DOES GOD HAVE A NAME?

©1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2012

Dr. Bernie L. Wade

Published by Truth, Liberty and Freedom Press

PO. Box 72

Sulphur, KY 40070

Printed in the United States of America

All Rights Reserved

Books by Dr. Bernie L. Wade

Does God Have a Name?

Baptism According to Matthew 28:19

The Next Wave – Restoration of the Charismata

I Was the Ugly Duckling

Charismata – A History of Apostolic Reformation

The Israel of God

The Biblical Marriage Manual

How to Be a Christian Without Going to Church

IS CHRISTMASs CHRISTIAN?

The Israel of God - A Destiny Enjoyed

BOOKS BY OTHER AUTHORS

INTRODUCTION

Many years ago I heard a minister talk about his conversion

experience. He had a personal encounter with God where

God dealt with him about His name. The minister said, “It

never occurred to me that God had a name. When it did occur

to me, I determined to understand what was the name of God.”

The minister was in very good company. Throughout history

there have been numerous men and women who sought to

receive a revelation on the name of God.

Moses was among those who were not satisfied with just titles and attributes. In

Scripture we find Moses trying to persuade God to reveal more to him as he prays:

“Now therefore, I pray three, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me

now thy ways, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight;

and consider that this nation is thy people”

This man is one sharp negotiator! Here he asked to see more of God and to see His

way. What Moses really wanted is to know what His Name was and to see Him. So

here he bargains to gain ground in his desire toward this ultimate goal. God understood

the intent of the heart, and this is so very obvious in the response he gives to the prayer

of Moses:

“My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”

Good enough for some, but not Moses! He continues to negotiate with God; he tries a

more direct approach:

“I beseech thee, show me thy glory.”

Moses knew he could not see God. So, he asked to see His glory, or the manifestation

of God. God finally concedes to allow Moses to have a glimpse of Him:

“I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim

the Name of the Lord before thee.”

No doubt, Moses thought, “YES! Now, I will see Him!” God continues:

“Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me and live”

This may seem like a long introduction for a book

dealing with the Name of God. However, the

search for the name of God was not just a

passing fancy. Over and over in the Old

Testament, men sought to find the name and the

attributes of God. Does God have a name? In

this modern world men have forsaken God and

lost sight of the fervor that we should seek His

name. This is a travesty in light of the fact that

so many of the Old Covenant desired to know

what we know. They did not know his name and they did not know what he looked like.

Many times the Israelites fell into idol worship trying to set a definition to God. God is

without definition.

The revelation of the name did not arrive on the doorstep of any of the great prophets.

None of the Kings of Israel were privy to the revelation. Nehemiah, the man who rebuilt

the temple did not know the name. Yet, the name was revealed. The revelation was

given to a young lady in Israel.

“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee,

name Nazareth, Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin‟s name was Mary. And

the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou that are highly favored, the Lord is with

thee: Blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his

saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel

said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou has found favor with God. And Behold, thou

shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS. He

shall be great, and shall be called the son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give

unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob

forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”

Can you imagine this young girl, Mary, being given the revelation that all the prophets

longed to know and hear! This is what Moses and Isaiah were looking for! Tell us his

name! Can you imagine Mary slipping off to some quiet place to whisper his name?

Can you imagine the forces of hell quivering at the mention of the name of God!? Isaiah

left off with the description of this one occupying the throne of David forever, and the

angel Gabriel informs Mary that this child she will deliver is the one!

Later, in Mark 14:62, Jesus answers the direct question of another Man as He had

answered Moses centuries before. The high priest asked him, Art thou the Christ, the

son of the Blessed? Jesus replied, “I AM”. They crucified him because he has said he

was God.

Numerous times throughout the Scriptures, we can find men trying to find the revelation

of the name of the God. Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the Lord looking for His

name. Enoch sought the name, so did Daniel and in the New Testament the disciples

asked Jesus to show them the Father! Why all of the interest? Man was created with

natural curiosity. His inability to explain the origin of God has always been a puzzle.

Somehow to know the name of God and to be able to see Him might curb this desire.

The Prophets inquired and searched diligently for the grace that should come. Their

searching was for what or what manner. The Spirit of Christ that was in them did

signify when it testified beforehand the suffering of Christ, and the glory that should

follow.

The coming of Almighty God in flesh, Jesus Christ, was the greatest historical event.

Yet, man was not really aware of the importance of His coming until He had come and

gone. This has resulted in many ideas, theories and doctrines concerning His presence

here on earth. Some one hundred years after He came, men began to change what He

said and adopt other theories as to who He was and why He came. When Christ was

being tried by the Jewish high court the Roman government washed their hands of Him

denying Him the justice that was promised Him under Roman Law.

The Roman‟s using the Jewish religious court crucified Jesus for declaring that He was

God. Three hundred years after Christ the Roman Government would use their own

religious system (Roman Catholic Church) to mandate that Jesus Christ was not God

but instead part of a triad of deities. Today, many religious systems have adopted the

idea that Jesus Christ was not all that He claimed. This book uses the Scripture to deal

with the subject of the Godhead. The Word of God, after all, is really the only place one

need consult concerning God.

In this book we will answer the following three questions:

The First: Does God have a name?

The Second: Does God exist as a triune deity?

The Third and most important: What Must I Do To Be Saved?

DOES GOD HAVE A NAME?

The Spirit of God came to lead us into all truth, but

sometimes it is very hard for God to get truth to any of us

and especially to those who have had a good Christian

experience. WE are so afraid of anything that is not

taught in our particular denomination and are apt to see

whether or not it is really found in the Word of God. Saul

of Tarsus believed that he was doing God‟s service when

he persecuted and bound the Christians of his day, but

after Jesus appeared and spoke to Saul, we find him

declaring that:

“After the manner which some call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers.”

The first question we seek to answer is Does God Have a Name? Assuming He does,

what is that name? The easiest path to the answer to this age old question is to turn to

the New Testament. Here we find the fulfillment of a plethora of Old Testament

prophecies as Jesus Christ comes to keep the promise made by Malachi that God

would come thus turning the „heart of the Father to His Children‟.

In the New Testament, God keeps His promise and manifest Himself as Jesus Christ.

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested

in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles,

believed on in the world, received up into glory. Now the Spirit speaketh

expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to

seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their

conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry and commanding to

abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of

them which believe and know the truth.”

Careful examination of these verses reveals many things of interest.

God was manifest in the flesh. This means that God was made „clearly visible

or revealed‟ in the flesh! Jesus Christ was the visible image of the Almighty God!

Men had sought to see him since the beginning of time! There can only be one

time that God is made clearly visible and that is in His coming as Christ Jesus.

Justified in the Spirit. This means „vindicated or proven‟ in the Spirit.

Seen of Angels. It may surprise those who are not well versed in Scripture that

this phrase is there. What could it mean that

He was seen of angels? It obviously means

that the angels were able to see the manifested

version of God, Jesus Christ. However, it

meant something more. God is a Spirit.

Mankind is unable to see spirits. Apparently,

Angels are also unable to see spirits. All of

Scripture indicates that the angels are unable

to see God. Yet, in God‟s manifestation as

Jesus Christ even the ANGELS were able to see God! No wonder the angels

sang, “Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Peace had certainly come to the earth. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace!

Preached unto the Gentiles. Jesus Christ preached to the Gentiles. It is an

amazing note that the writer did not say just, „preached‟. Clearly, the message is

„to the gentiles‟. In the annals of Scripture, none of the prophets were sent to the

gentiles. The Jews scorned Jesus for preaching to the Gentiles because they

had no dealing with the Gentiles.

Believed on in the World. The evidence of those who believed in God because

of His manifestation in Christ is everywhere. Apostle Peter believed Him and told

Him, “Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God! It would be Apostle Peter‟s

message on the Day of Pentecost (Act Chapter 2) that would be preached to that

in attendance that day and to all that were in the future, till this very day.

Received up into glory. This is significant as it marks the ONLY time that

someone ascends up in this manner. And when he had spoken these things,

while they beheld, he was taken up a cloud received him out of their sight.

Here we have reviewed a volume of evidence given to us that points to Christ as

the fulfillment of these things. While we are told this is about God, the fulfillment

is all done by Jesus proving for those who were unaware that Jesus is God.

Thus, attaching the only proper name revealed in Scripture to God – Jesus

Christ. Lots of titles and attributes are listed for God, but Jesus is the only name.

Apostle Paul had much personal experience with the revelation of God. When

he wrote about the mystery of Godliness perhaps he had in mind the vision of his

amazing encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. There he

directly asks “Who are thou Lord?” He doesn‟t ask for the revelation of a name

as some of the Old Testament encounters (such as Moses and Jacob) reveal.

Being a Pharisee of Pharisees, Apostle Paul was well

aware of the interest in the name of God. Perhaps he

was more amazed with the revelation of the name of

God than he was the overall response to his question.

The response was, “I am Jesus whom thou

persecuteth”. Here we have a question to God about

who He is and He says, “I am Jesus!” He makes it

clear that he need not only be revealed in attributes or

titles but that He now has a name. A name that Scripture exalts above every

other name.

Apostle Paul also understood that men of his day would seek to pervert the

gospel and wrote accordingly,

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall

depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing sprits, and doctrines of

devils.”

Today, we know that many have departed from the faith. In the centuries since

the departure of the Apostles there have been numerous concerted efforts to

depart from the original faith as given by Jesus. This has allowed many different

spirits and doctrines to come into the church. Apostle Paul also said they would

“speak lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron.”

Later, Apostle Paul reveals that these hypocrites would be those:

“Forbidding to marry; and commanding to abstain from meats, which God

hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and

know the truth.”

This is a large, apostate, religious system that forbids their priesthood to marry.

This group forbids their followers to eat meat at certain times of the year.

From this first scripture we have gleaned a great deal of material concerning

whether or not God has a name. It is most obvious that these scriptures in

Timothy, while the Bible says they speak of God are describing Jesus Christ.

Could one Scripture describe both? Possibly. However, the obvious answer is

simple. Jesus is God. The name of God is Jesus!

However, let us NOT establish doctrine on one verse (or no verses) as the cults

and false religious systems. There must be more than one Scriptural reference

to substantiate any doctrine. By the mouth of two or three witnesses let every

word be established. Jesus Christ is the express image or glory of God.

“Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His

person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by

Himself purges our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on

high.”

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto

the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.”

The Scriptures that refer to the glory of God speak directly of Jesus. Consider

this one, “Which none of the princes

of this world knew; for had they

known it, they would not have

crucified the Lord of glory.“ We

realize that man is also referred to

as the image and glory of God. Most

of us realize that this is not a

reference to man being deity but

referring to man being the glory of

God through Christ in us. Thus, all

of the Scriptures speaking of the glory of God point or refer to Jesus Christ.

“Christ is the head of the Church, and the man is His image and glory so

also is the woman the glory of man. To whom God would have made

known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles;

which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

How can we be so certain that Jesus is God? Simple. Using the word of God,

we have already established that Jesus Christ is the glory of God. With this

knowledge we can much more easily comprehend other scriptures such as this:

“I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another,

neither my praise to graven images.”

God has clearly stated that He will not give His glory to another. How then could

He give it to Jesus? The only way that this could be established and be

compatible with the Word of God is by the fact that Jesus is the glory of God!

Jesus is God.

Imagine for a moment that you are God. As

God, you want to communicate with mankind.

How would you accomplish this

communication? As God you might decide

that you want to come to earth. As God you

have made a promise to redeem mankind

from the sin nature that he took on in the

Garden of Eden. If you are God and want to

accomplish this you can‟t just come down to

earth. God is a Spirit. Men cannot see spirits.

So, how would you accomplish such a

mission?

Now, God had tried numerous times in different ways to communicate with man,

but this time would be different. This time he wanted not just to communicate

with men, but he wanted to be a just like a man. If you were God how would

you accomplish this? Just like He did. He overshadowed Mary and she

conceived. He robed himself in that flesh and walked among mankind.

Just like you might use an automobile to transport you from one place to another.

That automobile is not really you, but just a vehicle. People who know you might

even see your car coming and identify it as your arrival. Yet, the car is not you.

The flesh (Jesus Christ) was not God, but just a vehicle to carry out His divine

plan to become the sacrifice to end all sacrifices for mankind. Theologians will

quickly point out that this chapter, Isaiah Chapter 42, is prophetic. Then they try

to ignore the fact that it points to Jesus.

“For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is

in him? Even so, the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of

God… Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom

teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth.”

During the Reformation, men began to take a stand against the changes that had

been made to the original Apostles doctrine. Few of them had questioned the

mode of baptism as offered by the religious system. Perhaps for good reason,

as they were enthralled in trying to fight for the opportunity to worship the Lord as

the Scripture commanded. Not as the Roman religious system had dictated to

them. These reformers would make many changes, but would not return to

biblical baptism. The Roman religious system had changed the baptismal

formula, mode of baptism, the purpose for baptism as well as multitudes of other

things.

Nevertheless, the true church had never

been eradicated. There were still pockets of

believers that held to the original tenets of

baptism and from time to time these

reformers crossed their paths. Thus, these

reformers began to be influenced by the truth

concerning baptism. History records volumes

of miniature revivals where seekers of Christ

found experiences similar to those of the 120

believers in Acts 2. History records many of

these believers were indeed baptized in the

name of the true and living God, Jesus

Christ, and turned away from the ideas

offered by the triune religious system. For

more information on baptism read the book,

“Baptism According to Matthew 28:19”.

One can easily see that the Romans created a religious system to control their

widely expanding empire. The empire had conquered a wide variety of people,

most of whom were pagans. By overhauling the pagan religion and combining

just enough truth to make it look good, there were able to convince almost

everyone that they were „the Church‟. Then they used the military and the power

of the empire to enforce their religious system.

One of the reformers, John Wycliffe stated that he would do only those that were

„Apostolic‟ and nothing that the papacy said to do. God wanted to make sure, in

case there was any doubt, that he was the ONLY God. To this end God issues a

challenge:

“To whom will he liken me, and make me equal, and compare me that we

may be like?”

"Christianity did not destroy

paganism - it adopted it. . . .

From Egypt came the idea

of a divine trinity."

-- (Historian Will Durant)

"The [pagan] trinities had all

the prestige of a vast antiquity...

The pagan converts therefore eagerly

accepted the Trinity compromise,

and the Apostate Church baptized it.

Now at length we know its origin."

--- John Newton

Does God Exist as a Triune Deity?

This is the question of the ages. Is God a Trinity? In the Bible

we find no reference to doubt the singularity of God. It was not

until Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt that the

Children of Israel became acquainted with the multiplicity of

gods common to paganism. The Israelites, obviously

contaminated by the idolatry of Egypt, would act out their new

found worship of other Gods. This perversion prompts the Lord

to make the subject of His singularity very clear:

“Hear O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.”

This is made very plain and clear so that there is no misunderstanding. God is one, not

more than one!

“Hath not one God created us?”

When Jesus spoke to the scribe in the Gospels he responded to Jesus with:

“Well, Master, thou hast said the truth; for there is on God, and there is none

other but he.”

There are seven references in the bible that make it very clear there is only one God.

There was no misunderstanding of this throughout the Bible. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY

NO SCRIPTURE REFERENCE THAT REFERS TO GOD AS THREE SEPARATE

PERSONS OF TRIAD. ABSOLUTELY NONE. Apostle Peter misunderstood the

manifestations on the Mount of Transfiguration and thought it might be a good idea to

build three tabernacles. God made sure there would be no mistake about who was

important in the Godhead. The answer came from a cloud overshadowing Jesus and

the disciples:

“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”

Notice, there is no reference to any plurality. There are no those, them, triad or trinity.

Just Hear ye HIM (singular). The intention was for man to listen to Jesus Christ for

answers to his salvation needs. The idea that there are three deities that are all Gods is

as ridiculous as Peter suggesting that they build three tabernacles. God has repeatedly

made it clear that He will not give his glory to another.

The number three is not mentioned in connection with God until 1 John:

The Egyptian Trinity

“For there are three that bear record in heaven,

the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and

these three are one.”

So that none would be confused John‟s revelation of

those who bear record in heaven is summarized with

the edict that the three are one. John knew and

understood the pagans, followers of Plato and

followers of other false religions thought of their gods

as being plural. These primarily influenced by the

Greeks had no One God. Rather they had a

pantheon of gods. There Gods were often described

as three, a triad or trinity. There are many trinities

connected with paganism, but none are found in the

Scripture. The pagans worshipped the earth, air and fire as one of their many Trinities.

John is serving the pagans notice that there are only three on record in heaven and they

are all one. He further informs that there are three that support this conclusion on earth

and these are also not identified as a trinity.

“And there are three that bear witness in earth; the Spirit, and the water and the

blood and these three agree in one.”

The Spirit, the water and the blood can all witness that there is only one God. The spirit

of God dwelt in the flesh; Jesus Christ. The water can witness that there was one

baptized in it, and the blood can witness that there was no blood like that of Jesus

Christ! Yet, all of these agree in Jesus Christ. Sorry Plato, God does not exist as Plato

suppositioned. He was the Creator of fire, earth and water not defined by this triad!

The idea that God is a triune deity does not come from Holy writ. Rather it comes to us

from the pagan religions of the world. "Bel (Lord) was the oldest and mightiest of the

gods of Babylonia, one of the earliest trinities. He was "Lord of the World. The "doctrine

of the Trinity" is first met northeast of the Indus; and, tracing it to Asia Minor and

Europe, one recognizes it among every people who had anything like an established

religion. It was taught in the oldest Chaldean, Egyptian, and Mithraic schools. The

Chaldean Sun-god, Mithras, was called "Triple “and the Trinitarian idea of the

Chaldeans was a doctrine of the Akkadians who, themselves, belonged to a race

which was the first to conceive a metaphysical trinity.

According to the archeologist Rawlinson, the Chaldeans were a tribe of the Akkadians

who lived in Babylonia from earliest times..."1 "At first, the Trinity doctrine was merely

1 - THEOSOPHY, Vol. 52, No. 6, April, 1964 (Pages 175-182) THE CHALDEAN LEGEND

Remember God is not a

mathematical formula

but the number one is a

whole number that

when divided gives you

a fraction. God cannot

be divided.

humanism, the man, Nimrod making himself god. The first humanism trinity of record

to be setup and worshiped as gods, was that of Nimrod, Simeramus, and Tammuz.

These are in the Old Testament in the Canaanite language identified as Baal,

Ashtoreth, and Tammuz. At the dispersion of the people at the Tower of Babel, this

trinity doctrine of humanism was spread all over the world. Each religion of all the

pagan religions held two common traits: 1.) A trinity of gods and; 2.) These were in a

form of human gods."2

"Long ago - right after the Flood, a man named Nimrod emerged on the scene of history. His

name means "let us rebel". He led the founding of the first great civilization – Babylon. He led

the people to rebel against God. Nimrod had tremendous power, so much that he became a

god in the eyes of the people. When he died, his wife, Semiramis, recognized that without him

she might lose power herself, so she devised a clever plan.

Semiramis was pregnant. She told everyone that the

child in her womb was none other than Nimrod

being reborn. This was the beginning of

the greatest perversion... the

concept of father/son deity,

the very first

incomprehensible divine trinity (the

unexplainable mystery)..."3

The idea that God is a triune deity

does not come from Holy Writ. It

is not implied, suggested or

thought of in the pages of the Bible. The

number three occurs 485 times in the Bible in 426

verses. There is NO reference to the Trinity, Holy Trinity, triune

Godhead, three persons, or anything even close to resembling God being involved in a

Triune godhead. The number one is mentioned 1967 times in Scripture. When a

number is mentioned in connection with God it is always one.

You may ask, how did the idea of a triune God arrive in the modern Church world?

During the first three centuries of the Church apostasy was rampant. The written word

of God was not readily available and learned men began to take advantage of the

unlearned for their own personal gain and profit. The Emperor Constantine decided to

quell some of the confusion by establishing his own state religion. Rome had existed in

2 Jesus Messiah Fellowship The Trinity Doctrine Is Pagan By Cohen G. Reckart, Pastor

3 Resurrection Sunday and the Babylonian Connection. By Errol Hale

a triune government known as a triumvirate. This word meant a coalition of three men

in office or authority. This Roman system of government was designed to keep on ruler

from achieving too much power. It met with varied success, but was widely accepted by

the Roman subjects as „the right way to govern‟. The thought was that when these

three leaders had unity or tri-unity things would be governed well. The word tri-unity

was shortened to trinity or triune.

The apostate church that was developing was

all too willing to squander the gospel of Jesus

Christ for recognition as the State Religion and

an opportunity to line their own pockets. They

quickly adopted this triune government as the

government of their quasi-religion. This

appeased Emperor Constantine and kept the

other Roman leaders happy. Little regard was

given to the fact that the Apostles had

considered Jesus Christ more than an equal

with God, but that they had considered Him God

and the one with “all power and authority”

(Matthew 28:18).

The masses, who had no scripture in their own tongue and were by this time several

generations removed from the Apostles doctrine, began to goose step with this new

religious system. After all it had found new favor with the imprimatur of the Emperor or

Rome. During the following few centuries this new system would change, alter or

destroy much of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Apostles delivered it unto the

Church.

Many times in the New Testament, Jesus made it unambiguous that he was God. In

John Chapter 14 he makes the point repeatedly. Philip is still unsure. He asked Jesus

to show him the Father. Jesus response was:

“Have I been so long time with you and yet thou hast not known me Philip?

He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then,

Shew us the Father?”

In Chapter 43 we find further revelation concerning the singular existence of God.

“I, even I am the Lord; and beside me there is no Savior”

How can we see the simplicity of the plan of God? He clearly declares that HE IS THE

SAVIOR! Yet, Scripture boldly declares that Salvation comes through Jesus Christ! Be

it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of

Nazareth.

“Neither is there salvation in any other (name); for there is none other name

under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

God and Jesus are one, or else the Scripture contradicts itself, for God states that there

is no savior beside Him and then we find salvation comes through Jesus Christ. Again,

the simple answer is that Jesus Christ is God. One and the same.

“So also Christ… who in the days of His flesh when he offered up prayers and

supplications… and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal

salvation unto all them that obey him; called of God an high priest after the order

of Melchisadec.”

Who was this Melchisadec? According to the Bible, he was

the king of Salem. Salem means peace. Since He was

King of Peace, then He was God. Jesus Christ was the

Prince of Peace. Melchisadec simply was God appearing

in vesture that Abraham could see and recognize.

Abraham gave Him tithes. Jesus Christ is our high priest

and the author of eternal Salvation. Notice that Jesus is not

the Co-Author. He did it all! He was and is and will forever

be God. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning

and the end.

“Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me…”

Did God in His infinite wisdom foresee that man would be confused concerning His

name?! He must have:

“One shall say, I am the Lord’s; and another shall call himself by the name of

Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname

himself by the name of Israel. Thus saith the LORD, the King of Israel and his

redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first I am the last; beside me there is no

God;”

Once again, we have Apostle John contending to set the record straight. He makes it

comprehensible that the WORD was in the beginning with God and the Word is God.

“The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and

without Him was not anything made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of

men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

John continues to explain that it was the Word (which is God) that accomplished the

creation of all things. Then he drops a bombshell.

“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory,

the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.”

The Word, which is God, became flesh. God became flesh and walked on earth. Man

could not see God, for God is a spirit. Man could see the flesh because man is flesh.

So man could see the flesh that God robed himself in and walked on earth. In John

Chapter 5 Jesus spoke to the subject that man could not see God.

“And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have

neither heard His voice at any time or seen His shape.”

Jesus tells them that they think that they

have eternal life because they have read

the Scripture, but they do not. He further

tells them that they do not have eternal

life except they receive Him. He

continues to tell them that Moses

prophesied of His coming, but they

believed not Moses so they would not

believe Jesus Christ. Today, they will

accept the doctrines of false religions

and religious systems and receive

eternal damnation, rather than believe

the Word of God and have eternal life. If one cannot believe Moses sought the name of

God, how can they accept that Jesus is God?

Friend, everyone will not be thrilled that you desire to seek truth. Jesus Christ was truth

in the flesh and the answer to the World‟s problems. Yet, the world (that He created)

chose to crucify Him. Should you expect anything less for your dedication to His truth?

Jesus said that we would be hated of all men for His NAME.

Think for a moment of the marvelous revelation that we are privileged to know. We

know this not because of anything that we have done, but because of the grace that

comes through Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ we have the revelation of the name

of God. So many of the Old Testament men of God longed to know this great truth.

Can we then neglect so great a salvation? Jesus said, when he prayed in the garden

for His disciples and for us, (realizing that His time was at hand):

“…as thou Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be on in us; that he

world may believe that thou hast sent me… And I have declared unto them thy

name, and will declare it; that he love wherewith thou has loved me may be in

them, and I in them.”

Jesus condemned the very desire of men to see God when He spoke thus:

“… ye also have seen me and believe not.”

This angered the Pharisees so that they murmured, because Jesus claimed to have

“come down from heaven”. The Jews could only see the flesh. They could not

understand that the flesh they were looking at housed the eternal God. Even the

disciples were confused by the words of Jesus. He later explains to them that the

words He was speaking to them were the very Spirit and life.

“IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD AND THE WORD WAS GOD”.

Jesus declared that He was God, by what

he spoke being both the word and life.

Jesus lets them know that He has seen

and knows God. No man hath seen God

and lived. Finally, He says for those who

are struggling with the fact that He was

God. He simply states: “Verily, verily, I

say unto you, Before Abraham was, I

am.” What was he saying? He was

saying, I am the one that Moses sought

after. If Moses could only have seen

Jesus, and known His name! He was

not just a man. He was God.

“I am one that bear witness of myself and the Father that sent me

beareth witness of me.”

Jesus told them that they judged after the flesh. Thus, they could not

understand. The disciples asked Him, “Where is the Father”. Jesus told them, “If

ye had known me you would have also known my Father.” What else need He

say for them to understand that He is God?!

“…then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself… and ye shall

know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

Now, if you realize that Jesus is God, then you need to make certain that you obey his

word. If you have not already you need to repent of your sins, be baptized in His name

for the remission of sins and you will receive the Holy Spirit.

The promoters of the tri-god idea try to advance the conception that in the book of

Genesis, God is speaking to other gods or personages in the Godhead when he said,

“Let us make man.” This is quite an interesting theory but raises many questions. Did

He (Almighty God) need help or approval? Are we to conclude from the tri-theist

interpretation that God was unable to create man by Himself? Did He lack power? IF

the Scripture is a reference to His speaking to other persons in some pantheon of gods

why did he not name them? Why does the verse not say, “Then God said to the second

and third persons in the trinity?” Why is it that no one in the whole of the Scripture ever

indicates that there is more than one deity in this Godhead?

To believe a doctrine other than one offered by Scripture is to ignore a volume of

evidence. The main problem with any discourse on the Bible is that most of the

participants in the discourse have never read the Bible. Many of those who have only

believe those parts they choose to believe.

The key is whether o not one believes the Bible. For those who do believe the bible

here is a list of facts:

The word Trinity is not in the Bible. Neither are the words tri-unity, second

person, third person, pope, purgatory, and more

The Bible says nothing about three person in the Godhead

The only place the Bible even references three is a verse making it clear that

God is NOT a trinity. Here the writer makes it clear that the three referenced are

all ONE. (I John 5:7)

The number one is used in the Bible in reference to God over a dozen times.

Zech 14:9, Mal 2:10, Mark 2:29-32, John 8:41, Gal. 3:20 and more.

The Bible does NOT say that there are two person in the Godhead

The bible does say that there is ONE person in the Godhead. Job 13:8, II Cor.

4:4, Col. 1:19, 2:9, Hebrews 1:3.

The prophet Isaiah said that Jesus was the Father. Isaiah 9:6

When God said „Let us make man in our image‟, He was not talking to another

person in the Godhead. Malachi 2:10

The Bible says that Jesus is the Almighty. Rev. 1:8

Jesus said he was the first and the last yet some claim that those offices are

reserved for the first and the third persons of the Trinity.

John saw the throne and there was only one sitting on it. Rev. 4:2 Tri-theists

claim there were two thrones and bird perch in heaven, but no one is sure who

saw this vision. It certainly is not recorded in the Word of God.

The Devil believes in One God. James 2:19

The Bible says that there is only one Lord. Eph. 4:5

The Bible says that there the Lord is God. Acts 2:39

When Apostle Paul asked who the Lord was the answer, “I am Jesus”.

Jesus was “God with us.” Matt. 1:23

Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” John 10:30

The Bible says that God shed His blood. Acts 20:28

God said He did not know another God. Isaiah 44:8

There is no „person‟ in the Godhead except that of Jesus Christ. The Father and

the Holy Spirit are spirit.

One may argue that the Godhead has more than one role or office, but then it

would not be able to be limited to three. There are hundreds and even

thousands of titles, attributes, offices or roles of God. To use this argument for

the Godhead would require that we add Lord, Word, Almighty, I AM, Master,

Rabbi, Savior, King of Kings, Prince of Peace, Wonderful, Councilor – just to

name a few.

"The trinity got its start in Ancient Babylon

with Nimrod - Tammuz - and Semiramis.

Semiramis demanded worship for her husband

and her son as well as herself. She claimed

that her son was both the father and the son.

Yes, he was "god the father" and "god the son" -

The first divine incomprehensible trinity."

--The Two Babylons ;

Alexander Hislop; p.51

"The Council of Nicea was a pivotal event

in the history of Christianity.

The sudden adoption of a quasi-philosophic term

to define the historic Jesus as equal to God

was a major departure from scripture....

Further, the use of this term "trinity" in a Creed

meant that, from 325 on, Nicenes could and did

proclaim other dogmas that have no basis

in Scripture."

- -State Church of the Roman Empire; Ben H. Swett; 1998

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

When men, theologians and otherwise, are asked to explain this theory of the

triune God they often are unable to do so. They will sometimes resort to pat

answers like, “try to understand the trinity and you will go crazy; deny the trinity

and you will go to hell”. This shows the ignorance and the brazen stupidity of

men. They cannot explain God. If this mythical trinity is the answer then why did

Jesus Christ come, bleed and die?

Let it be clearly stated that the Trinity as a doctrine is totally incompatible with the

Word of God. Those who claim to make them compatible do so by wresting the

Scripture to fit their preconceived notions. Men have ignorantly embraced the

idea of a three part God with little or no thought to its incompatibility to Scripture.

The Trinity was developed not to give people a better understanding of God.

Rather, the Trinity was borrowed from the Pagans to make the new Christianity

compatible with the Roman Emperor‟s desires.

The Trinity was developed in humanism. The pagans determined that the

triangle was the symbol of the gods (or one of them). They explained that the

three equal sides of the triangle were the three co-equal and co-eternal gods of

the universe. The triangle showed their shared responsibility and co-

dependence. This idea was adopted after the flood by the Babylonians. The

early humanists discovered that man was composed of three parts; soul, body

and spirit. Thus, he created an explanation of God that also was three parts.

Men who sought to be God seemed to be closer to their goal by reducing God to

mathematical comparisons, human attributes and human limitations. Thus, men

created an explanation of God with three parts. They defined these as Fire, Air

and Water.

Humanism has never died. Since the confusion of the languages at Babel, man

had striven to advance the theories of humanism. This theory began when Satan

offered it to Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan promised Eve that if she would

disobey the commandments of God she would become a god. Of course, Eve

did not become a God. Instead Eve‟s delusion led her out of her privileged

place.

In the New Testament the writer cautioned:

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after

the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and NOT after Christ.

For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”

“And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of ALL principality and

power: …buried in Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him

through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the

dead”.

Could the writer have explained it more evidently? He is making sure that we

understand that Jesus held the entire Godhead? The word Godhead is only

mentioned three times in Scripture. All of those references are in the New

Testament. No where did the monotheism of the Old Testament get discarded in

favor of the tri-theistic one of the pagans.

When the multitude assembled on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), they asked the

Apostles “What they must do we to be saved?” The answer given from Apostle

Peter was succinct:

1. Repent

2. Be Baptized

3. Receive the Holy Ghost

SELF TEST

1. Where in the Bible is the Trinity mentioned? __________

2. How many Gods are there? __________

3. What is the only proper name we have been given for God? __________

4. The Trinity got its start where? __________

5. God was made clearly visible (manifest) in what? __________

6. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess what? __________

7. In the Old Testament there were how many in the Godhead? __________

8. Jesus said he came to bear witness of whom? __________

9. What is the only proper noun associated with the Godhead? __________

10. Melchisadec shared a title with God. What was it? __________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Bernie Wade has dedicated his entire life to working in

ministry. As a child he helped his parents pioneer a number

of church plants. As a young man he served as an

evangelist, assistant pastor, pastor and more. Today, he

fills his busy schedule writing, teaching, preaching and

traveling around the world ministering the Gospel of Jesus

Christ.

He is a focused on the restoration or reformation of the

Church to the tenets that were taught by the New Testament

Church and the original Apostles of Jesus Christ. Toward this end most of his

writing focuses on those essential biblical doctrines. He is committed to

teaching and focusing other church leaders to return to our Biblical foundation.

He serves as President to the global ministry of International Circle of Faith

(ICOF). ICOF is a global network of ministers, churches, ministries and more.

ICOF’s global network has more than 40,000 ministers and some 20 million

adherents, with representation in nearly every country in the world. For more

information visit: http://www.icof.net International Circle of Faith Colleges

Seminaries and Universities (ICOF CSU) is a global network of Christian schools

of higher learning and represents ICOF’s leaders collective commitment to quality

Christian education.

Dr. Bernie Wade sees the current spiritual climate as

another great wave of the Holy Spirit similar to the

wave of the Spirit that swept the world after the

Wales and Azusa Street revivals a century ago.

With this wave of the Holy Spirit in mind, Dr. Wade is

instructing leaders to position themselves and their

followers to get ready for The Next Wave. In this light

a magazine was launched appropriately called, “The

Next Wave”. To learn more about The Next Wave

Magazine visit: http://www.icof.net/index.php/thenextwave

Welcome to The Next Wave!

Bishop Daniel Joseph, Bishop Joseph Rankin and Bishop Wade with many

other ministers at an ICOF Leadership Summit in Ghana West Africa.