Who Is the God of "the Kingdom of God"?

"There is one God, the Father, who is the only one who is truly God, the one who alone is God, and one Mediator between that One God and man, and this is the MAN/lord Messiah Jesus" (I Corinthians 8:4-6; John 17:3; 5:44; I Timothy 2:5). Such is the Bible's invitation to a clear-headed view of the God we are to worship in spirit and truth (John 4:26). To maintain, in the face of the above statements, that Yeshua the Messiah IS God places an unbearable strain on the propositions listed above.

The biblical creed, combining John 17:3 with I Timothy 2:5 and I Corinthians 8:4-6, appears to us to put all possible doubt to rest. These passages are of course directly creedal statements, but Trinitarians stay away from these and go for the ambiguous verses which do not bear directly on the creed. The Messiah did say formally that "eternal life/salvation consists in knowing the Father as the only one who is truly God, who is alone the true God" (John 17:3; 5:44). When these statements are understood and confessed we are on the way to unity.

The Bible says that the Messiah was begotten by the Father. To state that the Messiah is the begotten Son is simply to say that he was brought into existence, that he had a beginning. The idea that Yeshua, the Son of YEHOVAH God, is a Person without beginning, as the Trinitarian doctrine maintains, is to contradict plain texts of the Bible. Also, the idea that YEHOVAH God impregnated Mary's womb with the holy spirit to bring Yeshua into being is patently false! The Messiah had to be a LITERAL descendant of King David through his human father Joseph; and it is a simple fact that the "virgin birth" is NEVER even mentioned in the New Testament writings except for the alleged birth accounts in a handful of passages in Matthew's and Luke's gospels.

It is also a fact that if Yeshua did NOT have an earthly father (Joseph), then he is NOT the scriptural Messiah -- the anointed one of the one and only Eternal YEHOVAH God! Only if Joseph was clearly the Messiah's father would Yeshua meet the primary necessity of literally being of the seed of David -- a CRUCIAL fact that the virgin birth destroys.

A traditional Christian misunderstanding of scripture is shown by the common belief that the virgin birth is an essential part of Yeshua's Messianic requirements. Prophetically speaking, as proof of his Messiahship, the claim that he was of a "virgin" is indeed an issue, but in a way most Christians fail to grasp! There is absolutely NOTHING in the Hebrew Scriptures that REQUIRES the Messiah to be born to a virgin. The passage many messianically apply to this claim (Isaiah 7:14) does NOT necessarily refer to a "virgin" woman, despite the deceitful claims made by preachers and ministers. Furthermore, a fact those promoting the virgin birth hate to have attention focused upon, is that when the context of Isaiah 7:14 is considered, the verse is easily proven to NOT even be a Messianic passage!

Some modern versions (like the NIV) have elsewhere misleadingly given the impression that the Messiah was God Himself! Thus in Philippians 2:5ff we read in the NIV of the Son "being in very nature God." But no Greek manuscript says this. What the Greek text does say is that the Son was "in the form of God." "Form" occurs (apart from this passage) only in one other verse of the New Testament (Mark 16:12) and it describes the outward -- what is visible. To say that the Messiah was in the form of YEHOVAH God is equivalent to saying that the character and mind of the One God, the Father of Yeshua, were reflected in the historical Messiah, the Son of YEHOVAH God.

To be in the image of YEHOVAH God, as Adam also was, is to be a visible representative of YEHOVAH God. Yeshua the Messiah was just that, but he was a human being born of Mary and Joseph. Though he was the reflection of the one God, his Father and endowed with divine characteristics and authority he nevertheless resolved to fulfill the role or "form" of a servant. In so doing he provided a realistic model for his followers.

As many scholars have pointed out, the idea that "Yeshua was God who became man" lures us into belief in two Gods. The theory adopted by the church in the 4th and 5th centuries implied that while God the Father remained in heaven, "God the Son," who was equally God, became a man, or rather "man." (The classical creed says that the Messiah is "man," but not "a man"). If YEHOVAH God the Father remained in heaven and God the Son was walking the earth, we are presented with two Gods. We are asked to believe in the one who was God who did not become man and the one who was God who did become man. That is plainly ditheism, belief in two Gods.

Once the church set out on this path, the most fundamental of all unities was undermined. Unity amongst believers may be recovered when we all begin to agree with Paul that "there is one God, the Father, one God and Father over all," and that Yeshua the Messiah is His Son who came into existence in 3 BC. Yeshua is the Lord Messiah (the adoni of Psalm 110:1) and his Father is the LORD God YEHOVAH.

Since I Corinthians 8:4-6 clearly shows that there is one God -- YEHOVAH God the Father -- and one Mediator between that One God and man -- Yeshua the Messiah -- then WHO is the God of "the Kingdom of God"? YEHOVAH God the Father's future universal role on earth in the form of the physical "Shekinah" presence is a major theme of the Old Testament. Verse 6 of Revelation 19 inaugurates YEHOVAH God the Father's Kingly reign on earth -- although its establishment requires several stages: first is the RETURN OF THE MESSIAH in Revelation 10:1-7, the separation of YEHOVAH's true people (Revelation 11:1-2), the wedding feast of the Lamb (the Messiah) in Revelation 19:7-9, climaxed by the RETURN OF YEHOVAH'S SHEKINAH PRESENCE (Revelation 19:11-15); then Satan must be chained (Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10), judgment must take place (Revelation 20:11-15), and only then does the Messiah actually rule as king and priest to his Father who resides in the new Third Temple in the form of the "Shekinah" presence.

In Titus 2:13 we are encouraged "to expect the blessed fulfillment of our certain hope, which is the APPEARING OF THE SH'KHINAH OF OUR GREAT GOD and the appearing of our Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah" (Jewish New Testament). Verses 11-16 of Revelation 19 describe this eagerly awaited (by the early Christians) "Second Coming" of God's (YEHOVAH's) holy "Shekinah" -- NOT the Second Coming of the Messiah as millions have blindly assumed!

Christians (in their confusion) have taken Revelation 19:6, 11-16 to refer to the return of Yeshua the Messiah for more than 1,700 years!! Incredible as it may seem, Satan has blinded millions over the centuries to the TRUE identity of the Person depicted in Revelation 19. Verse 14 of Revelation 19 states that "the armies of heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him [Adonai, YEHOVAH (see verse 6)] on white horses."

Throughout the New Testament the "armies of heaven" are ALWAYS associated with, and are commanded by, ADONAI -- who, according to the plain words of the apostle James is THE FATHER! "With it [the tongue] we bless ADONAI, THE FATHER; and with it we curse people, who were made in the image of God" (James 3:9) -- Jewish New Testament. Further, in Ephesians 1:3, this is echoed when Paul says -- "Praised be ADONAI, FATHER OF OUR LORD YESHUA THE MESSIAH..."

In Revelation 1:8 we find written: "I am the 'A' and the 'Z' ('Alpha' and the 'Omega')," says ADONAI [YEHOVAH, YHVH], God of HEAVEN'S ARMIES, the One [ADONAI] who is, who was AND WHO IS COMING." Again, in Revelation 4:8: "Holy, holy, holy is ADONAI, GOD OF HEAVEN'S ARMIES, the One who was, who is and WHO IS COMING." Also, in Revelation 11:16 -- "We thank you, ADONAI [YEHOVAH, YHVH] GOD OF HEAVEN'S ARMIES, the One who is and was, that you have taken your power [in the form of the "Shekinah" Glory] AND HAVE BEGUN TO RULE [on earth after His coming in Revelation 19].

Without a doubt, the One on the white horse leading the armies of heaven to this earth is YEHOVAH the Father in His "Shekinah" form -- NOT Yeshua the Messiah!

Moving to verse 16 of Revelation 19, we read -- "And on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written: 'KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.'" These titles denote the ultimate in praise that can be bestowed and, therefore, must be titles of YEHOVAH the Father. Throughout the New Testament the Messiah indicates that the Father was far GREATER than he -- see John 14:28 for an example. Also, if we examine the original Greek for "King of kings and Lord of lords" we will quickly discover that the first "King" and the "Lord" in this title both start with upper case letters -- showing Him to be the ULTIMATE "King" of all kings and the ULTIMATE "LORD" of all lords.

Some argue that the Lamb (Yeshua) depicted in Revelation 17:14 also has these titles and must, as a result, be the Rider of the horse represented in Revelation 19. But, once again, if we closely examine the original Greek we will first of all find that the title is REVERSED from that found in Revelation 19, and reads instead "lord of lords and king of kings." Then we will notice that the first "lord" and the first "king" of the title are lower case in the Greek -- showing that Yeshua was (as pictured here in Revelation 17:14) NOT the ultimate "lord of lords" or the ultimate "king of kings." He is here shown as a LOWER "lord of lords" and "king of kings," which entirely agrees with the Messiah's statement that his Father was greater than he.

The title in Revelation 19 expresses YEHOVAH (YHVH) THE FARTHER'S rulership over all creation and all the kings and lords therein. It is equivalent to the phrase "King of kings of kings" which the Jewish Siddur (prayer book) applies to YHVH in this song which introduces the Sabbath in many Jewish homes --

When we add all these proofs up, the clear and astounding TRUTH is that Revelation 19 pictures the glorious RETURN OF YEHOVAH GOD'S "SHEKINAH" PRESENCE to this earth to rule, with the Messiah and the saints of Israel directly under Him, from the new Third Temple in Jerusalem. Therefore, the God of "the Kingdom of God" is none other than YEHOVAH GOD THE FATHER -- Eternal God the Savior!

For more information be sure to read our articles, The Return of YEHOVAH God and His Messiah and The Virgin Birth and the Messiah.