In the Old Testament God is identified by many things. One example is His role as the judge of men's hearts and rewards them according to their deeds [closed]

Question

Jeremiah 17:10, "I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds."

In John's Book of Revelation, Jesus identifies Himself as many things ("Alpha and Omega," "the Almighty", "the Word of God" etc.) But among these self-identifications stated by Jesus we find this at Revelation 2:23.

"And I will kill her children with pestilence; and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds."

If John was familiar with ANY of the Old Testament texts listed above, do you suppose that in writing this passage where Jesus identifies Himself as the one who searches the hearts of men and rewards them according to this judgment that John might have had reason to think that Jesus is the SAME ONE as the one who so identifies Himself throughout the Old Testament/that is God? How do those who deny the deity of Jesus Christ reconcile this "apparent" contradiction?

Answer 1

The example that the OP quotes is one of many examples in the book of Revelation.

Title	OT Reference	Revelation Reference
YHWH is "Searcher of Hearts and Minds"	Jer 11:20, 17:10, 1 Sam 16:7	Rev 2:23
YHWH is "First and Last"	Isa 41:4, 44:6, 48:12	Rev 1:17, 18, 2:8, 22:13
YHWH is "Lord of Lords"	Deut 10:17, Ps 136:3, 26	Rev 17:14, 19:16
YHWH has "Seven eyes of the LORD"	Zech 4:10	Rev 5:6
YHWH is "the One they have pierced"	Zech 12:10	Rev 1:7

For a longer list of such titles. see David said "the LORD is my shepherd", yet Jesus said "I am the good shepherd" - was Jesus David's shepherd?

This is one of the many evidences that the NT clearly teaches that Jesus is the YHWH/Jehovah/LORD of the OT.

Answer 2

Is Jesus the same one who identifies Himself throughout the Old Testament/ that is God?

Jeremiah 17:10 Aramaic Bible in Plain English

I, LORD JEHOVAH, examine the heart and prove the kidneys, and give to a man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his deeds

Revelation 2:23 Aramaic Bible in Plain English

And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto each one of you according to your works

Notice that in Revelation 2:23 Jesus did not claim to be Lord Jehovah. No, Jesus is not the same one who identifies Himself throughout the Old Testament/that is God. Jesus was begotten by the Father. The God of the bible has no Father. He is the Father.

A person's agent is regarded as the person himself as shown from Agency ("Shelichut") - Meaning in Mitzvot - OU Torah. https://outorah.org/p/7187/. The judges of Israel, because their work has to do with God's purpose and justice, were recognized with that authority and were given the title of (elohim) gods, Exodus 2028.

Jesus will judge mankind because he is the one appointed to judge by his God. Acts 17:31 "inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."

It was God who raised Jesus from the dead and also appointed him to judge the world, Thus, the ultimate Judge is God who judges through Jesus. Romans 2:16

Jesus was given names and titles that represent the attributes of God. To imply that Jesus is God, is incorrect as he clearly is representing God. A representative is not the person he is representing. If Jesus is God based on the inference that names and titles of God were applied to him. Using the same reason, it would be absurd to say Jerusalem is the God of Peace because of the name given to it.