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He was God: (2:12) For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (col 2:9) (2:13) see And He was not God: (2:14) I can of mine own self do nothing: ..because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. (joh 5:30) (2:15) see My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (mrk 15:34) (2:16) see But of that day and that hour knoweth no man,.. neither the Son, but the Father. (mrk 13:32) (2:17) see These words can be understood spiritually through the concept that Jesus is the image of God, explained in the Bible as follows: (2:18) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2co 4:4) (2:19) see God can be likened to a spiritual "sun," and Jesus to a perfect mirror reflecting the light of that "sun." If you look at a mirror and say "I see the sun," you speak the truth. And if you look at the mirror and say "I see the image of the sun," you also speak the truth. In the same way, if you look at Jesus and say "I see God," you speak the truth. And if you look at Jesus and say "I see the image of God," you also speak the truth. (2:20) Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. (joh 12:44) (2:21) see For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. (joh 12:49) (2:22) see So, the answer to the question "Is Jesus God or not God," repeatedly stated in the Bible, is "He is both." (2:23) Understanding the twofold nature of both the Word of God and of Christ is the only way to effectively decipher the prophecies of the Old Testament referring to Christ's First Coming. (2:24) Regarding the Second Coming, these same principles apply.
(2:25)
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