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PENTECOST AND THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. The festival most Christians know as Pentecost is called Shavu'ot in Hebrew. Because of the narrative of Acts 2, much of the church is still familiar with Pentecost. Christians recall the story of the mighty wind, the tongues of fire, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the speaking in different languages. However, most are unaware of the background behind the story. Shavu'ot is actually one of YHVH's designated holy days, filled with a wealth of meaning and symbolism.
In the Old Testament, Pentecost is known by several names. These include the “Feast of Harvest” (Exo. 23:16), the “Day of the Firstfruits” (Num. 28:26), and the most common name, the “Feast of Weeks” (Exo. 34:22; Deu. 16:10, 16; II Chr. 8:13).
The annual journey to Pentecost begins with a countdown. In the 23rd chapter of Leviticus, we find the command to count the days to arrive at Shavu'ot:
LEVITICUS 23:9 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 10 Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall elevate the sheaf before the LORD for acceptance in your behalf; the priest shall elevate it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day that you elevate the sheaf, you shall offer as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb of the first year without blemish. 13 The meal offering with it shall be two-tenths of a measure of choice flour with oil mixed in, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the LORD; and the libation with it shall be of wine, a quarter of a hin. 14 Until that very day, until you have brought the offering of your God, you shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears; it is a law for all time throughout the ages in all your settlements. 15 And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering — the day after the Sabbath — you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete: 16 you must count until the day after the seventh week — fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to the LORD. (JPS Tanakh)
The writings of 1st-century Jewish historian Josephus plainly state that the countdown to Pentecost began on Nisan 16 (Antiquities of the Jews 3.10.5), the day after the first high Sabbath of the year (Lev. 23:6-7). Nisan 16 was the day on which the firstfruits of the barley crop were harvested and offered up in the Temple. To determine the date for Shavu'ot, we are commanded to count 49 days starting on this day; after the 49 days are completed, the 50th day is the appointed time of the Feast of Weeks.
Both the English and Hebrew names for the festival reflect the counting. The English name Pentecost is a transliteration of the Greek pentecostes, which literally means “fiftieth.” The Hebrew name for the festival, Shavu'ot, means “weeks,” and the feast is so named because of the seven complete weeks (49 days) of the counting. The commanded count is a chain that links Pentecost to the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In this sense, Pentecost concludes the festival season begun with Passover.
The Jews consider Shavu'ot to be the conclusion of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, just as the Last Great Day after the Feast of Tabernacles is considered to be the conclusion of that festival (Lev. 23:34-36). In this view, Shavu'ot is a sort of eighth-day festival, concluding the seven days of Unleavened Bread. Between the First Day of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15, the first annual Sabbath of the year) and Pentecost (Sivan 6, the third annual Sabbath of the year), there are exactly 49 days (7 X 7 days, or 7 complete weeks).
This arrangement shows us a pattern that God has established which relates to the number three. The Scriptures tell us several times that there are three yearly festivals that required the attendance of all males (Exo. 23:14-17; 34:18-24; Deu. 16:1-16):
DEUTERONOMY 16:16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.” (NKJV)
Since Pentecost (the Feast of Weeks) is really the conclusion of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (also known as Passover-Eze. 45:21), we see that the THREE festivals of God are really only TWO (Unleavened Bread-Pentecost & Trumpets-Atonement-Tabernacles-Last Great Day). This is a pattern for the Godhead also, which the world considers to be three (the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit), but is really only two (the Father & the Son). We're going to develop this theme quite a bit more later in this article.
We are told that the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai on the first day of the third month (Sivan 1):
EXODUS 19:1 In the third month after their departure from the land of Egypt, on its first day, the Israelites came to the desert of Sinai. (NAB)
By counting the days revealed in Exodus 19, the Jewish sages have determined that Shavu'ot was the day on which the Law was given to Israel from Mount Sinai. For this reason, the Torah reading for Shavu'ot is Exodus 19-20, which describes the Israelites arrival at Mount Sinai and the subsequent giving of the Law. In conjunction with this Torah passage, the Haftorah reading for Shavu'ot is the first chapter of the book of Ezekiel.
The reason the Jews read this particular passage will become evident as we continue. Introduced in the final verse of Ezekiel 1 is an entity called “the glory of the LORD” (v. 28):
EZEKIEL 1:26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH]. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking. (NKJV)
Here Ezekiel gives us a vivid description of the entity known as “the glory of YHVH. This is the same divine being that gave the Law to Israel from Mount Sinai (Acts 7:38). This entity is VERY important to the meaning of Pentecost. In the book of Hebrews, we are told who this divine spirit being is:
HEBREWS 1:3 He [Yeshua] is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (NRSV)
The author of Hebrews clearly identifies Yeshua as “the reflection of God's glory.” John provides a second witness (Deu. 19:15; Matt. 18:16; II Cor. 13:1) to this identity in the prophetic book of Revelation:
REVELATION 21:23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. (NKJV)
John tells us that in the New Jerusalem, the lamp that lights the city will be “the Lamb” also known as “the glory of God.” The Lamb of God is plainly identified as Yeshua the Messiah in Revelation, as well as elsewhere in the New Testament (John 1:29, 36; I Pet. 1:19).
In the Scriptures, a wide variety of names are applied to the divine being that interacted with Israel on behalf of God the Father. For more information on appearances of the Messiah before his coming as the man Yeshua, please refer to my article “Christ in the Old Testament.”
We first see the preincarnate Messiah identified as “the glory of YHVH” in Exodus 16. He appeared to the people of Israel as they came out of Egypt:
EXODUS 16:7 “And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH]; for
He hears your complaints against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain against us?” 8 Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD.” 9 Then Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, 'Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your complaints.' ” 10 Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] appeared in the cloud. (NKJV)
As the Israelites came out of Egypt, they were accompanied by the Messiah. He went before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exo. 13:21-22). However, it seems that he was generally not seen by the entire congregation unless he chose to manifest himself. This manifestation was known as “the glory of YHVH.”
It was as “the glory of YHVH” that the Messiah visibly rested on top of Mount Sinai in the appearance of a “consuming fire.” Afterward, he called Moses up to meet with him for 40 days and 40 nights:
EXODUS 24:16 Now the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 The sight of the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. (NKJV)
Through the Messiah, God led the Israelites by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. However, once the Israelites set up the tabernacle Moses had been instructed to make (Exo. 25-27), “the glory of YHVH” filled the tabernacle:
EXODUS 40:33 And he raised up the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the screen of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. 34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the tabernacle. (NKJV)
Afterward, whenever God chose to speak to Moses and others, He would do so through the Messiah at the tabernacle of meeting:
NUMBERS 14:10 And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel. 11 Then the LORD said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?” (NKJV)
NUMBERS 16:19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] appeared to all the congregation. (NKJV)
NUMBERS 16:41 On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the LORD.” 42 Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] appeared. (NKJV)
NUMBERS 20:2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] appeared to them. 7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” (NKJV)
Later on, after the tabernacle was replaced by the temple King Solomon built for God in Jerusalem, we see that the Messiah also appeared in Solomon's temple:
I KINGS 8:1 Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the City of David, which is Zion. 2 Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at the feast in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 So all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 Then they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 6 Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8 The poles extended so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 9 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the house of the LORD. (NKJV)
II CHRONICLES 5:11 And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to their divisions), 12 and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets — 13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the house of God. 6:1 Then Solomon spoke: “The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. 2 I have surely built You an exalted house, and a place for You to dwell in forever.” (NKJV)
II CHRONICLES 7:1 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] had filled the LORD's house. 3 When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: “For He is good, Fo
r His mercy endures forever.” (NKJV)
Like he appeared to the Israelites that left Egypt, we see that the Messiah also appeared to Israel at the dedication of the temple of YHVH. We are told that “the glory of YHVH” filled the temple that God had allowed Solomon to build for Him.
Just as the Father sat on His throne in the Holy of Holies in the heavenly Temple, His Son sat on the mercy seat in the earthly temple. The temple became the sanctuary of the Messiah, God's messenger and mediator to Israel. But as Judah drifted further and further away from God's ways, Solomon's temple became polluted by the sins of the people. As Ezekiel shows us, the transgressions of Israel caused it to become unclean, eventually forcing “the glory of YHVH” to depart:
EZEKIEL 8:1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me there. 2 Then I looked, and there was a likeness, like the appearance of fire — from the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; and from His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness, like the color of amber. 3 He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy. 4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel [kevod 'elohey Yisra'el] was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain. 5 Then He said to me, “Son of man, lift your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the altar gate, was this image of jealousy in the entrance. 6 Furthermore He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again, you will see greater abominations.” (NKJV)
The sins of Israel eventually caused judgment to be poured out upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah. In a vision, Ezekiel sees this judgment being decreed by “the glory of YHVH” (also called “the glory of the God of Israel”):
EZEKIEL 9:1 Then He called out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, “Let those who have charge over the city draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand.” 2 And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer's inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar. 3 Now the glory of the God of Israel [kevod 'elohey Yisra'el] had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer's inkhorn at his side; 4 and the LORD [YHVH] said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” 5 To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. 6 Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple. 7 Then He said to them, “Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” And they went out and killed in the city. 8 So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I fell on my face and cried out, and said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?” 9 Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, 'The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see!' 10 And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.” 11 Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, “I have done as You commanded me.” (NKJV)
In this vision, Ezekiel sees “the glory of YHVH” depart from between the cherubim on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies (Exo. 25:17-22) and go to the doorway of the temple. While standing in the doorway, six angelic beings appeared, carrying axes. The Messiah told one of them to mark the foreheads of God's people, and then he told the others to slay those who did not have the mark.
After seeing the visionary slaughter of those in Jerusalem, Ezekiel then witnesses a vision of the exodus of the Messiah from the doomed temple:
EZEKIEL 10:1 Then I looked, and behold, in the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim something like a sapphire stone, in appearance resembling a throne, appeared above them. 2 And He spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Enter between the whirling wheels under the cherubim and fill your hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And he entered in my sight. 3 Now the cherubim were standing on the right side of the temple when the man entered, and the cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple, and the temple was filled with the cloud and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH]. (NASU)
EZEKIEL 10:18 Then the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD's house, and the glory of the God of Israel [kevod 'elohey Yisra'el] was above them. (NKJV)
EZEKIEL 11:14 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 15 “Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety, are those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, 'Get far away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.' 16 Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” ' 17 Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” ' 18 And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there. 19 Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD. 22 So the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel [kevod 'elohey Yisra'el] was high above them. 23 And the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain [Olivet], which is on the east side of the city. 24 Then the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to those in captivity. And the vision that I had seen went up from me. 25 So I spoke to those in captivity of all the things the LORD had shown me. (NKJV)
Because of the sins of the people, the preincarnate Messiah left the temple and settled on the Mount of Olives, which was to the east of Jerusalem. From there, he ascended back
to heaven (cf. Acts 1:4-12). Solomon's temple was soon thereafter destroyed by the Babylonians (in 586 B.C.E.).
In 520 B.C.E., Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, was inspired by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to rebuild the temple of God (Hag. 1:1-11; Zec. 4:6-9). As the Scriptures show, this second temple did not compare to Solomon's temple (Ezra 3:8-13; Hag. 2:3). However, Haggai prophesied about the glory of the second temple :
HAGGAI 2:9 “'The glory [kevod] of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the LORD of hosts. 'And in this place I will give peace,' says the LORD of hosts.” (NKJV)
“The glory of YHVH” was never seen in the second temple in the same way it appeared in the tabernacle and in Solomon's temple. However, the prophet Haggai prophesied that the second temple's “glory” would be greater than that of Solomon's temple.
This glory appeared some 500 years later when the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6; Acts 10:36), Yeshua the Messiah, came to this world in human form. During his earthly ministry, Yeshua spent a lot of time during God's festivals (Lev. 23) teaching in the second temple:
JOHN 7:14 Now about the middle of the feast [of Tabernacles] Jesus went up into the temple and taught. 15 And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this man know letters, having never studied?” 16 Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent me. 17 If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on my own authority. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of the One who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” (NKJV)
MATTHEW 21:23 Now when he came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” (NKJV)
MATTHEW 26:55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize me.” (NKJV)
JOHN 18:19 The high priest then asked Jesus about his disciples and his doctrine. 20 Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. (NKJV)
Yeshua, who taught in the second temple, was greater in his role as the Messiah than as “the glory of YHVH” that appeared in Solomon's temple. Yeshua taught the words of God to Israel (John 7:16; 8:28, 38; 14:24; 15:15), and gave repentance to them, as well as forgiveness for their sins by his sacrificial death (Acts 5:31).
By now you are probably saying to yourself, “OK, this is all very interesting, but what does it have to do with Pentecost?” The relationship between “the glory of YHVH” and the day of Pentecost will become more evident as we examine the words of Messiah just before his crucifixion. These words, recorded in the Gospel of John, have long been misunderstood:
JOHN 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms [monai]. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” (ESV)
Yeshua speaks of his “Father's house” in verse 2. In this verse, the plural monai (translated “rooms” or “mansions”) comes from the Greek root word mone. Variations of this word appear only twice in the New Testament. According to Friberg's Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testatment (ALGNT), mone means “dwelling place, abode, home.”
Many have just assumed that Yeshua's reference in verse 2 is to God's heavenly temple, and that he is promising here to bring his disciples to heaven, that they may dwell there forever. However, there is another spiritual house of the Father spoken of in the New Testament, and this holy temple is NOT located in heaven:
EPHESIANS 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (NKJV)
Yeshua knew that the temple of God in Jerusalem would be destroyed soon after his ascension to heaven (Matt. 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6). But he also knew that God would replace the physical temple with a spiritual temple composed of the assembly of believers. Within this new house of God would be many dwelling places. The physical bodies of believers would become individual rooms or abodes within the Father's spiritual temple.
The bodies of these believers were to be dwelling places for the Spirit of God, as the apostle Paul revealed to the Corinthians:
I CORINTHIANS 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. (NKJV)
I CORINTHIANS 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; (RSV)
II CORINTHIANS 6:16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (NKJV)
As we will see, it is this collective spiritual temple of the Father that Yeshua was speaking of in John 14:2. In verse 3, when Yeshua promised to come again to his disciples, he was speaking of coming to dwell within them, just as he had earlier dwelt as the “glory of YHVH” within the tabernacle and Solomon's temple. This will become more clear as we continue.
JOHN 14:5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (ESV)
Thomas misunderstood what Yeshua meant. He thought that the disciples would have to follow Yeshua to a physical place. Since they did not know where he was going, how could they know how to get there? But Yeshua was referring to a spiritual path, not a physical one. “The way” that Yeshua spoke of was the same “way” he had shown the disciples throughout his time with them. That “way” was one of complete obedience to God. They would only be able to come to the Father through faith in the Messiah's sacrifice and emulation of his obedient life. Not coincidentally, the teachings of Yeshua, and those who followed them, later came to be called “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22).
JOHN 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “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'?” (ESV)
Yeshua's words here have long been confusing to many, yet his meaning is understandable when viewed in light of other related Scriptures. Yeshua is the mediator between God and His chosen people (I Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). He is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15), the exact imprint of His nature (Heb. 1:3). Because he was endowed with the very character of God, the Son of God was (and always had been) the visible representation of the invisible Father. This is why Yeshua was able to truthfully tell Thomas and Philip that those who knew him also knew God the Father.
JOHN 14:10 Do you not believe that I a
m in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does the works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves.” (NKJV)
The two primary questions arising from this passage are:
(1) How did the Father dwell in Yeshua?
(2) How was Yeshua in the Father?
The answer to the first question is that God was in Yeshua the same way He is in us: through the indwelling of His Spirit (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32; 3:34). This brings up a related question: What is the Spirit of God?
As Paul tells us in I Corinthians 2:9-16, the Spirit of God is actually the Mind of God:
I CORINTHIANS 2:9 But it is as Scripture says: What no eye has seen and no ear has heard, what the mind of man [kardian anthropou] cannot visualise; all that God has prepared for those who love Him; (NJB)
In Greek literature, kardia (generally translated as “heart”) frequently refers to the seat of physical, spiritual and mental life. Therefore, the heart (the place where thought and understanding take place), is synonymous with the mind. In I Corinthians 2:9, Paul is saying that “mankind” (Gr. anthropou) does not understand what God has planned for the human race.
I CORINTHIANS 2:10 But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (NIV)
Here Paul qualifies his statement in verse 9. There are some people who do comprehend what God has prepared for mankind, because He has revealed it to those who have His Spirit.
I CORINTHIANS 2:11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so [houtos kai] the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. (NASU)
In verse 11, Paul draws an analogy between the spirit of man (also known as the “heart” or “mind”) and the Spirit of God. The connecting phrase “even so” (houtos kai) shows that he is comparing the human spirit or mind in the first part of this verse with God's Spirit or Mind in the final part. Paul begins by stating that only the spirit (“mind”) within a man knows the thoughts of that man. He then goes on to say that, in like manner, only the Spirit (“Mind”) of God knows the thoughts of God. Paul explains this concept more fully in the next few verses:
I CORINTHIANS 2:12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 13 And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. 14 Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else's scrutiny. 16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (NRSV)
How do we have the mind of Messiah? Through the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit.
Our human minds were created with a critical component missing; that missing piece is God's Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is not present, people search for other things to fill that void. This is why the apostle John warned believers to “test the spirits” to verify the “Spirit of God” (I John 4:1-2). Lying spirits have led many people astray and have caused the proliferation of false religions in the world. Because of our natural mental deficiency, man is susceptible to intervention by spiritual forces.
But when the Spirit of God combines with our human spirit, we begin to comprehend the spiritual things of God. The presence of God's Spirit helps us to begin understanding the “what,” “why,” and “how” of His plan for mankind. We are then able to consider things from God's view point, not just our previously limited physical perspective.
While Yeshua was here on earth, he was able to subjugate his human nature and remain totally obedient to the Father's will because of God's Spirit within him:
JOHN 5:30 “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. (NKJV)
JOHN 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” (NKJV)
LUKE 22:42 Saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done.” (NASU)
Yeshua subordinated his personal desires in order to do the will of God. This answers the second question raised earlier. Yeshua remained “in” the will of the Father by overcoming the temptations common to mankind (Heb. 2:18; 4:15) and avoiding sin. Because of this, Yeshua was one with God (John 10:30).
JOHN 14:12 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father. 13 And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” (NKJV)
Yeshua told the disciples that those who believed in him would do the works that he did. But Yeshua also stated that they would do greater works than he had done because he was returning to the heavenly Father. This statement is one of the keys to understanding Yeshua's words in this chapter. His return to heaven would be pivotal in allowing his disciples to do the prophesied mighty works.
We also see that Yeshua promised to do what the disciples asked “in his name.” The important thing to note here is that Yeshua himself promised to accomplish their requests so that the Father would be glorified.
JOHN 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Helper [parakleton], that he may abide with you forever [eis ton aiona, lit. “to the age”] — 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; but you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 A little while longer and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” (NKJV)
Yeshua's plain words in verse 15 are hard to misinterpret. He did not come to abolish the Law (Matt. 5:17). Those who love him will show that love by keeping his commandments (I John 5:2). These did not originate with Yeshua, but are the heavenly Father's commandments (John 7:16; 14:24). Contrary to what most teach today, these commandments are not burdensome (I John 5:3).
In verse 16, we are first introduced to the “Helper” (Gr. parakletos). ALGNT states that parakletos is a “legal technical term . . . one who appears in another's behalf advocate, defender, intercessor.”
Our “advocate” is clearly identified in John's first epistle:
I JOHN 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [parakleton] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (NKJV)
John plainly tells us that Yeshua the Messiah is our “Advocate” (parakletos). Yeshua stated that this coming “Helper” could not be received by the world because it didn't see or know him. But he stated that the disciples did know this “Spirit of truth” because he dwelt with them and would be in them. Yeshua had dwelt with them for three and a half years during the time of his earthly ministry. After his resurrection and ascension, he would dwell within them, through the agency of God's Spirit.
In John 14:6, Yeshua clearly stated that he was “the truth.” He knew that after his resurrection, he would once again be a glorified spirit being, just as he had been before his birth as a human (John 17:5; Phi. 2:6-8). Since his disciples could not then
comprehend this revelation, he spoke figuratively of his return to obscure what he was saying (John 16:25). But Yeshua clearly states that he, not someone else, would come to them (v. 17). The return he spoke of wasn't his coming at the end of the age to install the Kingdom of God here on earth, but rather his spiritual appearance in just over 50 days, on the day of Pentecost.
Yeshua told the disciples that in a little while, the world would not see him any longer, but that they would see him. He said that he was “the life” (v. 6), and told them that because he was going to live, they would live also (v. 19). In that day, he proclaimed, they would know that he was “in” them (v. 20).
JOHN 14:21 “He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home [monen] with him. 24 He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.” (NKJV)
Once again, Yeshua plainly states that he would only manifest himself to those who are obedient and demonstrate their love by observing the Father's commandments (vv. 21, 24). Judas, the son of James (Luke 6:16), asked a very pertinent question at this point: HOW would Yeshua manifest himself to them and not to the world?
Yeshua's answer is enlightening when understood properly. He stated that those who were obedient would have him and his Father come and make their home with them. Here we see the second and final usage of the Greek root word mone in the New Testament. This shows concisely that the “rooms” or “mansions” Yeshua spoke of in John 14:2 are indeed the physical bodies of believers. Yeshua was saying that the bodies of obedient servants of God would later become dwelling places for the risen Son of God, by means of the Holy Spirit of the Father. So both the Father and the Son would spiritually dwell within believers.
JOHN 14:25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper [parakletos], the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for my Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.” (NKJV)
Admittedly, this passage is difficult to understand. In verse 26, Yeshua refers to “the Holy Spirit” by the same title that he himself is known (“parakletos”). The explanation for this seeming contradiction is that BOTH Yeshua and God, through His Spirit, are our “Helpers.” Yeshua was to be the “advocate” for believers, and the Holy Spirit would be the means by which he would be able to dwell within them and perform that function.
In verse 28, Yeshua reiterates that the Father would send him back to them after his death, resurrection, and ascension. The means by which Yeshua would come back would be God's Spirit. This is the reason Yeshua told them they should rejoice that he was returning to the Father, and the reason that he proclaimed that “my Father is greater than I.” It would only be through the Father's Spirit that Yeshua could return to dwell within them and do greater works than those he had already performed.
Now let's go to the next chapter of John's Gospel and examine the third mention of the “Helper”:
JOHN 15:26 “When the Advocate [parakletos] comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds [ekporeuetai] from the Father, he will testify to me.” (NAB)
It's very interesting to note that the Holy Spirit is said to “proceed from the Father.” The Greek word translated “proceed” here comes from the verb ekporeuomai. ALGNT gives us the following meanings for this word:
(1) literally; (a) absolutely go from or out of a place, depart from (MK 6.11); go out (AC 9.28); (b) of the dead coming out of tombs emerge, come forth (JN 5.29); Â of demons come out (MT 17.21); (d) of a journey set out (MK 10.17); (2) figuratively; (a) of words or thoughts proceed from, go or come out of the mouth, i.e. be spoken (MT 15.11); (b) of a report spread abroad, tell everywhere (LU 4.37); Â of the Spirit proceed from (JN 15.26); (d) of water flow out, stream forth (RV 22.1).
Just as water flows like a stream going from the mountains down to the ocean, God's Spirit would flow from Him in heaven to believers on earth. In fact, the Holy Spirit was compared to water in the Bible by Yeshua himself:
JOHN 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (NKJV)
Yeshua the Messiah, our Advocate and Mediator, is the conduit through which this “living water” flows to us from the Father. This is why Yeshua told his disciples that it was necessary that he return to heaven for them to do mightier works than he had done (John 14:12). Only after his death, resurrection, and enthronement at the right hand of the Father would they have the very mind and power of God available to them.
Now let's go to the fourth mention of the “Helper” by John:
JOHN 16:4 “But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I go away to Him who sent me, and none of you asks me, 'Where are You going?' 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper [parakletos] will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him to you.” (NKJV)
Here, Yeshua clearly states that he was returning to the Father in heaven (v. 5). He goes on to tell his disciples that it was for their benefit that he was going back to heaven. If he didn't, he stated that the Helper would not come to them. Again, we have to remember that it was Yeshua who promised to return to his disciples and manifest himself to them (John 14:21). So Yeshua apparently could only return to them and dwell in them through God's Spirit.
JOHN 16:12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak; and he will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take of what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are mine. Therefore I said that he will take of mine and declare it to you. 16 A little while, and you will not see me; and again a little while, and you will see me, because I go to the Father.” (NKJV)
Once again, Yeshua speaks of what the Spirit of truth will do for the disciples. In verse 16, Yeshua tells them that in a little while, they would not see him any longer, but that after he went to the Father, they would see him again. While many attribute the fulfillment of this prophecy to the 40-day period Yeshua appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, the more complete fulfillment of it took place in Jerusalem on Shavu'ot:
ACTS 2:1 Whe
n the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs — we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” (NKJV)
Just as the “glory of YHVH” appeared at Mount Sinai on Pentecost and then wrote the commandments of God on tablets of stone for the Israelites, the glorified Messiah appeared on Pentecost and wrote God's Law on the hearts of His people (Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10). Just as the “glory of YHVH” dwelt within the tabernacle, and later Solomon's temple, the glorified Messiah came to dwell within the spiritual temple of God, the church. He did this through the Holy Spirit of his Father.
Paul had much to say about the indwelling of the Messiah. It was central to his faith and understanding of God's plan:
ROMANS 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (NKJV)
GALATIANS 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (NKJV)
II CORINTHIANS 13:4 For indeed he was crucified out of weakness, but he lives by the power of God. So also we are weak in him, but toward you we shall live with him by the power of God. 5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless, of course, you fail the test. (NAB)
Yeshua himself told his disciples that they would live because he lived (John 14:19). Paul confirms the words of the Messiah, stating that believers have Yeshua dwelling within them through the Spirit of God. The same power of God that raised Yeshua to life after his crucifixion will also help believers to live, as Yeshua lives his life in them.
In ancient times, the sins of the Jews drove the “glory of YHVH” from the temple and caused its destruction, as well as the desolation of all of Judah by the Babylonians (Eze. 9-11). In like manner, we also can cause the Messiah to remove himself from within us if we continue to live in sin after receiving the Holy Spirit.
In I Thessalonians 5:19, Paul warns believers not to “quench the Spirit.” Remember, Yeshua clearly stated that obedience was a prerequisite for having him and the Father continue to dwell within us after our conversion (John 14:15-16, 21). Those who sin willfully have the same fate awaiting them that the lawless inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem experienced:
HEBREWS 10:26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (NKJV)
As the prophets show, a time is soon coming when Yeshua will once again be manifested to the entire world:
ISAIAH 40:1 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” says your God. 2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.” 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; 5 the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (NKJV)
Clearly, this prophecy speaks of the return of Yeshua to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth. Isaiah tells us that once again, the “glory of YHVH” will be visible to mortal man. This time, the entire world will see him as he administers mercy and justice from his headquarters in Jerusalem.
The prophet Ezekiel shows us that during the Millennium, the Messiah will once again dwell within a physical temple which will be built in Jerusalem:
EZEKIEL 43:1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel [kevod 'elohey Yisra'el] came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters [see Rev. 1:15]; and the earth shone with His glory. 3 It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw — like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. 4 And the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. 5 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the temple. 6 Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while a man stood beside me. 7 And He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places.” (NKJV)
The glory of the triumphant Messiah will once again fill the temple, much as he did in ancient Israel. This time he is there to stay, as he tells Ezekiel in verse 7. That which has been is what will be once more; that which has been done is what will be done again (Ecc. 1:9).
EZEKIEL 44:1 Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut. 2 And the LORD said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the LORD God of Israel [YHVH 'elohey Yisra'el] has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. 3 As for the prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.” 4 Also He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple; so I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the house of the LORD; and I fell on my face. (NKJV)
The eastern gate of the millenial temple will be sealed because it is the gate by which the Messiah will enter the temple. The “glory of YHVH” will light up the whole world from Jerusalem.
CONCLUSION
Just like the three fest
ival seasons specified in the Tanakh are actually two, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three that are really two. The Holy Spirit is the mind of God. Through His Spirit, the heavenly Father sustains the entire universe. The coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 2) signaled a new phase in the plan of God. God's Spirit became the means by which His Son, Yeshua, lived within the spiritual temple of God (the church), just as he had centuries earlier dwelt within the physical tabernacle and temple as the “glory of the LORD.”
The Scriptures show that the day will come, after his second coming, when the Messiah shall once again also dwell within the rebuilt physical temple in Jerusalem. In that day, many people will seek the Messiah in the house of the God. He will teach them God's ways, and they will walk in His paths. God's Law will be taught from Zion, and the word of the Eternal will go forth from Jerusalem. Yeshua the Messiah will then judge between the nations and reprove many people. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. At that time, nations will not make war against each other anymore. The house of Jacob will at that time walk in the light of YHVH (Isa. 2:3-5).

[Mercy]

Unfortunately, I have to leave for work.

[Mercy]

HOW ARE GOD THE FATHER AND YESHUA ONE?
1. To most Jews, including many Messianics, the nature of God is defined in the Shema:
DEUTERONOMY 6:4 ” Hear [shema'], O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one [echad]! (NKJV)
Messianics apply this understanding of the oneness of God to a confusing statement by Yeshua recorded in the tenth chapter of John's Gospel. In response to the Jews' request to confirm that he was the prophesied Messiah (John 10:24), Yeshua stated:
JOHN 10:30 “I and the Father are one [hen].” (NASU)
What did he mean by this declaration? Was Yeshua here applying the Shema to himself and stating that he and God the Father were the same being? Was he proclaiming that he was co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, as Trinitarianism teaches? Was Yeshua saying that he and the Father were of the same essence or substance? Just what exactly was he trying to convey?
We will closely examine the Hebrew word for “one” (echad) a little later in this study. First, let's look at the Greek word hen.
In Vincent's Word Studies of the New Testament, the late Professor Vincent states that hen, the Greek word translated “one” in John 10:30, is “the neuter, not the masculine εeί?ς?, one person” (p. 197, vol. II).
Regarding this statement by Yeshua, the Abingdon Bible Commentary says: “V. 30 does not affirm a metaphysical unity, but a moral, and we must not read the later creeds into the words” (p. 1079).
In A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown write of this verse:
Our language admits not of the precision of the original in this great saying, 'We (two Persons) are One (Thing).' Perhaps 'one interest' expresses nearly, though not quite, the purport of the saying. (p. 414, vol. III, part I)
The use of hen in John 10:30 clearly indicates that Yeshua was not claiming that he and the Father were the same being. An examination of how the same Greek word hen (“one”) is used in other Scriptures will help us see what Christ did intend to convey by his statement.
Let's look at Yeshua's prayer to the Father on the night before his crucifixion. In this supplication, he speaks several times of the state of being “one”:
JOHN 17:11 “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be ONE [hen] even as We are. (NASU)
Here Yeshua prays that God the Father would keep his disciples in His name (Heb. YHVH, the very same name which the Father had given to Yeshua), that they could be one just as Yeshua and God were one. The key question that we must answer about this statement is this:
How was it possible for Yeshua's disciples to be ONE in the same way that Yeshua and the Father were ONE?
A little later, Yeshua reiterates his request to God regarding the “oneness” of all believers:
JOHN 17:20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word; 21 that they all may be ONE [hen], as You, Father, are in me, and I in You; that they also may be ONE [hen] in us, that the world may believe that You sent me. 22 And the glory which You gave me I have given them, that they may be ONE [hen] just as we are ONE [hen]: 23 I in them, and You in me; that they may be made perfect in one [eis], and that the world may know that You have sent me, and have loved them as You have loved me.” (NKJV)
Here Yeshua further defines the “oneness” shared by him and his Father. He says that the Father was IN him, and that he was IN the Father. Before we can go any further, we must first identify HOW God the Father was in Christ, and HOW Christ was in the Father.
To see how the Father was in Yeshua, we need to go back to the time of his baptism:
LUKE 3:21 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while he prayed, the heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in you I am well pleased.” 4:1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, (NKJV)
As the symbolic form of the dove indicated, the Father came to dwell within His Son through the Holy Spirit at the time Yeshua's ministry began. Of course this does not mean that Christ was void of the Holy Spirit before this time. However, at his baptism Yeshua was given an unlimited measure of the Holy Spirit (John 3:34) to fulfill his earthly mission.
To fully understand how the indwelling of God the Father in Yeshua was through His Spirit, we must grasp the true nature of the Holy Spirit. Most Christians believe that the Spirit is the third person in the divine Trinity. However, this teaching is not scriptural. Paul defines God's Spirit for us in his first letter to the Corinthians:
I CORINTHIANS 2:9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (NKJV)
In the Bible, the heart corresponds to the mind as the place where thought and understanding take place. As many Scriptures show (cf. Gen. 6:5; Isa. 65:17; Jer. 3:16; 23:20; Mark 7:21), the heart and mind are synonymous. In fact, the Authorized Version even translates the Hebrew ruach (“spirit”) as “mind” in several places (Gen. 26:35; Pro. 29:11; Eze. 11:5; 20:32; Hab. 1:11). So in I Corinthians 2:9, Paul is saying that it hasn't entered into the mind “of man” (Gr. anthropou, lit. “of mankind”) what God has prepared for humanity.
I CORINTHIANS 2:10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. (NKJV)
Here Paul qualifies his earlier statement. There are some people who do know what God has prepared for mankind, because He has revealed it to the minds of those who have His Holy Spirit.
I CORINTHIANS 2:11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so [houtos kai] no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. (NKJV)
In verse 11, Paul draws an analogy between the spirit (i.e., “heart” or “mind”) of man and the Spirit of God. In his own peculiar style, Paul tells us that God's Holy Spirit is really His Mind. To demonstrate this, he draws a comparison between the human spirit and God's Spirit. He tells us that only the spirit (“mind”) within a man knows the thoughts of that man. Paul then goes on to say that only the Spirit (“Mind”) of God knows the thoughts of God. The connecting phrase “even so,” a translation of the Greek houtos kai, shows that Paul is comparing the human spirit or mind in the first part of this verse with God's Spirit or Mind in the final part. He explains this concept more fully in the next few verses.
I CORINTHIANS 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (NKJV)
How do we have the mind of God in us that was also in the Messiah? Through God's Holy Spirit.
PHILIPPIANS 2:5 For let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (DRA)
God's Spirit, when it combines with our human spirit, allows us to understand the things of God from His perspective. When God gives us His Spirit, we can begin to comprehend what He is doing and why
He is doing it.
Yeshua, through the power and understanding given by God's Holy Spirit, was able to overcome temptation while here on earth. Even though he was tempted in all things just as we are (Heb. 2:18; 4:15), he was able to overcome and triumph over his human nature and mind by the greater Mind of God.
Thus we have answered our earlier question about HOW the Father was in Christ. God was in Yeshua the same way He dwells in us: through His Holy Spirit.
Conversely, because of the presence of God's Spirit, Christ was able to remain in the Father by overcoming his own desires and being in total obedience to His will. Here are several Scriptures that show this truth:
JOHN 5:30 “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. (NKJV)
JOHN 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” (NASU)
JOHN 15:10 “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. (NKJV)
LUKE 22:42 Saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” (NASU)
The Messiah subordinated his own will to that of the Father while he was here on the earth. That is how he remained in the Father.
This pattern shows us how Messiah's disciples could be “one” just as Yeshua and the Father were one. God would be in the disciples through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. By the power of the Spirit the disciples would obey the commands of Christ (which are actually the commands of God the Father-John 14:24) and abide in God's love. As the Mediator between the heavenly Father and His human children (I Tim. 2:5), God's Holy Spirit flows through Christ our High Priest to reside in us (John 15:26; Acts 2:33).
So we can see from the teaching of the New Testament that Yeshua and the Father are said to be “one” because they were united in purpose and goal. God the Father commanded the Son, what he should do and what he should say. The Son obeyed perfectly, never sinning by breaking God's Law (II Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; I Pet. 2:22; I John 3:5).
This understanding of oneness between the Father and Son is in perfect harmony with the Shema. The Father is the only true God, as the Son himself confessed (John 17:3). The Son is subordinate to the Father (Mark 13:32; John 10:29; 14:28; I Cor. 11:3; 15:27-28) and is one (echad) with Him, seeking always to accomplish the divine plan for mankind. The Hebrew word echad has as one of its prominent meanings “unity,” as the following verses clearly show:
GENESIS 11:6 And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one [echad] and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. (NKJV)
Speaking of the descendants of Noah who were building the Tower of Babel after the Flood, YHVH said that they were “one.” Plainly echad here means that they were united in their desire to build the tower.
GENESIS 41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one [echad]; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: (NKJV)
Joseph told Pharaoh that the two dreams he had dreamed (seven fat cows eaten by seven skinny cows and seven plump heads of grain consumed by seven thin heads) were “one.” That is, they were unified because they both had the same meaning — the coming of seven years of good harvests and seven years of famine in Egypt.
JUDGES 20:1 So all the children of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, as well as from the land of Gilead, and the congregation gathered together as one [echad] man before the LORD at Mizpah. (NKJV)
Here we see the gathering of all the tribes of Israel together “as one man before YHVH at Mizpah.” This Scripture speaks of a physical union of all the children of Israel in one place.
While there are numerous other examples from the Tanakh which show that echad can and frequently does mean “unity,” probably the most telling example given is that of the union of a man and woman as “one flesh” in marriage:
GENESIS 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman ['ishah], because she was taken out of Man ['ish].” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh [vehayu lebasar echad]. (NKJV)
Marriage, where a man and woman become one flesh, is a picture of how God the Father and Yeshua are one. Understood correctly, it also explains how we as believers become one with God and Yeshua (John 17:11, 21-23).
The first thing we must understand is HOW a man and woman become one flesh at marriage. Clearly they do not merge into one literal body and cease to exist as separate biological organisms. So exactly what makes a man and woman “one flesh” in the biblical sense?
Paul gives us the answer to this question, as well as the answer to how we can become one as the Father and Yeshua are one, in his first letter to the Corinthian assembly:
I CORINTHIANS 6:16 Or do you not know that he who is JOINED [kollomenos] to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” (NKJV)
Paul's comment here shows that it is the physical act of sexual intercourse between a man and a woman that makes these two individuals “one flesh.” The example Paul gives is that of an illicit sexual copulation between a male member of the Corinthian congregation and a prostitute. However, by extension we can see that the same type of physical joining within the confines of marriage is what makes a husband and wife “one flesh” also.
Just as Paul condemns becoming “one flesh” with a harlot, the author of Hebrews speaks approvingly of sexual intercourse within the confines of marriage:
HEBREWS 13:4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed [koite] undefiled [amiantos]; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. (NKJV)
“Bed” comes from the Greek noun koite. This word, which is the origin of the English “coitus,” is used here as a euphemism for sexual intercourse. The Greek word translated “undefiled” (amiantos) literally means “pure.” The point of the author is that the joining as “one flesh” of a husband and wife through sexual intercourse is honorable and pure in God's sight. However, sexual activity outside of the divine institution of marriage is a sin and will be punished by God.
Paul's next comment in I Corinthians sheds light on how the physical act of sex by which a man and woman become “one flesh” pictures the spiritual oneness shared by those who have the Holy Spirit.
I CORINTHIANS 6:17 But he who is JOINED [kollomenos] to the Lord is one spirit with Him. (NKJV)
In I Corinthians 6:16-17, Paul uses the exact same Greek verb (kollomenos) to describe the physical joining in sex with a harlot and the spiritual joining of God's spirit with that of a believer. The reason is because the physical is a picture of the spiritual. Just as a man and woman become “one flesh” when they unite in sexual intercourse, God and man become one when the Holy Spirit unites with our human spirit.
It was through this spiritual joining of spirits that Yeshua could rightfully say that he and God the Father were one. As He always does, God has given us a physical representation of a spiritual truth. We can become one with God just as He and Yeshua were one when we receive the gift of His Holy Spirit.

[Mercy]

Quote (WorshippingJesus @ Jan. 07 2007,23:39)

Quote I just told you how it is possible. If I put a penny in a jar and then put that jar inside of a box. Then then both would be inside the box. Mercy So God is the Box, and Jesus is the jar and the Holy Spirit is the penny? So how can the jar hold the box? And how can the penny hold the jar?

With spirit I dont really think “size” matters. I am afraid if I use this analogy any longer we will drift off on some tangent.

It is pretty simple:

The Holy Spirit is God's spirit.

This Holy Spirit is in Christ, descending on him at his baptism.

Christ's Spirit is in us, descending on us at our baptism.

Thus we have both the Father and the Son in us.

[Mercy]

Quote (WorshippingJesus @ Jan. 07 2007,23:33)

Quote just told you how it is possible. If I put a penny in a jar and then put that jar inside of a box. Then then both would be inside the box. Mercy By your analogy, is there anything or anyone but God himself that could contain all that he is?

Where are you going with this? I assume you are trying to say that it is impossible to have God in something. Yet this doesn't make sense even from your view. In fact you have God being 3 persons inside us.

[Mercy]

WJ,

I understand how you view the Godhead. I am very familiar with it. My entire premise is that you have misunderstood , misinterpreted what was actually written.

I have been taught for years exactly the same things you keep saying. I know that view.

I am trying to share a view that I think is far more accurate, is corroborated by the early church fathers and is completely supported by scripture.

I am sharing these writings because they agree with my position. I could painstakingly write out my own words, however, that would be a waste of time since I agree with the study already written.

I thought I provided the source earlier in my posts if not I apologize.

source:
http://users.aristotle.net/~bhuie/topics.htm

[Mercy]

I just told you how it is possible.

If I put a penny in a jar and then put that jar inside of a box. Then then both would be inside the box.

[Mercy]

PENTECOST AND THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. The festival most Christians know as Pentecost is called Shavu'ot in Hebrew. Because of the narrative of Acts 2, much of the church is still familiar with Pentecost. Christians recall the story of the mighty wind, the tongues of fire, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the speaking in different languages. However, most are unaware of the background behind the story. Shavu'ot is actually one of YHVH's designated holy days, filled with a wealth of meaning and symbolism.
In the Old Testament, Pentecost is known by several names. These include the “Feast of Harvest” (Exo. 23:16), the “Day of the Firstfruits” (Num. 28:26), and the most common name, the “Feast of Weeks” (Exo. 34:22; Deu. 16:10, 16; II Chr. 8:13).
The annual journey to Pentecost begins with a countdown. In the 23rd chapter of Leviticus, we find the command to count the days to arrive at Shavu'ot:
LEVITICUS 23:9 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 10 Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall elevate the sheaf before the LORD for acceptance in your behalf; the priest shall elevate it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day that you elevate the sheaf, you shall offer as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb of the first year without blemish. 13 The meal offering with it shall be two-tenths of a measure of choice flour with oil mixed in, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the LORD; and the libation with it shall be of wine, a quarter of a hin. 14 Until that very day, until you have brought the offering of your God, you shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears; it is a law for all time throughout the ages in all your settlements. 15 And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering — the day after the Sabbath — you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete: 16 you must count until the day after the seventh week — fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to the LORD. (JPS Tanakh)
The writings of 1st-century Jewish historian Josephus plainly state that the countdown to Pentecost began on Nisan 16 (Antiquities of the Jews 3.10.5), the day after the first high Sabbath of the year (Lev. 23:6-7). Nisan 16 was the day on which the firstfruits of the barley crop were harvested and offered up in the Temple. To determine the date for Shavu'ot, we are commanded to count 49 days starting on this day; after the 49 days are completed, the 50th day is the appointed time of the Feast of Weeks.
Both the English and Hebrew names for the festival reflect the counting. The English name Pentecost is a transliteration of the Greek pentecostes, which literally means “fiftieth.” The Hebrew name for the festival, Shavu'ot, means “weeks,” and the feast is so named because of the seven complete weeks (49 days) of the counting. The commanded count is a chain that links Pentecost to the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In this sense, Pentecost concludes the festival season begun with Passover.
The Jews consider Shavu'ot to be the conclusion of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, just as the Last Great Day after the Feast of Tabernacles is considered to be the conclusion of that festival (Lev. 23:34-36). In this view, Shavu'ot is a sort of eighth-day festival, concluding the seven days of Unleavened Bread. Between the First Day of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15, the first annual Sabbath of the year) and Pentecost (Sivan 6, the third annual Sabbath of the year), there are exactly 49 days (7 X 7 days, or 7 complete weeks).
This arrangement shows us a pattern that God has established which relates to the number three. The Scriptures tell us several times that there are three yearly festivals that required the attendance of all males (Exo. 23:14-17; 34:18-24; Deu. 16:1-16):
DEUTERONOMY 16:16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.” (NKJV)
Since Pentecost (the Feast of Weeks) is really the conclusion of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (also known as Passover-Eze. 45:21), we see that the THREE festivals of God are really only TWO (Unleavened Bread-Pentecost & Trumpets-Atonement-Tabernacles-Last Great Day). This is a pattern for the Godhead also, which the world considers to be three (the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit), but is really only two (the Father & the Son). We're going to develop this theme quite a bit more later in this article.
We are told that the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai on the first day of the third month (Sivan 1):
EXODUS 19:1 In the third month after their departure from the land of Egypt, on its first day, the Israelites came to the desert of Sinai. (NAB)
By counting the days revealed in Exodus 19, the Jewish sages have determined that Shavu'ot was the day on which the Law was given to Israel from Mount Sinai. For this reason, the Torah reading for Shavu'ot is Exodus 19-20, which describes the Israelites arrival at Mount Sinai and the subsequent giving of the Law. In conjunction with this Torah passage, the Haftorah reading for Shavu'ot is the first chapter of the book of Ezekiel.
The reason the Jews read this particular passage will become evident as we continue. Introduced in the final verse of Ezekiel 1 is an entity called “the glory of the LORD” (v. 28):
EZEKIEL 1:26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH]. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking. (NKJV)
Here Ezekiel gives us a vivid description of the entity known as “the glory of YHVH. This is the same divine being that gave the Law to Israel from Mount Sinai (Acts 7:38). This entity is VERY important to the meaning of Pentecost. In the book of Hebrews, we are told who this divine spirit being is:
HEBREWS 1:3 He [Yeshua] is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (NRSV)
The author of Hebrews clearly identifies Yeshua as “the reflection of God's glory.” John provides a second witness (Deu. 19:15; Matt. 18:16; II Cor. 13:1) to this identity in the prophetic book of Revelation:
REVELATION 21:23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. (NKJV)
John tells us that in the New Jerusalem, the lamp that lights the city will be “the Lamb” also known as “the glory of God.” The Lamb of God is plainly identified as Yeshua the Messiah in Revelation, as well as elsewhere in the New Testament (John 1:29, 36; I Pet. 1:19).
In the Scriptures, a wide variety of names are applied to the divine being that interacted with Israel on behalf of God the Father. For more information on appearances of the Messiah before his coming as the man Yeshua, please refer to my article “Christ in the Old Testament.”
We first see the preincarnate Messiah identified as “the glory of YHVH” in Exodus 16. He appeared to the people of Israel as they came out of Egypt:
EXODUS 16:7 “And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH]; for
He hears your complaints against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain against us?” 8 Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD.” 9 Then Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, 'Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your complaints.' ” 10 Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] appeared in the cloud. (NKJV)
As the Israelites came out of Egypt, they were accompanied by the Messiah. He went before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exo. 13:21-22). However, it seems that he was generally not seen by the entire congregation unless he chose to manifest himself. This manifestation was known as “the glory of YHVH.”
It was as “the glory of YHVH” that the Messiah visibly rested on top of Mount Sinai in the appearance of a “consuming fire.” Afterward, he called Moses up to meet with him for 40 days and 40 nights:
EXODUS 24:16 Now the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 The sight of the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. (NKJV)
Through the Messiah, God led the Israelites by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. However, once the Israelites set up the tabernacle Moses had been instructed to make (Exo. 25-27), “the glory of YHVH” filled the tabernacle:
EXODUS 40:33 And he raised up the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the screen of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. 34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the tabernacle. (NKJV)
Afterward, whenever God chose to speak to Moses and others, He would do so through the Messiah at the tabernacle of meeting:
NUMBERS 14:10 And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel. 11 Then the LORD said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?” (NKJV)
NUMBERS 16:19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] appeared to all the congregation. (NKJV)
NUMBERS 16:41 On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the LORD.” 42 Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] appeared. (NKJV)
NUMBERS 20:2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] appeared to them. 7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” (NKJV)
Later on, after the tabernacle was replaced by the temple King Solomon built for God in Jerusalem, we see that the Messiah also appeared in Solomon's temple:
I KINGS 8:1 Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the City of David, which is Zion. 2 Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at the feast in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 So all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 Then they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 6 Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8 The poles extended so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 9 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the house of the LORD. (NKJV)
II CHRONICLES 5:11 And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to their divisions), 12 and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets — 13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the house of God. 6:1 Then Solomon spoke: “The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. 2 I have surely built You an exalted house, and a place for You to dwell in forever.” (NKJV)
II CHRONICLES 7:1 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] had filled the LORD's house. 3 When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: “For He is good, Fo
r His mercy endures forever.” (NKJV)
Like he appeared to the Israelites that left Egypt, we see that the Messiah also appeared to Israel at the dedication of the temple of YHVH. We are told that “the glory of YHVH” filled the temple that God had allowed Solomon to build for Him.
Just as the Father sat on His throne in the Holy of Holies in the heavenly Temple, His Son sat on the mercy seat in the earthly temple. The temple became the sanctuary of the Messiah, God's messenger and mediator to Israel. But as Judah drifted further and further away from God's ways, Solomon's temple became polluted by the sins of the people. As Ezekiel shows us, the transgressions of Israel caused it to become unclean, eventually forcing “the glory of YHVH” to depart:
EZEKIEL 8:1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me there. 2 Then I looked, and there was a likeness, like the appearance of fire — from the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; and from His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness, like the color of amber. 3 He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy. 4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel [kevod 'elohey Yisra'el] was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain. 5 Then He said to me, “Son of man, lift your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the altar gate, was this image of jealousy in the entrance. 6 Furthermore He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again, you will see greater abominations.” (NKJV)
The sins of Israel eventually caused judgment to be poured out upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah. In a vision, Ezekiel sees this judgment being decreed by “the glory of YHVH” (also called “the glory of the God of Israel”):
EZEKIEL 9:1 Then He called out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, “Let those who have charge over the city draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand.” 2 And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer's inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar. 3 Now the glory of the God of Israel [kevod 'elohey Yisra'el] had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer's inkhorn at his side; 4 and the LORD [YHVH] said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” 5 To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. 6 Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple. 7 Then He said to them, “Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” And they went out and killed in the city. 8 So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I fell on my face and cried out, and said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?” 9 Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, 'The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see!' 10 And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.” 11 Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, “I have done as You commanded me.” (NKJV)
In this vision, Ezekiel sees “the glory of YHVH” depart from between the cherubim on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies (Exo. 25:17-22) and go to the doorway of the temple. While standing in the doorway, six angelic beings appeared, carrying axes. The Messiah told one of them to mark the foreheads of God's people, and then he told the others to slay those who did not have the mark.
After seeing the visionary slaughter of those in Jerusalem, Ezekiel then witnesses a vision of the exodus of the Messiah from the doomed temple:
EZEKIEL 10:1 Then I looked, and behold, in the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim something like a sapphire stone, in appearance resembling a throne, appeared above them. 2 And He spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Enter between the whirling wheels under the cherubim and fill your hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And he entered in my sight. 3 Now the cherubim were standing on the right side of the temple when the man entered, and the cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple, and the temple was filled with the cloud and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH]. (NASU)
EZEKIEL 10:18 Then the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD's house, and the glory of the God of Israel [kevod 'elohey Yisra'el] was above them. (NKJV)
EZEKIEL 11:14 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 15 “Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety, are those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, 'Get far away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.' 16 Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” ' 17 Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” ' 18 And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there. 19 Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD. 22 So the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel [kevod 'elohey Yisra'el] was high above them. 23 And the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain [Olivet], which is on the east side of the city. 24 Then the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to those in captivity. And the vision that I had seen went up from me. 25 So I spoke to those in captivity of all the things the LORD had shown me. (NKJV)
Because of the sins of the people, the preincarnate Messiah left the temple and settled on the Mount of Olives, which was to the east of Jerusalem. From there, he ascended back
to heaven (cf. Acts 1:4-12). Solomon's temple was soon thereafter destroyed by the Babylonians (in 586 B.C.E.).
In 520 B.C.E., Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, was inspired by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to rebuild the temple of God (Hag. 1:1-11; Zec. 4:6-9). As the Scriptures show, this second temple did not compare to Solomon's temple (Ezra 3:8-13; Hag. 2:3). However, Haggai prophesied about the glory of the second temple :
HAGGAI 2:9 “'The glory [kevod] of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the LORD of hosts. 'And in this place I will give peace,' says the LORD of hosts.” (NKJV)
“The glory of YHVH” was never seen in the second temple in the same way it appeared in the tabernacle and in Solomon's temple. However, the prophet Haggai prophesied that the second temple's “glory” would be greater than that of Solomon's temple.
This glory appeared some 500 years later when the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6; Acts 10:36), Yeshua the Messiah, came to this world in human form. During his earthly ministry, Yeshua spent a lot of time during God's festivals (Lev. 23) teaching in the second temple:
JOHN 7:14 Now about the middle of the feast [of Tabernacles] Jesus went up into the temple and taught. 15 And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this man know letters, having never studied?” 16 Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent me. 17 If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on my own authority. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of the One who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” (NKJV)
MATTHEW 21:23 Now when he came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” (NKJV)
MATTHEW 26:55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize me.” (NKJV)
JOHN 18:19 The high priest then asked Jesus about his disciples and his doctrine. 20 Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. (NKJV)
Yeshua, who taught in the second temple, was greater in his role as the Messiah than as “the glory of YHVH” that appeared in Solomon's temple. Yeshua taught the words of God to Israel (John 7:16; 8:28, 38; 14:24; 15:15), and gave repentance to them, as well as forgiveness for their sins by his sacrificial death (Acts 5:31).
By now you are probably saying to yourself, “OK, this is all very interesting, but what does it have to do with Pentecost?” The relationship between “the glory of YHVH” and the day of Pentecost will become more evident as we examine the words of Messiah just before his crucifixion. These words, recorded in the Gospel of John, have long been misunderstood:
JOHN 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms [monai]. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” (ESV)
Yeshua speaks of his “Father's house” in verse 2. In this verse, the plural monai (translated “rooms” or “mansions”) comes from the Greek root word mone. Variations of this word appear only twice in the New Testament. According to Friberg's Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testatment (ALGNT), mone means “dwelling place, abode, home.”
Many have just assumed that Yeshua's reference in verse 2 is to God's heavenly temple, and that he is promising here to bring his disciples to heaven, that they may dwell there forever. However, there is another spiritual house of the Father spoken of in the New Testament, and this holy temple is NOT located in heaven:
EPHESIANS 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (NKJV)
Yeshua knew that the temple of God in Jerusalem would be destroyed soon after his ascension to heaven (Matt. 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6). But he also knew that God would replace the physical temple with a spiritual temple composed of the assembly of believers. Within this new house of God would be many dwelling places. The physical bodies of believers would become individual rooms or abodes within the Father's spiritual temple.
The bodies of these believers were to be dwelling places for the Spirit of God, as the apostle Paul revealed to the Corinthians:
I CORINTHIANS 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. (NKJV)
I CORINTHIANS 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; (RSV)
II CORINTHIANS 6:16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (NKJV)
As we will see, it is this collective spiritual temple of the Father that Yeshua was speaking of in John 14:2. In verse 3, when Yeshua promised to come again to his disciples, he was speaking of coming to dwell within them, just as he had earlier dwelt as the “glory of YHVH” within the tabernacle and Solomon's temple. This will become more clear as we continue.
JOHN 14:5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (ESV)
Thomas misunderstood what Yeshua meant. He thought that the disciples would have to follow Yeshua to a physical place. Since they did not know where he was going, how could they know how to get there? But Yeshua was referring to a spiritual path, not a physical one. “The way” that Yeshua spoke of was the same “way” he had shown the disciples throughout his time with them. That “way” was one of complete obedience to God. They would only be able to come to the Father through faith in the Messiah's sacrifice and emulation of his obedient life. Not coincidentally, the teachings of Yeshua, and those who followed them, later came to be called “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22).
JOHN 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “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'?” (ESV)
Yeshua's words here have long been confusing to many, yet his meaning is understandable when viewed in light of other related Scriptures. Yeshua is the mediator between God and His chosen people (I Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). He is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15), the exact imprint of His nature (Heb. 1:3). Because he was endowed with the very character of God, the Son of God was (and always had been) the visible representation of the invisible Father. This is why Yeshua was able to truthfully tell Thomas and Philip that those who knew him also knew God the Father.
JOHN 14:10 Do you not believe that I a
m in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does the works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves.” (NKJV)
The two primary questions arising from this passage are:
(1) How did the Father dwell in Yeshua?
(2) How was Yeshua in the Father?
The answer to the first question is that God was in Yeshua the same way He is in us: through the indwelling of His Spirit (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32; 3:34). This brings up a related question: What is the Spirit of God?
As Paul tells us in I Corinthians 2:9-16, the Spirit of God is actually the Mind of God:
I CORINTHIANS 2:9 But it is as Scripture says: What no eye has seen and no ear has heard, what the mind of man [kardian anthropou] cannot visualise; all that God has prepared for those who love Him; (NJB)
In Greek literature, kardia (generally translated as “heart”) frequently refers to the seat of physical, spiritual and mental life. Therefore, the heart (the place where thought and understanding take place), is synonymous with the mind. In I Corinthians 2:9, Paul is saying that “mankind” (Gr. anthropou) does not understand what God has planned for the human race.
I CORINTHIANS 2:10 But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (NIV)
Here Paul qualifies his statement in verse 9. There are some people who do comprehend what God has prepared for mankind, because He has revealed it to those who have His Spirit.
I CORINTHIANS 2:11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so [houtos kai] the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. (NASU)
In verse 11, Paul draws an analogy between the spirit of man (also known as the “heart” or “mind”) and the Spirit of God. The connecting phrase “even so” (houtos kai) shows that he is comparing the human spirit or mind in the first part of this verse with God's Spirit or Mind in the final part. Paul begins by stating that only the spirit (“mind”) within a man knows the thoughts of that man. He then goes on to say that, in like manner, only the Spirit (“Mind”) of God knows the thoughts of God. Paul explains this concept more fully in the next few verses:
I CORINTHIANS 2:12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 13 And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. 14 Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else's scrutiny. 16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (NRSV)
How do we have the mind of Messiah? Through the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit.
Our human minds were created with a critical component missing; that missing piece is God's Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is not present, people search for other things to fill that void. This is why the apostle John warned believers to “test the spirits” to verify the “Spirit of God” (I John 4:1-2). Lying spirits have led many people astray and have caused the proliferation of false religions in the world. Because of our natural mental deficiency, man is susceptible to intervention by spiritual forces.
But when the Spirit of God combines with our human spirit, we begin to comprehend the spiritual things of God. The presence of God's Spirit helps us to begin understanding the “what,” “why,” and “how” of His plan for mankind. We are then able to consider things from God's view point, not just our previously limited physical perspective.
While Yeshua was here on earth, he was able to subjugate his human nature and remain totally obedient to the Father's will because of God's Spirit within him:
JOHN 5:30 “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. (NKJV)
JOHN 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” (NKJV)
LUKE 22:42 Saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done.” (NASU)
Yeshua subordinated his personal desires in order to do the will of God. This answers the second question raised earlier. Yeshua remained “in” the will of the Father by overcoming the temptations common to mankind (Heb. 2:18; 4:15) and avoiding sin. Because of this, Yeshua was one with God (John 10:30).
JOHN 14:12 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father. 13 And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” (NKJV)
Yeshua told the disciples that those who believed in him would do the works that he did. But Yeshua also stated that they would do greater works than he had done because he was returning to the heavenly Father. This statement is one of the keys to understanding Yeshua's words in this chapter. His return to heaven would be pivotal in allowing his disciples to do the prophesied mighty works.
We also see that Yeshua promised to do what the disciples asked “in his name.” The important thing to note here is that Yeshua himself promised to accomplish their requests so that the Father would be glorified.
JOHN 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Helper [parakleton], that he may abide with you forever [eis ton aiona, lit. “to the age”] — 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; but you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 A little while longer and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” (NKJV)
Yeshua's plain words in verse 15 are hard to misinterpret. He did not come to abolish the Law (Matt. 5:17). Those who love him will show that love by keeping his commandments (I John 5:2). These did not originate with Yeshua, but are the heavenly Father's commandments (John 7:16; 14:24). Contrary to what most teach today, these commandments are not burdensome (I John 5:3).
In verse 16, we are first introduced to the “Helper” (Gr. parakletos). ALGNT states that parakletos is a “legal technical term . . . one who appears in another's behalf advocate, defender, intercessor.”
Our “advocate” is clearly identified in John's first epistle:
I JOHN 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [parakleton] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (NKJV)
John plainly tells us that Yeshua the Messiah is our “Advocate” (parakletos). Yeshua stated that this coming “Helper” could not be received by the world because it didn't see or know him. But he stated that the disciples did know this “Spirit of truth” because he dwelt with them and would be in them. Yeshua had dwelt with them for three and a half years during the time of his earthly ministry. After his resurrection and ascension, he would dwell within them, through the agency of God's Spirit.
In John 14:6, Yeshua clearly stated that he was “the truth.” He knew that after his resurrection, he would once again be a glorified spirit being, just as he had been before his birth as a human (John 17:5; Phi. 2:6-8). Since his disciples could not then
comprehend this revelation, he spoke figuratively of his return to obscure what he was saying (John 16:25). But Yeshua clearly states that he, not someone else, would come to them (v. 17). The return he spoke of wasn't his coming at the end of the age to install the Kingdom of God here on earth, but rather his spiritual appearance in just over 50 days, on the day of Pentecost.
Yeshua told the disciples that in a little while, the world would not see him any longer, but that they would see him. He said that he was “the life” (v. 6), and told them that because he was going to live, they would live also (v. 19). In that day, he proclaimed, they would know that he was “in” them (v. 20).
JOHN 14:21 “He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home [monen] with him. 24 He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.” (NKJV)
Once again, Yeshua plainly states that he would only manifest himself to those who are obedient and demonstrate their love by observing the Father's commandments (vv. 21, 24). Judas, the son of James (Luke 6:16), asked a very pertinent question at this point: HOW would Yeshua manifest himself to them and not to the world?
Yeshua's answer is enlightening when understood properly. He stated that those who were obedient would have him and his Father come and make their home with them. Here we see the second and final usage of the Greek root word mone in the New Testament. This shows concisely that the “rooms” or “mansions” Yeshua spoke of in John 14:2 are indeed the physical bodies of believers. Yeshua was saying that the bodies of obedient servants of God would later become dwelling places for the risen Son of God, by means of the Holy Spirit of the Father. So both the Father and the Son would spiritually dwell within believers.
JOHN 14:25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper [parakletos], the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for my Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.” (NKJV)
Admittedly, this passage is difficult to understand. In verse 26, Yeshua refers to “the Holy Spirit” by the same title that he himself is known (“parakletos”). The explanation for this seeming contradiction is that BOTH Yeshua and God, through His Spirit, are our “Helpers.” Yeshua was to be the “advocate” for believers, and the Holy Spirit would be the means by which he would be able to dwell within them and perform that function.
In verse 28, Yeshua reiterates that the Father would send him back to them after his death, resurrection, and ascension. The means by which Yeshua would come back would be God's Spirit. This is the reason Yeshua told them they should rejoice that he was returning to the Father, and the reason that he proclaimed that “my Father is greater than I.” It would only be through the Father's Spirit that Yeshua could return to dwell within them and do greater works than those he had already performed.
Now let's go to the next chapter of John's Gospel and examine the third mention of the “Helper”:
JOHN 15:26 “When the Advocate [parakletos] comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds [ekporeuetai] from the Father, he will testify to me.” (NAB)
It's very interesting to note that the Holy Spirit is said to “proceed from the Father.” The Greek word translated “proceed” here comes from the verb ekporeuomai. ALGNT gives us the following meanings for this word:
(1) literally; (a) absolutely go from or out of a place, depart from (MK 6.11); go out (AC 9.28); (b) of the dead coming out of tombs emerge, come forth (JN 5.29); Â of demons come out (MT 17.21); (d) of a journey set out (MK 10.17); (2) figuratively; (a) of words or thoughts proceed from, go or come out of the mouth, i.e. be spoken (MT 15.11); (b) of a report spread abroad, tell everywhere (LU 4.37); Â of the Spirit proceed from (JN 15.26); (d) of water flow out, stream forth (RV 22.1).
Just as water flows like a stream going from the mountains down to the ocean, God's Spirit would flow from Him in heaven to believers on earth. In fact, the Holy Spirit was compared to water in the Bible by Yeshua himself:
JOHN 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (NKJV)
Yeshua the Messiah, our Advocate and Mediator, is the conduit through which this “living water” flows to us from the Father. This is why Yeshua told his disciples that it was necessary that he return to heaven for them to do mightier works than he had done (John 14:12). Only after his death, resurrection, and enthronement at the right hand of the Father would they have the very mind and power of God available to them.
Now let's go to the fourth mention of the “Helper” by John:
JOHN 16:4 “But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I go away to Him who sent me, and none of you asks me, 'Where are You going?' 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper [parakletos] will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him to you.” (NKJV)
Here, Yeshua clearly states that he was returning to the Father in heaven (v. 5). He goes on to tell his disciples that it was for their benefit that he was going back to heaven. If he didn't, he stated that the Helper would not come to them. Again, we have to remember that it was Yeshua who promised to return to his disciples and manifest himself to them (John 14:21). So Yeshua apparently could only return to them and dwell in them through God's Spirit.
JOHN 16:12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak; and he will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take of what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are mine. Therefore I said that he will take of mine and declare it to you. 16 A little while, and you will not see me; and again a little while, and you will see me, because I go to the Father.” (NKJV)
Once again, Yeshua speaks of what the Spirit of truth will do for the disciples. In verse 16, Yeshua tells them that in a little while, they would not see him any longer, but that after he went to the Father, they would see him again. While many attribute the fulfillment of this prophecy to the 40-day period Yeshua appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, the more complete fulfillment of it took place in Jerusalem on Shavu'ot:
ACTS 2:1 Whe
n the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs — we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” (NKJV)
Just as the “glory of YHVH” appeared at Mount Sinai on Pentecost and then wrote the commandments of God on tablets of stone for the Israelites, the glorified Messiah appeared on Pentecost and wrote God's Law on the hearts of His people (Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10). Just as the “glory of YHVH” dwelt within the tabernacle, and later Solomon's temple, the glorified Messiah came to dwell within the spiritual temple of God, the church. He did this through the Holy Spirit of his Father.
Paul had much to say about the indwelling of the Messiah. It was central to his faith and understanding of God's plan:
ROMANS 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (NKJV)
GALATIANS 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (NKJV)
II CORINTHIANS 13:4 For indeed he was crucified out of weakness, but he lives by the power of God. So also we are weak in him, but toward you we shall live with him by the power of God. 5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless, of course, you fail the test. (NAB)
Yeshua himself told his disciples that they would live because he lived (John 14:19). Paul confirms the words of the Messiah, stating that believers have Yeshua dwelling within them through the Spirit of God. The same power of God that raised Yeshua to life after his crucifixion will also help believers to live, as Yeshua lives his life in them.
In ancient times, the sins of the Jews drove the “glory of YHVH” from the temple and caused its destruction, as well as the desolation of all of Judah by the Babylonians (Eze. 9-11). In like manner, we also can cause the Messiah to remove himself from within us if we continue to live in sin after receiving the Holy Spirit.
In I Thessalonians 5:19, Paul warns believers not to “quench the Spirit.” Remember, Yeshua clearly stated that obedience was a prerequisite for having him and the Father continue to dwell within us after our conversion (John 14:15-16, 21). Those who sin willfully have the same fate awaiting them that the lawless inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem experienced:
HEBREWS 10:26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (NKJV)
As the prophets show, a time is soon coming when Yeshua will once again be manifested to the entire world:
ISAIAH 40:1 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” says your God. 2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.” 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; 5 the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (NKJV)
Clearly, this prophecy speaks of the return of Yeshua to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth. Isaiah tells us that once again, the “glory of YHVH” will be visible to mortal man. This time, the entire world will see him as he administers mercy and justice from his headquarters in Jerusalem.
The prophet Ezekiel shows us that during the Millennium, the Messiah will once again dwell within a physical temple which will be built in Jerusalem:
EZEKIEL 43:1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel [kevod 'elohey Yisra'el] came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters [see Rev. 1:15]; and the earth shone with His glory. 3 It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw — like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. 4 And the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. 5 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the temple. 6 Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while a man stood beside me. 7 And He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places.” (NKJV)
The glory of the triumphant Messiah will once again fill the temple, much as he did in ancient Israel. This time he is there to stay, as he tells Ezekiel in verse 7. That which has been is what will be once more; that which has been done is what will be done again (Ecc. 1:9).
EZEKIEL 44:1 Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut. 2 And the LORD said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the LORD God of Israel [YHVH 'elohey Yisra'el] has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. 3 As for the prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.” 4 Also He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple; so I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD [kevod YHVH] filled the house of the LORD; and I fell on my face. (NKJV)
The eastern gate of the millenial temple will be sealed because it is the gate by which the Messiah will enter the temple. The “glory of YHVH” will light up the whole world from Jerusalem.
CONCLUSION
Just like the three fest
ival seasons specified in the Tanakh are actually two, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three that are really two. The Holy Spirit is the mind of God. Through His Spirit, the heavenly Father sustains the entire universe. The coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 2) signaled a new phase in the plan of God. God's Spirit became the means by which His Son, Yeshua, lived within the spiritual temple of God (the church), just as he had centuries earlier dwelt within the physical tabernacle and temple as the “glory of the LORD.”
The Scriptures show that the day will come, after his second coming, when the Messiah shall once again also dwell within the rebuilt physical temple in Jerusalem. In that day, many people will seek the Messiah in the house of the God. He will teach them God's ways, and they will walk in His paths. God's Law will be taught from Zion, and the word of the Eternal will go forth from Jerusalem. Yeshua the Messiah will then judge between the nations and reprove many people. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. At that time, nations will not make war against each other anymore. The house of Jacob will at that time walk in the light of YHVH (Isa. 2:3-5).

[Mercy]

Quote (WorshippingJesus @ Jan. 07 2007,23:15)

Quote Because the father is in christ and christ is in us, thats how. Mercy Jn 1:1 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. I Jn 5:20 20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Is Jesus a true God or a false God? Rom 8: 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. II Cor 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. II Cor 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? Then I ask you mercy, based on these scriptures, which one is in you? God, Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ, Spirit of him, Jesus? This is a sincere question.

The Holy Spirit is in me because:

God's spirit is the Holy Spirit.

God's spirit is in Jesus his son.

Jesus's spirit is in me.

Jesus in the mediator and conduit of God's Holy Spirit

[Mercy]

Quote (WorshippingJesus @ Jan. 07 2007,22:57)

Quote Hi W, Two. One God God is One GOD HAS A SON. One NH. How can you have the Father unless you have the Son? “He that hath the Son hath the Father” Father, Son and Holy Spirit these three are One!

Because the father is in christ and christ is in us, thats how.

[Mercy]

Fair Enough

[Mercy]

If you want to know MY view read the studies I posted.

[Mercy]

I think you misunderstand. I gave you a link to higher critics. Whom I DO NOT agree with.

[Mercy]

Quote (WorshippingJesus @ Jan. 07 2007,22:28)

Quote “Yahweh appears to have been originally a sky god – a god of thunder and lightning. He was associated with mountains and was called by the enemies of Israel 'a god of the hills'. His manifestation was often as fire, as at Mount Sinai and in the burning bush.” “A shorter form, 'Yah', was also used (Exodus 15:2) and some scholars believe that this is the older form, originating in an exclamation to God – 'Yah!' – which came to be accepted as the divine name. Others claim that it is from the root 'hayah', 'to be' or 'to become', and that it meant 'I am that I am' or I will be that I will be'. According to one tradition of the call of Moses, the divine name Yahweh was revealed to him in Egypt:”     – Great Events of Bible Times “To Abraham, Isaac and Jacob I appeared as El Shaddai, but I did not make the name Yahweh known to them'.”     – Exodus 6:3 “Every Egyptian magician…believed that he who possessed the true name possessed the very being of god or man, and could force even a deity to obey him as a slave obeys his master. Thus the art of the magician consisted in obtaining from the gods a revelation of their sacred names, and he left no stone unturned to accomplish his end.”     – Sir James Frazer, The Golden Bough “God instructed Moses that he should return to Egypt in order to lead his people out of their bondage there. Before agreeing, however, the prophet asked the name of the strange and powerful being who had addressed him ['in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush']….The Lord, however did not respond directly to the prophet's question. Instead he replied briefly and enigmatically with these words: “I AM WHO I AM'. By way of further clarification he then added: 'I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob' [Exodus 3:14 and 3:6].”     – Graham Hancock, The Sign and the Seal “To the Hebrew mind the 'name' stands for 'nature', and in answer to Moses' plea to be given an immediate sight of God, God promises to reveal just as much of his 'nature' that mortal man could bear.”     – Marshall Cavendish, Genesis & Exodus In Exodus “God was no longer simply 'El' (plural 'Elohim'), but YHWH ('I am that I am'), which in the Authorized Version was transliterated as 'Jehovah' by combining the Hebrew consonants and the vowels of the Hebrew word for 'Lord' when excessive reverence had made later Jews reluctant to pronounce the divine name itself, nowadays called Yahweh. The covenant with Yahweh elevated the concept of worship from a hopeful appeasement of the willful and haphazard forces of nature to a dynamic and determined arrangement with none other than the sole creator of the universe.”     – Magnus Magnusson, BC – The Archaeology of the Bible Lands “Originally, these four consonants [in YHWH] represented the four members of the Heavenly Family: Y represented El the Father; H was Asherah the Mother; W corresponded to He the Son; and H was the Daughter Anath.”     – Laurence Gardner, Bloodline of the Holy Grail, p. 18 “When all the people witnessed the thunder and lighting, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance…”     – Exodus 20:18 “As specifically the name of the Covenant God, it was thereafter used of the Israelite deity, often in contrast with the gods of other peoples. With the Covenant, Yahweh had adopted Israel as his people and, as a jealous god, demanded total allegiance from them. They were to worship no other god but Yahweh. Much later, the Jewish exiles in Babylon were given an explicit statement of Yahwistic monotheism. 'I am Yahweh, and there is no other, there is no other god but me'(Isaiah 45:5).”     – Great Events of Bible Times “The stories of this meeting are told in Exodus 19-34, chapters which combine several different sources, laws and notions of God's encounters with his people. They are a wonderful jungle, parts of which are now dated, convincingly, by scholarly argument to the seventh and sixth centuries BC.”     – Robin Lane Fox, The Unauthorized Version Mercy Is this what you put your faith in? Blessings

No it isn't. That is what higher critics say. My view is in the studies I posted.

[Mercy]

Please read my 3 studies above:

It reflects my view that:

God is the Most High named YHWH

Jesus is his preeminent firstborn son who he gave his name to. (YHWH)

Jesus was the angel of the Lord and was who appeared throughtout the old testament. No man has seen the father.

God is One, yet he governs through his might ones and sits at the head of a divine council. (Not polytheism just how he conducts his monotheistic business).

[Mercy]

I believe it was this site:

http://www.mystae.com/restricted/streams/thera/canaan.html

[Mercy]

Quote (WorshippingJesus @ Jan. 07 2007,21:40)

Quote However, if we accept the rendering of Deuteronomy 32:8 found in the Septuagint and the Hebrew copies of Deuteronomy from Qumran (which is supported by the testimony of the Book of Jasher), we face the same dilemma that the Jewish scribes later faced. Did the Hebrew Scriptures at one time suggest polytheism in the religion delivered to the Israelites? Ancient Hebrew language expert Michael S. Heiser has shown that there is good reason to accept the earlier version of this Scripture. In his article on this passage, he writes: . . . What could possibly be meant by the textual option that created a correspondence between the number of the nations in Genesis 10-11 and heavenly beings? Mercy Here is just a piece of your long exegesis. BTW. What is the source? You say… Quote Every time you say “Our God is one”.  I will agree. I agree worshipping other gods is false. I feel that this view bypasses all these problems with far more accuracy and agility than a trinity belief. But your source believes in Polytheism. That paragraph alone makes me not want to hear anymore from your source. Polytheism is Idolotry!

I am sorry I wasn't clear I do not agree with the higher critics but I was posting their positions. The sources to the higher critics should be there.

These studies are my position.

[Mercy]

Study 3:

THE LORD OUR GOD,
THE LORD IS ONE
1. When viewed without bias or preconceived ideas, the Bible reveals quite a lot about the structure of the Godhead. Unfortunately, most people's view of God is shaped primarily by tradition, with Scripture taking a secondary position. Trinitarians believe that God is three distinct but inseparable persons in one being. Binitarians, such as the Worldwide Church of God under Herbert W. Armstrong and most of the current WCG splinter groups, believe that God is a family which has been composed eternally of two separate beings, God the Father and Jesus Christ (the Logos). In the following seven sections, I'm going to trace what the Bible has to say about this misunderstood topic.
(1) There Is Only One True God, The Father
Over and over, both the Old and New Testaments emphasize that there is only one true God. This doctrine, which has always been fundamental to Israel's faith, is summed up in “the Shema” (which literally means “hear” in Hebrew). Moses stated that God was one in Deuteronomy 6:4, which is the beginning of the Shema:
DEUTERONOMY 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God ['eloheynu], the LORD is one! (NKJV)
In the Scripture above, the word translated “our God” is the Hebrew word 'eloheynu. Scholars have long assumed that 'eloheynu is a plural form of the Hebrew word 'elohim. Because of this assumption, theologians have concluded that the Israelites understood the triune nature of God. Trinitarians believe that this verse means that God is one being composed of three distinct but inseparable persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Binitarians also believe that 'eloheynu indicates a plurality, although they believe that God is one “family” currently composed of the Father and the Son.
However, both 'eloheynu and 'elohim are derivatives of the singular 'eloah, which is one of the Hebrew names for God the Father, the Most High God (see Pro. 30:4-5 below). 'Elohim is a plural derivative of 'eloah, while 'eloheynu, the term found in Deuteronomy 6:4, is a singular variation of 'eloah.
PROVERBS 30:4 Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if you know? 5 Every word of God ['eloah] is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. (NKJV)
In addition to revealing one of the Hebrew names for the Most High God, the passage above shows that God's status as Father and the fact that He had a special Son was recognized by the Israelites. This is contrary to Herbert W. Armstrong's position that the only member of the Godhead known to ancient Israel was the Logos, who became Yeshua the Messiah.
Malachi 2:10 also shows that God's status as Father was known:
MALACHI 2:10 Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? . . . (NKJV)
But how do we know that the Trinitarian theologians are wrong? How do we know that the Hebrew word 'eloheynu is singular? One of the most basic methods available for understanding the Scriptures is simply letting the Bible interpret itself. A comparison of the Greek text found in Mark 12:29 with the Hebrew text of Deuteronomy 6:4 provides the evidence that 'eloheynu is singular and not plural.
In response to a scribe's question about which commandment was the most important of all, Messiah repeats “the Shema”:
MARK 12:29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God [theos], the Lord is one.'” (NKJV)
The Greek word translated “God” in this verse is theos. According to The New Analytical Greek Lexicon (NAGL), this noun is singular, masculine, and in the nominative case (p. 201). Theos in Mark 12:29 directly corresponds to 'eloheynu in Deuteronomy 6:4. Because the Greek equivalent theos is singular, the Hebrew 'eloheynu must also be singular, or these Scriptures contradict one another. When you let the Bible clarify itself, it's apparent from the Greek text of Mark 12:29 that there is only one God.
The scribe who questioned Yeshua confirms this understanding by his response:
MARK 12:32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other [allos] but He.” (NKJV)
The Greek word translated “other” in verse 32 is allos, which Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vine's) says “expresses a numerical difference and denotes 'another of the same sort'.” There is no other like God; He alone is immortal, having existed from eternity (see I Tim. 6:16 below). In Mark 12:34, Yeshua commends the scribe for having answered wisely. All indications from the text are that he agreed totally with what the scribe had said.
Messiah called the Father the only true God in John 17:3 and distinguished himself from Him:
JOHN 17:3 [Yeshua said] “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (NKJV)
Yeshua objected when the ruler called him “good” (Matt. 19:17, Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19), saying that there was only One who was good, God. John and Paul also made a distinction between the one true God and His son Yeshua the Messiah, as shown in the following Scriptures:
I JOHN 5:20 We know too that the Son of God has come, and has given us the power to know the true God. We are in the true God, as we are in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God, this is eternal life. (Jerusalem Bible)
I CORINTHIANS 8:4 . . . We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. (NKJV)
EPHESIANS 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (NKJV)
I TIMOTHY 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, (NKJV)
Along with Paul, James also states that there is one God:
ROMANS 3:30 Since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. (NKJV)
JAMES 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe; and tremble! (NKJV)
(2) God Has Sons
This point is misunderstood to some degree by most Christians. In addition to showing that there is only one true God, the Bible teaches that the Most High God has sons. In the Old Testament, the term “sons of God” (Heb. beney 'elim, beney 'elohim, and beney ha'elohim) refers to the angelic host, as shown by the Scriptures below.
GENESIS 6:1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God [beney ha'elohim] saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose . . . 4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God [beney ha'elohim] came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. (NKJV) [For more information, refer to “Genesis 6 – Who Were 'The Sons Of God'?”]
DEUTERONOMY 32:8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God [beney 'elohim]. (ESV)
JOB 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God [beney ha'elohim] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. (NKJV)
JOB 2:1 Again there was a day wh
en the sons of God [beney ha'elohim] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. (NKJV)
JOB 38:4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God [beney 'elohim] shouted for joy? (NKJV)
PSALM 29:1 O give the Lord you sons of God [beney 'elim], give the Lord glory and power; 2 give the Lord the glory of his name. Adore the Lord in his holy court. (The Psalms: A New Translation)
PSALM 89:5 The heavens proclaim your wonders, O Lord; the assembly of your holy ones proclaims your truth. 6 For who in the skies can compare with the Lord or who is like the Lord among the sons of God [beney 'elim]? (The Psalms: A New Translation)
The New Testament expands the concept of God's family by showing that humans can also become sons of God, just like the angels. In Luke 20:35-36, Yeshua states that humans who attain the first resurrection will be “equal to the angels” and will be sons of God, just as the Old Testament shows the angels are:
LUKE 20:35 “But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels [isaggelos] and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” (NKJV)
The Greek word translated by the phrase “equal to the angels” is isaggelos, which is a combination of isos meaning “equal” or “same” and aggelos or “angel.” This Scripture is corroborated by Revelation 21:17, which shows that after the resurrection there will be no difference between men and angels:
REVELATION 21:17 Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. (NKJV)
The book of Revelation also shows that the loyal angels are the brothers of the saints:
REVELATION 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren [adelphon hemon], who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. (NKJV)
In Revelation 12:10, John hears the voice of an angel in heaven proclaiming the coming kingdom of God and the expulsion of Satan and his demons from heaven. This angel refers to the saints as “our brethren” [adelphon hemon], indicating that the loyal angels and the saints are brothers.
In I Timothy 5:21, Paul calls the holy angels the “elect angels”:
I TIMOTHY 5:21 I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect [eklekton] angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. (NKJV)
The word eklekton is a form of the Greek word eklektos, which means “chosen” or “elect.” The root word eklektos, or a variation of it, is used numerous times in the New Testament to refer to those humans called by God to be part of His family (Matt. 20:16; 22:14; 24:22, 24, 31; Mark 13:20, 22, 27; Luke 18:7; Rom. 8:33; 16:13; Col. 3:12; II Tim. 2:10; Tit. 1:1; I Pet. 1:2; 2:9; II John 1, 13; Rev. 17:14). Paul's use of the term in I Timothy 5:21 indicates that God also considers as His sons those angels who have remained loyal to Him.
The Scriptures indicate that all who have the Holy Spirit are God's sons:
ROMANS 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (NKJV)
Most scholars use the first two chapters of Hebrews to denigrate the position of the angels and claim that they are not sons of God. However, the author of Hebrews was simply emphasizing the superiority of the Messiah over the angels. This preeminence does not mean that the angels are not also God's sons. They have a different role in God's plan than Messiah and humanity, but any interpretation of the book of Hebrews which denies sonship to the angels obviously contradicts the Old Testament references cited above.
(3) One Of God's Sons Is Yeshua The Messiah
This point is acknowledged by all parties. In the Gospels, Yeshua generally refers to himself as the “son of man,” and occasionally as the “son of God.” Nowhere in the New Testament does he claim to be God, even though the Jews sought to kill him because they thought he had made himself equal (isos) with God by saying that God was his Father (John 5:18).
LUKE 1:31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.” . . . 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” (NKJV)
JOHN 6:69 [Peter said] “Also we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (NKJV)
JOHN 11:27 She [Martha] said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (NKJV)
LUKE 22:70 Then they all said, “Are you then the Son of God?” So he [Yeshua] said to them, “You rightly say that I am.” (NKJV)
JOHN 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (NKJV)
JOHN 10:34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, 'I said, “You are gods”'? 35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?” (NKJV)
In the preceding passage from John, Yeshua is responding to the Jews' accusation that he was blaspheming and making himself God. Yeshua answered their charge by quoting from Psalm 82, which speaks of the judgment that will come upon the divine council of the “sons of God” (powerful angelic rulers) because they have judged unjustly. In this passage, Yeshua was equating himself to those “sons of God” that ruled in the divine council. In effect, his defense was “I am ALSO one of those 'sons of God'.”
It's interesting to note that the demons (who would be in a position to know his origin and status) never refer to Jesus as God, but always call him the “son of God” or the “son of the Most High God”:
MATTHEW 8:29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with you, Jesus, you Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (NKJV)
MARK 3:11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw him [Yeshua], fell down before him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” (NKJV)
MARK 5:7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you by God that you do not torment me.” (NKJV)
LUKE 4:41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And he, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that he was the Christ. (NKJV)
LUKE 8:28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me!” (NKJV)
(4) Only God The Father Has Existed From Eternity
This is a major point in proving that the Messiah is not the one true God. John 1:1, where the Word (Gr. logos) is called God (Gr. Theos), has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. Trinitarian theologians have used this verse to elevate the status of Christ due to their belief in his co-eternality and co-equality with the Father. However, a proper understanding of this Scripture does not support this belief.
JOHN 1:1 In (the) beginning was the Word, and the Word was with [the]* God, a
nd God was the Word. (The Interlinear Bible)
* The Greek article ton (“the”) is untranslated in this version, as it is in most New Testament translations.
New Testament Greek Syntax (NTGS) states that in the Greek language, “the basic function of the article is to stress the identity of a person, a class, or a quality” (p. 31). Thus, the presence of the article ton before “God” in John 1:1 stresses the identity of the Father; He is “the God.”
Here is how this verse is rendered in some other Bible translations:
JOHN 1:1 The Logos existed in the very beginning, the Logos was with God, the Logos was divine. (Moffatt Translation)
JOHN 1:1 In the beginning the Word existed. The Word was with God and the Word was divine. (The Complete Bible – An American Translation)
JOHN 1:1 In [the] beginning the Word was, and the word was with God, and the Word was a god. (New World Translation)
JOHN 1:1 The Word was in the beginning and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god. (The New Testament, in an Improved Version, upon the Basis of Archbishop Newcome's New Translation: with a Corrected Text)
John 1:1 makes it clear that both YHVH the Father and the Logos, who became Yeshua the Messiah, were already in existence at “a beginning” (the definite article “the” is not present in the original Greek). Since eternity has no starting point, the beginning mentioned by John must be a specific point in time. As such, it does not signify pre-existence from eternity. Interpreting this Scripture to mean that “ton theon” (“the God”) and “ho logos” (“the Word”) have eternally co-existed is unjustified.
Most probably the “beginning” was the time spoken of in Genesis 1:1 – the establishment of the physical creation. This would fit in with all the Scriptures which say that God created the universe through Messiah (John 1:3, 10; I Cor. 8:6; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2). If this is the “beginning” John speaks of, angels would also have existed at that time (Job 38:4-7). Nothing in John 1:1 precludes other beings from also having been in existence then. No one claims that the angels have co-existed eternally with the Father, even though they too were present early on during the physical creation.
The view that the “beginning” is the creation of the physical universe is supported by Yeshua's statement in John 8:44, as viewed in the context of Ezekiel 28:15:
JOHN 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (NKJV)
EZEKIEL 28:15 You [Satan] were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. (NKJV)
Yeshua said that Satan had been a murderer from “the beginning,” yet Ezekiel was inspired to write that Satan had been perfect in his ways from the time he was created until iniquity was found in him. The “beginning” spoken of by Messiah in John 8:44 was clearly sometime after Satan's creation. Yeshua's statement obviously does not mean that Satan has “eternally co-existed” with God; therefore, the phrase the “beginning” cannot be taken to signify eternal existence, which only God has.
It is a fact that John 1:1 says that the Word was God (or “a God”). However, Messiah showed that the Scriptures also refer to angelic beings as “gods.” In John 10:34-36, Yeshua answers some Jews who wanted to stone him because they felt he was blaspheming by claiming to be the Son of God:
JOHN 10:34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, 'I said, “You are gods” [Psa. 82:6]'? 35 If it calls them gods [theous] to whom the word of God came, and Scripture cannot be set aside, 36 can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?” (NAB)
According to The NKJV Greek English Interlinear New Testament, the word “gods” which Yeshua used in John 10:35 to refer to the angelic “sons of God” is the Greek theous, a plural form of the same word used in John 1:1 to describe the Word. As previously discussed, Yeshua here is associating himself with the “sons of God” that govern the world as part of the divine council. But that obviously does not mean these angelic rulers have existed for eternity with God. Likewise, John 1:1 should not be taken to mean that Yeshua the Messiah has eternally co-existed with the Father, who is greater than all (John 10:29). Too many Scriptures show otherwise.
I Timothy 6:13-16 also shows that Messiah is not co-equal or co-eternal with the Father. In this Scripture, Paul clearly distinguishes between the two entities he is writing about: God and Yeshua the Messiah. Paul says that God alone is immortal, and that He has never been seen by man:
I TIMOTHY 6:13 Now, before God the source of all life and before Jesus Christ, who spoke up as a witness for the truth in front of Pontius Pilate, I put you to the duty 14 of doing all that you have been told, with no faults or failures, until the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 who at the due time will be revealed by God, the blessed and only Ruler of all, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal, whose home is in inaccessible light, whom no man has seen and no man is able to see: to him be honor and everlasting power. Amen. (Jerusalem Bible)
In this passage of Scripture, God is clearly differentiated from Yeshua the Messiah. The Messiah will be revealed when God the Father commands his return to earth (Mark 13:32), since only the Father knows when that will occur.
Christ was seen in the Old Testament as the “Angel of YHVH” and in the New Testament both as a man and in a glorified state after his resurrection. It is stated throughout the New Testament that no one has seen God (John 1:18; 5:37; 6:46; I Tim. 6:16; I John 4:12). Obviously Paul is referring to God the Father as the One “who alone is immortal.”
If God the Father is the only immortal entity, then there was a point when no other beings existed. Therefore, this Scripture leads us to the logical conclusion that, at some point, Messiah did not exist. Revelation 4:8-10 also shows the immortal status of the Most High God:
REVELATION 4:8 “. . . Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever . . . (NKJV)
(5) God The Father Is The Creator And Source Of All Life
The Bible is specific in saying that the Most High God is the giver of all life and that He created all that exists. I Timothy 6:13 identifies two entities: God and Yeshua the Messiah. Paul says that God (not Messiah) is the source of all life, although other Scriptures show conclusively that God created all things through Messiah (see point 7 below).
I TIMOTHY 6:13 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, (NKJV)
Revelation 4 pictures the heavenly throne room, the seat of God's universe-ruling government. The Father is shown sitting on His throne, with the angelic council of twenty-four elders seated around Him (see Psa. 29:1-2; 89:5-6 above). During John's vision, he sees the elders praise God:
REVELATION 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things [panta], and by Your will they exist and were created.” (NKJV)
The angelic elders give God the Father praise because He created “all things” (panta, a plural form of the adjective pas, “all”). Nothing is excluded. This is a theme that runs throughout the entirety of the Bible.
ACTS 17:24 “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men'
s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.” (NKJV)
MARK 13:19 “For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.” (NKJV)
REVELATION 10:5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it . . .” (NKJV)
(6) The First Thing Created By God Was The Messiah
This is the most controversial point. The following Scriptures (A-E) used to support this assertion are examined in depth.
(A) REVELATION 3:14 [Messiah said] “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning [arche] of God's creation.'” (ESV)
The Greek word translated “beginning” in Revelation 3:14 is arche. Regarding this word, Vine's says arche “means 'a beginning.' The root arch primarily indicated what was of worth. Hence the verb archõ meant 'to be first,' and archõn denoted a 'ruler'” (NT, p. 58).
A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (BAGD) defines arche in Revelation 3:14 as “the first cause.” Not coincidentally, this is the only place in the Bible where it is assigned this meaning. However, the author admits that the meaning “beginning=first created is linguistically possible” (p. 112, emphasis mine).
The Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament (EDNT) states that arche “always signifies 'primacy' . . . whether a) of time: beginning (origin), b) of place: point of origin or departure, or c) of rank: power, dominion, kingdom, office” (vol. 1, p. 161).
In the booklet The God You Can Know!, Raymond F. McNair of the Global Church of God writes of this verse:
Some teach that Christ is a “created” Being–that He was the “first of the creation of God.” But the Bible does not teach that! The King James Version of the Bible might lead some to believe that Christ was created by the Father, but other translations more correctly render the meaning of Revelation 3:14. The proper rendering of this verse shows that Christ is “the Beginner [Originator] of the creation of God.” Christ was not the “beginning” of God's creation but was it's “Beginner” or “Originator.” Notice how this is rendered in the following translations: Christ is “. . . the ORIGIN of God's creation” (Moffatt); He is “. . . the RULER of God's creation” (NIV) (p. 4).
The word arche, or a form of it, appears in the Textus Receptus (the manuscript base from which the KJV and NKJV were translated) 58 times in 56 verses. Of those times, it is translated “beginning” 40 times in the NKJV ; conversely, it appears as “beginner” 0 times, “originator” 0 times, “origin” 0 times, and “ruler” 0 times (although the plural form archais is translated “rulers” once). The biblical usage of the word obviously contradicts what Mr. McNair claims.
Additionally, the King James Version is not the only translation which renders the last part of Revelation 3:14 as “the beginning of the creation of God.” Other Bible versions which translate arche as “beginning” in Revelation 3:14 include the New King James Version, the New American Standard Bible, the Revised Standard Version, the Darby Translation, the Phillips Translation, the Webster Translation, the New World Translation, the English Standard Version, The NKJV Greek English Interlinear New Testament, and others. Even with the Trinitarian bias of the vast majority of New Testament translations, this word is translated “beginning” in several of the major translations currently available.
The other uses of arche in the book of Revelation also help determine its correct translation in Revelation 3:14. In the Textus Receptus, the exact same form of arche is used four times in Revelation (Rev. 1:8, 3:14, 21:6, 22:13). Each of the other three occurrences are rendered “beginning.” Therefore, translating arche as “beginning” in 3:14 is consistent with the way John uses the term in the rest of the book.
The meaning of arche is generally acknowledged by scholars, which is why some translators render it “beginning” even though they disagree with what the verse seems to say with arche rendered that way. Taken literally, Messiah confirms in Revelation 3:14 what Paul wrote of him in Colossians 1:15 (examined next). It is up to you to believe either the Word of God or the ideas and human reasoning of men.
(B) COLOSSIANS 1:15 [Messiah] who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn [prototokos] of every [pases] creature [ktiseos]: (KJV)
To understand what Paul is attempting to say in this verse, we will take an in-depth look at the Greek words prototokos pases ktiseos, which make up the phrase “firstborn of every creature.”
Vine's says that prototokos is a compound of “protos, 'first,' and tikto, 'to beget' . . .” (NT, p. 240). In addition to Colossians 1:15, this word (or a variation of it) is found eight other times in the New Testament. Matthew 1:25 and Luke 2:7 use it to describe Yeshua as the “firstborn” son of Mary. In Romans 8:29 it denotes Christ as the “firstborn” among many brethren. Colossians 1:15 says that Christ is the “firstborn” of every creature. Colossians 1:18 and Revelation 1:5 both state that Christ, as the first human to be resurrected to spirit life, was the “firstborn” from the dead. Hebrews 1:6 speaks of Christ's return into the world as the “firstborn.” Hebrews 11:28 and 12:23 use plural forms of the word; 11:28 refers to the “firstborn” of the Egyptians who were slain by the death angel at the first Passover, while 12:23 speaks of the church of the “firstborn” whose names are written in heaven. In summary, the term prototokos is translated “firstborn” in each biblical usage of the word.
Regarding Colossians 1:15, Word Meanings in the New Testament remarks:
To say that Christ is “the firstborn of all creation” certainly poses a problem. Ever since the days of Arianism in the Early Church, those who deny the deity of Jesus have seized on this verse as proof that He was a created being even though the first one created by God (p. 349).
Because of the Trinity doctrine, which proclaims the co-equality and co-eternality of Messiah with the Father, the meaning of this verse has of necessity been distorted. It “poses a problem” because a literal understanding of Colossians 1:15 discredits the Trinitarian theology. Accordingly, you have scholars making such unsupported comments as the following:
Prototokos . . . is used of Christ as born of the Virgin Mary, Luke 2:7; further, in His relationship to the Father, expressing His priority to, and preeminence over, creation, not in the sense of being the “first” to be born . . . (Vine's, NT, p. 240)
The expression “firstborn of all creation” (prototokos pases ktiseos, Col 1:15) occurs in the opening line of the Colossian “hymn” . . . and speaks of Christ's relationship to the creation. Stripped from its context and from other Pauline statements about Christ, this phrase might be understood to include him among created things (as simply the “eldest” of the “family”: prototokos in Rom 8:29 has this inclusive sense). The English word firstborn is misleading for it normally suggests someone who is born and therefore created. But this cannot be the significance of the term here . . . (Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, “Firstborn,” p. 302)
The reason firstborn “cannot be the significance of the term” prototokos in Colossians 1:15 is because a literal understanding of the word would invalidate the Trinity doctrine. Therefore, mainstream theologians have been forced to interpret it figuratively based on their Trinitarian bias, even though an examination of the word as it is used elsewhere in the New Testament appears to indicate a literal meaning.
Pases is a form of the Greek adjecti
ve pas. Vine's says the word “radically means 'all.' Used without the article [as it is in Col. 1:15] it means 'every,' every kind or variety” (NT, p. 21). Ktiseos is a form of the noun ktisis. Vine's says that “like the English word 'creation,' it also signifies the product of the 'creative' act, the 'creature,' as in . . . Col. 1:15” (NT, p. 137). NAGL says that in Colossians 1:15, ktiseos means “a created thing, a creature” (p. 250).
Given the information above, the KJV rendering of Colossians 1:15 appears to be the most accurate translation of the original Greek. If you accept that the Bible means what it says, then Colossians 1:15 clearly states that Messiah was the “firstborn of every creature.” He was the first being that God created. This fully supports what Messiah himself states in Revelation 3:14. Afterward the Father produced the rest of the creation through him and for him (Col. 1:16), because God's plan of salvation for mankind and Messiah's primary role in it were formulated before the physical creation (I Pet. 1:19-20, Tit. 1:2, II Tim. 1:9, Eph. 1:4-5, I Cor. 2:7, Rev. 13:8).
 HEBREWS 3:1 . . . Christ Jesus 2 being faithful to the One having made [poiesanti] him as also Moses was in His whole house. (The NKJV Greek English Interlinear New Testament)
The Greek word translated “having made” in verse 2 is poiesanti. This participle is a form of the Greek word poieo, which according to Vine's means “to do” or “to make.' It “is used in the latter sense (a) of constructing or producing anything, of the creative acts of God” (NT, p. 386).
BAGD says this word is used “of God's creative activity” to mean “make, manufacture, produce [ti] something.” Regarding Hebrews 3:2, BAGD says poiesanti is used “of the relation of Jesus to God” (p. 680).
The KJV and NKJV, as well as most other translations, render poiesanti in Hebrews 3:2 as “appointed.” But is that a legitimate translation? In the Textus Receptus New Testament, poieo and its variations appear 581 times in 521 verses. Of those occurrences, they are translated “appointed” just once, here in Hebrews 3:2. The words “appoint” or “appointed” appear 27 times in the KJV; this is the only place that poiesanti or any of the variants of poieo are the underlying Greek word. Let's look at an occurrence of the specific form poiesanti in Revelation 14:
REVELATION 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made [poiesanti] heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” (NKJV)
Based on the definition of this word, as well as its biblical usage elsewhere, it's obvious that poiesanti should be translated “who made” in Hebrews 3:2, not “who appointed.” Just as Moses was faithful, Messiah also was faithful to God the Father, who made (“created”) him.
(D) JOHN 5:26 “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave [edoke] to the Son also to have life in himself;” (NASU)
A close examination of this verse will show that Messiah has not eternally co-existed with the Father. Let's focus on the Greek verb edoke, translated as “He gave” in John 5:26 above.
The Greek word edoke is a form of the finite verb didomi, which means “to give.” According to NAGL, the elements of this word are “third person, singular, aorist, active, indicative” (p. 116).
NTGS says that, “verbs are divided into three groups: finite, infinitive, and participle. Finite verbs have five elements: person (first, second, third), number (singular and plural), mood (indicative, subjunctive, imperative, and optative), tense (present, future, imperfect, aorist, perfect, and pluperfect), and voice (active, middle, and passive)” (p. 261). We'll look at each of these elements in edoke to determine its precise meaning.
First, the word is third person and singular, which refers to the one person being talked about, in this case God the Father. The word is in the aorist tense, which NTGS says “usually refers to past-time action as an event regardless of how long the event was in progress” (p. 303). Next is the voice. In the active voice, the subject (the Father) names the one being acted on (the Son). Mood indicates the speaker's attitude toward what he is saying. NTGS says that “the indicative mood is generally considered the mood of fact, reality, or certainty” (p. 261).
So if we take the literal meaning of edoke here, Messiah is saying that it is a fact (indicative mood) that God the Father (third person, singular, active voice-giver) at some past time gave (aorist tense), Messiah (active voice-receiver) life, which only the Father had inherent within Himself.
The fact that Messiah said YHVH the Father gave him life requires us to infer that Messiah did not have life before it was given to him by the Father. Any other interpretation of this verse specifically contradicts the proper usage of the Greek verb edoke and generally denies the function of language as a vehicle for conveying information. Therefore, this verse refutes the claim that Christ has co-existed with the Father for all eternity!
(E) PROVERBS 8:22 “The LORD created [qanani] me at the beginning of His work, the first of His acts of old. 23 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth [cholaleti], when there were no springs abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth [cholaleti]; 26 before He had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. (RSV)
This passage of Scripture comes from Proverbs 8, the “wisdom chapter.” Harper's Bible Commentary (Harper's) says of the eighth chapter of Proverbs that “the translation and interpretation of no passage in Proverbs is more hotly contested than this one, no doubt because Woman Wisdom's claims are so difficult to assimilate within later Judaism and Christianity. . . . The view of wisdom found here becomes important for the logos theology in the prologue of the Gospel of John . . .” (p. 507).
In verse 22 above, the Hebrew verb and its object qanani are translated “created me,” following the example of the Aramaic, Syriac, and Greek versions of the Old Testament. According to Harper's, the KJV and NKJV follow “the more literalistic ancient authorities: Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotian, and Jerome” (p. 507) by translating this “possessed.”
Vine's says that although the primary meaning of the Hebrew root word qanah is “'to get, acquire, earn' . . . certain poetic passages have long suggested that this verb means 'create.' In Gen. 14:19, Melchizedek blessed Abram and said: 'Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker [KJV, “possessor”] of heaven and earth' (RSV). Gen. 14:22 repeats this divine epithet. Deut. 32:6 makes this meaning certain in that qanah is parallel to 'asah, 'to make': 'Is he not your father, who created (qanah) you, who made ('asah) you and established (kun) you?' (RSV). Ps. 78:54; 139:13; and Prov. 8:22-23 also suggest the idea of creation” (OT, p. 52).
Harper's says that “it should be noted that the Hebrew verb cholaleti, here translated 'brought forth' (vv. 24-25), derives from the root chyl, which is generally associated with the physical activity of the female in giving birth. Hence, one must ask if Yahweh, in the manner of a female, gives birth (metaphorically?) to Woman Wisdom?” (p. 507).
No, it's not “Woman Wisdom” to whom God gave birth or brought forth, but rather the being known as the Logos, Yeshua the Messiah. In this passage of Scripture, wisdom is symbolic of Messiah. Indeed, Paul calls Christ “the wisdom of God” in I Corinthians 1:
I CORINTHIANS 1:24 But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (NKJV)
(7) After Creating Messiah, God Then Created The Rest Of The Universe Through Him
Continuing with Proverbs 8, we see that “Wisdom” (Messiah) was with
God as a “master workman” (“master craftsman”-NKJV) while He created the universe.
PROVERBS 8:27 When He established the heavens, I was there, when He drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 when He made firm the skies above, when He established the fountains of the deep, 29 when He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 then I was beside Him, like a master workman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always, 31 rejoicing in His inhabited world, and delighting in the sons of men.” (RSV)
This fits in superbly with the remaining Scriptures which show that although God the Father created the universe, He did so through Messiah:
JOHN 1:3 All things were made through him [Messiah], and without him nothing was made that was made. (NKJV)
JOHN 1:10 He [Messiah] was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. (NKJV)
I CORINTHIANS 8:6 Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. (NKJV)
EPHESIANS 3:9 And to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; (NKJV)
COLOSSIANS 1:15 He [Messiah] is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; 16 for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (RSV)
HEBREWS 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; (NKJV)
CONCLUSION
The Bible conclusively shows that YHVH the Father is the only true God. He alone has immortality, since only He has existed from eternity. God has numerous sons, all of them a product of His will. These sons include the loyal angelic host as well as those humans called and given the Holy Spirit. The Father is the source of all life, and Messiah was the first being created. God then established the rest of the creation through him and for him.

[Mercy]

Study 2

THE NEW TESTAMENT IDENTIFICATION OF THE MESSIAH
1. The first part of this study (Who Is Jesus Christ?) examined the historical context for understanding the true identity of God's Messiah, Yeshua the Nazarene. We will begin the second part by looking at the information regarding the identity of the Messiah which begins the scriptural letter to the Messianic Jews:
HEBREWS 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed [etheken] heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; (NKJV)
This letter was primarily written to Messianic Jews to explain WHO Jesus Christ was, including his role in God's plan. The author of Hebrews (generally thought to be the apostle Paul) starts with the declaration that Yeshua was the Son of God. This Messianic identification for Yeshua is used throughout the New Testament, appearing 45 times (e.g., Matt. 8:29; 14:33; 26:63-64; 27:43; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; John 1:34, 49; 3:18; 5:25; 9:35-37; 10:36; 11:4, 27; 19:7; 20:31; Acts 8:37; 9:20; Rom. 1:4; II Cor. 1:19; Heb. 4;14; I John 4:15; 5:5; Rev. 2:18). As the spokesman for God his Father, Yeshua was the successor to the Old Testament prophets.
The author also tells us in verse 2 that the Son was the one through whom God had created the world, and that the Father “appointed” him the heir of all things. The word translated “appointed” is a form of the Greek tithemi, which literally means “to place,” “to lay,” or “to set.” The language used here indicates that the Son's place was determined by the will of God, not by his nature.
HEBREWS 1:3 Who being the brightness [apaugasma] of His glory and the express image [charakter] of His person [hupostaseos], and upholding all things by the word of His power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (NKJV)
The author goes on in verse 3 to describe Yeshua as the “brightness” of God's glory. The Greek word translated “brightness” here (apaugasma) is probably better rendered as “reflection.” This Greek word is not found anywhere else in the New Testament or the Greek translation of the Old Testament (Septuagint).
However, it is found once in the Apocrypha, in the Wisdom of Solomon. In this book (thought to have been written between 100 B.C.E. and 40 C.E.), “wisdom” is similar to the logos concept found in the writings of Philo and the Gospel of John. Hebrews 1:3 is very reminiscent of the section from this apocryphal book where this word is found. This passage describes “wisdom” in terms much like those found in Hebrews 1:
WISDOM 7:24 For wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things. 25 For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her. 26 For she is a reflection [apaugasma] of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. (RSV)
It's possible that the author of Hebrews was paraphrasing his statement in Hebrews 1:3 regarding the nature of Yeshua from this passage of intertestamental Jewish literature. The Messiah was the reflection of God's glory (“eternal light”) in the form of a human being.
This verse also states that Yeshua was the “express image” (charakter) of God's “person” (hupostaseos). According to Strong's Concordance, the Greek word charakter has the following meanings: “1) the instrument used for engraving or carving; 2) the mark stamped upon that instrument or wrought out on it, 2a) a mark or figure burned in (Lev. 13:28) or stamped on, an impression, 2b) the exact expression (the image) of any person or thing, marked likeness, precise reproduction in every respect, i.e., facsimile.” Here the author's use of this word tells us that Yeshua was a “precise reproduction” or “likeness” of God's “person.”
According to Friberg's Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament (ALGNT), the Greek word hupostaseos (“person”) means: “. . . the objective aspect and underlying reality behind anything, w[ith] specif[ic] m[eani]ng derived fr[om] context; (1) as an undertaking plan, project (2C 9.4); (2) as God's substantial nature real being, essence (HE 1.3); (3) as the objective reality which gives a firm guarantee and basis for confidence or assurance substance, ground of hope, foundation (HE 3.14; 11.1).”
In simple terms, Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Yeshua reflected the glory of God because he was an exact reproduction of God's nature or essence. Clearly a differentiation between Yeshua and God the Father is depicted here, with Yeshua shown to be made in the image of the Father.
HEBREWS 1:4 Having become [genomenos] so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained [kekleronomeken] a more excellent name than they. (NKJV)
The Greek verb genomenos (“having become”) indicates a change in status. Verse 4 makes it clear that Yeshua's obedient death on the cross caused an elevation of his position. This verse also tells us that Yeshua received a name greater than the angels through inheritance. Yeshua speaks of the name he received in the Gospel of John:
JOHN 17:12 “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. (NASU)
This name Yeshua inherited was the very name of his Father, YHVH. It was by his Father's name that Yeshua was known to the ancient Israelites, as the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah shows:
GENESIS 19:24 Then the LORD [YHVH] rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD [YHVH] out of the heavens. (NKJV)
The Targums, ancient Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Tanakh (also known as the “Old Testament”), contain a wealth of information concerning the way the Jewish interpreters of late antiquity understood the Scriptures. The rendering of this verse in the Jerusalem Targum incorporates additional commentary on the events that took place and more fully explains what happened:
GENESIS 19:24 And the Word of the Lord Himself had made to descend upon the people of Sedom and Amorah showers of favour, that they might work repentance from their wicked works. But when they saw the showers of favour, they said, So, our wicked works are not manifest before Him. He turned (then), and caused to descend upon them bitumen and fire from before the Lord from the heavens. (Jerusalem Targum, translated by J.W. Etheridge)
The Jerusalem Targum clearly shows that the common Jewish understanding around the time of Christ was that the first YHVH mentioned in Genesis 19:24 was the “Word of the Lord” (the preincarnate Messiah-John 1:14), who was acting on behalf of his heavenly Father YHVH. For additional information on the activities of the Messiah before his human incarnation, see my article entitled Christ in the Old Testament.
The author knew that many Jews would identify Yeshua with the Old Testament “Angel of the LORD,” the primary messenger of God's word in ancient times. In order to demonstrate the superiority of the Messiah, he begins in verse 4 to differentiate Yeshua from the other angels (“messengers”) that serve God the Father.
HEBREWS 1:5 For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, today I have begotten you”?1 And again: “I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to Me a Son”?2 (NKJV)
In verse 5 we have the first two of several citations from the Tanakh within this passage: 1Psalm 2:7 and 2II Samuel 7:14. Psalm 2 is a messianic prophecy that details God's promise to His “Anointed” (Heb. Mashiach, “Messiah”) that He will establish him in Zion as king over the entire earth. II Samuel 7 records God's promise to King David. Specifically, II Samuel 7:16 states that King David's throne would be established forever.
With these two citations, the author lays out scriptural support for Yeshua's position and destiny. He is no mere angel, but instead he is the promised Messiah, the seed of David, the one who will reign in Jerusalem on David's throne during the millennial Kingdom of God.
HEBREWS 1:6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship him.”3 (NKJV)
The author now cites a portion of 3Deuteronomy 32:43 from the Septuagint Greek version of the Tanakh (translated in the third century B.C.E.). He relates this Scripture to the return of Yeshua, the firstborn Son of God, into the world. In doing so, he builds on the theme of messianic rulership initiated in verse 5.
DEUTERONOMY 32:43 Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him; rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him; for he will avenge the blood of his sons, and he will render vengeance, and recompense justice to his enemies, and will reward them that hate him; and the Lord shall purge the land of his people. (Brenton's LXX)
From the context of the quoted passage, we know that the author is referring to the second coming of Yeshua at the end of the age. Deuteronomy 32:43 is the last verse in a long passage of prophecy that Moses spoke to the Israelites just before his death. In this prophecy, Moses describes their fate and speaks of God's eventual judgment upon His enemies, those who have sought to destroy His chosen people. As many other Scriptures show, the one who will bring this punishment is none other than the Messiah returned to earth from heaven (cf. Rev. 19:11-21). This reference is intended to show the Messiah's position over the holy angels, who will serve as his army in the end-time destruction of God's enemies (Matt. 13:41-42).
HEBREWS 1:7 And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.”4 (NKJV)
The next quote comes from 4Psalm 104:4. This citation is the first part of a comparison (completed in verses 8-9) designed to establish the qualitative difference between the holy angels who serve God and His firstborn Son, Yeshua. The next two verses point out the greater responsibility and glory of the Son:
HEBREWS 1:8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God [theos; Heb.'elohim], is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your Kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, your God [ho theos ho theos; Heb. 'elohim 'eloheykha], has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions [metochous; Heb. chavereykha].”5 (NKJV)
There is a lot of meaning in these two verses, which are a citation from 5Psalm 45:6-7. The first thing we should notice is that the author applies the title “God” specifically to Yeshua (cf. John 20:28). A thorough understanding of the meaning of the Hebrew word 'elohim is necessary to grasp why he did this.
As Psalm 82 clearly shows, the term 'elohim can refer to the angelic sons of God (Psa. 82:6) who make up the heavenly divine council. Therefore, the author's use of this title is meant to describe the power and position of the firstborn Son. As he has already shown, the Son was no regular angel, no simple messenger. Instead, the Anointed was one of the exalted 'elohim, one of the divine council God had appointed to rule the nations of the earth. Specifically, God assigned the Messiah to rule over His portion, the nation of Israel (Deu. 32:9).
The next verse of the quotation confirms this identification. Whereas the Scriptures show that the other 'elohim have acted unjustly in the administration of their duties over the nations (Psa. 82:2-7), Psalm 45:7 tells us that the firstborn Son “loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.” Because he chose his heavenly Father's ways instead of his own, he was elevated far above his “companions,” the other members of the divine council. He will be given a throne above them all by God the Father, who is his God (cf. John 20:17; Rev. 1:6).
HEBREWS 1:10 And: “You, Lord [kurie], in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11 They will perish, but you remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; 12 like a cloak you will fold them up, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will not fail.”6 (NKJV)
The next quotation is from 6Psalm 102:25-27, again from the Septuagint translation. Here the author expands upon the Messiah's role to show his part in the creation of the universe. When it's understood that Psalm 102:25-27 is speaking of the Messiah instead of the Father, we again see confirmation of Yeshua's central role as the instrument through which God created all things (cf. Pro. 8:30; John 1:3, 10; I Cor. 8:6; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2).
HEBREWS 1:13 But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool”?7 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? (NKJV)
The author of Hebrews finishes out his exaltation of the Messiah by quoting from 7Psalm 110:1. Unlike the angels that serve under him, Yeshua is shown to be seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, waiting for the time when God will give him victory over his enemies (all those who resist God's will). As a final counterpoint to his argument, the author's rhetorical question in verse 14 again points out the superiority of Yeshua to the angelic host.
The first chapter of Hebrews is used by the author to demonstrate that the Messiah, who appeared as the Angel of the LORD before taking the form of a human, was much more than an Old Testament spiritual messenger from the Father. He was the workman through which God created all things. He was the promised seed of David, the Anointed one who would rule the earth from Jerusalem for a thousand years as God's representative. He was a member of the divine council who ruled over Israel, and because of his faithfulness, would rule over all nations.
Now let's skip down to Hebrews 2:9, where the author continues his explanation of the Messiah's identity:
HEBREWS 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect [teleiosai] through sufferings. (NKJV)
Here the author begins to explain why the divine firstborn Son of God had to become a mortal man. In verse 9, he shows that Yeshua allowed himself to be made “a little lower than the (same) angels” the author had proclaimed him to be above in chapter 1. The purpose for this is not totally understood by most believers, even though it is clearly stated: Yeshua suffered death that he might “taste death for everyone.”
Verse 10 contains an amazing piece of information about the nature of the Messiah. We are told that the Father, in order to bring many sons to glory, had “to make the captain of their salvation (Yeshua) PERFECT through sufferings.” In the context of this passage, the Greek verb teleiosai would be better translated “complete.” In Luke 13:32, a form of this same word is used:
LUKE 13:31 On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 And he said to them, “Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected [teleioumai].' ” (NKJV)
The primary suffering of the Messiah was his final agony on the cross. However, his total experience as a human being also qualified as suffering. It was the physical and mental distress, as well as the corresponding temptations that he endured, that “perfected” Yeshua.
As the divine spirit being called the “An
gel of the LORD,” Yeshua led the Israelites out of Egypt during the Exodus and guided them through their 40 years of wilderness wanderings (Jdg. 2:1). During that time, he saw God's chosen people at their worst. In order to truly comprehend how people could behave the way that the Israelites did, he had to be subjected to the same temptations and sufferings that humans had to endure. Only this experience would allow him to be “completed” and become an empathetic High Priest to God's people (Heb. 2:17; 4:15).
HEBREWS 2:11 For both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one [ex henos pantes], for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 Saying: “I will declare Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”8 13 And again: “I will put my trust in Him.”9 And again: “Here am I and the children whom God has given me.”10 14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (NKJV)
In verse 11, the author tells us that Yeshua and those he is in the process of sanctifying (“setting apart for a holy purpose”) are “all of one.” By the concluding statement that Yeshua “is not ashamed to call them BRETHREN,” we know that the first part of the verse is referring to Yeshua and those he is sanctifying being “all of one” FAMILY, with God being the Father of both (cf. Eph. 3:14-15).
Verse 12 begins another series of quotations from the Tanakh with a citation of 8Psalm 22:22. Psalm 22 is a messianic psalm that prophetically records some of the actual words later spoken by Yeshua (cf. Psa. 22:1).
The next two quotes come from the last part of 9Isaiah 8:17 and first part of 10Isaiah 8:18. This too is a messianic prophecy; immediately preceding this passage is the declaration that the Messiah would be “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel” (Isa. 8:14; cf. Rom. 9:32-33; I Pet. 2:7-8).
HEBREWS 2:16 For indeed he does not give aid to angels, but he does give aid to the seed of Abraham. 17 Therefore, in all things he had to be made like his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that he himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted. (NKJV)
Continuing on, the author states in verse 16 that the Messiah became human in order to provide help to the descendants of Abraham. Verse 17 states that Yeshua's death was a means of providing forgiveness for the sins of the people, that they might be reconciled to God. This verse reiterates that Yeshua had to be made like his human brethren in order to be a merciful and faithful High Priest for God's people. In verse 18, we are told that Yeshua had to suffer and endure temptation as a man that he might (as our High Priest) be able to assist those who are suffering and being tempted.
Verse 18 is also a clear indication of the distinction between God the Father and Yeshua. Yeshua was tempted while in the flesh so that he might understand how temptation affects humans. However, we are clearly told that God the Father CANNOT be tempted:
JAMES 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. (NKJV)
Further on in the book of Hebrews, the author again stresses the fact that Yeshua was tempted by evil in the same way all mankind is, but that he was without sin:
HEBREWS 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (NIV)
Yeshua's status as the Son of God and his human temptation is confirmed numerous times in the Gospel accounts:
MARK 1:13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him. (NKJV)
MATTHEW 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward he was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to him, he said, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” (NKJV)
MATTHEW 4:5 Then the devil took him up into the holy city, set him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' ” 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.' ” (NKJV)
Notice that the devil's entire focus of temptation consisted of attempting to goad Yeshua into proving he was “the Son of God.” Satan was very familiar with the Son in his role as the Angel of the LORD, as the Scriptures show (Zec. 3:1-10). The devil was, in effect, asking Yeshua to prove that he was the divine Son of God (Pro. 30:4) come down to earth in human form.
Going back to Hebrews 3, we see a statement in verse 2 that is absolutely astounding when properly understood. As you read the following statements about the Messiah, keep in mind that the context of this letter is an explanation of WHO the Messiah truly is:
HEBREWS 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly vocation consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Jesus: 2 Who is faithful to Him that made [poiesanti] him, as was also Moses in all His house. 3 For this man was counted worthy of greater glory than Moses, by so much as he that hath built the house hath greater honour than the house. 4 For every house is built by some man: but He that created all things is God. (DRA)
The Greek word translated “made” in verse 2 is poiesanti. This verb participle is a form of the Greek word poieo, which according to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words means “to do” or “to make.' It “is used in the latter sense (a) of constructing or producing anything, of the creative acts of God” (p. 386).
A Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (BAGD) states that this word is used “of God's creative activity” to mean “make, manufacture, produce τtι? someth[ing].” Regarding Hebrews 3:2, BAGD goes on to say that poiesanti is used “of the relation of Jesus to God” (p. 680).
Most English translations render poiesanti in Hebrews 3:2 as “appointed.” But the word literally means “made,” referring in this instance to the creative act of God in the origin of the Messiah. Let's look at Revelation 14:7 to see how poiesanti is used elsewhere in the Scriptures:
REVELATION 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made [poiesanti] heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” (NKJV)
Based on the definition of this word, as well as its biblical usage elsewhere, it's obvious that poiesanti should be translated “who made” in Hebrews 3:2 (as it is in the 1899 Douay-Rheims American translation), not “who appointed” (as it is in most other English translations). Both Moses and Yeshua were faithful to God the Father, who “made” all things (v. 4).
HEBREWS 3:5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. (NIV)
The author goes on in verses 4 and 5 to illustrate the pre-eminence of Messiah over Moses (which he first mentioned in v. 3). Moses served in God's house, but Yeshua the firstborn Son has been given rulership over God's house.
Now let's move on to the 5th chapter of Hebrews, where the author begins explain
ing the priesthood of Messiah:
HEBREWS 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. 4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So also Christ did not glorify himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to him: “You are My Son, today I have begotten you.”11 (NKJV)
This passage stresses the Father's role in determining the duties assigned to the Messiah. Yeshua did not make himself the High Priest; rather, the Father designated him as such. In Hebrews 5:5 we have a repeat of the citation from 11Psalm 2:7 that the author used earlier (Heb. 1:5). Here the emphasis is on the sonship of the Messiah as the reason for his elevation to High Priest.
HEBREWS 5:6 As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”;12 7 who, in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save him from death, and was heard because of his godly fear, 8 though he was a Son, yet he learned [emathen] obedience by the things which he suffered. 9 And having been perfected [teleiotheis], he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,”12 (NKJV)
12Psalm 110:4, quoted twice in this passage (vv. 6, 10), serves as an introduction to the exalted position of the Messiah. Contrary to the commonly accepted teaching that Jesus was “fully man” and “fully God” while here on earth, the author tells us that during “the days of his flesh” (v. 7), it was ONLY through the Father that Yeshua obtained the ability to accomplish his mission. God was the one who provided Yeshua the strength to overcome this world, and He did so because of Yeshua's “godly fear” (which manifested itself as total obedience). The point is very clear — even though Yeshua was the Son of God, he learned obedience by the things he suffered as a human.
According to ALGNT, the Greek verb emathen, translated “learned” in verse 8, has “a basic m[eani]ng of directing one's mind to someth[ing] and producing an external effect learn; (1) as learning through instruction be taught, learn from someone (JN 7.15); (2) as learning through inquiry ascertain, discover, find out (AC 23.27); (3) as learning through practice or experience come to know, come to realize (PH 4.11; HE 5.8); (4) as achieving comprehension understand, learn (RV 14.3)”. If Yeshua had already been a perfect divine being before (and during) his incarnation, he could not have learned obedience as a result of the adversity he faced. “Having been perfected” as a direct result of his experiences as a human, we are told that Yeshua became the “author of eternal salvation to all who obey him” (v. 9) and now serves as our heavenly High Priest (v. 10).
Now let's examine one more related passage from the 7th chapter of Hebrews:
HEBREWS 7:26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins and then for the people's, for this he did once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected [teteleiomenon] forever. (NKJV)
The 7th chapter of Hebrews uses the example of Melchizedek to show how Yeshua (from the tribe of Judah) could serve as High Priest when the Law specifies that the sons of Aaron (from the tribe of Levi) would hold that position. Once again, the author of Hebrews proclaims that we have a high priest in Yeshua who has been “perfected.” In the process of living a totally obedient life while enduring human temptation, Yeshua's understanding of mankind's plight was “completed.” By this experience, he qualified to be God's High Priest, just as Melchizedek had been in the days of Abram.
Now let's examine some other statements about the nature of the Messiah from the New Testament. We'll begin in Paul's letter to the Philippian congregation:
PHILIPPIANS 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form [morphe] of God, did not regard equality with [isa] God a thing to be grasped [harpagmon], 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form [morphen] of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also [dio kai], God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NASU)
When viewed in the proper context, this is an illuminating passage of Scripture. Paul tells us that before his incarnation, Yeshua existed in the same form (morphe) as God the Father. Yeshua himself said that God is spirit (John 4:24); therefore, Paul's statement indicates that Yeshua initially existed as a spirit being also. The two uses of the Greek root word morphe in this passage (vv. 6, 7) contrast God's existence as spirit and man's existence as flesh and blood.
Paul goes on to show that Yeshua was willing to give up his spiritual state of being. Many English translations render the Greek noun harpagmon (“to be grasped”) as “robbery.” However, BAGD states that this translation “. . . is next to impossible in Phil 2:6 . . .” (p. 108). According to ALGNT, harpagmon (found only once in the New Testament) probably means “. . . not forcefully retaining something for one's own advantage something not to be held onto . . .”
Yeshua did not consider being “equal to” (Gr. isa) God in form something that he should selfishly hold on to. Rather, he humbly emptied himself of divinity and became flesh and blood that he might fulfill the Father's will. Living an obedient life as a human here on the earth, Yeshua gave himself as our sacrifice on the cross, that our sins might be forgiven through him.
The Greek phrase dio kai that begins verse 9 is used to indicate a self-evident inference. Paul tells us that because of his humble, unselfish act, God the Father highly exalted Yeshua and bestowed on him a name above all names. Not because of his nature, but rather due to his obedience, God will cause “every knee to bow” to Yeshua and “every tongue will confess” that he is Lord.
Verses 10 and 11 are a paraphrase of Isaiah 45:23:
ISAIAH 45:22 “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. (NKJV)
Based on the statement in Isaiah 45:22 that “I am God, and there is no other,” some try to make the case that Yeshua and God are one and the same being (in either a “Trinitarian” or “Oneness” sense). This is a misinterpretation of the text, as a close examination of Paul's concluding statement in verse 11 plainly shows. By every knee bowing to Yeshua the Messiah and every tongue taking an oath that he is Lord, Paul tells us that God the Father will be glorified. There is only one true God, the Father (John 17:3), as Isaiah 45:22 states. However, every knee will in effect be bowing to Him when they bow to His Anointed One, Yeshua the Messiah.
Now let's examine another passage from Paul, this one from his initial letter to the Corin
thian assembly. To make the passage easier to understand, I've replaced “him” and “his” with the one being spoken of:
I CORINTHIANS 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then comes the end, when [Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when [God] puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For [Christ] must reign till [God] has put all enemies under [Christ's] feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. (NKJV)
This Scripture speaks of the delegation of God's authority to the Messiah as a means of achieving God's will. We see that the Messiah's rule will be completed when all God's enemies have been destroyed. After the destruction of the final enemy, death, Yeshua will return the reconciled kingdom to his Father, just as a craftsman hands over his finished product to the architect of the work.
I CORINTHIANS 15:27 For “[God] has put all things under [Christ's] feet.”13 But when He says “all things are put under [Christ],” it is evident that [God] who put all things under [Christ] is excepted. 28 Now when all things are made subject to [God], then the Son himself will also be subject to [God] who put all things under [Christ], that God may be all in all. (NKJV)
This passage specifically shows that, contrary to Trinitarian doctrine, Yeshua will always be subordinate to the Father (not co-equal). Verse 27 starts with a citation of 13Psalm 8:6. This is an interesting messianic psalm, and one that most don't fully grasp the significance of. Here is the pertinent section of this psalm:
PSALM 8:3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4 what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, (NKJV)
In the Gospels, Yeshua is referred to as the “Son of Man” 83 times. The mention of the “son of man” in Psalm 8:4, combined with the use of this prophecy by Paul to specifically refer to Yeshua (as well as a similar usage in Hebrews 2), leaves little doubt that this passage is a messianic prophecy. The “son of man” spoken of in Psalm 8:4 is plainly the Messiah, who will have all things put under his feet by God the Father (I Cor. 15:25).
I Corinthians 15:27 also specifically states that God the Father has placed all things under Yeshua with the exception of Himself. Clear distinction is made here between the heavenly Father and His firstborn Son, Yeshua the Messiah. The Father has currently delegated all things to His Son, that Yeshua may reconcile them to Him (Col. 1:20). However, when the reconciliation is finally accomplished, we see that the entire creation, including the Son, will be subject to God (v. 28).
This passage isn't the only place where Paul shows the superior position of the Father in relation to the Son. Earlier in I Corinthians 11, Paul documented the line of authority from mankind to God:
I CORINTHIANS 11:3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. (NKJV)
Once again we see that God the Father is over Yeshua in authority. Contrary to the doctrine of the Trinity, they are not co-equal.
Additionally, the Scriptures show that only God the Father is omniscient (“all-knowing”):
MARK 13:32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” (NKJV)
This declaration shows that the Messiah himself acknowledged only the Father knew the timing of his second coming. Yeshua's statement confirms the passages we reviewed from Hebrews earlier which show that Yeshua was “completed” by his human experience. This verification also supports several passages from the Tanakh which show that the preincarnate Messiah did not know all things (Gen. 18:21; 22:12).
In the final book of the Bible, Yeshua uses a title for himself that is very enlightening, when placed in the proper context:
REVELATION 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” (NIV)
Here we see that Yeshua tells us he is the “Morning Star.” Peter confirms this identification of Messiah in his second epistle:
II PETER 1:17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; (NKJV)
This title is not just a poetic description of the Messiah. It identifies his status, as a passage from Job 38 shows:
JOB 38:4 ” Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (NKJV)
In this Scripture, “morning stars” are parallel to and synonymous with the angelic “sons of God” (Gen. 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1). By his use of the title “Morning Star,” Yeshua establishes that he was one of those sons of God present at the creation of the world. As other Scriptures show, he was the firstborn Son of God through whom the Eternal Father created the world.
Conclusion
When viewed with an open mind, the available historical and scriptural evidence strongly suggests that early believers had a much different understanding of the origin and nature of Yeshua than we do today. In contrast to modern Judaism, first-century Jews who accepted Yeshua as the prophesied Messiah had no trouble assigning to him the status of a second divine spirit being who was subordinate to the Most High God. He was understood to be the “Angel of the LORD” who had led Israel out of Egypt. In contrast to modern Christianity, early believers understood that the Messiah was the “firstborn of every creature” (Col. 1:15), the “only begotten” Son of God. He was the wisdom of God (I Cor. 1:24), begotten before all things to be the workman who helped the Father create the world (Pro. 8:22-31). He was the divine Word (Logos), who was with God the Father in the beginning and was also 'elohim (“God”-John 1:1).

[Mercy]

Study 1:

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?
1. Since Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah) walked this earth as a human 2,000 years ago, there has been a controversy over who he really was. The Bible tells us in many places that there is only one true God (Deu. 6:4; Mal. 2:10; Mark 12:32; Rom. 3:30; Jam. 2:19; etc.). So where does Yeshua fit into the Godhead?
Most modern Christians have been taught that Jesus is the second co-equal “person” in a triune Godhead composed of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. However, many (if not most) Christians don't really understand the Trinity. Other believers today, perceiving problems with the Trinity doctrine, have adopted a belief in the “Oneness” of God which is similar to the ancient doctrine of Modalism.
Before we can truly understand who the Messiah is, we need to look at the historical background of 1st-century Jewish religion and subsequent philosophical/religious doctrines that arose to explain his identity. This article is going to examine the beliefs of 1st-century Jews regarding the Godhead and present the succeeding theories put forth to define who Yeshua is. The second part of this study will conclude by harmonizing the Scriptures with this information to better understand what the Bible really says about the identity of the Messiah.
First, let's start by looking at what 1st-century CE Jewish religion believed about the Godhead. There has been a tendency by scholars to define 1st-century orthodox monotheistic Judaism in rather restrictive terms. Jewish literature or beliefs from that time frame that seem to stray from the accepted norm have been reinterpreted to accommodate Trinitarianism or used to prove that Judaism was derived from the polytheistic religions surrounding Israel.
Regarding how modern scholars tend to view 1st-century Jewish religion as either totally monotheistic or essentially polytheistic, University of Manitoba Professor Larry W. Hurtado wrote:
I suggest that on both sides of the issue . . . there has been a tendency to proceed deductively from a priori presumptions of what monotheism must mean, instead of building up a view inductively from the evidence of how monotheism actually operated in the thought and practice of ancient Jews. There seems to be an implicit agreement on both sides that more than one transcendent being of any significance complicates or constitutes a weakening of or threat to monotheism. Those who see first-century Jewish religion as monotheistic tend, therefore, to downplay the significance and attributes given by ancient Jews to any transcendent beings other than God. For these scholars often, ancient Jewish monotheism must mean that the descriptions of such beings are largely rhetorical. Though I am convinced regarding some examples, I am not sure that the descriptions are always purely rhetoric . . .
Those on the other side of the issue tend to emphasize the honorific ways in which transcendent beings other than God are described and the prominent positions they occupy in the religious conceptions reflected in ancient Jewish texts, alleging that first-century Jews were not really monotheists after all. It is clear that ancient Jews were not characteristically monists or unitarians, but does this mean that they were not monotheists? That is, on both sides there is a tendency to proceed as if we can know in advance what “monotheism” must mean, which turns out to be a very modern, monistic form of monotheism, and can accordingly evaluate ancient Jewish texts and beliefs as to whether or how closely they meet an a priori standard of “pure” monotheism. (“What Do We Mean by 'First-Century Jewish Monotheism'?,” Journal for the Study of the New Testament)
As the above quote shows, Professor Hurtado believes that most modern scholars have a skewed view of 1st-century Jewish monotheism because they evaluate the ancient Jewish writings with a preconceived idea of what monotheism should look like. He continues:
I urge us to work more inductively, gathering what “monotheism” is on the ground, so to speak, from the evidence of what self-professed monotheists believe and practice. In fact, I suggest that for historical investigation our policy should be to take people as monotheistic if that is how they describe themselves, in spite of what we might be inclined to regard at first as anomalies in their beliefs. Such “anomalies,” I suggest in fact are extremely valuable data in shaping our understanding of monotheism out of the actual beliefs of actual people and traditions who describe themselves in monotheistic language. (Ibid.)
In another of his works on this topic, Professor Hurtado states:
. . . The cultic veneration of Jesus as a divine figure apparently began among Jewish Christians, whose religious background placed great emphasis upon the uniqueness of God. It is evident that their devotion had its own distinctive shape, a kind of binitarian reverence which included both God and the exalted Jesus. Also it is obvious that these Christians did not have the benefit of the prolonged and intricate developments and discussions that led to the theology reflected in the Nicene Creed and that one must refrain from reading these later developments back into the earlier period . . . (p. 11, One God, One Lord)
To find out what 1st-century Jews believed about God and His “only begotten Son” Yeshua, this article will examine several sources. We will begin with the Targums, which were widely accepted Aramaic paraphrases of the Hebrew Scriptures read in the synagogues along with the Hebrew texts. Aramaic is believed to have largely replaced Hebrew as the common language of the Jews in Judea before the time of Christ.
Regarding the Targums, The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary states:
The extant written Targums had their beginnings with the oral rendering into the Aramaic vernacular of portions of the Hebrew Bible that took place as part of the regular worship in synagogues during the centuries when the Jews of Palestine and Babylonia spoke dialects of Aramaic (cf. Ezra 8:7-8). While the origins of this practice in the synagogues are pre-Christian, the growth of the Targum traditions continued for centuries and have been preserved in written compositions that are not only the product of synagogue liturgy, but of the rabbinic academies as well.
. . . With study of newly discovered and identified materials has come a reevaluation of the significance of the Targums for the understanding of Judaism in the milieu of Jesus and his first followers. Since the Targums originated in the synagogue, they are likely to be the best testimony to popular forms of early Judaism that were the preserve of special groups. While this point and the pre-Christian origin of the practice of oral translation in the synagogue services are generally acknowledged by scholars, the further claim that some of the extant written Targums are as a whole pre-Christian is vigorously debated. (pp. 984-985, “Targum”)
Within the Targums, we find frequent reference to the Word (Ara. Memra) of YHVH. Generally, in biblical passages where YHVH is seen, or where the text indicates that more than one “God” is being referred to, the Targums will often replace 'elohim or YHVH with “the Word of the LORD.”
GENESIS 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God [YHVH 'elohim] walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (NKJV)
GENESIS 3:8 And they heard the voice of the Word of the Lord God walking in the garden in the repose of the day; and Adam and his wife hid themselves from before the Lord God among the trees of the garden. (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, translated by J.W. Etheridge)
EXODUS 20:1 And God ['elohim] spoke all these words, saying: (NKJV)
EXODUS 20:1 And the Word of the Lord spake all the excellency of these words saying: (Jerusalem Targum, translated by J.W. Etheridge)
EXODUS 29:42 “This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your ge
nerations at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet you to speak with you. 43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory.” (NKJV)
EXODUS 29:42 A perpetual holocaust for your generations at the door of the tabernacle of ordinance before the Lord; where I will appoint My Word to (meet) thee there, to speak with thee there. 43 And there I will appoint My Word (to meet) with the sons of Israel, and I will be sanctified in their rulers for My glory. (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, translated by J.W. Etheridge)
DEUTERONOMY 4:20 “But the LORD [YHVH] has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day.” (NKJV)
DEUTERONOMY 4:20 For you hath the Word of the Lord taken for His portion, and hath brought you out from the iron furnace of Mizraim to be unto Him a people of inheritance as at this day. (Jerusalem Targum, translated by J.W. Etheridge)
DEUTERONOMY 4:24 “For the LORD your God [YHVH 'eloheykha] is a consuming fire, a jealous God ['el]. (NKJV)
DEUTERONOMY 4:24 For the Word of the Lord your God is a consuming fire; the jealous God is a fire, and He avengeth Himself in jealousy. (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, translated by J.W. Etheridge)
DEUTERONOMY 6:20 “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God [YHVH 'eloheynu] has commanded you?' 21 then you shall say to your son: 'We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD [YHVH] brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; 22 and the LORD [YHVH] showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. 23 Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. 24 And the LORD [YHVH] commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God [YHVH 'eloheynu], for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. (NKJV)
DEUTERONOMY 6:20 When thy son, in time to come, shall ask thee, saying, What are the testimonies, statutes, and judgments which the Lord our God hath commanded you? 21 then shall you say to your sons, We were servants to Pharoh in Mizraim, and the Word of the Lord brought us out of Mizraim with a mighty hand; 22 and the Word of the Lord wrought signs, great wonders, and sore plagues on Mizraim and on Pharoh and all the men of his house, which our eyes beheld; but us He led forth free to bring us in and give us the land which He sware to our fathers. And the Lord commanded us to perform all these statutes, that we may fear the Lord our God for good to us in all days, that He may preserve us alive as at the time of this day; (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, translated by J.W. Etheridge)
As shown above, the Targums often replaced YHVH with the Word of YHVH in order to clarify difficult or misunderstood passages. This shows that Israel anciently understood there to be two divine beings over their nation, with the subordinate one being the spokesman and mediator for the higher.
This Jewish understanding of the Godhead is reflected in The Wisdom of Sirach. This literary work (also called Ecclesiasticus) was originally written in Hebrew sometime around 180 BCE. The grandson of the author rendered the book into Greek about 132 BCE to make it available to Diaspora Jews. One passage in particular clearly points out the ancient understanding that the Most High God had a divine Son who was recognized by the Jews:
SIRACH 51:10 I appealed to the Lord, the Father of my lord, not to forsake me in the days of affliction, at the time when there is no help against the proud. (RSV)
This passage clearly differentiates between Sirach's lord and the Father of Sirach's lord (the Most High). This Jewish work was written about two centuries before Christ's ministry; clearly Sirach believed that there were two “Lords” over Israel. This passage is very similar to David's introduction to Psalm 110:
PSALM 110:1 The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” (NKJV)
Here, David shows the Most High God's promise to David's Lord to grant him authority over his enemies. We know from Yeshua's own exposition of this passage that he equated himself with David's Lord (Matt. 22:41-46; Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44).
Both Sirach 51:10 and Psalm 110:1 show that there was an ancient recognition of the fact that the Most High God had delegated authority over His portion, Israel (Deu. 32:9) to a subordinate, identified by Sirach as God's Son. Sirach's understanding is verified by the New Testament use of Psalm 110:1 to refer to the “only begotten Son” of God, Jesus Christ (Acts 2:34-36; Heb. 1:13).
The apostle Paul wrote something similar in his first epistle to the Corinthians:
I CORINTHIANS 8:5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. (NKJV)
In all these writings, we see that there are two “Gods” (Heb. 'elohim) over Israel. For Sirach, there was (1) the Lord, the Father of (2) his Lord. David records (1) the LORD speaking to (2) his Lord. Paul tells us of one (1) God and one (2) Lord. Each of these examples shows us that two entities were understood to be present.
There is another Scripture in the Tanakh that clearly shows the ancient Israelites knew that the Most High God had a special, unique Son:
PROVERBS 30:4 Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if you know? 5 Every word of God ['Eloah] is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. (NKJV)
The passage above from Proverbs shows that God's status as Father and the fact that He had an incomparable Son was recognized by the Israelites. This “firstborn son” is the one known to the ancient Israelites as the “Angel of the Lord,” YHVH, the “Word (Ara. Memra, Gr. Logos) of YHVH,” and many other names. This Son is the one who became Yeshua the Messiah.
Next, we're going to examine the writings of Philo Judaeus. He lived from around 20 BCE to 50 CE and was a leader of the Jewish community in Alexandria, Egypt. Being a contemporary of Yeshua, his expositions on Judaism should be very helpful in understanding the context within which Christianity was born. However, because his writings differ from the doctrines that the Jewish rabbis later promoted, he has rarely been used to understand the framework of beliefs within 1st-century Judaism.
Philo is often somewhat erroneously referred to as a Greek scholar whose literature combined Judaism, Greek philosophy, and allegory in a Neoplatonic fashion. First and foremost, however, Philo was a Jew. Although he endeavored to explain the historical religion of his people using Greek philosophical concepts familiar in the Hellenistic world of his day, a close reading of Philo's works reveal that he was not espousing Greek philosophy. Rather, Philo described the Jewish religion of his day in Greek terms, and what he described was Judaism and not a paganized hybrid.
Even though Philo's Judaism differs considerably from that which we see today, his literature echoes much of what was shortly thereafter written by the Jewish composers of the New Testament. Philo speaks often of the Word (Logos), a Greek philosophical term which was later applied to Yeshua by the apostle John (John 1:1, 14; I John 1:1; Rev. 19:13).
Greek philosopher Heraclitus was the first to advance a theory about the Logos. To him, the Logos (which he appeared to identify with fire) was the universal principle which animated and governed the world. The Greek S
toics later developed the concept of the Logos further. They believed that the Logos was both an irresistible force which sustained the entire world and a holy law which every rational man should willingly follow.
The fact that both Philo and John used an existing Greek term with pagan philosophical overtones does not mean that they were accepting the Greek understanding of Logos. Scholar Harry A. Wolfson says this about the Jewish appropriation of such concepts:
With the example of Scripture before them (the Jews) were not afraid to make use in the description of their own religion of terms used in the description of other religions, but whatever common terms they used the difference was never blurred for them between truth and falsehood in religious belief and right and wrong in religious worship. For the understanding of the nature of Judaism throughout its history, and especially during the Hellenistic period, this twofold aspect of its attitude to other religions is of the utmost importance. Those who seem to see evidence of religious syncretization in every use of a pagan term by a Hellenistic Jew simply overlook this one important aspect in the attitude of Judaism toward other religions. (p. 10, vol. I, Philo: Foundations of Religious Philosophy in Judaism, Christianity and Islam)
An examination of some of Philo's comments on the Logos sheds light on how 1st-century Jews understood this concept. Let's now take a detailed look at what Philo wrote about the Logos, and compare it to similar passages from the New Testament:
Now the image of God is the Word [Logos], by which all the world was made. (p. 541, The Works of Philo, “The Special Laws, I,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
II CORINTHIANS 4:4 . . . Christ, who is the image of God . . . (NKJV)
JOHN 1:3 All things were made through Him [Christ], and without Him nothing was made that was made. (NKJV)
HEBREWS 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; (NKJV)
And even if there be not as yet any one who is worthy to be called a son of God, nevertheless let him labour earnestly to be adorned according to His first-born Word [Logos], the eldest of His angels, as the great archangel of many names; for he is called, the Authority, and the Name of God, and the Word [Logos], and Man according to God's image, and He who sees Israel. (p. 247, The Works of Philo, “On the Confusion of Tongues,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
COLOSSIANS 1:15 He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (NASU)
For as those who are not able to look upon the sun itself, look upon the reflected rays of the sun as the sun itself, and upon the halo around the moon as if it were the moon itself; so also do those who are unable to bear the sight of God, look upon His image, His angel Word [Logos], as Himself. (p. 386, The Works of Philo, “On Dreams, I,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
JOHN 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (NKJV)
HEBREWS 1:3 Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (NKJV)
Why is it that He speaks as if of some other god, saying that He made man after the image of God, and not that He made man after His own image? (Genesis 9:6) Very appropriately and without any falsehood was this oracular sentence uttered by God, for no mortal thing could have been formed on the similitude of the supreme Father of the universe, but only after the pattern of the second deity, who is the Word [Logos] of the supreme Being . . . (p. 834, The Works of Philo, “Questions and Answers on Genesis, II,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
. . . The shadow of God is His Word [Logos], which He used like an instrument when He was making the world. And this shadow, and, as it were, model, is the archetype of other things. For, as God is Himself the model of that image which He has now called a shadow, so also that image is the model of other things, as he showed when he commenced giving the law to the Israelites, and said, “And God made man according to the image of God [Gen. 1:26 ].” As the image was modelled according to God, and as man was modelled according to the image, which thus received the power and character of the model. (p. 61, The Works of Philo, “Allegorical Interpretation, III,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
GENESIS 1:27 So God ['elohim] created man in His own image; in the image of God ['elohim] He created him; male and female He created them. (NKJV)
GENESIS 1:27 And the Word of the Lord created man in His likeness, in the likeness of the presence of the Lord He created him, the male and his yoke-fellow He created them. (Jerusalem Targum, translated by J.W. Etheridge)
And the Father who created the universe has given to His archangelic and most ancient Word [Logos] a pre-eminent gift, to stand on the confines of both, and separated that which had been created from the Creator. And this same Word [Logos] is continually a suppliant to the immortal God on behalf of the mortal race, which is exposed to affliction and misery; and is also the ambassador, sent by the Ruler of all, to the subject race. And the Word [Logos] rejoices in the gift, and, exulting in it, announces it and boasts of it, saying, “And I stood in the midst, between the Lord and you;” neither being uncreate[d] as God, nor yet created as you . . . (p. 293, The Works of Philo, “Who Is the Heir of Divine Things,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
I TIMOTHY 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, (NKJV)
But if you examine the great high priest, that is to say reason [Logos], you will find him . . . having his sacred garments richly embroidered by the powers which are comprehensible either by the outward senses or by the intellect . . . (p. 263, The Works of Philo, “On the Migration of Abraham,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
For there are, as it seems, two temples belonging to God; one being this world, in which the high priest is the divine Word [Logos], His own first-born son. . . . (p. 834, The Works of Philo, “On Dreams, I,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
HEBREWS 8:1 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. (NKJV)
I have also heard of one of the companions of Moses having uttered such a speech as this: “Behold, a man whose name is the East [or “the Branch,” Zec. 6:12 ]!” A very novel appellation indeed, if you consider it as spoken of a man who is compounded of body and soul; but if you look upon it as applied to that incorporeal being who in no respect differs from the divine image, you will then agree that the name of the east has been given to him with great felicity. For the Father of the universe has caused him to spring up as the eldest son, whom, in another passage, He calls firstborn . . . (pp. 239-240, The Works of Philo, “On the Confusion of Tongues,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
ZECHARIAH 6:11 “Take the silver and gold, make an elaborate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 Then speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the LORD; 13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne; so He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ' ” (NKJV)
For God, like a shepherd and a king, governs (as if they were a flock of sheep) the earth, and the water, and the air, and the fir
e, and all the plants, and living creatures that are in them, whether mortal or divine . . . appointing as their immediate superintendent, His own right Reason [Logos], his firstborn son, who is to receive the charge of this sacred company, as the lieutenant of the great king; for it is said somewhere, “Behold, I am He! I will send my messenger before thy face, who shall keep thee in the road [Exo. 23:20].” (p. 178, The Works of Philo, “On Husbandry,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
And the most ancient Word [Logos] of the living God is clothed with the word as with a garment, for it has put on earth, and water, and air, and fire, and the things which proceed from these elements. But the particular soul is clothed with the body, and the mind of the wise man is clothed with the virtues. And it is said that he will never take the mitre off from his head, he will never lay aside the kingly diadem, the symbol of an authority which is not indeed absolute, but only that of a viceroy, but which is nevertheless an object of admiration. Nor will he “rend his clothes;” for the Word [Logos] of the living God being the bond of every thing, as has been said before, holds all things together, and binds all the parts, and prevents them from being loosened or separated. (p. 331, The Works of Philo, “On Flight and Finding,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
COLOSSIANS 1:16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (NASU)
. . . The merciful power of God is the covering of the ark, and He calls it mercy-seat. The images of the creative power and of the kingly power are the winged cherubim which are placed upon it. But the divine Word [Logos] which above these does not come into any visible appearance, inasmuch as it is not like to any of the things that come under the external senses, but is itself an image of God, the most ancient of all the objects of intellect in the whole world, and that which is placed in the closest proximity to the only truly existing God, without any partition or distance being interposed between them: for it is said, “I will speak unto thee from above the mercy-seat, in the midst, between the cherubim [Exo. 25:22].” So that the Word [Logos] is, as it were, the charioteer of the powers, and He who utters it is the rider, who directs the charioteer how to proceed with a view to the proper guidance of the universe. (p. 330, The Works of Philo, “On Flight and Finding,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
EXODUS 25:21 “You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 “And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel. (NKJV)
EXODUS 25:21 And thou shalt put the mercy-seat above upon the ark, and within the ark thou shalt lay the Tables of the Testament that I will give thee. 22 And I will appoint My Word with thee there, and will speak with thee from above the mercy-seat, between the two kerubaia that are over the ark of the testament, concerning all that I may command thee for the sons of Israel. (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, translated by J.W. Etheridge)
What, then, can it be except the Word [Logos], which is more ancient than all the things which were the objects of creation, and by means of which it is the Ruler of the universe . . . (p. 253, The Works of Philo, “On the Migration of Abraham,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
MICAH 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (NKJV)
“And God planted a paradise in Eden, in the east: and there He placed the man whom He had formed:” for He called that divine and heavenly Wisdom by many names; and he made it manifest that it had many appellations; for He called it the Beginning, and the Image, and the Sight of God. . . . (p. 29, The Works of Philo, “Allegorical Interpretation, I,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
REVELATION 3:14 ” And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ' These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:' ” (NKJV)
. . . How then can the daughter of God, namely, Wisdom, be properly called a father? Is it because the name indeed of wisdom is feminine but the sex masculine? For indeed all the virtues bear the names of women, but have the powers and actions of full-grown men, since whatever is subsequent to God, even if it be the most ancient of all other things, still has only the second place when compared with that omnipotent Being, and appears not so much masculine as feminine . . . We say, therefore, without paying any attention to the difference here existing in the names, that wisdom, the daughter of God, is both male and a father . . . (p. 325, The Works of Philo, “On Flight and Finding,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
PROVERBS 8:22 “The Lord created me at the beginning of His work, the first of His acts of old. 23 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth; 26 before He had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. 27 When He established the heavens, I was there, when He drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 when He made firm the skies above, when He established the fountains of the deep, 29 when He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 then I was beside Him, like a master workman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always, 31 rejoicing in His inhabited world, and delighting in the sons of men.” (RSV)
. . . For the abrupt Rock is the Wisdom of God, which being both sublime and the first of things he quarried out of his own powers, and of it he gives drink to the souls that love God; and they, when they have drunk, are also filled with the most universal manna; for manna is called something which is the primary genus of every thing. But the most universal of all things is God; and in the second place the Word [Logos] of God. (p. 47, The Works of Philo, “Allegorical Interpretation, II,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
. . . He nourishes us with his own Word [Logos], which is the most universal of all things, for manna being interpreted means “what?” and “what” is the most universal of all things; for the Word [Logos] is over all the world, and is the most ancient, and the most universal of all things that are created. (p. 70, The Works of Philo, “Allegorical Interpretation, III,” translated by C.D. Yonge)
JOHN 6:31 “Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' ” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” 35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” (NKJV)
As the preceding comparisons show, much of what Philo wrote about the Logos is paralleled in the Bible. When viewed objectively, this clearly does not support some of the later theories about the identity of Yeshua.
In her provocative and controversial book about Israel's “second God,” Margaret Barker details the conflict that arose between Jews who accepted Yeshua as the prophesied Messiah and those who didn't. The origin of what became orthodox rab
binic Jewish thought can be traced back to this pivotal time:
There can be little doubt, in light of passages such as these, that Jesus had been identified with the second God, whom Philo called the Logos, and whom the Targumists remembered as the Memra, the manifestation of Yahweh with his people. Problems have arisen in the understanding of the Targums because proper account has not been taken of this second God, the great Angel. . . .
The rabbinic writings from the first Christian centuries show that they were engaged in a controversy with heretical groups, who taught that there were two powers in heaven. It is not possible to identify these groups with certainty because they are never named, but investigations have shown that the controversy was 'almost entirely confined to Palestine' . . . In addition, the earliest evidence for this dispute centred on the understanding of particular passages of Scripture which the heretics had been using to demonstrate that there were two powers in heaven. These heretics did not see the two powers as opposing one another, i.e. they were not early gnostics, but rather they saw them as a far God and a near God. This suggests that the heretics were the Christians; they originated in Palestine, they believed in a second divine person and they took as one of their key scriptural passages the son of man vision in Dan. 7, the very text which formed the starting point of the rabbis' polemic. It is possible to reconstruct only the outlines of what must have been a bitter dispute, but the strength and ferocity of the debates, added to the enormous length of time over which the arguments were refined, shows that this was a cause of great concern. (pp. 152-153, The Great Angel)
Below is the passage of Scripture from Daniel used by Christians to prove that Yeshua was a divine spirit being, and not merely a man:
DANIEL 7:13 “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before Him. 14 Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed. (NKJV)
“Son of Man” was one of the titles from the Old Testament that referred to the Messiah. Yeshua frequently used this term to refer to himself in the Gospels (32 times in Matt., 14 times in Mark, 25 times in Luke, and 12 times in John). He is also called by this title by Stephen (Acts 7:56) and John in Revelation (Rev. 1:13; 14:14). Daniel 7:13, Psalm 8:4 and possibly Psalm 80:17 are the only places in the Tanakh where this title refers to the Messiah.
The ancient writings of the Jewish rabbis show that there was a significant conflict in the 1st century between rabbinic Judaism and a heresy they referred to as “two powers in heaven.” Columbia University professor of religion Alan Segal did an in-depth study of this theological debate between the rabbis and those who professed a belief in two divine beings. In his summary of the rabbinic writings which opposed this position, he defined the differences of belief:
The crucial issues which can be dated early are: (1) a dangerous understanding of Dan. 7:9 f.; (2) dangerous contradictions between the portrayal of God as heavenly warrior (especially in Ex. 15:3) and the figure of an old man on a heavenly throne assumed to be described in various theophanies (especially Ex. 24:10 f.); (3) a tradition about a principal angel, based on Ex. 20 f., said to be Metatron in the amoraic traditions but whose real significance is that he is YHWH or the bearer of the divine name (using Ex. 23:21 f.).
These passages may have little in common in their origin. But they all picture God Himself as a man or posit a principal angel, with the shape of a man, who aids God in the governance of the world. . . . The earliest isolatable rabbinic opposition to “two powers,” then, is not against ethical dualism, but against a principal angel or mediator. (p. 149, Two Powers In Heaven)
As Segal points out in his book, the rabbis were not primarily battling outside pagans who held this belief in “two powers.” Rather, they were contending with fellow Jews and God-fearing Gentiles who attended the synagogues (cf. Acts 13:42: 14:1; 17:1-4, 10-12, 17; 18:4):
The mishnaic evidence emphasizes the second thrust of the rabbinic offensive against heresy – ostracism from the synagogue. It is likely that the “two powers” sects were among the heretical groups excluded from the synagogue during earliest times . . . The process of ostracism probably received its first impetus from Gamaliel – who expanded the curse against enemies of the synagogue to include the minim . . . We are sure that Christians were called “two powers” heretics by the late tannaim . . .
It seems clear, then, that the synagogue and academies in Palestine were the locus of the debate and defense against “two powers.” Exegesis was the earliest battleground of the conflict. Although the answers to the heretics were worked out by the academies, the question must have been raised in relation to Bible-reading and by groups who were interested in hearing the Jewish Bible expounded. Since we know that some “two powers” heretics were among those cursed in the synagogue, we can assume the following tentative reconstruction of the evidence: Either contemporary with the exegetical problem or immediately after it, a successful campaign was mounted to silence various sectarians in the synagogue by regulating the content and procedures of prayer. Among those silenced were some evincing “two powers” interpretations of scripture. The sectarians may not have called themselves “two gods” or “two powers” heretics. Only the offended party, from a new position of authority, described these doctrines as heresy. When the rabbis insisted that prayers in synagogue meet specific standards of monotheism, the incipient heretics and the rabbis withdrew from each other by mutual consent but certainly on less than peaceful terms. Although they separated, the groups encountered each other in debate frequently, showing that the heretics continued to proliferate and that they remained in close proximity to the rabbinic community. (pp. 152, 154, Ibid.)
The available evidence from the ancient Jewish writings shows that this “two powers” doctrine developed among those who attended the synagogues. As the New Testament shows, many thousands of Torah-observant Jews were among the early believers in Yeshua the Messiah (Acts 21:20). These Jews, who believed that Yeshua was a “second power in heaven,” would have met in the synagogues along with their non-messianic counterparts. As the rabbinic evidence indicates, the belief that Yeshua was a divine being eventually led to their expulsion from the synagogues in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries.
The next piece of evidence from the early Christian era is from the Odes of Solomon. Odes is the earliest known Christian book of hymns or psalms, containing a total of 42 odes. This collection of hymns is titled the Odes of Solomon because it was called this in other ancient references. The originals were in Aramaic, indicating that the authors were probably messianic Jews.
Regarding the date of the Odes, The Anchor Bible Dictionary states:
The date of the Odes has caused considerable interest. H.J. Drivers contends that they are as late as the 3d century. L. Abramowski places them in the latter half of the 2d century. B. McNeil argued that they are contemporaneous with 4 Ezra, the Shepherd of Hermas, Polycarp, and Valentinus (ca. 100 C.E.). Most scholars date them sometime around the middle of the 2d century, but if they are heavily influenced by Jewish apocalyptic thought and especially the ideas in the Dead Sea Scrolls, a date long after 100 is unlikely. H. Chadwick, Emerton, Charlesworth, and many other scholars, are convinced that they must not be labeled “gnostic,” and therefore should not be dated to the late 2d or 3d c
entury. (p. 114, vol. 6, “Solomon, Odes of”)
Let's take a closer look at one of the hymns (Ode 36) which is written from the viewpoint of the Messiah:
ODE 36
I rested on the Spirit of the Lord, and She lifted me up to heaven;
And caused me to stand on my feet in the Lord's high place, before His perfection and His glory, where I continued glorifying Him by the composition of His Odes.
The Spirit brought me forth before the Lord's face, and because I was the Son of Man, I was named the Light, the Son of God;
Because I was the most glorified among the glorious ones, and the greatest among the great ones.
For according to the greatness of the Most High, so She [the Spirit of the Lord] made me; and according to His newness He renewed me.
And He anointed me with His perfection; and I became one of those who are near Him.
And my mouth was opened like a cloud of dew, and my heart gushed forth like a gusher of righteousness.
And my approach was in peace, and I was established in the Spirit of Providence.
Hallelujah. (Odes of Solomon)
This hymn shows that early Messianic Jews understood that Yeshua was the “Son of Man,” the greatest and most glorious of the beney 'elohim (“sons of God”). He was “made” by the Spirit of the Lord (called “she” because the Aramaic word for “spirit” is feminine) according to the greatness of the Most High, God the Father.
One of the first writers after the apostles is Ignatius (c. 30-107 CE), the bishop of Antioch. Tradition says that he and Polycarp were disciples under the apostle John. He was martyred by order of the Roman emperor Trajan, being carried captive from Antioch to Rome and thrown to wild animals in the Flavian amphitheater.
Ignatius' letters show us that during the late 1st and early 2nd centuries, Christians still understood that the Messiah was God's only-begotten (Gr. monogenes, “unique”) Son, begotten before the universe was created. Here are some selected references Ignatius makes to the origin of the Son in his epistles:
. . . But our Physician is the only true God, the unbegotten and unapproachable, the Lord of all, the Father and Begetter of the only-begotten Son. We also have as a Physician the Lord our God, Jesus the Christ, the only-begotten Son and Word, before time began, but who afterwards became also man, of Mary the virgin. For “the Word was made flesh.” (pp. 110-111, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians”)
. . . For the Son of God, who was begotten before time began, and established all things according to the will of the Father, He was conceived in the womb of Mary, according to the appointment of God, of the seed of David, and by the Holy Ghost. (p. 120, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians”)
. . . Do ye all come together in common, and individually, through grace, in one faith of God the Father, and of Jesus Christ His only-begotten Son, and “the first-born of every creature,” but of the seed of David according to the flesh . . . (p. 122, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians”)
. . . Jesus Christ. He, being begotten by the Father before the beginning of time, was God the Word, the only-begotten Son, and remains the same for ever . . . (p. 129, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers,”The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians”)
. . . Christ, who was begotten by the Father before all ages, but was afterwards born of the Virgin Mary without any intercourse with man. . . . To those who had fallen into the error of polytheism He made known the one and only true God, His Father . . . (p. 134, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians”)
. . . One of the ancients gives us this advice, “Let no man be called good who mixes good with evil.” For they speak of Christ, not that they may preach Christ, but that they may reject Christ; and they speak of the law, not that they may establish the law, but that they may proclaim things contrary to it. For they alienate Christ from the Father, and the law from Christ. They also calumniate His being born of the Virgin; they are ashamed of His cross; they deny His passion; and they do not believe His resurrection. They introduce God as a Being unknown; they suppose Christ to be unbegotten; and as to the Spirit, they do not admit that He exists. Some of them say that the Son is a mere man, and that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are but the same person, and that the creation is the work of God, not by Christ, but by some other strange power. (p. 142, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “The Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians”)
. . . Since, also, there is but one unbegotten Being, God, even the Father; and one only-begotten Son, God, the Word and man . . . (p. 165, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “The Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians”)
. . . Being fully persuaded, in very truth, with respect to our Lord Jesus Christ, that He was the Son of God, “the first-born of every creature,” God the Word, the only-begotten Son, and was of the seed of David according to the flesh, by the Virgin Mary . . . (p. 175, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “The Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyraeans”)
And [know ye, moreover], that He who was born of a woman was the Son of God, and He that was crucified was “the first-born of every creature,” and God the Word, who also created all things. For says the apostle, “There is one God, the Father, of whom are all things; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things.” And again, “For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus;” and, “By Him were all things created that are in heaven, and on earth, visible and invisible; and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.” (p. 212, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “The Epistle of Ignatius to the Tarsians”)
Nor is He a mere man, by whom and in whom all things were made; for “all things were made by Him.” “When He made the heaven, I was present with Him; and I was there with Him, forming [the world along with Him], and He rejoiced in me daily.” And how could a mere man be addressed in such words as these: “Sit Thou at My right hand?” And how, again, could such an one declare: “Before Abraham was, I am?” And, “Glorify Me with Thy glory which I had before the world was?” What man could ever say, “I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me?” And of what man could it be said, “He was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world: He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not?” How could such a one be a mere man, receiving the beginning of His existence from Mary, and not rather God the Word, and the only-begotten Son? For “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And in another place, “The Lord created Me, the beginning of His ways, for His ways, for His works. Before the world did He found Me, and before all the hills did He beget Me.” (p. 213, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “The Epistle of Ignatius to the Tarsians”)
I write this letter to you from Philippi. May He who is alone unbegotten, keep you steadfast both in the spirit and in the flesh, through Him who was begotten before time began! (p. 222, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “The Epistle of Ignatius to the Antiochians”)
Justin Martyr was a 2nd-century Gentile Christian born in Flavia Neapolis, Samaria (the modern Nablus). Living from about 114-165 CE, he was well educated, having studied Socratic and Platonic philosophy. Justin is considered the first Christian author and founder of Christian theological literature.
One of Justin's principal works is the Dialogue with Trypho. Trypho was a Jew who debated the identity of Christ with Justin. Justin's Dialogue was the first significant Christian exposition on why Yeshua should be regarded as the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament.
Justin spends much of his time ma
king the case to Trypho that the preincarnate Christ was the 'elohim seen by the patriarchs and ancient Israel:
And all the Jews even now teach that the nameless God spake to Moses . . . Now the Word of God is His Son, as we have before said. And He is called Angel and Apostle; for He declares whatever we ought to know, and is sent forth to declare whatever is revealed; as our Lord Himself says, “He that heareth Me, heareth Him that sent Me.” From the writings of Moses also this will be manifest; for thus it is written in them, “And the Angel of God spake to Moses, in a flame of fire out of the bush, and said, I am that I am, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of thy fathers; go down into Egypt, and bring forth My people.” And if you wish to learn what follows, you can do so from the same writings; for it is impossible to relate the whole here. But so much is written for the sake of proving that Jesus the Christ is the Son of God and His Apostle, being of old the Word, and appearing sometimes in the form of fire, and sometimes in the likeness of angels; but now, by the will of God, having become man for the human race . . . (p. 351, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “Dialogue with Trypho”)
As Justin's initial statement shows, by the middle of the second century common Jewish thought had changed regarding the identity of the one who had anciently interacted with Israel. This change was likely a rabbinic reaction to the early Messianic Jewish belief that Yeshua the Messiah was the Angel of YHVH, the Word of God who had interacted with ancient Israel. Justin clearly explains that the God manifested to ancient Israel was this Angel:
“Reverting to the Scriptures, I shall endeavor to persuade you, that He who is said to have appeared to Abraham, and to Jacob, and to Moses, and who is called God, is distinct from Him who made all things, — numerically, I mean, not [distinct] in will. For I affirm that He has never at any time done anything which He who made the world — above whom there is no other God — has not wished Him both to do and to engage Himself with.” (p. 445, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “Dialogue with Trypho”)
It is again written by Moses, my brethren, that He who is called God and appeared to the patriarchs is called both Angel and Lord, in order that from this you may understand Him to be minister to the Father of all things . . .” (p. 449, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “Dialogue with Trypho”)
“I shall give you another testimony, my friends,” said I, “from the Scriptures, that God begat before all creatures a Beginning, [who was] a certain rational power [proceeding] from Himself, who is called by the Holy Spirit, now the Glory of the Lord, now the Son, again Wisdom, again an Angel, then God, and then Lord and Logos; and on another occasion He calls Himself Captain, when He appeared in human form to Joshua the son of Nave (Nun). For He can be called by all those names, since He ministers to the Father's will, and since He was begotten of the Father by an act of will . . . The Word of Wisdom, who is Himself this God begotten of the Father of all things, and Word, and Wisdom, and Power, and the Glory of the Begetter, will bear evidence to me, when He speaks by Solomon the following: 'If I shall declare to you what happens daily, I shall call to mind events from everlasting, and review them. The Lord made me the beginning of His ways for His works. From everlasting He established me in the beginning, before He had made the earth, and before He had made the deeps, before the springs of the waters had issued forth, before the mountains had been established. Before all the hills He begets me. God made the country, and the desert, and the highest inhabited places under the sky. When He made ready the heavens, I was along with Him, and when He set up His throne on the winds: when He made the high clouds strong, and the springs of the deep safe, when He made the foundations of the earth, I was with Him arranging. I was that in which He rejoiced; daily and at all times I delighted in His countenance, because He delighted in the finishing of the habitable world, and delighted in the sons of men. (pp. 453-454, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “Dialogue with Trypho”)
. . . This Offspring, which was truly brought forth from the Father, was with the Father before all the creatures, and the Father communed with Him; even as the Scripture by Solomon has made clear, that He whom Solomon calls Wisdom, was begotten as a Beginning before all His creatures and as Offspring by God . . . (p. 455, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “Dialogue with Trypho”)
. . . When Isaiah calls Him the Angel of mighty counsel [Isa. 9:6, LXX], did he not foretell Him to be the Teacher of those truths which He did teach when He came [to earth]? For He alone taught openly those mighty counsels which the Father designed both for all those who have been and shall be well-pleasing to Him, and also for those who have rebelled against His will, whether men or angels . . . (p. 474, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “Dialogue with Trypho”)
. . . For if He also were to be begotten of sexual intercourse, like all other first-born sons, why did God say that He would give a sign which is not common to all the first-born sons? But that which is truly a sign, and which was to be made trustworthy to mankind, namely, — that the first-begotten of all creation should become incarnate by the Virgin's womb, and be a child, — this he anticipated by the Spirit of prophecy, and predicted it . . . (p. 484, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “Dialogue with Trypho”)
. . . This very Son of God — who is the First-born of every creature, who became man by the Virgin, who suffered, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate . . . (p. 485, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “Dialogue with Trypho”)
. . . He said: 'All things are delivered unto me by My Father;' and, 'No man knoweth the Father but the Son; nor the Son but the Father, and they to whom the Son will reveal Him.' Accordingly He revealed to us all that we have perceived by His grace out of the Scriptures, so that we know Him to be the first-begotten of God, and to be before all creatures; likewise to be the Son of the patriarchs, since He assumed flesh by the Virgin of their family, and submitted to become a man without comeliness, dishonored, and subject to suffering…. For [Christ] called one of His disciples — previously known by the name of Simon — Peter; since he recognized Him to be Christ the Son of God, by the revelation of His Father: and since we find it recorded in the memoirs of His apostles that He is the Son of God, and since we call Him the Son, we have understood that He proceeded before all creatures from the Father by His power and will (for He is addressed in the writings of the prophets in one way or another as Wisdom) . . . (p. 503, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “Dialogue with Trypho”)
“But if you knew, Trypho,” continued I, “who He is that is called at one time the Angel of great counsel, and a Man by Ezekiel, and like the Son of man by Daniel, and a Child by Isaiah, and Christ and God to be worshipped by David, and Christ and a Stone by many, and Wisdom by Solomon, and Joseph and Judah and a Star by Moses, and the East by Zechariah, and the Suffering One and Jacob and Israel by Isaiah again, and a Rod, and Flower, and Corner-Stone, and Son of God, you would not have blasphemed Him who has now come, and been born, and suffered, and ascended to heaven; who shall also come again, and then your twelve tribes shall mourn. For if you had understood what has been written by the prophets, you would not have denied that He was God, Son of the only, unbegotten, unutterable God. (p. 535, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “Dialogue with Trypho”)
“. . . Christ being Lord, and God the Son of God, and appearing formerly in power as Man, and Angel, and in the glory of fire as at the bush, so also was manifested at the judgment executed on Sodom, has been demonstrated fully by what has been said. . . . And do not suppo
se, sirs, that I am speaking superfluously when I repeat these words frequently: but it is because I know that some wish to anticipate these remarks, and to say that the power sent from the Father of all which appeared to Moses, or to Abraham, or to Jacob, is called an Angel because He came to men (for by Him the commands of the Father have been proclaimed to men); is called Glory, because He appears in a vision sometimes that cannot be borne; is called a Man, and a human being, because He appears strayed in such forms as the Father pleases; and they call Him the Word, because He carries tidings from the Father to men: but maintain that this power is indivisible and inseparable from the Father, just as they say that the light of the sun on earth is indivisible and inseparable from the sun in the heavens; as when it sinks, the light sinks along with it; so the Father, when He chooses, say they, causes His power to spring forth, and when He chooses, He makes it return to Himself. In this way, they teach, He made the angels. But it is proved that there are angels who always exist, and are never reduced to that form out of which they sprang. And that this power which the prophetic word calls God, as has been also amply demonstrated, and Angel, is not numbered [as different] in name only like the light of the sun but is indeed something numerically distinct, I have discussed briefly in what has gone before; when I asserted that this power was begotten from the Father, by His power and will, but not by abscission, as if the essence of the Father were divided; as all other things partitioned and divided are not the same after as before they were divided: and, for the sake of example, I took the case of fires kindled from a fire, which we see to be distinct from it, and yet that from which many can be kindled is by no means made less, but remains the same.
“And now I shall again recite the words which I have spoken in proof of this point. When Scripture says, 'The Lord rained fire from the Lord out of heaven,' the prophetic word indicates that there were two in number: One upon the earth, who, it says, descended to behold the cry of Sodom; another in heaven, who also is Lord of the Lord on earth, as He is Father and God; the cause of His power and of His being Lord and God. . . . And it is written in the book of Wisdom: 'If I should tell you daily events, I would be mindful to enumerate them from the beginning. The Lord created me the beginning of His ways for His works. From everlasting He established me in the beginning, before He formed the earth, and before He made the depths, and before the springs of waters came forth, before the mountains were settled; He begets me before all the hills.' ” When I repeated these words, I added: “You perceive, my hearers, if you bestow attention, that the Scripture has declared that this Offspring was begotten by the Father before all things created; and that which is begotten is numerically distinct from that which begets, any one will admit.” (pp. 538-539, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “Dialogue with Trypho”)
. . . Our teacher of these things is Jesus Christ, who also was born for this purpose, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judaea, in the times of Tiberius Caesar; and that we reasonably worship Him, having learned that He is the Son of the true God Himself, and holding Him in the second place . . . For they proclaim our madness to consist in this, that we give to a crucified man a place second to the unchangeable and eternal God, the Creator of all . . . (p. 309, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “First Apology of Justin”)
We have been taught that Christ is the first-born of God, and we have declared above that He is the Word of whom every race of men were partakers . . . (p. 336, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “First Apology of Justin”)
. . . For they who affirm that the Son is the Father, are proved neither to have become acquainted with the Father, nor to know that the Father of the universe has a Son; who also, being the first-begotten Word of God, is even God. And of old He appeared in the shape of fire and in the likeness of an angel to Moses and to the other prophets . . . (p. 352, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “First Apology of Justin”)
But to the Father of all, who is unbegotten, there is no name given. For by whatever name He be called, He has as His elder the person who gives Him the name. But these words, Father, and God, and Creator, and Lord, and master, are not names, but appellations derived from His good deeds and functions. And His son, who along is properly called Son, the Word, who also was with Him and was begotten before the works, when at first He created and arranged all things by Him, is called Christ, in reference to His being anointed and God's ordering all things through Him . . . (p. 364, vol. I, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “Second Apology of Justin”)
Another early Christian literary work that shows the common understanding of the Messiah is The Shepherd of Hermas (also known as The Pastor of Hermas). This work is dated to about 160 CE, and Hermas was one of the most popular books of Christianity during the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th centuries.
Hermas is divided into three primary sections. There are five visions, twelve mandates; and ten parables (also called “similitudes”). The overall theme of the visions is repentance and remaining faithful in the face of persecution.
“God planted the vineyard, that is to say, He created the people, and gave them to His Son; and the Son appointed His angels over them to keep them; and He Himself purged away their sins, having suffered many trials and undergone many labors, for no one is able to dig without labor and toil. He Himself, then, having purged away the sins of the people, showed them the paths of life by giving them the law which He received from His Father. [You see,” he said, “that He is the Lord of the people, having received all authority from His Father.]” (p. 73, vol. II, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “The Pastor of Hermas”)
This great tree that casts its shadow over plains, and mountains, and all the earth, is the law of God that was given to the whole world; and this law is the Son of God, proclaimed to the ends of the earth; and the people who are under its shadow are they who have heard the proclamation, and have believed upon Him. And the great and glorious angel Michael is he who has authority over this people, and governs them; for this is he who gave them the law into the hearts of believers: he accordingly superintends them to whom he gave it, to see if they have kept the same. (p. 84, vol. II, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, “The Pastor of Hermas”)
A comparison of the two passages above shows that the Son of God, who gave the people the Law he received from his Father, was also known as “the great and glorious angel Michael.” It is this same Son that came to earth as Yeshua and purged the sins of those who believed by his sacrifice. Hermas goes on to speak of the age of the Son:
“Listen,” he said, “and understand, O ignorant man. The Son of God is older than all His creatures, so that He was a fellow-councilor with the Father in His work of creation: for this reason is He old.” (Ibid., p. 100)
The Shepherd of Hermas confirms that in the mid-2nd century, believers still had some understanding of the preincarnate identity and origin of Yeshua.
Origen, a Catholic theologian/philosopher writing in the first half of the 3rd century, shows that the Christian belief in “two powers in heaven” was still a point of contention at that time. In his apologetic work Against Celsus, Origen disputes the pagan author's contention that Christians were hypocritical for condemning polytheism while worshiping two Gods:
In what follows, some may imagine that he says something plausible against us. “If,” says he, “these people worshipped one God alone, and no other, they would perhaps have some valid argument against the worship of others. But they pay excessive reverence to one who has but lately appeared among men, and they think it no offense aga
inst God if they worship also His se

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