Who Was Jesus Christ, and Who is Jesus Christ Now?

Did Christ pre-exist His human birth?

The name of Jesus Christ is about as universal a name as any we could mention. Most people have heard the name but exactly what does it convey to most people? In order to understand who and what Christ really is, we need to begin at the beginning, and you may be surprised at just where that really is.

John 1:1-4 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. :10-14 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 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."

Contrary to where most people would have turned to begin learning about Christ, this is the actual beginning of the entire written word, chronologically speaking. That is, this describes a time before all other times mentioned in scripture. This reveals that "The Word" was the name for a being who was WITH God and who was ALSO called God. However, this is NOT referring to the false doctrine of the Trinity that most Christian religions embrace

This being is the one who literally gave up His divinity, His nature as a spirit being, and came to live as a human man, with carnal human nature. He was literally "God in the flesh." He was one of the "US" mentioned in Genesis 1:26;

"Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness."

You also need to understand that the Word, now Jesus Christ, was ALSO working with the God of the Old Testament. Many references to God and being seen or talking with mankind in the Old Testament refer to Christ. Let's take a look at the proof. We have actually covered many scriptures elsewhere that point this out, but for clarity, I will repeat them here.

We need to remember that all of the scriptures need to be taken together. We can't discount what scriptures say elsewhere without throwing out the entire Bible. We can't pick and choose what we want to believe. We either believe the truth or we believe lies. Let's focus on the truth.

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.]"

1 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."

John 6:46 "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father."

Christ and John make it quite clear that NO MAN HAS EVER SEEN THE FATHER. If this is true, then how do we explain all the Old Testament references where God actually speaks with and is standing with men?

Exodus 33:11 "So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend . . ."

Joshua 5:14-15 "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?" 15 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."

Ex 24:9 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.

Ex 33:22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in a clift of the rock, and will cover you with my hand while I pass by: 23 And I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Genesis 12:7 "Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him."

Genesis 32:30 "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."

POINT: The above scriptures should be enough to show you that "God" DID appear to man, quite a few times, so we have to look further to find the answer to this apparent contradiction. Remember in John 1:1, there are two separate beings described. One is the "Word" the other is "God," yet they BOTH were ALSO called by the name God. Let's look further into the nature of Christ, as He explains Himself.

John 3:13 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, [that is,] the Son of Man who is in heaven."

John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day."

John 5:46 "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me."

John 6:51 "I (Christ) am the living bread which came down from heaven. . . "

John 6:62 "[What] then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?"

John 13:3 "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God,"

John 16:28 "I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."

John 17:5 "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."

John 6:38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. "

POINT: You can plainly see how Christ made numerous references to being with the Father at one time, NOT BEING THE FATHER HIMSELF. Christ is described as a separate being with His own will.

Ephesians 3:9 "And to make all see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;"

Hebrews 1:2 "Has in these last days spoken to us by [His] Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;"

Philippians 2:5-8 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, [and] coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to [the point of] death, even the death of the cross."

Hebrews 2:14-17 "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For verily he took not on [him the nature of] angels; but he took on [him] the seed of Abraham. 17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like to [his] brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."

1 Peter 1:11 "Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them (some ancient Israelites such as Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Caleb) did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow."

1 Peter 3:18-20 "For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached to the spirits (demons) in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."

1 Corinthians 10:4 "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."

POINT: There are dozens more scriptures which talk of Christ being the "Rock," the "First and the Last," and the "Holy One." These are all terms which were used for the God of the Old Testament, and Christ used them of Himself quite often in the New Testament. It can't be disputed that the "God" family originally consisted of just two beings, and still consists of the Son of God and the Father... for a time. When you read all the scriptures of how we are called God's children, or that we are of the "household of God," you begin to see more of the incredible scope of what God is doing.

Prov 30:4 Who has ascended up into heaven, or descended? who has gathered the wind in his fists? who has bound the waters in a garment? who has established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if you can tell?

For greater details on how the Father and Word are referenced in the bible, read about Yahweh, and Yahshua (Jesus), the Word of Yahweh.

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