Page 60 - Cults and Marginal Groups - Textbook w videos short

Conclusion: The One coming is Jesus who is the Alpha and Omega. In ALL OF SCRIPTURE, the only
verses that reference “coming quickly” are all referring to the coming of Jesus Christ!

Final Conclusion: Jesus Christ is ALPHA and OMEGA, the beginning and the end, the first and the last,
the One who is coming quickly, the great I AM, YHWH, eternal God!!!

John 10:29-30
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s
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hand. I and the Father are one.”

NWT “I and the Father are one” JWs say this means that Jesus is “one” with Jehovah meaning they are
in unity with one another. Jesus used the word hen (one) also in John 17:21-22 where Jesus prayed to
the Father that the “disciples may be one just as you, Father, are in union with me and I in union with
you.” Clearly, Jesus was not praying that all the disciples become a single entity!

Here is your rebuttal: Any first-year Greek student can tell you, the context is ALWAYS determinative in
how a given word is to be interpreted in a sentence. The context of John 10 makes it clear the much
more is meant than unity. How do we know? By the reaction of the crowd! They picked up stones to
put Jesus to death. They understood that Jesus was claiming to be God in an unqualified sense. The
people even answered Jesus, saying, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for
blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself GOD!” The penalty for blasphemy (Lev. 24) was
stoning!

John 17: 2, where Jesus prays that the disciples may all be one, is entirely different. This use of one
means unity amongst their diversity. You cannot take the use of a word in one passage and interpret a
distant verse using the same word’s usage!

These verses point to the ONENESS of Christ with the Father:

John 14:9 Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
John 5:19 Whatever the Father does, that I do likewise.
John 5:23 Whoever does not honor me does not honor the Father who sent me.
John 16:15 All that the Father has is mine.

John 20:28
When Thomas beheld the risen Christ, he responded, “My Lord and My God!”

JWs say Thomas was crying out in surprise and said this like someone would say, “Oh, my God!” They
also say that Thomas may have said this because Jesus appeared to be a god to Thomas, but not
necessarily was God. In other words, Thomas was recognizing that Jesus was a god, but not God
Almighty.

Rebuttal:
If Thomas was expressing surprise at seeing Jesus, then what he said, if not a true declaration, would
have been a careless use of God’s name, amounting to blasphemy. Surely, if this was the case, Jesus
would have rebuked him for saying such a thing! But He did not. Jesus not only did NOT rebuke him, but
commended Thomas for finally coming to believe He was who He said He was (both Lord and God).

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