Where Are the Dead?

The Three Natures of Christ

Angel, Man, Devine

Part One: The Logos

Angel, Human. Devine

The Three Natures of Christ

The Logos

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word (logos) was

with God, and the Word (logos) was God. John 1:1

"In the beginning": These same words introduce us to the Bible as

the record of the world's creation in the book of Genesis, but here

the reference is to a beginning long before the creation of this

earth. At the beginning mentioned in Genesis, Job tells us that the

morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for

joy. There were then at that time angelic beings, sons of God,

previously in existence, who rejoiced at this further manifestation

of divine power in the creation of this world. There must have

been a beginning, so far as they were concerned, long before. It

is to this original beginning that our text refers, a beginning before

the angels were created. To what beginning, then, could it refer—

a beginning of what? We answer that it was not the beginning of

the divine being, for respecting the heavenly Father, Jehovah, the

Almighty, we have the distinct statement that from everlasting to

everlasting he is God—he had no beginning. Hence the beginning

mentioned in our text refers neither to man, nor to angels, nor to

the Father: it does refer to the "beginning of the creation of

God" (Rev. 3:14), a name or title given to the only begotten of the

Father, who subsequently became our Redeemer and Lord,

Jesus. With this thought in mind all is clear: the Apostle's

explanation has settled the matter.

This original or beginning or first creation of God in our text is

called the Word of God—the Logos. History tells us that in olden

times it was customary to regard the person of the king as too

sacred to be seen by the common people except on special

occasions, and that when certain great laws or edicts were to be

announced it was customary for the king to be screened by a

lattice from the gaze of the multitude assembled, while before the

lattice stood a person who enjoyed the king's favor and

confidence and who became his representative and was called

the king's word, because he spoke in a loud, audible tone the

commands and directions of the king, who communicated with

him in a low voice from beyond the lattice work. This illustration

gives us a clue to the use of the Word as one of the titles of the

only begotten Son of God. It suggests to us what the Scriptures

variously declare, namely—that all of the Father's dealings with all

others of his creatures are done indirectly through the Son, his

mouthpiece, his Word, his representative.

In the beginning the Word was alone with the Father, the Apostle

declares. But the whole matter is still more clearly seen when we

take the literal reading of the Greek, because in it the Greek

article appears before the word rendered God, which would make

the translation into English properly read, "And the Word was with

the God." Here we see most clearly and beautifully the close

relationship existing in the very remote past between the heavenly

Father and the heavenly Son, between the Almighty God and his

only begotten Son, in whom centered all the divine purposes and

through whom he was pleased to manifest every feature of the

divine power and glory.

The next statement, "And the Word was God," is not to be

understood as contradicting the statements previously and

elsewhere made, but the distinction is considerably lost in the

translation. We explain, therefore, that here the Greek article does

not appear before the word translated God, and hence the

thought in the statement is a God, as in contrast with the previous

statement, the God. Thus understood the passage would properly

read, "The Word was with the God and the Word was a God." Ah,

now we have it clearly! The word god signifies mighty one, and in

the Scriptures is used not only respecting the Father but also

respecting the Son, also in reference to the angels, and in one

instance when referring to men, influential men—the seventy

elders of Israel whom Moses appointed or designated elohim, that

is gods, mighty ones. The thought in our text, then, is that the

Word of God, the Only Begotten of the Father, the beginning of

the creation of God, was created on a nobler and higher plane of

being, endued with grand qualities, so that he was in very fact a

god—not the Father, not the God, not Jehovah, but "The Son of

the Highest." The Apostle Paul clearly sets forth this matter,

saying, "To us [Christians] there is one God the Father, and one

Lord Jesus Christ."—I Cor. 8:6."1

He was in the beginning with God. John 1:2

“The second verse reiterates and thus emphasizes the statement

that the Word, which was a God, was in the beginning (before the

creation of others) with the God. If anyone were in danger of

misunderstanding the statement of the first verse that the Word

was a God, if in any danger of thinking of this as signifying that

the Word was the God, the second verse would correct the error

by showing that the Word as a God was with the God, and that

therefore they were two and not one in person.”2

All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him

nothing that exists came into being. John 1:3

“The third verse is a grand, comprehensive statement, which

gives us a glimpse of the great honor and dignity of the Son of

God, "the Only Begotten" of the Father, the "beginning of the

creation of God." "All things were made by him," by the Word—

angels, worlds, mankind—all things: "Without him was not one

thing made that was made." How grandly, how gloriously, the

dignity and honor and position of our great Lord looms up before

us as we think of how highly the Father honored him, even before

The Life and Light of Men, Zion’s Watchtower, R3474 : page 376. December 15, 1904

he came into the world, even before he manifested his obedience

to the Father's will even unto death.”3

Originally there was but one being in existence, Almighty God.

He alone is from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 90:2), without

beginning or end. (Isaiah 41:4; Habakkuk 1:12; Psalm 102:12;

Isaiah 40:28) The Logos was the beginning of Almighty God’s

creative works, his only begotten son in that the Logos was the

one part of creation God alone created. All other beings and

worlds were created through the Logos. (John 3:16, 18; Col.1:15;

1 Corn. 8:5)

THE LOGOS AS ARCH-ANGEL

“This term signifies chief-messenger, and occurs but twice, Jude

9; 1 Thes. 4:16. It is never used in the plural, and altogether

seems to teach that there is but the one chief-messenger of

Jehovah.”

This chief-messenger is called Michael. Jesus was call the

messenger of the covenant in Mal. 3:1. We conclude that HE

must have been "chief messenger." Surely we may well reason

that Jehovah's first-born, the beginning of the creation of God,

would be the chief. And the thought gathers force as we

remember that he was the "only begotten of the Father"—the only

being whom Jehovah directly created, and in this sense the Alpha

and Omega, the beginning and ending of Jehovah's creation, who

"was before all things, and by whom [as Jehovah's agent] all

things consist" (Col. 1:16,17), "Without him was not any thing

made that was made" (John 1:3)." It is logical from the above that

Jesus in his pre-human existence is Michael the Arch-angel. The

chief of all the angelic host.

“Examining the various connections in which the word is found

should teach us something. We find Jude using it (vs. 9) with

The Life and Light of Men, Zion’s Watchtower, R3474 : page 376. December 15, 1904

profound respect, as of one in superior control. In Daniel

10:13-21; 12:1, Michael is again mentioned in great respect, and

as the superior of Gabriel, who himself was one of the most

honored angels (Luke 1:19). Further it is significant, that in the

announcement of the conception of Jesus, Gabriel was sent

(Luke 1:26), a fact which can scarcely be accounted for otherwise

than as we now do, by supposing that it was the chief-messenger

whose existence was transferred from being in a form of God (a

spiritual being), to the babe of Bethlehem, to become a man.

Doubtless the chiefest messenger remaining in the courts of glory

was sent on that most marked and notable occasion.

In Dan. 12:1, the prophecy touches the Day of the Lord and its

events—the very time in which we are living—the time of

resurrection, etc., and instead of saying, Then shall Messiah set

up his kingdom, etc., it says, "At that time shall Michael stand up

[begin to exercise his power and dominion]—the GREAT

PRINCE, etc." We reason that this Great Prince—Michael—

Jehovah's chief-messenger, is none other than the Lord of glory,

whose presence we are now proclaiming. But the key to the

whole matter seems to be in our hands when we learn that the

name Michael means: "Who as God," or "Who is like God."

Who is like God but him whom God hath highly exalted

and given a name above every name; who is partaker of

the divine nature, and "the express image of the Father's

person," of whom it is written, that "All men should honor

the Son even as they honor the Father," also—"And let all

the angels of God worship him"? With the meaning of the

word Michael in this last text how significantly it reads: At

that time shall he who is like God stand up—come into

power—the Great Prince. Yes, he shall take to himself his

great power and reign. (Compare Dan. 12:1,2; Rev.

11:17,18.)" R490

We have seen the first of Christ’s three natures, the

angelic. We have learned that Michael which means “Who

is Like God” was the beginning of God’s creative work, his

beloved son, through whom he created all other things,