Chapter 1
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The Godhead

What a joy it is for me to share the Doctrines of the Bible with you. These twenty-four doctrines will have a profound, far-reaching effect on your life. The teaching of the Godhead is of great importance. Most people believe in the existence of God and those who don't are known as atheists. Very few atheists remain atheistic on their deathbed. The Bible does not try to prove Gods existence. It simply declares it.
In Genesis 1:1
"In the beginning God..."
The Bible introduces Gods existence as a fact.
The first thing that we do when studying about the Godhead is to clearly look at several proofs of the existence of God.

Firstly we deal with the proof of CAUSE.
Someone created the Universe and caused its existence.
Who else could it be than God and it is His amazing masterpiece.
The earth weighs over 6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 metric tons.  It travels at the speed of 6700 miles per hour, on a course of 584 million miles around the Sun. The earth when compared in size to the universe is smaller than a grain of sand on the seashore. The sun is 1.3 million times bigger than the earth and the smallest star is 1 million, million times larger than the earth. The Alpha Centauri is the nearest star to the earth and is a distant 23,520,000,000,000 miles away. A gigantic star was recently discovered with a diameter of 93 million miles.
Our Solar System > is immense and has over a 100,000 million Stars. Its diameter is 7500 million miles. Outside of our solar system there are millions of other solar systems and together they form the Milky Way. Our Milky Way is > about 703,883,520,000,000,000 miles wide and has over one hundred thousand, million stars.  Together with countless other milky ways they form the galaxy we belong to.
Our Galaxy is a part of over one hundred thousand other galaxies in the Universe.
The vastness of the Universe and the creative ability of God are beyond imagination.
Yet there are people that reason that the Universe came come about by chance or something other than God.
Psalm14:1
"The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God."

This visible, vast, genial Universe becomes more marvelous when examining the matter it is made of.
One grain of sand the size of a pinhead, when examined under a microscope becomes a miniature universe, consisting of millions of microscopic atoms.  Each atom is made up of smaller particles spinning around each other, invisible to the naked eye.
Creation is difficult to measure, however large or small!

Second we deal with the proof of DESIGN.
Everything that is designed has a designer. A dress suit is designed and made by a tailor. A watch or clock by a watchmaker. A home or building by an architect. It would be ludicrous and ridiculous to think that all these beautiful things came about by some event of chance or some chemical reaction.
The workings of the immeasurable Universe with moving planets, stars, galaxies and mathematical equations are complex. It makes the design of a manufactured watch, vehicle or supersonic jet look like child's play. 
There are so many amazing variations in nature that cannot be by chance. There are the beautiful rainbow colors of blue, red, yellow, green, orange, emerald and gold.  The satisfying tastes of tropical fruit, a sweet honeycomb, a juicy steak and refreshing crystal clear water are so inviting. The perfumes of blossoming flowers, the smell of early mornings and approaching rain are so refreshing. The feel of the softness of wool and the smooth touch of silk are so delicate. The clear harmonic sounds of musical orchestras and singing choirs are so relaxing. Can anyone doubt that it is God who created a blue sky, white clouds and magnificent golden sunsets? He landscaped and adorned the majestic mountains and deep valleys. He blanketed them with green rain forests, meandering crystal clear streams, beautiful flowers, colorful butterflies, chirping birds and different kinds of animals.
Behind all of this there must be a Master Designer - GOD

Third we deal with the proof of INTUITION.
All humans on the face of the earth have a natural intuition and desire within them, to worship God. We see this in mans behavior in all forms of religion. They worship the sun, the moon, idols, objects and creatures. Why?
There seems to be a driving force within man to worship a higher being. This is also evident in areas where civilization has had no influence. Where does this intuition come from?  Has it been implanted by God? Does God desire to be worshiped by man?

Fourth we deal with the proof of PURPOSE.
Everything exists for a purpose. The sun gives us light and warmth. The clouds give us rain.
The purpose of the creation of human life is defined in mans final destination; Eternity, with or without God.
Grey hairs, decaying teeth, facial wrinkles all indicate a life, fast approaching its end. At death each person faces eternity and a real God who has reached out with love and friendship to man. This is the ultimate purpose of creation.

What a tragedy that man so often brushes aside Gods loving gestures in ignorance.
We ascribe greatness to God who created such a great Universe. It seems difficult to think that such a great God, can somehow condescend to communicate with man. It would be like a giant trying to communicate with an ant. Almost an impossible task for God to say to man -

"This is who I am and this is what I look like."

God therefore decided to systematically reveal the Godhead to man. He would reveal the three persons of the Godhead, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, over a period of time. He decided to reveal more and more about Himself, so that man could slowly receive and digest this revelation. God pulled back the curtain and man saw more and more of God, as time passed.
Now let us look at this systematic revelation of the Godhead.

A Systematic Revelation of the Godhead.
Over the last six thousand years, God has revealed the Godhead to mankind systematically. He has revealed God the Father, Jesus the Son and Holy Spirit, little by little, from time to time. In this way He has revealed to us His characteristics and Divine nature.  In eternity we will see God, face to face as He is and find out more about Him.
Because of this revelation we now know about His love, holiness, righteousness, goodness, kindness, mercy, grace, forgiveness, peace, joy, power, truth, justice, omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence.

About six thousand years ago God first revealed Himself to man as Elohim.
Genesis 1:1
" In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heaven and the earth."
The word God rendered here in the Hebrew text is Elohim and is made up of two parts -
1. El
2.  Ohim

El - means God
Ohim -is plural for three persons.
Therefore the first revelation that God gave about Himself to Adam was that He is a God of three persons.
If God is only one person the word would have been El-oah in the Hebrew text.
Adam knew that he was dealing with a God of three persons. That is why the Godhead is known to man as the Tri-une God or Trinity.
The Godhead is referred to in:
Romans 1:20
"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead;"

The first person of the Godhead revealed is God the Father.
Then Jesus Christ the Son of God is revealed.
Then the Holy Spirit is revealed.

The different names of God reveal more about His character and nature.
Psalm 9:10
"And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee."
God revealed His names to man so that man would trust Him.
Not one name could adequately express the fullness of God and so additional names were needed from time to time to complete this revelation.

The revelation of God the Father.

From this time to the end of the Old Testament God the Father is revealed to mankind.

When Abraham was ninety-nine years old God revealed His second name to the world as > EL-SHADDAI.

This took place about 1898 B.C.

Genesis 17:1

"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am Elshaddai."

Understanding His name El-shaddai:

El - means God.

Shaddai - means almighty.

Here God reveals that He is God Almighty.

Then God revealed Himself to Moses as Yahweh. (Jehovah)

This took place about 1491 B.C.

Exodus 3:13

"And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me: What is his name? What shall I say unto them?

Moses asked God what His name was and God answered "I am".

Exodus 3:14

"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

This means that God is in the NOW and His revelations of Himself are always fresh.

In Exodus 6:2-3

"And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them."                         

God told Moses that Abraham knew Him as El-shaddai. This was the first time God was revealing Himself as Yahweh.  Moses and Israel were receiving a new revelation.

There are nine aspects of Yahweh which reveal His nature and character:

He is Jehovah-Jared.

Genesis 22:14

"And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh:

His Name was Jehovah- Jireh which means the Lord our Provider.

2.  He is Jehovah-tshuwah.

Psalm 38:22

"Make haste to help me, Jehovah-tshuwah."

The name Jehovah-tshuwah means the Lord our salvation.

3.  He is Jehovah-qadash.

Exodus 31:13

"That ye may know that I am Jehovah-qadash that doth sanctify you."

The name Jehovah-qadash means the Lord our sanctifier.

4.  He is Jehovah-stidkenu.

Jeremiah 23:6

"And this is his name whereby he shall be called Jehovah-stidkenu.

The name Jehovah-stidkenu means the Lord our righteousness.

5.  He is Jehovah-raah.

Psalm 23:1

"Jehovah-raah is my shepherd; I shall not want."

The name Jehovah-raah means the Lord our shepherd.

6.  He is Jehovah-nissi.

Exodus 17:15

"And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi."

The name Jehovah-nissi means the > Lord our Banner who always goes before us in battle.

7.  He is Jehovah-shalom.

Judges 6:24

Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom:

The name Jehovah-shalom means the Lord our Peace.

8.   He is Jehovah shammah.

Ezekiel 48:35

It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, Jehovah shammah.

The name Jehovah shammah means the Lord is always with us.

9.  He is Jehovah-rapha.

Exodus 15:26

"For I am Jehovah-rapha that healeth thee."

The name Jehovah Rapha means the Lord our Healer.

By revealing His names to man, God was actually revealing that He was our savior, sanctifier, righteousness, shepherd, provider, banner, peace, healer and always with us.

That is why Jesus told us to regard Gods name as SACRED.

Matthew 6:9

"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name."

The Israelites regarded Jehovah's name to be so sacred that they never spoke His name aloud.

Every time Scribes wrote the name of Jehovah they would use a new pen.

God commanded the Israelites to have high regard for His name.

Exodus 20:7

"Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."

Throughout the generations of the Old Testament the revelation of the Godhead was becoming more complete. People were seeing a clearer picture of God and understanding more about Him everyday.

During the rest of the period of the Old Testament no other name revelations were given.

God then revealed the second person of the Godhead namely Jesus Christ His Son.

The revelation of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Jesus was with God at the beginning of time.

John 1:1, 14

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us."

God prepared Israel for the coming of His son Jesus to the earth.

He gave many Old Testament prophecies concerning Him.

The Messiah's coming was predicted.

Daniel 9:25

"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks."

Other predictions were made:

He would be born of a virgin.

Isaiah7:14

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

He would be born in Bethlehem.

Micah 5:2

"But thou, Bethlehem ... out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

He would be rejected of men.

Isaiah 53:3

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

He would be sold for thirty pieces of silver.

Zechariah 11:12

"And I said unto them, if ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver."

His hands and feet would be pierced.

Psalm 22:16

"For dogs have compassed me: they pierced my hands and my feet."

He would be given vinegar to drink.

Psalm 69:21

"They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."

Many wanted to find out more of God.

These prophetic directives would help them find Gods Son.

God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 3:3

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."

Before Jesus arrived on the scene, John told the children of Israel to look out for His appearance.

At the appointed time, Jesus was born.

Matthew 1:23

"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

Jesus was just like His Father. He had his Fathers nature and characteristics. He said -

John 14:9

"He that hath seen me hath seen the Father;"

The four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John describe the life, work, message, ministry, power and ultimate sacrifice of Jesus.

When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, God the Father and the Holy Spirit showed their approval. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus and God spoke out of heaven.

Matthew 3:16-17

"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

In his life work Jesus revealed the truth of God, did miracles, healed the sick, cast out devils and did many good works. He manifested the true nature of the Godhead.

When Jesus was about to leave this world, He promised that he would ask the Father to send another Comforter, the Holy Spirit.

John 14:16-17

"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth;"

And so Jesus prepared the world for the revelation and coming of the third person of the Godhead, namely the Holy Spirit.

The revelation of the Holy Spirit.

On the day of Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection of Christ, the Holy Spirit was revealed in a new way, introducing a new dispensation.

Acts 2:1-4

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost."

The New Testament describes the nature, character, power, ministries, message, activities and purposes of the Holy Spirit.

For almost two thousand years, the Holy Spirit has blessed the world. We continue to enjoy and appreciate His presence and manifestations in our lives today. We will continue to experience this third revelation of the Godhead until the second Coming of Christ.