a short history of the Watchtower

[billy-brown 2]

So what your saying is that the word "greater" actually means "equal", despite what it means in all languages, that the math symbol > really means =. Hence, according to you, Jesus actually said that "the Father is = to me", rather than "the Father is greater (>) than I."(John 14:28, King James Bible) Try making the math symbol > work as = and see how your mathematical formulas crash.

Are my eyes tightly shut because I can reason more clearly than the many who accept the trinity ? This reminds me of the Jewish religious leaders, who despite seeing Lazarus resurrected from the dead, sought to kill not only Jesus, but Lazarus as well, wanting to hide the evidence.(John 11:47-53)

However, Paul wrote the following:

Col. 1
8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
9For in Him (Christ Jesus) all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

Now, Paul is indicating that Jesus is God.

Yep. Thus, Paul is making the same dialectic that the writer of Hebrews is making:

Heb. 1
1God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
2in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
3And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

However, notice that the writer of Hebrews is indicating that the Son Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. And so, when did this happen? After Jesus made purification of sins. Indeed, this has happened already:

Heb. 12
1Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Yep.

And so, if Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Majesty, then He is King--even the King of Kings. Of course, this means that He is immortal physically as well:

I Tim. 6
13I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
14that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

Thus, Jesus is the only God--indeed, the GREAT God who is ours:

I Tim. 1
16Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.


Titus 2
11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
12instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
13looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
14who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

15These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

[billy-brown 2]

Am I the one struggling to understand the Greek word arche ? Let's see. For example, at Matthew 24:8, Jesus says concerning features of the "sign of his presence", that "all these are the beginning (Greek arche, G746) of sorrows."(King James Bible) What did Jesus mean by "beginning" ? Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible says as the first meaning, "a commencement". Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament says: "1. Beginning, origin, a. used absolutely of the beginning of all things".(pg 76)

At Mark 1:1, it says: "The beginning (Greek arche) of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God."(Mark 1:1, King James Bible) Colossians 1:18 says: "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning (Greek arche), the firstborn from the dead."(King James Bible) What did Paul mean by "the beginning, the firstborn of the dead" ? That he was "First in Position" or that he was the first one resurrected from the dead to heavenly life ?

Of our Creator, Jehovah God, he says that "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning (Greek arche) and the ending (Greek telos [G5056], meaning "the conclusion of an act or state", Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible), saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."(Rev 1:8, King James Bible)

Here the Greek word telos is contrasted with the Greek word arche, with telos being the end, or finality and arche being the "beginning" or the "commencement". This gives us the precise meaning, that of "beginning" or the start of something, as at Revelation 3:14, in which Jesus says that he is "the beginning (Greek arche) of the creation of God", the "commencement" of God's creative work, the "start" of it.

At Revelation 21:6, God says that "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning (Greek arche) and the end (Greek telos)."(King James Bible) And at Revelation 22:13, God again says: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning (Greek arche) and the end (Greek telos), the first and the last."(King James Bible)

Is not the Greek letter Alpha the start or first letter in the Greek language just as Omega is the last letter ? By providing a contrast, it can readily be seen by reasonable individuals who are not biased or prejudiced toward the trinity, that Jesus is "beginning (or first) of the creation of God", the "firstborn of all creation".(Col 1:15, Montgomery New Testament)

Jesus is GOD--and He is ours:

Titus 2
11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
12instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
13looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
14who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

I John 5
19We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

I Tim 6
13I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
14that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

I Tim. 1
15It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.
16Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.