That the Word (the Old Testament God) came to earth as a man is a fact well known within church circles (Jn. 1:1-4,14). Read The God of the Old Testament. Key word–Old. When the subject is Jesus as a flesh and blood man there is one passage that is normally quoted: “Every (human) spirit (Job 32:8/ Zech. 12:1) that confesses that Jesus Christ IS come in the flesh is of God” (1 Jn. 4:2). Notice the word “is” in the statement, not “has.” The church masses misread that statement, thinking that it refers to Christ’s time on earth as a human being some 2000 years ago. People are universally both shocked and angry when the meaning of “is” in the focal passage comes to light. The reason for their reaction is because it places man’s eternity, not in God’s hands, but rather in man’s hands. This series will prove what I have been teaching for many years: MAN’S SALVATION IS TOTALLY MAN’S CHOICE TO MAKE. AS MOSES AND JOSHUA TOLD THE ISRAELITES ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS: “CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE”–EITHER GOD OF SATAN. NOTE THAT THE DECISION WAS MAN’S TO MAKE. GOD AND CHRIST HAVE PAID THE PRICE FOR OUR SALVATION. THEY HAVE MADE CLEAR THE PATH THAT WILL LEAD TO ETERNAL LIFE. THE ONLY QUESTION IS: WILL WE DO WHAT THEY COMMAND US TO DO IN ORDER TO SPEND ETERNITY WITH THEM IN PARADISE? OR WILL WE FIND A “BETTER WAY TO GET TO HEAVEN?” Sadly, 99% of salvation seekers have chosen option #2.

The seemingly harmless, two-letter word (is) is usually passed over or replaced by the word “has,” which totally changes the meaning of the statement and places its Truth solely in the past. This series will examine that all-important difference between “is” and “has” in order to bring the Truth to light. Those who reject God’s Word on the subject will remain in darkness. Those who accept His Truth have the opportunity to come out of the darkness that perfectly describes professing Christendom, come into God’s cleansing light and thereby EARN the right to QUALIFY for eternal life with Father and Son in the paradise They will prepare for those who make the right choice. That paradise is Biblically called The Kingdom of God. Read about that kingdom using the Key word–Kingdom.

In order to fully understand the difference between “is” and “has” we must involve ourselves in a short English lesson. Every school child knows that the word “has,” when referring to time, refers to the past–something that happened in the past, which is why it is referred to as “past tense.” Therefore, “Jesus HAS come in the flesh” means that He came earlier and, as we all know, went back to the Father following His death and resurrection. But did He actually leave?

The word “is,” as used in the focal context, is presented in what is called the “present perfect” tense, meaning that WHAT “IS” PRESENTLY IN EXISTENCE HAS BEEN IN EXEXTENCE SINCE ITS ORIGINAL MANIFESTATION AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE IN EXISTENCE THROUGHOUT THE INDEFINITE FUTURE. IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM, JESUS CHRIST NEVER LEFT THE EARTH WHERE HE CONTINUES TO WALK AMONG HUMANITY IN HUMAN FORM. He IS “walking” (living, talking, thinking and acting) on earth now. Not only did He never leave, He can be seen and heard if one knows where to look and what to hear. Recall that, when asked to “show us the Father,” Jesus said: “They who have seen Me have seen the Father.” As He explains in John 12:44-50, they who had heard Him speak had heard the Father speak; they who had seen what He did had seen what the Father did, which gives us a hint as to the meaning of “is” in the present perfect context in which First John 4:2 was written. Nothing has changed.

The importance of knowing the difference between the words “has” and “is” relative to verse 2 is revealed by reading verse 3: “And every (man’s) spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ IS come in the flesh is NOT OF GOD.” Not only that, but such a one is being controlled by “THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST.” In verse 6 John states that those who KNOW GOD will listen to God’s disciples, but that those who do not know God will refuse to listen to them. John goes on to say that, by identifying those who will hear God’s Truth and those who refuse to hear God’s Truth relative to Christ’s coming in the flesh, we know who is led by the Spirit of God and who is led by the spirit of antichrist. In this way we know who is a true child of God and who is an imposter, for “They who are led by the Spirit of God, (only) they are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:18). One is led either by God or Satan. One is either hot or cold in the eyes of God. So-called “sinners saved by grace” claim to be both hot and cold. God compares those church members to vomit. Read Revelation 3:14-18.

The seriousness of what is written above was emphasized by Jesus while He was talking about the work of His apostles in spreading His and His Father’s message among salvation seekers, most of whom would not believe Their message (Mat. 7:13,14). By rejecting Their Words those seekers would prove that they “… DESPISE BOTH ME AND MY FATHER” (Lk. 10:16). The difference between “is” and “has” determines who loves Father and Son and who despises Them. L.J.