Evidence of God

 My posts are evidence of my persuasion and my persuasion and memories are the evidence of God and the Christ and the Holy Spirit and a believing church.

Holy Wit

 The Holy Spirit has a great power of wit. No not wit in the comedy sense. Wit in the skill in wisdom sense. Wit in finding ways to do difficult things with deft and completely competent ability. A maze is difficult to navigate but someone might conceive of a way to overcome all the difficulties in such a way it becomes utterly achievable with complete confidence. That is wit like the Holy Spirit wields with flourish like a champion expert fencing swordsman. Like Zorro. Slash, slash, slash and the mark of mastery is cut in the cloth. Look at tongues. He can make light work of the need for proof of identity and authority. No need for fancy identity cards. He can simply give one person a message on their lips which they cannot understand, in an absolutely alien language, welling up from their spirit involuntarily. Then He can give a person hearing that message an inner certainty of what it means by causing the words in their native language which match the message to well up within them. And these two separate pieces of the puzzle fit together so there is no need to doubt that it came from the Holy Spirit if those words of that message glorify Jesus as Lord and Christ bringing the truth from Jesus to the ears and spirits of the hearers who believe. It is double-entry proof. He is not limited to one such piece of wit. He can whisper words that are initially like a mysterious riddle but when followed like a treasure hunt clue lead to wisdom that prove the words whispered were from Him and could not possibly have been imagined. Unbelievers do not know these things because they do not know this Spirit, yet. It must all sound so far fetched. Yet when you know, you know.

Prospects

 The Book of Enoch tells quite a tale, so powerful it can greatly improve the prospects of anyone who believes it. It’s central chapters tell of Enoch being taken up into a place where the Head of Days and the Son of Man dwelt. The final chapters tell that these two awesome beings forever help the righteous and lead the righteous eventually into a fellowship with them that never ends. The opening chapters tell how creation obeys the commands of this Head of Days. Other chapters tell how angels use the name of that Son of Man to counteract evils and keep Nature on an even keel. The whole Book of Enoch comes to life when its sacred contents are picked up by Jesus who identified Himself with the Son of Man, then Jesus’ brother Jude confirmed the truly heavenly prophetic nature and authenticity of the prophecies it contains. When we realise by heaven-granted holy intuition that this Jesus is the Son of Man unto whom the ancient prophet Enoch was taken up before the days of Noah then we find our prospects suddenly elevated: This Jesus is alive now and forever so by believing and obeying His teachings we can obtain His help and have it keeping us in fellowship with Himself and with His God. This Son of Man and the Head of Days. 

Belief in God

 People believe in God because God manifests Himself. As do angels from time to time and ghosts. But belief in God goes beyond just belief in His existence. It includes persuasion that God can be relied on to properly answer prayers and send saving help. The cross of Christ persuades some of this.

Original concept of scripture

 Book of Enoch chapter 104: “ 10. And now I know this mystery, that sinners will alter and pervert the words of righteousness in many ways, and will speak wicked words, and lie, and practice great deceits, and write books concerning their words. 11. But when they write down truthfully all my words in their languages, and do not change or minish ought from my words but write them all down truthfully--all that I first testified concerning them. 12. Then, I know another mystery, that books will be given to the righteous and the wise to become a cause of joy and uprightness and much wisdom. 13. And to them shall the books be given, and they shall believe in them and rejoice over them, and then shall all the righteous who have learnt therefrom all the paths of uprightness be recompensed.'”

Maybe this passage is strong evidence of the origin of what religions call scripture. Looking at early origins is a good technique for discovering the root of a concept or belief. Here we find one of the first prophets, Enoch, writing about his own writings. He distinguishes his writings from other writings and quotations. He teaches that instead of quoting each other, if people instead translate and quote his writings there will be holy blessing. This is perhaps what is truly meant by ‘scripture’: words written which bring holy blessings when faithfully copied and translated without perverting them, bringing blessing when taught rather than quoting the teachings of more common, less holy teachers. Such blessed writings are credited to the workings of God in holy people such as Enoch and other prophets like him. Modern understanding of ‘scripture’ is a perversion of this, focusing instead on canonisation, a human process of distinguishing writing from writing. Jesus Christ came and taught about scripture according to this original concept of it, not the canonical concept which developed centuries later which is prevalent today.

“Israel has sinned”

 The rejection of both the Messiah and the Holy Spirit have constituted rejection of Israel’s God, the Father. Yet it did not only happen two thousand years ago. That sin by ‘Israel’ in Jesus’ time has been perpetuated when the Church let Jerome lead them into rejection of the Book of Enoch along with any scriptures not found in the accepted set of scriptures the Jews of Jerome’s time in the fourth century AD collected as the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew Bible of that time was compiled at the discretion of Jews who had firmly rejected Jesus as Messiah. So although New Testament Greek scriptures were accepted by Jerome in addition to this Hebrew set, his rejection of scriptures not in either set, such as the Book of Enoch, and then the Church following suit after Jerome, this was tantamount to alignment with those who had rejected Jesus, and this is highlighted by Jesus and Jude and John and Peter having shown strong support for the Book of Enoch the Church was rejecting. The Church was rejecting the judgment and counsel of Jesus the Messiah and Jude His brother and the Holy Spirit who had inspired Jude.

Proof behind closed doors

 Does finding God count as enough verifiable evidence to be called proof? When God comes in a dream and tells you things which then lead to proof it really is God, for the one visited that is proof enough. There is nothing unusual about a closed door set of evidence given to a jury who return a verdict. The fact nobody else sees the proof does not negate it being proof. If the things the evidence proves go even beyond the mere existence of God and create a whole religion and faith right inside you that is kind of life changing too. You get to be the brunt of unbeliever ire and the victim of their tortious interference. And maybe even some among friends and family think you are making it up. You cannot let them share the proof you believe but it is still proof.

The glorious mystery

Angels and humans becoming biological partners was so contrary to God’s will, the Book of Enoch records for us, that God severely punished those angels who engaged in it. Angels do not need marriage and children. This, God pronounced, is because angels are not mortal so they have no need of it. Humans are mortal so they have human partners to comfort each other and provide children for each other. Suppose the Holy Spirit takes you back to the beginning of time, by revelation, you find Jesus is there. Actually there. Not just by foretelling prophetic foreknowledge. Actually there. The Son of God from before creation. Among the angels but hidden from Mankind. Enoch saw Him. Enoch was taken up to Him, instead of dying, the Book of Enoch records. The Son of Man so much closer to God than any angel. The One by whose name the angels make petitions to God, invoking the Son’s name. Yet what could allow, in the will of God, this Son to be like a husband to believers, taking the church of all His believing followers as a bride for Himself? It was that He became the flesh and bone genuine and mortal human we know appeared 2000 years ago in our human history. He was destined for this and so they called Him from time immemorial the Son of Man. Having died and risen He is something not yet fully revealed but the church of His believing followers will share this new nature too. That will be a marriage truly made in Heaven.

Actually there

 Suppose the Holy Spirit takes you back to the beginning of time (which He can and does do, as He did with me, by revelation, just a glimmer but a living one, ongoing), you would find Jesus is there.  Actually there. Not just by foretelling prophetic foreknowledge. Actually there.

Sons of God

Being God. Only the Father is that. Being equal, pretty much, to the Father. Only the one and only Son is that. Being other sons of God is the most we can be and if we receive Jesus we can have power to be it, with the power Jesus gives. 

Genesis

 Genesis: God created - first life, then faith.

Truth that sets free

Knowing and following the Son of Man leads to freedom by the knowledge of truth about this Son of Man and His God, and the Book of Enoch supports that truth in writing, to encourage us as we learn the truth. We find a man eventually born human whose God works through Him by His faith and this God’s love. The truth is we too can have that same kind of unity with this God. The Book of Enoch tells of this God and His Son. It tells of living by the Spirit sent from this God instead of by carnal cravings. It tells of this Son supporting those who rely on Him. It tells of an eternal blessed state of harmonious fellowship between the God of this Anointed One and the Anointed One Himself, the Son, and the righteous who have learned to live by these truths and been saved by this Son of God. It encourages us to look to this way and to love one another as we learn to walk in it, assured of a glorious future for those who are led to overcome their spiritual blindness and who adhere to living as God’s temple, not forsaking His glorious house.

Cheeky Trinitarian translators

 Titus 2:13 is an example of how Trinitarian translators into English all conspire, perhaps unconsciously, to change scriptures to make them look Trinitarian. 

See also https://biblehub.com/text/1_timothy/3-16.htm for another example. The word God is inserted by English translators to make the verse seem to support a Trinity doctrine. 

Jerome’s Scripture Opinion

 If by the second century AD most Jewish religious leaders and scholars had already firmly rejected Jesus as a Messiah, why did the Christian religious leaders such as Jerome later give so much importance to second century AD Jewish religious leader opinions about what was and what wasn’t, in their eyes, canonical scripture? Shouldn’t they rather have valued beliefs of those who believed Jesus to be Messiah, such as Jude who proclaimed Enoch’s writings to be true prophecy? Doesn’t it say something dire about the leaders such as Jerome and those who put them on a pedestal (as many do so ever since). “Whose side are they on?!” seems an obvious question. (Admittedly, though, Jerome was actually put on trial by the church for being too secular and more devoted to teachings of Hellenistic pagan Roman orator Cicero than to teachings of Jesus Christ. So this question was indeed being asked by his contemporaries.)

How ancient are the Book of Enoch passages describing the Son of Man?

Jesus once asked “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
The Book of Enoch was very popular in Jesus’ time. It seems scholarly opinion tends to believe this included the passages about the Son of Man, even though they are not found in Dead Sea Scroll fragments of the Book of Enoch.
Reality check: Were the ancients aware in Old Testament times of these passages describing the Son of Man? If they were, we would expect the Old Testament to have some evidence of this. Is there any?
Where would such evidence be most likely to appear in Old Testament scriptures? Did Abraham know about the Book of Enoch? Writings from Jesus’ time suggest Abraham was aware of the book. Would that mean Abraham knew about the Son of Man? Is there any evidence he did? The Book of Genesis does not mention it. However Jesus did say “Abraham saw my day and rejoiced”. How did Abraham know about Jesus and His day? One way might be these passages in the Book of Enoch.
The other most obvious place to find the Book of Enoch evidenced in Old Testament scriptures is the Book of Daniel which has so many similarities with it that it implies one influenced the other. No passage shows greater similarity than the seventh chapter:

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, a coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
— The Book of Daniel chapter 7

Compare this to chapter 46 of the Book of Enoch and you see the similarities. Now note that this passages is from the sections of the Book of Enoch missing from Dead Sea Scrolls (those publicity available at least) which mention the Son of Man.

“And there I saw One who had a head of days,
And His head was white like wool,
And with Him was another being whose countenance had the appearance of a man,
And his face was full of graciousness, like one of the holy angels.
And I asked the angel who went with me and showed me all the hidden things, concerning that Son of Man, who he was, and whence he was, (and) why he went with the Head of Days? And he answered and said unto me:
This is the son of Man who hath righteousness,
With whom dwelleth righteousness,
And who revealeth all the treasures of that which is hidden,
Because the Lord of Spirits hath chosen him,
And whose lot hath the pre-eminence before the Lord of Spirits in uprightness for ever.
And this Son of Man whom thou hast seen
Shall †raise up† the kings and the mighty from their seats,
[And the strong from their thrones]
And shall loosen the reins of the strong,
And break the teeth of the sinners.
[And he shall put down the kings from their thrones and kingdoms]
Because they do not extol and praise Him,
Nor humbly acknowledge whence the kingdom was bestowed upon them.
And he shall put down the countenance of the strong,
And shall fill them with shame.”
— The Book of Enoch chapter 46

So if Daniel had translated the Book of Enoch or at least if he had a copy in a language he could read (and clearly he was a brilliant scholar of his time) and he knew this passage in particular, then he would have known about the Son of Man. What other information about the Son of Man would he have known? The following passage shows he could have known that this Son of Man had existed in the time of Enoch who met Him when ascending to heaven. And Daniel would have believed that the same Son of Man was the one like a son of man he himself had seen in his vision (Daniel chapter 7).

“And it came to pass after this that his name during his lifetime was raised aloft to that Son of Man and to the Lord of Spirits from amongst those who dwell on the earth. And he was raised aloft on the chariots of the spirit and his name vanished among them. And from that day I was no longer numbered amongst them: and he set me between the two winds, between the North and the West, where the angels took the cords to measure for me the place for the elect and righteous. And there I saw the first fathers and the righteous who from the beginning dwell in that place.
— The Book of Enoch chapter 70

So as Jesus asked, do you believe in the Son of Man?

“Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’
‘Who is he, sir?’ the man asked. ‘Tell me so that I may believe in him.’
Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.’”
— The Gospel of John chapter 9

Friend and Master

When you know Jesus has the keys to your deepest heart then you know He is both friend and master.

Helpdesk

The Lord Jesus: The heaven-sent Helpdesk agent who can command angels and storms and fix any problem Nature sends. Nice that He kindly wields that power now on our behalf. And the Father, He is just like Jesus, but God, not human.

Love God most

A person loving others more than God will only obey God’s command if it doesn’t upset those they love.

Why I believe in the preexistence of Christ

I have always believed in the preexistence of Christ. Changing away from some aspects of Trinitarian doctrine I did need to maintain certainty about preexistence, especially when faced with Soccinianism arguments which I had never heard before and had to weigh up carefully. The belief I have is that the truth that nature itself depends on Christ’s name’s power must surely mean that name has persisted through all creation’s history and if Christ only existed in recent history it would be too unimaginable for creation to depend so fundamentally on something only existing prophetically then switch only two thousand years ago to fundamentally depend on something existing actually. That would be such an immense metaphysical change in the nature of things that it would warrant major doctrines and revelations. The fact the conception of Christ came so “silently, silently” necessitates the belief that He already existed and already held nature together by the power of His word and name. This is all consistent with scripture.

Preexistent Christ

People might like to think Jesus did not exist until His conception but they have to ignore a lot of important scriptures in persisting that idea. Ultimately they cannot get a true concept of the Christ; what Christ is. You need to get it clear what Christ means, to believe Jesus is the Christ and so be saved from dying in sin.

Churches today

How long would Christ or an apostle last today in a Trinitarian, Unitarian, Oneness Pentecostal, Jehovah Witness or Soccinian-Arian church today? How long before they said something that got them thrown out or effectively gagged for not towing the dogmatic line? In John chapter 8 we see how telling the Jews about His preexistence almost got Jesus stoned to death.

True theology about Christ

A quick scan on all the theological Christian groups  mentioned in Wikipedia such as Trinitarian, Unitarian, Arian, Semi-Arian, Binitarian, Jehovah Witnesses, Oneness Pentecostals, it seems to me the closest to the teachings of Christ in scripture and beliefs of the first apostles about Christ is Semi-Arianism, although it too tries to be too specific about matters not mentioned in scripture such as the substantive nature of Christ before He became flesh. It holds to a belief that Christ was the Son of God before creation and is a person having life and existence created by God but distinct from God. To my understanding and beliefs about Christ He did exist as Son of God before creation and God produced Him as His Word from God Himself before any creation and gave Him His own life to have in Himself as a being in His own right. This seems to me to sum up what we find in John’s gospel and consistent with teachings from the Holy Spirit down through history and today.

Definition of a Christ

A Christ is a chief person who is so much what God wants in a person that God is not ashamed to call Him His Son.

A visit to Cyprus

This year, 2020, before the pandemic, I visited Cyprus as a tourist and stayed near a church where the tomb of Lazarus’ second burial was found. In another part of Cyprus are similar tombs dating back to that time when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and the local traditions say Lazarus lived another few decades before dying the second time. It is a welcome reminder that it was at an actual time and place and in what is today called the land of Israel but back when these tombs were soon going to be used that Jesus the Christ, the son of God who came from heaven into this world, died on a cross to make amends for our sins then rose from the dead to mediate for us forever with His God and Father. We have this Christ now and forever; ours if we believe in Him and hold to His teachings.

Oneness, Unitarian and Trinitarian error

In the mid 90s the Father and Son and Holy Spirit together proved to me that the Unitarians and Trinitarians and Oneness are each partly wrong. The Father appeared in a dream and told me He is God (He said “I am God”, not ‘we are God’). He also showed me His high regard for ordinary people. The Son did a miracle for me and in doing so proved He is the Son of God the Father and they work together in unity. The Holy Spirit proved that Jesus existed before Creation and that Jesus’ authority keeps all Creation together. The word from them then said “Israel has sinned” which I take it to mean everyone is getting it wrong and holding to false doctrine about God. Years later the Holy Spirit spoke to me and I heard Him as a person and He proved He exists as a real person. He used scripture to do it. Everyone doubts scripture except when it seems to support their doctrine so we need first hand revelatory experiential knowledge from God besides scripture too, to correct our mistakes which our Bible readings do not correct.

What is true

Humans can judge what is true and be led into truth but humans do not get to decide what is true.

The son of God Christ

When the Jews of Jesus time spoke of a son of God who was to come into the world, it was an existing son of God like the sons of God mentioned in the Book of Job. This is what they meant by the Christ.

Is Trinitarian doctrine true doctrine?

The formulating of the Trinity idea did have a little basis in truth in that the Father and Son have great unity. The Holy Spirit comes as a distinct person too. That is why the Father waited until Jesus had returned to Him (mission accomplished) before sending the Holy Spirit. Being sent by another person is a crucial indicator that someone is a distinct person. You do not SEND your own spirit to anyone. Of course it got very confused by Tertullian’s unfortunate collaboration with his gnostic opponents. Nice diplomacy for the expediency of debate outcomes, but in giving way to Gnostic and Hellenistic love of the number three and three-fold pantheons, Tertullian caused terrible risk of dividing traditional Christians and muddying the waters of doctrine. God is not the author of confusion. 

What is a Christ?

It is crucial to understand that the Christ who came 2000 years ago was Christ even before He came. A Christ is a chief person who is so much what God wants in a person that God is not ashamed to call Him His Son. God fully approves of the Christ in every way. This is crucial to the chief task given the Christ which was to die on a cross as atonement to purify the disciples from their sins, and then to rise and lead them into eternal life.

Lord by nature

When Jesus said “you call me master and lord and that is what I am” He declared that master is not His role but His nature. In contrast Paul spoke of leaders of this world “who by nature are not gods”. If you become a leader you realise you are never really by nature a god but sometimes you are expected to behave like one. No matter how high we rise, lifted up by God to higher social status, we are aware we are by nature not noble, even though nobility gets thrust upon us. Yet Jesus could declare himself to be master and lord without even having risen to lofty social status. This means He must have had even early in life already a lofty status. It did not come during childhood or short three years of ministry. John the Baptist declared Jesus as greater than himself when Jesus was still obscure and just starting a public ministry so Jesus had status already even before many knew about Him. 

The origin of Lord Jesus

Jesus is the Word who came forth from God before anything else existed. He came forth having been part of what God is. A human or other organism makes offspring in such a way that the offspring originally is part of the parents. Then at some point it gets given a separate existence and a life in itself. This captures what it was before any creation existed for the Son of God to be given life as an entity in Himself, before creation came into being. Then God created all things through Him. (John 1 )

Jesus existed aeons before His birth

Jesus really did exist long before we see Him appear in history, aeons before.

Firstly there is the prophecy by John the Baptist who proclaimed that Jesus surpassed him because He existed before him. Jesus existed before John the Baptist, said John by the Holy Spirit, yet John was born months before Jesus was born.

Secondly, Daniel had a vision in which he saw one like a son of man entering the presence of God, the Ancient of Days. Later he saw Jesus in detail and described what he saw in a way John writer of the Apocalypse centuries later (with hindsight knowledge of Jesus) exactly used again when he saw a vision of Jesus, signifying to us that Jesus is this one seen by Daniel. The one seen by Daniel centuries earlier put a hand on Daniel’s shoulder to encourage him. This was not future but was a man alive in Daniel’s time. Jesus was there with Daniel as an angelic man, like a literal man (son of man), centuries before being born from a virgin.

Thirdly, Micah foretold the coming of Jesus centuries before Jesus came but used these words, telling us Jesus had existed and was active from an almost infinite time in the past: “And thou, Bethleem, house of Ephratha, art few in number to be reckoned among the thousands of Juda; yet out of thee shall one come forth to me, to be a ruler of Israel; and his goings forth were from the beginning, even from eternity.”

Fourthly, Jesus Himself proclaimed (John 8 ) that “before Abraham was born, I was/am” and those who heard Him, in their lack of belief, tried to stone Him for proclaiming something which could only be true for the Christ. The Christ, who they knew the prophecies like Micah’s had foretold as existing since time immemorial and being sent to Israel.

Fifthly, the apostles such as Paul proclaimed in their scriptural writings that Jesus was the firstborn over all creation through whom God the Father made all things.

Sixthly, there are other proofs such as what the Holy Spirit tells through prophecies.

Seventhly, there are other books regarded as scriptures in Jesus’ time in Israel such as the Book of Enoch which tells of Enoch being caught up to the Son of Man in heaven.

Jesus is alpha and omega. He is with the first believers such as Abraham, Enoch, Noah, and with the last such as those today and those who will come later.

Proving Jesus is the Christ foretold in prophecy

Signs that Jesus is the Christ who was to come into the world:

John the Baptist: a preacher telling the one with two coats to give to him who had none, who fulfilled the prophecy that a voice would be heard in the wilderness lifting up valleys (those with no coat receiving a coat) and bringing low mountains (those with two coats giving one away) so there is a level ground for the Lord to be revealed, and who is that Lord who came after John? Jesus. He came after John the Baptist but was before Him in time. (Isaiah 40 )

The times are controlled by God, the Ancient of Days, but one goes into this Ancient of Days’ presence who is like a son of man. So Daniel foretold the exact time of the crucifixion by describing seven years at a foretold time in history and in the middle of those seven dies the Christ being cut off and having nothing. And so Jesus was crucified at that exact time in history and was in the ground (in the underworld) half of a week, before rising again. This time was linked to the command for the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem seventy sevens earlier and the time of the crucifixion was followed by resurrection in which after three days Jesus rebuilt the temple of His body and started the building of His church. Only God the Father can bring about such exact timings foretold centuries in advance because only God has enough dominion over time. So Jesus is shown to come from God, foretold as Christ. (Daniel 9 )

The name of Jesus is really best translated similar to the name of Isaiah but withou the -iah. This is how Aramaic spells it as Isa (Arabic too) which is the language of Jesus’ people and time. Isaiah foretold this similarity and foretold the significance of it since Isa means Salvation. So the angel who gave Jesus that name foretold Jesus saving His people from their sins. Isaiah linked this aspect of Jesus with the followers of Jesus given Him by God. These He saves. (Isaiah 8 ).

So here are three proofs from prophecy that Jesus is the Christ, i.e. the Son of God who was to come into the world.

Jesus, Salvation

Note the meaning of Jesus’ name. It means Salvation. It means Deliverance. “For He shall save His people from their sins.”

The Christ

What did the apostles mean by calling Jesus ‘the Christ’? They meant ‘the Christ: i.e. the Son of God who was to come into the world’. They didn’t mean God. If they did mean Jesus is God Himself then they  would have confessed it instead and risked execution. Even confessing Jesus as ‘Son of God’ risked similar fate. Given the possibility of charges of the capital crime of blasphemy they would be very careful what to confess, that if it meant potentially fatal backlash from strict Jewish brethren they would better be in trouble for truth than error. Yet by confessing Jesus as the Christ’ they knew what that meant, namely the Son of God who was to come into the world from God. A person with all God’s characteristic makings and righteousness and chosen by God to be sent for the saving of the Jews. Not God Himself. The God-chosen, God-made mediator between man and God. 

The reason the apostles called Jesus the Lord

Note why the apostles called Christ Jesus ‘the Lord’. A Lord in those days was the master of the household slaves and head of the family. So service was constantly directed at this Lord of the house. Yet it did not count as idolatry of course. God alone was still God alone, worshiped as God alone. This is why they recognised Jesus as Lord and never confused Jesus with God, God the Father.