The Mighty God

“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory” (Revelation 18:1).

by Michael Costelli

One of the most popular scriptures written on Christmas cards is Isaiah 9:6. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace” (RVIC). While the title given in this passage, “mighty God,” might be misunderstood to apply to our Heavenly Father, we find many scriptures that reveal Jesus is a mighty god in God’s plan of salvation. We begin by asking the following questions regarding our Lord’s role as the “mighty god.”
(1) How is our Lord Jesus a Mighty God?
(2) Where does His power come from?
(3) How will he exercise it in His Kingdom? What does it enable him to do?

Jesus as a Mighty God

How can Jesus be considered a mighty god? The concordance describes this term to be “a mighty one,” even as referred to great men and angels. Indeed, our Heavenly Father is God and the Almighty One. However, our Lord Jesus also is a mighty one. We see this when we look at the power he used as the Logos, prior to his coming to earth (John 1:1), and the power that he will exercise in the Millennial Reign of his earthly Kingdom. In Reprint 1410 we find the following comments regarding usages of the word “god.”

“The word ‘god’ signifies mighty one, but not always the all-mighty one. It is used as the translation of each of four Hebrew words — el, elah, elohim, and adonai — all, in the common version of the Bible, signifying the mighty, or great. It is a general name, often and properly applied to our Heavenly Father, as well as to our Lord Jesus, to angels, and to men.

“In Deuteronomy 10:17 elohim — a mighty or great one — is used in referring to Jehovah the almighty God, as well as to other gods. ‘Jehovah is a God of gods.’

“In [Psalm] 82 the distinction of beings referred to by the word god is very marked — ‘God [elohim] standeth in the congregation of the mighty [el]: he judgeth among the gods [elohim].’ Here the first word god evidently refers to Jehovah, the Almighty One, while the others refer to other mighty ones — the Church, the sons of God, of whom Jesus is the head or chief, and of whom it is written (verse 6), ‘I have said, Ye are gods [elohim]; and all of you are children of the Most High [el yon, the highest God].’”

Source of Jesus’ Power

Our second question asks where Jesus’ power comes from. We answer that his power derives from his Father in heaven. Jesus spoke plainly on this issue. In John 5:19 says, “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.’”

After his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples that “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). Jesus’ revelation to the Apostle John on Patmos describes his receiving “power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Revelation 5:12,13).

Exercise of Jesus’ Power in His Earthly Kingdom

Regarding the third question about the exercise of his power in the Kingdom and what he will do, scriptures unfold a pattern of wisdom, love, justice, and mercy — all characteristics of his Father. In Isaiah 28:16,17, we read of his benevolent and righteous method. “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.’” In the kingdom, all mankind will be able to rely on the unmovable and steady hand of our Father, as represented by the Lord Jesus and his Church.

Additionally, Jesus’ exercise of power will be universal, as we read in Luke 2:10: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” Further, Zechariah 9:10 says, “he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.” The breadth of the Lord’s jurisdiction is given in Psalms 72:8: “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.”

The scope of Jesus’ power is expressed in Isaiah 61:1-5: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.”

Jesus began His earthly ministry with a proclamation made in the Temple as recorded in Luke 4:16-21. He started by quoting Isaiah 61:1, 2. He ended the quote by stating he had come “to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (verse 19), omitting the phrase, “and the day of vengeance of our God.” The time had now come for healing to begin. However, the time had not come for the “Day of Vengeance of our God”; this would not be for another 1900 years.

Jesus’ power to heal mankind was demonstrated on many occasions during his ministry. Jesus healed a centurion’s servant because of the centurion’s great faith, recorded in Matthew 8:5-13. The healing of Peter’s motherin-law is found in Matthew 8:14,15, and the healing of many others, as told in verse 16.

Empowered by the Father’s spirit, Jesus announced the good news that is soon to come. Not only did he speak of the grand changes, Jesus provided demonstrations of his power through various miracles. Early in his minis‑
try he exhibited control over the spirit world, an essential power that will be needed for the binding of Satan during the Millennial Age. In Matthew 8:31,32, we read, “So the devils besought him, saying, ‘If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.’ And he said unto them, ‘Go.’ And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.”

By this all could see Jesus’ power in fulfilling his later words of Matthew 12:29, “How can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.” These and other similar events looked forward to the promise Jesus gave in Revelation 20:2-3, “He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

Through the ransom sacrifice of Jesus (1 Timothy 2:6), he will remove the curse of sin and death by his substitutionary death in the place of Adam, thereby satisfying Divine Justice (1 Corinthians 15:21). Jesus’ power to
raise the dead (John 5:28,29) was exemplified in the raising of the Jairus’ daughter (Matthew 9:18,19,23-26) and the raising of Lazarus (John 11:43, 44). Their resuscitation pictured the glorious future work of the resurrection.

Jesus clearly stated the promise of everlasting life to Mary, Lazarus’ sister, in John 11:25, 26 (Rotherham): “Jesus said unto her — ‘I, am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, even though he die, shall live again! And, no one who liveth again and believeth on me, shall in anywise die, unto times age-abiding. Believest thou this?’”

Imagine the joy of having your sibling returned to life after being dead four days! Doubtless, she and others learned the truth of Adamic death and the blessed antidote offered by Jesus.

Jesus’ power as a mighty god is contrasted from the meek and humble representative of Jehovah during his earthly ministry to a powerful,
militaristic personage as described in several scriptures. In Revelation 19:15, we read “Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he
should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” Additionally, in Isaiah 63:1 we learn of his return from Edom (God’s enemies), “with dyed garments from Bozrah.” His garments are dyed with the blood of his enemies (Revelation 19:13, Isaiah 34:5, 6). This picture of
blood symbolizes the way in which the change of dispensation from the Gospel Age to the Millennial Age is characterized.

The overturning of nations is described in Psalm 2:9: “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” In the beginning of the kingdom age the non-compliant ones will be prevented from doing harm to others. Their former evil ways will not be tolerated in Messiah’s Kingdom, for it is written, “they shall not hurt
nor destroy in all My holy mountain” (Isaiah 11:9). Regarding this administration, we read in The Atonement Between God and Man (page 239):

“The holy Spirit will witness to the reconciled world of mankind in the next age, very similarly as to manner, but very dissimilar as to facts. Those possessing the Spirit will no longer be the few special servants and handmaids, but as the Prophet Joel declares ‘all flesh’ (Joel 2:28). The Spirit’s ‘witness’ will no longer be ‘whosoever will live godly shall suffer persecution’; for no persecution will then be permitted. It will no longer ‘witness’ to a ‘narrow way’ of sacrifice, for the day of sacrifice will be past: ‘A highway shall be there’ and it shall be without stumbling stones (Isaiah 35:8, 62:10). It will ‘witness’ that ‘Evildoers shall be cut off: but those who wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth’ (Acts 3:23, Psalm 37:7-11). It will ‘witness’ blessings to the welldoer and punishments and destruction to willful evildoers. It is the same Spirit of God but under differences of administration.”

A new and peaceful environment will be operative for a thousand years until the “little season” which occurs at the end of the Millennial Age. All praise and honor be to our Heavenly Father for His loving execution of the Plan of the Ages which will be to “all people.” Amen.