Your thesis is faulty. "How could have...?"

This question is so completely elementary, most six year olds with basic Sunday School attendance could answer it.


Psalm 135:6 "The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths."

Psalm 115:3 "Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases."

Daniel 4:35 "All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'"

1. The eternal Son, the Word of God/the Living Logos (who often appeared to man pre-incarnate throughout the Old Testament, as the Angel of the Lord), who took on human form, and was named Yeshua/Jesus, wasn't formed as a God. The eternal Son of God, 2nd in the eternal Triune Godhead of Creation, who is spirit is not "a" God, He is God. He has always been God. He will always be God.

2. Jesus is the name given to the fully human embryo miraculously formed by God's will, in the womb of the Jewish virgin maid named Mary, without a human father. He was fully God, He was born fully Man and fully God, still is to this day, and so He will always be. In simplest terms, the hypostatic union references Jesus Christ as both God and man, fully divine and fully human.

3. The second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, the pre-incarnate Jesus, is mentioned throughout the Old Testament. His existence should come as no surprise to anyone with the faith to take God at His Word, anyone who isn't too puffed up in his own fleshly finite mind to accept that an all powerful Creator God is free to do as He pleases.

4. The first time the second person of the trinity is mentioned is at the very beginning of the Bible in the creation story, in Genesis 1:3. This is clearly referring to the Word of God, who is God's Son as explained by John 1-4,14,18. This shows that the first thing the Son did was be the Father's vehicle of creation and life. This was confirmed again in Colossians 1:16, 1st Corinthians 8:6, and Romans 11:36.

5. As the Word of God and the mediator between the Father and creation, the Son's second role in the world was as the Father's messenger. Thus, he was known as the Angel of the Lord (the word Angel means messenger). He came to Abraham to make his covenant with him (Genesis 15:1-6). In Genesis 16:7-12, he appeared to Hagar as she was fleeing and told her to Go back. He also told her that she was pregnant and should name her son Ishmael. He appeared to Abraham again in Genesis 22 to test him by telling him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, and then to stop him from doing so. Genesis 32, then explains that Jacob wrestled with a "Man" (verse 24) who identified Himself as God (verse 28). Jacob said, "I have seen God face to face..." (verse 30). Because John 1:18 instructs us that no one has been able to see God the Father, because He is spirit, Jacob is talking about the Son in a pre-incarnate appearance. This is confirmed in Hosea 12:3-5 that He with whom Jacob wrestled was "the Angel" who is also the "the Lord, the God of hosts."

He appeared to the prophet Balaam and gave him orders (Numbers 22:22-35). He appeared to all of Israel to tell them to stop worshiping idols (Judges 2:1-4). He instructed Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites (Judges 6). He prophesied the birth of Samson and sent up in a flame of the altar. (Judges 13). In both of those last two instances, Gideon, as well as Maboah and his wife thought they would die from seeing God after the Angel of the Lord came to them, but they did not. He called Sameul as a boy (1 Samuel 3) as spoke to him throughout his life (1 Samuel 15:10-11,23). He spoke to Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1, which is confirmed to be pre-incarnate Jesus in John 12:41 and Philippians 2:5-8. He spoke to Malachi (Malachi 3:1), telling him he was sending His Son, who is his messenger (Angel). He spoke to Zechariah (Zechariah 1 and 3), where he refers to the Word of the Lord, the Angel of the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, and "the Branch" interchangeably. Jesus is referred to as the branch, shoot, or root of Jesse throughout scripture (John 15:1-8, Romans 15:12, Revelation 5:5). He also spoke to other prophets, such as Nathan (2 Samuel 7:4), David (2 Samuel 22:1-3, 1 Chronicles 21:18), Gad (2 Samuel 24:11), Solomon (1 Kings 6:11), and Elijah (1 Kings 19:3-5).

Further evidence that the Angel of the Lord was the pre-incarnate Jesus is the fact that the Angel ceased to appear after Jesus became incarnate in the flesh. At that point in time, the Angel Gabriel took over the responsibility of serving as God's chief messenger.

Psalm 33:8-12
"Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him.
For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.
The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His inheritance!"

Your thesis is faulty. "How could have...?"

This question is so completely elementary, most six year olds with basic Sunday School attendance could answer it.


Psalm 135:6 "The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths."

Psalm 115:3 "Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases."

Daniel 4:35 "All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'"

1. The eternal Son, the Word of God/the Living Logos (who often appeared to man pre-incarnate throughout the Old Testament, as the Angel of the Lord), who took on human form, and was named Yeshua/Jesus, wasn't formed as a God. The eternal Son of God, 2nd in the eternal Triune Godhead of Creation, who is spirit is not "a" God, He is God. He has always been God. He will always be God.

2. Jesus is the name given to the fully human embryo miraculously formed by God's will, in the womb of the Jewish virgin maid named Mary, without a human father. He was fully God, He was born fully Man and fully God, still is to this day, and so He will always be. In simplest terms, the hypostatic union references Jesus Christ as both God and man, fully divine and fully human.

3. The second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, the pre-incarnate Jesus, is mentioned throughout the Old Testament. His existence should come as no surprise to anyone with the faith to take God at His Word, anyone who isn't too puffed up in his own fleshly finite mind to accept that an all powerful Creator God is free to do as He pleases.

4. The first time the second person of the trinity is mentioned is at the very beginning of the Bible in the creation story, in Genesis 1:3. This is clearly referring to the Word of God, who is God's Son as explained by John 1-4,14,18. This shows that the first thing the Son did was be the Father's vehicle of creation and life. This was confirmed again in Colossians 1:16, 1st Corinthians 8:6, and Romans 11:36.

5. As the Word of God and the mediator between the Father and creation, the Son's second role in the world was as the Father's messenger. Thus, he was known as the Angel of the Lord (the word Angel means messenger). He came to Abraham to make his covenant with him (Genesis 15:1-6). In Genesis 16:7-12, he appeared to Hagar as she was fleeing and told her to Go back. He also told her that she was pregnant and should name her son Ishmael. He appeared to Abraham again in Genesis 22 to test him by telling him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, and then to stop him from doing so. Genesis 32, then explains that Jacob wrestled with a "Man" (verse 24) who identified Himself as God (verse 28). Jacob said, "I have seen God face to face..." (verse 30). Because John 1:18 instructs us that no one has been able to see God the Father, because He is spirit, Jacob is talking about the Son in a pre-incarnate appearance. This is confirmed in Hosea 12:3-5 that He with whom Jacob wrestled was "the Angel" who is also the "the Lord, the God of hosts."

He appeared to the prophet Balaam and gave him orders (Numbers 22:22-35). He appeared to all of Israel to tell them to stop worshiping idols (Judges 2:1-4). He instructed Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites (Judges 6). He prophesied the birth of Samson and sent up in a flame of the altar. (Judges 13). In both of those last two instances, Gideon, as well as Maboah and his wife thought they would die from seeing God after the Angel of the Lord came to them, but they did not. He called Sameul as a boy (1 Samuel 3) as spoke to him throughout his life (1 Samuel 15:10-11,23). He spoke to Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1, which is confirmed to be pre-incarnate Jesus in John 12:41 and Philippians 2:5-8. He spoke to Malachi (Malachi 3:1), telling him he was sending His Son, who is his messenger (Angel). He spoke to Zechariah (Zechariah 1 and 3), where he refers to the Word of the Lord, the Angel of the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, and "the Branch" interchangeably. Jesus is referred to as the branch, shoot, or root of Jesse throughout scripture (John 15:1-8, Romans 15:12, Revelation 5:5). He also spoke to other prophets, such as Nathan (2 Samuel 7:4), David (2 Samuel 22:1-3, 1 Chronicles 21:18), Gad (2 Samuel 24:11), Solomon (1 Kings 6:11), and Elijah (1 Kings 19:3-5).

Further evidence that the Angel of the Lord was the pre-incarnate Jesus is the fact that the Angel ceased to appear after Jesus became incarnate in the flesh. At that point in time, the Angel Gabriel took over the responsibility of serving as God's chief messenger.

Psalm 33:8-12
"Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him.
For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.
The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His inheritance!"

Your spiritual wisdom is indisputable, TexaCan,

"Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' When he had said this, he breathed his last" (Luke 23:46).

He breathed His last physical human breath, however God - Who is immortal Spirit, cannot die, but united with Jesus' glorified resurrection body.

Often overlooked or ignored is the Scriptural explanation of Jesus contained in the doctrine of the hypostatic union. Jesus has two natures: God and man. The hypostatic union is the personal union of Jesus's two natures:

"The hypostatic union is the mysterious joining of the divine and the human in the one person of Jesus." Jesus has two complete natures: one fully human and one fully divine. In other words, Jesus, who was and is fully God, who is Spirit, chose to be born of a woman, became human, and thus, both God and man, simultaneously.

Jesus has all of the characteristics that are true of a person, and all of the characteristics that are true of a divine being.

This is why some scriptures describe His being divine and others point to His being a man. Both are equally true.

Below is a chart from carm.org illustrating the two natures of Jesus, Who is one person, - as derived from scripture.


GOD

He is worshiped (Matt. 2:2, 11; 14:33; 28:9)
He is prayed to (Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 1:1-2)
He was called God (John 20:28; Heb. 1:8)
He was called Son of God (Mark 1:1)
He is sinless (1 Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15)
He knew all things (John 21:17)
He gives eternal life (John 10:28)
The fullness of deity dwells in Him (Col. 2:9)

+ MAN

He worshiped the Father (John 17)
He prayed to the Father (John 17:1)
He was called man (Mark 15:39; John 19:5).
He was called Son of Man (John 9:35-37)
He was tempted (Matt. 4:1)
He grew in wisdom (Luke 2:52)
He died (Rom. 5:8)
He has a body of flesh and bones (Luke 24:39)

This is not a man-made doctrine. It is a doctrine derived from God’s word.
It is true that God cannot die. It is also true that man can die. But Jesus has two natures – not one.
It was the human nature of Jesus that died on the cross – Never the divine, - for God is immortal Spirit.

He is both God and man in one person and because He was sinless, His sacrifice is sufficient to cover the sins of the world... all who choose to believe, accept His sacrificial death on their behave, repent, and follow Him.

Praise His Holy Name, Yeshua ha Mashiach, Jesus Christ/Messiah.

"Oh the glorious truth of it! Jesus is our faithful and true Friend. He is our "Brother born for adversity" (Proverbs 17:17). He is the great King and God and Creator, and yet He is desirous to be our Friend! Earthly friends will fail us, and do. We fail our own friends. Because of unfaithfulness on the part of the children of men, true friends are hard to come by and will all eventually fail. But Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, the One who purchased our pardon at Calvary, will be your Friend if you will trust in Him.

So often we forget about all that we have in Christ and that we are blessed beyond measure in Him in whom we are complete. We who have received the Lord Jesus into our hearts are the children of the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, who declares: "the world is Mine." He owns the universe and has promised to give us all things, and yet we usually live in poverty — spiritual poverty.

The biblical command in Philippians 4 is that we should let our moderation be known unto all men, showing that the Lord is at hand. He is near and ready to deliver, but He awaits our call for that deliverance. God reigns in heaven looking down upon us, desirous every moment to show Himself strong on our behalf, but we, in our shortsightedness and faithlessness and carefulness, will not come unto Him that we might have life and deliverance from all of our afflictions and troubles:
"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth Him out of them all" (Psalm 34:19).

So many troubles encompass the saints, and we get bogged down and discouraged under their weight, and it shows up in our countenances, conversations, and lifestyles. It was never the will of God for His people to be discouraged, downcast, fretful, murmuring and complaining. Yet He has seen fit for us to suffer the afflictions that come with this life. This is part of His school, and the lesson that He desires to teach us is to "look up":
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

Remember David. His own men considered stoning him because their enemies had stolen their wives, children, and goods while they were away with the Philistines to fight against Israel. What was David's response to the greatly troubling circumstances? "David encouraged himself in the Lord." This is all it says, but oh, the depths of the meaning for us!

The difference between failure and defeat for the saint is in which way he turns. "Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me" (Psalm 50:15).
This is the will of God for us! He allows all of these trying situations to test us, to prove us, and to show us our insufficiency apart from Him who is all sufficient, in whom all of our needs are met (Psalm 23:1; Philippians 4:19). If we do not come to Him for His help, we don't gain the victory that God has already made available for us in Christ. Then He doesn't receive the glory that He otherwise would.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).

God is at all times and in all circumstances instructing the saints to be fully dependent upon and to utterly cast themselves upon Him for everything. Paul concluded that the thorn in his flesh, whatever that may have been (we do know that it was an infirmity of some sort, and a great trial we may be sure), was a gift from God to reveal Paul's own weakness and turn Him to the Lord, "the Strength of Israel," to be his strength. Paul declares after beseeching the Lord three times to remove his "thorn in the flesh":

And He [the Lord] said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I [Paul] rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (2nd Corinthians 12:9-10)

We are ever exhorted in Scripture to come to the Lord Jesus in every trying circumstance, trusting fully in Him (Isaiah 26:3-4). Peter encouraged: "Casting all your care upon Him, for he careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7). Likewise, Paul exhorted: "Be careful for nothing; but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

Let us trust His promises!

[Brendan Booher]


Music and Lyrics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlv0zzKs_rY

"What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! · What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! · O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, · All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? · We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. · Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? · Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? · Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer. · Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! · In His arms He'll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear · May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer · Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer · Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there."

— Joseph M. Scriven

"A president needs political understanding to run the government, but may get elected without it". - Harry Truman

Accumulated thoughts from Biden Supporters...

So far, Biden has fulfilled all three of the basic requirements most v**ers had for him in terms of why they elected him.

Joe Biden is not Donald Trump. For a lot of people this was a deal breaker, because honestly, Donald Trump is just a terrible human being. He commits pretty much every vice that modern society tries to control on a daily basis, though particularly wrath, sloth and gluttony. Trump reacts with extreme hostility whenever he doesn’t get his way. His behavior is that of a spoiled brat whose never been told no in his life and had it stick.

Joe Biden has a clear idea of what the hell he’s doing and relevant experience in politics so he won’t cause a diplomatic incident every other week. This is more an extension of not being Trump then anything else, but it’s also important in it’s own right. The majority of people in the United States were not interested in having an amateur know-nothing president, because it turns out to be electing someone horribly incompetent who screwed up pretty much everything.

Joe Biden acknowledged and actually did something about the ongoing p******c. Again, more an extension of not being Trump then anything else but still worth pointing out. Unlike the Trump administration which made endless hollow promises, propped up miracle cures that k**led people, and flat-out refused to acknowledge the problem for months, the Biden administration got right to work.

Frankly, even if he were to mess up other things he encounters in his presidency besides the above three points, Joe Biden would still be the better performing president. That’s not necessarily a positive reflection on Biden in and of himself, but a statement on just how low the bar has actually been set after the last four years. It seems unlikely he’ll mess everything up because so far he’s lead with competence and control that had been sorely lacking.

Biden understands diplomacy. Forty years in Washington and he knows where all of the bodies are buried and why they are buried. More importantly, he understands international diplomacy and the United States’ place as leader of the free world.

One should remember, he grew up with a speech impediment. It’s amazing that someone with a stutter could make a career out of public speaking as a politician and eventually, become President. What a challenge that must have been.

Lastly, the only complaints I read and hear about are ones of policy differences from people who were determined to h**e anything Biden did regardless of what it actually was and complaints about gas prices which were already trending upward under Trump. Fair enough, as many Never-Trumpers felt the same about Mr. Trump.

But still, there's once again reason for many Americans to be proud of our President.