Isaiah 9:6 says, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." For many, this is a puzzling verse. Most people have no problem thinking of Jesus Christ as a child and a son. Some also realize that when He returns to Earth, He will also be King in control of all government. But many do not see how Jesus Christ could also be called "The mighty God, The everlasting Father".

Notice also where Isaiah 9:6 calls the child that is born "The mighty God". Lest there be any doubt who this is, know that Isaiah 10:20-21 uses the same title saying, "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God." Jeremiah 32:18-19 also uses this same title, "Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name, Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings ...." Also know that Isaiah 10:21 and Jeremiah 32:18 use the same Hebrew words from which "the mighty God" is translated as does Isaiah 9:6. So this child, "The mighty God" is "the LORD (Jehovah), the Holy One of Israel", "the LORD (Jehovah) of hosts".

Also see where Isaiah 9:6 calls the child "the everlasting Father". Compare this to Isaiah 63:16, "... O LORD (Jehovah), art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting."

Jesus Christ told His disciples in John 14:6-7, "... I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." Then in verse 8 Philip said, "... Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us." But Jesus Christ replied in verse 9-10, "... Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? ...."

When priests from Jerusalem asked John the Baptist who he was, he said in John 1:23, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias." Here he was referring to Isaiah 40:3 which says, "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD (Jehovah), make straight in the desert a highway for our God." We know that John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus Christ. And here we see that the One whose way is being prepared is none other than Jehovah, "our God".

John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." A few verses later, John 1:14 says, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." Therefore, we know that Jesus Christ is "the Word" to whom John referred in John 1:1. Even in the very beginning, there was Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ was God.

John's first epistle refers to Jesus Christ in the same way, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life ..." (1 John 1:1). Later in this same epistle, 1 John 5:20 says, "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

Some may wonder if Christ being the "Son of God" makes Him "not God" or "lower than God". No, and the Jews of His day certainly did not think so. In John chapter 5 we see the Jews wanting to kill Jesus because He healed a man on the Sabbath day. Then John 5:17 says, "But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." This really upset them as verse 18 says, "Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." So they certainly took "Son of God" to mean "equal with God". Paul also mentions Jesus being "equal with God" in Philippians 2:5-7, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men ...."

When Thomas, who doubted that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead, reached his hand into the wounds in the hands and in the side of Jesus Christ, John 20:28 says, "And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God." Notice that Jesus Christ does not correct Thomas for calling Him "my God", because Thomas was correct. Instead, Jesus Christ says in verse 29, "... because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed ...."

Paul also confirms that Jesus Christ is God. He wrote in Colossians 2:9, "For in him (Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Then in Titus 2:13, "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ ...."

In 2 Corinthians 4:4 we read, "In whom the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."

Paul also writes in 1 Timothy 3:16, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." Then in 2 Corinthians 5:19, "... God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself ...." So Jesus Christ was God manifesting Himself in the flesh, reconciling the world to Himself.

The very name "Emmanuel" implies that Jesus Christ is God. Matthew 1:23 says, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

The Godhead in the Old Testament

The unified but plural Godhead is not just a New Testament concept. In fact, it is one of the very first concepts if not the first concept introduced in the entire Bible. It is expressed many times in the Old Testament in verses such as Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." The word translated as "God" is "Elohim" in the original Hebrew which is a plural word. It occurs more than 2000 times in the Old Testament. Another example is Genesis 1:26 which says, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness ...." Notice here that "Elohim" is even accompanied by the plural pronouns "us" and "our". The plural pronoun "us" is used again when God divided that languages at the tower of Babel. God said in Genesis 11:7, "... let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."

Genesis 3:22 says, "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil ...." When "the LORD" appears in all capital letters in the King James translation of the Bible, it is almost always the Hebrew word "Jehovah", God's proper name. The KJV translators did not spell out the name Jehovah, but replaced it with "the LORD" 99.86% of the more than 6000 times that it occurs in the Old Testament. So here in Genesis 3:22, "LORD God" is Jehovah Elohim. As a side note, the name "Jesus" is the Greek form of the Hebrew word yeh-ho-shoo'-ah which means "Jehovah is salvation".

Jesus Christ the Creator

There are several Bible passages which clearly state the Jesus Christ is the creator of all things. For example, Hebrews 1:1-3 says, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 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; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person ...."

A few verses later Hebrews 1:8-10 says, "But unto the Son he (God) saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands ...." Here, God is calling Jesus Christ "God" and accrediting Him with the creation of heaven and earth.

Likewise John 1:3 says of "the Word", Jesus Christ, "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

Paul writes in Ephesians 3:9, "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ ...." Then in Colossians 1:14-17, Paul says of Jesus Christ, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."

Jesus Christ in Revelation

In the book of Revelation, we find many passages which testify to the deity of Jesus Christ. The early chapters contain descriptions of some unique aspects of Jesus Christ's appearance, as He appeared to John.

His hair: In Revelation chapter one, a detailed description of Christ's appearance includes, "His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow ..." (Revelation 1:14). This identifies Jesus Christ as "the Ancient of days" who has "... the hair of his head like the pure wool ..." (Daniel 7:9). Daniel 7:21-22 verifies that "the Ancient of days" is Jesus Christ by saying that the "little horn" (the AntiChrist) "... made war with the saints and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given unto the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." We know from Revelation 19-20 that this takes place when Jesus Christ, "the Ancient of days", returns to set up His kingdom on earth.

His eyes and feet: In Revelation 1:14-15, Jesus Christ is described as, "...his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace ...." This sounds very much like Daniel 10:6, when Daniel had the vision of a man with "... his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass ...."

His voice: The voice of Jesus Christ is most unique as well. In Revelation 1:15 it is described this way: "... and his voice as the sound of many waters." Compare this to Ezekiel 43:2 which says, "And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory." Ezekiel 1:24 says, "... I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty ...." So who has the voice like the sound of many waters? "The God of Israel", "the Almighty", who is Jesus Christ.

Revelation also contains information about other aspects of Jesus Christ which can be compared with Old Testament passages to show that He is God.

The first and the last: In several places in the book of Revelation, Jesus Christ is called "the first and the last", "the beginning and the ending", and the "Alpha and Omega". This is what Jehovah is often called in the Old Testament. In Revelation 1:17-18, Jesus Christ says to John, "... Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore ...." Earlier in chapter one, Revelation 1:7-8 says, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." In Revelation 2:8 we read, "And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive ...." Then in Revelation 22:13, Jesus Christ says, "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." This is consistent with the Old Testament prophets. "The LORD" (Jehovah) says in Isaiah 48:12, "Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last." Also in Isaiah 44:6, "Thus saith the LORD (Jehovah) the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." Remember that when you see "the LORD" in all capital letters in the King James translation of the Bible, it is almost always the Hebrew word "Jehovah", God's proper name. Isaiah 41:4 says, "Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he." So, when Jesus Christ keeps proclaiming "I am the first and the last", He wants all to know that He is the God of the Old Testament, the Alpha and Omega, the one who spoke the heaven and earth into being, the one who searches hearts and minds.

The reins and hearts: Revelation 2:23 says, "... I am he which searcheth the reins (minds) and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works." This is almost identical to Jeremiah 17:10 which says, "I the LORD (Jehovah) search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." Who does this? "The LORD". So we see then that Jesus Christ is Jehovah, the Almighty God, the one speaking in the Old Testament. Similarly, Psalms 44:21 says, "Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart."

Other Passages

The return to the Mount of Olives: Chapter one of Acts describes how Jesus Christ ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives while His disciples watched. Acts 1:9-12 says, "... while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet ...." So we know that when Jesus Christ returns to earth, He will descend from the sky to the Mount of Olives. Now look back in Zechariah 14:3-4 which says, "Then shall the LORD (Jehovah) go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east ...." Who shall stand upon the Mount of Olives? The LORD! As explained earlier in this article, when you see "the LORD" in the Old Testament", that is Jehovah.

Every knee shall bow: Also, Isaiah 45:22-23 says, "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 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." That is what our Apostle Paul says of Jesus Christ in Philippians 2:10-11, "... at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord ...." Paul also wrote in Romans 14:10-11, "... we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God."

Above all: Romans 9:5 states that, "... Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen." Ephesians 4:4-6 says, "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Note how these verses say "Christ" is "who is over all" and the "Father" is "who is above all". Also note that "over" in Romans 9:5 and "above" in Ephesians 4:6 are translated from the same Greek word "epi". So the same Greek phrase is used to describe Christ that is used to describe the Father.

Water baptism in His name: In the ministry of the gospel of the kingdom, Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 28:19, "... teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" In Acts 2:38, Peter told the house of Israel, "... Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Here again, "Christ" and "the Father" are spoken of in the same manner.

The One to call upon: 1 Peter 1:17 says, "And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear ...." 1 Corinthians 1:2 says, "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:" Notice that the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ are referred to as the one to call upon. Also in Acts 22:16 Paul recounts his conversion, "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." And who is "the Lord"? A few verses earlier in Acts 22:6-8 Paul said, "And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest."

Raising us from the dead: Jesus will resurrect believers from the dead as He said in John 6:54, "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

Raising Himself from the dead: Likewise, Jesus had the power to take back His own life, after laying it down. He said in John 10:17-18, "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." Notice how He says twice that He is able to take His life back after giving it up. As He said in John 2:19, "... Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

Giving eternal life, which no man can pluck from His Hand: The saved are in the hand of Jesus, and no man can pluck them out, as He said in John 10:27-28, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." Then in verses 29-30, Jesus makes the same statement about the Father, and says He and His Father are one, "My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." The Jews certainly knew what Jesus was saying, and they tried to stone Him, as they said in verse 33, "... for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God." Notice also how in verse 28, Jesus said He is the one who gives eternal life.

Conclusion

Jesus Christ is the Creator of heaven and earth, the First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, the Ancient of Days, the God of Israel, Jehovah, the Savior, the Everlasting Father, the Almighty God.