| Vol. V Number 31 | October 21, 2001 |
During the Last Supper, the Apostles asked Jesus to show them the Father. Jesus' answer to the was quite surprising, but not when you think about it.
John 14:1-20
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Though Philip was the one who asked Jesus to show them the Father, this question was on each of their minds. They knew that the Father was God, and that according to the Bible God consists of only one Lord.
Deuteronomy 6:4
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
Here we see that the Lord is only one being, how could Jesus possibly say that he and the Father are one. Is God divided up into several beings? If this is so, wouldn't there be a contradiction in the Bible? To facilitate this discussion, how many of you have the Holy Ghost? If all of you have the Holy Ghost, isn't the Holy Ghost divided up into a multitude of beings? Or is the realm of the Spirit world totally different than ours. For we know that God is a Spirit. And another perplexing problem is when Jesus tells us that he will be in us. I thought we had the Holy Spirit!
To understand what the Lord Jesus was talking about we need to understand a little about the spirit world. This is a world that sees the end from the beginning and also the beginning from the end. This is a place where time is not relevant, for there is no time. The author of the hymn, ``When the Roll is Called Up Yonder,'' had a deep understanding about the spirit world. He realized that time will be no more, and totally irrelevant. In the spirit world there is no time, or place. Also, the spirit beings can occupy several fleshly individuals at the same time. For instance, the Holy Ghost can be in all of us at once without dividing himself up. Also, the Lord as comprised of as the Son, the Father, and the Holy Ghost are one.
Colossians 2:9
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Now when the Apostle Paul stated that all the fulness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus bodily, it makes sense. For the spirit world enables the spirit beings to assume diverse rolls and to split up and occupy different individuals at the same time. Now I realize that this is somewhat complicated to explain, but just think about the Holy Ghost and being in each of us at the same time. Also think of the entire universe that God created. His spirit extends to the furthest reaches of space. He created the worm holes, galaxies, and all that we know and haven't even imagined yet.
Now when you see Jesus Christ, you are seeing the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost simultaneously.
3014 E Street Philadelphia, PA 19134 Church Office Phone: (215) 634-3637 Published by: Rev. LeRoy D. Cressy (215) 535-4037
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Copyright © 2001 LeRoy D. Cressy
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