“Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom 1:3,4).
God is recreating the whole of humanity in Christ as one new man. Humanity, after the fall, became a hopeless mass of warring factions, divided into numerous fragments. There are divisions of all sorts. Divisions based on gender, race, color, nationality, economic class, education, ability, language, custom, creed, religious denomination, etc. But at humanity’s inception, there was only one image from which God made them. There was one united homogeneous humanity in Adam.
One thing I can tell you for certain, my Dear Sisters and Brothers, is that humanity will be whole again when the original perfect image of God is restored. And “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor 15:22).
The blessed Son of God is the perfect image of the Father. The phrase used in the King James Version is “express image”. This in the original Greek word used means the impressed character, like one from a steel engraving. He’s the perfect imprint, the exact copy through and through, the image of God.
We can say without any fear of contradiction that the Lord Jesus Christ is the revelation of God to us because He is the perfect image of God’s person.
Anyone Who Has Seen Jesus, Has Seen the Father
“He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself. but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me” (Jn. 14:9-11).
He is the visible manifestation of God and the only whole human being. We find in Him, a man who satisfies every attribute which God demands. He is man that perfectly fit God’s design without any lack or deficiency. No wonder the Lord Jesus could boldly say:
And because He walked the earth as ‘man’ in the original image and likeness of God He could say the following with God confirming His every word:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” (Joh 5:25).
“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man” (Joh 5:26,27).
“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him” (Joh 5:22,23).
“But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose,and departed to his house” (Matt 9:6,7).
Jesus is God’s first begotten and bears the perfect resemblance of His Father. To say it more accurately, He was and is the exact image of His Father through and through. He is the only one so far to bear the Father’s image and likeness. The 3rd verse of the 1st Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that the Son was the brightness and glory of God, and the express image of His Person.
“God, who in ancient days spoke to our forefathers in many distinct messages and by various methods through the Prophets, has at the end of these days spoken to us through a Son, who is the pre-destined Lord of the universe, and through whom He made the Ages.
He brightly reflects God’s glory and is the exact representation of His being, and upholds the universe by His all-powerful word. After securing man’s purification from sin He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as far superior to the angels as the Name He possesses by inheritance is more excellent than theirs” (Heb 1:1-4, Weymouth).
He is the expression of God’s mind to us. If you want to know the mind of God or what He’s saying or doing today, just listen to Jesus. He is the Word of God.
The phrase “the brightness of God’s glory” used to describe Jesus in the King James Version means the outshining or the effulgence of His glory. He is God shining out brilliantly toward us. Weymouth translation renders the phrase as—‘brightly reflects God’s glory’. We know little or nothing about God apart from the revelation given us in His Son. He is the out-raying of the Divine that has been manifested to us, and only through Him can we know the Father.
Testimony of God Concerning Jesus
“For to which of the angels did God ever say, “my son art thou: I have this day become thy father;” and again, “I will be a father to him, and he shall be my son”? But speaking of the time when he once more brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “and let all God’s angels worship him.” Moreover of the angels he says, “he changes his angels into winds, and his ministering servants into a flame of fire” (Heb 1:5-7).
“But of his Son, he says, “Thy throne, o God, is forever and forever, and the sceptre of thy kingdom is a sceptre of absolute justice. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness beyond thy companions” (Heb 1:8,9).
“It is also of His Son that God says, “Thou, O Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. The heavens will perish, but thou remainest; and they will all grow old like a garment, and, as though they were a mantle thou wilt roll them up; yes, like a garment, and they will undergo change. but thou art the same, and thy years will never come to an end.” (Heb 1:10-12, Weymouth).
The Bible opens with the most profound statement ever recorded, “In the beginning – GOD!” The sweet singer of Israel sang of Him saying: “ Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (Ps. 90:2). How awesome the thought that there was a “time” when there was absolutely nothing – except God! There was no earth, no moon, no stars and planets, no angels, no devils, no man, nothing but only God by Himself.
Apostle Paul caught a revelation of the awesomeness of the Self-existent One and God inspired him to write:
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell” (Col. 1:15-17).
This is the testimony of God the Father concerning Jesus before the foundation of the earth. This is also stated in the Book of Beginnings of the New Testament saying:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing that exists came into being” (Joh 1:1-3).
The Testimony of God Concerning Jesus through the Prophets
We will examine just one prophecy in this section, and of course, this will come from the Book of Isaiah. He prophesied concerning the birth and ministry of the Lord Jesus as if he was there watching with a divine 20:20 vision. Let see what God said concerning Jesus through this exceptional prophet.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this” (Isa 9:6,7, ASV).
The prophecy starts with “Unto us a Child is born.” This talks about Christ’s humanity, born of a woman; the son of Joseph, the son of David, the son of Abraham, the son of Adam (Luke 3:23-38). He is perfectly human.
The prophecy continues: “Unto us a Son is given and his name shall be called… Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father”
It showed a lady fitted out with a fur hat and fur boa who sat upright, raising a heavy fur muff that covered the whole of her lower arm towards the viewer. Gregor then turned to look out the window at the dull weather. Drops of rain could be heard hitting the pane, which made him feel quite sad
Wait just a minute!
Did you hear what that grey-haired prophet just said? Didn’t he just say a human child would be born and his name would be called “Mighty God”? Hey! We can give Him a pass as Mr. Wonderful, but “Mighty God!”
What blasphemy! Was any scribe, Pharisee, or any zealot of the Law listening?
Isaiah had the audacity to utter such words of prophecy that makes a human child equal with God. If the Scribes and Pharisees were present, they were probably preoccupied with the sanctimonious rituals that they missed the most important prophecy of their lifetime.
If they were listening and understood what Isaiah said, they would either have accepted the message with awe and blessed Jehovah God for this wonderful promise, or they would have rejected it and thrown Isaiah out of the synagogue for uttering blasphemy of the rankest order. They would have considered this an outrageous blasphemy and reacted violently in defense of Jehovah.
But the fact is that they read and recited these prophecies day-in, day-out without understanding the mystery of God which they were reciting, for “without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1Ti 3:16).
“Unto us a child is born, His name shall be called, Mighty God”. It does not say ‘mighty man’, but the Mighty God. A little child, who will be called the Mighty God. This is Immanuel, God with us. He is perfectly God, and perfectly human. “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us” (Matt 1:23).
Who named the Child, the Mighty God? Is it Isaiah?
No, it’s not Isaiah, he was only a mouth-piece for God.
He was a messenger, a prophet who delivered the message given him by God Almighty. Therefore, it’s God who named the Child Jesus, the Mighty God. This is also confirmed in the Epistle to the Hebrews where God the Father called Jesus God. “But of the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; And the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom” (Heb 1:8).
God Almighty appointed the Son, the Lord Jesus, heir of all things. He is the rightful owner of everything in heaven, on earth, and underneath the earth. All that was, all that is, and all that will be, belong to Him and will come to Him.
Jesus is before all things. He is the beginning of all things, everything was created in Him, by Him, and for Him. He is the Alpha and Omega. All things will end up in Him. The predestined end of this world and of all the reaches of space will come under the reign of Jesus Christ. He will rule over all forever and ever.
This is the testimony that God the Father gave concerning the Son, Jesus the Anointed One. He called Him God and set Him on the throne.
This same Jesus is the eternal King of kings and Lord of lords, and the creator of the universe. He created all things, upholds all things, and has purpose for all things. This, my friend, should make you rest at ease that no crazy superpower can blow up this earth of His in a nuclear holocaust. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein.” He laid the foundations of the earth in the beginning, and even the heavens are the works of His hand. Fear not, therefore, for He holds the whole world in His hands.
