The King James Version of the Holy Bible

We continue from where we previously left off (https://islamunmasked.com/2019/02/19/the-jehovahs-witnesses-nightmare-pt-2a/).

Our Redeemer and Savior

The other problem with the JW interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:5 is that Paul describes the Lord Jesus as carrying out a work which the God-breathed Scriptures proclaim no one besides God is able to accomplish, namely, ransoming or redeeming all those who turn to God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ from the power of sin and death:

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have ALL MEN to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for ALL, to be testified in due time.” 1 Timothy 2:3-6

Paul’s assertion that Christ gave himself as a ransom for the salvation of all men echoes what the Lord Jesus himself said to his disciples while he was still with them on earth:

“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 – cf. Matthew 20:28

The Apostle John wrote that the number of all those redeemed and made worthy enough to stand before the presence of God forever and ever because of the blood of the Lord Jesus, i.e., as a result of his sacrificial death, is so vast that there is no human being who is able to even begin counting them:

“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, WHICH NO MAN COULD NUMBER, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, AND UNTO THE LAMB. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” Revelation 7:9-17

To say that this is an astonishing statement would be putting it mildly since both the Hebrew Bible,

“none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) that he should still live for ever, and not see corruption… But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.” Psalm 49:7-9, 15

“Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence. So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.” Isaiah 59:15-21 – cf. 63:1-6

And the inspired Christian Scriptures testify,

“When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:25-26

“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Romans 7:14-24

That it is impossible for a person to save himself or someone else, let alone saving countless numbers of human lives. This is why God has to be the One to save and redeem mankind from the power of sin and the dominion of Satan.

Paul further wrote that Christ appeared for the specific purpose of abolishing death, as well as to usher in everlasting life and immortality:

“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 2 Timothy 1:8-12

Once again, the blessed Apostle attributes to the Lord Jesus a work which the God-breathed Scriptures ascribe to God alone:

“And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isaiah 25:6-9

The Manifestation of God in the Flesh

In light of the foregoing, it shouldn’t surprise us to discover Paul going so far as to identify the Lord Jesus as the human manifestation of God,

“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.” 1 Timothy 3:16

Who shed his very own precious blood to acquire his church:

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” Acts 20:28

After all, this blessed servant of the risen Lord knew from his extensive knowledge of the Hebrew Bible that Christ had to be God in the flesh in order for him to be able to save anyone from everlasting destruction.

This also explains why Paul could take the following OT text, which exhorts the Israelites to call upon the name of Jehovah in order to be delivered,

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” Joel 2:32

And apply it to the risen Christ,

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth THE LORD JESUS, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on HIM shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for THE SAME LORD over all is rich unto all that call upon HIM. For whosoever shall call upon the name of THE LORD shall be saved.” Romans 10:9-13

Thereby identifying Jesus as the very Jehovah whose name individuals must call upon if they desire to be saved and justified from all their sins!

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