The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Christ is not the eternal, non-created, being called God that never began and will never end. In their booklet the Kingdom Is at Hand, pp. 46-48, we find this statement. “At the time of His beginning of life He was created by the everlasting God, Jehovah, without the aid or instrumentality of any mother. In other words, He was the first and direct creation of Jehovah God….He was the start of God’s creative work. He was not an incarnation in flesh but was flesh, a human Son of God, a perfect man, no longer a spirit, although having a spiritual or heavenly post and background.” There are endless quotes from these infidels as this. It goes against my nature to have to put this in this bulletin; I just want you to know with what you are dealing, they are NOT friends of Jesus Christ!!
Hebrews 1:3, Paul writes by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit: “who being the brightness (effulgence) of His glory, and the very image of His substance, and upholding all things by the word of His power..” The word being is the same word used in John 8:58. It is the present active participle of eimi, referring to the continuing existence of Christ, NEVER HAVING BEGUN, and NEVER ENDING.
“Brightness”, (effulgence) of His glory…” Brightness, radiance is used of light shining from a luminous body. It represents in the truest sense the apaugasma. Apaugasma is Latin and expresses Christ nature and His acts shining forth the glory, manifesting in Himself ALL that God is and does, ALL for instance, that is involved in His being ‘the very image of His substance,’ and in His creative acts, His sustaining power, and His making purification of sins, with all that pertains thereto!! W. E. Vine, Vol. 2, p. 19.
“Image”, Hebrew (charakter), is defined as mark stamped upon that instrument, burned or stamped in, an impression; the exact, marked likeness, precise reproduction in every respect. Thayer, p 665 It is the impression produced by a seal or by a diestamp in wax or in metal, an exact replica! William Barclay, Jesus as They Saw Him, p. 319
Substance, defined is the very image of God’s ‘substance’. Here the word has the meaning of the real nature of that to which reference is made in contrast to the outward manifestation; it speaks of the Divine essence of God existent and expressed in the revelation of His son.” Vine, Vol. 4, p. 88 Arndt & Gingrich, p. 854, Thayer, p. 644.
Revelation, then, definitely and directly calls Jesus, GOD, and unhesitatingly takes Old Testament descriptions which belong to God and applies them to Christ. Revelation 1:13-16 describes Jesus exactly as Ezekiel 43:2 and Daniel 10:5-7 Jesus is one of three in 1 John 5:7 (considered spurious by some modern scholars(?)), Hebrews 1:8, Acts 2:34, and Galatians 1:1. “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead;” Jesus is clearly distinguished from men, or a man, as the source of authority for Paul. If Jesus were just a man, Paul could not make this distinction. Also, Paul writes: “neither by men, but by God the Father”. Jesus is ranked along-side the Father as the source-making them equal!!
Isaiah testifies in the true Messianic tradition, that ‘the child’ to be born was to be divine: Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God (El Gebor), the Everlasting Father (literally ‘the Father of eternity’, Hebrew), the Prince of Peace.” And this child, Matthew informs us, was/is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Matthew 1:22-23!! Read again Leviticus 24:16: ”And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death.
