C101-6. DID Jesus COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN? DOWNLOAD to SAVE as a PDF Doc to read OFFLINE. C101-6. DID Jesus COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN?
Chapter 6.
Church TRADITION interprets John 3:13 to mean that the pre-existing God the Son came DOWN from Heaven and was INCARNATED to become flesh, but yet remained the fully Almighty God in the flesh having TWO natures at the SAME TIME, one divine and one human. But what does the Bible ITSELF teach us? In other words, what does John 3:13 truly mean in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God if it does NOT mean that a so-called pre-existing God the Son came down from heaven? Let us read John 3:16 OUT of its CONTEXT first since that is the way that church TRADITION quotes it in order to try to prove that a so-called God the Son came DOWN from HEAVEN, died on the cross, and then ascended back into heaven.
John 3:13.
“And no man has ascended up to heaven, but he that CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, even the Son of MAN which is in heaven.”
Again, church TRADITION interprets this verse of Scripture to mean that Jesus himself said that he CAME DOWN FROM heaven and BECAME a MAN. And then, the Son of MAN ascended back up into heaven where he is now. But what does the Bible ITSELF teach us when this verse of Scripture is LEFT in its CONTEXT and it is correctly interpreted in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God? Let us now read the context of John 3:13 to learn its true sound Biblical meaning.
John 3:1-18.
“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2. The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God: for no MAN can do these miracles that you do, except God is WITH him. (So clearly, Nicodemus understood that Jesus was a MAN whom God was WITH) 3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a MAN is born again, he cannot see (Or understand) the kingdom of God. 4. Nicodemus said unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a MAN is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (In other words, except a MAN is born again in the water of baptism to receive the Spirit of God to dwell in him, he cannot ENTER into the kingdom of God. Now, to be fair, some Christians interpret being born of water as the natural human birth being born out of the water of the mother's womb. But to me, the context is about being born AGAIN, as in, being born OF God. Again, some Christians argue that the fallen angels are not FLESH, and thus, Jesus is saying that only HUMANS can be born again. Now, while I agree that the fallen angels will NOT be saved, I do not see anywhere in the context that Jesus is comparing humans with the angels. Please understand that I am NOT saying that a Christian who has never been baptized in water is not truly saved. But rather, I am saying that every true Christian should OBEY the teaching of Jesus to be baptized in water. I mean, it is obvious that a MAN is ALREADY born of water in the mother's womb. So WHY would Jesus even say born of water if he did not INTEND his words to be water BAPTISM?) 6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7. Marvel not that I said unto you, You must be born again. 8. The wind blows where it lists, and you hear the sound thereof, but you cannot tell from where it comes, and where it goes: so is every one that is BORN of the Spirit. 9. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? (Or HOW can men be BORN of the Spirit? This question asked by Nicodemus is the KEY to correctly understanding verse 13 the way God INTENDS it to be understood) 10. Jesus ANSWERED and said unto him, Are you a master of Israel, and know not these things? 11. Verily, verily, I say unto you, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and you receive not our witness. (Who are the “WE” in this verse of Scripture? To me, the “WE” in this verse of Scripture are the ANOINTED Son of MAN, Jesus, and Almighty God the Father DWELLING in him who is giving the words to speak to Nicodemus. And what Jesus has SEEN, he either saw in a vision from God or he PERCEIVED and understood his future GLORY from God revealing the Scriptures to him) 12. If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how shall you believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13. And (Or even so I will go ahead and tell you the heavenly things that I have seen by revelation from God. Remember that Jesus is ANSWERING the question as to HOW can man be BORN of the Spirit and Jesus is telling Nicodemus the FUTURE that had not yet happened at the time he was teaching Nicodemus about being BORN of the Spirit) no MAN has ASCENDED UP to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of MAN which is in heaven. 14. And (Or MOREOVER) as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of MAN be lifted up: 15. THAT whosoever (Or any MAN who) believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (And to me, a person who truly BELIEVES will OBEY the teachings of Jesus by being BORN again of the WATER of baptism. Water baptism is a public confession of one's faith that they have received the Spirit to dwell in them. All true born again Christians receive the Holy Spirit to empower them to endure under the end. For you see, only those of us who endure unto the end shall be CHANGED or generated by the Spirit to become the ETERNAL sons of God. So then, while it is true that we are indeed saved BEFORE we are baptized in water, it is ALSO true that the DISOBEDIENT children will suffer the WRATH of God, according to Ephesians 5:6-8. Is not being baptized in water a part of the gospel message of salvation? YES! After the first gospel message, those who believed asked Peter, what shall we do? And Peter said repent and be BAPTIZED every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, according to Acts 2:38. And to me, this instruction to be baptized in water is not grievous to obey) 16. For (Or BECAUSE) God so loved the world, that He gave His ONLY BEGOTTEN Son, (Or the ONLY Son who is BORN of the WATER and the Spirit to receive the Holy Spirit to DWELL IN him. And NOT begotten in the eternity past as church TRADITION wrongly teaches. In other words, the word begotten can be interpreted to mean that the Son of God was begotten in the eternity past as some Christians dogmatically demand. Other Christians interpret that the Son of God was begotten at the virgin birth. And yet other Christians interpret that the Son of MAN was begotten to become the adopted human Son of God and the baptism of Jesus, which is when he received the Holy Spirit or the ANOINTING of God) that whosoever believes in him (Speaking of believing in Jesus as being the CHRIST or Jesus ANOINTED. And that Jesus was BEGOTTEN by God and NOT by the will of man. In other words, whosoever believes that Jesus is the CHRIST and the Son OF the Living God) should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17. For (Or BECAUSE) God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (Please know and understand that Jesus sent us INTO the world in the SAME WAY that God SENT His Son Jesus INTO the world, according to John 17:18) 18. He that believes in him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the NAME of the ONLY BEGOTTEN Son of God.”
So then, clearly the “he” who came DOWN FROM HEAVEN in verse 13 was the ONLY BEGOTTEN Son of God. And since the Son of God was BEGOTTEN, then that means that the Son of God had a BEGINNING. And church TRADITION says that God the Son has NO BEGINNING. Otherwise, he could NOT be Almighty God, the second person of a Godhead Trinity God because God has NO BEGINNING. So since the Son of Almighty God has a BEGINNING, then that means that Jesus cannot possibly be Almighty God Himself. And since Acts 2:36 clearly teaches us in SIMPLICITY that God MADE the Son of MAN, Jesus, to BECOME His Lord and Christ AFTER the cross and resurrection, then that means that the Son of God did NOT pre-exist as Lord up in heaven in the eternity past as church TRADITION CLAIMS. Also notice that the CONTEXT of verse 13 says that we must believe in the NAME OF the ONLY BEGOTTEN Son of God. And when we COMPARE Scripture with Scripture we know and understand that God GAVE the Son of MAN a NEW NAME that is ABOVE every other NAME. And Yahweh did that so that every knee will bow AT that NAME and every tongue will confess the Jesus is Lord TO the GLORY of God the Father, according to Philippians 2:8-11, Revelation 3:12, and the PROPHECY in Isaiah 62:2-4. So then, the TRUE sound Biblical meaning of John 3:13 is Jesus telling the FUTURE to Nicodemus that the Son of MAN would ASCEND up into heaven to be GLORIFIED and receive a NEW NAME. Then the glorified highly exalted Son of MAN would come DOWN FROM HEAVEN for forty days to show himself alive by many infallible proofs. And then, the Son of MAN whom God MADE both Lord and Christ would ascend back up into heaven where he is now to await his return. Again, church TRADITION may argue and say what about John 6:38, surely that verse of Scripture proves that Jesus CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN.
John 6:38.
“For I CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, not to do my own will, but the will of Him that SENT me.”
As I have said many times, any verse of Scripture when viewed ALONE and apart from the REST of God’s word may SEEM to be saying something that it is NOT TRULY saying when it is LEFT in its CONTEXT. So let us read the CONTEXT to learn the TRUE sound Biblical meaning of John 6:38 which we just read.
John 6:27-33.
“Labour not for the meat which perishes, but for that meat which endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of MAN SHALL GIVE you: for him has God the Father SEALED. (This is the same Greek word used in the following verses of Scripture speaking of being SEALED with the Holy Spirit when we are BORN again of the Spirit to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our FLESH, according to 2 Corinthians 1:21,22, Ephesians 1:13,14, and Ephesians 4:30) 28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? (Again, this is the KEY question that unlocks the TRUE sound Biblical meaning of John 6:38 when it is correctly interpreted in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God) 29. Jesus ANSWERED and said unto them, This is the work of God, that you BELIEVE in him whom He has SENT. 30. They said therefore unto him, What sign do you show then, that we may see, and believe you? What work will you do? 31. Our fathers did eat MANNA in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. (In other words, the Jew said we follow Moses who gave our fathers bread from heaven. So if you are sent from God as you say then show us what work you will do so that we can see that you were sent by God?) 32. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses did NOT give you that bread from heaven; but my Father GIVES you the TRUE BREAD FROM HEAVEN. 33. For the BREAD OF God is he which comes down from heaven, and gives life unto the world.”
The words he which in light green are not in the original text. And some Christians who know the Greek language say that this verse of Scripture in written in the FIRST person singular. Therefore, Jesus is identifying himself as being the BREAD OF God. So then, more correctly, Jesus is saying, my Father gives you the TRUE BREAD that comes down from heaven to give LIFE unto the world. And I am the FULFILLMENT of the PROPHECY that CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN to give eternal life to whosoever BELIEVES that I am the Messiah. Obviously, Jesus is NOT saying that he is a LITERAL loaf of BREAD that CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN that gives LIFE to the world! Rather, Jesus is teaching us that he is the FULFILLMENT of the PROPHECIES in the Scriptures. Jesus is saying that God has put His WORDS into the MOUTH of His Prophet who was PROPHESIED to come in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. And therefore, the WORDS that the one who God SEALED or the ANOINTED is him, the Son of MAN. And what the Son of MAN speaks or teaches are the words of Yahweh the Father that CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN from God that gives ETERNAL life to those who BELIEVE that Jesus is the FULFILLMENT of God’s word of PROPHECY in the Scriptures. In other words, it was the TEACHING that God SENT DOWN FROM HEAVEN and put in the mouth of His Prophet Jesus, who is the FULFILLMENT of the SPOKEN word of Yahweh. That is what John 1:14, the word was MADE flesh, TRULY means in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. Then Jesus goes on to tell the children of Israel in John 6:34-69 of the WORK that he will do that will prove that he was SENT by God. Remember Jesus saying to the unbelieving Jews that the only SIGN that they would be given is the sign of Jonah being in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights? That is the WORK that Jesus did. The Son of MAN, Jesus GAVE his FLESH and BLOOD to be eaten. Again, NOT LITERALLY eaten! But rather, eating the flesh and blood of Jesus symbolically speaks of BELIEVING that the Son of MAN suffered and died on the cross as the ATONEMENT for the sins of the world. For an example of EATING the WORDS of God, please read Jeremiah 15:16, which is a PROPHECY of Jesus.
Jeremiah 15:16.
“Your words were found, and I did EAT them; and Your word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by Your NAME, O LORD God of hosts.”
And Job 23:12 teaches us that the words of God should be desired more than our necessary food. But I think Ezekiel 2:1-3,7-10 through Ezekiel 3:1-4 that I quote below gives us the best example of EATING the words of Almighty God by RECEIVING them down in our hearts. And by BELIEVING the words of Jesus in our heart we desire to TEACH the truth to others. The Son of MAN in Ezekiel is a FIGURE of Jesus and these are PROPHECIES of Jesus in the book of Ezekiel. So keep this in mind as you read the following verses of Scripture.
Ezekiel 2:1-3,7-10, and Ezekiel 3:1-4.
“And He said unto me, Son of man, stand upon your feet, and I will speak unto you. 2. And the Spirit entered into me when He spoke unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard Him that spoke unto me. 3. And He said unto me, Son of man, I SEND you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day… …7. And you shall speak My words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious. 8. But you, Son of MAN, hear what I say unto you; Be not you rebellious like that rebellious house: open your mouth, and EAT that I give you. 9. And when I looked, behold, an hand was SENT unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; 10. And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe… ...1. Moreover He said unto me, Son of MAN, EAT that you find; EAT this roll, and go SPEAK unto the house of Israel. 2. So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to EAT that roll. 3. And He said unto me, Son of MAN, cause your belly to eat, and fill your bowels with this ROLL that I give you. Then, I ATE it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. 4. And He said unto me, Son of MAN, go, get you unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.”
So then, what God SENT DOWN FROM HEAVEN to the Son of MAN was the WORDS of Almighty God the Father that He put into the MOUTH of His Prophet, Jesus, to TEACH to the children of Israel. But FIRST God SENT down His spoken word of PROPHECY by the Angel Gabriel to SPEAK His words to the Virgin Mary. And when Mary BELIEVED the words of God saying, be it done according to your words, then the word of God was MADE flesh in the WOMB of the Virgin Mary to be BORN as the HUMAN Son of God. And Jesus is identifying himself as being the fulfillment of the spoken word of PROPHECY that came down from heaven. Also, please know and understand that when Jesus said the words, I CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, the personal pronoun “I” is NOT in the original Greek text. And a more correct translation should be as follows.
A more correct translation of John 6:38.
“THAT (Speaking of the BREAD that the Father SENT to give life) came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me.”
Yes, I understand that Greek scholars argue over the fact that John 6:38 is written in the FIRST person singular. But, in TRUTH, did a LIERAL divine Spirit being who was WITH the Father come down from heaven and incarnate himself to become a human being? To ME, the answer is NO!. And what actually came down from heaven was the SPOKEN word of PROPHECY, which is an IT. In other words, Almighty God the Father SPOKE to the Son of MAN, Jesus, in visions and ALSO TEACHING him morning by morning by the Holy Spirit what to do, where to go, and what to say, according to Isaiah 50:4-7 and Psalm 89:18-27. And Jesus understood that the words were FROM his God and Father. And thus, Jesus said that the words from God were NOT to do his OWN Will but the Will of his God and Father who sent him OUT into the world to BECOME both Lord and Messiah. Again, church TRADITION dogmatically demands that since Jesus said that he would ascend up where he was BEFORE, then that proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that God the Son CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN and incarnated himself in the flesh, because how ELSE could he ascend up where he was BEFORE? To continue reading chapter 7 to learn the true sound Biblical meaning of John 6:62 please click on the link C101-7 Did God RESTORE the GLORY? And to find the links to all of the other chapters, please click on the title of the book called C101-0, Church TRADITION versus Biblical Christianity! Thanks for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus. So, for ALL of the studies on the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus, please click on the subject heading >>>D-0. THE BIBLICAL UNITARIAN VIEW of JESUS!<<< And for the SUBJECT on the true foundation of the church, please click on the subject heading >>>C-0. THE TRUE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH!<<< This way you can just send ONE link to those who you want to share the TRUE sound Biblical FOUNDATIONAL teachings of the church that Jesus and his Apostles taught in the first century church.
Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century. So let us all come into the UNITY of the faith and return to what Jesus and his Apostles taught us in SIMPLICITY in the New Testament.
To learn more TRUTH, then please return to
VERSES USED TO TEACH THAT JESUS PREEXISTED!
To me, the best way to know the ONE true God in ONE person is to know who Jesus TRULY is according to the WHOLE word of Almighty God. So please read ALL of the studies under the heading >>>N-0. WHO is JESUS ACCORDING to the BIBLE?<<< and you will see that the Bible itself teaches us that Jesus was CREATED by his God and Father. And if you have any questions related to the correct meaning of certain verses of Scripture on this subject of who Jesus is please read all the studies under the two headings >>>U-0. VERSES used for THE TRINITY!<<< and >>>V-0. VERSES used to TEACH that Jesus PRE-EXISTED!<<< These two headings have ALL of the studies that I have on who Jesus truly is according to what the Bible itself teaches us in simplicity. I compiled these three headings to make it easy for my readers to send just one, two, or three links to those you desire to help understand what the Bible itself teaches concerning who Jesus is in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. If you have any questions, please feel free to write to me. My contact email is MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail .com. Thanks again for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the truth of the whole word of Almighty God.
Your Brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
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