rev. 1:17; 2:8; 22:13. First begotten, Heb. 1:6. First begotten of the dead, Rev. 1:5. Firstborn, Psa. 89:27. Foundation, Isa. 28:16. Fountain, Zech. 13:1. Forerunner, Heb. 6:20. Friend of sinners, Matt. 11:19.

·         Gift of God, John 4:10. Glory of Israel, Luke 2:32. God, John 1:1. God blessed forever, Rom. 9:5. God manifest in the flesh, 1 Tim. 3:16. God of Israel, the Savior, Isa. 45:15. God of the whole earth, Isa. 54:5. God our Savior, 1 Tim. 2:3. God's dear Son, Col. 1:13. God with us, Matt. 1:23. Good Master, Matt. 19:16. Governor, Matt. 2:6. Great shepherd of the sheep, Heb. 13:20.

·         Head of the church, Eph. 5:23. Heir of all things, Heb. 1:2. High priest, Heb. 4:14. Head of every man, 1 Cor. 11:3. Head of the church, Col. 1:18. Head of the corner, Matt. 21:42. Holy child Jesus, Acts 4:30. Holy one, Psa. 16:10; Acts 3:14. Holy one of God, Mark 1:24. Holy one of Israel, Isa. 41:14; 54:5. Holy thing, Luke 1:35. Hope [our], 1 Tim. 1:1. Horn of salvation, Luke 1:69.

·         I Am, John 8:58. Image of God, Heb. 1:3. Israel, Isa. 49:3.

·         Jehovah, Isa. 40:3. Jehovah's fellow, Zech. 13:7. Jesus, Matt. 1:21. Jesus Christ, Matt. 1:1; John 1:17; 17:3; Acts 2:38; 4:10; 9:34; 10:36; 16:18; Rom. 1:1,3,6; 2:16; 5:15,17; 6:3; 1 Cor. 1:1,4; 1 Cor. 2:2; 2 Cor. 1:19; 4:6; 13:5; Gal. 2:16; Phil. 1:8; 2:11; 1 Tim. 1:15; Heb. 13:8; 1 John 1:7; 2:1. Jesus Christ our Lord, Rom. 1:3; 6:11,23; 1 Cor. 1:9; 7:25. Jesus Christ our Savior, Tit. 3:6. Jesus of Nazareth, Mark 1:24; Luke 24:19. Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, John 19:19. Jesus, the King of the Jews, Matt. 27:37. Jesus, the Son of God, Heb. 4:14. Jesus, the Son of Joseph, John 6:42. Judge, Acts 10:42. Just man, Matt. 27:19. Just one, Acts 3:14; 7:52; 22:14. Just person, Matt. 27:24.

·         King, Matt. 21:5. King of Israel, John 1:49. King of the Jews, Matt. 2:2. King of saints, Rev. 15:3. King of kings, 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14. King of glory, Psa. 24:7-10. King of Zion, Matt. 21:5. King over all the earth, Zech. 14:9.

·         Lamb, Rev. 5:6,8; 6:16; 7:9,10,17; 12:11; 13:8,11; 14:1,4; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7,9; 21:9,14,22,23,27. Lamb of God, John 1:29. Lawgiver, Isa. 33:22. Leader, Isa. 55:4. Life, John 14:6. Light, John 8:12. Light, everlasting, Isa. 60:20. Light of the world, John 8:12. Light to the Gentiles, Isa. 42:6. Light, true, John 1:9. Living bread, John 6:51. Living stone, 1 Pet. 2:4. Lion of the tribe of Judah, Rev. 5:5. Lord, Rom. 1:3. Lord of lords, Rev. 17:14; 19:16. Lord of all, Acts 10:36. Lord our righteousness, Jer. 23:6. Lord God Almighty, Rev. 15:3. Lord from heaven, 1 Cor. 15:47. Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 2 Pet. 1:11; 3:18. Lord Christ, Col. 3:24. Lord Jesus, Acts 7:59; Col. 3:17; 1 Thes. 4:2. Lord Jesus Christ, Acts 11:17; 16:31; 20:21; Rom. 5:1,11; 13:14. Lord Jesus Christ our Savior, Tit. 1:4. Lord of glory, Jas. 2:1. Lord of Hosts, Isa. 44:6. Lord, mighty in battle, Psa. 24:8. Lord of the dead and living, Rom. 14:9. Lord of the Sabbath, Mark 2:28. Lord over all, Rom. 10:12. Lord's Christ, Luke 2:26. Lord, strong and mighty, Psa. 24:8. Lord, the, our righteousness, Jer. 23:6. Lord, your holy one, Isa. 43:15. Lord, your redeemer, Isa. 43:14.

·         Man Christ Jesus, 1 Tim. 2:5. Man of sorrows, Isa. 53:3. Master, Matt. 23:8. Mediator, 1 Tim. 2:5. Messenger of the covenant, Mal. 3:1. Messiah, John 1:41. Messiah the Prince, Dan. 9:25. Mighty God, Isa. 9:6. Mighty one of Israel, Isa. 30:29. Mighty one of Jacob, Isa. 49:26. Mighty to save, Isa. 63:1. Minister of the sanctuary, Heb. 8:2. Morning star, Rev. 22:16. Most holy, Dan. 9:24. Most mighty, Psa. 45:3.

·         Nazarene, Matt. 2:23.

·         Offspring of David, Rev. 22:16. Only begotten, John 1:14. Only begotten of the Father, John 1:14. Only begotten son, John 1:18. Only wise God, our Savior ( Jude 25).

·         Passover, 1 Cor. 5:7. Plant of renown, Ezek. 34:29. Potentate, 1 Tim. 6:15. Power of God, 1 Cor. 1:24. Physician, Matt. 9:12. Precious corner stone, Isa. 28:16. Priest, Heb. 7:17. Prince, Acts 5:31. Prince of life, Acts 3:15. Prince of peace, Isa. 9:6. Prince of the kings of the earth, Rev. 1:5. Prophet, Deut. 18:15,18; Matt. 21:11; Luke 24:19. Propitiation, 1 John 2:2.

·         Rabbi, John 1:49. Rabboni, John 20:16. Ransom, 1 Tim. 2:6. Redeemer, Isa. 59:20. Resurrection and life, John 11:25. Redemption, 1 Cor. 1:30. Righteous branch, Jer. 23:5. Righteous judge, 2 Tim. 4:8. Righteous servant, Isa. 53:11. Righteousness, 1 Cor. 1:30. Rock, 1 Cor. 10:4. Rock of offence, 1 Pet. 2:8. Root of David, Rev. 5:5; 22:16. Root of Jesse, Isa. 11:10. Rose of Sharon, Song 2:1. Ruler in Israel, Mica. 5:2.

·         Salvation, Luke 2:30. Sanctification, 1 Cor. 1:30. Sanctuary, Isa. 8:14. Savior, Luke 2:11. Savior, Jesus Christ, 2 Tim. 1:10; Tit. 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:1. Savior of the body, Eph. 5:23. Savior of the world, 1 John 4:14. Scepter, Num. 24:17. Second man, 1 Cor. 15:47. Seed of David, 2 Tim. 2:8. Seed of the woman, Gen. 3:15. Servant, Isa. 42:1. Servant of rulers, Isa. 49:7. Shepherd, Mark 14:27. Shepherd and bishop of souls, 1 Pet. 2:25. Shepherd, chief, 1 Pet. 5:4. Shepherd, good, John 10:11. Shepherd, great, Heb. 13:20. Shepherd of Israel, Psa. 80:1. Shiloh, Gen. 49:10. Son of the Father, 2 John 3. Son of God, see Son of God. Son of Man, see Son of Man. Son of the blessed, Mark 14:61. Son of the highest, Luke 1:32. Son of David, Matt. 9:27. Star, Num. 24:17. Sun of righteousness, Mal. 4:2. Surety, Heb. 7:22. Stone, Matt. 21:42. Stone of stumbling, 1 Pet. 2:8. Sure foundation, Isa. 28:16.

·         Teacher, John 3:2. True God, 1 John 5:20. True vine, John 15:1. Truth, John 14:6.

·         Unspeakable gift, 2 Cor. 9:15.

·         Very Christ, Acts 9:22. Vine, John 15:1.

·         Way, John 14:6. Which is, which was, which is to come, Rev. 1:4. Wisdom, Prov. 8:12. Wisdom of God, 1 Cor. 1:24. Witness, Isa. 55:4; Rev. 1:5. Wonderful, Isa. 9:6. Word, John 1:1. Word of God, Rev. 19:13. Word of life, 1 John 1:1.

Do you know the real Jesus?