Does God Exaggerate in Isaiah 40-48?

Does God exaggerate about Himself? The Bible is full of statements that say God is the only God. But could those be linguistic expressions—hyperbole that really explained how God was the greatest God for us?

Some Latter-day Saints point out that Babylon uses similar language to God. If Babylon can say “I am, and there is no other besides me” while other cities exist, might God be using it the same way? Could this, then, allow for other exalted beings to exist in the cosmos, as Mormonism claims? Mormon beliefs teach that men can become gods, or at least like God. Yet, God says that there is no being like Him. So what is God really saying? Should we take His statements as hyperbole, or as absolute theological truths?

In this video, I explain why God’s statements in Isaiah 40-48 should be taken straightforwardly, and why I cannot agree with the LDS teaching of exaltation and eternal progression.

Was the Trinity invented by the early Christian church?

Is the Trinity an invented doctrine? Many faiths argue that Trinitarianism is a blend of Greek Philosophy, novel theology, and Biblical proof-texting. Some Latter-day Saints even point to the Trinity as evidence of a Great Apostasy—a theological innovation of early Christianity. Does the Bible really teach the doctrine of the Trinity, or is it a creedal doctrine that has no basis in divine revelation?

While Christians and Latter-day Saints both affirm the Father, Son, and Spirit, we fundamentally disagree on their nature. What exactly does “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” really mean? Are we talking about one eternal God revealed in three persons, or three distinct gods united in purpose?

In this video, we examine the biblical basis for Trinitarianism. While it’s true that the word “Trinity” never appears in the Bible, Christians have used this word throughout history to summarize what God reveals about himself in Scripture.

The doctrine of Trinity can be summarized in these three points:

1) There is only one God.
2) The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.
3) The Father is NOT the Son, the Son is NOT the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is NOT the Father.

Christians are not trying to invent a new doctrine, but are simply receiving what God has revealed about Himself. These three points, revealed in Scripture, serve as guardrails that keep us from thinking wrongly about God.

Christians agree with Moroni 8:18, why don’t Mormons?

Why doesn’t Mormonism agree with the Book of Mormon? Today is August 18th, 8/18, and many Christians who interact with Latter-day Saints refer to this as Moroni 8:18 day.

Moroni is the last book in the book of Mormon, so why would a Christian dwell on a verse from a book they don’t think is Scripture? Because of what that verse teaches. Moroni 8:18 says, 

“For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity.”

Now, take a look at what Joseph Smith taught in his King Follett Sermon:

“We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea and take away the veil, so that you may see.

He goes on to say,

“…he was once a man like us”

 Joseph Smith taught a doctrine that disagrees with Moroni 8 and a whole host of other LDS Scriptures:

“the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity…” (Mosiah 3:5)

“From eternity to eternity he is the same, and his years never fail…” (D&C 76:4)

“…there is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God…” (D&C 20:17)

These teach essentially what the Bible teaches, that God does not change, that he’s NEVER changed, and that he’s NOT a man. Consider what the Bible says:

“For I, the Lord, do NOT change” (Malachi 3:6)

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind (Numbers 23:19)

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:2).

Many Latter-day Saints tend to agree with Joseph Smith—that God was once a man like us, and that he’s progressed to be the way he is…But why don’t Latter-day Saints agree with their own Scriptures?

Christians agree with Moroni 8:18 more than Latter-day Saints do, because that verse paraphrases Biblical truths: God has never changed.

 “Holy holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who WAS and who IS, and who IS to come.” (Revelation 4:8)

The Bible teaches that having eternal life means that we know God…and so understanding who God is remains a crucial issue. Here’s the question: who has GOD revealed Himself to be?

In the end, Christians agree with Moroni 8:18, and we want you to agree with it too.

The King Follet Discourse vs. Isaiah 40-48

Joseph Smith’s King Follet Discourse summarizes the LDS Church’s view of God. Mormon prophet Joseph Smith wrote, “We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see.” But the Bible teaches something quite different.

In this video, Bradley and Garrett walk through Isaiah 40-48, and demonstrate how Joseph and the Mormon Church are wrong about the nature of God.

Mormon critics of our channel often state that we’re taking these verses in Isaiah out of context, and that they’re not really speaking about God universally. Therefore, we want to take a TOP LEVEL view of these 8 chapters, and evaluate whether or not we, as Christians, are taking Isaiah out of context. In this Bible study in Isaiah, we hope to demonstrate that a right theology of God is critical to the Christian faith.

Mormons do not have a right view of God, and thus are worshiping a false god of their own creation. Such statements are STRONG, but in light of Isaiah, appropriate.

Those Exmormons who are leaving Mormonism should know that Joseph’s views did not align with the Bible. Just because Mormon doctrine is false does not necessarily mean that Christianity is false. Test the prophets, hold fast to what is good.

Can Men Really Become Gods?

I ask this question to Latter-day Saints on the street ALL the time. Sometimes, they reply, “no! Of course not!” Other times, people say “Yes, of course we can…doesn’t God want us to be like Him?” So…which is it?

Historically, the LDS Church has taught that men – by performing sacred Mormon rituals – can become gods. As LDS President Lorenzo Snow taught,

“As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may become.” 

And believe it or not – the Bible actually has a lot to say about this issue! In this video, I want to show you why Scripture rejects the LDS doctrine of exaltation.

Isn’t Mankind Like God?

Doesn’t God want us to be like Him? Yes! Of course! God wants us to display all the godly attributes he has commanded of us (holiness, justice, kindness, love, mercy, goodness, etc.). Jesus even said,

“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

And elsewhere,

“You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16).

But hold on—is imitating God with good works the same thing as becoming like God in every way? No!

How God is a Unique Being

There are many things that necessarily distinguish us from God. For example—we, as humans, change! We grow, we age, we’re different every day! But God says of Himself:

“For I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6).

A changeable being can never go back and become unchanging!

Additionally, we are created beings, but God is uncreated. Moses tells us this in Psalm 90,

“from everlasting to everlasting, you are God” (Psalm 90:2)

No created being can become uncreated. You’re either eternally uncreated, or created. We learn things from other people, we receive gifts—like the gift of salvation! But Romans 11 says of God,

 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” (Romans 11:34-35).

No one has ever counseled God or given a gift to Him…because God is the Most High God! No one is like Him!

We can never go back and become untaught by other people, or go back and unreceive every gift we’ve been given. We can never become an unchangeable being! Only God can have these attributes. 

All of this simply means that God created us with the capacity to share some of His attributes…but not all of His attributes!

Yet all of these things are peripheral verses—let’s look at what the Bible CLEARLY teaches about this issue. Can men become gods? What has God said?

Well, God tells us that no god was ever formed before or after Him:

 “…Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.” (Isaiah 43:10)

He says that he is the first and last, and that there’s no God BESIDES Him:

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. (Isaiah 44:6)

But get this: God even says that he doesn’t KNOW of any other gods:

…Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.” (Isaiah 44:8) 

Now, let’s think about this for a second: If you were exalted to godhood, and wrote your own Scriptures to your Spirit Children, could you honestly say that you don’t know of any other gods…?

You would at least know of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. To say you didn’t know of other gods would be dishonest.

1. God revealing that he doesn’t know of other gods tells us that He was never a man like us who had his own Heavenly Father.
2. It tells us that Jesus is not a separate exalted being.
3. It tells us that God isn’t aware of other exalted beings (like spirit children).

But God doesn’t stop there, he also says that He will not give his glory to another:

I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. (Isaiah 42:8)

God tells us that he saved His people, not for them, but for his own glory:

For my name’s sake I defer my anger; for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off….For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. (Isaiah 48:9–11)

He even declares that in the end, he alone will be exalted

And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. (Isaiah 2:17)

This is not a complicated or confusing topic—the Lord is quite clear: there only ever has been and ever will be one Creator God.

The Gospel of Christ is not that men become gods….but that God became a man. And He died on a cross, that all who believe in Him should not perish under the weight of eternal wrath, but shall have eternal life.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:14)

“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” (John 1:12)

Does the Trinity make God a “God Of Confusion?”

The Bible tells us that God is not the author of confusion. God is not a God of confusion. And yet Christians maintain the Trinity is a Biblical doctrine. Latter-day Saints point out that Trinitarianism is confusing, and seemingly impossible for us to understand. Can the doctrine of the Trinity be Biblical despite the fact that no Christian can know HOW it works?

In this video, we explain why 1 Corinthians 14:33 doesn’t disprove Trinitarianism. The Trinity is a doctrine that, contrary to popular belief, was not invented after the writing of the New Testament. Though the word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible, its teachings are certainly Biblical.

The Bible teaches that:

• There only ever has been, and ever will be, One Creator God
• The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God
• The Father ≠ The Son ≠ The Spirit

Many Latter-day Saints claim that because we cannot grasp the mechanics of how the Trinity functions, it cannot be true—God is no author of confusion after all! Yet this is simply not what Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 14. Additionally, there certainly ARE things that Christians just don’t know about God. While God has revealed Himself in Scripture, He has not exhaustively revealed Himself to us. There are things about God that He has not given for us to know—and this does not mean that He is the author of confusion! Rather—He is not human, and thus we should not expect to be able to know everything about Him.

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33)

Why John 1:1-3 can’t support the LDS view of Jesus

Do Mormons REALLY know Jesus? The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints claims it is a Christian church on the basis of their devotion to Christ. Yet, is the Jesus of the LDS Church the Jesus that Bible reveals? I don’t think so, and I think that the prologue to John’s Gospel proves this.

John 1:1-3 has been a cornerstone text for understanding the nature of Christ since the Gospel of John was written. Christians have long viewed this text as a foundational text that supports the doctrine of the Trinity. Latter-day Saints have various ways to understand this text, but most the offered interpretations heartily neglect the plain meaning of the text. I think that the Latter-day Saint interpretations are a textbook case of eisegesis—reading meaning INTO a text, instead of extracting meaning OUT of a text.

For this video, I’m doing a verse by verse Bible Study through John 1:1-3, and noting my observations about the text. There’s noting super flashy here—just a desire to demonstrate how exegesis works, and show how we arrive at our conclusions based off the text of John 1. Rightly understanding the teaching of John 1 provides a helpful foundation for understanding Trinitarianism, and thus a correct interpretation of this text is critically important.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” [John 1:1–3].

Does Jesus’ Baptism Refute the Trinity?

The LDS Church rejects the Christian doctrine of the Trinity—claiming it is a manmade doctrine that has no basis in Scripture. One frequently given evidence to support this claim is the account of Jesus’ Baptism, in which the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost were all doing distinct actions.

Latter-day Saints often point out that Christians believe (because of the Trinity) that God was a puppet master, controlling each person of the Godhead in turn, to create the illusion that there were multiple people involved. Mormons have a solution: the LDS Godhead. Mormonism views the Godhead as 3 separate beings that are completely united in purpose. But – does this view of the Trinity accurately represent what Christians believe?

In this video, we argue that this argument, made from the account of Jesus’ baptism, does not rightly understand what Christians believe about the Trinity. What Mormons often think that Christians believe about Trinitarianism is a Christian heresy that has been called “Modalism.”

Jesus baptism DOES include the actions of three separate persons, who can interact with each other in different ways. Yet this does not disprove what Christians believe about the nature of God and the Trinity.

 “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'” (Matthew 3:16-17)

How Could Moses See God Face-To-Face If God Has No Body?

Christians believe God to be invisible—without a body, while Latter-day Saints believe that Heavenly Father has a glorified body. As Christians, we derive this belief from 1 Timothy 6 refers to the God

“who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:15-16).

Yet the Bible tells us that Moses spoke with God face-to-face! Doesn’t that mean that Moses saw God’s face? Then how can Christians say that God has no physical body?

Moses Spoke To God Face-To-Face

Exodus 33:9-11 says

“When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend…” (Exodus 33:9–11).

So what’s going on here? Is Moses seeing the Father’s physical face when he enters the tabernacle? Here are a couple reasons why Christians say no:

If Moses had really seen the face of God, he would have died

A couple verses after Exodus 33:11, Moses asks God if he could see the His glory, God responds

““I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” (Exodus 33:19–20)

Moses wrote down in Exodus 33:11 that he spoke with God face-to-face, and then wrote down in verse 20 (just a few verses later) that no one can see God’s face and live. I don’t think Moses just forgot what he had just written, Moses never actually intended to communicate that he saw God’s literal face. 

Jesus Revealed the Father in the Old Testament

Yet there are some times in Scripture where it seems like God DOES physically manifest Himself to us—sometimes in a great cloud of fire (Exodus 13:21), other times in the form of a man who struggles to win a wrestling match (Genesis 32:22-32). What do Christians do with this if God is invisible and doesn’t have a body?

Sometimes, these manifestations are an angel who physically appears (as one representing God)—like a messenger who carries the authority of the King with him. Other times, it’s actually Jesus before His Incarnation—that is, before He permanently took on flesh. 

John’s Gospel says

“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (John 1:18).

In this verse, John explains that no human being has ever seen the God the Father. However, “the only God” (referring to Jesus (John 1:1-4)) has “made the Father known.” This is really significant,  because it recontextualizes those times in the Old Testament when God physically manifested Himself. According to this verse, those manifestations weren’t the Father being seen…but the Son who reveals the Father (Hebrews 1:1-2).

When Jesus’ disciple Philip asks Jesus if He can show the Father to the disciples (John 14:8). Jesus responds by saying,

““Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9)

The Apostle Paul even describes Jesus as the “image of the invisible God”. In other words – the God who cannot be seen is imaged in the Son (Colossians 1:15). So in those unique times when God does seem to physically manifest Himself to mankind—it’s JESUS who is revealing the Father to us. 

What Does It Mean That Moses Spoke To God face-to-face?

The phrase “face-to-face” is an idiom that indicates personal interaction. Exodus 33:11 even clarifies what this expression means

“Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend…” (Exodus 33:11).

Look at what Numbers says about Israel seeing the formless pillar of cloud and fire,

“…For you, O Lord, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.” (Numbers 14:14).

When Israel came to the foot of Mount Sinai, Scripture records that they saw,

“…thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast…Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire.” (Exodus 19:16–18).

Deuteronomy 4:12 clarifies:

“Then the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.” (Deuteronomy 4:12)

 Yet Deuteronomy also says of this event at Mt. Sinai:

“The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire” (Deuteronomy 5:4).

The expression “face-to-face” in these verses does not mean that Israel saw God’s human face on the mountain, but that they personally interacted with Him. 

In Conclusion — No one has ever and can ever see God (1 Timothy 6:16). He is spirit (John 4:24), and spirits don’t have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). While Moses did personally and uniquely relate to God, he did not see a physical face. John 6 says

“not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.” (John 6:46).

Why The Jews Killed Jesus

The beginning of John’s Gospel says

“[Jesus] was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” (John 1:10–11).

Jesus was the Messiah, the promised King of Israel, yet His own people, the Jews, sought to put Him to death! Eventually, they succeeded. But why did the Jews want to kill their Messiah? What was it about Jesus that led them to pick up stones to try and kill him?

Blasphemy Deserves Death

Humans are not divine: they are the creation, NOT the infinite unchanging Creator (Numbers 23:19). Under the Law of Moses, if a man claimed that HE was divine, or that HE was God, he was to be put to death. To equate the greatness and matchless glory of the omnipotent God to a mere man is blasphemous! Leviticus 24 commands that

“Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him…” (Leviticus 24:16)

Jesus Claimed to be God

The Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day would have known this law well. In an interaction with the Jews, Jesus said

“Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” (John 8:56–59). 

Jesus seemingly did the exact thing the Jews were to reject as blasphemy! He claimed to be the I AM – the LORD, the God of the Jews, the Sole Creator of Heaven and Earth (John 8:23-24). Jesus was, in essence, claiming to be the one that led God’s people out of slavery in Egypt and into the promised land (Jude 5), who revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:14).

These Jews understood the gravity of Jesus’ claim that “before Abraham was, I AM”. That’s why they immediately tried to kill him, not because they were suddenly overcome with overtly murderous intentions, but because they sought to uphold the Law of Moses and put blasphemers to death. We see a similar interaction a couple chapters later when Jesus says

“I and the Father are one. The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John 10:31–33).

The reason the Jews went to execute Jesus was because they thought they were honoring God. They rightly understood that Jesus was claiming to be God! That was blasphemy! The only problem for them was that Jesus really IS God (John 1:1-2, Hebrews 1:8-9)! 

If the Jews expected for us all to become exalted gods, then Jesus making these claims wouldn’t have been seen as blasphemous! This “I AM” claim of Jesus would only have been considered blasphemy by the Jews if they believed it infringed upon the glory of the God of Israel.

The Jews understood that Jesus was claiming to be something unique: the only Son of the Father, who came from heaven, who was the LORD, the eternal Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The Jews Attempting To Kill Jesus Proves That He Claimed To Be God 

The Jews wanted to kill Jesus not because he claimed to be the eldest brother of all of God’s children, not merely because of his claim to be Messiah, or a prophet, but because they believed he made a “Blasphemous” claim to deity. 

With this in mind, consider Jesus’ words in John 8:

“[Jesus] said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he [the I AM, the singular God of Israel] you will die in your sins.” (John 8:23–24).