PELEG AND THE DIVIDED EARTH

Genesis chapter 10 briefly mentions a man named Peleg and says the earth was divided in his days. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about Peleg, but we can uncover more than we see at first glance by looking at the scriptures surrounding the introduction of this man. For one, we know that he lived after the great worldwide flood because he was a descendant of Shem, one of Noah’s sons. He was actually Shem’s great, great, grandson.

Genesis 10:22
22 The children of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram….
24 Arphaxad had Salah;
and Salah had Eber.
25 Eber had two sons: the name of one was Peleg; because the earth was divided in his days, and his brother’s name was Joktan.

This is the genealogy of Noah’s descendants after the flood. The genealogy record in 1 Chronicles 1:19 says the same thing about Peleg that Genesis does; “the Earth was divided in his days.” What does that mean?

Well, some Christians believe this verse may confirm the evolutionary theory about Pangaea, where a great land mass or supercontinent broke up and formed the continents we now have. The Bible does say that God made one great land mass when he separated the water from the dry land on the third day of creation week, but the waters of the global flood drastically changed the surface of the earth while it rained for forty days, and during the time it covered the earth, and as the water receded.

Peleg was born almost 200 years after the flood. As I always say, we need to look to the Bible to develop our beliefs, not to the secular world that rejects God and teaches evolution. Let’s look at verses 1 and 5 of Genesis chapter 10.

Genesis 10:1
1 These are the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah; sons were born to them after the flood.

Genesis 10:5
5 By these men, the lands of the Gentiles were divided on the earth by languages, families, and nations.

How does that verse say the earth was divided?
By men. Mere humans. Specifically, the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah (Genesis 10:1).

What kind of division was it?
The land (Earth) was divided by languages, families, and nations.

One of Noah’s great-grandsons was Nimrod. Genesis 10:10 says the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and three other cities. Genesis 11:1-9 tells us about the Tower of Babel and says everyone on earth spoke the same language at that time; there was only one. Then the sons of men started building the tower to reach high into the sky to make a name for themselves, and to be honored by the people (Genesis 11:1-9).

God saw what they were doing, so he came down and confused their languages so they couldn’t continue building the tower, and he scattered them across the Earth (Genesis 11:5-9). Look at these next verses closely.

Genesis 10:31-32
31 These were the sons of Shem, by their families, and their languages, in their lands, and their nations.
32 These were the descendants of the sons of Noah, in their generations, in their nations: and by them, the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.

Genesis 10:5
5 By these men, the lands of the Gentiles were divided on the earth by languages, families, and nations.

So clearly, the earth was divided in Peleg’s day by Families, Languages, and Nations. This is a good example of how to study the Bible. Search the scriptures, and compare scriptures to understand all the Bible says about any subject. God bless you in your study of his holy word.

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SPEAKING WITH THE CAPTAIN

September of this year (2018) marked the seventeenth anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy which brought down the Twin Towers in New York, and reports say, almost three thousand people lost their lives. A lot has changed since that dark day, but one thing that hasn’t changed, even since the time of Moses, is the fact that when things get bad, many people turn to God. Then when things don’t look so gloomy anymore, he gets put back on the shelf, and it’s back to the same old grind; “Life as usual.”

That’s what appears to have happened concerning the 9/11 tragedy. For quite a while afterward, it was widely reported that the attack had brought America together in a way not heard of before. There were reports of church attendance shy-rocketing in a similar way that the Y2K scare had prompted so many to seek God. But, eventually, as time went by and the threat lessened, many of those newcomers went back to their old lives and put God back in storage until they need him again.

God is always there for us when we need him, but he’s also there when things are going great. Oftentimes, longing for our companionship. In tragedy, in happiness, in poverty, or in prosperity, there’s never a time when we don’t need God. Even Jesus relied on God. He said, “I can do nothing by myself” (John 5:30). 

How much less can we do without God? We must realize that we’re “only dust” (Genesis 18:27). It took God to make that dust become flesh, and it takes his power to maintain it. Sure, we can do it our way, and many do but look what God’s word says about that. “There is a way that seems right to men, but in the end, it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12). So what do we do? We must develop a close, personal relationship with God through Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). How do we do that? The answer is prayer.

First, we “must be born again” (John 3:1, 7). Without that new birth, humans don’t want to serve God. We don’t want to submit to authority. We don’t want someone telling us what to do. We want to be in control. We want to do what we want to do so that attitude has to go and God is the only one who can purge it from us. Hearing the word of God, and seeing our great need for his forgiveness is the first step. The next step is asking God to save us, and he will (Romans 10:13, Acts 2:21).

There’s an old English proverb that says, “Many things are lost for lack of asking.” James said the same thing in James 4:2; “You do not have because you do not ask.” Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive” (John 16:24). Prayer is the key to success in every situation. From being saved to being healed; From being able to forgive someone, to finding a spouse, or a job. Prayer is the breath of the soul. Prayer is two-way communion with the Creator. It’s not reserved for just asking him for help. 

We can come to him any time. He wants us to talk to him daily and he wants to talk to us. The more we communicate with him, the closer we’ll grow to him, and the closer we get to him, the better we’ll understand what he wants us to do, and how he wants us to act. The better we know him the more we love him, and the more we love him the more we want to obey. That’s how we grow as his followers.

The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we should “pray without ceasing.” He’s not saying we should constantly be on our knees with our eyes closed. He’s simply telling us to stay in constant communication with God in our minds. God can hear what we are thinking and he can talk to us in our minds. We just need to listen. He’s always speaking to us and he’s always listening, so ask him for what you need, and yes, ask him for what you want as well. “He will not hold back any good thing from those who live right” (Psalm 84:11).

Be sure to pray for others daily as well, and don’t forget to thank God for all you have, and for every answered prayer. “…in everything, make your requests known to God by asking him in prayer, with thanksgiving.” (Phil 4:6b).

The Christian life is not all fun and games, but it’s a lot more simple than many think it is. Again, the key to a good relationship with God is prayer. So be sure to communicate with him daily.

In the Bible, life is sometimes compared to a ship sailing on the sea. As the old Ship of Zion sails these troubled waters, we all must realize that we’re not merely passengers along for the ride. We’re part of the crew. We have to remain in constant contact with the Captain. We can’t do it right on our own. We need that close, personal relationship to remain faithful, especially in the storms. 

Sometimes it seems easier to abandon ship, but in God’s word, we’re told that unless we remain in the ship we can’t be saved (Acts 27:31). So no matter how rough the waters ahead become, or how bad the storms are, remain faithful and don’t abandon the ship. In Matthew 24:13, Jesus says, “Those who endure until the end will be saved.”

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IF YOU DON'T WANT TO OBEY GOD'S RULES, JUST CHANGE THEM

I was raised in church and I grew up reading the Bible. I’ve attended several different churches and I often wondered why there were so many different denominations. We have the same Bible but there are so many different interpretations of the same scriptures. All Christians have a few doctrines that we believe pretty much the same as other Christians but each group seems to have a few things that are vastly different from all the other groups. This is the reason for so many different denominations. It seems that all denominations began by following one man or a few who believed certain doctrines that were not excepted by the group they were currently associated with. When there were strong disagreements on doctrine, one group would leave and start their own church. I’ve seen that happen in my lifetime.

The fact is, the Bible is God’s word. It was inspired by the Holy Spirit and preserved for us by God for thousands of years, so we would be able to know God better and understand His great love for us and what He expects from us. He never meant for us to have more than one denomination. It doesn’t matter how many different beliefs we may have, there’s only one truth and there’s only one place we can find it. It’s in God’s Holy Book, the Bible. For proof that the Bible is God’s word, read the article entitled “Is The Bible Really God’s Word?” *

When Jesus was being questioned by Pilot, his final question was, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) He didn’t wait for Jesus to answer him, though. If he had, I’m sure Jesus would have told him the same thing he said in John 17:17 when he was talking to God. Jesus said, “Sanctify them through Your truth: Your Word is Truth.” The word of God, the Bible, is TRUTH. When we need to know the truth, the Bible will show us. Many today, though, don’t believe the Bible is true, even Christians doubt it. Many people pick and choose what to believe and what not to believe based on what they want to do and don’t want to. The Bible says, “don’t kill” but they want to kill, so they just redefine what killing means.

Proof? Abortion. Life is life, no matter what stage it is in, but some said, “No!” They changed the definition of an unborn baby to a “fetus” and said it’s okay to kill a fetus as long as it is not old enough to live outside the womb. Then they changed that and introduced late-term abortion. Later they introduced partial-birth abortion where the baby is killed after it is almost out of the womb. Thank God that awful procedure was made illegal in 2003. Now they’re trying desperately to make the world believe a child doesn’t develop a conscience until they are five years old and therefore they are not a human being before then. This is just another step in redefining what killing is, simply because many humans don’t want to obey God.

Another example: The Catholic Church changed the Ten Commandments by getting rid of the second commandment completely because they didn’t want to obey God when he said not to worship carved or sculpted images. They split the tenth commandment into two, so there would still be ten. By the way, the Catholic church claims they moved the holiness that God placed on the seventh day Sabbath at creation (Genesis 2:1-3, Exodus 20:8-11) to Sunday, the first day of the week.

That’s another example: The fourth commandment. The Sabbath commandment, which states “the Seventh Day Is The Sabbath Of The LORD Your God”. It IS a commandment, NOT a suggestion, but some people decided they didn’t want to obey God so they started using the first day of the week instead of the seventh. By the way, this happened long before there was ever a Catholic. They used the day of the sun, or the sun day to worship the sun god Tamoos. Constantine was the first Roman emperor to profess Christianity. In 321 A.D. he made an edict that forced Christians to worship on Sunday instead of Saturday, which he saw as Jewish. In 364 A.D. the Council of Laodicea made the following decree.

“Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Saturday (Sabbath), but shall work on that Day: but the Lord’s Day, they shall especially honor; and as being Christians, shall, if possible, do no work on that day. If however, they are found Judaizing, they shall be shut out from Christ. **

This is what happens when men don’t want to obey God’s laws. They change them. There is not a bit of proof in the Bible that God changed his fourth commandment in any way, but millions of Christians defend the change with vigor and refuse to worship God on the day he said to. Sure, some have been deceived, but many know the truth but still will not obey God.

These are just three modern-day examples of what happens when people don’t want to obey God. To make ourselves feel better about sinning, we “change” the rules, or the definition of terms or just ignore them altogether. Whatever helps us sleep at night. We are just fooling ourselves though. No unrighteousness will enter the kingdom of God. (Matthew 7:21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:1-20) We have to obey God to get to heaven, and we need to stop twisting the scriptures to suit our own beliefs. (2 Peter 3:16) We will be judged by whether or not we obeyed the words of the Bible. (John 12:48) It is God’s word. It is TRUTH.

* Is The Bible Really God’s Word?

** Council of Laodicea Decree

*** Catholic Church Admits They Changed Sabbath From Saturday to Sunday

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FAMILY

Winter can be so beautiful sometimes. I love to see the ground and trees covered with snow. Everything is so defined. It seems you can see for miles through the woods where you usually are only able to see a short distance. This is about the only time I can appreciate winter. Most of the time I’m just wishing spring would show up and chase the cold away. I can live with the few times each year that it snows where I live, but what I really hate is the ice that winter often brings. Even then, it can be beautiful, but traveling is dangerous, and at times, impossible. Trees fall down, and roads and bridges ice over, causing wrecks. The electricity often goes off, leaving some cold and in the dark, sometimes for days or even weeks. The winter months can be harsh and bitter, depending on where you live, but if you look, you can always find a silver lining behind those winter clouds.

A few years ago we lost our electricity because of the ice. It was only for a few hours, but we didn’t have any idea how long it would be out. I felt so helpless. All I could do was call the electric company, pray, and wait. We sat down to eat just as it was getting dark. We lit some candles and a lamp and shared a candlelight supper. Then when the lights came back on, we played a game of Scattergories. It was a good evening of family fun. We laughed, we cried, and we laughed some more. We had a great time just being together with nothing to distract us. The electricity going out was a good thing because it gave us some extra time to enjoy being together as a family.

In today’s busy world with all the things we have to distract us, families are drifting further and further apart. We see it every day, and each year it just gets worse, but what many people don’t see is that it’s Satan’s plan to destroy the family. Family keeps us grounded. Family gives us stability and knowing that someone loves us and cares for us keeps us on the right track. Just look at what kind of trouble people get into when they don’t have family to rely on and to keep them headed in the right direction. Especially young people.

God created the family for a reason. Nothing happens by chance, yet so many want to believe that we evolved from a rock over millions of years. God is intentional. He knows what he’s doing. The Bible tells us, in the book of Genesis, that God created our galaxy, the earth, the ocean, the trees, the plants and animals and everything else. Then he told Adam and Eve to start a family (Genesis 1:1-28).

Family is important to God. Before he sent the flood to cleanse the earth from sin, he told Noah to build an ark to save his family (Genesis 6 and 7). Before he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, he sent angels to bring Lot and his family out of the city (Genesis 19). When he destroyed Jericho, he saved Rehab and her family (Joshua 2) and there are many more examples in God’s word where God preserves the family.

We need to learn to follow God’s leading. If family is important to God, it should be important to us. Families need to spend more time together and learn to support each other, not just when times get rough, or when we lose a family member. Too often, this is the only time some families can act civil. It shouldn’t take a death in the family to get people to be nice to each other.

Family is one of those things that God has programmed into our instincts but we need to be intentional about preserving relationships. The way things are in the world today, it breeds selfishness in all of us. We don’t take time for the family like we should, and some don’t even think it's important anymore, but God does. If he does, shouldn’t we?

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6 DAYS OF CREATION OR 6000 YEARS?

“In the beginning, GOD created the heaven and the earth.” That’s the introduction line to the creation story from Genesis, the first book in the Holy Bible. In the article titled *IN THE BEGINNING, we saw what the Bible means by “In The Beginning.” It refers to the time when God created our solar system, with the sun, the moon, the stars, and all the planets, including the earth, and everything in it. In the article called *IS THE BIBLE REALLY GOD’S WORD? We also established that the Bible really was prepared for us by God, and has been preserved for us for about six thousand years. The men who wrote the Bible were inspired to do so by the Holy Spirit of God, and he inspired them with what to write (2 Timothy 3:16 & 2 Peter 1:21).

For this study, we’ll look at the Six Days of Creation. There are several beliefs about the beginning of our world. You’ve probably heard all of them that I have, but only one of them can be true. I believe God created everything just like the Bible says, so I reject the Evolution Theory, and that’s all it is; a theory. If you believe in Evolution, please stay with me. I want you to see that the Bible can be trusted, and so can God. By the way, I once believed in Evolution, but God led me to the truth through his word.

The strange thing is, I believed in God as well as evolution, and I saw no conflict with believing in both. Then, I started studying the Bible, and it all made perfect sense. Today, many Christians, who love God, are embracing Evolution as a possible way for our world to have become populated. This lessens God’s role and really makes him just another god among many. Some have embraced the teaching that each day of the creation week lasted a thousand years. Others believe the six days were just extended periods of time, which could have been millions of years. Neither group believes these were six literal, twenty-four-hour days. These beliefs and teachings are destroying people’s faith in God and the Bible, and it’s being done from within the church as well as from without.

How do we fix this problem? Well, I truly believe the main problem is that people don’t read and study the Bible. Some may listen to a preacher speak once or twice a week, but never study to see if what they’re being told is true or not. This is happening more and more. The solution is for everyone to grab a Bible, and start reading and studying so we can all understand for ourselves what God has to say to us in his Holy Book.

The Apostle Paul said the people who lived in the town of Berea studied the scriptures daily to see if what they were being taught was true (Acts 17:11). That’s exactly what all of us need to be doing today. It’s the only way to avoid being deceived.

Using less than ten references from the Bible, we’ll see that the creation week WAS six literal days, and NOT six thousand years, or any extended period of time.

2 Peter 3:7-9
7. But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.
9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Psalms 90:2-4
2. Before the mountains were brought forth, or before you ever had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
3. You turn man to destruction; and say Return, you children of men.
4. For a thousand years in your sight are only as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

Neither of these scriptures says a thousand years IS a day.
The “thousand years are AS one day” simply means God is not restrained by time. God is everlasting, and has always existed and always will. In his scope of time, a thousand years is only a moment. That’s what these verses mean. The following verses show that the six days of creation week WERE literal 24-hour days.

Genesis 1:1
1. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.
2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4. And God saw the light, and saw that it was good: and God separated the light from the darkness.
5. And God called the light Day, and he called the darkness, Night. And the evening and the morning was the first day.

8. ….And the evening and the morning was the second day.
13. And the evening and the morning was the third day.
19. And the evening and the morning was the fourth day.
23. And the evening and the morning was the fifth day.
31. And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning was the sixth day.

Evening and Morning = Night and Day = A literal day.

The next verses give even more proof.

Exodus 20:8-11
8. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work:
10. But the Seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: in it, you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor the stranger that is within your gates:
11. Because in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything that is in them, and he rested the Seventh day: Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus 31:16-18
16. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
17. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: because in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the Seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

When we obey God and keep the Sabbath every week, we’re not celebrating to commemorate the fact that God created everything in 6,000 years. No, these verses tell us that he created the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything that is in them, in six literal days. Then he rested on the Seventh-day. This is where the seven-day week comes from. So we see from the Bible that God created the heavens and the earth, actually our solar system, in six literal days.

*IN THE BEGINNING

*IS THE BIBLE REALLY GOD’S WORD?

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ONE GOD

You’ve probably heard about many different gods from many different cultures around the world, but the bible says there is only ONE God (Mark 12:32, 1 Cor. 8:6, 1 Tim. 2:5, James 2:19). That simply means there’s only ONE TRUE God (John 17:3). He’s the only living God. There is only ONE GOD and there is no other (Mark 12:32, 1 Corinthians 8:4-6).

The word ONE is also used in the bible to show unity. The Bible says when a man and a woman marry they become ONE flesh (Genesis. 2:24). They don’t become the same person, but they are united as ONE.

In Genesis 11:6, God said, “The people is ONE…” ONE in unity. God uses this idea throughout the Bible.

The nation of Israel and other nations are referred to as He and Him in the Bible (Exodus 4:22, 1 Sam. 15:2). This shows the people are UNITED. They are all ONE. They are unified. United into ONE entity. We are all ONE in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). Many members, but ONE body (Romans 12:5). Unity.

Paul said that he and Apollos were ONE (1 Corinthians. 3:6-9). Did he mean that he was Apollos? Were they the same person? No. They were two separate individuals. They were both in Christ, working toward the same goal, so he said they were ONE. We see this same unity in Acts 2:44, 46. They had all things in common and continued in ONE accord.

Jesus prayed to the Father that His disciples would all be ONE in the same way that He and the Father are ONE (John 17:11). He also prayed for you and I, that we would be ONE in the same way that He and the Father are ONE (John 17:20-22). This ONEness that Jesus prayed for clearly is to be unified as ONE body of believers. Not to be ONE person or being. It means to be ONE in unity. ONE in thought, deed, and purpose.

Jesus talked to the Father, and about Him in such a way to let us know, without a doubt, that He and the Father and the Holy Spirit are three separate individuals. They are not the same person (John 17:3). “There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are ONE” (1 John 5:7). They are ONE in thought, in action, and in purpose.

The English word God in the book of Genesis is translated from the Hebrew word Elohim, most of the time. It is used 2,555 times in the Old Testament. It is used 200 times just in the book of Genesis. This word is a plural word consisting of more than ONE being. (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible).

The word Elohim reveals the Trinity (Matthew 28:19, 1 John 5:7). Every time this word is used all three are involved in whatever is happening. Mark 1:9-11 presents the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all three at the same time.

Colossians 2:9 says that all the fullness of the Godhead lives in the body of Jesus Christ. This verse does NOT say Jesus is the Father and/or the Spirit. It says, that the fullness of the Godhead is in Him (Hebrews 10:5).

Colossians 1:19 says it pleased the Father that Jesus should have all the power of the complete Godhead. He has all the attributes of God (Isaiah 9:6). He is equal with God (Philippians 2:6). He is the express image of God (Hebrews 1:1-3). He is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15; 2 Corinthians 4:4).

This is why Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” (John 14:9). He wasn’t saying that He was the Father. He said no man has ever seen the Father. “NO MAN has seen God at any time…” The Son has revealed Him (John 1:18). “Not that any man has seen the Father” (John 6:46; 5:35; 1 John 4:12).

In these verses, Jesus declares that NO MAN has EVER seen the Father at ANY time. He NEVER said that He was the Father. He showed us the character of the Father while He lived on earth.

In Exodus 24:9-10, Moses, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel “saw the God of Israel and lived to eat and drink”. But if no man has ever seen the Father, as we previously saw, then how can this passage be explained? Simple. No man has ever seen the Father at any time (John 1:18, 6:4-6, 5:37, 4:12). This was Jesus, the Son, the second person in the Godhead. He went with the children of Israel through the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:4). He talked to them (Deut. 5:4, 22-23; 9:10), and He talked to Moses, face to face (Ex. 33:11).

Numbers 20:16 says the LORD (Jehovah) “sent an angel and has brought us out of Egypt.” Exodus 14:19 says, “And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them. 1 Corinthians 10:4 says that angel was Jesus Christ. (The original Greek word, translated as “followed” in this verse, means accompanied He went with them.)

In Exodus 3:2 the angel of the LORD (Jehovah) appeared to Moses in a burning bush. In verse 4, God (Elohim) speaks to Moses. So here Jesus appeared to Moses, and Elohim speaks to him. Keeping intact our earlier discovery that No man has ever seen the Father at any time (John 1:18, 6:4-6, 5:37, 4:12). He told Moses to take off his shoes because the ground where he was standing was holy. In Joshua 5:13-15 the captain of the Lord’s host appeared unto Joshua and told him the same thing. The ground wasn’t holy in itself, the presence of God is what made it holy. This man, the Captain of the Lord’s host, was also Jesus.

Jesus was also the angel who wrestled with Jacob until the breaking of day (Gen. 32:24-30; 35:10-13; Hosea 12:2-5). Jesus is not a created being, though. The word angel simply means messenger.  (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)

The word archangel means chief or leader; or captain, as he told Joshua. Jesus is the archangel. It is He, NOT Gabriel, who will shout with the voice of the archangel, when the last trumpet sounds, as He leads all the angels of heaven to the earth at the end of this world.

Before there was ever a man on the earth, and before there was even an earth, The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit existed together (John 17:24; Genesis 1:2; Psalm 51:11; John 17:5). “In the beginning Elohim (the Trinity) made the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1-2, 26). “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God at the beginning” (John 1:1-2). Jesus is the Word (John 1:14; Revelation 19:13).

Jesus is called God in John 1:1, but the same verse says He was with God. Verse 2 also says He was with God. He was not with Himself, but He was with God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:1-2).

Although the name Jesus was given to him when he put on human flesh, Jesus did not have His beginning as a baby in a manger as many people believe (Ps. 2:7; Heb. 10:5). He has always existed. As a member of the Godhead, and as an individual (John 1:3, 10; Heb. 1:1). The prophet Agur said that God had a Son (Proverbs 30:4).

Jesus is the Word through which God created all things (John 1:1,14; 1 John 5:7; Rev. 19:13; 1 John 1:1-2; Eph. 3:9; Heb. 1:1-2; Heb. 11:3; 2 Pet. 3:5).

He spoke and it was done… (Ps. 33:9). God said, “Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness” (Gen. 1:26).

After Adam sinned, God said, “The man has become as ONE of US to know good and evil” (Gen. 3:22). Then at the tower of Babel, the LORD God (Jehovah Elohim) said, “Let US go down and confuse their language…” (Genesis 11:7). Who was God talking to in these three passages? Certainly not Himself. He was talking to the other members of the Godhead.

The Bible continually speaks of the Father and the Son as two separate individuals (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3, 8:6; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2, 12-13, 3:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4, 2:13; James 1:1, 1 Peter 1:2-3; 2 Peter 1:1-2; 1 John 4:15, 5:5,7,9-13; Revelation 1:1, 11:15).

2 John 9 says, “He that abides in the doctrine of Christ (Messiah) has BOTH the Father AND the SON. It is clear that they are not the same person. Jesus is not the Father.

Jesus prayed to the Father many times. He said many things that prove He is not the Father. He said the Father was in heaven while He was here on earth (Matthew 5:16, 45, 48, 6:1,9, 10:32, 33). In Matthew 10:32 He said if we confess Him, He will confess us before the Father who is in Heaven. This text shows that He and the Father are two separate individuals. Mark 13:32 proves this without a doubt. Jesus made a distinguishing difference between Himself and the Father. Here are some more verses that show the teaching of Jesus on this subject (John 8:54, 17:18, and 14:10).

Jesus said His Father is greater than Him (John 14:28). He said “if anyone loves me they will keep my words, and my Father will love them and WE will come to them and make OUR home with them (John 14:23).

In John 15:1 Jesus tells a parable. He says He is the Vine and the Father is the gardener. Notice that the plant and the gardener are not the same. When Stephen was stoned he saw heaven open, and he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55).

Jesus prayed to the Father that He wouldn’t have to die. But then He said, “not My will, but Your will be done (Mark 14:36). Then before He died on the cross He cried “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Jesus was not talking to Himself. He could not forsake Himself.

“God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19). Sin can not exist in the presence of God. When Jesus bore our iniquities (Is. 53) and became sin for us, (2 Cor. 5:21) the Father had to leave Him. Jesus and the Father are clearly not the same person.

John 3:16 says He is the Son of God. Jesus said, “My doctrine is not mine but His who sent Me (John 7:16, 14:24). The Father judges no man but has committed all judgment to the Son (John 5:22). He said in John 8:54, “If I honor myself, my honor is nothing: it is my Father that honors me.” Jesus didn’t honor nor glorify Himself (John 17:18, 8:54; Hebrews 5:5). The Father glorified the Son (Matt. 3:17; Acts 3:13). So, if Jesus and the Father were the same person, then when the Father honored and glorified the Son, He would be honoring and glorifying himself. Thus contradicting his own words.

Jesus gave a prophecy about the second coming and the end of the world. Then He said, “no man knows the day nor the hour, not the angels in heaven, neither the Son, only the Father” (Mrk. 13:32). Jesus said the Father knew something that He didn’t at the time. That would be impossible if they were the same person or being. They are not. There is ONE God and ONE mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).

The Bible, from beginning to end, shows that there is only ONE God. ONE God, as opposed to many gods. But this God is Elohim (plural), with three persons working together, like a family.

The Holy Spirit was there in the beginning with the Father and Jesus. Each person in the Godhead has separate individual works, as well as collective works as ONE God. The Holy Spirit did not have His beginning on the day of Pentecost as some teach (Gen. 1:2, 26). The Trinity, Elohim, the Godhead consists of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They were all three there at creation (Gen. 1:2, 26). They have always existed. That’s impossible for us humans to understand completely because in our minds everything has to have a beginning, but, this is what the Bible teaches. We don’t have to understand something for it to be true.

In Genesis chapter ONE, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, all working together, in unity and in ONE accord, created the world and everything in it (Genesis 1:1,2; John 1:1-14). We can see each ONE working separately, as individuals, and all together as ONE God throughout the Bible (Genesis 1:1,2; Psalm 51:11; Proverbs 30:4; Daniel 3:25; 1 John 5:7; Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3).

The Spirit of God is mentioned throughout the Old Testament (Genesis 1:2, 41:38; Exodus 31:3, 35:31; Numbers 24:2; 1 Samuel 10:10, 11:16, 19:20,23; 2 Chronicles 15:1; Isaiah 61:1; Ezekiel 11:24). Sometimes He is called the Spirit of the Lord (Judges 3:10, 6:34, 11:29, 13:25, 15:14; 1 Samuel 10:6, 16:13-14; 2 Samuel 23:2; 1 Kings 22:24; 2 Kings 2:16; 2 Chronicles 20:14; Isaiah 11:2, 40:13, 48:16, 59:19; Ezekiel 11:5; Micah 3:8). He is also called the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament as well as the new (Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 63:10-11).

Mark tells us that the Holy Ghost, in the new testament, is the same Holy Spirit that David refers to in Psalm 51:11 (Mark 12:36). Acts 7:51 confirms this also. The words “Ghost” and “Spirit” are translated from the same Greek word (Pneuma). Both names refer to the same being and either name is correct. He is the Comforter (John 14:16, 26, 15:26). Jesus referred to Him as a person not as “IT” (John 14:16, 26, 15:26).

Jesus said the Father would send the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name (John 14:26). Here we have all three mentioned at the same time and in such a manner as to distinguish them as three different beings. Isaiah 48:16 says “God and his Spirit has sent me”.

Throughout the Bible, God makes it a point to show us that there are three persons in the Godhead. Let’s look at the most conclusive Scripture first, that shows Jesus is not the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is not Jesus. In Matthew 12:32 and Luke 12:10 says “whoever shall speak a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him; but unto him, that blasphemes against the Holy Ghost, it shall NOT be forgiven him.” If Jesus and the Holy Spirit were the same individuals, this statement could not be true. To blaspheme the Holy Ghost would be to blaspheme Jesus. It is clear that they are not the same person with just different titles.

Jesus told his disciples that He was going back to heaven to his Father. Then He told them He would pray to the Father (not Himself) and the Father would give them another Comforter (not Himself) (John 14:16). ANOTHER means ANOTHER. Not the same with a different name. Jesus said, “when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak of Himself, but whatever He shall hear that shall He speak” (John 16:13). Jesus is saying here that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will not speak His own words but the words He hears from GOD. This verse makes it clear that they are not the same person. Jesus makes this plain in verses 14 and 15. Jesus said the Holy Ghost would glorify Jesus, not Himself. “He will take of mine and show it to you. All things that the Father has are mine. That’s why I said, He will take of mine and will show it to you” (John. 14:14, 15).

This study shows without a doubt that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three different individuals. We see all three of them at Christ’s baptism (Mark. 1:9-11). We also see all three at creation (Genesis 1:2b, 26; Hebrews. 1:1) and throughout God’s holy word.

The Bible is clear. The Trinity is Biblical. While Jesus is God, He is neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit. They are three separate persons that make up ONE GOD.

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