No man could look upon the unveiled glory of the face of Christ and live. The man who would be honored as was Moses to see the glory of God, must first be hidden in the cleft of the Rock, and the hand of Christ must cover him so that he may obtain but a partial view of his majesty. Eternal life is in Christ alone.
Genesis 32:30 "So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
Jacob also asked who it was he was wrestling with and received no straight answer. So WHO was Jacob wrestling with? An angel? God, or His Son, Jesus? Or, as it is defined today in the SDA Church, "God" as an essence, present in the flowers, trees, the atmosphere. Something not physical, no body, no actual personhood, a "concept" that we "assume", because the Church knows we have no specific Bible verse or SOP quote that supports this "assumption". While many may suggest this or that verse, in the end, they will fail, and the Church knows this. They readily admit that Fundamental Belief #2 IS an assumption! "We ought not guess at anything", says Ellen White/
Since it is clear, particularly in the case of Moses that no mortal man can see the face of God and survive, then Jacob did not see God, he saw God's Son, Jesus. Ellen White had a similar encounter when she asked to see the Father, who was shrouded in light (she was denied). In the Old Testament, we see in a number of places where the name of God is used in a plural sense. It could refer specifically to Christ's Father or to His Son. I know of no instance, though there might be, of the name of God being used in conjunction with the Holy Spirit. Nor do I know of any instance in the New Testament where God's name is used in a plural sense, where it is applied to Jesus, God's literal Son. Old Testament: The "burning bush", for instance, who was it? Jesus or His Father? At times, again, particularly in the Old Testament, it can be difficult to draw a firm conclusion as to who it is. When God showed His backside to Moses that was specifically Christ's Father, who is God. This is not a trinitarian issue, for Jesus and the Holy Spirit are also divine, but neither IS God. There is one God, the Father of Christ. They, the Father and the Son, have a representative, the Holy Spirit, without body, but nevertheless, a divine person. Each member of the God Head is a distinct personality. They are one in mindset, goals, and government but at the same time individual persons. These three make up the God Head, but only one is God, from whom all things came. God has ordained that His Son be deemed immortal. One reason for this is that He existed before anything was created because nothing was created without Him! Who did the creating? Jesus, by the power of He inherited from of His Father.
This conundrum, "who is it" is what has led to the current dilemma in the Church in trying to define just who God is! The HUGE modern mistake is an assumption that all three divine dignitaries composing a God Head are God. There is one God, the Father, from whom all things came. He has a Son and He has a representative. It's not really complicated, it is "assumptions", not specifically inspired counsel, that has led to such confusion.
And God said, "Let there be light; and there was light." Gen. 1:2-3 Who was speaking in this verse? Who was the active agent in the creation of this world, the One who "spoke and it stood fast"? Jesus, by the power He inherited from His Father! So, was it His Father who created, or was it Jesus? Both!
Your right Nb! There are only three times when Christs Father, who is the one and only God, spoke to mankind. Notably only in the New Testament: Christs baptism: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17; also, Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22). A week before Christs crucifixion: At the beginning of the final week. The message was for His Son, but for the people. John 12:28 "Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. 29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. 30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes." At Christs transfiguration: To three chosen disciples. Behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (Matthew 17:5). Years later Peter recalled, This voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy mount. (2 Peter 1:18).
The Bible calls Jesus God, and He is called by many other names as well. Among them: the mighty counselor, Jehovah, the everlasting Father, and more. The Father's name is in Him. He is the word of God. He speaks for God, as Aaron was the spokesperson for Moses. He thought it, was not robbery to be equal with God. He was begotten in the express IMAGE of His Father. He shares His Fathers Holy Spirit, which in turn represents them both. All things, His Son and His Holy Spirit come from the Father. There is One God, He has a Son and a Holy Spirit. It was the Father, through Christ, who created all things, by and for His Son.
Uplifting and a deeper understanding of Christ's Father and His Son is a beautiful study. It is important above all things. His name will be glorified. Whose name? Isaiah 6:9 tells us: "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, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah is speaking of Christ, God's Son. How is it that Jesus can also be "The Mighty God", the "Everlasting Father"? Christ is not His Father, He is His Father's Son. He thought it not robbery to be equal, in all regards, with His Father. His Father's name is in Him. It has been ordained by His Father that His Son bear equally the names, honor, position, respect, and divine powers that His Father has. As Jesus told Ellen White He was the exact image of His Father, but He is not His Father. I am not my father, I am my father's son. When Christ declared Himself to be God's Son, they wanted to kill Him on the spot! Repent, they declared. Blasphemy they bellowed! In a similar manner today, this history is being repeated. Christ is not God, He is God's Son. As such He is worthy of bearing the same names of His Father. When you see this, it makes perfect sense, it elevates both the Father and His Son. It returns the dignity lost to the Father in the confusion of understanding who the Father and the Son are. Another "in a similar manner" question, who is the Holy Spirit? He is the spirit of the Father, the Father's representative. The Son, being equal in all regards, is also represented by His Father's Spirit in equal measure. The Holy Spirit is not God, He is God's Spirit. The harmony and equality of the Father and His Son, in this modern age, has been left in confusion and gross misunderstanding has resulted. God, Christ's Father, will be honored, glorified, and understood correctly in His relationship to His Son before His Son returns. The wording in FB#2 does not reflect the truth of God. How very sad that many SDAs cannot see this and condemn and threaten those who dare question the current wording. As it was in the days of Christ, we are seeing that in our own day. A gross misunderstanding of God, His Son, and God's representative, His Holy Spirit.
Correction on Isaiah 6:9 in the above post. The correct verse is 9:6, my apologies.
"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, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 Jesus is entitled to bear the names of His Father in equal measure.
I stand with the early SDAs and Ellen White: Fundamental PRINCIPLES 1 and 2. I [God] That there is one God, a personal, spiritual being, the creator of all things, omnipotent, omniscient, and eternal, infinite in wisdom, holiness, justice, goodness, truth, and mercy; unchangeable, and everywhere present by his representative, the Holy Spirit. Ps. 139:7. II [Christ] That there is one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father, the one by whom God created all things, and by whom they do consist; that he took on him the nature of the seed of Abraham for the redemption of our fallen race; that he dwelt among men full of grace and truth, lived our example, died our sacrifice, was raised for our justification, ascended on high to be our only mediator in the sanctuary in Heaven, where, with his own blood, he makes atonement for our sins; which atonement, so far from being made on the cross, which was but the offering of the sacrifice, is the very last portion of his work as priest, according to the example of the Levitical priesthood, which foreshadowed and prefigured the ministry of our Lord in Heaven. Lev. 16, Heb. 8:4-5; 9:6-7
In 1980 the Fundamental Principles, which Ellen White endorsed, were substantially altered. Three Gods were introduced, in complete harmony with Catholicism! This modern error is substantial, it will not stand. God WILL have a people who know who He, His Son, and His representative, the Holy Spirit are.
Jesus thought it not robbery to be equal with God, while at the same time making it clear that He was God's Son. "God is the Father of Christ, Christ is the Son of God." There is no room for confusion on this point. Jesus is fully divine and eternal, yet, He was begotten of His Father. This is a mystery of God, you cannot reason it out but reject it at the peril of your soul. There is one God, not three. Do not confuse the God Head with the Father, from whom all things came, by way of His Son. Repent indeed!
In personality there is only one God and that is the Father: The Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father, is truly God in infinity, but not in personality. (Ms. 116, 1905, Dec. 19)
There are three members of the God Head. God, His representative the Holy Spirit, and God's Son, Jesus, the Christ. Jesus was begotten of His Father, yet He is eternal and divine. This mystery has caused many false doctrines, misunderstandings, and assumptions. Jesus, being the exact image of His Father thought it not robbery to be called by His Father's name.
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. John 20:31
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER. Phil 2:11
Who is Christ?He is the only begotten Son of the living God. He is to the Father as a word that expresses the thought,as a thought made audible. Christ is the word of God. Christ said to Philip, He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father. His words were the echo of Gods words EGW, Youth Instructor, June 28, 1894, par. 9
All that is attributed to the Father Himself is attributed to Christ. Ellen White, Daughters of God pg. 61 {DG 61.3}
