“It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children”
Muslims and adherents of other Antichrist religions often challenge Christians, particularly Catholics, by asking, “Where did Jesus say, ‘I am God, worship me’?” They seek a literal statement in which Jesus explicitly declares Himself to be God because they recognize that the Gospels contain numerous passages that Christians understand as affirming His divinity. As a result, they frequently dismiss indirect claims and insist upon a specific formula of words. This challenge, however, fails to consider how the Gospels were written. The Gospels are not autobiographies authored by Jesus Himself; rather, they are inspired accounts written by His apostles and their associates based on eyewitness testimony and apostolic preaching. Consequently, everything recorded in the Gospels reflects the testimony of their authors concerning the words, actions, and identity of Jesus. Whether Jesus revealed His divine nature through direct statements, indirect declarations, symbolic actions, or claims to divine authority, all such evidence carries the same weight within the Gospel narratives because it comes from the same inspired sources. Therefore, it is unreasonable to accept one statement recorded in the Gospels as authoritative while dismissing others simply because they do not conform to a predetermined wording. The following biblical passages provide evidence that Jesus claimed divinity and that His contemporaries, especially the Jewish religious leaders, understood Him to be making such claims.
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1. [John 5:16-18] Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews began to persecute Him. But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.” Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
2. [John 8:23-24] You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I AM HE, you will indeed die in your sins.”
COMMENT: “I am He”, Jesus took this name or title of God from Isaiah 43:10.
3. [John 8:58] “Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I AM!”
4. [John 10:30-33] I and the Father are one.” At this, the Jews again picked up stones to stone Him. But Jesus responded, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone Me?” “We are not stoning You for any good work,” said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, declare Yourself to be God.
5. [John 13:19] “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I AM WHO I AM.
COMMENT: “I AM WHO I AM”, Jesus took this name or title of God given to Moses in Exodus 3:14.
6. [John 14:8-9] Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
7. [Luke 21:31-32] I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
8. [Revelation 21:6-7] “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
9. [Revelation 1:8] “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come–the Almighty.
10. [Revelation 1:17-18] When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.
11. [Revelation 2:8] “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:
12. [Revelation 22:13] “Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
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