(Phil. 2:6,7 --Diaglott), and whom Jehovah in consequence highly exalted and gave "a name
above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess to the glory of God the Father"?
(Phil. 2:10,11.) "
Response:
The Lord Jesus in his pre-human condition was the 'Word that was WITH GOD and was
God.' Not a god.
In His prehuman state he was with God and was God, not Michael as the Jehovah's Witnesses
believe.
'Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I AM GOD, and there
is NONE ELSE. 23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That UNTO
ME EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW, EVERY TONGUE SHALL SWEAR.' (Isaiah 45)
Here is God saying that He will not share his glory with another and that every knee
shall bow to him and every tongue will confess to Him.
Yet Paul in Philippians Two quotes this verse in reference to Christ.
This OT reference also shows that Christ is the Almighty not Michael.
There is no way to prove that Jesus was Michael unless you go outside of scripture.
"Heb. 1:13: 'But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand
until I make thine enemies thy footstool?" Unto none of the angels, we answer, but to Him who was superior, a chief over angels--the
only begotten of the Father. Thus seen, this Scripture not only does not oppose but supports this view."
This Watchtower quote commits eisegesis, which is reading into the scripture.
It also makes a wrong conclusion based on a faulty assumption.
It assumes that because God didn't say to any of the angels, sit on my right hand,
that Jesus must have been chief of the angels.
But even as chief the JW's think he was an angel.
The same bible chapter says, 'Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,
whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the
express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat
down on the right hand of the Majesty on high...'
Here it is clear who Christ was and is.
And again, when he BRINGETH IN THE FIRSTBEGOTTEN INTO THE WORLD, he saith, And LET
ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM. 7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame
of fire. 8 But UNTO THE SON HE SAITH, Thy throne, O GOD, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of
thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; THEREFORE GOD, EVEN THY GOD, hath anointed thee with the
oil of gladness above thy fellows. (Hebrews 1)
Take Note:
1) When God brings the Son into the World
a) He says, let all the angels of God worship Him.
1) If Jesus wasn't God almighty, then this would have been wrong because Jesus says,
"And (Satan) saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP ME. 10 Then saith Jesus
unto him, GET THEE HENCE, SATAN,: for it is written, Thou shalt WORSHIP THE LORD THY GOD, and HIM ONLY SHALT THOU SERVE. 11
Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him." (Matthew 4)
If the only one to be worshipped is God alone, then Christ is God.
So whoever worships Mary, Michael or anyone else for that matter, other than God is
committing idolatry.
If Jesus was 'a god' as the JW's say, but not the Almighty God then this would have
also made it wrong for the angels of God to worship Christ, because Christ himself said that only the Lord God is worthy of
worship.
God rightly tells all the angels to worship Christ because Christ is God.
"In answer Thomas said to him: 'My Lord and My God!' Jesus said to him: 'Because you
have seen me have you believed?.." (John 20:27-31)
Believed What?
That Jesus had physically resurrected from the dead, which JW's also reject.
Notice that Thomas calls Jesus God.
What could be clearer.
Mormonism
The Mormons believe Jesus was Jehovah but that we all can become Gods, so their definition
of Jehovah has been watered down.
Jesus is nothing more than the first in line to become God as we all may become.
"As god once was, man is. As God is, man may become."
This is in direct conflict with the Bible and even their own Book of Mormon:
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed
the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. (Psalm 90:2; KJV, Bible)
"For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is a
unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity." (Book of Mormon-Moroni 8:18)
The Father and the Son are one God (Mosiah 15:4)
Though looking at the context of this passage I see that it is sounding more like
Modalism than the biblical teaching of the Triunity of God or the Mormon teaching of separate Gods evolving. (Book
of Mormon-3 Nephi 23:14; Doctrine and Covenants 27:13)
This conflicts with the other Mormons works.
"Jesus Christ, the same Yesterday, Today and Forever." (Hebrews 13:8)
If Christ was evolving as some Mormon literature teaches, this scripture would
not make sense.
Cynthia my partner in ministry was given a book by Mormon missionaries that has the Book of Mormon,
Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price and 'The Articles of Faith, all wrapped into one.
This is a great asset when seeing how their own works contradict each other.
They are fond of saying that when Mormon teaching contradicts the Bible, it is the
bible that has been incorrectly translated, (The Articles of Faith, Article 8) but their own works contradict each other,
which brings into question their own works not the Bible.
To learn the details of Mormonism is about as strange an exercise as learning
the details of Alice in Wonderland, so a better approach is to start with the Christ of scripture.
The distinct relationship that the Three persons of the One God had and have with
each other is clearly spelled out in scripture. (John 1:1-3,12,14,18; Isaiah 48:12..16; Genesis 1:26,27; Isaiah 44:6 with
Revelation 1:7,8)
Many years ago I went to a showing of the Movie, God Makers and what Mormons actually
believe will shock most.
I thought I was watching a elaborate fairy tale.
Common Errors of both Groups:
1) They deny the Trinity of God taught in scripture:
However, denying this biblical teaching creates other problems as
well.
"The inconceivably complete identity of God is the paradigm
of all personhood, as its very plurality is the foundation of all relatedness. Such is
the 'image of God' in which we are made. In that light, the doctrine of the Trinity is not some facile mystification, but a straightforward statement of the multiple personhood
of God ...
If God is a Person, that ... translates into moral absolutes
for us ... humanity's alienation from God has occurred at precisely that level of character
and relationship. (1) "
http://www.apocalypsesoon.org/xfile-51.html
2) Both teach salvation by works
This also is a result of denying what scripture teaches of Christ.
Notice the times the deity of Christ is connected with his sacrifice
for us. (Hebrews 1; Philippians 2; Colossians 1; Acts 20: 28; Revelation 1:6-8,18) If you diminish or distort who Christ is,
you in effect change what one must do to gain God's approval and God doesn't accept a change to his terms.
We are living in the last days so we need to be on guard against
those that distort what the scripture teaches concerning God and salvation.
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith
and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars,
whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. (1 Timothy 4)
If you are interested in things pertaining the end, Click
Tribulation :
We should not only be wary of the cults but the cliques as well.
For more information on this click: Cliques
BJ Maxwell 05/05/2006; 05/08/2006
