THE ONE TRUE GOD
~ Man's Search for God ~

prepared by Don R. Hender


    "God reveals himself to man. It is not given that man is to define God. Yet many consider themselves to be so intelligent that they have taken it upon themselves to define who God is. But only those who have come to know God on His terms have truely come to know Him.

    "Certainly within this temporal estate we have been given but 'One True God' and that is he who was our temporal creator and who was prepared for his position as our God, our Creator, our Savior and Redeemer, our King, and our Judge, before the foundation of the world. Yet in addition to him we also understand that we all have our Father in Heaven to whom we all appeal in the name of our One True God." ~ drh


    Who and What is God? I am speaking of the 'one true God.' Many an intellectual, scholarly trained in many things and in many ways, have taken upon themselves to define who and even what God is. But I contend that you cannot define God until you have first come to know God. And there is only one way to come to know God and that is upon God's own terms.

Having been brought up a Christain, believing in Christ already, and having such experiences that I have had; I take a 'massive' short cut to answering many of the questions concerning 'who' God is. God is Jesus Christ, who is the same as Jehovah. Searching the scriptures, I have been assured that this is so, but not only have I come to recognize Christ as the God of this earth, but I literally know that to be the fact of the matter. But now how may that be determined? What must one do? And what does that mean? And how does it all fit together?

When speaking to the Jewish leaders concerning who he, Jesus, was and of the Father who had sent him (John 5:15-47), Jesus taught:

    "Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they
    are they which testifies of me."
    ~ John 5:39

and also when Jesus prayed the great intercessory prayer unto our Father in Heaven (John 17:1-26), this is what he said:

    "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." ~ John 17:3

I do not know if we have Jesus' entire intercessory prayer or if John had at one time recorded it all or not. I read that which is in the scriptural record and I see that it does not end with an 'Amen' so I wonder. In coming to know and understand who God is, these are two very good chapters in John's witness wherein one may come to a degree of benefical understanding concerning God. Not that one may ignore the rest of the scriptural testament, including the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price and other prophet witnesses; but it is in those chapters of John that one should come to an undertanding that we are dealing with God the Father and his Son—His Son who is our Lord and God of the scriptures, Jehovah who is the same as Jesus Christ. And that is a fundamental conception that one must obtain, and traditional Christianity does not teach, that God the Father, who is Elohim our Father in Heaven, and Jesus Christ the Son, who is also Jehovah of the Old Testament, are two separate and distinct entities, that is separate corporal beings from each other, the Father and the Son in that great asspect of Jesus' birth.

God the Father & God the Son

Jesus verbally positioned himself as upholding God the Father as the 'only true God,' at least during Jesus' time and perspective of when he, himself, was incased in his own mortal tabernacle of clay. That in it self begs the question, 'If Jesus is Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament, that teaches Abraham and Israel that he is their God, then why does Jesus, who is Jehovah, defer to his Father Elohim to be the 'one true God' while Jesus/Jehovah is the promised Messiah living in mortality upon the earth? There are a number of perspectives that scripturally combine to answer this question.

One is the matter of the 'Condescension of God' that speaks to the reality that Jehovah the Spirit God of the Old Testament did condescend by leaving his post on high as the God of the Old Testament to come upon earth and be born of Mary, and take upon himself this, not only this mortal tabernacle, but to also condescend below all things and live as man on earth from enfancy to adulthood and experience what mortal man experiences and even submit himself to the temptations of the flesh. That will be further explored later. Another asspect of this question is to consider 'just who was minding the 'Godly Store' while Jesus/Jehovah was so involved in his condescended experience? That item is also further discussed further on in this presentation. What will be first gone into here is the 'grander' aspects of the overall relationship of the Father and Son that existed beginning before the foundation of the world as set out in the scriptures.

Without getting into the eternal nature of that material matter of 'intelligence' that is the eternal basis upon of which we are all primarily existant of, I will begin with the order of the birth of the spirit children of God our Father in Heaven's children. As the biblical reference is that which most accepts, I begin there with that same reference which Bishop Eusebius utilized when he spoke of Jesus' premortal birthing order in his discussion on this point:

    "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature." ~ Colossians 1:15

It is in the contextual setting (Col. 1:12-20) of this one line reference that we may solidly understand that is the Son, Jesus who is being spoken of here as the 'firstborn of every creature.' And as Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea sets out, it is only in respect to the pre-mortal perspective of the pre-existence that Jesus as Jehovah can be considered to have been 'firstborn of every creature.' (Eccleiastical History, Book 1, Chapter 2, Para. 2) Now only in his premortal spirit birth as the firstborn son of God the Father is Jehovah/Jesus the 'first born of every creature'. In his much later 'Only Begotten' mortal birth on earth Jesus/Jehovah was not the first born as many souls of mankind had been born before him in relation to that mortal birth.

Now from the additional scriptures of Abraham and Moses, there is given an account of the events in heaven which led up to the firstborn son Jehovah being anointed and empowered to be the God, creator, redeemer, judge and king of this world as God the Father's representative unto mankind. Those scriptures also fill in such event as led up to Lucifer being cast out of heaven. And they do have a solid tie into an Old Testament vision received by Zechariah, which become clear when it is related to the scriptures of Abraham and Moses.

I begin with the Book of Abraham where it speaks of the events of the grand council in heaven:

    "And the Lord [Elohim] said: Whom shall I send? And one [Jehovah] answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another [Lucifer] answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord [Elohim] said: I will send the first [Jehovah].
    "And the second [Lucifer] was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him."
    ~ Pearl of Great Price | Abraham 3:27-28

Now Moses also reported this from the Book of Moses:

    "AND I, the Lord God [Elohim], spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.
    "But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.
    "Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
    "And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice."
    ~ Pearl of Great Price | Moses 4:1-4

Lucifer was renamed Satan as he resisted the will of the Father and the Son. And he influence a third part of the spirit children of God the Father of spirits, to follow after him and there was a 'war of words' and conflicting concepts fought in heaven until it became necessary to expell Satan/Lucifer out of heaven and cast him down to the earth without he or his followers even coming to obtain a body of flesh and bone.

In the Doctrine and Covenants, while speaking concerning Adam and Eve, Jesus Christ reports a simple rendition concerning the mater of the dealing with Satan when he rebelled against God. Remember that it is Jesus/Jehovah who is the one who is speaking here from both the perspective of the Father and the Son:

    "Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself; and I gave unto him commandment, but no temporal commandment gave I unto him, for my commandments are spiritual; they are not natural nor temporal, neither carnal nor sensual.
    "And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency;
    "And they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels;
    "And, behold, there is a place prepared for them from the beginning, which place is hell.
    "And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet—
    "Wherefore, it came to pass that the devil tempted Adam, and he partook of the forbidden fruit and transgressed the commandment, wherein he became subject to the will of the devil, because he yielded unto temptation."

     ~ Doctrine and Covenants | Section 29:35-40

There are a number of scriptures that also speak to this events: (Abraham 3:27-28; Moses 4:1-4; D&C 76:25-35; Isaiah 14:12-17; Zechariah 3:1-10; Luke 10:18; Revelation 12:7-9; 2 Nephi 2:17-18; 2 Nephi 9:8-9; D&C 29:36-40 (30-40); etc.). And there is one other, if ye shall receive it, that speaks concerning the events of what I refer to as the 'Determination Council' wherein Lucifer was judge to be cast out and Jehovah was confirmed to be the ministering God, temporal Creator, Redeeming Lord, and Final Judge and King relative to such as this world. That is the fourth vision of the prophet Zechariah, that has been thought by the contemporaty Jews to speak of them in their day, but was indeed a vision of the 'Council of Determination' in the pre-mortal heaven where after Lucifer was cast out of heaven. It in its entirety with [braketed clarifications] follows in a paragraph format:

    "AND he shewed me Joshua [Jehoshua: Jesus/Jehovah] the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD [Elohim], and Satan [Lucifer] standing at his [Jehovah - Joshua] right hand to resist him. And the LORD [Elohim] said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD [Elohim] that hath chosen Jerusalem [Christ and his people] rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? [fire brand - rebel against God] Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments [the sins of the world], and stood before the angel. And he [Elohim] answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity [the sins of the world] to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre [a crown] upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments [the celestial robes]. And the angel of the LORD stood by. And the angel of the LORD [Elohim] protested [proclaimed] unto Joshua [Jesus/Jehovah], saying, Thus saith the LORD [Elohim] of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways [the ways of God], and if thou wilt keep my charge [mission of the Redeemer], then thou shalt also judge my house [the Judge of Israel], and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk [Celestial reward] among these that stand by. Hear now, O Joshua [Jehovah/Jesus] the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at [the peculiar people of the Lord]: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH [the Lord Jesus & his people]. For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day [the final effect of the atonement]. In that day [the Millennial day], saith the LORD [Elohim the Father] of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree."
    ~ Old Testament | Zechariah 3:1-10

What is of a particular interest here is that this is actually an Old Testament scripture that speaks of Jesus Christ [Jehoshua/Joshua being the Hebrew name of the Greek Jesus] by name, Joshua which is the same name as Jesus. Joshua or Jehoshua in its more formal form, means 'Jehovah-Deliverer of Jehovah-Redeemer.' And it was know to be the name of Jehovah given him by God the Father from the beginning as Adam knew him by the name of 'Jesus' [the Greek form] from the beginning of his days and as set out here in Zechariah 3, it was the name he was called by God the Father [Elohim] before in that pre-existant council of determination in heaven. Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea in his history makes a similar observation when he states that Joshua was renamed by Moses giving him one of the known names of the Lord their God, Joshua being the same name as Jesus (Numbers 13:16 & EH, Eusebius, Book 1, Chapter 3, para 3-5). From the days of Adam, Enoch, Noah and Moses was the Lord's name known to be 'Jesus' or 'Joshua' or the equivalent in the Adamic language (Moses 6:52, 57, Moses 7:50, Moses 8:24). This was also known to be the ascribed name of the Redeeming Lord to come in the days of Jesus. Can you imagine every time a parent would give their son the name of Jesus what passed through the minds of the confirming priests of the temple? 'Oh no another Jesus?' or 'Is this the Lord Jesus?' When the baby Jesus was taken to the temple for recognition before God according to the Jewish traditions, Simeon had no such thought. He immediately recognized the baby Jesus as the promised Lord and redeemer (Luke 2:22-35) and Anna a prophetetess also so recognized baby Jesus as the promised Lord and Savior of the world (Luke 2:36-38).

God of the Creation

I do not find the word 'universe' in the Bible, though I have noted that in the LDS scriptures, in footnotes to Romans 8:19 & 21, the concept of the creation of the 'material Universe' is introduced. And it has come to be a part of LDS spoken and unspoken understanding the when the scriptures speak of the God of creation, creating all things, coupled with the modern scientific understanding of the universe and that there are heavens beyond our own milky way galaxy, that Jesus/Jehovah is the creator of the whole of it. Where this path of scientific knowledge and scriptural faith and understanding cross, I am not completely sure that we have it exactly right. Some suggest, above and beyond science fiction, that interstellar just is not possible. So it becomes a question of did Jehovah great the visable heavens of the milky way galaxy or did he also great the whole of the universe. Science theory of a 'big bang' points to a one and done creation of all things out of nothing? But to develop an understanding of our God and who he is, we really do not need to know every specific as to matters such as that. Yet many modern LDS faithful do teach that the entire universe comes under the creation of Jehovah. I'm am not so sure on that matter, for it seems to collide with another such tenent of the LDS faith concerning the matter of the order of heaven and there being 'extended Gods' in a bilateral a directional perspective both before Elohim and after Jehovah. But that is another topic and for our purposes here we will but refer to the 'God of Heaven and Earth and all things that in them are' and let it go at that.

What is an interesting scriptural fact is that Jesus as Jehovah, was a Spirit God of Creation, as well as throughout the entire Old Testament era. And though he created and or 'creatively reorganized the elements,' this earth was created by Jehovah, the firstborn of every creature in the spirit, was a priesthood empowered creator of heaven and earth before he came to earth and received a body of flesh and bone. Jesus - Jehovah so states it as such when he appeared unto Mohonri Moriancumer (Moriancumr):


    "And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.
    "Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father** and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.
    "And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.
    "Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh."

    ~ Book of Mormon | Ether 3:13-16



 ** Elohim, our Father in Heaven, and Jesus/Jehovah are two separate corporal beings. The LORD GOD ELOHIM did select, consecrate, and anoint Jehovah with the empowerment of the Power of God to act in the stead of the 'Father' in all things. Thus Ehohim and Jehovah 'share' many titles of God. Jehovah stands in the stead of the Father as though he is by divine investiture the Father. The title Father applies to both the Father and the Son in many ways. This chart delineates that.
   As to creation, 'Elohim directed with a kindly nod and Jehovah performed the directions of that creation.' Salvation's eternal purpose is bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.' Both Elohim and Jehovah-Jesus are united as one in this cause. The title of Father of Salvation applies to both.
 


Now the fact that Jehovah-Jesus was the Spirit God Jehovah, is a well established fact in traditional Christianity from the Scriptures. And that he would condescend to come to earth and take upon flesh and blood is also well accepted. But such is not so plainly stated as here provided from the Book of Mormon's book of Ether, where the premortal Jesus Christ/Jehovah reveals himself to Mohonir Moriancumer, the bother of Jared, during the time era of the Tower of Babel. And it is here that the Lord himself establishes that which many have speculated about as to what form and essense God is who was the creator. He states that what Moriancumer was seeing was the body of his spirit, his spirit body, and that the shape and form of the spirit body does match precisely that of the temporal body. And it was the patern that man was created after the image of his spirit body. Of course many a Hollywood Movie fan could have told you all this, for in their Movies the spirits of man and of God do look like and in the image of a man.

Whose Minding the Store?

People of the traditional Christian mind set do not seem to stop and consider matters as they are set in reality. For example, consider the Christ Child. It is a wonderous conception to consider that the baby Jesus is indeed our God come down to earth as our Savior and Deliverer. But in the reality of that consideration, it begs the real matter question of without the our Father in Heaven and the Holy Ghost added to the equation, just who was left 'minding the store' when Jehovah came to earth as Jesus Christ?

Now traditional Christianity could get way with such inconsistancies when their congregations were commanded that they could not read or own the scriptures themselves, but were to rely upon the priestly father to teach therefrom in Latin in their mass and sermons. In those ages it left many a nation and people but left to the reality that Christianity was very much 'Greek to them.' But now when people can read and study the scripture themselves in their own languages, it extends beyond my logical understanding how they can still come to the grounds of reality acceptance of the three in one teachings of the formal Trinity doctrine. And it leaves me to ask, just how many are truely following the admonitions of Jesus to search the scriptures.

    "And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him." ~ Luke 2:40

Jesus was an exceptional child I'm sure. But from a baby's innocence of a veiled mind he would have grown. By age 12, he was versed and understood and comprehended much if not all in respect to who he was and what the facts of the matter were. And he would be found 'teaching' in the temple (Luke 2:40-50).

The God of Heaven and Earth
~ Omnipotent - Omnipresent - Omniscient ~

Who Minds the Shop While God Is Sleeping?


    "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter [Holy Ghost] will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you."
    ~ New Testament | John 16:7

There is an often discussed matter as to the relationship that exists between Jesus Christ and that third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost. Why did Jesus have to go in order for the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, to come? With all the roles that the Holy Ghost does take upon himself, I would suggest the simplest and the most solid reasoning has to do with the question asked in the introduction to this section. 'Whose Minding the Store?' I put to you that the 'Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient' being 'in charge' and acting in the stead of our Lord God Jehovah, which Jehovah is and was the same as Jesus Christ, during that 30 some year period of time when Jehovah-Jesus was living here on earth as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, was that third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost. Not many consider this question and I suppose that some that do might suggest that it was Elohim. But Elohim seems to be, as stated by Jesus in his teachings concerning prayer, to have been in His Celestial Courts on High. That is He resides as Our Father Who art in Heaven, that Celestial Heaven and Kingdom above and apart from the mortal temporal world and not as one who immediatly ministers unto this 'fallen' temporal earth below. But as the scripture so states as follows, this is my answer to that consideration:

    "I answer, Yes. But there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it."
    ~ Doctrine and Covenants | Section 130:5

All who are the spirit children of God the Eternal Father of Spirits, Elohim, are called by the title of 'angels.' Those who followed after Lucifer became 'angel of the devil'. Jesus Christ was the firstborn son of Elohim in the spirit and we all followed, being spiritualy born of our premortal Heavenly Parents. In this context Jesus Christ has also been called an angel (Ex. 3:2), of all of the angel of heaven who has been so blessed as Jesus Christ(Heb. 1:13-14; Ps. 110:1)? And so also is the Holy Ghost one such angel, a spirit son of Elohim. And as such, it is these angels, Jehovah and he that is the Holy Ghost, who may minister to this earth as they 'do or have belonged to it.' It my seem to be just a picky point, but it explains why Elohim as a Celestial God on High of Celestial Flesh and Bone (D&C 130:22) is not He who directly ministers to this earth and did so chose and select one such spirit son from among us to be his representative Ministering God in the stead of the Father to minister unto mankind the Plan of Salvation as Jesus Christ, Our Savior and Redeemer has come to be 'one amoung us', Immanual, both in selection and in fulfillment as our Advocate, Mediator, Intercessor and God between man of temporal mortality and Elohim of the eternal Celestial realm. And also so selected and positioned is he who ministers unto man as the Holy Ghost, that facilitating third member of the Godhead in whom also rest the power of the Godhead.

Those who conceive of but 'one' God or without the three dimintional 'Godhead,' have reduce him/them into the form of a one dimintional Jesus of Nazareth, and even as a comic book type hero such as 'Superman'. He during his earthly ministry as man on earth was limited to serving but one person at a time in one location at a time, which is great for that one, but how about the rest of the mankind God? Like the real limits 'Superman' in the comic book, it was great for the ones Superman could get to but how about all the others who were victims of crime simultaneously, not to mention all the other cities around the world other than Metropolis. Such comic book heros cannot, do not, measure up to the status and ability of God. But Jesus, that is Jehovah come to earth to take upon himself his temporal body of flesh and bones was now limited to the here and know of the single place he was at. So who was minding the store of the rest of the world and particularly as we have found them, the people of the Book of Mormon in the Americas? Which God continued to minister unto them? Without the relationship of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost all being separate corporal beings, the situation of the time that Jehovah was occupied as Jesus in the flesh just goes uncovered*.

* Note: The time that Jesus was living upon the earth in the Jerusalem area is covered by the events of that time frame in the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi 1-7.

The Condescension of God

I Stand All Amazed

**Amazed at the love Jesus-Jehovah does offers us, Perplexed at the grace that so fully he proffers us. Let's tremble to know that for us he was crucified, That for us, as sinners, he suffered, he bled and died. Let's marvel that he would descend from his throne divine To rescue our souls so rebellious and proud as ours, That he should extend his great love unto such as we, Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify. Think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay our debt! Such mercy, such love and devotion can we forget? No, no. we will praise and adore at the mercy seat, Until at the glorified throne we kneel at his feet. Oh, it is wounderful that he should care for us Enough to die for us! Oh, it is wounderful, wonderful for us! **Adampted to an inclusive understanding.

    "And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God? . . . Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of [the Son of] God, after the manner of the flesh. And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! . . ."
    ~ Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 11:16, 18-21

    Knowest thou the Condescension of God? In the 1830 Book of Mormon the sentence read, " . . . mother of God, after the manner of the flesh," but our Book of Mormon today reads, " . . . mother of the son of God, after the manner of the flesh." And there was no error in that statement either way. For Jehovah was that God, our God, who was born of Mary, and our God Jehovah is Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of 'the Eternal Father of Spirits in the flesh, and Mary is also the mother of the Son of God in that respect—Jehovah and Jesus Christ being one and the same. Yet Jehovah is also the firstborn of the Eternal Father of Spirits as being His Firstborn Son in the pre-mortal realm, even the firstborn of every creature (Col. 1:15) in the spirit. Thus I am left to conclude that many had not been properly schooled in the nature of their God, and their minds had been muddled by a combination of the doctrine of the Trinity mingled with a hatred for the Catholic Church, so to defuse that element of confusion, Joseph Smith later worded the reference from 'God' being "the Son of the Eternal Father!" to 'the son of God' being "the Son of the Eternal Father!"

When Joseph Smith did this the direct coorelation of the God Jehovah being the God who condescended was lost or at least no longer directly associated with the 'Condescention of God.' But the confusion was lessened. After all 'how could God be the Son of himself?' Well in truth he could not be. It was God the Eternal Father of Spirits who was the father of Jehovah is the spirit, he being the first born of every creature in that respect of his premortal spirit birth. And God the Eternal Father of Spirits was also the father of Jesus Christ, who was Jehovah, as the Only Begotten of the Eternal Father in the flesh. For as Joseph Smith saw in the Sacred Grove, the Father Elohim, and the Son Jehovah-Jesus, were two separate and distinct beings. It is the utter confusion caused by the false doctrine of the 'Trinity' tht has had muddled that matter. And rather than to put in an hour's long thesis footnote into the scripture concerning the true nature of God, it is likely that for 'simple clearification' to get the first time readers of the Book of Mormon passed it, Joseph Smith would insert the phrase [the son of], and that is what we still have in the Book of Mormon today. And this even though other further references in the Book of Mormon do return to associating the Son of God as in truth being our Ministering God and Eternal Father in the respect that Jehovah was so positioned as such by Elohim our Father Who Art in Heaven, who is the Father of Spirits; that is the spirits of all mankind as explained previously; to stand in the stead of the Father in all things, and thus also acting under the titles of the Father. Yet in truth in the simplist terms, Mary was the mother of the temporal Jehovah, our God of the Old Testament, Jehovah being but a God of Spirit prior to his temporal birth (Ether 3).

So now, 'Kowest thou the condescension of God?' In its simplist and most straight forward statement, Jesus Christ, who is the same as our Spirit God Jehovah, came down to earth and took upon himself the flesh and bone of man. The Book of Mormon had that doctrine of Jesus being the same as Jehovah correct throughout. In the Old Testament times Jehovah worked by the priesthood power of God as a God of Spirit under the direction of God the Eternal Father of Spirits, Jehovah not having yet obtained a body of flesh and bone. And he entered this world the same as we all have entered into it, that is by being born of women. And he was a baby that had to learn and progress in his development and understanding as any other man has had to do. Yet by the age of 12 he fully knew and understood just who he was. He was the Son of God, not only in that he was a spirit son of Elohim, our Father in Heaven Who is the Father of Spirits, but he was also the Only Begotten Son of that same Father in the Flesh.

From the Glorious aspect of God, that is Jehovah, condescending to become a 'man' of this temporal earth, we are speaking of the very God Jehovah who created the temporal heavens and the earth and all that in them are. A key here is to distinguish between a Spirit Creation and a Temporal Creation. In one aspect it was a great condescending step for Jehovah, who was a God of Spirit, to come to earth and descend below all men, meaning many things from various perspectives from taking upon himself the sins of the world to such an initial status below that of being the glorious God of the Old Testament sitting on his throne in the heavens. But perhaps the greatest perspective of descending below all things relates to when Jesus/Jehovah condescended to suffer for all sins of the world though but a sinless himself, as a sacrifice for those sins. He was an infinite and divine sacrifice for sin at the same time, he being our fully empowered God. In one sense, it has been stated that, 'All that Jehovah did temporally create, he did also so redeem as Jesus Christ our Lord.'

There is some truth in a number of the accessments of the Catholic Church upon this matter, though in respect to this straight forward explanation the spirit God Jehovah, who is the same as Jesus Christ, is who came down and took upon himself, his spirit, the flesh and bone body of man; the Catholic Church seems to talk around it while saying it, but not saying it. Yet in their speaking of what they term the 'incarnation' of the Son of God, they state that 'Jesus was not 'half' or part man and 'half' or part God, and that he was fully both.' And that is what is the truth, while Jesus has always received the power of God including the power of the renewal of life, and also his divitty from being the Son of God the Father of Spirits; he was further fully and truly man as well, and subject to all the things of the flesh that any man is so subject to. That is he was not half and half but wholely both. From Mary's conception and birthing, Jesus became a man of the flesh and was subject to being tempted, the weakness of the flesh, and 'the ability to die' even as any man might die. And at the same time of his Father, Jesus also was that empowered God who had within himself the power over death, as he was an eternal facitied spirit son of God who had been anointed as being our empowered Ministering God as Jehovah of the Old Testament.

This 'hedging' seems to be to an attempt to leave in tack the doctrine of the Trinity, where in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are depected by the 'Doctrine of the Trinity' essentually One God manifesting himself in three persons. This as so the Catholic religion teaches. Yet their 'three persons' they do not accept to be by the common difinition of separate corprol beings independent of each other as we are commonly familiar with the use of the word persons as being. From my perspective, it is not holding to the concept that Father, Son and Holy Ghost of the Godhead were three separate corporal beings, which led to the Doctrine of the Trinity which 'traditional Christians' are so tied up in. Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea attempted to maintain that 'corporal' separation between Father, Son and Holy Ghost at the 325 Council of Nicea. But the events of history are there to establish that Bishop Eusebius' attempt was not successful.

In Conclusion

We have here in found God throught the scriptures. In the Old Testament we have found Jehovah the God of Abraham, Adam, Enoch, Noah and others of Israel, as he was their God. As Jehovah, he was yet but a God of Spirit, but by the power of the anointing and ordaining empowerment of his Father Elohim, under the direction of the Father, Jehovah created the heavens and the earth and all things in them which are. And it was God our Father in Heaven who empowered Jehovah to act in his stead in all things and to become the Ministering God of Israel. No other means or way was given but by, in, of and trough Jehovah who is Jesus was man to receive the blessing and empowerment of salvation and exhaltation. As such Jehovah, the firstborn of every creature of the Father in the pre-mortal first estate was given to be man's only 'true God unto salvation.' There was given no other way or means. He was the truth, the light and the way. Only through his advocacy, intersession, mediation, atonement and grace would man be redeemed from the fall of Adam. And the patern of the performances of the tabernalce and temple shadowed and typed Jehovah as standing in the stead of the Father in all things (Lev. 16:32).

When Jehovah condescended to come to earth and take upon himself the flesh of man in order that he might redeem all that he had created and save the souls of men, it was left to God our Heavenly Father by and through the assistance of the Holy Ghost to stand as the God of even Jesus/Jehovah, whom He had ordained and chosen to that end. And in that perspective Jesus did recognize the Father as the 'only true God'. This has been a marked misunderstanding to many and that which enemies of God have tried the souls of men with who did not come to know and understand the relationship between the Father and Son. Zeezrom of the Book of Mormon sought to deceive the people by catching Amulek out over the very question of there being but one God. Zeezrom was learned and knew the distinction of the Father and Son, but he would use the matter of the 'one God' concept to catch Amulek in a snare of words which Zeezrom the Lawyer could twist and denounce Amulek over. By the power of God, Amulek discerned Zeezrom plan of deception and called him on it. It was done in such a manner and by the power of God to the extent that it humbled Zeezrom into a state of repentance (Alma 11:20-46).

In the Old Testament many including King David understood the relationship between the Father and the Son. But the Jewish leaders would alway contend over this matter, always on the side of there being but 'one true God' and he was but Jehovah only, and there would be no such thing as a coming 'Son of God' who was also God. They would confuse the simple relationship which the prophets knew, and they would pursecute and kill the prophets over the matter, the Jewish leaders have their self interests in mide as 'the' positioned leader of the people. But David knew, listen to David's words:

    "THE LORD [Elohim] said unto my Lord [Jehovah], Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."
    ~ Psalm 110:1

Many scriptures particularly in the New Testament speak of Jesus/Jehovah as seen and as sitting on the right hand of God the Father. That is their relationship in a nut shell. They are aligned and united as to the intend and purpose of their eternal work, and that is being to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39)


rev. 6 January 2016