Is Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God? : Part Five

IS JESUS THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD? : PART 5

Copyright 1994 - 2009 Endtime Prophecy Net

Published On : May 25, 1998

Last Updated : April 11, 2009

Defining "Beloved" And The Beloved Son, Jesus Is Firstborn Of
Many Sons, Jesus' Great Sacrifice, Firstfruits Of The "Super
Race", Fallen Angels And The Evil Nephilim, Before The Throne
Of God, Jesus Is The Creator Of All Things, Other Sons Of God

At first glance, some legalists might argue that "beloved"
and "loved more" are not the same word; however, a quick
check with the Hebrew lexicon reveals that the same exact
word is used in both of the preceding examples. It is the
word "ahab". This is not the only Hebrew word which has been
translated into English as "beloved"; there are several
others. Allow me to give you one more example to again show
that "beloved" is used to show a degree of comparison
between two or more people. In the following example, the
word used is "yediyd", pronounced yed-eed'; and it is used
to show a higher degree of love for the descendants of
Benjamin than for those of his eleven brothers. After
pronouncing the blessings upon the descendants of some of
the older sons of Jacob, Moses then states concerning
Benjamin:

". . . The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him;
and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall
dwell between his shoulders."
(Deuteronomy 33:12b, KJV)

To give you one final example in the New Testament, consider
that despite the fact that the Apostle Paul knew many of the
brethren in the First Century Church, he viewed Timothy as
one of his most favorite sons in the Faith. This is because
Timothy was one of his constant travel companions as is
revealed throughout the Book of Acts, as well as in the
Epistles. In fact, Timothy was eventually ordained as the
first Bishop of Ephesus. For this reason then, Timothy was
Paul's "beloved son", just as Jesus is God's "beloved son".
There is absolutely no difference in the usage of this word
"beloved" in all of the verses I have presented. In every
case, it means a comparative love between two or more
people:

"To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace,
from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."
(2 Timothy 1:2, KJV)

"For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my
beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you
into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach
every where in every church."
(1 Corinthians 4:17, KJV)

"The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with
you. Amen. [The second [epistle unto Timotheus, ordained
the first bishop of the church of the Ephesians, was written
from Rome, when Paul was brought before Nero the second
time.]"
(2 Timothy 4:22, KJV)

Thus we see that while Paul had many sons in the Faith,
Timotheus, or Timothy, was his "beloved son", which means he
was held in special preference above all of the others. The
reason I am sharing all of this information with you is
quite simple. We have already seen what is truly meant by
referring to Jesus as "the only begotten Son of God".
Through the Scriptures I have just shared with you, we have
also just learned what is truly meant by the term "beloved
Son" when it is referring to Jesus Christ; and that is that
He is God's most favorite Son, BUT, He is not the only Son
of God! If He were God's only Son, then He could not
possibly be His most favorite or beloved Son, as there would
be no other sons with which to make this comparison.

While we see Jesus being referred to as "the only begotten
Son of God", nowhere in the four Gospels do we find Him
making the claim that He is the ONLY Son of God. Neither do
we find anyone else in the entire New Testament making that
claim either. The term "only son" is used one time in the
entire New Testament, and it is in reference to the dead son
of a widow in Luke chapter seven. A close reading of the
Scripures will reveal that Jesus simply said that God was
His Father, and that He was the Son of God. In fact, I
should also point out to you that the article "the" was used
at the discretion of the English translators. We honestly do
not know if Jesus actually said "the" or "a".

Based on the Scriptural evidence I have uncovered, I tend to
believe that whichever word Jesus may have used, He did not
mean it to be understood that He is the ONLY Son of God. In
fact, He may have been implying two things. First of all,
the Lord may have been stating that He is but one of many
spiritual sons of God who already existed in the Heavenly
Realm; and second, He may have also been stating that He is
the Firstborn of many future sons of God who were yet to be
born and adopted through belief in His name. According to
the Apostle Paul, and according to Jesus Himself in the Book
of Revelation, He was the beginning of the Creation of God;
He was God's Firstborn. This implies that others were
created, or will be created after Him. If you doubt this,
here is the proof straight from the Scriptures:

"And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the
world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits,
and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he
saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of
righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved
righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy
God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy
fellows."
(Hebrews 1:6-9, KJV)

In the above set of verses, that word "firstbegotten"
is derived from the Greek word "prototokos", which is
pronounced pro-tot-ok'-os. The Greek lexicon provides this
information concerning this word:

----- Begin Quote -----

AV - firstborn 7, first begotten 2; 9

1) the firstborn
1a) of man or beast
1b) of Christ, the first born of all creation

----- End Of Quote -----

As can be seen, the word "firstbegotten" is synonymous with
"firsborn", which means that others will follow. But exactly
what is Paul referring to here? The answer is found in the
very next words he writes: "firstbegotten into the world".
In other words, it is possible that Paul may be explaining
that Jesus was the first spiritual Being to be born into
this world in human flesh through the process of natural
childbirth, exactly as we saw earlier with the words "only
begotten". As proof of this, consider the following verses
where this same Greek word "prototokos" is also used and
translated as "firstborn":

"And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn
son: and he called his name JESUS."
(Matthew 1:25, KJV)

"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in
swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there
was no room for them in the inn."
(Luke 2:7, KJV)

Thus we see that, exactly like the Greek word "monogenes",
this word "prototokos" is also used in association with
human childbirth. However, it should be noted that this is
not the only way that Paul uses this word. We have already
seen that Jesus is "the only begotten Son of God", as well
as "the first begotten of the dead"; in other words, He was
the first born in both cases. Paul also uses this word
"prototokos" to refer to this new "Super Race" of which
Jesus is its first member:

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren."
(Romans 8:29, KJV)

"Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of
every creature: For by him were all things created, that are
in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or
powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he
is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he
is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might
have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him
should all fulness dwell;"
(Colossians 1:15-19, KJV)

"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable
company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the
firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge
of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,"
(Hebrews 12:22-23, KJV)

"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the
first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of
the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our
sins in his own blood,"
(Revelation 1:5, KJV)

Thus we see that in more ways than one, Jesus Christ truly
is the Firstborn of God's Creation. To clarify this point,
He is the first of God's spiritual beings to be born by the
Will of God in human flesh; and He is also the first of
God's "Super Race" to be raised from the dead; and it is for
this reason that He is also the first, or the favorite, or
the most beloved, of His Father. Jesus said so Himself in
the following verse:

"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write;
These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness,
the beginning of the creation of God;"
(Revelation 3:14, KJV)

This phrase "the beginning of the creation of God" refers
right back to what Paul said in his Epistle to the
Colossians:

". . . who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he might have the preeminence."
(Colossians 1:18b, KJV)

In other words, if we put all of the preceding information
together, it seems to me that when we see this phrase "the
only begotten Son of God" used to describe Jesus, it means
two things: First, that Jesus Christ is the first and ONLY
spiritual son of God to come down to Earth to dwell in human
flesh; and second, that He is the Beginning, the Firstborn,
or the First Begotten of the Dead. He is the very beginning
of God's New Creation; and that New Creation is nothing less
than the worldwide spiritual Nation of born-again Believers
by faith, who will someday, hopefully soon, acquire their
full purchased posession; that is, their new Glorified
Bodies, and thus become in every sense of the word, God's
adopted Sons and Daughters, His race of Super Children:

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his
marvellous light:"
(1 Peter 2:9, KJV)

This is "the beginning of the creation of God" that Jesus
appears to be talking about. I want to make it very clear to
you that I am not saying that God created Jesus at the
beginning of time. This would seem to be in contradiction to
the following verses from Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews
which we looked at in part two of this series:

"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)

The previous verses serve to further emphasize the Great
Sacrifice that Jesus made when He forsook His Heavenly
Abode, and His Eternal Divine Nature, in order to take upon
Himself the Earthly garb of human flesh; and then later to
give up the same by means of a cruel agonizing death, all
for the sake of we His wayward children:

"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ
died for the ungodly."
(Romans 5:6, KJV)

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down
his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the
brethren."
(1 John 3:16, KJV)

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be
equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took
upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and
given him a name which is above every name: That at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father."
(Philippians 2:5-11, KJV)

To continue our main discussion, perhaps another reason why
Jesus is referred to as "the only begotten Son of God" in
the Scriptures, is because at the time that the Gospels were
written, He was in fact the only one who had ever been
begotten through spiritual rebirth, that is, raised from the
dead and transformed into a combined physical, yet at the
same time, spiritual creature. He possessed, and does
possess, both human and Divine attributes. It is for this
reason that He is both Son of man, and Son of God.

Some people might argue, "Well, what about Lazarus, and the
little girl, and the other people who Jesus raised from the
dead?". The answer to this question seems very simple in my
view. While these people were indeed raised from the dead,
it seems to me that they were probably raised and returned
to life in their very same human bodies which had simply
been temporarily repaired. As far as we know, they did not
receive any kind of special Divine Powers or spiritual
qualities. They were not new creations like Jesus was. In
all likelihood, they eventually died natural deaths just
like everyone else, and are thus currently awaiting their
Resurrection. Their bodies have been the subjects of decay,
destruction, or corruption, as the Biblical writers refer to
it:

"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in
corruption; it is raised in incorruption: . . . Now this I
say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the
kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit
incorruption."
(1 Corinthians 15:42, 50, KJV)

"And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now
no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I
will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith
also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One
to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own
generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid
unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But he, whom God
raised again, saw no corruption."
(Acts 13:34-37, KJV)

As is evidenced by the previous verses, when our Lord was
resurrected on that Third Day, He possessed a wonderful, new
and completely different kind of body. He could still be
touched; He could still eat and drink; yet He could also do
other things such as change His physical appearance, or
suddenly appear or disappear at will. His weak human body
which had been scourged by a Roman whip, made to bleed by a
crown of thorns, and pierced by a Roman spear and nails, was
replaced by a supernatural indestructible Celestial Body.
Like a seed which falls to the ground and appears to die
during the cold winter months, but then bursts forth with
new life the following Spring, so too, Jesus allowed Himself
to be destroyed and buried, that He might take up His life
again, and in so doing, open the way for us to do the same.
Thus again we see that He is the Firstborn, that is, the
Firstfruits of many fruits to come. Consider what our Great
Master said:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall
into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it
bringeth forth much fruit."
(John 12:24, KJV)

"Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my
life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me,
but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I
received of my Father."
(John 10:17-18, KJV)

"And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of
all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should
raise it up again at the last day."
(John 6:39, KJV)

Here are a few more verses concerning the Firstfruits of the
Resurrection, taken from the writings of the Apostles Paul
and John, to further inspire your heart concerning the
glories to come:

"And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption
of our body."
(Romans 8:23, KJV)

"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the
firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But
every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits;
afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."
(1 Corinthians 15:20-23, KJV)

"These are they which were not defiled with women; for they
are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb
whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men,
being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb."
(Revelation 14:4, KJV)

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which
God hath prepared for them that love him."
(1 Corinthians 2:9, KJV)

While it would be so easy to conclude this series with these
inspiring thoughts; we still cannot overlook the important
fact that Jesus Christ is not the ONLY spiritual son of God
who exists in the Heavenly Realm at this time. Despite the
objections made by some rigid religionists, the Holy Bible
contains additional evidence to support the claim that, while
Jesus Christ is truly unique, the Beloved of the Father, the
Creator of all that is, and the Eternal High Priest after the
Order of Melchizedek, He is by no means the only son of God
who currently resides in the Heavenly Realm. There have been,
and still are, other Celestial Beings, both good and evil,
which inhabit that world which exists just beyond our human
perception. To begin with, consider the following two verses
taken from the Book of Genesis:

"That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were
fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose . . .
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after
that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men,
and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men
which were of old, men of renown."
(Genesis 6:2, 4, KJV)

While certain narrowminded Christians refuse to accept it,
as I point out in such articles as "Nephilim: The Giants Of
Genesis" and "The Book Of Enoch: Truth Or Heresy?", I
believe that the above verses are referring to rebellious
spiritual beings, or sons of God, which some have referred
to as "The Watchers". It appears that these evil creatures
came down to Earth in order to have sexual intercourse with
human women. It was through these illicit sexual acts, which
were in direct rebellion to God's will, that they produced
giant super-powerful offspring which have come to be known
as the "Nephilim". This Hebrew word is derived from the root
word "naphal" which means to fall, to fall down, or to cast
down; thus, these giants are sometimes referred to as "the
fallen ones" since they were the evil spawn of the fallen
angels. The possible motivations for this angelic rebellion
are discussed in more detail in the aforementioned articles.

While this may be difficult for some Christians to accept,
it doesn't seem to me that there is any other logical way
that these evil spiritual beings could have had sexual
intercourse with human women, unless they materialized in
some kind of physical body. Regardless of their method of
impregnation, it was because of the great evil which these
half-human half-angelic creatures introduced into the world,
that the Lord was forced to send the Flood in Noah's day:

"And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the
earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD
that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his
heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have
created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and
the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it
repenteth me that I have made them."
(Genesis 6:5-7, KJV)

Having now looked at the darker side of God's spiritual
creation, let us consider the following verses found in the
Book of Job, which also prove without a shadow of a doubt,
that there exists many benevolent sons of God as well:

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present
themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them
. . . Again there was a day when the sons of God came to
present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also
among them to present himself before the LORD."
(Job 1:6, 2:1, KJV)

As can be seen, it appears that the only evil one amongst
this group of sons of God is Satan himself. The fact that he
is mentioned as being separate and apart from the main group
may be an indication that by the time of this event, he had
already become a rebellious son of God. The previous verses
describe a day in the Heavenly Courts when the sons of God
came to present themselves before the Lord; just as knights
of old would bow themselves before their king in an act of
humble obeisance. This scenario seems to be directly related
to other such accounts of spiritual beings around the Throne
of God found in the Book of Revelation; particularly in
chapter four:

"And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him;
and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and
night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which
was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give
glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne,
who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders
fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him
that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before
the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive
glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all
things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
(Revelation 4:8-11, KJV)

All of these verses present us with some disturbing
questions: Where did these other sons of God come from; and
how long have they been in existence? As to their origin,
from the Scriptural evidence I am aware of, I believe that
these other sons of God were spiritual beings created by
Jesus Christ through the Power and Permission of God the
Father. The following verses seem to bear this out:

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any
thing made that was made."
(John 1:3, KJV)

"For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been
his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall
be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him,
and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever.
Amen."
(Romans 11:34-36, KJV)

"But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all
things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom
are all things, and we by him."
(1 Corinthians 8:6, KJV)

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the
mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid
in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:"
(Ephesians 3:9, KJV)

"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and
that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all
things were created by him, and for him: And he is before
all things, and by him all things consist."
(Colossians 1:16-17, KJV)

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in
time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these
last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed
heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;"
(Hebrews 1:1-2, KJV)

Notice that the above verses are referring to both physical
and spiritual creations. To emphasize this point, the term
"all things" is used a total of ten times, leaving us with
absolutely no doubt, that Jesus did in fact create all
things according to the Will of His Father. As to when these
other sons of God were created, the Book of Job indicates
that they were already in existence before the physical
world came into being; and that they even witnessed the
creation of the Earth:

"Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who
hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the
foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone
thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the
sons of God shouted for joy?"
(Job 38:5-7, KJV)

In Psalm eighty-two we find some very interesting verses
which may possibly be indicating that these sons of God are
actually viewed as minor gods in the Heavenly Courts below
God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ:

"[A Psalm of Asaph.] God standeth in the congregation of the
mighty; he judgeth among the gods . . . I have said, Ye are
gods; and all of you are children of the most High."
(Psalms 82:1, 6, KJV)

The above Scriptures are open to a number of different
interpretations, but they definitely seem to be saying that
God the Father truly is the God of gods in a very literal
sense, and that He has many spiritual children, referred to
here as "the congregation of the mighty", who are also
gods in their own right. Consider also the following verses:

"For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a
great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not
persons, nor taketh reward:"
(Deuteronomy 10:17, KJV)

"The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and
Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in
transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,)"
(Joshua 22:22, KJV)

"O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth
for ever."
(Psalms 136:2, KJV)

Please go to part six for the conclusion of this series.

Go To Part Six . . .