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The Trinity, No. 1
RV169-01© Berean Memorial Church of Irving, Texas, Inc. (1993)
We are studying the subject of "The Antichrist." This is segment number 13 in Revelation 13:1-10.
False Christs
As we have been learning here in the book of the Revelation, the time is coming in human history, and it is not far off, when a human being known
as the antichrist will burst on the world scene with the claim that he is the latest reincarnation of the Christ spirit. Please be sure that you
make that distinction. The antichrist is not going to be claiming to be Jesus Christ. He is going to claim to be the latest reincarnation of the
spirit of Christ. Thus, he will be claiming to follow in the tradition of Buddha; of Krishna; of Jesus Christ; of Muhammad; and, of others who
have come on the world scene as great religious leaders, and who have claimed to bear upon them the Christ spirit. All of these men, including
Jesus Christ, are now claimed to be dead, and they claim that the spirit of the Christ has been passed on.
Periodically, we give you a paper called "The Emergence" that gives you some information about Lord Maitreya, who is now residing in London, and
who increasingly is coming into public prominence and awareness, as his agents are preparing mankind, through news releases, for Lord Maitreya's
arrival on the world scene as the latest reincarnation of the Christ spirit. Can a person die, and come back again to life in another body, and
another life form?
It is amazing how many intelligent people actually believe this, even as great and perceptive a man as General George Patton. He was one of the
all-time great military geniuses. Of all the generals that the Americans had in World War II, this was the man that the Germans feared most of
all. This was the man that they cowered before. This was the man that they feared when they got the news that he was put in charge of an army
and a campaign that they would have to face. Here was a military genius – an all-time great. Yet, I fear that this man, who had accomplished
so much in this life, has missed the boat when it came to eternal life, because he believed in reincarnation, and that he had been a great warrior
who had been killed in a previous life.
This was not just crazy talk. Many people believe that today. It is the only way that Satan can make people feel at ease with the fact that they
go out of this life under a sense of moral guilt, and under a sense of their sins not being atoned for – their sins weighing heavily upon
them. You must be enormously ignorant not to be aware of the fact that you are a sinner, and that you are accountable to a holy and a righteous
God, whatever form you may imagine him to be out there. So, reincarnation is Satan's answer: "You'll come back and get another chance, so don't
worry about it."
Reincarnation
However, the refutation for this is Hebrews 9:27, and you should learn and remember it: "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once,
and after this comes judgment." This is explicitly clear. It is appointed for every human being to die once. It is not appointed for a human
being to come back and repeatedly die in another body or in another life form. He dies, and then he faces the judgment of eternity before the
Holy God. The antichrist will deny that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, and that He is the only Christ sent by God the Father. If Jesus Christ
is the only Christ, then there is no room for another Christ spirit in the form of the antichrist.
This is what John tried to teach us in 1 John 4:2-3: "By this you know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus has come in
the flesh is from God." The person says that Jesus Christ is divine, that He has come from heaven as deity, and has put on human flesh –
that person has the truth. That person is thinking what God has taught. Every spirit, on the other hand, that does not confess Jesus is not from
God: "This is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world."
The spirit of antichrist is the spirit that says that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was merely a human being. He is not God incarnate. He was not God
who had come from heaven, and took upon Himself a sinless humanity, so that He could be the second, and indeed the last, Adam to die for the sins
of the world – to undo the sin that had been imposed upon the human race by the first Adam. The Lord Jesus Christ is going to come back to
this earth someday. And when He comes, He is going to come in exactly the same body that He had when He left. When He returns, He is not going to
come back as a reincarnated being. He came as God Emmanuel (God with us). He put on human form. He died and He was resurrected. And in that same
body, He ascended into heaven. He will forever be in a human body. He will forever be God incarnate.
In Acts 1:11 describes the moment of His ascension after His crucifixion, and 40 days have now passed since His resurrection. Jesus suddenly
rises heavenward, and disappears beyond the clouds, before the eyes of His disciples. And two angels standing by said to the disciples: "Men
of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you
have watched Him go to heaven." Jesus Christ, the resurrected God-man, is going to return. He and He alone is the true Christ. The antichrist
will be a liar, in the tradition of his master Satan, in claiming to be the latest reincarnation of the Christ spirit.
Jesus Christ
It was the Lord Jesus Christ who came into the world as the God-man who was always perfect in spirit, soul, and body. Just pause for a moment
and think back upon His lifestyle. It was the Lord Jesus Christ who spent His time healing the sick. He restored the lame and the blind to
operational physical capacity. There was no physical ailment that He could not override, because he was the Creator God. It was the Lord Jesus
Christ who went about feeding those who are hungry, and who cared for the widows and the orphans. It was the Lord Jesus Christ who, in the face of
the rebuke of His own disciples, cared for little children, and took the time to lead them to God. It was Jesus who raised the dead, and who
ennobled the living who were associated with Him. No one who ever associated with Jesus Christ was ever degraded, or ever felt debased because of
having been in his presence.
It was the Lord Jesus who pitied sinners and lifted them out of their enslavement to Satan, as he did, for example,
with the woman caught in her act of adultery. It was Lord Jesus who proclaimed the authoritative words of his Heavenly Father, and did not claim
to be giving His own human opinions. It was Jesus who created joy, and shed love on all mankind. It was the Lord Jesus Christ who obeyed the laws
of God and the laws of man, and was a man who saw justice for all. It was Jesus who proclaimed the only true way of salvation as a grace gift of
God.
Yet, this Man of such magnificent qualities, and this man of such winsome attractiveness, was rejected when He came into this world as the Son
of God. Jesus was not the kind of Messiah King that the Jews wanted, so they murdered Him. But they will accept the antichrist as their protector
king. How's that for a contrast? After watching Jesus Christ at close hand for over three years, the Jews rejected Him as Messiah King, and
murdered him. But when they see the antichrist, they will accept him as their protector and king. The world which rejects Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, is going to eagerly accept the antichrist who comes as the son of Satan.
Jesus pointed this out to His followers. In John 5:43, Jesus said, "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me. If another
shall come in his own name, you will receive him." He who came in the name of the Heavenly Father was rejected, even though he gave every
evidence of truly being from that Father. Whereas, the antichrist will come from his father Satan is going to be received by all the world
with great adulation. The antichrist will be popular simply because he appeals to the lusts in the old sin nature in man.
Psychic Powers
The superhuman powers of the antichrist, which he receives from Satan, are going to be viewed as psychic powers of the mind. This, to many, will
prove his deity – the fact that he will have psychic powers. And make no mistake about it. Psychic powers do exist. Satan and demons give
people great supernatural powers, and abilities to perceive things that ordinary people cannot perceive, because they communicate to individuals
the information. Well, the antichrist is going to have great psychic powers. He's going to have great powers and contacts and knowledge from the
spirit world, and people will view this as proof of his deity. Deity will then be viewed as being innate in every human being, and the antichrist
will be viewed as one who has supremely released his innate deity. He will be seen as the ultimate humanist.
We understand how all this could take place in the tribulation. But the sad thing about this is that so many Christians have degenerated today
into organizations and programs which are appealing to the same old sin nature that the antichrist is going to work on. They are appealing to the
same concept of hidden powers within you that you need to release, as if you were nothing but indeed a small divine being that does not realize who
you are.
Just listen, for example, to the similarity with the hard-beat, raucous, belting-out music of a Las Vegas casino, and compared it to the church
music of the charismatics. When I sat in a Las Vegas casino several years ago, listening to that music, I thought, "What does this remind me of?"
And it hit me – charismatic churches. They sound exactly the same. The only thing is that they're not as much fun. They have no slot
machines; no baccarat tables; and, no roulette tables. They have none of that. It's not as much fun. But the music is the same thing. You'd think
that you were back in a casino in some of these charismatic churches. And what do the preachers do? You know very well that the preachers are not
teaching Christians Bible doctrine, and appealing to them to take up their crosses (that is, their mission in life), and get with it. That's not
very popular. It's not much fun. People would rather accumulate things and enjoy things than to take up their crosses for the Lord. That's not
cool. That's not the good life.
That's why we get these letters from tapers. Please remember that these paper letters don't come from some bums down on some derelict, back-alley
street. These taper letters come from people who are in magnificent and grand churches. All of a sudden, they get a tape, and they find what the
instruction in the Word of God really has. Somebody has taken the time to research it and to lay it out, and then they learn how magnificent is
their God, and they realize that they're on the inside with this information. And when you have this kind of information, it operates in your
life without you knowing it. Only in heaven will you look back and see the difference that your knowledge of doctrine made in what you did; the
decisions you made; how you conducted yourself; and, what God was able to do in the way of blessing, because you had built a container in your soul
for His blessing.
The charismatic TV evangelists are telling Christians that God wants them to be prosperous. That's what the antichrist is going to tell people
– that all Christians have to do is recognize that they have a divine power within them, so that they can visualize what they want into
existence. If you haven't heard it, you haven't been watching TV. The TV evangelists are almost uniformly telling people: "Now get into your
mind. Your mind is a power center. Think what you want to be, and what you would like to have. And because you are a child of God, you will
receive that, especially if you send us an offering. That will make it certain." They're telling people that their words have power to create
because they are in God. You can speak what you want into existence.
I have noticed that I have not personally achieved that level of divinity, I've stood before a mirror, and said, "Be good looking," and it has not
helped much. It has helped in my eyes (the eye of the beholder), but other people have not confirmed what I behold. Your words cannot speak things
into reality because you are not omnipotent God. It is a lie. But when Jim Bakker got his sentence reduced yesterday, and then the camera went
around to his current followers, one man said, "As soon as he's back on the track, I'll send in my offerings. He'll have my support. He'll have my
money." There is something in the message of Bakker that appeals to this man, and he wants it reinforced. It is probably something evil, and he
wants a preacher to confirm that that evil is OK for him to do.
This is what's so sad. Without the doctrinal frame of reference in the pulpit, you have appeals to the sin nature (programs within churches) that
have nothing to do with ennobling Christians; with feeding them the Word of God; and, with strengthening them spiritually. They have all kinds of
programs that have absolutely nothing to do within the context of Christian ministry. All of these things may be of legitimate, and maybe could be
done outside of the church, and properly should be. But people are being starved for the Word of God with these substitutes of the husks instead
of the pure grain of the Word of God. You are not God. You cannot visualize into existence what you want. Your words cannot speak into existence
what you want. But what these churches are promoting is self-ism. It is all kinds of self-ism. Self-image is the favorite: "Oh, you've got to have a
good self-image, and you have to have self this and self that." And you have all these self words, including various kinds of self-ism and of
feeling good about yourself, instead of having your eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, and taking your hits as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
The wonderful, gracious, kind, sinless God-man, Jesus Christ, is crucified, but the vile, brutal, course antichrist will be worshiped. How
perverted is the mind of man? What an affront this is to the Lord of Glory, the Lord of Creation.
So, where are your loyalties in your life this day? Are you a little antichrist-worshiper, in fact, rather than a cross-carrier in behalf of
Jesus Christ?
All Who Dwell on the Earth
Revelation 13:8 directs us to the worshipers of the antichrist: "And all who dwell on the earth." The word "all" refers to the totality of the
world's tribulation population. "Those who dwell" is the Greek word "katoikeo." "Katoikeo" is a word that simply refers to a place of residence.
It is in the present tense, which means people who continually dwell in a certain place. This is their normal dwelling location. It is active.
This is their personal choice as to where they dwells. It's a spiritual principle being stated here. And where do they dwell? They dwell on the
earth. This phrase "who dwell on the earth" is a technical term in the Bible, referring to the unsaved humanity of the tribulation world. So,
when John says, "And all who dwell on the earth," he's talking about unbelievers who are loyal to the antichrist during the tribulation, and who
bear on their foreheads and their right hands the mark of the antichrist.
These people who dwell on the earth are in contrast to those whose destiny is to dwell in heaven. In fact, as saved people positionally, they are
already dweller's in heaven, just as you and I positionally are already in heaven. What these people are doing, of all things, is: "As unbelievers,
they will worship him," the antichrist. The word "worship" looks like this: "proskuneo." This is made up of two words. The word "pros" means
"toward," and "kuneo" means "to kiss." So, what this word means is "to blow a kiss." You do that to whom? You do that to someone that is dear to
you; that you admire; that you are close to; and, that you have an affinity for. This is veneration of deity, and it connotes subjection here to
the antichrist who claims to be God. This is in the future tense, which tells us that it's going to be at some future point; namely, in the
seven-year tribulation period. It's active, which means it's going to be done by choice of the dwellers on the earth (lost humanity). It's a
statement of a true fact. The unbelievers in the tribulation will view the antichrist as a human being who has realized his inner potential of
godhood.
This is the great lie of Satan, which was first proposed to Eve. Mormons today teach this identical lie to their people of the human potential
for godhood. Every Mormon is seeking to prove himself worthy so that he may advance to becoming a God himself. Mormons teach that God the Father
is a flesh-and-blood human being who has proved His worthiness, and has now achieved His godhood and His place of divine strength. They have a
phrase that goes something like this: "As God once was, so are we now. As God now is, so shall we be." It sums up that they themselves look upon
God as mankind will look upon the antichrist – as people who all have the potential for God, and that the antichrist, and God in heaven,
have advanced through their worthiness to the degree that they are superior gods. But all of them are potential gods. Mormons are, in effect,
polytheists. They believe in many gods.
Those, however, who possess eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, will not be fooled by this, for they will know the true God and
His Son, Jesus Christ. John 17:3 says, "And this is eternal life, that they may know You (God the Father, the only true God) and Jesus Christ whom
You have sent. Nobody knows the true God through Islam. Nobody knows the true God through Roman Catholicism. Nobody knows the true God through
Buddhism. Nobody knows the true God through the religions and cultures of the world. Only those who are biblical Christians know the true God.
They are not deceived by a character that comes on the scene like the antichrist, claiming these potential powers of deity. Only biblical
Christians teach the true nature of God.
The Mormons are wrong when they say that God is a flesh-and-blood person. John 4:24 makes that very clear. On one occasion, when I was visiting
in Salt Lake City, a group of a couple of ladies were guiding us around, answering questions. And I asked them, "I understand that Joseph Smith
taught that God is a flesh-and-blood human being." They said, "Yes, that's true." I said, "In that case, how would you explain, John 4:24, which
says that God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. That would seem to contradict what Joseph Smith has
taught. That is saying just exactly the opposite, it seems – that God is not a flesh-and-blood human being as we are, but that He is a
spirit being."
There was a pause and silence, and then one of the ladies said, "That's a good question." I already knew that. She said, "Would you please write
your name and address down? And we'll pass this on to our question-answering department. ... They'll contact you." Well, I go to the mailbox every
day, and I'm still going there. The first thing I look for every morning is the answer from Salt Lake City about John 4:24. I haven't heard a
whisper from them yet, because there is no answer. It is an obvious contradiction. Joseph Smith, as often, was lying, making up his own doctrine,
because he needed to have a reason for God to be having sex in heaven with his multiple goddesses wives so that he could justify doing the same
thing here on this earth.
Only biblical Christians teach the true nature of God. Therefore, believers, who know what God is really like, are not going to be taken in by
the antichrist who claims to be God, in spite of the fact that he demonstrates magnificent powers, and in spite of the fact that the Bible does
say he is so godlike, and so capable, and so impressive that even the elect are almost deceived. The elect have to fall back on all the doctrine
they know, or they too will be taken in.
The Trinity
The God of the Bible has one essence, but He is expresses that essence in three separate and distinct persons as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Each is eternally self-existent, but each holds a different position in the Godhead and each exists at the same time. God does not appear
sometimes as Father, and then another time as Son, and another time as Holy Spirit. That's an ancient heresy called Sabellianism. God has one
essence. He is one God therefore, but He is three distinct persons.
The Shema
The Jews and the Muslims reject the doctrine of the Trinity. Therefore, they will be subject to being fooled by the antichrist. The basic concept
of the Muslims is that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet. They are very adamant about there being only one God. Judaism
teaches its children to express what is called the Shema, the expression of basic fundamental faith of the Jewish people. It's called the Shema
because that means "hear." That's the first word of the phrase that they are taught to repeat daily: "Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God, Jehovah is
one." That comes from Deuteronomy 6:4, and they repeat Deuteronomy 6:4 in Hebrew at least two or three times a day: "Hear O Israel: The Lord is
our God. The Lord is one."
The Jews say that, and they say that Jesus Christ is a fraud, because there's only one God, and He claims to be God. The Holy Spirit is not
a separate person as deity. There is only one God. So, what are you going to say when a Jew comes up and says that to you? Let me see if I can
give you a little bit of information.
Genesis 1:1
Turn to the very first verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:1. We'll keep it simple, but it is information that I think you can understand. I want you
to see the problems that the Jews have when they read their own Scriptures. We used to have a Jewish man who had children in our school because
he was married to a Christian lady. He was out in front of the building here on the side door, and I was talking to him one time, and he said,
"The trouble with all that you say is that you have more than one God. God is one." I said, "Yes, indeed, He is one." But he said, "Jesus cannot
be God." And I said, "Are you aware of the fact that the very first of the Old Testament Scriptures says, "In the beginning, God created the heavens
and the earth?" He said, "Yes, I know that." I said, "Do you know that the word for God there is the Hebrew word 'Elohim?' And do you know that
that's a plural? Do you know that Genesis 1:1 says, 'In the beginning Gods created the heavens and the earth?' That's what it says literally.
That's what it says grammatically. How can it say "Elohim" (plural) if there is only one absolute God?"
He had no explanation for that. It does not use the singular form for God, which God the Holy Spirit could have used. There is a singular form.
It looks like this: "elohai." "Elohai" is singular. "Elohim" is plural. It could have said: "In the beginning 'elohai' created the heavens and
the earth." It does not do that. God the Holy Spirit is very careful in what He chooses in words. That tells us something important. It is
significant that here you have a word that is in the plural as the subject of the sentence.
There is another telling thing about this verse: "In the beginning," God did what? "He created." That's the Hebrew word "bara." In grammar, if
you're going to have a plural subject, you must have a plural verb. You don't say, "We am going to El Chico after church." You say "We are going
El Chico after church." You can see how all mixed up it can get if you don't use singular nouns with singular verbs. Well this happens to be a
singular verb. And the word Gods (plural) would imply a plural verb for the word "created," but it isn't. It says, "Gods He created." That would
be grammatically improper but that's what is here: "And Gods He created." So, what do you have? What you have is both singularity in the verb
form "bara," and plurality in the noun form "Elohim" in the verse. So, it is significant that the singular form for God "elohai" is not used by
God the Holy Spirit with this singular verb "bara." God deliberately says, "He created," but He uses the plural subject of: "Gods He created."
This combination of the plural name of God with a singular verb is repeated hundreds of times in the Old Testament. This is not an isolated
incident. It happens again and again and again. Do you see the problem that the Jews have who can read the Hebrew? They keep seeing this
grammatical disjunction. Here's a plural noun, "Gods," and it keeps using these singular verbs that go with it. They didn't catch on that God
was telling them something about His own nature.
Exodus 3:14
Exodus 3:14: "And God said to Moses." Guess what form the word for God is here? I'll tell you. It's the plural "Elohim:" "And 'Elohim' (plural)
said to Moses." Now, what should follow? What should follow is: "We are who We are." But that isn't what follows. The Hebrew says, "And Gods said
to Moses, I am who I am." There you have again this example of a singular verb with a plural subject. So, in the Old Testament Scriptures, the
Holy Spirit uses the name of God in the plural, obviously, for one reason – to show the Trinitarian nature of the Godhead. He uses these
plural verbs to shows that God is a trinity of three persons. That's made clear. I'll show you in a minute here in the Old Testament that they
should not have missed that Trinity. It is clear in some respects in the New Testament.
Psalm 149:2
I want to show you this plurality in Psalm 149:2: "Let Israel be glad in his Maker." This is referring to God as the Maker or the Creator. But
it is plural. Literally, it says, "Let Israel be glad in his Makers."
Ecclesiastes 12:1
Ecclesiastes 12:1: "Remember your creator in the days of your youth." Here again, "Creator" is speaking of God as plural: "Remember your Creators
is what it says in the days of your youth."
Isaiah 50:4-5
In Isaiah 50:4-5, we have another example: "For your husband is your Maker." Here, "husband" is plural. "For your husbands is (not 'are') your Maker.
The Holy Spirit uses a singular verb form to show the one essence of the persons of the Trinity.
Genesis 1:26
Notice the use of plural pronouns when God refers to himself. For example, in Genesis 1:26, they translated it quite literally: "And God said,
Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea," and so on. Why in the
world would God say, "Let us make man in our image? The Jewish rabbis have a terrible time with that verse, because that verse is
obviously saying that there is a Godhead, and specifically of three persons who are communicating with one another. It takes three people for God
to express love. It takes three to ultimately fully express love. Love has to be fully expressed from one person to another, but then you fully
have to express it by having two others that one person can love, and the other way around. It takes three people to have a maximized expression
of love. And here is the Trinity, and God (who is, above all, love) is indeed three persons. The Jews have a terrible time.
Genesis 11:7
Notice Genesis 11:7: "Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." Here, at
the Tower of Babel, to stop this first attempt at internationalism and one-world government, God comes in and He mixes up the language, and what
does He say? "Come, let us." To whom is He speaking? Is God talking to Himself? That's what the Jews say. They say that God is speaking in
terms of the majesty of His role as King of the universe. They say that this is like the queen of England does not say, "I would like a glass of
water." She says, "We would like a glass of water." ... It's the majesty of language. You talk of yourself in plurality. That's not what the Bible
is doing. It is because the Godhead is actually discussing what They are going to do among Themselves. Therefore, They made a decision of what
"They will do.
Isaiah 6:8
Isaiah 6:8 says, "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" There you have both the oneness
of God, and the plurality of the Godhead. The Lord says, "Who shall I send (the one God in His singularity of essence), and who will go for us
(the God of the Trinity: Father; Son; and, Holy Spirit)?" And Isaiah responds, "Here am I. Send me."
Isaiah 48:12-16
Isaiah 48:12-13. Here you have, in the Old Testament, all three persons of the Godhead. This is why the language should have given the Jews a
clue. When you have these plural pronouns, and when you have this plurality of nouns with singular verbs, it should have told them that there
was some kind of a special quality in the Godhead that they did not understand. But they should have found clarification here in Isaiah 48:12-13:
"Listen to me, O Jacob, even Israel, whom I call. I am He. I am the first. I am also the last. So, surely My hand founded the earth; in my right
hand, spread out the heavens. Then I call them to stand together."
Now, look at Isaiah 48:16: "Come near to Me. Listen to this. From the first, I have not spoken in secret. From the time it took place, I was
there. And now the Lord God (God the Father) sent Me (God, the Son) and His Spirit." There you have all three persons of the Godhead explicitly
stated. In Isaiah 48:12-13 (that we first read), God is identified as the only God. He is the first. He is the last. He is the One who has been
the Creator. Then in verse 16, He identifies Himself. This singular God in verses 12-13 identifies Himself in verse 16 as the Trinity.
Colossians 1:15-17
In Colossians 1:15-17, the apostle Paul tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator. He is the one who has created the world. Furthermore,
it says that He is the one who holds it all together, so that the molecular structure doesn't fly apart.
Isaiah 42:1
Please also notice Isaiah 42:1: "Behold My servant Whom I uphold: My Chosen One in Whom My soul delights. I put My Spirit upon Him, and He will
bring forth justice to the nations." There you have all three persons of the trinity once more: "Behold My servant (God the Father speaking),
My servant (Jesus Christ) Whom I uphold: My Chosen One in Whom My soul delights. The soul of the Father delighting in the Son. I have put My
Spirit (the Holy Spirit of God) upon Him, and I will bring forth justice to the nations."
Here it is, all together: the Trinity. The people who do not understand the nature of God as one in essence; the qualities of deity; the "omnis;"
and, all the rest that characterizes God, and that He is a trinity; that He is a Spirit; and, that He exists in three separate, but identical, in
essence, persons as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with differing positions in the Godhead, will be deceived when somebody comes along and says, "I
am God." When you really understand the true nature of the Bible God, you won't be deceived by somebody who comes along like the antichrist does.
Maimonides
Remember the Shema, that we read to you earlier, from Deuteronomy 6:4. And remember, that this is called the "Shema" because that's the first word
in Hebrew, which means "to hear:" "Hear, O, Israel, the Lord is our God" (is our 'Elohim:'). It is plural. Here's something interesting. In the
12th century, there was a great rabbi in Spain named Moses Maimonides. He codified the Talmud.
The Talmud
He put together the two sections of the Talmud, which is an interpretation of the rabbis of the meaning of Old Testament Scriptures. It is put
together of the two parts: the Gemara and the Mishna. These two compose the Talmud. One is an oral interpretation which is recorded, and the
other is other written interpretations. Well, it was a hodgepodge. Maimonides was a very brilliant man, and he codified (for the Jews, to this
day) the Talmud –, their interpretations of the Old Testament Scripture. He taught the Jews to confess daily. This expression is the basic,
fundamental expression of their faith, and it was indeed based upon Deuteronomy 6:4.
He said, "You must, and should, recite daily: 'I believe, with a perfect heart that the Creator, blessed be His name is One.'" I have shown you
that, in Deuteronomy 6:4, the word for God is the Hebrew word "Elohim," which is plurality; in effect: "Gods." Maimonides saw that problem, and
he also saw the difficulty of the fact that there was a word for one: "Our God is One." And what he did, in his expression of faith, was he
changed the word for "One" from what it was in the Hebrew text (that the Holy Spirit used), to a different Hebrew word. It was the word "echad."
The word "echad" means a oneness which is made of various parts. "Echad" was used in Deuteronomy 6:4. God the Holy Spirit used the word "echad"
when it said that "Their God is One:" "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our Elohim, the Lord is One." He used the Hebrew word that meant "One," which
is made up of several parts. You see how important this word is in the doctrine of the Trinity.
When they recited Maimonides' statement in Hebrew, they changed the words that Moses used under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to a different word
for "One." He changed it to "Yachid." "Yachid" means "absolute One of no parts." It is a totally different meaning from what was in the Hebrew text.
He said "Yachid" instead of "echad." "Echad" is a oneness that's made up of a plurality of parts. "Yachid" is an "absolute One" that is made up of
no parts.
Let's illustrate that in Genesis 22:2, which is the occasion where Abraham is going to sacrifice his son Isaac: "And He (God) said, "Take now
your son, your only son." Which of these two would you think God would have used there: "Echad," your son made up of many parts; or "Yachid,"
your one and absolute entity son? He used "Yachid" – your one and only absolute son. He says the same things in verse 12 and verse 16.
Take a look at Genesis 2:24, where the word "one" is translated: "For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to
his wife, and they shall become one flesh." Which of these words for "one" do you think do the Holy Spirit used here: "Echad," meaning one made
up of parts; or, "Yachid," meaning an absolute unit? He used "Echad," because he is describing the sexual union of a husband and wife that now,
at that point, makes that one physical being. And the Bible is so exact so.
So, when Maimonides change the Shema from saying that: "Our God is One God" – "Echad," which said: One but made up plural parts, to "Yachid,"
which is one absolute with no parts, he was violating the truth of Scripture. And millions of Jews have been deceived who see "Yachid" there as
they repeat Maimonides' statement of faith; when in truth, in the Hebrew Scriptures, it is a totally different word, and it tells a totally
different story, because it leaves open the door for the truth of the Trinity, which is more clearly taught in the New Testament indeed.
What rabbi Maimonides was trying to do was to hide the plurality of the persons in the one God, as was revealed by the Hebrew word "Echad," which
the Holy Spirit had use in Deuteronomy 6:4. The Hebrew word "Echad" here tells us, by the Holy Spirit, that God is a one God in essence, but is
plurality. He is not an absolute "Yachid."
The Muslims and the Jews are wrong in their concept of God.
When we get to the New Testament, the concept of God, in terms of His nature, becomes even somewhat clearer. Though, I think that if you followed
closely (and I tried to make this as clear as I could), the Old Testament is quite clear that there is more than one person in the Godhead. The
New Testament picks up that same subject and clarifies it even further.
So, there is no excuse for any human being (even one who has a smattering of knowledge of the Bible, even in the tribulation era) to be deceived
by the antichrist, who stands up and presents himself (as a human being) as a deity. There is no excuse for a Mormon today, if he just listened
to what you heard here, to be able to be deceived that this is God, a spirit being, in three persons, eternally self-existence, and non-physical.
There's no excuse for a Mormon to be deceived by his teachers and his church, to be told that God is a human being, and that they themselves have
potential deity. It is important that you understand the doctrine of the Trinity, and the oneness of God in terms of His essence.
Next time, we shall pick it up with the New Testament view of the nature of God.
Dr. John E. Danish, 1991
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