Essentials of the Christian Faith
Series
The New
Testament Revelation
of the
Father
by Mike Bugal
Founder, Heartland Christian Ministries
There is an old saying that goes, "The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.". This is said because of all of the archetypes, rituals, feasts and ceremonies that pointed to not only what would be fulfilled in Jesus' first coming and atonement, but also to the church and the End of the Age. What was cloaked in shadows in the Old Testament is revealed in the light of day in the New. This is true in the revelation by Jesus in the New Testament of His Father.
As you may recall, in the article "The Eternal Son" we determined by comparing the Old Testament to the New Testament that the God of the children of Israel (YHWH, or Yahweh) was in fact the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ (the Son). This fact flies in the face of the teaching of many cults, who believe that only the Father is truly God and that the Father in the New Testament is Yahweh (or Jehovah as some call Him... but that name is not scriptural and I don't use it) in the Old. Let's start by examining what Jesus said about the Father versus what is recorded about Israel's experience with Yahweh.
No Man Has Seen the Father
"And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape." (John 5:37)
"Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father." (John 6:46)
"And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." (Genesis 32:30)
"Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." (Isaiah 6:5)
Jesus plainly states in John's Gospel above that no man has seen the Father. Yet we know that Jesus was fully aware of the scriptures above. Jesus also says that the children of Israel have not heard the Father's voice nor seen His shape. Yet we know from Exodus that Moses heard God's voice many times (at the Burning Bush, on Mt. Sinai, etc.) and saw God's shape from behind on Mt. Sinai. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and most other Old Testament patriarchs and prophets all heard God's voice. Was Jesus mistaken? OR Was the God of the Old Testament (Yahweh) Someone other than the Father? The answer, of course, is the latter. For additional identification of Yahweh, see the "Eternal Son" article.
The Father's Shadow in the Old Testament
So, if Jesus is the God of the Old Testament, is the Father seen in the Old Testament? Remember what I said before about things in the New Testament being concealed in types and shadows in the Old Testament. The Father's "shadow"...the hint of His existence... is seen several times in the Old Testament.
"He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.' " (Psalm2:4-9, NKJV)
Note that the One Who is speaking to the nations is Yahweh, yet He makes reference to One Who is "the Lord" Who speaks to Him. This is prophetic of the day on which Yahweh would leave heaven to take on human form as the Lord Jesus Christ. Reason dictates that if one is spoken to then there must be someone who is doing the speaking. This One is the same One Who Jesus, in the New Testament, would refer to as "My Father" and "My God". Finally, note also that this conversation between the eternal Father and the eternal Son takes place prior to the Incarnation. This provides further support to the eternal nature of the Lord Jesus.
"The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth. The Lord has sworn And will not relent, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries." (Psalm 110:1:1-6, NKJV)
Once again, there is reference to One Who is "the Lord" to "My Lord" (Yahweh). He is the One Who establishes the "priesthood" of the Lord after the order of Melchizedek. Again, reason dictates that in order for someone to be spoken to there must be one who speaks. Also, for an action to be taken there must be someone who takes the action. In this scripture the One Whom Jesus will teach us to refer to as "Our Father" establishes the priesthood by which Jesus, His eternal Son, will become our High Priest and offer the atonement of His Blood once for all. For more on this, read the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament.
So we see through these verses that the Old Testament does make reference to One Whom THE Lord refers to as HIS Lord.
A verse which is NOT about "The Father"
"For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." (Isaiah 9:6-7)
This scripture is used by Oneness Pentecostals to try to say that "the Name of the Father is Jesus". Yet these are NOT names listed here, but titles. In this regard it's really rather funny. The Names by which Jesus teaches us in the New Testament to refer to the Persons of the Godhead (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) they teach are really TITLES, and yet here where these are obviously titles they say these are NAMES. Are they?
When is Jesus ever referred to in the New Testament by the NAME "wonderful", "counselor" "mighty God" or "prince of peace"? Never! That being the case, why then would only the TITLE "the everlasting Father" be His NAME? It's not His Name anymore than the other TITLES are. If it's not His Name, to what does this refer?
The title "everlasting Father" can refer to several things. He is the true "Father" of the nation of Israel, to whom He gave birth through Abraham and Sarah. He is the "Father" to all those begotten of the Holy Spirit through Him. But the title "Father" can also be "Creator" (see Webster's New World Dictionary), and it is this definition of that title that makes the most sense when taken in continuity with the rest of scripture. After all, we have already established, in the "Introduction To The Godhead" and the "Eternal Son" articles that the Son and The Father are not the same One. We have also established that the Son is the Creator of all things. Thus, we know that "the Son" cannot be "the Father", so any interpretation of these verses that attempts to make Him so is a misinterpretation and must be rejected.
Conclusion
We have seen that the Old Testament shows us a "shadow" of the existence of the Father. We have seen that the full knowledge of the Father is given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament. We have seen that Jesus is NOT the Father, but came forth from Him to fulfill His will for our salvation. We have seen, in that regard, that it was the Father Who established the Priesthood by which Jesus provided for our salvation. Most importantly, we have seen that "His" Father has now become "Our" Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.