What the Scriptures really teaching regarding the Lord Jesus Christ? An answer to the Jehovah Witness'.

In orthodox Christian theology,  it is the commonly held truth that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God; the second person of the Holy Trinity.  This has been the belief and proclaimed truth concerning Our Glorious Saviour and Master. We can consider one historical source from the early Church that will make our cases:

For some are in the habit of carrying about the name [of Jesus Christ] in wicked guile, while yet they practise things unworthy of God, whom ye must flee as ye would wild beasts. For they are ravening dogs, who bite secretly, against whom ye must be on your guard, inasmuch as they are men who can scarcely be cured. There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both made and not made; God existing in flesh; true life in death; both of Mary and of God; first possible and then impossible,- even Jesus Christ our Lord.

As we can see from this beautiful quote from Ignatius, an early church father, the commonly held belief of the Christian Church as a whole was one of a united reality concerning the Lord Jesus Christ; they believe him to be 'God existing in flesh' such as John 1:14 tells us of our Lord. But we also must take note of the parallel truths that Ignatius bring to our attention in this quote as they are rather important in defining the two natures of the Lord of Glory. Now, however, we must bring attention to the warning given by the great and mighty teacher of this statement: 'For some are in the habit of carrying about the name [of Jesus Christ] in wicked guile,'  and also, this one: 'some most worthless persons are in the habit of carrying about the name [of Jesus Christ] in wicked guile,' and here is the reason behind it 'and hold opinions contrary to the doctrine of Christ,'  this is a solemn and sobering warning. 
Let us not go beyond what the scriptures declare concerning the Lord, and hold firmly to the biblical truth. But when we come to the cult of Jehovah Witnesses, this happens when the bible is not held in honour but merely as a book that can be neglected and treated in such a horrific fashion. And the central person is neglected and pushed aside in favour of an organisation made up of fallible teachers who have usurped the central position.

Let us at this moment consider an important statement from Pastor John MacArthur which will help us as move along in our study:

John opens his gospel with 18 verses that we would call a prologue, a prologue. This is John talking theologically. Starting in verse 19 he goes into the narrative part of it in which he starts to tell the story of Jesus’ life in the world. And he goes into the statements that Jesus makes and the works that He does and the miracles He performs, and gives us the wonderful story all the way to the cross and the resurrection. But in the opening prologue he makes his thesis statement. And the statement in the opening prologue is that Jesus is God in human flesh. That He is the Creator of the universe who has become a part of His creation. He is pure, eternal being who has become a man. That is John’s message, that Jesus is not a created man; He is God in human flesh. And that, dear friends, that is the most essential doctrine in the Christian faith. That is it. And that is why there have been and continue to be so many heresies concerning Jesus Christ, concerning the essence, or the nature, or the person of Jesus Christ. This is the important doctrine in the Christian faith. It must be known; it must be believed for someone to escape hell and enter heaven, that Jesus is God. (Sermon, Jesus: Glory, Grace, and God, introduction)

Now we come to a great summary of what the biblical and the Christian theological truth concerning Christ being the eternal Son whom took on, became the God-man. God in human flesh. That is what is known as the Incarnation. In the above words underline, however, we have a vitally important statement to fully appreciate and accept. We ma never fully apprehend the fullness of what this statement entails and envisions; but we must be truthful in this regard and accept it.
Now it is our intention to consider three biblically based argument which present the Lord Jesus Christ as being by applying the name of God to Him. The first is found in Psalm 102:25-27 and Hebrews 1: 10-12. The second is found in Isaiah 43:10 and Luke 24:44-49, John 13:14-18, and Acts 1:7-10. And the third is found in Isaiah 6: 1-7 and John 12: 39-41. Those the argument that are air tight and prove without a doubt our core belief about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us now come to the main thesis of this article. Our intention is to answer the question: Is Jesus Yahweh (Jehovah)?

Argument no. 1 

In Psalm 102: 25-27 we find these truly wondrous words describing God:

Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.  The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.

These are vitally important words as they ascribe certain action to someone; let us find out whom it is. In the first words of the first verse we are informed of whom it is 'Hear my prayer, O Lord;' it is in the very term 'Lord' that we come face to face with the being that is being addressed in the above words; it is the LORD. That is the tetragrammaton or the designated term that means YAHWEH, the God of the Israelites. In the above words, we have two vital truths being disclosed to us.
The first happens to be the work that God has undertaken in creation, that can be seen in 'you laid the foundation of the earth' and 'the heavens are the work of your hands.' And the second thing we are told of, happens to be a description of his very character: He will 'remain', you are 'the same' and will never 'change' There are some pretty powerful things. And we will do well to bare them in mind.
Now let us consider a New Testament text that is vitally important at this point:

But of the Son he says, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” (Hebrews 1: 8a, 10-12)

Here then, we have the writer of Hebrews communicating by the Spirit of God a further piece of information concerning Our Lord Jesus Christ. He tells this much in the first words 'But of the Son'  but then he appeals to the 102 Psalm; and in doing so, he opens up the 25-27 verses. But what does he make known to us about the Son? Let us ask it as a question: Whom does the writer of Hebrews tell us the Psalmist is speaking and writing of in his words? 
Now that is an important question. Let us now seek an answer. In applying the words of creativity and divinity to the Son; he is in no other way, telling us that Jesus Christ is the one true God. But he is not the Father. Hebrews is unquestionably and undeniably proclaiming Jesus as Yahweh.  


Argument no. 2

In Isaiah 43:8-11  we find these truly wondrous words describing God:

Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes. And the deaf, even though they have ears. All the nations have gathered together. So that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them can declare this? And proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say, “It is true.” “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me.  “I, even I, am the Lord,  And there is no savior besides Me.

Here we have another grand proclamation concerning the one true God (as to his haunter and being); we shall take heed of the following important truths, in the above verses we have God declaration of what is intention is in all the earth. And that is as he makes clear to  us 'you are my witness'  that is a vital thing and a crucial truth. That some point in the near future a people will be his witness. And it is also very important to keep the term 'witnesses' in view at this juncture. Let us be clear that this is also where the cult Jehovah witnesses take their name from 'LORD'  in this statement is the key term which is hiding the name of God 'Yahweh or Jehovah' and hence, in verse ten we have the declaration of Yahweh's witness  which this cult has adopted as their name 'Jehovah Witnesses.' There, then, we are up to date.
But there is more to this text in Isaiah than meets the eye. Foe it is the very text that the Lord Jesus applies to himself and his church as being missionary of his gospel. Not just ones but three times.

Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the [q]Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance [r]for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

There, then is the first time we come face to face with this grand truth of Isaiah's words being fulfilled in Christ and His ministry. The second is to come:

You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’ From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

This is the next powerful witness to the fact that the one who spoke through the Prophet Isaiah for these are the exact words that we saw in that 43rd chapter and Christ is speaking them about Himself. It is not about an organisation; but His very person. Here are Isaiah words to check against the words of the Lord: 'So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He'. The third and final witness is this one:

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;  but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Finally we  come to the third and final witnesses to the fact that the word given by Isaiah to his generation were indeed about a future time. And that they were to be fulfilled when the Divine Messiah would appear before men, and he would send people out to preach the gospel of the kingdom in his name. Notice that the words of Isaiah are indeed said by the Lord this time: 'You are my witnesses.' 
Now I ask a simple question in terms of how we are to understand the false and certainly unbiblical premise of the Jehovah Witnesses assumption on this text of Isaiah. Well, let us note at least one thing: The context of Isaiah is plain and clear it is not speaking of a whole Organisation nor any of the particular witness; first and foremost as the Spirit of God indicates that it is Jesus Christ and His disciple by both Luke and John respectively in unison.

Argument no. 3

In Isaiah 6: 1-7  we find these truly wondrous words describing God:

In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”

In this above passage, we have what is referred to as central text which is used for the doctrine of God Holiness in the Old Testament. But that is not the issue that I am seeking to address but the issue of whom is at the centre of this text. Let us note the text as a whole but also the specific verse of importance 'The world is full of his glory.' The Prophet Isaiah had a vision in which he came face to face with God, and in the process of this vision he witnessed 'the glory of God' which is described as filling the whole world. Such an amazing thing. 
Now Isaiah would say and is saying that he saw Yahweh upon the thrown, and indeed he does: 'I saw the Lord upon his Thrown.'  Yet when we turn to the New Testament, and the Gospel of John and Chapter 12: 37-43. John by the authority of the Holy Spirit points out an important fact about who Isaiah actually saw in His vision. Notice the following words of the Apostle John:

These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.  But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”   For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.”  These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.  Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue;  for they loved the approval of men rather than the [r]approval of God.

As we see in this passage from John, and this is the Spirit of God's very words by the Apostle, we are told that Isaiah actually saw Jesus prior to His incarnation: before he became a man. For Jesus is the One True God Yahweh.  

Argument no. 4

In Joel 2: 28-32 we find these truly wondrous words describing God:

It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. “Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. “I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke.  “The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.  “And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the Lord has said, Even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.

Here is the final text that I will put forth, it is a grand text that is used in the context of a particular New Testament event (as we will see later). But it is not the event that I want to focus on as such; but that the single line that is of import. Notice it now 'And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered; (or saved).' That is an amazing and important statement. For in it is the name of the one true God: Yahweh. That can be found in the term 'Lord'  but note that it put in Lord and not LORD-- that is the main point.
In the New Testament, we are given more evidence regarding this important statement and the one being Identified in the term Lord: 

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Now in this passage we have one the most important aspects of truth being stated: in that it is based on 'a confession with ones mouth' and then 'believes in his heart that God raised Him from the dead' that is all regarding Christ, our Lord. Both important thing which we should know are the direct result of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 12:1-2). While this should be something that captivate our hearts and it does. At this time, my focus is on the last words 'Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.' That is a grand statement.
And what Paul is clearly teaching is that one whom the text in Joel 2 is speaking as a saviour to all whom call upon him and his name is none other than Jesus Christ, our Lord. And if this is not established in this matter. Let us consider what Peter in Acts 2 has to state:

But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:  ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams; Even on My bond-slaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit And they shall prophesy. ‘And I will grant wonders in the sky above And signs on the earth below, Blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke. ‘The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood, Before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. ‘And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

There, then, we come to the final piece of information about just whom Joel is speaking of in his prophecy (chapter 2:28-32). And it is clear, that it is none other than Jesus Christ whom is the Saviour of man. As we can see that in this context, that Peter is telling us with regards to what has taken place in the onlooker presence. This amazing event (the coming of the Holy Spirit) is the fulfilment of that Old Testament prophecy. But the question needs to be asked: what was the whole thing in aid of? Or what is it proving to us in that moment?  In the first place, the establishing of Christ's church (Matthew 16:13-20); but it goes beyond this, to proving that Christ is God in the flesh.  In the second place, that Christ is the coming saviour that the Old testament prophesied; and even more that it is Christ whom being God will saved all those the father has given; the Spirit has done a work in and have come to him in faith.

The bottom line is this. The whole bible is about Christ and none but him. He is the God man, the saviour of man, the redeemer and he is alone the redeemer. He needs no one to aid him or usurp his role. And that is what cults such as Jehovah Witnesses do.