Sunday, April 24, 2016

Christology and Revelation 1:1

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John. (Rev 1:1 NRSV)


The opening verse of the book of Revelation is a verse that is often overlooked in discussions about the Trinity, but it deals this theory a deathblow. Why? In this verse, not only is there a distinction between "God" (not simply the person of the Father) and "Jesus” (something that is not tolerated in Trinitarianism), but also God has to give Jesus a revelation (not simply commission him to speak His words as his agent), notwithstanding His now being glorified after his ascension (cf. Phil 2:5-11). Such does not fit well with creedal Trinitarian formulations of Christology, but is part-and-parcel of Latter-day Saint Christology whose “Jesus” is the true “Biblical Jesus.”