SPELLING EDITED U-20. ZECHARIAH 12:10 ME WHOM THEY PIERCED!
Does Zechariah 12:10, Romans 9:5, Acts 20:28, and Titus 3:4 teach us that Jesus IS Yahweh THE Almighty God Himself in the flesh? In Zechariah 12:10, we read in the King James Version of the Bible where Yahweh the Almighty God is the one speaking and prophesies saying, “And they will look upon “me” whom they have PIERCED”. And both Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal Christians use this verse of Scripture to try and prove that Jesus is Yahweh himself in the flesh because we know that the flesh of Jesus was pierced by the Roman soldier to see if Jesus was dead. In other words, since Almighty God, the Father is the one speaking in Zechariah 12:10 saying in the KJV “translation” that the Jews will look upon “me” whom they have pierced then Both Trinitarian and Oneness Christians conclude that Jesus must be Almighty God Himself in the flesh who was crucified and then PIERCED with the spear on the cross by the Roman soldier to see if he was dead. So then, does the FACT that Almighty God Himself said these words in the King James TRANSLATION, “They will look upon ME whom they have PIERCED” prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that Almighty God the Father Himself was the ONE who suffered and died on the cross and was Himself pierce as being God INCARNATE in the FLESH being FULLY ALMIGHTY God and fully MAN at the SAME time? Now, if you ALREADY know what BOTH the Trinitarian and the Oneness Pentecostal Christians teach about Jesus as being Almighty God Himself in the flesh then you can skip the next two paragraphs. Again, both Oneness believers and Trinitarian believers use this verse to try and prove that Jesus is Yahweh the ONE and ONLY TRUE God Himself in the flesh. But Oneness Pentecostal Christians argue that this verse proves that Jesus is Yahweh the FATHER Himself. For you see, they believe that there is but ONE God in ONE person. And thus, Oneness Pentecostal Christians claim that since Yahweh is called God and Jesus is called God and there is only ONE true God in ONE person then Yahweh is ONE BEING inONE person. And, therefore, to them, Jesus is one and the self-same being as Yahweh Himself. Many, if not all Oneness believers, do NOT believe that Jesus is a separate distinct person from the Father. They believe that God manifested Himself to become flesh. And to THEM, this means that God made a BODY for Himself to dwell in a bodily FORM and thus that body has no spirit and soul of its own. Again, not ALL Oneness Pentecostal Christians believe this. Some believe that Jesus is a real person having his own spirit, will, and soul but yet they still insist that Jesus is Yahweh Himself in the flesh. And Trinitarian Christians believe that there is ONE God who is three separate persons in the one God. Thus, they reason that since Jesus is called God and there is only ONE God then Jesus must be the ONE, God. And thus, to them, Jesus must be Yahweh Himself in the flesh. However, all Christians except or Oneness Pentecostal Christians know beyond any shadow of a doubt that Jesus is NOT the Father. And that is why Trinitarian Christians came up with the theory that God must be three separate persons in the ONE God. But are either of these church denominational doctrines the truth of the WHOLE word of Almighty God? Let us begin this study in God's word by reading this verse Scripture that is in question as to whether or not it proves that Jesus is Yahweh Himself or does not prove that Jesus is Yahweh Himself. First, we will read it out of its context and then we will read it again being left in the CONTEXT of where it is found. Again, the one true and only Almighty God Yahweh Himself is the one speaking in the first person. I will highlight all the words and pronouns referring to Yahweh Himself in orange and all the words and pronouns referring to Jesus as being prophesied in yellow. And then, we will COMPARE this verse with other SIMILAR verses like Romans 9:5, Acts 20:28, and Titus 4:3 where these verses also SEEM to be saying that Jesus is THE ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God. I call them mistaken identity verses in which Jesus is mistaken to be the Almighty God Himself due to incorrect interpretations of those verses of Scripture.
Here is Zechariah 12:10 out of its context.
“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon ME whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”
Now, ever without closely examining this verse in the literal translation, we can see something “fishy” or not right with this King James TRANSLATION. For you see, the KJV translation is NOT consistent with the pronoun use. Either ALL the pronouns should be “me” or ALL the pronouns should be “him”. Otherwise, this verse makes no sense because a ME and an HIM can NOT be one and the self-same PERSON. That is NOT how the English language works. So something is wrong with this KJV translation. So I looked up the Hebrew word that is “translated” as the pronoun “me” and found that it is two Hebrew letters, the Aleph and the Tav having the Strong’s number H853 that is UNTRANSLATED some 7000 times in the Bible. And many of those 7000 times the untranslated Aleph and Tav are hidden prophecies of the Messiah. Please read the study “WHAT DO THE ALEPH AND THE TAV MEAN?” So you have to ask yourself the question of why did the King James translators translate the over 7000 times untranslated Aleph and Tav this one time as the pronoun “me” in this verse? And why did they ADD 1 John 5:7 as well? And why was Matthew 28:19 tampered by the KJV translators adding the words of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit when the early church writers quoted Mathew 28:19 as Jesus saying, “Go you, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in MY name”? Please read the study “IS THE KING JAMES VERSION OF THE BIBLE CORRUPTED?” And by corrupted, I mean biased toward the doctrine of the Trinity. But for now, let us read the CONTEXT of Zechariah 12:10. And let us ASSUME that the Aleph Tav that is UNTRANSLATED over is “correctly” translated this one time as the pronoun “me”. It still begs the question of why they did NOT translate the other two pronouns as “me” as well and not as “him” which confuses the translation.
Here is CONTEXT of verse 10, Zechariah 12:8-11.
“In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and he that is feeble among them at that day (Speaking of at the end of the 1000 year reign of Jesus in the world to come, the jews saved during the Millennium) shall be as David; (This is a prophecy of Jesus ruling AS God in the name of Yahweh FOR Almighty God the Father for 1000 years) and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel (Or as the MESSENGER speaking of Jesus AFTER the cross when he was GLORIED by his God and Father) of the LORD before them. 9. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon ME whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. 11. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.”
First of all, I want you to notice that this passage of Scripture is a PROPHECY or the SECOND coming of Jesus when the Jews will recognize Jesus as their MESSIAH and then they will KNOW that they have sinned against Almighty God Yahweh because their fathers had PIERCED the SON OF Almighty God. They will look TO Almighty God and GRIEVE for His SON Jesus knowing How Almighty God the Father grieved over His Son being rejected and crucified by them. In other words, in the SAME WAY, Almighty God also grieved for His human SON Jesus just as IF the Father Himself had been crucified on that cross and was pierced. Notice that they will not grieve for Yahweh thinking that they killed Almighty God Yahweh the Father Himself. No, That is NOT what this verse is saying EVEN with the ADDED pronoun “me” to the KJV translation. Rather, it says that the Jews will be mourning for their Messiah whom their forefathers REJECTED by having him crucified. They will be mourning for their Messiah who they have also rejected. They will be mourning knowing that they are now being rejected because they rejected God's Son Jesus. The pronouns “him” refer to Jesus and NOT Yahweh Himself. Every Trinitarian Christian knows full well that Jesus is NOT the Father. And this verse is comparing the Jews as “fathers” mourning over their ONLY son in that day just like Almighty God the FATHER mourned over His only begotten Son when they had the Romans soldiers crucify and pierce HIM. Let us read this same verse in question Zechariah 12:10 from some other translations of the Bible and this truth will become clear to you.
Here is Zechariah 12:10 from the Bible in Basic English (BBE).
“And I will send down on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of prayer, and their eyes will be TURNED TO the one who was wounded by their hands: and they will be weeping for him AS for an only son, and their grief for him will be bitter, LIKE the grief of one sorrowing for his oldest son.”
In this translation, we do NOT see that Almighty God the Father Himself as being the ONE who was pierced or wounded for our transgressions. But we do see that the Jews will mourn just LIKE Yahweh the Father mourned of His only begotten Son as if they pierced Yahweh Himself with a spear by rejecting His Messiah that He begat to be their Savior. Here is Zechariah 12:10 from the Common English Bible (CEB).
“But I will pour out a spirit of grace and mercy on David's house and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They will look TO me CONCERNING the one whom they pierced; they will mourn over him like the mourning for an only child. They will mourn bitterly over him like the bitter mourning over the death of the oldest child.”
In this translation, we again can CLEARLY see that Jesus is the ONE who was actually pierced but at the coming of Jesus, they also will mourn having realized HOW Almighty God the Father must have felt as well when their forefathers had God’s Son crucified. So the Jews at the coming of Jesus will mourn in repentance for the HURT they have caused Almighty God the Father by their REJECTING His SON. And they will mourn Jesus for their fathers having him crucified and pierced. In other words, the Jews will mourn for Jesus who their fathers caused to be pierced but they ALSO look to Almighty God the Father for forgiveness for what they have done by rejecting Jesus as their Messiah realizing how much this hurt or wounded God by their own rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. Again, if this verse was truly intended to mean that Jesus is the Father then the same pronoun “ME” would have continued all the way through this verse to say, “And they will look to ME whom they have pierced; they will mourn for ME as they would mourn for their only begotten Son and shall be in bitterness for ME” But yet, there is not one single translation that has this verse translated with the same pronoun “me” all the way through.
Here is Zechariah 12:10 from the New Revised Standard Bible.
“And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the ONE whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”
Now, if you were reading this translation for the first time having NEVER read the King James Version ever before, then, in all honesty, I myself do NOT see Almighty God Himself as being the ONE who is pierced. But rather, I see Jesus the SON OF Almighty God as being the ONE whom they have pierced. So, you have to ask yourself the question of why did the translators of the King James Version translate the Hebrew letter the Aleph and the Tav this one time as the pronoun “me” when the Aleph Tav is untranslated over 7000 times in the Old Testament Scriptures? Now, we have seen that BOTH the Father and His Son were wounded where Jesus the SON OF Almighty God was the ONE who was actually and literally pierced with the spear of the Roman soldier and where Almighty God was wounded as a FATHER who just watched His only human Son be crucified. But more precisely, God was wounded because His chosen people REJECTED His Son as their MESSIAH. Let us now take a closer look at the Hebrew word that is “translated” as “upon” in the KJV which says, and they shall look UPON me whom they pierced. Here is how E-Sword defines the Hebrew word translated as and they shall look UPON me whom they have pierced.
H413 אֶל אֵל 'êl 'el ale, el (Used only in the shortened constructive form (the second form); a primitive particle, properly denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, that is, near, with or among; often in general, to: - about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because (-fore, -side), both . . . and, by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in (-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to (-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).
So then, with these other meanings, this verse could have been translated in several different ways without “implying” that Yahweh Himself was pierced in human form which CONTRADICTS Numbers 23:19 which clearly teaches us the God is NOT a MAN and neither is God the Son of MAN. Here are some other ways that Zechariah 12:10 could have been translated.
“And they shall look WITH me whom they pierced”, as in, they will see we me who saw whom they have pierced. “And they shall look TOWARD me whom they pierced”, as in, they will look toward Yahweh concerning whom they pierced to ask forgiveness for piecing His Son. “And they shall look BECAUSE OF me whom they pierced”, as in, they will understand that God PROPHESIED that His enemy Satan would kill His human Son and that they obey the voice of Satan to have the Son of God crucified. “And they shall look UNTO me whom they pierced”, as in they will look UNTO Yahweh for the forgiveness of whom they have pierced” “And they shall look UNDER me whom they pierced” as in, they will look to the one UNDER me whom they have pierced.
Now let us look up the Hebrew word translated as “pierced”. Here is how E-Swor defines this Hebrew word.
H1856 דָּקַר dâqar daw-kar' A primitive root; to stab; by analogy to starve; figuratively to revile: - pierce, strike (thrust) through, wound.
One of the meanings of to revile is to DENOUNCE which means to speak against the words of Jesus as NOT being the one that the Scriptures prophesied to come which is the SAME as reviling the Scriptures and thus reviling Yahweh Himself. So as you can see, the King James translators were very selective in choosing the specific meaning of these Hebrew words to make it SEEM as if Yahweh Himself was the one who was crucified on the cross. And when you take into consideration OTHER questionable verses of Scripture in the New Testament that have been tampered with only is the Textus Receptus manuscripts then you have to wonder inf the KJV is a Trinitarian BIASED translation? Please read the studies “WAS 1 JOHN 5:7 ADDED?”, “DOES MATTHEW 28:19 PROVE GOD IS A TRINITY?”, and “IS THE KING JAMES BIBLE CORRUPTED?”. And again, by corrupted, I mean BIASED toward the doctrine of the Trinity. But for now, let us finish this study in God’s word. Let us now continue this study in God's word by looking at some other MISTAKEN IDENTITY verses that SEEM to be saying that Almighty God the Father IS his SON, Jesus, and thus, Jesus is the Father Himself. The Oneness Pentecostal Christians are the only Christians that I am aware of who believe that Jesus is the Father and many of them came out of Trinitarianism because they saw that the only true God is ONE BEING in ONE person and not three separate persons or beings in the ONE God who can only be ONE single being. Now, I myself, have come to believe that Almighty God is ONE being in ONE person. And here is one of the reasons that I can NO LONGER believe in the doctrine of the Trinity and why I will NEVER believe that Jesus IS the Father Himself. You see my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus himself clearly identifies the Father as being the ONLY true God in John 17:1-3. Again, I will highlight all the words and pronouns that refer to Yahweh in orange and all the words and pronouns that refer to Jesus in yellow.
John 17:1-3.
“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, THAT Your Son also may glorify You: (Jesus is praying to the Father who is up in heaven asking his Father to glorify him so that he may bring glory TO his Father. The Father and the Son are two separate beings and at this point in time when Jesus prayed this prayer, the Father ONLY was immortal. But after the cross, God GLORIFIED the mortal human Son of man GIVING Jesus his own divine nature of immortality to be having in himself even as the Father has always had immortality in himself as the source of all life both mortal life and eternal life, according to John 5:20-27. And also committed all judgment to His Son BECAUSE he was the Son of MAN. Jesus was given ALL power and authority AFTER the cross and his being GLORIFIED by his God and Father) 2. As YOU have GIVEN him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as YOU have GIVEN him. 3. And THIS is life eternal, that they might know YOU the ONLY true God, AND Jesus Christ, whom YOU have sent.”
The word translated as “sent” here means to COMMISSION which means to give power and authority to someone to accomplish the task that the one commissioning them has given to them to accomplish. So John 17:1-3 is teaching us that if we want to have eternal life in the world to come then we MUST believe in BOTH Yahweh that FATHER AND also believe in His SON whom the Father COMMISSIONED by ANOINTING Jesus at his baptism to accomplish the task that his God and Father sent him out into the world to accomplish. Another verse of Scripture that is used to teach the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of the Deity of Jesus is found in Romans 9:5. But first, let me say that the term “DEITY” means something different than it does to the mainstream church denominations of the Oneness believers and the Trinitarian believers. Orthodox Christianity wrongly teaches that the Son of MAN Jesus was fully God and fully a human being at the SAME time DURING the days of his FLESH having two natures at the SAME TIME, one divine, and one human. But this doctrine of “Orthodox Christianity” called the doctrine of the Deity of Jesus is NOT found anywhere in the Bible itself. Now, I myself, teach only what the Bible ITSELF teaches which is that the Son of MAN Jesus BECAME “A” deity AFTER the cross when his God and Father GAVE the Son of MAN his own divine nature of immortality to be having in himself even as the Father has always had immortality in himself. I explain all the verses that prove this truth in the three-part study “WHEN DID JESUS BECOME GOD'S ETERNAL SON?” But for now, let us continue with this study on the verses the SEEM to be saying that Jesus is Yahweh himself.
Here is Romans 9:5.
“Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”
Now, this verse can be INTERPRETED in four ways as I myself see.
INTERPRETATION #1.
Jesus, the CHRIST, the Son of Almighty God the Father can be INTERPRETED to be ALMIGHTY God Himself which is the way those who teach the doctrine of Oneness, the doctrine of the Trinity, and the doctrine of the Deity of Jesus INTERPRET this verse to mean.
INTERPRETATION #2.
Jesus, the CHRIST, the Son of Almighty God can be interpreted as being “A” GOD by TITLE who is over all whom HIS God and Father HIGHLY EXALTED to become “A” God who is under and subject to his God and Father the one true and ONLY Almighty God. And thus, the one who is God blessed forever is Yahweh the Father seeing that Jesus was GIVEN a NAME that is above all names so that every knee will bow at the NAME and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory OF Almighty God the Father, according to Philippians 2:8-11.
INTERPRETATION #3.
The phrase “concerning the FLESH Christ came can be interpreted to mean that the ANOINTING came in the FLESH of Jesus because that is what the Greek word translated as Christ literally means. It also means Messiah which would then read as “concerning the FLESH Messiah came. In other words, God chose a MAN to be His Messiah. For you see, the ANOINTING or the ETERNAL SPIRIT DWELT in the HUMAN BODY OF FLESH of the Son of MAN Jesus. And thus, it is Almighty God the Father IN this body of flesh who is over all who is the one being blessed forever. To say this another way, the word Christ is NOT referring directly to the human ANOINTED Jesus as the last name of Jesus, but rather, the word Christ is speaking of the ANOINTING OF Jesus where Almighty God the Father Himself actually DWELT IN His HUMAN SON Jesus as the EARNEST of the Holy Spirit as the one who did the works. So again, it is Almighty God who is the “THEOS” or God that is blessed forever. All the glory goes TO the Father would be another way of saying this.
INTERPRETATION #4.
Jesus the Christ, the SON OF Almighty God the Father who has been HIGHLY EXALTED and GIVEN authority and power over all BY HIS God and it is the Father who alone is THE ALMIGHTY God. But the Father commands His highly exalted human Son who He glorified and made Lord is WORTHY to be honored even as we honor the Father. So then the God blessed forever means “A” God blessed for or into an AGE during the world for 1000 years. But again, it will all be to the glory OF the Father who alone is the ONLY true God. Now, I myself prefer interpretation #4, as being the best interpretation but I can also see interpretations #2, and #3 also being equally valid interpretations that do NOT CONTRADICT any other part of God's word. Here is Romans 9:5 from the Good News Translation that punctuates this verse to clearly show that all the glory goes to Almighty God the Father, which AGREES with the rest of God's word.
Romans 9:5 from the Good News Translation.
“They are descended from the famous Hebrew ancestors; and Christ, as a human being, belongs to their race. May God, who rules over all, be praised forever! Amen.”
Here in this translation, the words “May God” supports interpretation #4 and it makes it very clear that Jesus is NOT the ONE being in ONE person who Jesus himself clearly identifies as the ONLY TRUE God as being the FATHER in John 17:1-3 which we just read a short time ago in this study. And Jesus being MADE Lord and God over all the earth in the world to come is to the glory OF Almighty God the FATHER. So, again, the word “God” who rules over all does not prove that Jesus is THE one true and ONLY Almighty God. But when interpretation # 1 is dogmatically taught as being the ONLY way that this verse can be interpreted and, therefore, Trinitarian and Oneness Christians insist that it MUST mean, without fail, that Jesus IS THE ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God, then I myself see this interpretation meaning that Jesus IS the FATHER. And every Christian, except for Oneness Pentecostal Christians, know full well that the whole word of God does NOT teach us that Jesus is the FATHER. So it boggles my mind how Trinitarians who know right well that Jesus is NOT the Father continue to use this verse and other verses to try and prove that Jesus is Yahweh Himself because every time they do, they are in reality, saying that Jesus is the FATHER which contradicts their own doctrine of the Trinity. Yes, I fully realize that it is true that some translations like the God's Word Translation make it so that this verse can ONLY be interpreted that the MESSIAH is GOD over everything that exists. But please keep in mind that in the original Greek text the definite article “the” that indicates the “THEOS” being spoken of is “THE THEOS” or THE God, as in, THE one and ONLY ALMIGHTY God Himself is NOT in the original text. And anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear can clearly see and understand that Hebrews 1:8,9 clearly teaches us that Jesus is “a” God who is under and subject to his God who is the Father. Let us go ahead and read Romans 9:5 from the God’s word Translation which is a paraphrased translation.
Romans 9:5 from the God's Word Translation.
“The Messiah is descended from their ancestors according to his human nature. The Messiah is God over everything, forever blessed. Amen.”
Please keep in mind that this is a paraphrase translation that does NOT translate word for word from the original text. The reader must also understand that we are reading TRANSLATIONS and it is up to the translator to place punctuation where he or she feels explains the text the best that it means to THEM. This is WHY there are so many translations that seem to contradict each other. Therefore, when we come to verses that are in QUESTION we must go to the original language and then compare Scripture with Scripture to make sure that our conclusion that we draw does NOT contradict any other part of God's word. And, again, I myself see interpretation #1 CONTRADICTING other parts of God's word. Please read the study “IS JESUS ALMIGHTY GOD?” for a deeper understanding that YES, while Jesus IS CALLED GOD, Jesus is NOT THE ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God who ALONE is the FATHER. Also, please read the study “OUR GOD IS ONE!” which will give you a deeper understanding that Yahweh the creator and maker of His Son, Jesus, being made Lord after the cross by his God and Father who is alone THE God over all other Gods including being the God His SON Jesus. But for now, let us continue this study in God's word by reading yet another verse of Scripture that is also used to try and support the doctrine of the Trinity and the Doctrine of Oneness where both of these doctrines teach the “Orthodox” view of the Deity of Jesus being fully God and fully a man at the same time during the days of his flesh. Here is another verse of mistaken identity where the invisible God that is immortal Spirit who can NOT die, supposedly shed His OWN blood and the cross.
Please read Acts 20:28.
“Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which HE has purchased with his OWN blood.”
Now, as I have said many times, ANY verse when taken OUT of CONTEXT may SEEM to be saying something that it is NOT TRULY saying. So then, in order to understand the TRUE meaning of this verse, then we need to KEEP it in the CONTEXT of where it is found. Please read Acts 20:17-30 where our Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel is the main subject under discussion.
Acts 20:17-30.
“And from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church. (So Paul is basically addressing the elders, the pastors, the shepherds, or the leaders of the CHURCH that believe that Jesus was CRUCIFIED, DIED, and then raised again from the dead after three days) 18. And when they had come to him, he said unto them, You KNOW, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, 19. Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: (Here we see that Paul was NOT preaching Judaism, but rather, he was preaching the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ as being the SON OF Almighty God who DIED for our sins and was raised from the dead by the Spirit of Almighty God the Father because the Jews lied in wait to kill Paul for what he preached) 20. And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but I have shown you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, 21. Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, AND faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (Here in this verse, Paul makes it blatantly CLEAR that Almighty God the Father AND His SON Jesus are TWO SEPARATE persons. The Father is called God and the Son of called Lord) 22. And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: 23. Save that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. 24. But none of these things move me, neither count I, my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the MINISTRY, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. (Here again, we clearly see TWO SEPARATE BEINGS who are the Lord Jesus AND God who by His grace GAVE us His human mortal SON Jesus that shed his blood for the remission of sins. Also, in the verse, we again see the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ being preached which is NOT that Jesus is Almighty God Himself in the flesh) 25. And now, behold, I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. 26. Wherefore, I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 27. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. (Jesus came NOT to speak of HIMSELF, but rather, to show us the Father to be the only true God and the ONLY Potentate who ONLY has always had immortality in Himself. Jesus taught what his Father gave him to teach. All things BELONG to Almighty God the Father who created ALL things FOR the SAKE of His SON Jesus. Jesus was commissioned BY God to redeem mankind back to his God and Father the Almighty. Therefore, the church belongs to Almighty God the Father who will then GIVE the faithful to His SON Jesus to rule with him in the world to come. But now, at this present time, the CHURCH is OWNED by Almighty God the Father where Jesus is the HEAD of the church and God is the HEAD of Jesus) 28. Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the CHURCH OF God, which HE has purchased with his OWN blood. (Now, I myself believe that the pronoun “HE” here refers back to the main subject that is being spoken of in this entire CONTEXT which Almighty God IN His SON Jesus the Christ. And, according to the REST of God's word, the Father is the ONE who actually EMPOWERED the Son of MAN through the ETERNAL SPIRIT dwelling IN Jesus to lay down his OWN life and shed his OWN blood for us to redeem us back to Almighty God the Father. I will expound on this further after you finish reading the context of these next few verses. But for now, this verse could just as easily be translated and read as the church of God that He purchased with the blood of His OWN, as in, the blood of His OWN human Son, Jesus that He Himself brought into existence through Hos own spoken word of PROPHECY) 29. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, (Right after the last Apostle died there did indeed enter into the church many PERVERSE PAGAN teachings that were MIXED with true Christianity) to draw away disciples after them.”
And certain leaders of the church did, indeed, seek the POWER of ruling over the flock as opposed to feeding the flock. And the Roman Catholic Church mixed many PAGAN teachings with Christianity. One such PAGAN teaching was the pagan belief in a TRIUNE god or one god in three persons. The first rule of interpretation is to keep the verse in question in the CONTEXT of where it is found. We just did this and it has helped SOME readers to see the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God that Jesus and God are separate beings. Jesus is NOT one and the self-same being as God. But others may not be seeing the truth as yet. So then, we must go to the second rule of interpretation which is the COMPARE Scripture with Scripture to make sure that whatever interpretation one concludes does NOT CONTRADICT any other part of God's word. In other words, IF Almighty God literally shed His OWN BLOOD then that would mean that Almighty God Himself must have a flesh and blood body. In other words, for God to have shed His OWN blood would then mean that Almighty God the Father manifested Himself in the flesh. And that would mean that the only true God who we know IS the Father ALONE, according to John 17:1-3, must be the Son of MAN, Jesus which is what the Oneness Pentecostal Christians wrong teach. For you see, that CONTRADICTS another part of God's word that God is NOT a MAN and neither is God the Son of MAN. Please read Numbers 23:19 where we are clearly and plainly taught that Almighty God is NOT a MAN and NEITHER is God the Son of MAN.
Numbers 23:19.
“God is NOT a MAN, that he should lie; NEITHER the son of MAN, that he should repent: has he said, and shall he not do it? Or has he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
Jesus is clearly called the MAN Jesus Christ and the Son of MAN many times in the word of TRUTH the Holy Bible. So, therefore, since God is NOT a MAN and neither is God the Son of MAN, then it should be clear that Almighty God is NOT His SON Jesus. For you see, Almighty God the Father DWELT IN the Son of MAN, Jesus as the earnest of His Holy Spirit to empower him the same way that the Holy Spirit empowers us. Jesus said the Son can do NOTHING OF himself and that it was the Father dwelling IN him who did the works. Yes, it is true that Jesus the Son of MAN came FORTH OUT FROM Almighty God, but this does NOT dogmatically mean, without fail, that Jesus himself IS FULLY THE ALMIGHTY God in the flesh and fully a human being at the SAME time as the doctrine of Oneness, the doctrine of the Deity of Jesus, and the doctrine of the Trinity wrongly and dogmatically demand Christians to believe if they want to be part of their church denomination. And some Oneness and Trinitarian fellowships will go as far as to intimidate other Christians that if they do not believe that Jesus is Almighty God Himself in the flesh then they will not receive eternal life in the world to come. But yet, nowhere in the entire word of TRUTH, the Holy Bible, do I myself find where we as Christians are commanded to believe in a TRIUNE or TRINITY God or that Jesus IS the FATHER Himself, or that Jesus is fully the Almighty God Himself and fully a human being at the same time having two natures, one divine, and one human. Nowhere in the Bible ITSELF are we taught clearly and plainly that we must believe in THREE persons or in even in three modes or manifestations of the one God in order to be saved. However, we are clearly and plainly taught in the Bible ITSELF that we must believe in BOTH the Father AND in His SON Jesus. And if we do NOT have the SON, then we do NOT have the Father EITHER. In other words, if you do not TRULY believe that God has a SON whose name is Jesus, the ONLY name given among men whereby we must be saved then you do NOT have eternal life abiding in you. You do NOT have the earnest of eternal Spirit of Yahweh abiding in you which is the SAME earnest of the eternal Spirit who dwelt IN the Son of MAN Jesus. Jesus is the ONLY way TO the Father. Now let us read just Acts 20:28 from a few other translations to see the true meaning of this verse in question.
Here is Acts 20:28 from the Common English Bible (CEB).
“Watch yourselves and the whole flock, in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as supervisors, to shepherd God's church, (Showing that the church is OWNED by Almighty God the Father who is THE Shepherd of His Shepherd Son, Jesus who is our Shepherd. And now we are made shepherd to lead the flock of God’s sheep who give His sheep to His now glorified Son of MAN, Jesus) which He obtained with the death of His OWN Son.”
For you see, it is Yahweh the Father IN Christ who is reconciling the world to Himself, according to 1 Corinthians 5:19-21. Now, this translation makes it blatantly CLEAR that Jesus, the SON OF Almighty God that Father, is the Father's OWN BLOOD. Meaning that Jesus is the TRUE SON OF Almighty God who was eternally begotten of the Father to become God's eternal Son after the cross BECAUSE the Son of MAN became obedient to do all the Father's will even to suffer and die on the cross for our sins. So then, the TRUE SOUND Biblical meaning of Acts 20:28 is that it was the blood of His OWN speaking of His OWN human Son who willingly laid down his OWN life for our sins. Most of us do not consider that we OWN our children. Even though we say that is MY child we do understand the term in which our own BIOLOGICAL children are our OWN BLOOD. In other words, if someone were to lose a child by a tragic death then we can understand when someone says that was their OWN BLOOD that died a tragic death. Can you not see that it was NOT Yahweh Himself who shed His own blood and died on the cross? But rather, it was His OWN holy child Jesus who shed his blood for the sins of the entire world so that whosoever of any human being who BELIEVES that Jesus is the Christ, the SON OF the living God should not perish but might have eternal life in the world to come if they endure unto the end. This is the TRUE gospel of Jesus Christ.
Here is Acts 20:28 from the Complete Jerusalem Bible (CJB).
“Watch out for yourselves, and for all the flock in which the Ruach HaKodesh has placed you as leaders, to shepherd God's Messianic community, (Again showing the church as God's possession or ownership) which He won for Himself at the cost of His OWN Son's blood.”
In this translation, we again clearly see that it was NOT Almighty God HIMSELF that shed His blood, but rather, we clearly see that it was God's OWN BLOOD, as in, being His OWN Son's blood.
Here is Acts 20:28 from the Lexham English Bible.
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has appointed you [as] overseers, to shepherd the church of God which he obtained through the blood of HIS OWN [Son].”
Now the word “SON” is not actually in the original Greek text but was added by the translators for clearer understanding. But even if the word “SON” was left out we can still clearly see that Almighty God the Father purchased or redeemed the church with the blood OF His OWN meaning God's OWN human SON that was BEGOTTEN OF him to become His ETERNAL SON after the cross. And right now, Jesus is God's ONLY begotten SON, the firstborn of MANY BRETHREN. Where does the Bible ITSELF ever call us the Father's BRETHREN? NOWHERE! And that is another sound Biblical reason why Jesus is NOT the FATHER. Jesus is our BROTHER, or fellow SERVANT made like unto us who was MADE PERFECT BY his God and Father to become immortal after the cross. Please read the three-part study “WHEN DID JESUS BECOME GOD’S ETERNAL SON?”
Here is Acts 20:28 from the New Century Bible.
“Be careful for yourselves and for all the people the Holy Spirit has given to you to care for. You must be like shepherds to the church of God, which He bought with the DEATH of His OWN son.”
Again, in this translation, we can clearly see that the Father suffered the DEATH of His OWN human Son in order to gain all of mankind of WHOSOEVER BELIEVES that Jesus the SON OF Almighty God the Father and that the Son of MAN DIED for their sins. Jesus was NOT the Son of Joseph, but rather, Jesus was the mortal human Son of MAN born of a human woman by being formed in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the power of the SPOKEN word of Yahweh Himself who creates all things by SPEAKING them into existence. Then the human Jesus was ANOINTED at his baptism with the Holy Spirit and power who went about doing the WILL of God healing all who were oppressed of the devil because God was WITH him by DWELLING IN him. And then AFTER the cross, Yahweh the Father HIGHLY EXALTED the Son of MAN and GAVE him eternal life to become God's ETERNAL SON who will rule FOR Yahweh during the seventh 1000 year long day of Yahweh's Sabbath REST. Nowhere in the Bible are we taught to believe that ALMIGHTY God the FATHER HIMSELF DIED for our sins by the shedding of His OWN BLOOD. One must incorrectly interpret the Scriptures to try and force Jesus to be Almighty God Himself in the flesh The truth of the matter is that the OWN BLOOD here in the KJV translation of the Bible is definitely speaking of the shed blood of Jesus, the SON OF Almighty God who suffered the temporary death of His OWN meaning His own SON. And God did not leave his SON'S SOUL in hell but raised His human SON from the dead after the third day and GAVE him the divine nature of immortality to never die again.
Here is Acts 20:28 from the Darby translation.
“Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, wherein the Holy Spirit has set you as overseers, to shepherd the assembly of God, which he has purchased with the blood of HIS OWN.”
In this translation, the translator does not add the word “SON” but it is certainly UNDERSTOOD by the CONTEXT and the REST of God's word that the phrase “HIS OWN” is speaking of God's OWN SON who shed his own human blood for all humans to be saved. So then the doctrine of the Trinity has to be read INTO this verse of Scripture as well as ALL the Trinitarian verse of Scripture. And also, the Oneness doctrine meaning of Jesus being Almighty God the Father Himself must be FORCED upon this verse when the WHOLE word of God is kept in view. To clearly see that Jesus is NOT the Father who ALONE is the Almighty God Yahweh. This brings us to the last Scripture in this particular study where Jesus is MISTAKENLY interpreted to be ALMIGHTY God the Father Himself in the flesh.
Please read Titus 4:3.
“But after that, the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared,”
Now when one skims over this verse it SEEMS to be saying that ALMIGHTY God the Father our savior HIMSELF appeared to mankind. But when carefully reading this verse you can clearly see that it is the LOVE OF God our Savior which Almighty God has TOWARD mankind that has APPEARED. Please read this verse again with some emphasis added to make it clearer.
Titus 4:3 still from the KJV.
“But after that the kindness and LOVE OF God our Savior TOWARD man appeared,”
In Titus 2:11 we read that the GRACE of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men and no Christian would ever say that Grace IS Almighty God Himself. Now let us read Titus 4:3 from some other translations.
Here is Titus 3:4 from the American Standard Version.
“But when the kindness of God our Savior, and his LOVE TOWARD man, appeared,”
Here is Titus 3:4 from the Basic English Bible.
“But when the mercy of God our Saviour, and his love to man was seen,”
Here is Titus 3:4 from the Complete Jerusalem Bible.
“But when the kindness and love FOR mankind OF God our Deliverer was revealed,”
There are other verses where Almighty God is Savior and Jesus the SON OF Almighty God is called our Savior and those verses are used by those who teach the doctrine of Oneness, the doctrine of the Trinity, and the Deity of Jesus to try and prove that Jesus is THE ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God Himself in the flesh. For a deeper understanding that Almighty God the Father is the designer and creator of all things which H alone and by Himself created FOR the SAKE of his SON Jesus Please read the studies under the two headings >>>IS JESUS THE CREATOR?<<< and >>>WAS JESUS CREATED?<<< Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. Below are some other verses that are used to try and support the doctrine of the Trinity and the Deity of Jesus. There may be other verses that you may be having trouble seeing any other way than what you were dogmatically taught over and over for so long by your church denomination. But I assure you that each and every one of those verses of Scripture used by those who teach the doctrine of the Trinity and the pre-existence of Jesus does, indeed, have a different meaning that does NOT CONTRADICT any other part of God's word. If there is a verse that I have not listed in the list below then please do not hesitate to write and let me know. Some Trinitarian and Oneness verses are included in other studies and they may not appear as an individual study. If there is a verse or verses that you seem to struggle with only being able to see the doctrine of the Trinity or the doctrine of Oneness when you read those verses then please search out the truth be listening to the other side of the controversy. No one can arrive at the truth by hearing only ONE side of the controversy. I only present you with ALL the evidence that I myself have found and leave it to you to decide what you want to believe.
Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
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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 the studies under the heading >>>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 >>>A LIST OF STUDIES ON THE TRINITY!<<< and >>>VERSES USED TO TEACH THAT JESUS PRE-EXISTED!<<< These two headings have ALL 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. Thanks 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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