Thousand Oaks Baptist Church
Jesus Is Jehovah
JESUS IS JEHOVAH - CHAPTER FOUR
OLD TESTAMENT TESTIMONY
In this chapter we need to back up into the Old Testament passages dealing with this subject. The Old Testament does reveal God's Son as being Jehovah. This can be seen by a careful comparison of OT passages which speak of Jehovah with New Testament quotations from those same Old Testament passages which are applied directly to Jesus Christ. More than twenty clear, direct references from the Old Testament could be used, but we shall only need a few to make the point.
First, in Isaiah 40:3, we find Isaiah's prophecy of the person and ministry of John the Baptist:
"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."
Notice that since the name of the Lord is given in capital letters in the King James Version of the Old Testament, it is understood as being translated from the Jewish name that we call "Jehovah." Now, for comparison, let's also give the parallel fulfillment passage in Matthew 3:3:
"For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."
Now then, whose way did Isaiah say was to be prepared? Without any question, it was Jehovah's way. And whose way did John the Baptist prepare? Without any question, it was Jesus' way. And Matthew says that John the Baptist's ministry was the direct fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy.
My friends, the simple logic of mathematical, geometrical substitution says that if A is equal to B, and B is equal to C, then A is also equal to C. And the logic of the comparison of Isaiah 40:3 with Matthew 3:3 requires - in fact, demands - that Jesus is Jehovah!
Now, of course, someone may say that the other word for God in Isaiah is a reference to Jesus, while the word "Jehovah" refers only to the Father. But the New Testament passage makes God and Jehovah the same by the words, "...make His ways straight..." Make whose ways straight? The Lord's ways. Jehovah-Jesus' ways, of course.
I'm afraid you cannot escape the proof: Jesus really is Jehovah!
Second, in Isaiah 44:6, we find a passage which disallows any possibility of Jesus Christ being anything less than Jehovah:
"Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."
This verse clearly, in itself, shows us two Persons who are to be called Jehovah. Jehovah Himself makes the distinction between One Who is called, "Jehovah the King of Israel," and the One Who is called, "His redeemer, Jehovah of hosts."
At this point, three lines of proof can be deduced from this one verse.
The first line of proof deals with the fact that Jesus offered Himself as King of the Jews - King of Israel - when He rode into Jerusalem on a colt. But Jehovah is the King of Israel. And so, unless Jesus was Jehovah, He could not have made a genuine offer of Himself. If His offer were not genuine, then He must have been a deceiver - a liar - and God does not and cannot lie. Therefore, Jesus has to be Jehovah.
The second line of proof deals with the fact that Jesus is our Redeemer. One who has redeemed is a redeemer. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). Christ has redeemed us to God by His blood (Revelation 5:9). Jesus Christ is made unto us redemption (I Corinthians 1:30). He has obtained eternal redemption for us (Hebrews 9:12). (Also see Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:14.) Does the Bible admit of two divine Redeemers? Hardly, for Jehovah says that He is the only Redeemer! And the New Testament claims Jesus Christ as the only Redeemer. The same logical argument seen before (if A=B and C=B, then A=C) applies here, too; and either the Bible has a fatal contradiction between the OT and the New Testament, or else Jesus is Jehovah, our Redeemer!
The third line of proof deals with Jehovah as the first and the last. Revelation 1:10-18 is our parallel passage in the New Testament:
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
Whoever John saw claimed to be the first and the last. When John saw Him, he fell at His feet as dead, just as Isaiah did when he saw the glory of Jehovah. But in verse 18, we have the key to the identity of this one John saw, who is the first and the last: "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Who does this describe? Did not Jesus Christ live, both before He came to earth as a man, and also during His earthly ministry? Was not Jesus crucified, dead, and buried? Do not the Gospels proclaim His resurrection from the dead? And Paul the Apostle, in Acts 25:19, tells of the Jesus Who was dead and is alive. Hebrews 7:25 proclaims that Jesus lives forever - alive for evermore. Who else meets all of the qualifications, except Jesus Christ? No one! Therefore, Jesus is the one Who is the first and the last in Revelation 1:17; therefore, also, Jesus Christ must of necessity be Jehovah of Isaiah 44:6!
Third, let's examine Joel 2:32, where a deliverance is proclaimed:
"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call."
All of those who shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered. Delivered from what? The context shows that the deliverance spoken of is from the wrath of God, both on earth and in eternity.
Now let's find where this passage is cited in the New Testament. Peter first used this text in Acts 2 in order to show that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah, and God come in the flesh.
Paul later used this same text in Romans 10:9-13. And we need to look more closely at this passage:
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Without dispute, throughout the New Testament, Jesus' title is Lord. Here in verse 9, we are told to confess Jesus as Lord. In verse 11, another reference is made to Jehovah from Isaiah 49:23, and the reference applies to Jesus. In verse 12, this same Lord is rich unto all who call upon Him. And in verse 13, "... whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
In these verses, when Paul - the New Testament author of Romans - penned these words, he substituted the Greek word kurios for the Hebrew word yehovah. Now be very careful here. Unless the two terms are to be taken as synonymous, then Paul is obviously guilty of subtracting from and adding to the Scriptures. But if kurios and yehovah are synonymous, then Lord is correctly substituted for Jehovah, and the OT Jehovah is the New Testament Lord. And since Paul the apostle was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, then whenever he calls Jesus Lord, he is consciously and deliberately and correctly calling Him Jehovah!
Now of course you might well ask, "If such is the case, then why didn't Paul and the other New Testament writers simply use the name Jehovah?" The answer is very simple. The Hebrew word, Yehovah has no direct Greek equivalent translation. But when the translators of the Septuagint (the Greek version of the OT) made their translation and came to Yehovah, they translated it kurios, from which we translate, in almost every case, Lord, or master. And so Paul and the rest of the New Testament writers were following the well-established, 300-year-old, historical pattern of using Lord whenever they were speaking or writing in the Greek language and referring to Jehovah.
The obvious conclusion to all of this is that the New Testament writers - without exception - believed that Jesus Christ is Jehovah.
I don't want to bore you by overstating the case, but many other Old Testament passages, when compared with their New Testament counterparts, add irrefutable evidence to the claim that the Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ in the New Testament. I'll list a few of them for you:
1. Both Jehovah and Jesus claim the title, "I AM."
Exodus 3:14 - "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
John 8:58 - "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."
2. Both Jehovah and Jesus claim to be the "Author of eternal words":
Isaiah 40:8 - "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever."
Matthew 24:35 - "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
3. Both Jehovah and Jesus claim to be the light:
Psalm 27:1 - "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?"
John 1:4-9 - "In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."
John 8:12 - "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
1 John 1:5 - "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all."
4. Both Jehovah and Jesus are claimed to be the Rock:
Isaiah 8:14 - "And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem."
1 Peter 2:6-8 - "Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed."
5. Both Jehovah and Jesus are claimed to be the Shepherd:
Psalm 23:1 - "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."
John 10:11 - "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."
Hebrews 13:20 - "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant ..."
6. Both Jehovah and Jesus are seen forgiving sins (and the Jews clearly recognized that only Jehovah could forgive sins):
Jeremiah 31:34 - "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
Acts 5:31 - "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins."
Mark 2:5 - "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee."
7. Both Jehovah and Jesus are the only Savior:
Isaiah 43:3 - "For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee."
2 Peter 1:1,11 - "Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ ... For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."
8. Both Jehovah and Jesus are the Judge:
Joel 3:12 - "Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about."
Matthew 25:31-46 - "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."
9. Both Jehovah and Jesus are co-eternal:
Psalm 45:6-7 - "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."
Psalm 102:25-27 - "Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end."
Hebrews 1:8-12 - "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail."
All of these comparisons were evidently used by Paul and Barnabas and other early Christians to prove to the Jews of their day that Jesus was not just another deity or created spirit creature, but that He was Jehovah-God Himself, come in the flesh, dying, and rising again to bring full and free salvation to all who would receive Him by faith as Jehovah and Savior.
Have you received the Lord Jesus Christ by faith as Jehovah and Savior? All who have truly done so are not ashamed to confess Him as "LORD" (Romans 10:9-13). And Jesus said, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32). Is someone teaching you not to accept Jesus Christ as Jehovah? Is someone claiming that you cannot be saved like Paul and Peter were saved? Who would try to snatch away such precious truths from such eager hearts? In Mark 4:15, Jesus said, "And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts." Clearly, if someone is telling you not to accept Jesus Christ as Jehovah and Savior, that someone is doing the work of Satan. If you are in the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, or meeting with them, isn't it time to consider where Jehovah's Witness is really leading you - especially if they try to snatch away the truth of salvation from your heart?