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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



At first glance, some legalists might argue that "beloved" and "loved more" are not the same word; however, a quick check with the Hebrew lexicon reveals that the same exact word is used in both of the preceding examples. It is the word "ahab". This is not the only Hebrew word which has been translated into English as "beloved"; there are several others. Allow me to give you one more example to again show that "beloved" is used to show a degree of comparison between two or more people. In the following example, the word used is "yediyd", pronounced yed-eed'; and it is used to show a higher degree of love for the descendants of Benjamin than for those of his eleven brothers. After pronouncing the blessings upon the descendants of some of the older sons of Jacob, Moses then states concerning Benjamin:

". . . The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders."


To give you one final example in the New Testament, consider that despite the fact that the Apostle Paul knew many of the brethren in the First Century Church, he viewed Timothy as one of his most favorite sons in the Faith. This is because Timothy was one of his constant travel companions as is revealed throughout the Book of Acts, as well as in the Epistles. In fact, Timothy was eventually ordained as the first Bishop of Ephesus. For this reason then, Timothy was Paul's "beloved son", just as Jesus is God's "beloved son". There is absolutely no difference in the usage of this word "beloved" in all of the verses I have presented. In every case, it means a comparative love between two or more people:

"To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."


"For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church."


"The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. [The second [epistle unto Timotheus, ordained the first bishop of the church of the Ephesians, was written from Rome, when Paul was brought before Nero the second time.]"


Thus we see that while Paul had many sons in the Faith, Timotheus, or Timothy, was his "beloved son", which means he was held in special preference above all of the others. The reason I am sharing all of this information with you is quite simple. We have already seen what is truly meant by referring to Jesus as "the only begotten Son of God". Through the Scriptures I have just shared with you, we have also just learned what is truly meant by the term "beloved Son" when it is referring to Jesus Christ; and that is that He is God's most favorite Son, BUT, He is not the only Son of God! If He were God's only Son, then He could not possibly be His most favorite or beloved Son, as there would be no other sons with which to make this comparison.

While we see Jesus being referred to as "the only begotten Son of God", nowhere in the four Gospels do we find Him making the claim that He is the ONLY Son of God. Neither do we find anyone else in the entire New Testament making that claim either. The term "only son" is used one time in the entire New Testament, and it is in reference to the dead son of a widow in Luke chapter seven. A close reading of the Scriptures will reveal that Jesus simply said that God was His Father, and that He was the Son of God. In fact, I should also point out to you that the article "the" was used at the discretion of the English translators. We honestly do not know if Jesus actually said "the" or "a".

Based on the Scriptural evidence I have uncovered, I tend to believe that whichever word Jesus may have used, He did not mean it to be understood that He is the ONLY Son of God. In fact, He may have been implying two things. First of all, the Lord may have been stating that He is but one of many spiritual sons of God who already existed in the Heavenly Realm; and second, He may have also been stating that He is the Firstborn of many future sons of God who were yet to be born and adopted through belief in His name. According to the Apostle Paul, and according to Jesus Himself in the Book of Revelation, He was the beginning of the Creation of God; He was God's Firstborn. This implies that others were created, or will be created after Him. If you doubt this, here is the proof straight from the Scriptures:

"And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."


In the above set of verses, that word "firstbegotten" is derived from the Greek word "prototokos", which is pronounced pro-tot-ok'-os. The Greek lexicon provides this information concerning this word:

----- Begin Quote -----

AV - firstborn 7, first begotten 2; 9

1) the firstborn
  1a) of man or beast
  1b) of Christ, the first born of all creation

----- End Of Quote -----

As can be seen, the word "firstbegotten" is synonymous with "firstborn", which means that others will follow. But exactly what is Paul referring to here? The answer is found in the very next words he writes: "firstbegotten into the world". In other words, it is possible that Paul may be explaining that Jesus was the first spiritual Being to be born into this world in human flesh through the process of natural childbirth, exactly as we saw earlier with the words "only begotten". As proof of this, consider the following verses where this same Greek word "prototokos" is also used and translated as "firstborn":

"And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS."


"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."


Thus we see that, exactly like the Greek word "monogenes", this word "prototokos" is also used in association with human childbirth. However, it should be noted that this is not the only way that Paul uses this word. We have already seen that Jesus is "the only begotten Son of God", as well as "the first begotten of the dead"; in other words, He was the first born in both cases. Paul also uses this word "prototokos" to refer to this new "Super Race" of which Jesus is its first member:

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."


"Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;"


"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,"


"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,"


Thus we see that in more ways than one, Jesus Christ truly is the Firstborn of God's Creation. To clarify this point, He is the first of God's spiritual beings to be born by the Will of God in human flesh; and He is also the first of God's "Super Race" to be raised from the dead; and it is for this reason that He is also the first, or the favorite, or the most beloved, of His Father. Jesus said so Himself in the following verse:

"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;"


This phrase "the beginning of the creation of God" refers right back to what Paul said in his Epistle to the Colossians:

". . . who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."


In other words, if we put all of the preceding information together, it seems to me that when we see this phrase "the only begotten Son of God" used to describe Jesus, it means two things: First, that Jesus Christ is the first and ONLY spiritual son of God to come down to Earth to dwell in human flesh; and second, that He is the Beginning, the Firstborn, or the First Begotten of the Dead. He is the very beginning of God's New Creation; and that New Creation is nothing less than the worldwide spiritual Nation of born-again Believers by faith, who will someday, hopefully soon, acquire their full purchased possession; that is, their new Glorified Bodies, and thus become in every sense of the word, God's adopted Sons and Daughters, His race of Super Children:

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"


This is "the beginning of the creation of God" that Jesus appears to be talking about. I want to make it very clear to you that I am not saying that God created Jesus at the beginning of time. This would seem to be in contradiction to the following verses from Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews which we looked at in part two of this series:

"For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually."


The previous verses serve to further emphasize the Great Sacrifice that Jesus made when He forsook His Heavenly Abode, and His Eternal Divine Nature, in order to take upon Himself the Earthly garb of human flesh; and then later to give up the same by means of a cruel agonizing death, all for the sake of we His wayward children:

"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."


"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."


"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."


To continue our main discussion, perhaps another reason why Jesus is referred to as "the only begotten Son of God" in the Scriptures, is because at the time that the Gospels were written, He was in fact the only one who had ever been begotten through spiritual rebirth, that is, raised from the dead and transformed into a combined physical, yet at the same time, spiritual creature. He possessed, and does possess, both human and Divine attributes. It is for this reason that He is both Son of man, and Son of God.

Some people might argue, "Well, what about Lazarus, and the little girl, and the other people who Jesus raised from the dead?". The answer to this question seems very simple in my view. While these people were indeed raised from the dead, it seems to me that they were probably raised and returned to life in their very same human bodies which had simply been temporarily repaired. As far as we know, they did not receive any kind of special Divine Powers or spiritual qualities. They were not new creations like Jesus was. In all likelihood, they eventually died natural deaths just like everyone else, and are thus currently awaiting their Resurrection. Their bodies have been the subjects of decay, destruction, or corruption, as the Biblical writers refer to it:

"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: . . . Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."


"And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption."


As is evidenced by the previous verses, when our Lord was resurrected on that Third Day, He possessed a wonderful, new and completely different kind of body. He could still be touched; He could still eat and drink; yet He could also do other things such as change His physical appearance, or suddenly appear or disappear at will. His weak human body which had been scourged by a Roman whip, made to bleed by a crown of thorns, and pierced by a Roman spear and nails, was replaced by a supernatural indestructible Celestial Body. Like a seed which falls to the ground and appears to die during the cold winter months, but then bursts forth with new life the following Spring, so too, Jesus allowed Himself to be destroyed and buried, that He might take up His life again, and in so doing, open the way for us to do the same. Thus again we see that He is the Firstborn, that is, the Firstfruits of many fruits to come. Consider what our Great Master said:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."


"Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father."


"And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day."


Here are a few more verses concerning the Firstfruits of the Resurrection, taken from the writings of the Apostles Paul and John, to further inspire your heart concerning the glories to come:

"And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."


"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."


"These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb."


"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."


While it would be so easy to conclude this series with these inspiring thoughts; we still cannot overlook the important fact that Jesus Christ is not the ONLY spiritual son of God who exists in the Heavenly Realm at this time. Despite the objections made by some rigid religionists, the Holy Bible contains additional evidence to support the claim that, while Jesus Christ is truly unique, the Beloved of the Father, the Creator of all that is, and the Eternal High Priest after the Order of Melchizedek, He is by no means the only son of God who currently resides in the Heavenly Realm. There have been, and still are, other Celestial Beings, both good and evil, which inhabit that world which exists just beyond our human perception. To begin with, consider the following two verses taken from the Book of Genesis:

"That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose . . . There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."


While certain narrow-minded Christians refuse to accept it, as I point out in such articles as "Nephilim: The Giants Of Genesis" and "The Book Of Enoch: Truth Or Heresy?", I believe that the above verses are referring to rebellious spiritual beings, or sons of God, which some have referred to as "The Watchers". It appears that these evil creatures came down to Earth in order to have sexual intercourse with human women. It was through these illicit sexual acts, which were in direct rebellion to God's will, that they produced giant super-powerful offspring which have come to be known as the "Nephilim". This Hebrew word is derived from the root word "naphal" which means to fall, to fall down, or to cast down; thus, these giants are sometimes referred to as "the fallen ones" since they were the evil spawn of the fallen angels. The possible motivations for this angelic rebellion are discussed in more detail in the aforementioned articles.

While this may be difficult for some Christians to accept, it doesn't seem to me that there is any other logical way that these evil spiritual beings could have had sexual intercourse with human women, unless they materialized in some kind of physical body. Regardless of their method of impregnation, it was because of the great evil which these half-human half-angelic creatures introduced into the world, that the Lord was forced to send the Flood in Noah's day:

"And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them."


Having now looked at the darker side of God's spiritual creation, let us consider the following verses found in the Book of Job, which also prove without a shadow of a doubt, that there exists many benevolent sons of God as well:

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them . . . Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD."


As can be seen, it appears that the only evil one amongst this group of sons of God is Satan himself. The fact that he is mentioned as being separate and apart from the main group may be an indication that by the time of this event, he had already become a rebellious son of God. The previous verses describe a day in the Heavenly Courts when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord; just as knights of old would bow themselves before their king in an act of humble obeisance. This scenario seems to be directly related to other such accounts of spiritual beings around the Throne of God found in the Book of Revelation; particularly in chapter four:

"And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."


All of these verses present us with some disturbing questions: Where did these other sons of God come from; and how long have they been in existence? As to their origin, from the Scriptural evidence I am aware of, I believe that these other sons of God were spiritual beings created by Jesus Christ through the Power and Permission of God the Father. The following verses seem to bear this out:

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."


"For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen."


"But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."


"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:"


"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."


"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;"


Notice that the above verses are referring to both physical and spiritual creations. To emphasize this point, the term "all things" is used a total of ten times, leaving us with absolutely no doubt, that Jesus did in fact create all things according to the Will of His Father. As to when these other sons of God were created, the Book of Job indicates that they were already in existence before the physical world came into being; and that they even witnessed the creation of the Earth:

"Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"


In Psalm eighty-two we find some very interesting verses which may possibly be indicating that these sons of God are actually viewed as minor gods in the Heavenly Courts below God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ:

"[A Psalm of Asaph.] God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods . . . I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High."


The above Scriptures are open to a number of different interpretations, but they definitely seem to be saying that God the Father truly is the God of gods in a very literal sense, and that He has many spiritual children, referred to here as "the congregation of the mighty", who are also gods in their own right. Consider also the following verses:

"For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:"


"The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,)"


"O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever."


Please go to part six for the conclusion of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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