Three persons, one God.
For one, White is an actual scholar. For another, he is simply stating in a sentence what the Bible reveals to us. And more than that, it is also in line with historical, orthodox Christianity which has been believed by thousands upon thousands of scholars and theologians, never mind lay people; it's not something he just made up on his own. Of course, a belief of the majority doesn't necessarily mean it is correct, but my point is that it isn't just a revelation to Dr. White.
What we have to make sense of, is the biblical revelation that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, each distinct one from the other, yet there is only one God. That is the whole reason for the doctrine of the Trinity and is what the definition given by Dr. White sums up.
Again, consider the difference between the economical Trinity and the ontological Trinity. But, to limit yourself to just that verse in Revelation is to take things out of context, by ignoring not only things in the rest of Scripture, but in Revelation itself. First, consider these two passages:
Isa 44:6 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. (ESV)
Isa 48:12 “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he;
I am the first, and I am the last. (ESV)
Notice also that these are not only statements of monotheism, God says, "I am the first and I am the last." And God says the same thing in Rev 1:8:
Rev 1:8 “
I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (ESV)
We then see Jesus say the following of himself in Revelation:
Rev 1:17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not,
I am the first and the last,
Rev 1:18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. (ESV)
Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
Rev 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (ESV)
Jesus echoes the words of God, claiming a title that God uses of himself. That would be blasphemy if Jesus wasn't also truly God.
Again, this is the economical Trinity at work. As God in human flesh, as the God-man, he willingly submitted to the Father while on Earth for the plan of salvation. He is rightly calling the Father his God and relying on the Father, having voluntarily laid aside his divine prerogatives.
Jesus did say that "true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him" and that "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24, ESV). However, what does that actually look like and is there more to it?
We aren't to worship people:
Act 10:25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him
and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
Act 10:26 But
Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am a man." (ESV)
Angels aren't to be worshiped:
Rev 19:10 Then
I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “
You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (ESV)
Rev 22:8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them,
I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me,
Rev 22:9 but he said to me, “
You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book.
Worship God.” (ESV)
And all this we know from the Ten Commandments--we are only to worship God. Jesus himself told Satan that "it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve" (Matt 4:10, ESV). Yet, we see many instances of Jesus being worshiped:
Mat 2:11 And going into the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother,
and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (ESV)
Mat 14:31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Mat 14:32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Mat 14:33 And
those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." (ESV)
(It is very important to also note here the use of "the Son of God".)
Mat 28:8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
Mat 28:9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And
they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.
...
Mat 28:16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
Mat 28:17 And
when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. (ESV)
Luk 24:50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.
Luk 24:51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
Luk 24:52 And
they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, (ESV)
Joh 9:35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
Joh 9:36 He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"
Joh 9:37 Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you."
Joh 9:38 He said, "Lord, I believe,"
and he worshiped him. (ESV)
(Note that the context begins with Jesus miraculously healing of a man born blind and then asking the man if he believed "in the Son of Man.)
Not once does Jesus tell these people that they aren't supposed to do that, not once does he chastise them, which would be utter blasphemy if he wasn't truly God. God himself says of Jesus:
Heb 1:6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
"Let all God's angels worship him." (ESV)
It is clear that there is something else going on, something that Jesus being a mere man cannot account for.
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