Commenter Offers Some Go-To Trinitarian Verses

A commenter offered some go-to verses presumably to prove that Jesus is God, in the article "A Man, Christ Jesus."

Keeping in mind that up to 7000 times Yahweh/God is called ONE/ALONE/NO OTHER in scripture and keeping in mind that less that 10 times in scripture the word god/God is used in reference to Yeshua, and keeping in mind that the word god/God is also used in reference to angels and divine beings, humans in positions of authority, false gods and idols, and satan, a thorough theological study would consider that these references to "god/God" illustrate the diverse usage of the term "god" or "gods" in scripture. Thorough study would consider the context of the usage and honest study would not use a few scriptures to develop an entire doctrine that was not codified until about six hundred years after the birth of the Church.

If you are willing to start an honest study on the subject of the Trinity, here are the verses shared by the commenter and the commentary on each verse (from the REV):

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, show us the Father? John 14:9 KJV

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matthew 28:19 KJV

I and my Father are one. John 10:30 KJV

But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. John 10:38 KJV

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26 KJV

REV Commentary

“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” The consistent theme throughout the book of John is that Jesus reveals God the Father to the world (John 1:18; 9:3; 14:9; 15:15; 17:6, 26). This simple truth demonstrates that Jesus is someone different from God. Many Trinitarians or Oneness believers see equivalence between Jesus and God in the Gospel of John, however, the author seeks to show how Jesus reveals the Father, not how Jesus is the Father. Knowing this helps the reader understand what Jesus means by phrases like, “whoever has seen me has seen the Father,” (John 14:9) and “I am in union with the Father and the Father is in union with me” (John 14:11). Neither of these phrases states that Jesus is the Father, nor should they be understood that way. Rather, these verses, when properly seen in light of the rest of the Gospel, demonstrate that God was working so powerfully through Jesus and Jesus was demonstrating God’s character so clearly that when one looked at Jesus, it was as if you were looking at the Father. This concept is not too difficult to grasp, as we use language similar to this in our modern culture. For instance, if a son is displaying a characteristic similar to his father (named Jim), we might say, ‘You’re just like your Dad,’ or, ‘Jim, is that you?’ or, ‘I see your Dad in you.’ No one takes that to mean the son literally is Jim, but that he resembles Jim in some ways. This is how we should understand Jesus’ statements of his similarity with his Father. Jesus never intends to teach that he is his Father, because he sees God his Father as someone different from himself (John 10:29; 14:28; 20:17), and he reveals his Father clearly through his works and teachings (John 14:10). This phrase in John 14:9 is also very helpful for understanding what Thomas may have meant in John 20:28 when he said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” Since Jesus taught Thomas here in John 14:9 that, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father,” this is likely what Thomas was finally realizing in John 20:28. He was not realizing that Jesus was the Father, as Jesus had never taught Thomas that. Jesus taught Thomas that the Father was someone different from himself (John 14:6, 12, 16, 24; etc.). Rather, Thomas was realizing that the Father was “in union with” Jesus (John 14:11), that the Father was working in Jesus (John 14:10), and that Jesus’ words were the Father’s words (John 14:24). So, Thomas was realizing that the Father could be seen in Jesus, and thus could say, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). REV

Does the commonly accepted translation of Matthew 28:19 prove the existence of the Trinity? No. The mention of the Father, Son, and holy spirit together in one context only shows that these three exist. The doctrine of the Trinity that states there are three “Persons” in one God was not codified until AD 381. The Council of Nicea in AD 325 merely decided that Jesus was God, and did not make the Holy Spirit into a “third Person” in the Trinity. Also, there is a debate about whether the English translation of Matthew 28:19 should read “Holy Spirit” or “holy spirit” (the biblical evidence supports “holy spirit”), but in any case, there is no presentation in Matthew 28:19 of any formal doctrine of the Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity states that the Father, Son, and “Holy Spirit” together make “one God” and that the three “Persons” are co-equal and co-eternal, and that doctrine is not stated in this verse. This verse refers to three, but never says they are “one.” If the phrase about the Father, Son, and holy spirit is original, then the three things this verse refers to are: God the Father; His Son the Lord Jesus Christ; and the holy spirit, a “gift” from God (cf. Acts 2:38). REV

That the word “in” refers to a relationship, a very close relationship, is clear from Jesus elucidating his teaching by using the same vocabulary and speaking of a branch being “in” a vine: “Live in me, and I will in you. As the branch is not able to bear fruit by itself unless it lives in the vine…” (John 15:4). The branch is not “inside” the vine, nor is “in” referring to being of the same mystical essence. It is a simple truth that the branch is in union with the vine; in an intimate relationship with it and united for the same purpose: to produce fruit. Similarly, God and Christ are in an intimate relationship and are in union with each other, and believers are to be in union with them. A few English versions make the relationship between God, Christ, and us somewhat clearer by translating the en (in) as “in union with,” or “unified with” instead of simply “in.” So, for example, in John 10:38, Charles Williams’ translation reads, “the Father is in union with me and I am in union with the Father” (he also uses “in union with,” rather than just “in” in other places in John). The New Testament translated by Edgar Goodspeed also uses “in union with” in John 10:38; 14:10-11, 20; and “united with” in John 15:4-7). The Complete Jewish Bible by David Stern also reads, “united with” instead of just “in” in John 10 and 14. The New English Bible uses “united with” in John 15:4. The point is that when the Bible says that the Father, Jesus, and believers are “in” each other, or being “one,” it refers to being in an intimate relationship with each other; being in union with each other.

"And the helper, the holy spirit, which the Father will send in my name, IT will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." “And.” The Greek word de (#1161 δέ) can express a small contrast, but can also just express a change of subject. In this case, “but” is too strong a contrast. Some English versions leave the de untranslated and just start the English sentence with the subject, the Helper (cf. CEB), Others translate it “And.” Jesus was speaking with his disciples while he was still alive, and his point was that after he was personally gone from his disciples, the Helper would teach them what it heard. “the holy spirit.” The Greek text has no article “the” but it is supplied in the REV for clarity. The “the” is added in English due to its reference in the immediate context. This refers to the holy spirit that is the gift of God. [For more information on the holy spirit and uses of “holy spirit,” see Appendix 7: “What is the Holy Spirit?” and also see Appendix 15: “Usages of ‘Spirit.’”] “in my name.” In this context, the phrase “in my name” means “in connection with me.” The phrase is used that way many times in Scripture. The specific nature of the connection must be determined from the context (e.g., Matt. 18:5, 20; 24:5; Mark 9:37, 39; John 15:16). REV

ROCOR Bishops Were Warned

ROCOR Bishops were warned and still allowed clergy sexual abusers to remain. 

Know Them by Their Fruit 

Matthew 7:15-27

15 “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are destructive, greedy wolves. 

16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 

17 In the same way, every healthy tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. 

18 A healthy tree cannot produce bad fruit, neither can a rotten tree produce good fruit. 

19 Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 

20 So then, you will recognize them by their fruit. 

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter. 

22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ 

23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!’  

24 “Everyone, then, who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock, 

25 and the rain fell, and the rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat violently against that house, and yet it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock. 

26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand, 

27 and the rain fell, and the rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”

"A Man, Christ Jesus"

For there is one God and one mediator between God and humankind, a man, Christ Jesus, (Christ means 'anointed one')

“one mediator between God and humankind, a man.” This is one of the great and clear texts in the debate as to who Jesus really is. If Jesus were God, this would have been a wonderful place to say it. Instead, Jesus is clearly called “a person” using the Greek word anthrōpos, “person, human, man.” The lexicons state that it is “man” in contrast with animals, plants, angels, and of course, God. The Greek text reads that there is one mediator between God and “humankind,” or “people” (the noun is plural in Greek; anthrōpōn, ἀνθρώπων), and that mediator is “a person” or “a man” (the noun is singular; anthrōpos, ἄνθρωπος), Jesus Christ. Although Trinitarians say that the referent to Jesus as “a man” is only referring to his human nature, that is their theology adding things; the Scripture never says that.

Actually, Jesus cannot be God or a God-man in this verse. The whole point of a mediator between people and God is that “God” cannot be the mediator. The mediator in this verse is “between” God and the people. If the mediator is God, then he is not between God and the people. In this verse, the mediator is playing part of the role of the priest, one who stands between the people and God. In fact, Jesus is called our High Priest in the New Testament (e.g., Heb. 2:17; 3:1; 4:14, 15; 5:5, 10; 6:20; 9:11). Both as our mediator and as High Priest, Jesus cannot be God or a God-man. The priest is a person who stands between God and people, and we learn from 1 Timothy 2:5 that this is also what a mediator does, which is why the verse specifies that Jesus is “a man, Christ Jesus.” That is the simple truth of Scripture, that Jesus was a man, a flesh-and-blood human being.

If Jesus were a God-man, this would be one of the many places to say it, but Scripture never says it, ever. Instead, Jesus is stated to be a member of the human race, just as the Old Testament prophecies foretold he would be.

This verse is commonly translated in English Bibles as, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, THE man Christ Jesus,” but there is no definite article, no “the” in the Greek text before the word “man.” Adding the “the” before “man” could possibly distort the verse a little, as if it were saying that Jesus was “the man” in a slang way, as in the phrase, “You are the man!” William Mounce writes that the lack of the definite article (“the”) before the Greek word anthrōpos (man, human) is “emphasizing the quality of being human; i.e., it was as a human being that Christ gave himself for all humanity…ἄνθρωπος [anthrōpos] is anarthrous, designating not identity (“the Son of man”) but quality (i.e., that which makes a person human).”a

Mounce’s analysis of the grammar is correct: 1 Timothy 2:5 is pointing out that Jesus is “a man,” “a person,” a human being. Romans 5 shows that it was a person who sinned and got mankind into the mess it is in, and it was a person, Jesus, who got us out of that mess.

Another valuable thing taught by 1 Timothy 2:5 concerns the proper understanding of what happens to a person when they die, and thus, that today, the only mediator between people and God is Jesus. Although the traditional Christian teaching is that the soul (or “spirit”) of a person lives on after the body dies, the proper biblical teaching is that when a person dies they are dead in every way, body, soul, and spirit, and they are awaiting the resurrection. Sadly, the orthodox Christian teaching that dead people are actually alive in some form has led to a number of false teachings and practices in the Church. These false practices and beliefs include people trying to contact the dead, which is strictly forbidden by God (cf. Deut. 18:9-14), or of thinking that the dead have come to contact them (which would mean that dead believers would be deliberately disobeying God, which is an untenable belief).

However, another false doctrine that stems from the belief that dead people are not really dead but alive in heaven or “hell” is the doctrine held by some Christians that dead people are praying for the living and interceding for them before God. But 1 Timothy 2:5 makes it clear that there is only one mediator between God and humankind, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Neither the Mother Mary, nor any well-known “saint,” nor anyone else, is interceding for the living before the throne of God. Doctrines like that come from the false belief that when a person dies they are not really dead, but alive as a spirit.

Right now, the only human in heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is our mediator between us and God as 1 Timothy 2:5 says, and he is interceding for us (Rom. 8:34).

Also, the partial sentence in 1 Timothy 2:5 is only the first part of the sentence. The whole sentence is in 1 Timothy 2:5-7, and there is more important information about Jesus Christ in verse 6 (see commentary on 1 Tim. 2:6).

[For more on Jesus being a fully human man, see Appendix 6: “Jesus is the Son of God, Not God the Son.” For more on the difference between Holy Spirit and holy spirit, see Appendix 7: “What is the Holy Spirit?” For more on dead people being dead in every way, see Appendix 3: “The Dead are Dead.”]

From: 1 Timothy 2:5, REV Bible and Commentary

"God is not a human being that he would lie, nor the son of man, that he would change his mind."

Robert Simmon "Mr. Blue Marble"

If it is news to you that you have never seen a photo of a round, spinning globe taken from outer space, then you may be living in the clouds. No photo exists because the round spinning globe does not exist.

"It is photoshopped but it's, it's, it has to be." Robert Simmom

Have You Been Psyoped?

Modern day "science" isn't science, it's a pseudo-science religion. The Earth is geocentric and stationary with water above and water below. The stars, sun and moon are in the firmament above and are relatively close. NASA is an Illuminati-Freemason organization. Do you trust their spokesmen more than you do the Scriptures?

Two choices: Call the JTO Editor an idiot conspiracy theorist or spend the years I have in deep research of the facts. Most will choose the lazy way out.

NOTE: For your convenience, see the other posts on this site regarding the true science of the Geocentric Earth.

Flat Earth Is Not A Conspiracy

"Flat earth is not a conspiracy. Far from it. Did you know the entire heliocentric system of a spherical Earth rotating and revolving around the sun with other planets was actually designed after ancient occultic beliefs? The heliocentric system is not real. It never was, but its imaginary design fulfills Satan’s grand purpose of misdirecting the human race away from the True Creator God. It’s an endlessly complex design that fills the time and energy of millions of people who grew up playing with toy space shuttle’s and imagining what it would be like to become astronauts and explore far away planets and galaxies. As adults, millions have become fixated on all things NASA. They watch every new video, gape over every new CGI (computer generated image), hang on every word of scientists who wax eloquent with fantastical pseudoscientific theories. The elaborate scheme constructed over centuries, launched officially with Copernicus’ book in 1543, has been Satan’s single greatest act of sorcery and occult magic on Earth. It achieved the grand success he pursued to turn billions of souls away from any recognition or acknowledgement of a God of Creation. Satan’s sorcery has accomplished something few are aware of, even theologians and pastors, and something that Satan fully intended in the heliocentric design. What is this purpose that drives Satan’s hatred and passion? The heliocentric design of the sun and the Earth and the planets mocks God. It mocks God as the Creator of the “heaven and the Earth.” It mocks God by appropriating his Glory in creation. It mocks God by counterfeiting God’s own creation story. It mocks God with false gods. And the heliocentric system mocks God by trying to expunge the entire history of God’s miraculous works on Earth, but most importantly it mocks God with the claim that there never was a savior, Jesus Christ. If you ever thought as a Christian that the controversy of whether the Earth is flat or a sphere is not important, think again. God does not consider mocking his holy character or denying him the glory that is due him as an insignificant matter. Considering how God values his glory, to mock him so boldly in front of the entire human race, to mock God to all the angels of Heaven, and to mock God to all the fallen angels who can see, is a reminder to the genuine believer of what this means to a Holy God whose wrath is coming against all ungodliness. It’s truly amazing how occult sorcery put such evil plans out in the open, yet we all have missed the obvious. This is the magician distracting his audience from God’s reality and deceiving all the spectators into believing a false reality. What is so extraordinary is that this heliocentric sorcery is on a grand scale, and yet we still missed the obvious. Do you know why it has not even occurred to pastors and theologians that the heliocentric system mocks God? Because they have been ensnared by Satan’s sorcery like everyone else. They think heliocentrism is real, and therefore the thought that it mocks God never enters their minds. This book will reveal the entire heliocentric system for the occultic design that it is, and when you see the whole picture, you'll be shocked."

The Coming Threat to Worldwide Liberty

Mankind is being programmed to accept a coming fraudulent event. The fraud will be perpetrated in order to bring all governments into a unity of purpose, to remove the liberty of life from the masses and control the Earth's population. A One World intent leading to a One World Government.

The fraud will be the lie that a comet or asteroid will hit the Earth. Marshal Law and other dictatorial mechanisms will be put in place. All freedoms and liberty will be suspended, while the world governmental control is implemented.

Dissenters and whistleblowers of NASA and other Illuminati/Masonic propaganda, will be squashed with an unprecedented, heightened, and aggressive censorship, armed with legal action and imprisonment. The previous repercussions over refusal to wear COVID masks and take the various Jabs, will pale in comparison to what is to come. Restrictive laws will be universally enforced. 

The event will pass with no calamity and no asteroid. The positive spin will be that "we were lucky this time, but another may be on its way." The worldwide governmental structure will remain in place. 

"Choose you this day whom you will serve."

Clergy Sexual Abuse Study

 

Is There Not One ROCOR Bishop Who Will Act?

Who among you has had enough of the desecration of ROCOR and its people via the inaction or subterfuge of its hierarchy regarding sexual predators in its midst? Do you really think you are protecting the Church of Christ by keeping things on the down-low? Is there not one ROCOR Bishop who will act? Whom do you fear most, God or man?

"They Must Be Plucked Out"

Upon the death of Metropolitan Hilarion, Bishop Nicholas was made Metropolitan Nicholas. The torch was passed. To ROCOR's great shame, the toxic fire of the torch of subterfuge and complicity is now burning down the reputation and standing of the ROCOR hierarchy as Metropolitan Nicholas continues in the same sinful vein of conduct. He allowed FMW to remain for six years. Has FMW been deposed? Has FMW been delivered to civil authorities?  Where is today's Saint Athanasius? When will the good Orthodox parishioners rise up and say, "no more", and shout, "They must be plucked out." 

A portion from Rape and the Holy Man (November 2018)

For the Metropolitan to now ignore, table, or brush-off this matter is a sin unto God and his holy church. The Metropolia has had 14 years to deal with this matter. It is time to heed the words of Saint Athanasius the Great, that troublemaker, that rabble-rouser, that excommunicated busybody, that stubborn man, that self-deceived tenacious soul, that confronter of both Bishop and Emperor, that Saint:

 “As we walk the unerring and life-bringing path, let us pluck out the eye that scandalizes us-not the physical eye, but the noetic one. For example, if a bishop or presbyter-who are the eyes of the Church-conduct themselves in an evil manner and scandalize the people, they must be plucked out. For it is more profitable to gather without them in a house of prayer, than to be cast together with them into the gehenna of fire together with Annas and Caiaphas.” — St. Athanasius the Great, PG 26:1257c

Jesus the Christ was more specific in regard to the ramifications of conducting oneself in an evil manner against a child, in particular, a child who is a believer, seeking the Kingdom of God:

"Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name, welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to *sin (*Skandalizo- to cause to stumble or fall- to craftily entice or lead to ruin), it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."

Both the perpetrator of this alleged crime against a 15-year-old girl, and the Bishop and fellow priests who have allowed him to remain, should they fail to repent, will share the same end. Jesus the Christ is specific as to the demonstrative nature of a such a repentance and the fateful end if one does not repent.

"Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell."

Metropolitan Hilarion Awarding
Father Matthew Williams For
Long and Faithful Service

If the Metropolitan of ROCOR fails in this matter, then the world and faithful Orthodox Christians are presented with two shameful lessons. ONE: ROCOR is either inept or obtuse at investigating sexual abuse in its ranks and this carries the risk of earning a millstone of its own and the fire of hell. TWO: If one is a ROCOR clergy and commits a sexual crime, just make sure the victim doesn't talk and you will be in the clear. Later on, you may even get an award, personally presented by the Metropolitan. 

[NOTE: Today, 2025, the practice of shielding the clergy sexual predators continues under the pastorate of Metropolitan Nicholas and his Bishops and priests.]