Is Jesus The Only Begotten Son Of God? : Part Three

IS JESUS THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD? : PART 3

Copyright 1994 - 2009 Endtime Prophecy Net

Published On : May 25, 1998

Last Updated : April 11, 2009

Our Eternal High Priest, Abraham And Melchizedek, Meanings
Of King Of Peace, King Of Salem, King Of Righteousness And
Jerusalem, "Before Abraham Was, I Am", Levitical Priesthood,
Annulment Of The Old Priesthood And The Mosaic Law, The Only
Son Of God?, Christ Rules During The Millennium With A Rod
Of Iron, Defining "The Only Begotten Son Of God", The Spirit
Of Antichrist, False Prophets And Messiahs, Ultimate Evil And
Delusion, Physical And Spiritual Birth, Coming Into The World

As I mentioned earlier, Paul was somewhat hesitant to share
these deep truths with those to whom he ministered, because
he knew that they were not capable of understanding them
just yet. Following then is the full context of what he
wrote:

"Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered,
seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye
ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again
which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are
become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of
righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth
to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of
use have their senses exercised to discern both good and
evil."
(Hebrews 5:11-14, KJV)

Paul then continues his discourse by stating that it is time
to leave behind the well-established elements of the Faith,
in order to explore the deeper truths of the Spirit, God
permitting:

"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ,
let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith
toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of
hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment. And this will we do, if God permit."
(Hebrews 6:1-3, KJV)

It is later in chapter seven that Paul reveals more to us
concerning this mysterious priestly order referred to as
Melchizedek, of which Jesus Christ is the High Priest. In
fact, from the following verses, it seems rather clear that
Paul is saying that Jesus is Melchizedek; and that He is the
very one who appeared to Abraham thousands of years before,
following the Patriarch's victory over the Babylonian kings
when he freed his nephew Lot:

"For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most
high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of
the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a
tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of
righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is,
King of peace; Without father, without mother, without
descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life;
but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest
continually."
(Hebrews 7:1-3, KJV)

There are a number of interesting points I would like to
emphasize regarding the previous verses. As Paul states
above, the name "Melchizedek" means "King of Righteousness".
It is derived from the Hebrew phrase "Malkiy-Tsedeq" which
means "my king is Sedek". The Hebrew word for "king" is
"melek". In the New Testament, in the Gospel of John, we are
told that the name of the servant of the high priest, whose
ear Peter cut off during Jesus' arrest, was called Malchus:

"Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high
priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's
name was Malchus."
(John 18:10, KJV)

This name is derived from the Greek word "malchos", which
also means "king" or "kingdom". The challenge then is to
discover how we derive the word "Righteousness" from the
Hebrew word "Sedek". The answer is rather simple. During the
reign of King David, there was a priest by the name of
Zadok. This is the very same priest who anointed Solomon as
the new king of Israel at Gihon just prior to the death of
his father, King David:

"So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah
the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the
Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king
David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok the priest
took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed
Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said,
God save king Solomon."
(1 Kings 1:38-39, KJV)

You will notice the similarities between "Sedek" and
"Zadok". The name "Zadok" is derived from the Hebrew
"tsadowq" which means "righteous". Additionally, "tsadowq"
is derived from another Hebrew word, "tsadaq", which means
righteous, just, justice, or righteousness. Thus it is that
Melchizedek, or "Malkiy-Tsedeq", means "my king is Sedek",
"my king is righteous", or "King of Righteousness"; exactly
as Paul has stated in his Epistle.

Regarding the fact that Paul also calls Melchizedek the
"King of Salem" and the "King of Peace", there is also a
very simple explanation. The Greek word "Salem" is derived
from the Hebrew "shalem", or "shalam", which means "peace".
However, there is more to this mystery that what at first is
apparent. Salem is also believed my most Jewish commentators
to be one of the ancient names of Jerusalem. The name
"Jerusalem" is derived from the Hebrew "Yeruwshalaim", or
"Yeruwshalayim", which means "teaching of peace"; the word
"teaching" being derived from the Hebrew "yarah", or "yara".
I personally believe that when Paul calls Jesus, (that is,
Melchizedek), "King of Salem", he isn't referring to the
Earthly Jerusalem in Israel whatsoever, but rather to the
Heavenly City from which Melchizedek originated. After all,
it is from there, from the Holy Mount Zion of God, the
golden pyramid-shaped New Jerusalem, that we are told by the
Prophet Micah, that the law, or the teaching, shall go forth
in the last days:

"But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the
mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in
the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the
hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall
come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the
LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will
teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the
law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from
Jerusalem."
(Micah 4:1-2, KJV)

You will also find "the mountain of the house of the LORD"
discussed in some of my Endtime articles as well. The rest
of Paul's description of the High Priest Melchizedek makes
it even more clear that he is telling us that Melchizedek is
none other than Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God. Notice
that Paul states "Without father, without mother, without
descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life;
but made like unto the Son of God". If we turn to the Book
of Genesis and read the actual story of Abraham's encounter
with the mysterious Melchizedek, we discover some very
interesting similarities between the actions of this ancient
High Priest, and the events which occurred during the "Last
Supper":

"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine:
and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed
him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God,
possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high
God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And
he gave him tithes of all."
(Genesis 14:18-20, KJV)

In order for you to clearly see these parallels, here then
is the short account of the "Last Supper", taken from the
Gospel of Luke:

"And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve
apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have
desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I
say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be
fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and
gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among
yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the
fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And
he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto
them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this
do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper,
saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is
shed for you."
(Luke 22:14-20, KJV)

Thus we see that just as Jesus had done with His Disciples,
so likewise He had done with Abraham several thousands of
years before. It is my belief that it is because of this
event found in the Book of Genesis, that the Lord made the
following mysterious comment to the unbelieving Jewish
Elders:

"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it,
and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet
fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I
am."
(John 8:56-58, KJV)

In his old age, Abraham was indeed blessed to see Jesus
Christ ruling as the eternal Melchizedek; the King of Salem,
and the High Priest of God. Only four chapters later, in
Genesis chapter eighteen, we again discover that the Lord
appeared to Abraham with two of His Angels in the plain of
Mamre, just prior to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
You will find this incident discussed in more detail in such
articles as "Homosexuality And Lesbianism: To The Point!".
Returning to Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews, Paul then goes
on to explain the unique status of Melchizedek; for you see,
He was a Hight Priest when as yet the Levitical priesthood
had not even come into existence! That event wouldn't occur
until three generations later when the twelve sons of Jacob
would be born; which of course would include Levi, the
Patriarchal Father of the Levitical priesthood:

"Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the
patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily
they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of
the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the
people according to the law, that is, of their brethren,
though they come out of the loins of Abraham: But he whose
descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham,
and blessed him that had the promises . . . And as I may so
say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in
Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when
Melchisedec met him."
(Hebrews 7:4-6, 9-10, KJV)

It is following the previous explanation that the Apostle
Paul finally reveals the gist of the matter; that of course
being that the Levitical priesthood, and the keeping of the
Mosaic Law, is by no means a sufficient cause for making us
worthy of Eternal Salvation:

"If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood,
(for under it the people received the law,) what further
need was there that another priest should rise after the
order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of
Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of
necessity a change also of the law."
(Hebrews 7:11-12, KJV)

Paul then provides us with an answer and a solution by
saying that the Levitical priesthood and the Mosaic Law were
simply foreshadows of better things to come; those things
being a new High Priest with a New Covenant, which would
disannul, or void, the former priesthood and the Old Law:

"And it is yet far more evident: for that after the
similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who
is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but
after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou
art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. For
there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going
before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For
the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a
better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God."
(Hebrews 7:15-19, KJV)

Further on in this same chapter, Paul again emphasizes that
our new High Priest, Jesus Christ, has introduced a better
Testament, or Covenant; and an unchangeable, or immutable,
Eternal Priesthood; and that by offering up Himself as the
Ultimate and Final Sacrifice, He has voided the need for any
further sacrifice for sin; for through belief in Him alone,
we can now inherit Eternal Life:

"By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
And they truly were many priests, because they were not
suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man,
because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them. For such an high priest became us,
who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and
made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as
those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own
sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when
he offered up himself."
(Hebrews 7:22-27, KJV)

To sum up the main points of his discourse concerning
Melchizedek, the Eternal High Priest of God, Paul then
offers the following comments:

"Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We
have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of
the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; . . . But now hath
he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he
is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established
upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been
faultless, then should no place have been sought for the
second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the
days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in
the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the
land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant,
and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their
mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them
a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not
teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother,
saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least
to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I
remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath
made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old
is ready to vanish away."
(Hebrews 8:1, 6-13, KJV)

Having revealed these wonderful truths to us, in the ninth
chapter of his Epistle to the Hebrews, Paul continues to
reiterate the fact that the Mosaic Law and the old Levitical
priesthood have been done away with, and replaced by the
final Blood Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Eternal High
Priest of God, who is the Mediator of the New Testament, or
agreement, between God and man:

"For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an
heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying
of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to
God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new
testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the
transgressions that were under the first testament, they
which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of
necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is
of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength
at all while the testator liveth . . . Nor yet that he
should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into
the holy place every year with blood of others; For then
must he often have suffered since the foundation of the
world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared
to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and
unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time
without sin unto salvation."
(Hebrews 9:13-17, 25-28, KJV)

Having now firmly established without a shadow of a doubt
the Divine Sonship of Jesus Christ, and the Priestly Office
which He holds, we are now going to leave aside the issues
of Melchizedek and the Sacrifice of Christ, and discuss
another issue which is directly related to some of the
Scriptures and topics I have already covered in this series.

While we have proven that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of
God, we have not yet addressed the question of whether or
not He the ONLY Son of God? There are some people, and not
a few, who have interpreted some of the previous verses as
meaning exactly that; that is, that Jesus Christ is the only
Son that God has. As we will see shortly, this is most
definitely not the case. In order to validate this claim, we
are going to delve into yet another theme which has been
widely misunderstood by many modern-day Christians. Let's
begin by taking a look at some verses regarding the children
of Abraham. In the Book of Genesis, we read the following:

"And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name,
which Hagar bare, Ishmael."
(Genesis 16:15, KJV)

"And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did
unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare
Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God
had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son
that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac."
(Genesis 21:1-3, KJV)

In the previous verses we witness the birth of Abraham's two
sons; his firstborn, Ishmael, by Hagar the Egyptian handmaid
of his wife Sarah, and Isaac, the child of faith given to
him by his wife Sarah in their old age. However, notice what
the Apostle Paul tells us in his Epistle to the Hebrews:

"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and
he that had received the promises offered up his only
begotten son,"
(Hebrews 11:17, KJV)

If Genesis tells us plainly that Abraham had two sons, why
does Paul refer to Isaac as Abraham's "only begotten son"?
Is Paul contradicting the writings of the Old Testament?
Definitely not! As you probably already aware, this term
"only begotten" is also used to describe Jesus Christ in a
well-known verse from the third chapter of the Gospel of
John:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life."
(John 3:16, KJV)

The above verse is actually a fulfillment of one of many
prophecies uttered by King David in his Psalms regarding our
Saviour, and His future reign on the Earth during the coming
Millennium, when He will rule the rebellious world with a rod
of iron subduing all nations for the glory and honour of His
Father:

"Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain
thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers
take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his
anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast
away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens
shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then
shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his
sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill
of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto
me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of
me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance,
and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash
them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now
therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the
earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way,
when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they
that put their trust in him."
(Psalms 2:1-12, KJV)

In the above Psalm, I believe that the word "LORD" is
actually referring to God the Father who is speaking to His
Son, Jesus Christ, who is referred to as "his anointed", "my
Son", and "the Son". Notice also the phrase "this day have I
begotten thee". As we have already seen, these are some of
the very same phrases we find being used in the four Gospels
to describe Jesus Christ. Thus in this prophetic Psalm, we
witness the glorious reign of the Father and Son team during
the Millennium. As I have mentioned in some of my Endtime
articles, the Prophet Daniel also spoke of these coming
events. In the second chapter of the book named after him,
the Prophet interprets a wonderful night vision given to
King Nebuchadnezzar, in which the Babylonian king sees a
great image composed of different types of metal and clay.
This towering statue is then struck in the feet by a rock
which causes it to go crashing to the ground. In his
interpretation of this particular part of the vision, the
Prophet Daniel states the following:

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set
up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the
kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall
stand for ever."
(Daniel 2:44, KJV)

As we saw earlier, in the Gospel of Matthew, while speaking
to the chief priests and the Pharisees, Jesus refers to this
very same prophecy, in order to make a point with these
self-righteous rulers of ancient Israel. You might also want
to take note of the similarities in the verse references:

"Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures,
The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become
the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is
marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The
kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a
nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever
shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever
it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."
(Matthew 21:42-44, KJV)

The spiritual unity between the Old and the New Testaments
is truly amazing. Although written hundreds, and possibly
thousands of years apart, they fit together like a hand in
a glove. Similar to King David, Daniel and Jesus, the
Apostle John likewise mentioned the Lord's coming rule of
iron three times in the Book of Revelation:

"And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels
of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I
received of my Father."
(Revelation 2:27, KJV)

"And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all
nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto
God, and to his throne."
(Revelation 12:5, KJV)

"And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he
should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod
of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and
wrath of Almighty God."
(Revelation 19:15, KJV)

Returning to the phrases "Thou art my Son" and "only
begotten", in Acts chapter thirteen, when the Apostle Paul
preached in the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia, he also
made mention of the prophecies found in Psalm Two when he
said:

"God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that
he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the
second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten
thee."
(Acts 13:33, KJV)

This prophecy has much greater significance than most people
realize. The fact that it is mentioned in the Psalms, in the
Gospels, in the Book of Acts and in the Epistles, certainly
attests to this fact. Exactly what is it that the writers
were trying to tell us by using this phrase? Have we truly
understood their message?

The key to understanding this wonderful mystery is found in
the meaning of the phrase "only begotten". It is derived
from the Greek word "monogenes", pronounced mon-og-en-ace',
which means "single of its kind", or "only". With this
understanding of the term, it is easy to see how Paul was
not contradicting the Book of Genesis when he stated that
Isaac was the only-begotten son of Abraham. It also helps us
to understand how Jesus can still be "the only begotten Son
of God" even if there are other sons of God. You see, Isaac
truly was the only son begotten, or born to, Abraham by
Sarah his wife, which makes him a single of a kind. It
should also be noted that in Hebrews chapter eleven, Paul is
discussing the heroes of faith; and Isaac definitely was the
seed of faith to Abraham and Sarah, and not Ishmael. He was
the only one born for that specific purpose. In like manner,
Jesus Christ is also a single of a kind because He is the
only Son of God who was begotten, that is, conceived in the
womb of a woman, and then born through the natural process
of childbirth; all by the direct Will of God. To further
help you to understand the meaning of this word "begotten"
as it is used in the Bible, consider the following example:

"And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted
thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy
sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon
me? Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them,
that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as
a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land
which thou swarest unto their fathers?"
(Numbers 11:11-12, KJV)

In the previous verses, the Hebrew word for "conceive" is
"harah". It means to become pregnant through the union of
egg and sperm. On the other hand, the Hebrew word for
"begotten" is "yalad" which refers to the actual act of
bearing or bringing forth a child through delivery, or
natural childbirth. Based upon these verses, we see that the
fact that Jesus is referred to as "the only begotten Son of
God", means in part that He is the ONLY Son of God who was
ever born in human flesh through an Earthly mother. He was
conceived in the flesh by a work of God's Spirit, and then
brought forth, or begotten, through the process of human
childbirth. This is precisely the main point of the opening
verses of the Gospel of John. In the first fourteen verses
of the first chapter, John describes for us Jesus Christ's
pre-existence with His Father in the Spiritual Realm as the
Creator of the Universe. He then explains to us how Jesus
was willing to leave His Heavenly Abode in order to become
the Light of the World. Exactly how did He do this? By
taking upon Himself the form of lowly human flesh as the
following verse demonstrates:

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we
beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father,) full of grace and truth."
(John 1:14, KJV)

It is very significant that it isn't until this fourteenth
verse that we find John referring to Jesus as "the only
begotten of the Father". Why is this? I am convinced that it
is because it isn't until this point in his narration that
Jesus has taken on human flesh; in other words, He, the
Eternal Son of God, has just been begotten, or born, through
natural childbirth, exactly as previous Scriptural examples
have shown us. To reiterate then, John is telling us that
Jesus is the ONLY Son of God to have ever been born, or
begotten, in the flesh. This point is so important to John,
that of the six times the phrase "only begotten" is used in
the New Testament, five of those times, it is written by
John himself. In his fourth Epistle, John again uses the
process of coming into the world through natural childbirth,
together with this phrase, thus leaving no doubt in my mind,
that this is what is to be understood, at least in part, by
Jesus being referred to as the "only begotten Son of God":

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because
that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we
might live through him."
(1 John 4:9, KJV)

Please go to part four for the continuation of this series.

Go To Part Four . . .