Who Is Jesus?

In Matthew 24, we have Jesus Himself, in His Mount Olivet Discourse, regarding the end times, telling His disciples: "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray...Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it." (Matthew 24:4 & 23-26)

And, it seems that we have a whole bunch of false Christs running around today, namely in the cults & in other world religions. The "Jesus" of Islam, "Isa", is only a prophet. To the Mormons, "Jesus" is the son of God by a sexual relationship between God the Father (an exalted man) and the Virgin Mary, He was the spirit brother of Lucifer, and during his time on earth, Jesus was married to three women: Mary, Martha and Mary Magdeline. The Jehovah's Witnesses deny the divinity of Christ, the physical ressurection, teach that Christ was the Archangel Michael and that Christ returned spiritually in 1914. To the Christian Scientists, Jesus is only "divine principle." Many, like a lot of the New Agers, will say that Christ was only a good teacher, and deny that He's the only way to Salvation.

Yet, in our study of the Christian doctrines of Christ, I hope to lay down at least some of the doctrines regarding our Lord and Savior. Technically, this study is known as "Christology," and admittedly, I'm not going to nail down every doctrine regarding Christ.

First off we read of His Diety

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity." (Micah 5:2)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made….And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-4 & 14)

“’My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.’" (John 10:29-34)

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” (Colossians 1:15-18)

We Read of His Humanity

Now, in the Gospels, we read that He wept (John 11:35), He was tempted (Matthew 4:1, Mark 1:13 & Luke 4:2), He grew tired (John 4:6) & He slept (Matthew 8:42).

As mentioned before, John stated: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:5-7)

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

In response to the Gnostic heresy, John wrote: “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.” (2nd John 1:7)

He Took Upon our Sin to Propitiate God’s Wrath & Was a Sacrifice for Sins

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all…. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:4-6 & 10-12)

“…It [faith] will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” (Romans 4:24-25)

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2nd Corinthians 5:21)

“He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.” (Hebrews 7:27)

“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." (Hebrews 10:11-14)

The Importance of His Raising from the Dead

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles…. Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1st Corinthians 5:3-9 & 12-19)

He’s the ONLY Way to Salvation and the ONLY Way to God the Father

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’" (John 14:6-7)

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:11-13)

“Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.” (1st John 2:22-23)

He’s our High Priest and Intercessor

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…” (1st Timothy 2:5)

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” (Hebrews 4:14)

“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.” (Hebrews 8:1-2)

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1st John 2:1)


He Will Return Bodily and in Glory

“Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward…. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.” (Zechariah 14:3-5)

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31)

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1st Thessalonians 4:16-17)

The Return of Christ: Hope and Judgment

It seems that there’s been an obsession with the end times these days. The History Channel has been airing documentaries on Nostradamus and the Mayan 2012“prophecies,” as if they were true. According to them, or at least how it’s represented on the History Channel things will get worse until the apocalypse dawns and the end of the world occurs. A rather hopeless turn of events, isn’t it?

Yet, as Christians, we have a greater hope: the return of Christ. In fact, Paul refers to it as “…our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13) Throughout the New Testament, we see and can almost feel the anticipation of the return of Christ. In fact, the angels told the disciples after Jesus ascended to heaven: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11)

Jesus Himself promised his return. John 14 was one of the favorite passages of Scripture of my late grandmother, part of which states: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:1-3) We also read the so-called “Mount Olivet discourse” recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21:7-28. Clearly, there will be signs such as apostasy, famines, earthquakes, and wickedness. Yet, as Jesus said: “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man….and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:31)

As I said, as Christians, we have clear hope in Christ’s return. I’m not sure if you’ve had someone who trusted in Christ alone for salvation die. For me, I’ve lost my father and beloved grandfather, both of whom were saved. Now, Paul writes in a letter to the Church in Corinth, and states that: “we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2nd Corinthians 5:8)

The point I’m trying to get at is that another hope that we have is, not only the resurrection of the bodies of the dead believers and their reuniting with their souls, btu also the reunion of those believers on earth at Christ’s return, with those who died in Christ. As Paul writes: “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (2nd Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Even, this hope was seen in the Old Testament, such as what was written in the prophet Zechariah: “On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.” (Zechariah 14:4-5)

And, of course, after Jesus returns, believers will enjoy an eternal paradise. I personally believe that there will be a literal Millenial Kingdom prior to the creation of the new heavens and new earth, something that I would differ with most Reformed Christians on. But, that being said, it will be a wonderful state, where Christ will reign physically on earth, both during the Millenial Kingdom, and on the new earth.

Isaiah notes: “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isaiah 51:11) He writes: "For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain. From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 66:22-23) Peter refers to the new earth as a place “in which righteousness dwells.” (2nd Peter 3:13) And, of course, chapters 21 and 22 from the Book of Revelation regarding the new creation that God will unfold for His people probably don’t even need mentioning.

Now, that being said, there are some of the Emergent “Christians,” who claim that God will just “restore” creation to it’s original, pre-fall state. In a sense, that’s true. However, that being said, a lot of the Emergents try to downplay, or outright ignore Christ’s judgment of the non-believers. Emergent guru Brian McLaren even referred to the Jesus who will come back & destroy the wicked, as a “jihadist Jesus.”

Yet, John notes in Revelation that: “Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Rev. 6:15-17)

John goes on to say, and I think that this is particularly where people like Brian McLaren run into trouble: “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, ‘Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.’ And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.” (Rev. 19:11-21)

Similarly, Zechariah prophesied: “For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city….And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. And on that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other.” (Zechariah 14:2-4 & 12-13)

So, while those who are redeemed by Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross, will enjoy an eternal joy focused around Him, those who are unbelievers will be judged, as indicated in Revelation 20:11-15, and will be cast into the lake of fire. Plus, prior to God’s creation of a new heaven and new earth, God will destroy the old ones. Peter writes of scoffers: “they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly….But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed." (2nd Peter 3:5 & 6, 10)

As beautiful as the new heavens and new earth will be, only those whose names are written in the “Book of Life” will be allowed to partake in it. It is only when we call upon the name of Christ are we made righteous and Holy in God’s sight, when Christ’s righteousness is transferred to us. NONE of us deserve the promises God has made for His people, as we are at eminity with Him until we trust in His Son, who took upon the wrath the Father on behalf of those who will be saved.

A Sermon on the Living in the Light of the Return of Christ

Pastor Steve Lawson of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, preaches on living in light of the return of Christ.

The primary text that he's preaching on is from the so-called Mount Olivet Discourse. It reads: "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake." (Mark 13:28-37)

We also have similar warnings regarding "being awake" in other passages.

"Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief." (1st Thessalonians 1:1-5)

We also read, in Revelation 16:15, Jesus' words: "Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!"

I'm reminded of one of the duties at Windsor Castle in England, that I saw in a documentary. One of the duties is for a man to watch out for the queen, so he can raise the flag over the "Round Tower" once the she enters the wall of the castle. So, similarly, we have a duty to watch for the return of Christ.


I would also add, that, along the same lines, should the Lord tarry, we won't know when death will come upon us. An example of this is seen in Jesus' parable of the rich fool. Sometimes, such as in my father's case (he died of cancer), we will have a general idea when it will be time for us to die. But, on the other hand, there are other cases, even within my family, of those who died suddenly.