U-2. JOHN 20:28 MY LORD AND MY GOD!

  JOHN 20:28 – MY LORD AND MY GOD!

This verse here in John 20:28 is used by BOTH the Oneness Christians AND the Trinitarian Christians to try and prove that Jesus IS Almighty God Himself in the flesh.

The Oneness Christians teach that Jesus is the FATHER, as in, Jesus is one and the self-same divine eternal being as the FATHER who alone is God in ONE person.

And Trinitarian Christians teach that Jesus is the one true and only Almighty God Himself in the flesh by saying that the one God is THREE separate persons.

And both of these groups of Christians teach the doctrine of the DEITY of Jesus which states that Jesus had TWO natures at the SAME time DURING the days of his FLESH, one divine, and the other human.

However, there are other Christians, such as myself, who believe that Almighty God is ONE God in ONE person who begat Himself a HUMAN Son first at the virgin birth, and then, the Son of MAN, Jesus, became God's ETERNAL SON after the cross. This group of Christians is called Biblical Unitarians. Now, Biblical Unitarianism is what the very Apostles of Jesus taught in the early church, but the name or title of Biblical Unitarian Christians was not used until the 18th century. Nonetheless, the first century church taught what is being taught today by Christians who associate themselves with the name or title of Biblical Unitarian.

So then, which group of Christians teach what the Bible ITSELF actually teaches in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God?

Let us begin this study in God’s word by reading John 20:28.

John 20:28.

“And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord AND my God.”

What do these words of Thomas truly mean in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God? What do I mean when I say, in the light of the whole word of Almighty God?

As I have said many times, ANY verse when taken OUT of CONTEXT and viewed ALONE and APART from the REST of God's word may SEEM to be saying something that it is NOT TRULY saying. And at times certain BIAS meanings are read INTO verses to try and support a preconceived belief, rather than, allowing the Scriptures to tell us what they truly mean in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of God. In other words, there can indeed be more than just one correct interpretation of some verses of Scripture and John 20:28 happens to be one of those verses of Scripture that has two interpretations that agree with the rest of God's word.

My first understanding of John 20:28, after God revealed to me that the doctrine of the Trinity contradicts the Scriptures, is that Thomas was addressing BOTH Jesus AND the God OF Jesus in a REPENTANT way because Thomas DOUBTED both Jesus and the prophecies of God about Jesus. I will explain this interpretation in more detail is section two of this study, but I would like to explain it briefly before we continue the first section of this study.

You see, Jesus had already taught in John 14:20 that, in that day, you will know I am IN my Father, and you IN me, and I IN you. And later in John 20:17-20, Jesus told Mary Magdalene, who then told the disciples, that he would ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God and your God. And before this in John chapter 14, Jesus said to his disciples, “And you know the way where I am going.” And then Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, how do we know the way?” Then Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father ALSO; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father.”

Jesus is NOT saying that he himself IS the Father, but rather, Jesus is saying that he who sees the WORKS done by the Father dwelling IN Jesus has seen the love and character OF the Father. Now, the immediate context of John 20:28 itself is about seeing or UNDERSTANDING and believing. Jesus had taught Thomas and his disciples about seeing or UNDERSTANDING and believing. So then to see Jesus was not to just see one person but two separate persons. To us there is but ONE God who is the FATHER and to us there is but ONE Lord who is Jesus Christ. Hence, one person is my Lord, and the other person is my, the God and Father OF Jesus. And to ME, Thomas was REPENTING to BOTH Jesus AND the Father for his UNBELIEF.

You see, Jesus also explained to them precisely HOW they had seen the Father. In the next breath Jesus said, “the Father abiding IN me, He does the works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, otherwise believe the works themselves.”

Let us review this interpretation in a compact summary.

John 12:44 teaches us that he who believes in Jesus ALSO believes in God who sent Jesus.

John 12: 45 teaches us that he who see or UNDERSTANDS who Jesus is ALSO sees or UNDERSTANDS who the Father who sent Jesus is.

John 14:9 teaches us that he who has see or UNDERSTANDS who Jesus is ALSO has seen or UNDERSTANDS who the Father is.

So the clear undeniable pattern in the Gospel of John is there are TWO separate persons.

And thus, John 20:28 is no different, there is my Lord AND there is my God.

So to me, John 20:28 does NOT prove that Jesus IS Almighty God Himself in the flesh just because Thomas addressed Jesus by saying “my Lord AND my God.”

Now IF Thomas would have said “my Lord AND God” without the additional possessive pronoun “my” to indicate a second person, then Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal Christians have ONE verse that they could argue that John 20:28 MIGHT be saying that Thomas himself MAY have believed that Jesus is Almighty God Himself. But that is NOT what John 20:28 says.

PLUS, the Apostle John goes on to say that the Gospel of John was written for the PURPOSE that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son OF God and by believing this we might have eternal life. So please read John 20:28 left IN its CONTEXT.

John 20:28-31.

“And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 

29.  Jesus said unto him, Thomas, BECAUSE you have SEEN me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

The Purpose of this Book

30.  And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

31.  But these ARE written, THAT you might believe that Jesus IS the Christ, the Son OF God; and that believing you might have life through his name.”

So how could the Apostle John ever INTEND his words to be INTEPRETED to mean that we are to believe that Jesus is Almighty God Himself in the flesh by recording the words Thomas spoke to Jesus when he finally believed that God raised Jesus from the dead because he SAW for himself that the prophecy was TRUE and that Jesus IS the Christ prophesied to come. They all thought for sure that Jesus was the Christ UNTIL he was crucified and placed in the tomb. Read Luke 24:13-49 on your own and NOTICE that AS the two men on the road to Emmaus where telling how Jesus appeared to them, that Jesus appeared to the disciples in the upper room and expounded the Scriptures to them as well. I may write a study on this later because Luke chapter 24 ties it all together.

But for now, let us dig a little deeper in section one of this study on John 20:28 to learn another sound Biblical meaning of this verse in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God because it does have a DEEPER meaning as well that AGREE with every verse of Scripture in the Bible.

SECTION ONE

One of the first rules of correctly INTERPRETING the Scriptures is to KEEP the verse that is in question IN the CONTEXT of where it is found. And by the verse in question, I mean the specific verse of Scripture, such and John 20:28 above, that is being used as the what is called a prooftext to support what a particular group of Christians believe that is being QUESTIONED by another group of Christians. In other words, Biblical Unitarian Christians QUESTION the validity the Oneness Pentecostal and the Trinitarian INTERPRETATION of John 20:28 as actually being PROOF that Thomas believes that Jesus IS Almighty God Himself. So then, in order to be able to correctly interpret ANY verse of Scripture, we must keep that verse IN its CONTEXT.  In other words, it is necessary to read the verses before and after the verse in question to get a proper understanding of what that verse truly means in the LIGHT of its CONTEXT. But that is only the FIRST step in CORRECTLY interpreting the Scriptures because just that one passage of Scripture is NOT the WHOLE word of Almighty God.

So then, another rule of correctly interpreting Scriptures is to COMPARE Scripture with Scripture. What is meant by this is that we need to read what OTHER similar verses are saying that are clearly understood without having ANY need to be interpreted. This is also what is called allowing the Scriptures to speak for themselves or let Scripture interpret Scripture. It is also called out of the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be establish. In other words, we must have no less than TWO verses of Scripture before we should teach anything as church DOCTRINE.

And the final test to see whether or not you have arrived at the CORRECT interpretation is to compare your interpretation with the WHOLE word of Almighty God. In other words, IF the interpretation or the conclusion that you draw from any particular verse CONTRADICTS any other portion of God's word, then you do NOT have the CORRECT interpretation of what that verse TRULY means in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of God.

You see my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, whatever anyone SAYS or even DOGMATICALLY teaches that a particular verse means, without fail, does NOT make it to be the TRUTH just because they say so. Nearly every church denomination will tell you that they teach the truth and ALL other church denominations have errors in what they teach. But yet they all teach things that are different. So who is right and who is wrong? HOW can we truly KNOW who is teaching SOUND Biblical teaching? We must search the word of TRUTH, the Holy Bible, for OURSELVES in order to see if what we are being taught is the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God when it is CORRECTLY interpreted in the LIGHT of every single verse of Scripture in the WHOLE Bible.

So then, as you read this study at hand on John 20:28 or any of the other Bible studies that I write, do NOT just merely take my word for it. Search the Scriptures for YOURSELF so you can SEE for YOURSELF that what I am teaching you is the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God that is correctly interpreted in the LIGHT or every verse of Scripture in the Holy Bible. Search the word of God daily to make absolutely sure that what you are being taught by any and every church denomination is indeed the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God the Father. For you see, NO church denomination and NO Christians is above making an error in their interpretation of the Scriptures, including myself. The following passage of Scripture is a sound Biblical example set before us in the Bible to follow.          

Please read Acts 17:10-13.

“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither (Or who coming there at Berea) went into the synagogue of the Jews.

11.  These were nobler than those in Thessalonica, (HOW? How were these people in Berea more noble than those people who were in Thessalonica?) IN THAT (Or in this way they were more noble because) they RECEIVED the word with all readiness of mind, AND (They also) SEARCHED the Scriptures daily, (For THEMSELVES in order to see for themselves directly from the word of God. Having a READINESS of mind is being OPEN to at least TRULY consider what others believe to learn WHY they believe what they believe and teach. But we must also prove by the SCRIPTURES) whether those things are so.

12.  THEREFORE, (Or for this very reason of seeing the TRUTH directly from God's word for THEMSELVES after they searched the Scriptures daily to prove to themselves the very Apostle of Jesus are teaching them the truth) many of them BELIEVED; also of honorable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.

13.  BUT when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and STIRRED UP the people.”

Here we have a perfect example of what Jesus taught us would happen in the parable of the sower sowing seed saying that if we did not know this parable, then HOW could we understand ANY parable? First, Paul preaches God's word of TRUTH in Thessalonica where the WORD falls by the wayside and Satan comes immediately to steal the seed of God's word whereby the word of truth is NOT received at all resulting in unbelief. And, therefore, those in Thessalonica who did NOT receive the word of truth remained dead in their sins by not believing in Jesus as the Christ, the SON OF the living God.

Then, Paul went to Berea where he again preached the word of TRUTH. And this time the word fell on GOOD ground and the word of truth was readily RECEIVED by those who heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, they did not BLINDLY ACCEPT what was being taught to them, but rather, they SEARCHED the word of Almighty God for THEMSELVES in order to prove whether or not they were being taught the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God. So then, when they did, indeed, SEE for themselves in the Scriptures that what Paul was teaching them was SOUND Biblical teaching, then many BELIEVED.

But then, Satan comes along and tries to STEAL God's word of TRUTH from those dear baby Christians in Berea. Do you know and realize that Satan uses people and even CHRISTIANS to try and STEAL the word of TRUTH that has just been sown in the hearts and minds of other Christians? Well if not, then here is a perfect example of Satan using people to try and steal God's word from Christians before it has time to become thoroughly rooted and grounded in their hearts. In verse 13, we see that as soon as those in Thessalonica HEARD that the same word that was preached to them was also being preached in Berea so they came to Berea to put a STOP to what they truly believed in their own heart was FALSE teaching and they STIRRED UP the people. Stirred up means that SOME began to DOUBT what they had just received and proved to themselves directly from God's word as to whether or not they were rightly dividing the word of truth. In other words, some of these new Christians were INTIMIDATED by those DOGMATIC DEMANDING Jews putting FEAR in their hearts of those in Berea. The fear was that they were being DECEIVED by FALSE teaching.

Now, I ask you, dear children of God, does this sound familiar to YOU? Have you ever even one time heard the TRUTH of God's word, received it with joy, believed it with all your heart, and then some Christians come along and sow seeds of DOUBT in your heart and you begin the QUESTION whether or not that which you already received reading God's word for yourself was true or not? Well, if not, then get ready for this to happen to you because just like Jesus said, the Devil will come along and try to STEAL this word of TRUTH that I am teaching you in this in-depth study in God's word. For example, when you begin to share your JOY of the TRUTH, then other CHRISTIANS who have not yet RECEIVED this TRUTH will INTIMIDATE you with FEAR saying things like, “You need to pray to God for spreading LIES of Satan and repent for believing that Jesus is NOT God the Son, the second person of the divine holy TRINITY.” Or “You need to pray to God for spreading LIES of Satan and repent for NOT believing that Jesus is ONE and the self-same divine eternal being as Almighty God the FATHER HIMSELF.”

Please keep in mind that many of you have been taught over and over and over again and again for so long about Almighty God as being a “TRINITY” Godhead, or doctrine of “ONENESS that the Jesus is the FATHER”. And both of these groups of Christians have been taught for so long that Jesus HIMSELF IS THE ALMIGHTY God Himself in the flesh that it will be hard for you at first to see anything else other than what your particular church denomination has drilled into your minds.

In other words, you may have been dogmatically taught for so long that these words of Thomas, “My Lord and my God” mean, without fail, that Thomas is calling Jesus THE ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God Himself in such a dogmatic demanding intimidating way that it is hard to see that any other interpretation can be correct. I know because I was dogmatically taught the doctrine of the Trinity so I understand that it will be hard for some of you to lay that church denominational teaching aside for a moment to take an HONEST fresh new and DIFFERENT UNBIASED closer look at John 20:28. 

What I mean by this is that only those of you who are TRULY seeking to know the TRUTH will indeed have an open mind to at least CONSIDER, and PONDER a DIFFERENT interpretation of these words of Thomas, “My Lord and my God.” This is called RECEIVING the word of God giving the other side of the controversy the grace to be HEARD.

But others of you reading this study may not be open to receive the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God because your MOTIVE for being here at AMatterOfTruth.com is not right with God. To say this another way, some Christians search the Internet with the motive of trying to prove what their particular denomination teaches is the truth and anyone who disagrees with what they believe are automatically wrong. And is alright CHALLENGE what others believe, but do it with a spirit to know ONLY the TRUTH because it just might be that what you are desiring to try and prove is the truth may very well be FALSE teaching. So then, when a Christian has the type of wrong motive of ONLY trying to prove what their particular denomination has taught them, then they are not truly open to receive anything that teaches differently than what their particular denomination teaches? They have already FIXED their mind to believe only what they have been taught to believe. And again, that is not a bad thing IF you have already done your OWN in depth research on WHY others believe and teach what they have come to believe. 

All I am saying is give God's WORD top priority OVER what your particular church denomination is teaching you and be willing and reading to RECEIVE the word of Almighty God himself. And if so be that your church denomination is indeed teaching you the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God, then what they teach will agree COMPLETELY with what the Bible ITSELF teaches us. And what I myself mean by the Bible ITSELF is the WHOLE word of God and NOT just using verses taken OUT of CONTEXT to teach you a church doctrine.

If you have ever paid any attention at all you will notice that ALL who teach FALSE doctrine only use SINGLE INDIVIDUAL verses of Scripture put together with other SINGLE INDIVIDUAL verses to teach what they teach. Yes, they may use two or three verses together in a particular passage of Scripture, but they do NOT keep that verse IN the context of the ENTIRE PASSAGE of Scripture where it is found.

Calvinism or Reformed Christianity which teaches once saved always saved does this.

Sabbath-keeping churches that teach that Christians must keep all the Law of Moses in order to be saved, do this as well. 

The Christians who teach Preterism which teaches that the time of great tribulation has already been fulfilled in 70 AD do this. 

Universalism which teaches that every single person and even the Devil will eventually ALL be saved does this.

Oneness believers who teach that Jesus IS the Father, in that, Jesus is the ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God HIMSELF in the flesh as ONE God manifesting Himself as the Son and as the Father at the same time do this. 

So it should be no surprise to you dear children of God who believe and teach the doctrine of the Trinity that Trinitarian Christians do this as well. 

If you have not noticed this, then go and read the articles written by Trinitarians and take note of how they use only single individual verses of Scripture connecting them together with other single individual verses taken out of their context. Also, pay close attention to how they TELL you what those verses mean. In other words, they READ INTO those verses the meaning that their own specific church teaches those verses mean and they belittle anyone who questions their interpretation of those verses of Scripture.

For example, those who teach the doctrine of the Trinity MUST prove from God's WORD that Jesus being called God by his God and Father means that Jesus is God. And NOT that Jesus is just God, but also that Jesus is THE ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God HIMSELF in the FLESH being FULLY THE Almighty God and fully a man at the SAME time having TWO natures, a DIVINE nature, and human nature to be able to die on the cross. Trinitarians MUST prove this beyond any shadow of a doubt in order for them to have SOUND BIBLICAL evidence to dogmatically say with BIBLICAL authority that they are teaching the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God.

This is why Trinitarians work so hard to TRY and prove that Jesus IS God, as in, Jesus IS the great I AM THAT I AM of the Old Testament. Thus they use every SINGLE INDIVIDUAL verse like John 20:28 that we are presently about to study in-depth that might SEEM to some Christians to be saying that Jesus is God, as in, Almighty God Himself after being dogmatically told that this is what John 20:28 means, without fail, so case close, end of discussion.

Some of you may be saying or thinking, “DUH! Brother Mark, DOES this verse not say that Jesus IS GOD? Can you not read?”

And I say, does it MEAN that Thomas is calling Jesus Almighty God Himself? I agree that this verse of Scripture uses the “name or title” of God. In other words, or more specifically, the “title” of God with a capital “G” is a translation of the Greek word “THEOS”. And the Greek word “THEOS” is indeed in the original Greek text, but this verse does not specifically state as a clear undeniable fact that Jesus is THE Almighty God, as in, that Jesus is THE ONE true and ONLY Almighty God Himself in the flesh. In fact, at this point in time, Jesus was no longer IN the FLESH! For you see, AFTER the cross, Jesus was no longer a mortal human, but rather, the Son of MAN, Jesus, was now a glorified REGENERATED human who has been GIVEN the DIVINE nature of IMMORTALITY. Let me explain what I mean by this as briefly as I can.

The word “BEGOTTEN” is translated from the Greek word “gennao” which means to procreate, be born, and conceive, but it ALSO means to REGENERATE, to be DELIVERED from something, and to MAKE or to create. Here is how E-Sword defines the Greek word “gennao” Strong’s number G1080.

G1080

γεννάω

gennaō

ghen-nah'-o

From a variation of G1085; to procreate (properly of the father, but by extension of the mother); figuratively to regenerate: - bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of, gender, make, spring.

Total KJV occurrences: 97.

And Revelation 1:15 clearly teaching us in simplicity with no interpretation needed that Jesus if the FIRST BEGOTTEN from the DEAD.

Please Revelation 1:15.

“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful WITNESS, and the FIRST BEGOTTEN of the DEAD, (G4416 prototokos which also means FIRSTBORN) and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,”

Here we can clearly see with no interpretation needed that the words “FIRST BEGOTTEN” means, without fail, that Jesus Christ was BEGOTTEN from the DEAD, and that Jesus is the FIRST to be born from the dead or resurrected from the dead never to die again. In other words, Jesus being begotten from the DEAD means that Jesus was REGENERATED. So what actually happened during that regeneration process? Let us read 2 Corinthians 5:16,17 which teaches us that AFTER the resurrection we no longer know Jesus as he WAS DURING the days of his FLESH.

2 Corinthians 5:16,17.

“Wherefore, henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the FLESH, yet now HENCEFORTH know we him no more. 

17.  Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW CREATURE: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 

Now, obviously, we still know Jesus, but we NOW know Jesus as who he is AFTER the cross and resurrection or after the days of his FLESH. So there is a DIFFERENCE as to who Jesus WAS during the days of his FLESH before the cross and to who Jesus is NOW after the cross and resurrection. Romans 1:3 clearly teaches us in simplicity with no need of any interpretation that Jesus was DECLARED to be the Son of God WITH POWER BY the resurrection.

Please read Romans 1:3,4.

“Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was MADE of the seed of David according to the flesh; 

4.  And DECLARED to be the Son of God WITH POWER, (Or with AUTHORITY that was GIVEN to him by his God and Father after the cross) according to the spirit of holiness, (Or because Jesus obeyed the Holy Spirit who dwelt in him to love righteousness and hate iniquity. In other words, the Son of MAN, Jesus, though he was a Son, he was DECLARED to BECOME the Son of God with POWER) BY the resurrection from the DEAD:”

For you see, the Son of MAN, Jesus was GIVEN all power and all authority AFTER the cross, according to Matthew 28:18, and John 17:2. But BEFORE the cross and resurrection the Son of MAN, Jesus, could do NOTHING OF himself and it was the Father DWELLING IN him who actually did the WORKS, according to John 5:19 and John 14:10. In other words, Jesus was MADE to become both Lord and Christ after the cross, according to Acts 3:36, and in John 20:28, the verse in QUESTION. Therefore, Thomas addressed the Jesus that we know NOW after the cross and resurrection. And thus, Thomas addressed the Son of MAN, Jesus, in John 20:28 who was MADE Lord and a God under and subject to Almighty God the Father. And that, to me, and to other Biblical Unitarian Christians, is what John 20:28 means in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. So the sound Biblical meaning of John 20:28 is that Jesus was HIGHLY EXALTED to BECOME Lord and a god under his God and Father after the cross. And, to me, that is the true sound Biblical meaning of John 20:28 when it is CORRECTLY interpreted in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. But there is ANOTHER sound Biblical meaning of John 20:28 that also does NOT contradict any other verses in the Bible.

So this concludes section one of this study on God's word concerning John 20:28 but if you would like to hear some OTHER interpretations of John 20:28, then please continue reading in section two below.

SECTION TWO

Also, another INTERPRETATION of these words of Thomas saying, “My Lord and my God” may mean that Thomas was repenting of his sin of unbelief to BOTH Jesus AND the Father. We will take a more in-depth look at the possibility of this interpretation further on in this study. But for now, I just want YOU, the reader and seeker of the TRUTH, to know HOW false teachings SEEM to be what the Bible itself teaches, otherwise, no one would believe those false teaching. But in TRUTH, these false teachings are found to be using only PART of the Bible to DECEIVE Christians who do not search the word of God for THEMSELVES to see if what they are being taught is the truth of the WHOLE word of God. 

Also, when you read Trinitarian articles, pay close attention to words or phrases like, “Now, while the word Trinity is not found in the Bible, the Trinity is IMPLIED in the word of God.” I cannot tell you how many times I have read phrases like this in Trinitarian articles trying to prove their doctrine of the Trinity. To ME, this is like saying, “Well, now the Bible itself does not specifically state that Jesus is EQUAL with God, but it is IMPLIED.” So which is it? Is Jesus just EQUAL with God or is Jesus Almighty God HIMSELF in the flesh? 

OR is Jesus exactly what the clear, plain, and SIMPLE word of TRUTH teaches us in SIMPLICITY that Jesus is “A” God who the Father highly exalted to BECOME “a God” AFTER the cross, who is under and subject to HIS God and Father, who ALONE is the ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God?

So then, with that being said let us now read the CONTEXT of John 20:28 by reading all of John chapter 20 which was three days AFTER Jesus was crucified and laid in the tomb. I know that this is a lot of reading, but if you are TRULY seeking the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God, then it is necessary to read the ENTIRE CONTEXT to truly understand what these words of Thomas “My Lord and my God” TRULY mean when they are interpreted correctly in the light of the WHOLE word of Almighty God the Father.

John 20:1-31.

“The first day of the week comes Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and sees the stone taken away from the sepulcher. (So Mary Magdalene gets to the tomb of Jesus first and sees that the stone has been rolled away)

2. Then she runs, and comes to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, (Speaking of John the beloved who in my opinion wrote the Gospel of John, 1John through 3 John, plus the Book of Revelation) whom Jesus loved, and said unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him.

3. Peter, therefore, went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulcher.

4. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulcher. (Here we see that the Apostle John is a bit faster runner than Peter. Just a bit of Bible trivia who could run faster, Peter or John?)

5. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.

6. Then comes Simon Peter following him, (Huffing and puffing and all out of breath racing John to the tomb) and went into the sepulcher, and sees the linen clothes lie,

7. And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

8. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw and BELIEVED. (Believed WHAT? John believed what Mary had told first told John. And what Mary first told John what she first believed as to why the tomb was empty, which was that someone has TAKEN the BODY of Jesus. For you see, Mary Magdalene was actually the FIRST person to the tomb, then the Apostle John arrived second, and then Peter arrived shortly after. And, at FIRST, after all three saw the empty tomb they believed Mary Magdalene FIRST believed that someone must have taken the body of Jesus)

9. For (Or because) as YET they knew NOT the Scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. (In other words, the disciples had not yet understood that Jesus was to be crucified for the sins of mankind and then arise from the dead after three days and three nights even though they heard Jesus tell them this a number of times)

10. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. (So now, Mary Magdalene is left alone at the now EMPTY tomb of Jesus)

11. But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher,

12. And sees two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

13. And they said unto her, Woman, why do you weep? She said unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. (Mary saw the empty tomb where the body of Jesus had been laid and the only thought in her mind at that moment in time was, WHERE have they TAKEN my Lord?)

14. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew NOT that it was Jesus. (In other words, after Mary had seen the two angels and heard them speak to her, then Mary turned back to leave and saw a figure of another person, supposing that he was the gardener, but this man was really Jesus. However, Mary was not expecting Jesus to be alive so she did not recognize this man as being Jesus at FIRST)

15. Jesus said unto her, Woman, why do you weep? Who do you seek? She, supposing him to be the gardener (Keep in mind that Mary has been crying and her eyes may still be full of tears, and thus, because of the tears in her eyes, she may not have been seeing clearly. Or it may be that Jesus purposely hid his true identity from her momentarily for some reason. Also, we must keep in mind that Mary was not looking for Jesus to be ALIVE. Mary's mind was occupied looking for the missing BODY of the deceased Jesus. Anyway, Mary spoke unto Jesus who she THOUGHT was a gardener and) said unto him, Sir, if you have borne him hence, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.

16. Jesus said unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and said unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. (Here we see that Mary Magdalene now recognizes the voice of her Lord saying her NAME. And it appears that Mary wanted to give Jesus a hug being so happy that he is alive)

17. Jesus said unto her, Touch me NOT; (WHY? Why did Jesus say NOT to TOUCH him?) FOR (Or BECAUSE) I am NOT YET ASCENDED (Not yet ascended WHERE? And why did Jesus even need to ascend up into heaven?) to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to MY God, and your God. (A point to ponder on is that IF SO BE that Thomas saying the words “My Lord and my God” truly mean beyond any shadow of a doubt that Thomas INTENDED his words to mean that Jesus is the ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God HIMSELF, then WHY does Jesus himself call Almighty God the Father HIS God saying, “MY God”? For you see dear children of God, the one true and ONLY Almighty God is the HIGHEST God having NO other Gods OVER Him. And here in this verse, Jesus is saying that he himself has the highest God OVER him, who is the FATHER. So for any Christian to INTERPRET the words of Thomas in John 20:28 to mean that Thomas knew full well the Jesus IS Almighty God Himself in the flesh is to exalt their own personal interpretation OVER and above what Jesus himself said. And Jesus clearly teaches us that Almighty God is his God and Father. Also, please know and understand that Jesus was MADE Lord BY his God and Father AFTER the cross and resurrection, according to Acts 2:26. So why is it so hard for some Christians to understand that Jesus was also made “a” God under his God and Father BY Almighty God the Father? Why is it so hard for some Christians to see that Jesus will rule FOR his God and Father ONLY for 1000 years in the world to come? Please read the study “WHY THE NEED FOR MILLENNIAL REIGN OF JESUS?” But for now, let us continue some other possible meanings or interpretations of John 20:28 in this study of God's word )

18. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things unto her.

19. Then the same day at evening (This means that from just before sunrise up to the time of that same day at evening time, which would have been around 12 hours, Jesus ASCENDED to his God and Father up in heaven, presented his innocent shed blood, received his reward of eternal life and his new glorified immortal body of flesh and bones and then DESCENDED BACK to the earth to appear to his disciples to show himself alive forevermore for the next forty days. We know this because in verse 17, we saw that Jesus said to Mary Magdalene, “Touch me NOT BECAUSE I have NOT YET ASCENDED to my God and your God, to my Father and your Father”. And then, in the verses to follow, we see Jesus basically saying OK you can TOUCH me NOW because I just got BACK from being with my God and my Father up in heaven and it really rocks up there. This is important because some Christians read right over things like this. And thus, they are not aware that Jesus ASCENDED into heaven on the very day that he was resurrected from the dead) being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and said unto them, Peace be unto you. (From the other gospels, we learn that the disciples THOUGHT that Jesus was a SPIRIT or a GHOST because they locked the door for FEAR of the Jews who had just had Jesus crucified a few days ago and Jesus just appeared in the room with the doors shut and LOCKED)

20. And when he had so said, (Peace be unto you) he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

21. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: AS my Father has SENT me, even so, send I you. (Here we can clearly see that the Father did NOT send His SON FROM heaven into the world. But rather, Almighty God spoke forth his WORD and His WORD then became or was MADE flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary to be BORN or brought into existence as a HUMAN being. And THEN, when the child grew to be a man, Almighty God ANOINTED his human SON Jesus with His very own self-same Holy Spirit when Jesus was baptized in order to empower His SON Jesus to preach deliverance to those held captive by the devil. It was at this time when Jesus was ALREADY IN the world being BORN of a woman that his God and Father SENT His SON Jesus OUT into the world. And now, Jesus sends us into the world in the SAME WAY that God SENT His Son into the world. In other words, Jesus told his disciple to wait until they were endued with power from on high before they went INTO the world to preach this same DELIVERANCE to those who are bounded and OPPRESSED BY Satan, the devil so that they can be set FREE and be SAVED. You see dear children of God, we use the phrase “into the world” speaking about mankind and our intended meaning is OUT into the world. We read in many places where the Father SENT his Son INTO the world and some Christians read their own bias meaning into those verses of Scripture to dogmatically demand that God sent His Son down from heaven INTO the world. But in truth, the LITERAL meaning of the Greek word that is TRANSLATED as “SENT” means “COMMISSIONED, which means to give power and authority to one to accomplish a task they were appointed to do. Jesus was GIVEN power through the Holy Spirit given to him by his God and Father when the Almighty God the Father ANOINTED His SON Jesus when he was baptized by John the baptist. And AS his God and Father baptized him with the Holy Spirit Jesus now baptizes us with POWER from on high with the eternal Holy Spirit of the Father)

22. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive you the Holy Ghost: (Jesus promised that after he went to the Father that he would send us another comforter which is the Holy Spirit of Almighty God the Father. Now, I myself do not actually see that the disciples of Jesus received the Holy Spirit, in that, they were FILLED with the Holy Spirit at this point in time when Jesus breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit. But rather, they received the INDWELLING of the Holy Spirit like all believers do when they are born again, but they were not yet BAPTIZED or completely submerged in the presence of the Holy Spirit flowing out of them like rivers of living water until the day of Pentecost after Jesus ascended BACK to his God and Father the Almighty God. It could be that when Jesus said, “Receive you the Holy Spirit” that this is when the disciples of Jesus were SAVED but not yet FILLED or baptized with the Holy Spirit. Or Jesus could have been prophesying for them to receive the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. My point is that IF they received the Holy Spirit at that moment in time they did NOT speak in other tongues. Please read the study “MUST CHRISTIANS SPEAK IN OTHER TONGUES?” For you see, some Oneness Christians wrongly teach that if a Christian does NOT speak in other tongues then they are NOT TRULY saved)

23. Whose sins whosoever you remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose sins whosever you retain, they are retained (Jesus gave his disciples and us the authority to forgive sins, but NOT in the manner that the Roman Catholic Church interprets this verse to mean that ONLY the PRIESTS have been given the power and authority to FORGIVE sins. And, therefore, Catholics must confess their sins to the priest in order for their sins to be forgiven. Nor in the manner that we can forgive every ones' sin, but rather, only the sins that have been committed by others against us PERSONALLY. You see dear children of God, the word of TRUTH says NOTHING about God or His Son Jesus giving the authority to forgive sins ONLY to the priests. Jesus is speaking to ALL of his disciples and to ALL who believe that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the living God. And again, this means only the sins people commit against us. For example, if someone wrongs you or sins against YOU by stealing something from YOU personally and YOU forgive that person, then in the eyes of God that person is forgiven for THAT PARTICULAR sin of stealing from YOU. Our laws or I should say some laws in some countries are based on this same principle of mercy where if a person does NOT press charges, then the law does not prosecute that person for that particular crime. And in much the same way, we can say to a person who just got saved, your sins are forgiven you. And we can say that with AUTHORITY because we BELIEVE that God is NOT a man that He should lie. So our FAITH will lift their faith to REST in Jesus to KNOW that all their past sin are forgiven. Also, please read the study “DOES THE BIBLE TEACH PRIEST TO BE CELIBATE?” for sound Biblical understanding that Jesus alone is our high priest and intermediary between God and us)

24. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was NOT WITH them when Jesus came. (So Thomas was NOT present with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them after DESCENDING back down to the earth after FIRST ascending up into heaven to receive his new glorified immortal body showing himself alive forevermore)

25. The other disciples, therefore, SAID unto him, (Thomas) We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. (Thomas felt that needed physical PROOF in order to believe that Jesus was alive from the dead. Some Christians are not healed because they demand to SEE that they are healed FIRST and THEN they will BELIEVE. That is NOT FAITH. True Biblical faith is believing, as in, continuing faith until that which we are believing for is manifested in our lives to be seen. Notice Thomas’ attitude of NOT believing until he sees for himself and has physical proof. Think about how repentant Thomas will be when Jesus gives Thomas this proof that he demands to have not believed the other disciples of Jesus)

26. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. (The phrase “after eight days” could mean the day after the eighth day which would be one day after the first day of the week or the next day after the first appearance of Jesus on the day he was resurrected. Or it could mean eight days later after the first appearance of Jesus. Anyway, this time Thomas was there to SEE for himself what the other disciples had told him about the door being shut and yet Jesus somehow got into the closed locked room)

27. Then said he to Thomas, Reach hither your finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither your hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. (First, this teaches us that Jesus KNEW what his disciples were saying even though Jesus was not there to hear Thomas say these words to the other disciples. This does not mean that Jesus is Almighty God Himself after his resurrection. But rather, that the SAME eternal SPIRIT of the Father was GIVEN to His SON Jesus by his God and Father to have IN HIMSELF even as the Father has always possessed immortality of Spirit by being the eternal Spirit Himself. Next, remember that Thomas said that he would NOT BELIEVE UNTIL he put his own finger into the holes in the hands of Jesus where the nails had been driven to nail Jesus to the cross. And that he put his own hand into the side of Jesus where he was pierced with the soldier's spear to see if Jesus was truly dead. This was UNBELIEF, which is sin. So when Thomas SAW Jesus for himself he could have very well have been convicted by the Holy Spirit for his sin of unbelief. When we sin against Jesus we also sin against Almighty God the Father as well)

28. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord AND my God. (Now, the way I myself personally see this verse is option #1 but I also see choice#2 as a sound Biblical interpretation that does not contradict any other verses of Scripture. But in truth, we basically have three choices or three ways to INTERPRET this verse that do not contradict the rest of God’s word. Option or choice #1. Thomas understood and TRULY believed in Jesus AFTER that he had SEEN for HIMSELF that Jesus was truly ALIVE from the dead in his new glorified body of flesh and bones. In other words, Thomas needed proof that Jesus was INDEED THE CHRIST, the SON OF the living God, who was PROPHESIED to come. And, therefore, Thomas was addressing Jesus as BOTH my Lord and my god with a lower case “g” to show us that Jesus was, indeed, “A” god who has now been HIGHLY EXALTED to be “A”god who is UNDER and SUBJECT to HIS God and Father the ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God. Choice #2. The Greek word “THEOS” that is translated as “God” with a capital “G” could very well be correct which would leave us with TWO possibilities; A&B.  Choice A. Thomas was addressing Jesus as THE ALMIGHTY God the Father HIMSELF, which to me, contradicts the rest of God's word. OR choice B. Thomas was actually addressing Jesus as being Lord AND then Thomas was ALSO addressing Almighty God the Father as well in repentance for doubting that the Father had raised his Son Jesus from the dead. And option #3. Is that the original text has been tampered with by the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church that transcribed and copied the ancient manuscripts throughout the history of the church. Bible scholars argue back and forth over no less than two other passages of Scripture that some Bible scholars have argued were ADDED to the original text to try and support the doctrine of the Trinity. These other two verses are 1 John 5:7 and Matthew 28:19. Please see those studies for a deeper understanding of this subject)

29. Jesus said unto him, Thomas because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed (The question is WHAT did Thomas truly believe? Did Thomas truly believe that Jesus himself is THE ALMIGHTY God Himself in the flesh? Or did Thomas believe what the Apostle John RECORDS in the following two verses that Jesus IS THE CHRIST or the ANOINTED ONE OF or BY Almighty God the Father)

30. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

31. But these are WRITTEN, that (Or so that) YOU (Speaking of YOU my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ) might BELIEVE (Believe WHAT? Believe that Jesus is Almighty God HIMSELF being fully Almighty God and fully a man at the same time having TWO natures, one divine, and the other human? Is that what this verse is teaching us? Keep reading as you will clearly see what the Bible ITSELF teaches us to BELIEVE) that Jesus is THE CHRIST , the SON OF God; and THAT BELIEVING (Or and BELIEVING THAT Jesus is the SON OF Almighty God the Father whom his God and Father has ANOINTED with his Holy Spirit and has endued with power from on high) you might have LIFE (Speaking of BOTH abundant life now in this present world AND ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come) THROUGH his NAME.”

So then, we are clearly taught is the CONTEXT of John 20:28 exactly WHAT we as Christians ARE to BELIEVE. In verse 31, it says, “But these things are WRITTEN, THAT you might BELIEVE that Jesus is the CHRIST, the SON OF God...”. So to me, Thomas, after seeing Jesus for himself, now truly believes that Jesus was indeed who he said he was all along, which was that Almighty God the Father was WITH him by DWELLING IN him. Thus, Thomas is saying my Lord being directed to Jesus and my God also directed to Jesus but NOT in the sense that Jesus is Almighty God the FATHER who DWELT IN His SON Jesus. 

In other words, we know for a fact, according to Acts 2:26 the Jesus was MADE to become both Lord and Christ. And we know for a fact that Jesus is PROPHESIED to become “a” God to rule for Yahweh the Father in the world to come WHEN the government is laid upon his shoulders, according to Isaiah 9:6,7.

Now, no matter what Thomas INTENDED his words to mean and no matter what man INTERPRETS the words of Thomas to mean, that FACT remains that the CONTEXT of this verse in question in John 20:28, we can find NOWHERE that teaches us that we MUST BELIEVE that Jesus IS Almighty God HIMSELF. But rather, what we DO find is that the CLEAR, plain, and simple word of TRUTH teaches us in SIMPLICITY with absolutely NO interpretation needed that we are to believe that Jesus is the CHRIST, the SON OF God in John 20:31. It is just 3 verses after John 20:28 that the Apostle John teaches us the PORPOSE of why he wrote the book, the Gospel of John in the first place. Let us go ahead and read John 29:30,31. Some Bibles have headings before passages of Scripture to let people know what the following verses are teaching. So the heading is not actually part of the Scriptures.

John 20:30,31.

The Purpose of This Book

“30.  And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 

31.  But these are written, THAT (Or in order THAT) you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son OF God; and that believing (THAT Jesus is the Christ, the Son OF God) you might have life through his name.”

Now, seeing that the Apostle John states as a FACT that he wrote the Gospel of John so THAT we would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son OF God, then it should be crystal clear that John never INTENDED his words to be wrongly INTERPRETED to mean that Jesus is Almighty God Himself in the flesh as some Christians dogmatically demand in order to be saved.

The word CHRIST means that Jesus was the ANOINTED OF the one true God. So then, the Son of MAN, Jesus, was anointed or GIVEN power from on high BY his God and Father the Almighty to accomplish all the will of his God and Father DURING the days of his FLESH, for God was WITH him, according to Acts 10:38. 

Now let us take a closer look at the three choices I listed at the very beginning of this study in God's word. If you remember, we have other possibilities of what this verse in question MAY mean compared to the Oneness and Trinitarian INTERPRETATIONS that Thomas is addressing Jesus as being Almighty God Himself. So we have four possible interpretations.

INTERPRETATION #1.

This interpretation #1 concludes that Thomas is actually addressing Jesus to BE THE ALMIGHTY God HIMSELF. And this is the INTERPRETATION that is used by those who teach the doctrine of the Trinity, the Oneness doctrine where Jesus IS the FATHER, and the doctrine of the Deity of Jesus where Jesus IS THE ALMIGHTY God HIMSELF and a human being at the same time having two nature, one divine, and one human. However, as I have said many times, IF the interpretation that one concludes a verse to mean contradicts any other part of God's words, then that interpretation is NOT the correct interpretation. And again, this interpretation #1 CONTRADICTS MANY other parts of God's word. Please read all the studies under the heading >>>VERSES USED TO TEACH THAT JESUS PRE-EXISTED!<<< In that list of studies, I also cover every verse of Scripture used by Oneness Christians to try and prove that Jesus is Yahweh the Father Himself. Therefore, INTERPRETATION #1 cannot be the correct interpretation.

INTERPRETATION #2.

This interpretation concludes that Thomas is addressing ONLY Jesus as being BOTH Lord AND GOD. Now, this interpretation DIFFERS from interpretation #1 because Thomas is addressing Jesus as being “A” god who has just been HIGHLY EXALTED to become “a” god to rule and reign by HIS God and Father's right hand. In other words, interpretation #2 concludes that Jesus is “A” god AFTER the cross who is UNDER and SUBJECT to HIS God and Father the ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God who is OVER his SON Jesus. Keep in mind that Thomas spoke these words “My Lord and my God” AFTER the resurrection of Jesus to become God’s, FIRSTBORN Son. Jesus was given all power and authority AFTER the cross. The fulness of the Godhead did NOT dwell in Jesus until AFTER the cross. Jesus was NOT made in the express IMAGE of God until AFTER the cross. Jesus was not glorified until AFTER the cross. So to me, Jesus was MADE Lord AFTER the cross. Jesus was MADE King of kings AFTER the cross. And Jesus was MADE a god under and subject to his God AFTER the cross.

INTERPRETATION #3.

This interpretation concludes that Thomas is repenting to BOTH the Lord Jesus Christ AND Almighty God the Father. This interpretation does not contradict any other part of God’s word but I personally believe that interpretation #2 as being the soundest Biblical interpretation. The truth of the matter is that no one can truly know the INTENT of what Thomas himself meant by his words, “My Lord and my God” but the CONTEXT itself does indeed give us much insight and that is why I myself choose interpretation #2 as my favored choice.

INTERPRETATION #4.

This interpretation #4 is that there could be the possibility that verse 20 was tampered with by the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church. Now, I personally have no proof by Bible scholars of any tampering with John 20:28 but there is much evidence of tampering done to 1 John 5:7 and Matthew 28:19 which are both used to try and prove the man-made doctrine of the Trinity. And both of those passages of Scripture, in the “tampered form”, are used to try and prove that Jesus is Almighty God Himself, by claiming that the one true God is a Trinity Godhead comprised of three separate persons in the ONE God. Now is that tampering with the Scriptures just a coincidence? You decide for yourself. Please read the following studies. “WHAT DOES 1 JOHN 5:7 TRULY MEAN?”, “WHAT DOES MATTHEW TRULY MEAN?”, and “IS THE KING JAMES VERSION CORRUPTED?”

Now again, to ME, I can easily see BOTH interpretation #2, AND interpretation #3 as being sound Biblical interpretations, because NEITHER contradicts any other part of God's word and they both agree with the CONTEXT in which this verse is found. I can also see interpretation #4 as a possibility but it would be hard to prove. So my favored choices are interpretations #2 and #3 but interpretation #2 has the soundest Biblical evidence.

You see, verse 31 supports both interpretation #2 and #3, but does NOT support interpretation #1 where it is concluded by Oneness believer and Trinitarian believers that we are to believe that Jesus IS THE ALMIGHTY God HIMSELF as opposed to believing what verse 31 CLEARLY and PLAINLY teaches us in SIMPLICITY with absolutely NO interpretation needed that we are to BELIEVE that Jesus is THE CHRIST and the SON OF Almighty God the Father. Please read John 20:31 again, which is the CONTEXT of John 20:28 the verse in question.

John 20:31.

“But these are WRITTEN, that (Or so that) YOU (Speaking of YOU my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ) might BELIEVE (Believe WHAT? Believe that Jesus is Almighty God HIMSELF being fully Almighty God and fully a man at the same time having TWO natures, one divine, and the other human? Is that what this verse is teaching us? Keep reading as you will clearly see what the Bible ITSELF teaches us to BELIEVE) that Jesus is THE CHRIST, the SON OF God; and THAT BELIEVING (Or and BELIEVING THAT Jesus is the SON OF Almighty God the Father whom his God and Father has ANOINTED with his Holy Spirit and has endued with power from on high) you might have LIFE (Speaking of BOTH abundant life now in this present world AND ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come) THROUGH his NAME.”

Please read the study “JESUS THE CHRIST!” for an in-depth study that gives all the verses that teach us that Jesus is the ANOINTED of Almighty God the Father. But for now, let us take a brief look at Hebrews 1:8 being LEFT in its CONTEXT as well. You see, Hebrews 1:8 is also used to teach that Jesus IS GOD. HOWEVER, when this verse is LEFT in the CONTEXT of where it is found, then we can CLEARLY and PLAINLY see that Jesus is “A” god who is UNDER and SUBJECT to HIS God and Father. 

Please read Hebrews 1:8 AND 9 together.

“But unto the SON he (Almighty God the Father speaking to his SON PROPHETICALLY because the writer of Hebrews is quoting an Old Testament prophetic Scripture) said, Your throne, O God, (Or Your throne O Elohim in Hebrew and your throne O “THEOS” in Greek. And the Greek word “theos” that is TRANSLATED as God here which a capital “G” but in Greek, the word “theos” ALSO means “god” as a lesser god who is UNDER and SUBJECT to HIS God and Father the ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God who is THE God of gods including being THE God OVER his SON Jesus. Remember that it was Almighty God Himself that  HIGHLY EXALTED the Son of MAN, Jesus AFTER the cross to become a god to rule and reign by his Father's right hand. In other words, Jesus is the SECOND in command over the earth in the world to come. 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 teaches us about the exception of the Son being over his God and Father the ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God. Everything that Jesus is or has was GIVEN TO him by HIS God and Father including ETERNAL LIFE to rule by his Father's side on his Father's throne) is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom.

9. You (Where Almighty God the Father is speaking prophetically TO his SON yet to be. You, my SON) have loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; THEREFORE (Or for this very REASON that you have loved righteousness and hated sin) God, (Almighty God your Father) EVEN YOUR GOD, has ANOINTED you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.”

Can you not see that Jesus became “a” god under and subject to his God AFTER the Son of MAN, Jesus, learned obedience by the things he suffered during the days of his flesh having loved righteousness and having hated sin to not sin? There is no sin up in heaven and this verse says THEREFORE which means for THIS VERY REASON. What very reason? The very reason that God’s human Son obeyed his God and Father’s Will to not sin. And this agrees with Philippians 2:8-11 which again is AFTER the cross.

Philippians 2:8-11.

“And being found in fashion as a MAN, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Or after having loved righteousness to do all the Will of his God and Father to not sin and even die on the cross for our sins)

9.  WHEREFORE (OR for this very reason of BECOMING obedient even to die on the cross) God (Your God) also has HIGHLY EXALTED him and GAVE him a NAME which is above every NAME: (Speaking of Jesus’ NEW name after the cross, according to Revelation)

10.  That AT the NAME of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

11.  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, TO the glory of God the Father.”

Therefore, since clearly seeing the Bible ITSELF teaches us that there can be only ONE God who is the one true and ONLY ALMIGHTY God that is OVER and above ALL the other gods having NO other Gods over him, then we must throw OUT interpretation #1 which FALSELY concludes that Jesus IS THE ALMIGHTY God HIMSELF. For you see, we just learned from Hebrews 1:9 that the FATHER ALONE is the ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God, and clearly seeing that Jesus is a god or a “THEOS” who is UNDER and subject to the FATHER, EVEN the God OF Jesus.

In other words, Jesus is NOT the FATHER, so, therefore, Jesus CANNOT be THE ALMIGHTY God who ALONE is the FATHER that is THE GOD, who is OVER His SON Jesus. It is impossible for an Almighty and HIGHEST God to have another God over Himself and Jesus HAS the HIGHEST God over and above himself. And the Bible itself always clearly identifies the God OF Jesus as being the Almighty, the HIGHEST God of gods. So why is it so hard for some Christians to see that Jesus BECAME “a” god under his God and Father AFTER the cross?

Hebrews 1:9 teaches us that Jesus is “a” God.

John 1:1 teaches us that Jesus is “a” God.

1 Timothy 3:16 teaches us that “a” God was manifest in the flesh.

And I believe that John 20:28 also teaches us that Jesus is “a” God.

So then, CLEARLY in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of God Thomas could NOT have been addressing Jesus himself as being THE one true God, as in, THE ONE true and ONLY ALMIGHTY God because the Bible ITSELF always identifies the FATHER as being THE God and his SON Jesus as being a “THEOS”, which can be translated as “god” with the lower case “g” to let the reader know that it is referring to a lesser god who is UNDER the FATHER. 

Now, some of you may be thinking or saying, “Now wait just a minute there Mark, you are falsely teaching that there is MORE than just ONE God and that my dear brother contradicts the Old Testament that clearly teaches us that there is just ONE God.”

This is what the Roman Catholic Church has TAUGHT throughout the history of the church and Protestant churches never questioned it. But this is NOT what the WHOLE word of Almighty God teaches us. Here is what the Bible ITSELF teaches us.

We ALL KNOW that Satan is called the “god” of this world. Please read 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 which clearly teaches us that Satan is the “god” or “THEOS” of this present world.

2 Corinthians 4:1-6.

“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

2. But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

3. But if our gospel is hid, it is hidden to them that are lost:

4. In whom the god  (Having the definite article THE, as in, the “theos” which is the SAME Greek word used in Hebrews 1:8 WITHOUT the definite article “the” where Almighty God the Father calls his SON a “theos” or “a” god to be a god to rule and reign in the world to come for 1000 years while Satan is CAST DOWN off his throne of being the god of this present world. Satan will be bound for a 1000 years when Jesus becomes the god of the world yet to come to reign FOR the Almighty by his Father's side. But for now, Satan is the “god”) of this world (Who) has BLINDED the minds of them which believe not, (Blinded to believe not what? They were blinded to believe not the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God) lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image OF God, should shine unto them.

5. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ (Or we preach THE ANOINTED ONE) Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

6. For God, (Almighty God the Father) who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, (This is speaking of Genesis 1:3 when God CREATE the LIGHT) has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the KNOWLEDGE of the glory of God IN the face of Jesus Christ.”

Jesus came to SHOW us the FATHER. Jesus is the EXPRESS IMAGE of the Father. But Jesus is NOT the FATHER. The Bible clearly teaches us that we must believe in BOTH Almighty God the Father AND his SON Jesus.

The Bible ITSELF teaches us that there are many that are called god, but to us, who are Christians, there is only ONE God, the FATHER. Meaning that there is only ONE TRUE ALMIGHTY God who CREATED all things including Lucifer whom Almighty God his creator exalted to be a god over the earth. But then Lucifer being lifted up with PRIDE decided within himself to stage a coup to take over the throne of Almighty God. Lucifer deceived ONE-THIRD of the angels to rebel against their creator and Lucifer wage war against Almighty God and his faithful angels. God defended His throne putting down this rebellion of Satan and his angels. And Satan was stopped temporarily and was cast out of the THIRD heaven and the second heaven to be bound to the FIRST heaven, the atmosphere of the earth. And a NEW creation was created by Almighty God that is a little LOWER or INFERIOR to the angels. This NEW creation is mankind. We were created to CLEAR God's slandered NAME that is FALSELY being accused of creating Lucifer as an EVIL REBELLIOUS creature and it was NOT Lucifer's FAULT that he rebelled against God. Please read the study “UNDERSTANDING WHY?” for a deeper understanding of this subject. Better yet, please read all the studies under the heading >>>WHAT ARE WE HERE-IS GOD AT WAR?<<< But for now, let us take a look at what the OLD Testament actually teaches us about our God as being ONE in ONE person. 

Please read Deuteronomy 10:17 which clearly teaches us that the YHWH or the YAHWEH is THE ALMIGHTY God who is over all other gods. In other words, the ONE true God is the God OF gods, the highest God, THE ALMIGHTY God who is OVER all other Gods having NO other Gods over himself. This is what is meant by the commandment to not have any gods BEFORE Yahweh. That means not to have any gods ABOVE Yahweh.

So since Yahweh, the HIGHEST God commands us in the New Testament to honor His Son EVEN AS we honor Yahweh the Father then we had better obey Yahweh’s desire and honor Jesus as “a” god under Yahweh who will rule FOR Yahweh IN the NAME of Yahweh in the world to come. And since Jesus has Almighty God the Father OVER him and is called God by his God and Father then Jesus cannot possibly be THE ONE true and ONLY ALMIGHTY God HIMSELF in the flesh. The Oneness and Trinitarian teaching that Jesus is fully God and fully a man at the SAME time having TWO natures at the same time, one DIVINE, and one human is just a THEORY that has been forced upon Christians. The two nature theory did not come into the church until the Council of Chalcedon in 451 in the fifth century.

      And what the council of Chalcedon forced upon Christians is NOT what the Bible ITSELF teaches us. 

Please read Deuteronomy 10:17.

“For the LORD your God (Or Yahweh your ELOHIM or Yahweh your God) is God OF gods, (In other words, YAHWEH is THE ELOHIM of Elohim or THE God OF gods that He Himself promoted to be made gods under Himself. You see the word “GOD” in the Old Testament is translated from the word “ELOHIM” which is a TITLE or a description given to Yahweh the Father, the angels, and even MEN. This Hebrew word “ELOHIM” means MIGHTY ONE or a strong one. It is a TITLE of description that DESCRIBES Yahweh as being THE MIGHTY ONE over other mighty ones that He Himself made to be mighty ones also called gods) and Lord of lords, a great God (Or a great ELOHIM), a mighty, and a terrible, which regards not persons, nor takes reward:”

The phrase “a great God” is actually a prophecy of Jesus in the world to come. Jesus will rule with a rod of iron in the NAME of Yahweh for 1000 years in the world to come. Jesus is “a” God under his God and Father to replace Lucifer, aka, Satan as the God of the whole earth and not God over the whole universe. There can only be one God in one person who is THE God OF gods.

Joshua 22:22 says it this way.

“The LORD God OF gods, the LORD God OF gods, he knows, AND Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,)”

In other words, Yahweh IS THE GOD OF gods. That is to say, Yahweh is the ONLY ONE TRUE God and the ONLY ALMIGHTY God who is that Father ALONE in ONE person. And the ONLY TRUE God who alone IS the Father is called LORD, the eternal KING, and the HEAD over His SON Jesus whom He Himself highly exalted to become a god at His own right hand only AFTER His HUMAN anointed Son, Jesus, became obedient to do all the will of his God and Father even to suffer and died on the cross for the sins of the whole world. Psalm 136:1-7 teaches us to give thanks to Yahweh who ALONE does good works.

Psalm 136:1-7.

“O give thanks unto the LORD; (Yahweh) for he is good: for his mercy endures forever.

2. O give thanks unto the God OF gods: for his mercy endures forever.

3. O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endures forever.

4. To him who ALONE does great wonders: for his mercy endures forever.

5. To him that by wisdom (Or in understanding. The Hebrew word here by implication carries the meaning of an ARGUMENT. In other words, the heavens and the earth were recreated or restored after a war between God and Satan that was brought to a temporary cease-fire so to speak. And an argument arose where Almighty God was falsely accused of creating Lucifer evil and rebellious. Basically, Lucifer was saying it is not my fault that I rebelled against you because YOU CREATED me this way. Again, please read all the studies under the heading >>>WHY ARE WE HERE?-IS GOD AT WAR?<<< for a deeper understanding of WHY? WHY was mankind made a little lower than the angels? Why does Satan always ACCUSE mankind before God? I mean what is in it for him to accuse us before God? WHY did an ALL MIGHTY God need to keep His PLAN of salvation a SECRET from Satan? WHY does God BIND Satan for 1000 years only to turn him LOOSE again? And why did God highly exalt Jesus to be judge and ruler OVER the angels after making Jesus at the first a little LOWER than the angels? WHY does God ALLOW the wicked to continue? Again, all the glory goes TO Almighty God the Father who) made the heavens: for his mercy endures forever.

6. To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endures forever.

7. To him that made great lights: for his mercy endures forever:”

Let us continue to learn the TRUTH of God's word that there is NOT just ONE God, but rather, that there is just one ALMIGHTY and most-high God who is the God OF all other gods that He Himself MADE to become gods under Himself. Please read Psalm 82 where God's people are asking WHY God is allowing the wicked to remain and not be judged? Keep in mind that this Psalm is a PROPHECY of Jesus who will one day JUDGE the nations and the chief ones or the fallen angels.

Psalm 82:1-8.

“God (Or ELOHIM or one who has been given the TITLE and the authority to judge. This Elohim or mighty one is speaking of Jesus as PROPHECY and NOT the Almighty God. In other words, Jesus in the world to come is) standing (Or being stationed or being given the authority) in the congregation of the mighty; he judges among the gods. (Speaking of Lucifer, aka, Satan and the fallen angels)

2. How long will you judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. (Selah means to pause and think or to pause and ponder what is being said here or to pause and ponder the question here of how long are you going to allow the wicked to go before you judge them? When we take time to pause and consider all that is taking place in the world today this verse is saying to us to begin asking God how much longer God? Rise up O God and...)

3. Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.

4. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.

5. They know not, neither WILL they understand; they walk ON in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. (In other words, the wickedness has come to full, and not one wicked person is going to turn from their wicked ways. No not one seeks after God meaning that no more wicked will turn to God to be saved and Jesus will say let the wicked remain wicked and let the righteous remain righteous. I am coming quickly or swiftly in a flash like lightning in a twinkling of an eye so be READY for there will be NO time for you to REPENT when I come again)

6. I (Almighty God the highest God, the God of gods) have said, You are gods; (Or YOU are ELOHIM or mighty ones) and all of you are children of the most-High. (Or YOU are the children of the SUPREME ONE who is over all His children. And this INCLUDES His SON, Jesus. And it includes us who believe are the children of Almighty God the Father will be ONE with the Father even as Jesus is ONE with the Father. But the CONTEXT is specifically talking to the rebellious children of God and the wage of their sins being JUDGED. Keep in mind that the unsaved Jews are also the children of God as well as the fallen angels are the sons of God. But the DISOBEDIENT children of God will be cast into the Lake of Fire on the final Day of Judgment)

7. But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes (Speaking of Lucifer, aka, Satan and the fallen angels. The pronoun “you” also refers to the wicked back in verses 4 and 5 that are oppressing the righteous and the poor)

8. Arise, O God (Or arise O Elohim which is a PROPHECY speaking of Jesus. This can be compared with, Even so COME Lord and execute the WRATH of Almighty God, the Father) judge the earth: for you (Jesus, the SON OF Almighty God whom He has highly exalted to become His eternal Son AND has committed all judgment to you, arise my Lord and my God, for YOU) shall INHERIT all nations.”

And that is what the TITLE God means in John 20:20. For you see, the Greek word “THEOS” in the New Testament is used in the SAME way that the Hebrew “ELOHIM” is used in the Old Testament which is as a TITLE of one having authority and power that has been GIVEN TO them BY THE ALMIGHTY, the HIGHEST Elohim who ALONE is Yahweh the FATHER.

So then, the TRUTH of the matter is that YES, Jesus is a God, a MIGHTY ONE, who has been GIVEN authority and power BY HIS God and Father the ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God. But Jesus is NOT the one true and only Almighty God HIMSELF. Yes, Jesus did indeed come FORTH OUT FROM God but when the spoken word of God was MADE flesh, Yahweh stripped His word of ALL its DIVINE nature to take on HUMAN NATURE. Jesus is called the Son of MAN twice as many times as he is called the Son of God. Jesus was born of a woman as a HUMAN being that his God and Father EMPOWERED by the ANOINTING at his baptism. But even then, Jesus could do NOTHING OF himself and it was the Father DWELLING IN his who did the works. And the fullness of the Godhead did NOT dwell in Jesus until AFTER the cross which is WHEN Jesus was crowned with glory to become “a” God under his God and Father. This is what the WHOLE word of God ITSELF clearly teaches us in SIMPLICITY.

Now some of you may still want to argue and say that the Jews have always believed in only ONE God. Yes, this is true, but you also have to understand that the Bible also teaches us that the Jews read the Old Testament with a VEIL over their eyes of UNDERSTANDING even to this very day. 

Please read 2 Corinthians 3:11-16.

“For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remains is glorious.

12. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:

13. And NOT as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfast look to the END of that which is abolished.

14. But their minds were blinded: for until this day REMAINS the SAME VEIL untaken away in the READING of the Old Testament; which veil is done away IN Christ.

15. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon THEIR heart.

16. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.”

So you see, the Jews did not understand fully who God was. This is why Jesus came to SHOW them and us who ALONE is the ALMIGHTY SUPREME ONE. Jesus came to SHOW us the FATHER. Jesus did NOT speak of HIMSELF, but rather, Jesus spoke only what the Father who DWELT IN him, commanded His SON Jesus to speak. When you COMPARE John 20:28 with the WHOLE word of Almighty God, then it becomes very clear that Thomas was NOT referring to Jesus as being THE ONE TRUE and ONLY ALMIGHTY God, who ALONE is the FATHER.

Please read the study “OUR GOD IS ONE!” for a deeper understanding of the OLD Testament verses that SEEM to be saying that the God of Israel is ONE God, which is INTERPRETED to mean that there is just ONE God period, end of discussion. But the TRUTH of the matter is that the WHOLE word of Almighty God teaches us that there is just one ALMIGHTY God, who ALONE is the FATHER, that is the God OF gods, and NOT that there is just ONE God period, so case closed end of discussion. 

So do not be hurt my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, by those dogmatic demanding Trinitarian and Oneness believers who tell you that you had better repent and pray that God forgives you for not believing in the doctrine of the Trinity or the doctrine of Oneness lest you die in your sins by not believing that Jesus himself claimed to be the great I AM THAT I AM of the Old Testament. Please read the five-part study “IS JESUS YAHWEH HIMSELF?” and the study “IS JESUS ALMIGHTY GOD?” for SOUND Biblical teaching on all the verses used by Trinitarian and Oneness believers to try and prove that Jesus is the great I AM THAT I AM in the Old Testament.

Below are some other verses that are used to try and support the doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of Oneness, and the two natures of Jesus at the same time doctrine of the Deity of Jesus. There may be other verses which you may be having trouble seeing any other way than what you were dogmatically taught over and over for so long, but I assure you that each and every verse used by those who teach the doctrine of the Trinity, the Oneness Pentecostal doctrine, and the two natures of Jesus doctrine, do indeed have a different meanings that does NOT CONTRADICT any other part of God's word. If there is a verse of Scripture that I have not listed in the following list of studies, please do not hesitate to write to me and let me know. Some verses are included in other studies and they may not appear as an individual study.

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. 

Once Christians, Jews, Muslims, and even atheists understand the REASON that Yahweh CREATED the Son of MAN, Jesus, was to have DOMINION over the work of Yahweh’s hands. 

And after you understand that the REASON that Yahweh did that is to STILL His ENEMIES, Satan and the fallen angels. 

Then you can understand that God made His human Son to become “a” Lord, “a” King, and “a” God, under and subject to his God and Father in order to JUDGE Satan and the fallen angels. 

For a deeper understanding of this WAR that Lucifer and one third of the angels waged against the throne of Almighty God, please read the studies under the subject category called ** Q-0 Why Are We Here?  Is God at WAR? **.

More studies are coming in this SHORTER Biblical Unitarian view of who Jesus is according to the WHOLE word of God. 

If you have a PARTICULAR verse of Scripture that you would like to know the sound Biblical Unitarian meaning, then please email me at MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail.com and let me know.

For further and more in-depth studies on this subject of Jesus being created to STILL the enemies of Yahweh, please read the studies called D-25. A NEW LOOK at JOHN 1:1, In the BEGINNING! 

And also read the study called D-28. The PRE-ADAMIC LUCIFERIAN FLOOD! 

At the top of my homepage, there are subjects or categories which contain compiled lists of ** ALL Studies! ** I have written on that particular subject. So, if a link within a study is broken, then click on ** ALL Studies! ** to find the suggested study.

Or you can scroll down to the MORE dropdown menu list to find those studies as well. 

Thanks again 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. 

And again, 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. 

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