Answering Israel Anderson
Israel Anderson is a proponent of the belief that the real Father-God of the universe was, almost immediately after His work of creation, supplanted by the person of Satan. This unauthorized takeover by Evil over Good has, in his view, resulted in the misidentification of the God of the Bible. Yahweh, according to Anderson, is not the Holy God who Christians and Jews believe is revealed within the Scriptures. Yahweh is instead evil personified. He is Satan himself.
● Israel Anderson's website and youtube video.
Anderson is not alone in this belief as it becomes increasingly widespread as we near the end of this age, and this is obviously concerning for those of us who believe that the Bible is the Word of an omnicient and all-powerful God. A belief which precludes the possibility that His Word could in any way promote an error of such magnitude.
Upon becoming aware of this belief, several questions immediately swirl through one's mind:
● How would God have ever allowed such a perversion of His Plans and Objectives?
● How would God have ever allowed such a perversion of His Word and Message, His very Guidebook for the people He had created?
● Would God not have ended this counterfeiting scheme long before its immense deception of the entire Bible-believing world became problematic?
● Was God (Anderson's Satan) really out-witted and out-manouvered into allowing His Guidebook to become the devil's? Was God out-smarted? Was He fooled?
● Could the devil (Anderson's Yahweh) really be more powerful and more intelligent than God - which such an accomplishment requires?
If this greatest of deceptions has actually occurred, God is far from the Ultimate Being we believe Him to be. The fact that significant numbers now believe this to be true is the reason we need to investigate and let the facts speak for themselves.
Who is Israel Anderson and what are his beliefs?
I have carefully and thoroughly considered Israel Anderson's video linked above, taking copious notes along the way. Pertaining to Mr. Anderson's background and beliefs, it is clear:
● He became a Christian at an early age.
● He was proactive in Christian ministry including healings and miracles, which he describes as "The Real Thing."
● He went to seminary and "spent my whole life in ministry."
● He has "Two major focuses, the Lord Yeshua and the text [the Bible]."
● He professes to "love the text with an undying passion. I consume it."
● He has "Listened to [the audio Bible] over and over for many years. I absorbed it."
● Anderson says: "The more I listened to it... learning more... got to the point of new beliefs... the Bible doesn't support Christianity."
● For Anderson, the Bible exposes the Truth. The problem lies with people's misinterpretation and misunderstanding of what the Bible is explaining.
● This is important because, both from Anderson's viewpoint and ours, it establishes the Bible as the authoritative source of information needed to sort
out and establish what is and what is not True.
● Anderson "left Christianity... not the Lord (Yeshua), and started over."
● His video endeavors to answer "two questions: Who are we? What is the universe?"
● When Anderson "Discovered the Sumerian text [he] put the pieces of all of these mythologies together into a cohesive story: the gods of the Sumerian (and all the others) pantheon.
● That these gods exist is true. The Bible speaks of them, always as actual gods who are inferior to the One True God - Yahweh. Yahweh out-performed them many times.
● Anderson's misconceptions begin here, with his refusal to recognize that these gods, although powerful, are inferior beings who are under God's authority, just as the Bible
- which he so stongly believes in - repeatedly describes them.
● Anderson's video "is original content but its all in the text (the Bible)."
● Again, since Anderson "believes" the Bible, facts and arguments from the Bible are valid for this discussion.
● Anderson's main concern: "We will answer: 'Who is Yahweh?'"
Anderson is a self-described ardent student of the Bible. He believes the Bible has ultimate authority as the Word of God and he believes that the Bible contains the information we need for true understanding. He even offers a free audio-Bible to the public. We are therefore justified to reason against Anderson while searching for the veracity of his beliefs using the Bible as our authority. Anderson (and his supporters) must accept clear biblical statements of fact. If they do not, they have admitted they do not believe that the Bible is the Word of God.
Without digging deeper, Anderson appears to be a believer in the three members of the godhead: Father (Satan), Son (Yeshua) and Holy Spirit, but yet he has the need to say that there is no "Trinity" in the Bible. This is because he actually believes that Yeshua is not God, but instead only an elevated human teacher - someone we should emulate and whose level we can achieve for ourselves. For Anderson, these three do not form a godhead and there is no Trinity.
Probably most significantly, Anderson believes that the God of the Bible, who is Yahweh, is not the true God. Yahweh is actually Satan, and Satan is actually God. It is primarily this belief which he is trying to convince his viewers of.
If Anderson's stated beliefs are correct, logic then dictates:
● Yeshua, who claimed that God was His Father, and that He was one with His Father, had to be making these claims with someone other than Yahweh in mind.
● If Yeshua anywhere in the Bible clearly tells us who His Father is, this would settle the matter.
Yahweh Is God According To The Bible
- "Yahweh" occurs in the Old Testament over 6,800 times. As Anderson agrees, it is clear beyond any dispute that the God who is worshipped by Israel is Yahweh. Here are two examples from too many to even count:
● Deuteronomy 6:4-5: "Listen, Israel: The LORD [Yahweh] is our God [elohim]. The LORD [Yahweh] is the only God. Love the LORD [Yahweh] your God [elohim]..."
● Isaiah 40:28: "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God [elohim], the LORD [Yahweh], the Creator of the ends of the earth..."
At this early point in our research, an important question already arises. If Anderson truly believes his glowing description of the Bible, why do we even need to search any further to know the identity of God? As we have already seen, according to the Bible, 1) God is the One who is worshipped by Israel; 2) He is the Creator of the earth; and 3) His name is Yahweh. The question is already answered. But we will continue.
- "Yahweh" ... is built on the word for "I am".
● 10 Things "Yahweh" Means
● In Hebrew, "I AM" is hayah; phonetically haw-yaw: Strong's 1961
- Yahweh claims "I AM" as His name, in Exodus:
● Yahweh: Exodus 3:14-16: "And God [elohim] said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM'; and He said, 'This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: "I AM has sent me to you."'
God [elohim] furthermore said to Moses, 'This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: "The LORD [Yahweh], the God [elohim] of your fathers, the God [elohim] of Abraham,
the God [elohim] of Isaac, and the God [elohim] of Jacob, has sent me to you." This is My name forever, and this is the name for all generations to use to call upon Me.
Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, "The LORD [Yahweh], the God [elohim] of your fathers, the God [elohim] of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has
appeared to me..."'"
From the Hebrew (and from Jewish perspective) elohim is both a singular and a plural word, which can also be translated gods within the correct context. This often-used singular/plural reference to Yahweh is in deference to His Ultimate Being, His unity, His fluidity and from the Christian perspective, His triune expression of Self - the Trinity. We will look more closely at the Trinity later, under its own heading.
- The New Testament constantly quotes from the Old Testament
Old Testament scriptures, which always affirm Yahweh as God, are quoted 295 times in the New Testament, with over 1,000 additional allusions and verbal parallels.1 This averages more than five references per chapter across the 260 chapters of the New Testament, many of which come directly from Yeshua Himself.
If God the Father were not Yahweh, it would be an unforgivable oversight for this fundamental error to go uncorrected in the New Testament - especially given that neither Yeshua nor His followers ever address such a claim.
There is no indication that these numerous quotations serve any purpose other than to support Yeshua's message. Without exception, they are used as the very foundation upon which His new message of hope, mercy and love is built. Far from being in error, the Old Testament is repeatedly quoted to demonstrate the very authority upon which Yeshua's New Covenant is now established. Consider Jesus' own words:
● Luke 16:16: "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John came; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached..."
● Luke 24:44: "...all the things that are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."
The unceasing quotations of Old Testament scriptures, which universally proclaim Yahweh is God, by Jesus and the New Testament writers cannot be interpreted as anything but their explicit endorsement of these texts, and of the Old Testament itself.
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1. Gleason L. Archer and G.C. Chirichigno, Old Testament Quotations in the New Testament: A Complete Survey (1994).
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Jesus Repeatedly Affirms That He Is Yahweh-Messenger, And The Son Of Yahweh-Father
Jesus claimed that Yahweh is His Father in a way that, if untrue, was considered legally blasphemous and punishable by death. His was not a general reference to God as our Creator, or as the Father of those who love Him - it was a unique and direct claim to divine Sonship. It was for this reason that the Jewish leaders sought to kill Him, and ultimately did kill Him.
Yahweh is the name that refers to the fullness of God. As revealed through the life and teaching of Jesus, each of the three distinct Persons of the Yahweh-Godhead is fully Yahweh, and together, the triune God is Yahweh. As we continue through the biblical narrative, it becomes clear that the Person Jesus identified as His Father is not the Old Testament's Yahweh-Messenger, but rather the One who reigns in Heaven - Yahweh-Father, the First Person of the Godhead, and the fullest expression of Yahweh's divine authority and glory.
- Yeshua clearly states that the God whom Israel claims as their God (which as Anderson concurs can only be Yahweh) is His Father:
● Yeshua, chiding the adversarial Jews: John 8:54 & 58: "If I bring glory to myself, my glory is nothing. My Father is the one who gives me glory, and you say that he
is your God. ... I can guarantee this truth: Before Abraham was ever born, I am."
- As Anderson agrees, it is beyond dispute that it is Yahweh whom the Jews say is their God. In the Old Testament, the God of the Jews is identified by the name Yahweh more
than 6,800 times. Did the Jews get this wrong as Anderson claims? Not according to Yeshua. As He instructed the Samaritan woman at the well:
- Yeshua: John 4:22: "You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews."
- Jesus repeatedly claimed the name "I AM", the very name of Yahweh-Messenger in the Old Testament, confirmation that these are the same divine Person.
- Being Yahweh-Messenger: Jesus is a divine Person who is Yahweh, yet clearly He is not the Father - a distinct Person and the One who gives Him glory.
- Only a Godhead consisting of more than one Person can account for all we have learned to this point.
This could not be more clear. We absolutely know that the God worshipped by the Jews has always been Yahweh, and now with this information we absolutely know that it is this same Yahweh - the Yahweh of the Jews - whom Jesus identifies as His Father in John chapter 8.
This cannot be overstated. Anderson's entire thesis rests upon his belief that the Jews have been deceived by Yahweh, and that Yahweh is NOT God. These statements from Jesus have clearly and completely devastated that position.
At the outset it was noted that if Yeshua anywhere specifically identifies who His Father is, this would settle the matter. For anyone willing to read dispassionately, these scriptures remove any and all doubt: Jesus identified His Father to be Yahweh. With the point once again settled, we should again be allowed to stop here, but we will continue.
Note that Jesus didn't stop there as He spoke with the Samaritan woman, but continued on with His discourse, identifying and describing His Father in detail:
● Yeshua: John 4:23-24: "But a time is coming, and even now has arrived, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father
seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
How could Jesus possibly not have taken this opportunity to put the Samaritan woman on the right path, but instead send her off to worship evil - the devil - while at the same time calling this the truth. This is unthinkable. Such beliefs reduce Jesus to nothing more than a charlatan who didn't even know what the truth is.
- Another claim from Yeshua that Yahweh is His Father:
● Yeshua: Matthew 22:41-46: "Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: 'What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?'
They said to Him, 'The son of David.' He said to them, 'Then how does David in the Spirit call Him "Lord," saying,
"The Lord [Kurios (here Yahweh)] said to my Lord [Kurios (here Yeshua)],
'Sit at My right hand,
Until I put Your enemies under Your feet'"?
Therefore, if David calls Him "Lord," how is He his son?' No one was able to offer Him a word in answer, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him any more questions."
In this passage we know that Jesus is referring to Himself, the Christ - the Messiah - both when He asks the Pharisees whose Son He is, and when He then quotes Psalm 110:1 to prove that the Messiah's True Father (devine lineage) is not David:
● Psalm 110:1: "The LORD [Yahweh] says to my Lord [adon - Christ]:
'Sit at My right hand
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.'"
In addressing the question which He had asked the pharisees, the Old Testament passage He chose to quote represents an unmistakable claim from Jesus that He is the Son of Yahweh.
Jesus quotes the Old Testament, which always identifies God as Yahweh, and He does so many times. Each of these Old Testament quotations is yet another affirmation from Jesus, that Yahweh is the One True God, and that Yahweh is His Father.
- Yeshua says He is the Son of the Blessed One:
● Yeshua: Mark 14:61-62: "Then the high priest asked him, 'Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?' Jesus said, 'I AM. And you will see the Son of Man
seated in the place of power at God's right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.'"
There can be no question that the "Blessed One" to whom the high priest referred, is Yahweh. Yahweh is the only "Blessed One" who was ever Israel's God, and the only God which Israel's priests were to ever honor:
● Old Testament: David: 1 Samuel 25:32: "Blessed be the LORD [Yahweh] God of Israel."
- Also Gen 9:6, 24:7; Ex 18:10; Ruth 4:14; 1 Sam 25:39; 2 Sam 22:47; Neh 9:5; and on and on.
● New Testament: Zechariah: Luke 1:68: "Blessed be the Lord [Kurios] God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people. And has
raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David. Just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient times."
- Zechariah is here quoting David and, for both of these men, there is absolutely no doubt that the identity of their "Lord God of Israel" is Yahweh.
- Also Luke 2:28; 19:38; Rom 1:25; 4:7-8; 2 Cor 1:3; 11:31; Eph 1:3; 1 Tim 1:11; 1 Pet 1:3
- As occurs throughout the New Testament, Zechariah also confirms the words of His holy prophets, all of whom unceasingly confirm Yahweh as Lord and God.
- Also Matt 1:22, 2:5,15,17,23, 3:3, 4:14, 8:17, 12:17, 13:35, 21:4, 23:29-39 ... and on and on.
● More importantly, Yeshua repeatedly endorses the teachings of the Old Testament prophets:
- Yeshua: Matthew 5:17: "Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill."
- Yeshua: Luke 24:44: "These are My words... all the things that are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."
As Anderson agrees, the Law of Moses was given to Moses by Yahweh. As within the Psalms and the entire Old Testament, the sole object of adoration for the Prophets is Yahweh. Here, and in many other places, Yeshua has clearly bestowed His approval upon all of these sources, time and again confirming their veracity. To ignore this clear instruction from Him is to do so at one's own peril.
It is unthinkable for Jesus to have answered the high priest's clear question in the affirmative, absent any hint whatsoever that the Blessed One to whom Jesus referred wasn't the same Blessed One to whom the priest referred, if such was in fact truly the case. What scenario could there possibly be to justify such deception.
- Yeshua is also described as Blessed One, confirming His Oneness with Yahweh-Father and within Yahweh-Godhead:
● Yeshua: Matthew 23:39: "You will not see Me until you say, 'Blessed is the One [Jesus] who comes in the name of the Lord [Kurios - Yahweh, the Blessed One]!'"
- Also Matt 21:9, 23:39; Mark 11:9; Luke 13:35, 19:38; John 12:13; 1 Tim 6:15
- That Jesus comes in the name of Yahweh again confirms the Oneness of Yahweh-Godhead.
● Psalm 118:26: "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD [Yahweh]; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD [Yahweh]."
- Jesus has again quoted from the Old Testament, confirming that the Lord, in whose name Jesus has come, is Yahweh.
- God who controls and directs heaven's clouds is the Old Testament's Yahweh-Messenger and the New Testament's Yahweh-Jesus:
● Exodus 13:21: "The LORD [Yahweh] went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud."
- Exodus 16:10: "They could see the awesome glory of the LORD [Yahweh] in the cloud."
- Exodus 19:9: "Then the LORD [Yahweh] said to Moses, 'I will come to you in a thick cloud.'"
- Psalm 68:4: "Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the LORD [Yahweh]."
- Isaiah 19:1: "The LORD [Yahweh] is advancing against Egypt, riding on a swift cloud."
● How do these Old Testament examples differ from Jesus' statement in Mark 14:61-62 (above), or from John's in Revelation, or from Paul's descriptions? Yahweh-Messenger
and Yahweh-Jesus are the same Person - both are the God of heaven's clouds:
- Revelation 1:7: "Behold, He [Jesus] is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him." - Also Rev 14:14-16
- 1 Thessalonians 4:17: When Jesus returns, "...[believers] will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord [Kurios - Jesus] in the air." - Compare Rev 11:12
- The clouds of heaven and the Ancient of Days. Yahweh-Father and Yahweh-Jesus interact as distinct Persons:
● Daniel 7:13-14: "I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a son of man [Yahweh-Jesus] was coming, And He came
up to the Ancient of Days [Yahweh-Father] And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Honor, and a kingdom, So that all the peoples,
nations, and populations of all languages Might serve Him. His [Jesus] dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His [Jesus] kingdom
is one Which will not be destroyed."
- Only God is worthy of honors such as these.
- Jesus repeatedly describes himself as the Son of Man (eg: Matthew 16:13-27), so He is the One who gains dominion over an everlasting kingdom and who sits on the cloud:
- Revelation 14:14: "Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man."
● Jesus is also the Lamb (eg: John 1:29), again showing it is Jesus who receives these honors spoken of by Daniel, as is confirmed by John:
- Revelation 5:13: "To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion forever and ever."
- Revelation 7:9-17: "...from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb."
- The Ancient of Days, who gives Yeshua complete dominion of Yahweh-Godhead's everlasting kingdom, can only be Yahweh-Father (see Luke 22:29; John 20:17):
● Throughout his life, Daniel only honored a single God, clearly identifying Him as Yahweh. - Daniel 9:4: "I [Daniel] prayed to the LORD [Yahweh] my God."
- With authority to bestow such honors, Ancient of Days can only be God - the only God whom Daniel ever acknowledges - Yahweh. Specifically, He is Yahweh-Father.
- The title Ancient of Days references the eternality of both (all aspects of) Yahweh and His kingdom (compare Daniel 4:3, 34; Psalm 145:13).
- With Yahweh-Father and Yahweh-Jesus, we again see two distinct Persons interacting.
● Looking closer we find here another confirmation that Jesus' Father is Yahweh:
- The eternal kingdom in scripture is "the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 13:52
- Yahweh-Father is the God of heaven in the Bible. - Genesis 24:3,7; Deuteronomy 10:14; Joshua 2:11; Psalm 11:4; Matthew 5:16
- Jesus' Father is the God of heaven. - Matthew 7:21; 10:32-33
- Yeshua: Matthew 7:21: "Not everyone... will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."
- Jesus has again identified His Father to be the God of Israel - Yahweh-Father, who represents the Triune Yahweh-Godhead.
● There is only One God:
- Isaiah 44:6: "This is what the LORD [Yahweh] says, He who is the King of Israel and his (Israel's) Redeemer, the LORD [Yahweh] of armies: 'I am the first and I am
the last, And there is no God besides Me.'"
Our omnipotent God can take whatever form(s) He wishes and as Isaiah clearly shows here, the King and the Redeemer are two aspects of the same Person of God. The King is most fully seen in the Old Testament as Yahweh-Messenger - LORD of Armies - Leader and Commander of Israel. The Redeemer is most fully seen in the New Testament as Yahweh-Jesus - Our Lord and Savior - who died on the cross in order to provide a way for us to be saved from our sin.
As we see in Revelation, Jesus is known by many different names, including one which will not be officially revealed to us until we see Him in His Full Glory on His re-created New Earth (Rev 19:12 & 22:1-4). I believe that name can only be Yahweh, and more specifically as we will see - Yahweh of Armies.
Over and over, both Yahweh-Messenger and Yahweh-Jesus are identically described, make the same claims and take the same titles. The verse in Isaiah which we are presently considering gives us yet another example of this:
● Yahweh-Messenger: Isaiah 44:6: "I am the first and I am the last." - Also Isaiah 41:4, 48:12
● Yahweh-Jesus: Revelation 1:17: "I am the first and I am the last." - Also Revelation 2:8
Yahweh-Messenger and Yahweh-Jesus are the same Person of the Trinity.
- Kingdom rulership shows Yahweh-Messenger and Yahweh-Jesus are the same Person:
● The earthly kingdom belonging to Yahweh-Godhead will be ruled by Yahweh-Messenger:
- Psalm 22:27-28: "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD [Yahweh-Godhead], And all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the
kingdom is the LORD'S [Yahweh-Messenger] And He rules over the nations." - Also Psalm 145:13; Isaiah 9:7; Obadiah 1:21; Malachi 1:14
● The earthly kingdom belonging to Yahweh-Godhead will be ruled by Yahweh-Jesus:
- Revelation 11:15: "Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord
[Yahweh-Godhead] and of His Christ [Yahweh-Jesus]; and He [Jesus] will reign forever and ever.'" - Also Rev 12:10; 2 Pet 1:11; John 18:36; Col 1:13; 2 Tim 4:1
The New Testament - And Jesus Personally - Repeatedly Affirm That He Is God
That Yahweh-Messenger - LORD [Yahweh] of Armies - is God in the Bible has been clearly shown. Another title for this Second Person of the Trinity, used less frequently but appearing multiple times in the Old Testament, is Angel of the LORD [Yahweh], which more literally means Messenger of Yahweh. Like the first, this title also consistently appears in ways that affirm deity: He speaks as God (Genesis 16:7-14), receives worship (Exodus 3:2-6), and accepts sacrificial offering for the forgiveness of sin (Judges 13:18-22) - all prerogatives that belong to God alone - again affirming that Yahweh-Messenger is God.
Since, as we have seen (more still to come), Jesus is Yahweh-Messenger of the Old Testament and truly God - a distinct Person within the Yahweh-Godhead - this second title confirming the deity of Yahweh-Messenger, also confirms the same for Jesus. He is God in the fullest sense, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit.
God is eternal, existing outside of time, and this is true of all three Persons of the Godhead. They are never absent, never inactive, and never cease to be who they are. Yahweh-Messenger did not disappear from history beyond the Old Testament; rather, He entered into history in a new way - by taking on human flesh and becoming Yahweh-Jesus, our Savior. Jesus is not a new figure but the same eternal God who has always been present, first as Yahweh-Messenger and then as the incarnate Son. Jesus is, and always has been, fully God. He claimed this to be so and the Scriptures confirm it as fact.
● John & Yeshua: John 5:18-23: "For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He... was calling God His own Father, making Himself
equal with God. ...Jesus answered... all will honor the Son just as they honor the Father." - These words from John and Jesus could hardly be more clear.
● Yeshua: John 14:7-9: "'If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.' Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us
the Father, and it is enough for us.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has
seen Me has seen the Father.'" - Yahweh-Jesus is the same essense as Yahweh-Father. They are both Yahweh and Persons of Yahweh-Godhead.
● Yeshua: John 8:24: "Unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins." - I AM is Yahweh - God. Unless we believe that Jesus is - God - our sins are not forgiven.
● Yeshua to His disciples: John 13:19-20: "'Believe that I am He. [He is a supplied word not in the original] Truly, truly I say to you, the one who receives anyone I send,
receives Me; and the one who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.'" - Receiving Jesus is receiving the Father. Both are the One True God.
● John 20:28-29: "Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord [Kurios] and my God [Theos]!' Jesus said to him, 'Because you have seen Me, have you now
believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.'" - Jesus confirms that He is both Lord and God.
● John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word [Logos - clearly explained to be Jesus], and the Word was with God [Theos], and the Word was God [Theos]."
● John 1:18: "No one has seen God [Theos - Yahweh-Godhead] at any time; God [Theos] the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him."
- We know that in the Old Testament, Yahweh-Messenger was seen on numerous occasions by numerous persons, so this is not speaking of Him.
- Yahweh-Jesus came to explain the fullness of God - Yahweh-Godhead - primarily represented by Yahweh-Father in Heaven, the One unseen upon the Earth.
- Passages like this restate exactly what Jesus taught. - See John 14:7-9 above.
● Who is the Son of God? Jesus - the Son of God, and God the only Son. That this means something entirely unique is clear from Scripture (Romans 1:1-6).
- On the other hand, sons of God is term used of both angels and humans. Clearly, this description as sons of God indicates something much less than when Jesus is
called the Son of God, and as here, God the only Son.
- That Yeshua is in a category by Himself is evident from the totality of Scripture. - See Matt 3:17; John 1:14; 3:16; Heb 1:1-3
- Angels: Both evil angels (including Satan - Job 1:6) and good angels (Job 38:7) are immortal and, because they will never die, are therefore called sons of God.
- Humans: Only believers - those who love and follow God; those who will not die the Second Death; those persons whom God has granted everlasting life and are also
immortal, are sons of God. Sons of God is a reference to all those who God created, and who will live forever:
- Luke 20:35-36: "'...those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead... cannot even die anymore, for they are like angels,
and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.'" - also Matthew 5:9
- Worthy: 1 Thessalonians 2:12-13: "…walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. … [You] received the word of God …
[and] accepted it … the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe." - Those who believe are worthy. Also Col 1:9-13; 2 Thes 1:4-5; Rev 3:4-5
- Resurrection: Revelation 20:6: "Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power..."
- Those who are worthy will be resurrected to everlasting life. Also John 5:25-29; 11:25-26; Rom 6:1-11
- Cannot even die anymore: Romans 6:21-23: "For the outcome of [sin] is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit,
resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
- The outcome of believing is to live forever. Also John 5:24; Romans 5 - 6
- Are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection: Clearly stated - we are sons of God if we have been granted everlasting life.
- Romans 8:15: "...you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'" - Also Gal 4:4-5; Eph 1:5
- Humans are not immortal by nature but, if we believe in and love God and ask that our sins be forgiven, He adopts us into everlasting life. To God be the glory.
- John 3:16: "'For God so loved the world, that He gave His only [monogenés - unique] Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.'"
● Philippians 2:5-7: "Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God [theos], did not consider equality with God [theos] something to be grasped [held on to],
but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men."
● Colossians 2:9: "For in Him [Christ] all the fullness of Deity [Theos] dwells in bodily form."
● Titus 2:13: "Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God [theos] and Savior, Christ Jesus."
● 2 Peter 1:1: "By the righteousness of our God [theos] and Savior, Jesus Christ."
So, according to Jesus' own words and the Bible, Jesus is God. But . . .
- The throne of rulership: Whose throne is it and whose Angels surround it? - Yahweh-Messenger is Yahweh-Jesus:
● Yahweh: 1 Kings 22:19: "Hear the word of the LORD [Yahweh]. I saw the LORD [Yahweh] sitting on His throne, and ALL the angels of heaven standing by Him on His
right and on His left." - Also Ps 11:4; Is 66:1; Matt 5:34; Acts 7:49; Rev 4:2
● Yeshua: Matthew 25:31: "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and ALL the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne."
- Also Jer 14:21; Matt 19:28; Rev 7:17
Whatever the subject, thoroughly examining context and carefully identifying which Person of the Trinity is being referred to must always be a top priority. For example:
● There are actually two thrones for God in Heaven, one for the Father and another for the Son:
- Revelation 3:21: "The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne."
- Both Persons have always had a throne in heaven. Jesus first occupied His throne as Yahweh-Messenger and He occupies it now as Yahweh-Jesus.
- When both Father and Son share a throne, this is speaking to the Oneness of the distinct Persons of God. This is a Oneness of Essence or Spirit, not of Person.
- As sons of God we are to share, as far as our nature allows, the same oneness of spirit shown by God.
- Both Father & Son: Hebrews 1:8: "But regarding the Son He [The Father, representing the Godhead] says, 'Your throne, God [Theos - Yeshua], is forever and ever,
And the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of His kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God [Theos - Yeshua], Your God [Theos -
Father], has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your companions.'" - Quoted from Psalm 45:6-7
● Similarly, the heavenly kingdom belongs to both the Father and the Son:
- John: Revelation 11:15: "...the kingdom of our Lord [Kurios - this is the Father] and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." - Also Eph 5:5
- Exactly WHO will reign forever and ever over this shared kingdom? HE will reign. HE refers directly back to our Lord and His Christ - both of them. - God is One!
- Judgment Seat: Who Judges from the Judgment Seat, as He receives worship? - Yahweh-Messenger is Yahweh-Jesus:
● Yahweh: Romans 14:10-11: "For we will all appear before the judgment seat of God [Theou]. For it is written: 'As I live, says the Lord [Kurios], to Me every knee
will bow, And every tongue will give praise to God.'" - This was Quoted from Isaiah
- Isaiah 45:23-24: "'I [God; Yahweh] have sworn by Myself; ... to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. They will say of Me, "Only in the
LORD [Yahweh] are righteousness and strength."'"
- Psalm 98:9 "...the LORD [Yahweh], for He is coming to judge the earth..."
● Yeshua: Philippians 2:10-11: "At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord [Kurios]..."
- This is another quote in the New Testament verifying and substantiating the Old Testament, and again confirming that Yahweh is the God of Israel. It also verifies that the
New Testament, when it speaks of God using the term Lord [Kurios], when it is not referring to New Testament Jesus it is referring to Old Testament Yahweh.
- 2 Corinthians 5:10: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ."
● Both Father & Son: Romans 2:16: "God [Theos - Yahweh-Godhead] will judge the secrets of mankind through [in the person of] Christ Jesus."
- 2 Timothy 4:1: "...in the presence of God [Theos - Father, representing Godhead] and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead..."
- Philippians 2:11 con't: "...to the glory of God the Father [representing Godhead]."
- Father and Son repeatedly interact as distinct Persons and yet the actions of the Son glorify the Father and the Godhead. - God is One!
- Worshipping God: Who exactly is to be worshipped? - Yahweh-Messenger is Yahweh-Jesus:
● Only Yahweh: Exodus 20:2-5: "'I am the LORD [Yahweh] your God... You shall have no other gods before Me. ... You shall not worship them nor serve them.'"
- Matthew 4:10: "Then Jesus said... it is written: 'You shall worship the Lord [Kurios] your God [theos], and serve Him only.'" (John 4:22-24; Ex 34:14; Deut 6:13, 8:19)
● Including Yeshua: Matthew 14:33: "And those who were in the boat worshipped Him, saying, 'You are truly God's Son!'"
- Revelation 5:11-14: Every created thing worships Jesus. (Matt 2:2, 11, 28:9, 17; Luke 24:52; John 9:38; 20:38)
- Jesus was worshipped on a number of occasions and He always accepted that worship as being appropriate.
● Including Son of Man: Daniel 7:13-14: "I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a son of man was coming, And He came up to
the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Honor, and a kingdom, So that all the peoples, nations, and populations of all languages
Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed."
- The Aramaic verb translated serve (pelach) is used in Daniel for religious service or worship (e.g., Daniel 3:12, 3:17).
● Not Man: Acts 10:25
● Not Angels: Colossians 2:18; Revelation 22:8-9. Angels worship Yahweh: Revelation 7:11. Angels worship Yeshua: Hebrews 1:6.
● Both Father & Son: Revelation 15:2-4: "Those who were victorious over the beast... [were] standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. And they sang the song of
Moses, the bond-servant of God [Father], and the song of the Lamb [Yeshua], saying, 'Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are
Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear You, Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For
Your righteous acts have been revealed.'"
- Even though only Yahweh is to be worshipped, different songs of worship are sung to the Father and the Son, confirming they are separate Persons.
- God is again spoken of in a singular fashion: Your works; Lord God; the Almighty; Your Ways; King of the nations; Your Name; You Alone are holy. - God is One!
The Old Testament's Yahweh and the New Testament's Yeshua are repeatedly shown to be One Person
The word LORD in the Old Testament is a substitute for the name of God. In the original Hebrew manuscripts, it appears as the Tetragrammaton, YHWH, which itself stands in for God's actual name - Yahweh. By a wide margin, the word LORD - Yahweh - in the Old Testament most often refers to the Second Person of the Trinity, the One we call Yahweh-Messenger. As we will now see, this very Yahweh of the Old Testament is Jesus in the New Testament. They are the same Person - the Second Person of the Trinity.
- Prepare the way of the Lord. Who is the Lord? - Yahweh-Messenger is Yahweh-Jesus:
● Yahweh: Isaiah 40:3: "The voice of one calling out, 'Clear the way for the LORD [Yahweh] in the wilderness; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'"
● Yeshua: Matthew 3:1-3: "Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching... 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.' For this is the one referred to by
Isaiah the prophet when he said, 'The voice of one calling out in the wilderness, "Prepare the way of the Lord [Kurios], Make His paths straight!"'"
- Call on the name of the Lord. Who is the Lord? - Yahweh-Messenger is Yahweh-Jesus:
● Yahweh: Joel 2:32: "And it will come about that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD [Yahweh] Will be saved..."
● Yeshua: Romans 10:13: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord [Kurios] will be saved."
- Who is the Redeemer? And the Creator? - Yahweh-Messenger is Yahweh-Jesus:
● Yahweh: Isaiah 44:24: "This is what the LORD [Yahweh] says, He who is your Redeemer, and the One who formed you from the womb: 'I, the LORD [Yahweh], am the
Maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth alone...'" - Only Yahweh is the Redeemer and Creator.
● Yeshua: John 1:1-3,14: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God [the Godhead - the Trinity], and the Word was God [Theos]. He was in the
beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. ... And the Word
became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." - Only Yeshua is the Creator.
- Colossians 1:13-16: "For He [Yahweh-Father] rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have
redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God [the Father], the firstborn of all creation: 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..." - Jesus is both Redeemer and Creator.
- firstborn = protótokos: Firstborn. It derives from prṓtos: First, foremost, chief, principal. Here it is indicating Preeminence, or Source / Cause Of / Reason For.
- Righteous and true are Your ways; Your righteous acts have been revealed: Whose Righteous Acts? Yahweh-Messenger is Yahweh-Jesus:
● Yahweh: 1 Samuel 12:7: "...the righteous acts of the LORD [Yahweh] that He did for you and your fathers." - Also Ps 19:9; Dan 9:14; Micah 6:5; Jer 10:10; 45:5; Dan 4:37
● Yeshua: 1 John 2:1: "...we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous..."
- 2 Peter 1:1: "...the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ..." - Also John 1:9
● Both Father & Son: John the Baptist: John 3:33-35: "The one who has accepted His [Yeshua's] testimony has certified that God [Father - Godhead] is true. For
He whom God sent speaks the words of God; for He does not give the Spirit sparingly. The Father loves the Son and has entrusted all things to His hand. The one who
believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."
- Just as both Father and Son are worshipped as One, so also their Righteous Acts are carried out as One.
- Only the Eternal Infinite God can grant everlasting life, and it is the mission which God accomplished in the Person of the Son, which bought and paid for our salvation.
- Jesus lived a perfect, sinless human life on Earth and then sacrificed His infinite God-self to pay the death penalty for all sin of the entire world across all time.
- Even if one believes in the Father, Salvation is only gained if they also believe in and accept the gift of Everlasting Life purchased by the Son. - God Is One!
Jesus' Actions And Statements Confirm He Is God
- Jesus Forgave Sin
All sin, including sin against another person, is sin against God:
- Numbers 5:6: "When a man or woman commits any of the sins of mankind, acting unfaithfully against the LORD [Yahweh]..."
All sin requires God's forgiveness:
- Leviticus 6:1-7: "When a person sins and acts unfaithfully against the LORD [Yahweh], and disavows the rightful claim of his neighbor... and becomes guilty... he shall make
restitution... to the one to whom it belongs... Then he shall bring... a guilt offering, and... make atonement for him before the LORD [Yahweh], and he will be forgiven..."
While we can forgive those who sin against us and share the message of God's grace, only God can fully forgive sin - because all sin is ultimately committed against Him:
- Isaiah 43:25: "This is what the LORD [Yahweh] says... I, I alone, am the one who wipes out your wrongdoings for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins."
In several places throughout the Gospels Jesus forgave people's sin against God, thereby confirming that He is God. These actions illustrate Jesus' divine authority to forgive sins, showing His divine compassion and His role as the Savior who came to make an offer of forgiveness to all, regardless of their past. Three notable examples:
● The Paralyzed Man (Mark 2:1-12, Matthew 9:1-8, Luke 5:17-26):
Luke 5:20-24: "And seeing their faith, He said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven you.' The scribes and the Pharisees began thinking of the implications, saying, 'Who is
this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, except God alone?' But Jesus, aware of their thoughts, responded and said to them, 'Why are you thinking this
way in your hearts? Which is easier, to say: "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Get up and walk"? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority
on earth to forgive sins,' He said to the man who was paralyzed, 'I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher, and go home.'"
● The Woman Who Was a Sinner (Luke 7:36-50):
Luke 7:48-50: "And He said to her, 'Your sins have been forgiven.' And then those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying to themselves, 'Who is this
Man who even forgives sins?' And He said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you; go in peace.'"
● The Woman Caught in Adultery (John 8:1-11):
John 8:11: "Jesus said, 'I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on do not sin any longer.'"
Scripture is abundantly clear: All sin is sin against God, and the forgiveness of sin against God is God's prerogative alone. While we may forgive those who wrong us personally, and while we may declare God's offer of forgiveness, only God Himself can remove the guilt of sin and restore the sinner to fellowship with Him. Isaiah 43:25 states this without ambiguity, confirming Yahweh Alone as the forgiver of sin. This divine authority is why the scribes in Luke 5 asked, "Who can forgive sins, except God alone?" They were right in principle - what they failed to grasp was that the One before them was God in the flesh. When Jesus directly forgave sins, He was not acting as a mere prophet or teacher. He was exercising a power that belongs only to Yahweh, confirming both His deity and identity as Yahweh, as well as His mission as Savior of mankind.
The forgiveness Jesus offers is complete, rooted in His atoning sacrifice, and available to all who believe. His words - "Your sins have been forgiven you" - are not symbolic gestures or mere pronouncements of God's forgiveness from afar. They are the direct, personal act of God Himself, reaching into a sinner's life to remove guilt, cleanse the heart, and grant peace with God.
The Red Letters
It is my opinion that the claim of Israel Anderson (and others like him) to believe in, honor, study, and even distribute the Bible, is for the purpose of maintaining ties with the Christian community - their primary source of potential converts. But this raises an obvious contradiction: How can the Bible possibly be the Word of God if it glorifies Yahweh, whom they identify as the devil? It clearly cannot. And to their credit, some proponents of this radical anti-Bible view do seem capable of acknowledging the obvious - that they don't truly believe in the Bible, or at least not in most of it.
Still, these will continue to cling to and elevate certain parts of Scripture - specifically, the words spoken by Jesus - as though they were somehow immune to the corruption experienced by the rest of the Book. This isn't because they see Him as their Savior, but rather as a model of what they believe they, too, can achieve. They refer to His words as "The Red Letters" - the words of Jesus printed in red in some Bibles - and view these as the only parts of Scripture that should be taken seriously.
Throughout this webpage are included many examples of what Jesus said and taught, though not previously given in red. Let's now highlight a few key passages - in red - where Jesus decisively refutes the anti-Christian beliefs we've been examining. These words, straight from the mouth of Jesus, leave no room for the reinterpretations and distortions promoted by those who reject Yahweh as God. Far from supporting their claims, the red-letter teachings of Christ affirm the authority of the God of the Bible, expose the spiritual blindness of those who oppose Him, and reinforce the truth of the Gospel message. If one claims to honor Jesus' words, then those words must be taken in full - not selectively twisted to fit a theology that turns the entire biblical narrative on its head. What Jesus said cannot be separated from who He said He was, or from the Father He proclaimed. The red letters are not just moral advice; they are divine revelation - and they leave no room for a false gospel.
John 3:3-21
"Jesus responded and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'
Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother's womb a second time and be born, can he?' Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, "You must be born again." The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.'
Nicodemus responded and said to Him, 'How can these things be?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'You are the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you people do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven, except He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes will have eternal life in Him.
'For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed. But the one who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed as having been performed in God.'"
John 8:12
"Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, 'I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.'"
John 8:23-24
"And He was saying to them [the Jews], 'You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins.'"
- "I AM" is the very name of God (Exodus 3:13-15). Jesus is clearly telling us here that unless we believe that He is the One True God, we cannot receive His salvation.
Matthew 9:2-7
"And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man who was paralyzed, 'Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.' And some of the scribes said to themselves, 'This man is blaspheming!' And Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, 'Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Get up and walk"? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins' - then He said to the paralyzed man, 'Get up, pick up your stretcher and go home.' And he got up and went home."
John 10:7-18
"Therefore Jesus said again, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All those who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters the flock. He flees because he is a hired hand and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it back. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it back. This commandment I received from My Father."
John 10:27-30
"'My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.'"
John 14:6-7
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.'"
- Taking Yahweh's name as His own, Jesus is not simply showing the way to God - He is the way.
- To know Jesus is to know the Father. He doesn't claim to merely represent God; He proclaims full unity and identity with Him. Only God is the way, and the truth, and the life.
John 6:35-40
"Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have indeed seen Me, and yet you do not believe. Everything that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of everything that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
- This describes no one but God.
John 6:51-58
"'I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats from this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I will give for the life of the world also is My flesh.'
Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, 'How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?' So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, the one who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died; the one who eats this bread will live forever.'"
- Eating and drinking Jesus sybolizes the acceptance and internalization of Jesus' message - receiving Him fully, as the source of spiritual life, forgiveness, and salvation.
- It is the same symbolism the Lord gave His disciples just before His sacrifice, administering the Lord's Supper - bread and wine - entering into the New Covenant through faith.
Matthew 26:26-29
"Now while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.' And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it with you, new, in My Father's kingdom.'"
- Eternal life is gained through forgiveness of sins, which is gained through belief in Jesus Christ as Savior. That cannot be emmulated and you cannot strive to match it.
We could continue citing many more red-letter passages, but even these few are enough to challenge any honest seeker to reckon with the truth. Jesus' own words reveal a message that cannot be separated from the God of the Bible. Far from endorsing a rejection of Yahweh, the red letters confirm His divinity, His justice, and His love - which He embodied in the person of Jesus, the Christ.
The only way God could justly redeem humanity was by taking on human flesh, living a sinless life, and offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice, in order to pay the incalculable debt incurred by the sin of all mankind. This is the heart of the Gospel: the God who is perfectly just is also perfectly loving - and through Jesus Christ, He paid the debt we could never pay. This is not just theology. It's the greatest truth ever told. And it should stir the soul of those who are truly seeking God.
"You Are Of Your Father The Devil"
Those such as Israel Anderson, who would reduce the godly nature of Christ to that of an ordinary man, go even further when it comes to God the Father, saying the true identity of the God of heaven is Satan. Yahweh, the God spoken of and described in the Bible, is actually the devil - the Evil One. Jesus' condemnation of certain reprobates, "You are of your father, the devil" (John 8:44; see verses 38-59), is then viewed as His declaration supporting this outlandish belief.
I believe most thinking people would agree Jesus' statement is self-explanatory as a metaphor, and misunderstanding that would almost require a deliberate effort to do so. I questioned the need to even address the issue but ultimately decided this should be done.
The phrase "You are of your father, the devil" is clearly a metaphor. Jesus isn't suggesting that His enemies are literally children of the devil or that Satan is their creator. Instead, He is pointing out that their behavior and attitudes reflect the evil nature of Satan. He is essentially calling them spiritual "children" of Satan because their actions mirror his, particularly in their lies and hostility. Satan, as the "father of lies" (John 8:44), represents the opposite of truth, and those who align themselves with deceit and malice are his children in spirit - the father of lies is also the father of liars.
Jesus explicitly clarifies that He is speaking in metaphor of spiritual evil when He says:
"You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning [evil], and does not stand in the truth, because there
is no truth in him [evil]. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own [spiritually evil] nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies [evil]." - John 8:44
This passage is part of a sharp exchange between Jesus and certain Jewish leaders in the Temple. Jesus contrasts physical descent from Abraham with spiritual descent, showing that those who act in opposition to Him are spiritually aligned with Satan, whose evil spiritual nature they share - most vividly exposed by their intent to kill Him.
This moment aligns with other instances in the Gospels where Jesus directly condemns those who oppose Him:
1. John 8:38-41: "You are doing what you heard from your father [Satan, v 44]… If God were your Father, you would love me…"
- Here, Jesus affirms that we choose our spiritual "father" based on the spiritual nature we align ourselves with - whether good or evil.
- Which choice we have made is exposed by what we do: "You will know them by their fruits." - Matthew 7:16
2. Matthew 23:15: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him
twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."
- Jesus points out that these spiritual leaders were spreading a corrupt influence, leading others into spiritual damnation. They are not literally birthed by hell.
3. Matthew 23:33: "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?"
- The term "serpents" recalls the serpent in Genesis, representing Satan. Jesus used this metaphor to call out their spiritual alignment with evil. They were not literally serpents.
4. Revelation 2:9 & 3:9 (Jesus speaking post-resurrection): "I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan."
- Jesus here condemns people of a god-centered heritage but whose actions align with Satan's will instead of God's. Spiritual allegiance is what matters, not mere identity.
- Jesus used parables and metaphor extensively throughout His ministry and this is another example. These Jews hadn't literally created a synagogue in which to worship Satan.
Consequences of the Belief That Yahweh Is The Devil
Those who believe that the Bible is backwards and that Yahweh is the devil (YID) are forced to embrace a number of profundities, including:
● Satan is no longer the devil but instead becomes the true Creator and God of the universe, while Yahweh becomes an evil imposter.
● Yahweh now takes the identity of the devil in place of Satan.
● God (Satan) was completely out-smarted and out-manouvered by the devil (Yahweh) who then:
● First deceived God's (Satan's) people Israel, and then the entire world into believing that he, Yahweh, the devil, was God;
● Created the Bible (which YID advocates profess to love and study) which honors Yahweh, the devil; and which
● Completely obliterates God's (Satan's) plan for mankind's enlightened ultimate state-of-being through effort and self-improvement - finding their inner godness.
● Although YID advocates ignore it, their theory also turns Jesus into a fraud and liar, because Jesus clearly:
● Identified His Father as Yahweh (their devil);
● Identified Himself as God - Yahweh (their devil); and
● Stated that the ONLY hope for humanity to attain an enlightened ultimate state-of-being is through belief in and forgiveness from Jesus the Savior - the Way, Truth and Life.
The phrase "You are of your father, the devil" is a metaphor used by Jesus to condemn those whose actions, exposed through lies and evil intent, align with Satan's spiritual nature. The passage containing this phrase highlights the spiritual divide between those who follow God and those who follow Satan, and it isn't meant to be understood literally. The belief that not Satan but Yahweh is the devil, leads to profound and unfounded consequences, as it turns Jesus into a fraud and distorts the nature of God and the Gospel message - all goals of the true Satan. Satan has never been shy about what his goals are; or of the fact that they become most achievable when he can convince us of exactly what Anderson and others wish to convince us of:
Who Is Yahweh?
The divine name "Yahweh" (יהוה in Hebrew, often rendered as the Tetragrammaton: YHWH) appears approximately 6,828 times in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). This count comes from the Masoretic Text, the traditional authoritative Hebrew version of the Bible, the version which today's Protestant Bible is based upon.
● "Yahweh" is the covenant name of God - "I AM WHO I AM" - revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14-15.
● In most English Bible translations, it is rendered as "LORD" (in large and small uppercase letters) rather than "Yahweh", out of reverence for the name.
● Some translations, like the Lexham English Bible or World English Bible, occasionally use "Yahweh" directly.
In the New Testament, the divine name Yahweh (יהוה / YHWH) does not appear directly, because the New Testament was written in Greek, not Hebrew, and reflects Jewish traditions of avoiding the vocalization of God's name. In the majority of today's versions of the Bible (we're using NASB 2020), every single time you see LORD, Lord GOD, or Lord God in the Old Testament, the original Hebrew word is YHWH - Yahweh. These configurations are a deliberate and consistent translation practice to indicate the presence of God's personal name without actually putting it into print. Here is how Yahweh is referred to instead, in the Bible. Red lettering within brackets indicates the exact translated word, except in the case of [Yahweh] where the original is "YHWH":
1. Greek term used: "Kurios" (Κύριος) - "Lord"
● Kurios is the primary substitute for Yahweh in the New Testament.
● The early Christians followed the precedent set by the Septuagint (the BC-era Greek translation of the Old Testament), where YHWH was consistently translated as Kurios.
● Kurios can refer to:
- God the Father: Our Father and the Ruler in Heaven, whom we will also refer to as Yahweh-Father.
- God in the Old Testament: Called LORD of Armies and other titles, all encompassed by our term Yahweh-Messenger.
- God in the New Testament: God the Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, whom we will also refer to as Yahweh-Jesus.
Example: Romans 10:13 - "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord [Kurios] will be saved."
- This is a quote from Joel 2:32, where the original Hebrew says "Yahweh".
- When quoting the Old Testament, Paul and the other New Testament writers consistently replace Yahweh with Kurios, then apply the passage to Jesus - clear evidence that
early Christians believed not only in His divine status, but also that Jesus is Yahweh-Messenger of the Old Testament.
2. Greek term used: "Theos" (Θεός) - "God"
● Theos is the general Greek word for "God" and often stands in for the Hebrew elohim: God, gods, divine beings, judges.
● "Elohim" refers to those with authority and, depending on the context, may refer to humans, heavenly beings, or to God Himself.
● When describing God it most often refers to Yahweh-Father, but can also refer to Yahweh-Jesus.
Example: John 1:1 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God [Theos - Yahweh], and the Word was God [Theos - Jesus]."
- The context within John chapter one affirms without doubt that the Word is Jesus.
- Clearly, Jesus was with Yahweh and, since multiple passages confirm that there is only one God, Jesus is Yahweh - from the beginning.
3. A few of the many indirect allusions confirming Yahweh-Jesus to be Yahweh-Messenger
Harkening to Jewish reverence for the name of God, the name Yahweh is never used phonetically in the NT. But Yahweh-Messenger's identity, actions, and titles are frequently applied to Jesus, confirming the continuity between Yahweh of the Old Testament and Jesus of the New Testament in earliest Christian belief. Many New Testament passages quote Old Testament texts where the original Hebrew had YHWH, but the New Testament writers use "Lord" and apply the attributes of Yahweh-Messenger to Yahweh-Jesus:
● OT: Psalm 148:13: "...praise the name of the LORD [Yahweh], For His name alone is exalted..."
- Isaiah 45:23-24: "To Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. They will say of Me, 'Only in the LORD [Yahweh] are righteousness and strength.'"
- 1 Chronicles 17:24: "Let Your name be established and be great forever, saying, 'The Lord of armies is the God of Israel, a God to Israel...'"
- Isaiah 47:4: "Our Redeemer, the Lord of armies is His name, The Holy One of Israel."
NT: Philippians 2:9-11: "...God [the triune Godhead] highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow... every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord [Kurios]..."
- 2 Peter 1:1: "...by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ..."
- Acts 3:16: "And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man..."
● OT: Psalm 45:6-7: "Your throne, God [Elohim], is forever and ever; The scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice. You have loved righteousness..."
NT: Hebrews 1:8-9: "But regarding the Son He says, 'Your throne, God [Theos], is forever and ever, And the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of His kingdom.'"
● OT: Psalm 102:25-27: "In time of old You [in context Yahweh] founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. Even they will perish, but You endure; All of
them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will pass away. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end."
NT: Hebrews 1:10-12: "And [extending verse eight's regarding the Son He says], 'You, Lord [Kurios], in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are
the works of Your hands; They will perish, but You remain; And they all will wear out like a garment, And like a robe You will roll them up; Like a garment they will also be
changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.'"
● OT: Isaiah 8:13-14: "The LORD [Yahweh] of armies ... He will be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense..."
NT: 1 Peter 2:7-8: [in context Jesus] "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense..."
- Examples such as these could go on and on, but we will end briefly with just a few more. Yahweh-Messenger is Yahweh-Jesus:
● Yahweh: Joel 2:32: "...everyone who calls on the name of the LORD [Yahweh] Will be saved..."
● Yeshua: Romans 10:13: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord [Kurios - Jesus in the context] will be saved."
● Yahweh: Isaiah 8:13-14: "...the LORD [Yahweh] of armies... will be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense..."
● Yeshua: 1 Peter 2: 5 & 8: "...Jesus Christ... 'A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense...'"
● Yahweh: Psalm 34:8: "Taste and see that the LORD [Yahweh] is good."
● Yeshua: 1 Peter 2:3: "...you have tasted the kindness of the Lord [Kurios]."
● Yahweh: 1 Chronicles 16:8-10: "Give thanks to the LORD [Yahweh]... Boast in His holy name..."
● Yeshua: 1 Corinthians 1:30-31: "...you are in Christ Jesus... ...as it is written: 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord [Kurios]."
● Yahweh: Psalm 102:22-27: "...serve the LORD [Yahweh]. ... '...Your years are throughout all generations. In time of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work
of Your hands. Even they will perish, but You endure; All of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will pass away. But You
are the same...'"
● Yeshua: Hebrews 1:8-12: "...regarding the Son He says... 'You, Lord [Kurios], in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of Your hands;
They will perish, but You remain; And they all will wear out like a garment, And like a robe You will roll them up; Like a garment they will also be changed. But You
are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.'"
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Old Testament
Bible Event
Or Reference
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Description / Action Indicating Three Individual And Distinct Persons Of A Triune Godhead
Yahweh-Godhead - [YG] Yahweh-Father - [YF] Yahweh-Messenger - [YM] Yahweh-Jesus - [YJ] Yahweh-Holy Spirit - [YS]
Clearly Physical Action Clearly Spiritual Action (many actions can be taken physically or spiritually)
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God Created the
Heavens and
the Earth
(Genesis 1 to 4)
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● "In the beginning God [YM] created the heavens and the earth." - This confirms Jesus to be God because Jesus (as Yahweh-Messenger) created everything.
● "...the Spirit of God [YS] was hovering over the surface of the waters." - rachaph: To hover, to brood... YS delivers a spiritual blessing for the Earth.
● "God [YG] said, 'Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness..." - The Trinity of Yahweh-Godhead reasons together.
● "By the seventh day God [YM] completed His work which He had done, and He rested..." - Yahweh-Messenger took physical rest. Jesus did as well.
● "...the LORD [Yahweh] God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils..." - This confirms Jesus both as both Yahweh and God.
● "...they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden..." - There are many confirmations of the physicality of Yahweh-Messenger.
● "...the LORD placed a mark on Cain... Cain left the presence of the LORD..." - One can leave God's physical, but not His spiritual presence (Psalm 139:7) (#7).
- Yahweh-Messenger (not Yahweh-Father) did the work of creation. And yet in Genesis 1 - 4, He is referred to only as Yahweh [LORD], not as the LORD of Armies.
- Yahweh (LORD) and God can refer to any Person of the Trinity, or to the Trinity itself; context and the full counsel of Scripture must always guide interpretation.
- Having rejected Yahweh-Jesus and the insight He provides, the Jews view God as a single Person and miss the Old Testament's Trinitarian nuance.
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God Destroys
Sodom &
Gomorrah
(Genesis 18 - 19)
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● "Now the LORD [Yahweh] appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre... [as] three men [who] were standing opposite him..."
- Yahweh and two angels appeared to Abraham in a human-like form, recognizable to Abraham as something greater than human.
● "Then the [two angels appearing as] men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the LORD [Yahweh]."
● "Now the two angels came to Sodom... [and] ...said to Lot, '...the LORD [Yahweh] has sent us to destroy (the city).'"
● "Then the LORD [Yahweh] rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the LORD [Yahweh] out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities..."
- This verse appears to describe two Persons referred to as Yahweh - one on earth and one in heaven.
- It is striking because it uses Yahweh twice, suggesting a Yahweh on earth (who had been speaking with Abraham and oversaw the judgment) and a Yahweh in
heaven (who sent the sulfur and fire). The repetition of the divine name in this way is unique and intentional, and it has led many Christian theologians to see in it a
foreshadowing of the Trinity - the distinction of Persons within the one divine essence.
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God Rescues
Hagar & Ishmael
(Genesis 21:17-19)
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● "God [YG] heard the boy crying; and the angel of God [YM] called to Hagar from heaven and said to her..." - YM can do His work in Person or from Heaven.
● "'What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God [YG] has heard the voice of the boy where he is.'"
● "'Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him by the hand, for I [YG] will make a great nation of him.'" - Yahweh-Messenger speaks with the authority of Yahweh-Godhead.
● "Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink." - YF, YM or YS? It could be any.
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God Provides Abraham A Substitute Sacrifice
(Genesis 22:11-16)
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● "The angel of the LORD [Yahweh - YM] called to [Abraham] from heaven and said... 'Do not reach out your hand against the boy...'"
● "'...for now I [YM] know that you fear God [YG], since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me [YM].'"
● "Abraham named that place The LORD [YG] Will Provide, as it is said to this day, 'On the mountain of the LORD [YG] it will be provided.'"
● "Then the angel of the LORD [YM] called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, 'By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD [YG]...'"
- Plans, actions, declarations and so on, are formed by Yahweh-Godhead and then completed through a Person of the Godhead, in this case Yahweh-Messenger.
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The Angel of God
is the
God Of Bethel
(Genesis 31:11-13)
(Genesis 28:13-22)
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● "Then the angel of God [YM] said to me [Jacob] in the dream..." - It is clearly Yahweh-Messenger who is speaking.
● "'I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a memorial stone, where you made a vow to Me [YG]...'"
- Although the Jews lacked this recognition, memorials, vows, altars, sacrifice, worship, honor, covenant, etc. are received by the fullness of God - the Triune God.
● The Earlier Event at Bethel: "Then behold, the LORD... said, 'I am the LORD [Yahweh], the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac [YG]...'"
● "So Jacob got up early in the morning, and took the stone... and set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on its top..."
● "Then [Jacob] named that place Bethel ["house of God"]..." - The Angel of God is Yahweh. He is a Person of the Yahweh-Godhead and He is God.
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God In The
Burning Bush
(Exodus 3:2-18)
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● "Then the angel of the LORD[YM] appeared to [Moses] in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush... not being consumed."
● "When the LORD [YM] saw... He said, 'I am the God [YG] of your father - the God of Abraham...' And the LORD [YM] said... '...I have come down to rescue...'"
● "And God [YM] said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM'; and He said... 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of...'"
- Any Person of the Trinity can speak with the authority of the Triune God. All three are in perfect harmony, and equal Persons of the Yahweh-Godhead.
● "'...you will say to [pharaoh], "The LORD, the God of the Hebrews [YG], has met with us. So now, please let us go... that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God [YG]."'"
- Sacrifice is not made to only one or two Persons of the Trinity. It is received by the Triune God, and this is Yahweh-Messenger speaking for Yahweh-Godhead.
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God's Red Sea
Miracle
(Exodus 14:8-30)
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● "So the LORD [YM] hardened the heart of Pharaoh... [and] the Egyptians chased after [Israel at the Red Sea]..." - The Person at work here is Yahweh-Messenger.
- All Persons of the Godhead can work both Spiritually and Physically. This event is a physical interaction caused by Pharaoh's spiritual rebellion.
● "...the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD... Moses said to the people... 'The LORD [YM] will fight for you, while you keep silent.'" - This was a physical battle.
● "...the LORD [YM] said to Moses '...I [YG] will be honored through [the defeat of] Pharaoh and all his army...'" - All the Persons of God receive honor given to God.
● "...the angel of God [YM], who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved [with Him]..."
- Yahweh-Messenger is often described with what the Bible calls presence (#1), indicating physicality. In Genesis, compare 3:8; 4:16; 27:7 with 16:6; 20:8; 23:9-18.
● "Then Moses reached out with his hand over the sea; and the LORD [YM] swept the sea back..."
● "...the LORD [YM] looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud..." - Identified as the angel of God or as LORD, YM was in the pillar.
● "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Reach out with your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians...'"
● "So the LORD [YG] saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians..." - There is division of labor among the three Persons, but God's achievements are Triune.
● "When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses." - The purpose of this event was realized: Even though Israel recognized only Yahweh-Messenger, Israel came to believe, and Yahweh-Godhead was honored.
- Depending on context, Yahweh (LORD) in the Bible can refer to any of the three Persons of God, or to the Triune God. Care with the context is a must (#1).
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God Visits
Gideon
(Judges 6:11-24)
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● "Then the angel of the LORD [YM] came and sat under the oak... appeared to [Gideon] and said to him, 'The LORD [YG] is with you, valiant warrior.'"
● "Then Gideon said to him, 'O my lord [adon - honored person]...'" - Yahweh-Messenger appears as a man, and Gideon mistakes Him for a man.
● Gideon speaking: "'...if the LORD [YG] is with us... Did the LORD [YM] not bring us... now the LORD [YG] has abandoned us...'"
● "Yet the LORD [YM] said to him, 'I [YG] will certainly be with you...'" - The angel of the LORD is referred to as simply, the LORD - Yahweh - as He speaks for YG.
● "Then Gideon went in and prepared [meat and unleavened bread-cakes]... and presented them. And the angel of God said to him..." - Another name for YM.
● "Then the angel of the LORD [miraculously consumed Gideon's offering with fire]... [and] vanished from his sight." - As resurrected Jesus appeared and vanished.
● "When Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the LORD, he said, 'Oh, LORD God! For I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!'" - God in the fullest sense.
● "But the LORD said to him, 'Peace to you, do not be afraid; you shall not die.'" - This could be any of the three Persons of the Trinity speaking.
● "Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD [YG] and named it The LORD [YG] is Peace." - Acts of worship are performed at altars, which honor the Triune God.
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● "So the Spirit of the LORD covered Gideon like clothing..." - This simile depicts a Spirit who is not merely ethereal, but personal, present, and powerfully active.
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God Heralds
Samson's Birth
(Judges 13:3-25)
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● "...the angel of the LORD [YM] appeared to the woman and said to her, '...you will conceive and give birth to a son.'"
● "Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, 'A man of God came to me...'" - YM was recognized as a man.
● "Then Manoah pleaded with the LORD and said, 'LORD, please let the man of God whom You have sent come to us again... and the angel of God came again...'"
● "...[Manoah] said to him, 'Are you the man who spoke to the woman?' And he said, 'I am.' - Yahweh-Messenger subtly restates His name.
● "...the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, '...prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD [YG].' For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the LORD."
● "And Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, 'What is your name...' But the angel of the LORD said to him, 'Why do you ask my name, for it is wonderful?'"
- The name of Yahweh-Messenger is Wonderful, from pili: wonderful, incomprehensible, extraordinary, or beyond understanding.
- Wonderful is the same name (same root word) Isaiah gives to his coming Messiah - Yahweh-Jesus - in Isaiah 9:6; another indication these are the same Person.
● "So Manoah took the... offering and offered it on the rock to the LORD; and... when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven... the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame... Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. So Manoah said to his wife, 'We will certainly die, for we have seen God [YG].'"
- Manoah didn't understand the Trinity, the fact that seeing YM was safe, and that "no one has seen the face of God" refers to Yahweh-Father in His uncloaked Glory.
● "But his wife said to him, 'If the LORD had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering...'" - Apparently Manoah's wife was the more logical one.
● "...the woman gave birth to... Samson; and the child grew up and the LORD [YG] blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD [YS] began to stir him..."
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● Samuel speaks to Saul: "'...the Spirit of the LORD [YS] will rush upon you...'" / " ...the Spirit of God [YS] rushed upon him..." - Two divine titles for Yahweh-Spirit.
- As often seen, this points to an independent Person; otherwise, it would read something like "Yahweh rushed His Spirit" or "God sent His Spirit in a rush."
- Instead, it is Spirit of the LORD and Spirit of God - just as it is Angel of the LORD and Angel of God.
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God Defeats
Goliath
(1 Samuel 17:26-47)
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● "Then David said... '...who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he has dared to defy the armies of the living God [YG]?'" - These are Israel's armies, led by God - YM.
● "...David said, 'The LORD [YM] who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will save me from the hand of this Philistine.' - Physically saved.
● "So Saul said to David, 'Go, and may the LORD [YM] be with you.'"
● "Then [David] took his staff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook... and he approached the Philistine." - YM guided the stone to its mark.
● "...David said to the Philistine, '...I come to you in the name of the LORD of armies [YM], the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.'"
- The LORD of Armies is God - also: "...the living God, the Lord of armies, our God." (Jeremiah 23:36)
- LORD of Armies is the name given to Yahweh-Messenger in battle-like situations, and we know Yahweh-Jesus will lead the armies of heaven in the end time (#29).
● "'This day the LORD [YM] will hand you over to me... so that all the earth may know that there is a God [YG] in Israel... for the battle is the LORD's [YM]...'"
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David's Last Song
(2 Samuel 23:2-3)
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● "'The Spirit of the LORD [YS] spoke through me, And His word was on my tongue. The God of Israel said it; The Rock of Israel [YG; 2 Sam 22:2] spoke to me...'"
- Through Yahweh-Spirit David conversed with God; it was YS's own word which He spoke through David; YS is God; it was Yahweh-Godhead who spoke to David.
- In the Old Testament Yahweh-Spirit is shown to be His own individual Person, and He is here called the God of Israel.
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● "'And it will come about when I leave you that the Spirit of the LORD [YS] will carry you to where I do not know; so when I come and inform Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, though I, your servant [Elijah], have feared the LORD [YG] from my youth.'"
- As with all three Persons of Yahweh, Yahweh-Holy Spirit can take physical action.
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From Isaiah's
"Immanuel
Prophesies"
(Isaiah 7 to 12)
(8th Century BC)
(Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6-7)
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● "Therefore the Lord Himself [YG] will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel [God with us, Mt 1:23].
● "For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us [Mt 1:20-21]; And the government will rest on His shoulders [Rev 12:5]; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace [Jesus' Names]. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace [Jn 14:27; Col 1:20] On the throne of David and over his kingdom [Lk 1:32-33], To establish it and to uphold it with justice [Mt 12:17-21] and righteousness [Heb 1:8] From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of armies [YM] will accomplish this."
- For the reasonable believer, there can be no doubt that this is a prophecy of Jesus, accomplished by the LORD of armies - Yahweh-Messenger.
- LORD of armies is a divine title for the Person of the Trinity who most directly engages with humanity - the interactive God of the Old Testament.
- He is the Word who became flesh (#31) - the Son - the interactive God of the New Testament. Yahweh-Messenger became Yahweh-Jesus.
- That the LORD of armies accomplished (#16) this prophecy means exactly that: Yahweh-Messenger became the promised Child, the Son - Yahweh-Jesus.
- To reject this understanding inevitably implies a fourth divine Person - a fourth Person of the Godhead - something entirely unbiblical and theologically untenable.
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God Answers
Hezekiah's Prayer
(Isaiah 37:15-36)
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● "Hezekiah prayed to the LORD [YG], saying, '...LORD, our God, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, LORD, are God.' Then Isaiah ...sent word to Hezekiah, saying, 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel [YG] says: "Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word that the LORD [YM] has spoken against him: '...I will turn you back by the way that you came."'" - Yahweh-Messenger most often speaks and acts for YG in the OT.
● "'The zeal of the LORD of armies [YM] will perform this.'" - The zeal of the LORD of Armies refers to His Personal unstoppable power and fervent commitment.
● "'...this is what the LORD [YM] says about the king of Assyria: "He will not come to this city... For I will protect this city..."'" - Yahweh-Messenger speaks for YG.
● "Then the angel of the LORD [YM] went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians...all of the 185,000 were dead." - Yahweh-Messenger acts for YG.
- What God speaks or does is determined by the Triune God (Yahweh-Godhead) and is carried out by a designated Person of the Trinity.
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● "Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD [YS], Or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge, And informed Him of the way of understanding?" - YS is always referred to with personal pronouns.
● "All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless. To whom then will you liken God?" - YS IS GOD.
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God Admonishes
An Obstinate Nation
(Isaiah 48:16)
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● "From the beginning I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was there. And now the LORD God [YF] has sent Me [YM], and His Spirit [YS]."
- The chapter names LORD [Yahweh] of Armies - Yahweh-Messenger - as the speaker. What He says is exactly what Jesus also said, and is confirmed by Paul:
- John 8:25-27: "'What have I even been saying to you from the beginning? ...He [YF] who sent Me [YJ] is true...' ...He was speaking to them about the Father."
- John 18:20: "Jesus answered him, 'I have spoken openly to the world... I said nothing in secret.'"
- John 8:58: "Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.'
- John 5:23: "The one who does not honor the Son [YJ] does not honor the Father [YF] who sent Him."
- John 14:26: "...the Holy Spirit [YS] whom the Father [YF] will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you."
- Galatians 4:4-6: "...God [YF] sent His Son [YJ]... that we might receive the adoption... ...God [YF] has sent the Spirit [YS] of His Son into our hearts..."
- This is an undeniable example of Old Testament revelation of the triune nature of God, more clearly explained in the New Testament.
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God Deals With
Israel's Rebellion
(Isaiah 63:10-14)
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● "But they [Israel] rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit [YS]; Therefore... He [YM] fought against them." - Yahweh-Holy Spirit has emotions and responses.
● "Then His people remembered the days of old... Where is He [YM] who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them... [when] The Spirit of the LORD gave them rest."
- During Israel's wilderness sojourn it was YM (#7) who commissioned YS, as YJ did after He ascended to heaven (#27); also - This is Personal action by YS.
● "So You [YM] led Your [YG] people, To make for Yourself [YG] a glorious name." - As we now see, Yahweh-Messenger was the primary One guiding Israel.
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● "But now, LORD [Yahweh] [YG], You are our Father [YF]; We are the clay, and You our potter [YS], And all of us are the work of Your hand [YM].
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● "Create in me a clean heart, God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me [YG]. Do not cast me away from Your presence [YM], And do not take Your Holy Spirit [YS] from me." - King David may have had Yahweh-Messenger in mind when he spoke this heartfelt prayer after grieviously sinning, but it is Yahweh-Godhead who hears us.
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● "...the Spirit of the LORD [Yahweh; YS] fell upon me, and He said to me... '...this is what the Lord God [Yahweh; YG] says..."
- The Holy Spirit took His own initiative to fall on Ezekiel - He was not placed there. This is an independent Person's action, confirmed by the personal pronoun He.
- The three Persons of Yahweh perfectly and always reflect the will of Yahweh-Godhead. Here Yahweh-Holy Spirit speaks for Yahweh-Godhead.
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Person Of
The Godhead
By Title
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The Significance of God's Titles
Yahweh-Godhead - [YG] Yahweh-Father - [YF] Yahweh-Messenger - [YM] Yahweh-Jesus - [YJ] Yahweh-Holy Spirit - [YS]
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God the Father
Person One
of the Trinity
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In the Old Testament, God is described as "Father" only eight times: Deuteronomy 32:6; 1 Chronicles 22:10; 28:6; Isaiah 9:6; 63:16; 64:8; Jeremiah 3:4 & 19; and Malachi 2:10. In each instance, either the context does not clearly distinguish any specific Person of the Christian Godhead, or it simply reveals the one and only true God whom Israel has always acknowledged, Yahweh, often called Yahweh of Armies (also Yahweh of Hosts) or Angel of Yahweh - Yahweh-Messenger in this study.
In the Old Testament, God being described as the Father is another reference to Yahweh-Messenger - the Person of the Godhead who became Yahweh-Jesus in the New Testament - Jesus Christ our Redeemer. This is why Isaiah (9:6) could include the name "Eternal Father" when he prophesied of the coming Messiah, a term which we as Christians affirm because, as Jesus clearly taught, He is One with the Father (John 10:30). Indeed, the three Persons of the Godhead are One in essence, and their shared name - Yahweh - often requires careful attention to context in order to discern which Person is being referenced. For example:
● Deuteronomy 32:3-6: "For I proclaim the name of the LORD [Yahweh]; Ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and just is He. They have acted corruptly against Him, They are not His children, because of their defect; But are a perverse and crooked generation. Is this what you do to the LORD [Yahweh], You foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Father who has purchased you? He has made you and established you."
- The Rock! is Jesus Christ: "For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and they all passed through the
sea; and they all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and they all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were
drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ." - 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 (also Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:8)
- Jesus spoke of Himself - The Rock! - when He said, "...you are Peter [pétros], and upon this rock [pétra] I will build My church..." - Matthew 16:18 (Eph 2:19-22)
- pétra... "'a mass of connected rock,' which is distinct from... pétros... 'a stone . . . such as a man might throw'"
Now with the revelations of the New Testament, things have become much clearer. Yahweh-Messenger, in the Person of Jesus Christ, continued to be the Person who interacts directly with mankind. But we now understand that He has a divine counterpart - another Person He calls the 'Father in Heaven', with whom He collaborates.
By my count, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus refers to the 'Father' 43 times. In all but six of these instances, He either includes descriptors such as 'Heavenly Father' or 'Father in Heaven'; or the context clearly places the Father in heaven. Jesus even teaches us to pray to 'Our Father, who is in heaven…' (Matthew 6:9).
Yahweh-Godhead - the triune God - reigns over all things, both within and beyond the universe, with Yahweh-Father on His throne ruling from the Kingdom of Heaven. He is the fullest expression of the Godhead, and in many places where the Bible says "God", it can be hard to tell whether it refers to the Father specifically or to the entire Godhead.
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God the Son
Person Two
of the Trinity
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The Bible explicitly describes Jesus as our "Lord and God" in John 20:28, where the apostle Thomas, upon seeing the risen Christ, exclaims, "My Lord and my God!" This is one of the clearest and most direct affirmations of Jesus' divinity in the New Testament. Thomas, a devout Jew deeply committed to monotheism, addresses Jesus using titles reserved for Yahweh Himself - "Lord" (Greek: Kurios) and "God" (Greek: Theos). Importantly, Jesus does not correct Thomas but instead affirms his faith in His direct response: "Jesus said to him, 'Because you have seen Me, have you now believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believe'" (John 20:29).
This moment demands our full attention. As Jesus Himself affirms, recognizing Jesus as both Lord and God is not optional - it is essential. To confess Him as such is not merely acceptable; it is imperative before we can receive His gift of salvation that awaits those who believe (Romans 10:9). See also John 20:31; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1. Also review Matthew 1:20-23; 14:33; John 3:16-36; 5:18 & 22; Hebrews 1:8; 2 John 1:9; Colossians 2:9.
In order to fulfill His earthly mission, Jesus willingly laid aside His divine power, and became "for a little while lower than the angels" (Hebrews 2:9). In doing so, He entered fully into our human condition - not by ceasing to be God, but by taking on the limitations of humanity. In this humbled state, He lived in complete dependence upon the Father, just as it was intended for our parents from the beginning. As a true man, Jesus prayed to the Father, sought His will, and drew strength from Him - modeling perfect obedience and trust. Where our first parents failed, Jesus triumphed. Adam forfeited the eternal life God intended for humanity, but Christ, through His sinless life, sacrificial death and resurrection, redeemed it. He paid the sin-debt for us all - billions of souls - just as He said He would (Matthew 26:26-28). Only the life and death of Infinite God could repay a debt of such magnitude.
Although we can now see the workings of the three Persons of the Godhead in the Old Testament, Israel has never recognized God's triune nature, which has been revealed progressively and ultimately made manifest in the Person of Jesus Christ (John 14:9). This is why, as we enter the seven years of Revelation's End Time, Israel must now come to understand the 'Mystery' of Jesus as their Messiah, Redeemer and as Yahweh-Jesus - God Himself - because it is only by receiving and accepting this 'Testimony of Jesus' that they can become ready to enter His Kingdom.
The information we have explored should confirm for any unbiased reader who believes the words of the Bible - and of Jesus Himself - that Jesus is God. More precisely, Yahweh is God and Jesus is Yahweh. He is one of three Persons of Yahweh - a Person of the triune Godhead. He is eternal - not a new addition, but The New Edition, so to speak - who was needed in order to bring us the New Covenant. He is the infinite God-Man whose unique nature was necessary for the salvation of mankind. Just as He is present and active in the New Testament, He is also present and active in the Old Testament, where He appears as the Creator, the Giver of Life, and the Protector and Redeemer of Israel - Yahweh of Armies - Yahweh-Messenger in this study.
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God the Holy
Spirit
Person Three
of the Trinity
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As in the Old Testament, the New Testament describes Yahweh-Holy Spirit as a distinct Person of the Trinity. He has taken the place of Yahweh-Jesus as God's presence on Earth (John 16:5-16) and, without exception He is referred to with personal pronouns. According to Scripture, Holy Spirit:
● Matthew: creates life (1:20); takes physical form (3:16); can direct people to act (4:1); casts out demons (12:28); can be uniquely blasphemed (12:31-32);
● Mark: speaks through people (13:11);
● Luke: fills us and inspires worship (1:41-45), prophecy (1:67), reveals the future (2:25-27), and teaches (12:12);
● John: Jesus baptized in Him (1:33); Jesus commissioned Him as His Personal replacement (16:7); He guides into Truth and reveals the future (16:13);
● Acts: can be lied to (5:3); Holy Spirit is God (5:4); can end life (5:5); can be challenged (5:9); is a witness (5:32); can speak audibly (8:9); can physically relocate a person (8:39); makes Personal decisions (15:28); can stop people from acting (16:6);
● Romans: Holy Spirit is "who" - a Person - not "which" (5:5); administrates the New Covenant's spiritual law (8:2); is "Himself", not "itself" (8:16); "intercedes for us" using His own mind (8:26-27); has His own power (15:13); sanctifies us (15:16);
● 2 Corinthians 3:1-8: as Jesus had His ministry, Holy Spirit performs His own ministry, administering the New Covenant;
● Ephesians 4:30: Holy Spirit has emotions and can be grieved; He is "whom" not "which"; He is the One who seals our salvation.
All these Scriptures, and many others, clearly show that the Holy Spirit is a distinct, conscious Person of the Godhead, just as the Father and the Son.
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Yahweh-Messenger
Angel of the Lord
Angel of God
(Matthew 1:20-24)
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We understand that the Angel of the Lord is truly the God of the Bible (#5). He is therefore either a fourth divine Person or this is a title for an existing member of the triune Godhead. The weight of evidence rules out the former, and identifies Yahweh-Messenger as the sole candidate for the latter.
"Angel of the Lord" or "Angel of God" - titles for Yahweh-Messenger in the Old Testament - appear thirteen times in the New Testament, yet never refer to Him. With one exception, both phrases are always preceded by the indefinite article "an", pointing to one of the myriad of angels who serve God. The context in each case confirms this. Only once is either phrase preceded by the definite article "the", and then also, it refers to a serving angel.
- This raises the question: "If Yahweh-Messenger is referenced by these terms 64 times in the Old Testament, why not once in the New? Where has He gone?"
- Yahweh-Messenger is a Person of the Trinity - God Himself - and He has not disappeared. In the New Testament, He is present as Yahweh-Jesus.
For the record, here is the single instance:
● "...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife...' And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife..." - Matt 1:20-24: The angel simply indicates that it is still the same angel, previously introduced.
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Yahweh-Messenger
&
Yahweh-Jesus
Lord of Armies
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Just as Yahweh-Messenger in the Old Testament was a distinct yet divine figure, so too is Jesus in the New Testament revealed as a unique and distinct Person within the Trinity - fully God, yet personally distinct from the Father and the Spirit. Much evidence for this has already been presented on this page. Here, we will simply expand on our statement (#12), affirming that at the end of the age, Jesus will once again reprise His role as the Lord of Armies.
The idea that Jesus is the Divine Commander of the Lord's Armies - a role fulfilled in the Old Testament by Yahweh-Messenger - is richly supported by Scripture. The Bible presents Jesus as the divine warrior, the Lord of Armies (or Lord of Hosts), and the rider on the white horse who leads heaven's armies in final judgment. Below is a comprehensive biblical case for this truth, drawing from both the Old and New Testaments.
● Yahweh-Messenger in the Old Testament: The Divine Warrior
In the Old Testament, Yahweh-Messenger (Hebrew: mal'ak YHWH - "Messenger of Yahweh") appears as a divine figure who speaks as God, receives worship, and leads God's people in battle. This figure is not a mere angel but a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ (a Christophany).
- The Commander of the Lord's Army - Joshua 5:13-15 (ESV):
"When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, 'Are you for us, or for our adversaries?' And he said, 'No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.' And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, 'What does my lord say to his servant?' And the commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, 'Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.' And Joshua did so."
- The Commander accepts worship, which an angel never does (Revelation 19:10, 22:8-9), and His presense causes holy ground, which only God does (Exodus 3:5).
- He is divine and He is distinct from Yahweh-Father and Yahweh-Spirit, yet He speaks as Yahweh and He is Yahweh - unveiling the Trinitarian nature of God.
- The Angel (Messenger) Who Bears God's Name - Exodus 23:20-22:
"'Behold, I am [YF] going to send an angel [YM] before you... ...My [YG] name is in him.'" - This is a Hebrew idiom indicating divine identity.
"But if you truly obey his [YM] voice and do all that I [YG] say, then I [YG] will [fight for you]...'" - YF sent YM who then spoke what YG had determined.
- The "Angel" is not a lower being but a manifestation of God Himself. He is not YF or YS and so He can only be YM, prefiguring YJ - Yahweh-Jesus the Savior.
● Yahweh-Jesus in the New Testament: The Divine Warrior
The New Testament reveals that Jesus fulfills and continues the role of the Divine Warrior seen in the Old Testament. He is not only the suffering Servant but also the conquering King who leads the armies of heaven.
- Even While on Earth, subjected to the Father in the form of a Man, Jesus Had Authority Over Angelic Armies - Matthew 26:53:
"...do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" - 72,000 angels.
- Jesus Will Come With His Mighty Angels - 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8:
"...the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God..."
- Jesus is the divine judge, coming with an army of angels to execute a kinetic, military, world-shaking justice. A great and broad justice as at the Flood.
- Jesus, the Divine Warrior and Judge Revealed at the End of the Age - Acts 17:31:
"...He [YG] has set a day on which He [YG] will judge the world in righteousness through a Man [YJ] whom He [YG] has appointed... raising Him [YJ] from the dead."
- Yahweh-Jesus is the appointed Warrior and Judge (Rev 19:11), a role fulfilled by Yahweh-Messenger in the OT (Ex 15:3; Ps 96:13; Is 31:1-5, 42:13; Jer 11:20).
- Jesus, the Rider on the White Horse - Revelation 19:11-16:
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself."
- It seems evident this name will be LORD - Yahweh - of Armies.
"He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God." - This is Jesus, identified as "The Word of God" in John chapter 1.
"And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses." - Jesus is the Lord of these angelic armies.
"From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God [YG], the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: 'KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.'" - supreme divine authority.
- Jesus leads the armies of heaven in final judgment, reprising and fulfilling the role of Lord of Armies.
- Paul Quotes Isaiah, Referring to Jesus as LORD of Armies - Romans 9:29:
"And just as Isaiah foretold: 'If the LORD of armies had not left us descendants, We would have become like Sodom, and would have been like Gomorrah.'"
- Paul applies this Yahweh-title to the LORD - Yahweh in the Old Testament - but now in the context of Christ's work.
- Jesus is Yahweh of Armies, preserving a remnant of Israel (Revelation 12:17) and executing judgment (Revelation 19:11-21).
- Jesus is Identified with Yahweh Sabaoth (Lord of Armies) - James 5:4:
"...the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of armies." - After Jesus' Ascension, the Lord of Armies is again in heaven.
- James is warning of the coming judgment by the Lord - Jesus - who hears and acts, again linking Him with the Old Testament title of divine warrior and judge.
Jesus is not merely a moral teacher or prophet. He is the eternal Son of God - the Divine Commander of Heaven's Armies who will return to judge the living and the dead. Scripture clearly identifies Him as LORD - Yahweh - of Armies, executing judgment at the end of this age.
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Yahweh-Jesus
Lord of Armies
(James 5:1-17)
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We know that the Lord of Armies is truly the God of the Bible (#12) and so again, either a fourth divine Person or an already existing member of the triune Godhead.
"Lord of armies" is found just twice in the New Testament; once in an Old Testament quote from Paul (#29), and once in this moment of teaching from James.
- Since Yahweh-Messenger is referenced by this term 270 times in the Old Testament, why is it used just twice in the New Testament? Where has He gone?"
- Yahweh-Messenger is a Person of the Trinity - God Himself - and He hasn't gone anywhere. His presense in the New Testament is as Yahweh-Jesus.
Let's look carefully at what James taught us:
● "Come now, you [corrupt] rich people, weep and howl for your miseries... [your corruption] cries out against you; and... has reached the ears of the Lord of armies."
- "Lord" here (in NT Greek) is again Kurios, and this direct replacement of the OT's Hebrew, LORD, again confirms their common reference - Yahweh.
- With this teaching, James' purpose is to show that all people await one of two outcomes: the reward of the non-believer or the believer.
- The non-believers' reward - causing them to weep and howl in misery - is destruction from the Lord of Armies, the role Jesus reprises on the Lord's Day (#29).
● "...be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord [Kurios; YJ; (1 Thes 5:23)]. ...the Judge is standing right at the door." (2 Tim 4:1-8; Lk 12:35-48; Rev 3:20)
- James now introduces the coming of the Lord - the single event that brings each group their reward, both delivered by Yahweh-Jesus.
- As confirmed throughout Scripture, the coming Lord and Judge is Yahweh-Jesus (#29) who fulfills both these roles.
● "...[listen to] the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord [Yahweh, now Kurios]. We count those blessed who endured."
- James now turns to the believers' reward, addressing God only as Lord, dropping "of armies" and its terrifying connotations.
- He indicates no change in Person, nor could there be - these are not roles of the Father or the Spirit.
● "...[pray for the sick] in the name of the Lord [YJ] ...and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him."
- Only Jesus in full view healed the sick, raised the dead and forgave sins - this Lord is clearly Yahweh-Jesus (Mark 2:5-12).
● "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly [and received astonishing answers from God]."
- And Elijah prayed to: "Then Elijah said, 'As surely as the LORD of armies lives, before whom I stand...'" - 1 Kings 18:15
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Yahweh-Messenger
&
Yahweh-Jesus
Word of the Lord
Word Of God
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The phrases Word of the LORD and Word of God appear over 300 times in Scripture. While many assume they refer only to spoken messages from God, they can, and often do function as titles for God Himself, much like Angel of the LORD and Angel of God. With this perspective in mind, notice how well it often suits:
- Genesis 15:1; Numbers 15:31; 1 Samuel 3:21, 15:33; 2 Samuel 7:4, 22:31; 1 Kings 13:9 & 18; 2 Kings 3:12, 14:25; Psalm 33:4; 1 John 2:14
● Note verses such as Jeremiah 17:15 which says: "'Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now!'" - The Hebrew grammar in phrases like יָבוֹא נָא (yāḇōʾ nāʾ) - "Let it come now!" - permits a translation as either "let it come now" or "let him come now". The choice depends not merely on context, but on how one interprets that context - whether the translator views "the word of the LORD" as a devine message or as a divine Messenger.
● Jeremiah 2:19-31: "'...the fear of Me is not in you,' declares the LORD God of armies. '...You have all revolted against Me,' declares the LORD. '...look to the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness to Israel...'" - LORD God of armies, LORD, and Word of the LORD all refer to the same Person - Yahweh-Messenger.
● Zechariah 4:6: "'This is the word of the LORD... ...says the LORD of armies.'" - Word of the LORD is (or is spoken by) the LORD of Armies. (Zech 7:4; 8:1,18; Is 39:5)
● Luke 22:61: "And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He [Jesus] had told him..." - Word of the Lord is (or is spoken by) Jesus. (Acts 11:16)
● Isaiah 45:12-13: "'It is I who made the earth, and created mankind upon it.' ...says the LORD of armies." - LORD of Armies is the Creator. (Jer 10:16; Amos 4:13)
● Psalm 33:6: "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their lights." - Word of the LORD is the Creator.
● John 1:1-3: "All things came into being through Him [the Word], and apart from Him not even one thing came into being..." - the Word is the Creator. (Heb 11:3)
● Colossians 1:16: "...by Him [Jesus] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth..." - Jesus is the Creator. (John 1:1-3,14; Heb 1:2-3,10)
● John 1:14: "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father..." - the Word is Jesus.
● Hebrews 4:12-14: "For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword [Rev 1:16], even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit [Matt 20:28], of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart [Rev 2:23]. And there is no creature hidden from His sight [Col 2:2-3], but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer [John 5:22]. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God..." - All of this passage confirms that the Word of God is Jesus, the Son of God - Second Person of the Trinity.
● Revelation 19:13: "He [Jesus] is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God."
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The Trinity in the Old Testament: A Unified Testimony of the Triune God
The doctrine of the Trinity - One God (Yahweh-Godhead) in three co-equal, co-eternal Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - is not a New Testament invention, but a truth progressively revealed throughout the entire Bible. We have seen that the Old Testament, when read in light of the full counsel of Scripture, bears unmistakable witness to the Triune nature of God. The information in the table above is a powerful demonstration of this truth, tracing the distinct yet unified activity of the Father (Yahweh-Father), the Son (Old Testament's Yahweh-Messenger - and New Testament's Yahweh-Jesus), and the Holy Spirit (Yahweh-Spirit) across many events of the Old Testament.
From the very beginning, the Trinity is present and active. In Genesis 1, God (YM) creates the heavens and the earth, the Spirit (YS) hovers over and blesses the waters for the life to come, and God (YG) speaks in the plural: "Let Us make mankind in Our image" - a clear indication of divine plurality within unity (Genesis 1:26). The New Testament confirms that all things were created through the Son (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16), and the Spirit's presence at creation is consistent with His role as the life-giver (Job 33:4).
The Father is often seen as the source and sender, particularly in prophetic visions such as Daniel 7, where the Ancient of Days (YF) sits in judgment and the Son of Man (YJ) is presented before Him to receive everlasting dominion. This passage is a striking Old Testament confirmation of both the deity of Christ and His distinction from the Father - two divine Persons in perfect unity (Daniel 7:13-14; also Revelation 5:11-14).
The Holy Spirit is revealed as a distinct Person who empowers, speaks, grieves, and acts independently while remaining in perfect unity with the Father and the Son. He comes upon and fills judges, kings, and prophets. He speaks through David (2 Samuel 23:2) and many others, and He is grieved by Israel's rebellion (Isaiah 63:10). His personal attributes and divine actions confirm His full deity and Personhood beyond doubt.
Throughout the Old Testament, the Angel of the LORD - identified as Yahweh-Messenger - appears repeatedly, speaking as God, receiving worship, and performing divine acts. He is not a serving angel but a divine Person, distinct from the Father yet fully Yahweh. He appears to Hagar, Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Manoah, and others, often in physical form, foreshadowing the incarnation of Christ. His name is called "Wonderful" (Judges 13:18), the same Hebrew root used in Isaiah 9:6 to describe the coming Messiah.
The table also highlights how sacrifice, worship, covenant and more can only be received by the One True God (Yahweh-Godhead), and yet are received by all three Persons of God. Altars are built, offerings made and covenants established and fulfilled, all in the name of the One True God, and yet these events are transacted by three Persons. The New Covenant, prophesied in Jeremiah and echoed in Malachi, can only be from the One True God, yet it was inaugurated Personally by Yahweh-Jesus, the Son of God - the same Person who created the universe, walked with Abraham, spoke from the burning bush and inaugurated the Old Covenant, all as Yahweh-Messenger.
The unity and harmony of the Godhead are evident in the way the Persons of Yahweh interact. In Isaiah 63, Yahweh-Messenger leads Israel, Yahweh-Holy Spirit gives them rest, and Yahweh-Father grieves over their rebellion. In Malachi, the LORD of Armies (YM) speaks of sending His messenger (John the Baptist) to prepare the way before "Me" - a reference to the coming of Yahweh-Jesus to His temple (Malachi 3:1; also Matthew 11:10-11) - the same Yahweh-Jesus who will reprise His role as LORD of Armies and avenging Judge at the end of the age. These interactions are all confirmations of the Triune nature of God.
Importantly, this table has not been exhaustive. Many more examples could be given. Theophanies, prophetic utterances, and divine actions throughout the Old Testament consistently point to a God who is one in essence and three in Person. As Jesus Himself said, "The Scriptures… testify about Me" (John 5:39). The Old Testament is filled with shadows and types that find their fulfillment in the New Testament revelation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
To deny the presence of the Trinity in the Old Testament is to overlook the very nature of God as He has revealed Himself. The doctrine of the Trinity is not a contradiction of monotheism but its completed explanation. As Deuteronomy 6:4 declares, "Hear, Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" And yet, this one LORD - Yahweh - is revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - distinct in Person, united in essence, and eternal in glory.
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The Triune Godhead As Revealed In The Bible
Yahweh-Godhead - [YG] Yahweh-Father - [YF] Yahweh-Messenger - [YM] Yahweh-Jesus - [YJ] Yahweh-Holy Spirit - [YS]
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The Nature
of God
Being, Person
and Essence
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In order to gain insight into how the One True God can exist as three distinct Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - we must first accept that God is infinite and beyond our full understanding. We must be willing to stretch our way of thinking to catch even a glimpse of His glory, and we must be content with that glimpse.
With this in mind, consider a simple analogy. Imagine a grand old oak tree. It has three distinct parts - the roots, the trunk with its branches, and the leaves - each with its own function. Each part supports and sustains the others. Together, in perfect harmony, they form one living tree. If any part were to work in conflict with the others, the tree could not survive. That's easy to understand.
The harder part, when it comes to God, is the idea of agency - the ability to act independently and with intention. Theologically, this means that each Person of the Trinity is not just a part or a function, but a real Person - a "who", not a "what". Being bound by the "rules" of our physical world can make it difficult to imagine God. We don't truly see a situation where the parts of a whole have true agency. But this is what God is. Three Persons, working in perfect unity as they share a perfect will, who also work independently as their own Person. Being God, this is within His infinite capacity.
There actually is one profound earthly reflection of this divine mystery of agency. In Ephesians 4, we see that believers - as members of the Church - are this very example. As the Body of Christ, we are each individual members having free will, with our own role to fulfill, yet we are called to live and work together in perfect unity, reflecting the very nature of the Triune God Himself. By virtue of the agency He created us to possess, and then making us part of His Church, God allows us to mirror, in a limited way, the diversity and unity seen in the Trinity. (Also see 1 Corinthians 12)
"But," you might be thinking, "the Church is a spiritual reality, not a physical one." Precisely. God is spirit (John 4:24), not bound by the physical. And, as believers are instructed to be the spiritual union of multiple persons into one Church, so God is the spiritual union of multiple Persons into One God. The Church is to reflect God's nature. In His grace, God has given us this living image to help us grasp the glorious mystery of His triune being.
"Essence" is often used theologically to describe God's nature: One eternal Being fully and equally shared by three Persons. As noted by many apologists, Being describes what something is, while Person describes who someone is. If essence feels too abstract, you might think in terms like divine nature or divine being.
Essence is the divine substance or reality - the One Divine Nature - that makes God what He is. All three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - share the same essence, meaning they are one God, not three gods. The three Persons are who God is. As the Athanasian Creed says it:
"We worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence."
When we speak of God's essence, we mean the one divine nature that is fully and equally possessed by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is how God has described Himself in His Word to us, so this is how we must understand Him.
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One God
acting in
Three Persons
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As we have seen, Scripture clearly shows that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are individual Persons who interact with one another, and also are each fully God. Yet, we also understand from the Scriptures that Yahweh is ONE God who reveals Himself as three distinct Persons:
● Isaiah 48:16 "...the Lord God [YF] has sent Me [YM], and His Spirit [YS]." - Yahwen-Messenger is speaking a clear Old Testament glimpse of the Trinity.
● Matthew 3:16-17: "...After He was baptized, Jesus... saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and... a voice from the heavens said, 'This is My beloved Son...'"
- At Jesus' baptism, the Son is baptized, the Holy Spirit descends as a dove, and the Father speaks from heaven - affirming the three distinct Persons of the Trinity.
● Matthew 28:19: "'Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit...'"
- Believers are to be baptized in the singular name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - one God in three Persons. Jesus confirms three Persons of God.
- For those who trust Jesus' own words, this verse alone affirms the reality of the Triune God: One divine name - Yahweh - shared by three co-equal Persons.
● John 14:26: "...the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things..." - Again Three Distinct Persons.
● Acts 7:55: "...[Stephen], being full of the Holy Spirit... saw the glory of God [YG], and Jesus standing at the right hand of God [YF]..." - Again Three Distinct Persons.
● 2 Corinthians 13:14: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
● 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 & 12: "...varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. ...varieties of ministries, and the same Lord [YJ]. ...varieties of effects, but the same God [YF]..."
"For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ."
● 1 Peter 1:1-2: "...chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ..." - Three who are One.
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Three Persons
with
A Single
Essence
equals
One Triune God
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We also understand from the Scriptures that the three Persons of Yahweh are truly ONE in their divine essence:
● Yahweh-Spirit is biblically described as: "Spirit" (YS - Num 11:17; Matt 4:1); "Holy Spirit" (YS - Matt 12:32); "Spirit of God" (YG - Matt 3:16); "Spirit of your Father"
(YF - Matt 10:20); "Spirit of His Son" (YJ - Gal 4:6); "Spirit of the LORD" (YM - Judges 3:10); "Spirit of the Lord" (YF & YJ - Acts 8:39); "Spirit of Jesus" (YJ - Acts 16:7);
"Spirit of Jesus Christ" (YJ - Phil 1:19); "Spirit of Christ" (YJ - 1 Pet 1:11); and so on.
- The Spirit is described both as a distinct Person, and as proceeding from the Father, the Son, and the Yahweh-Godhead - something only possible if a single Being,
Yahweh, is being shared by three co-eternal Persons.
● 2 Corinthians 3:17: "Now the Lord [YF & YJ] is the Spirit [YS], and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." - One in essence.
● Mark 12:29: "Jesus answered... [quoting Deut 6:4] 'Hear, Israel! The LORD [Old Testament - Yahweh; New Testament - Kurios] is our God, the LORD is one...'"
- There is only ONE YHWH in both Testaments.
● John 10:30: "I and the Father are one." - Jesus and the Father are clearly different Persons, and yet they are One in essence.
● John 5:21: "...as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes."
- Galatians 6:8: "...the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit." - Eternal life is a gift from all three Persons of God.
● John 14:9-10: "The one who has seen Me has seen the Father... ...I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me... ...I do not speak on My own, but the Father, as He remains in Me, does His works."
- The Father reigns in heaven (# 25), the Son's mission was on Earth - yet they remain inseparably One in divine essence - a mystery, but clearly stated in Scripture.
● John 14:16-17, 23: "I [YJ] will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper... the Spirit of truth... you know Him because He [YS]... will be in you. ... If anyone loves Me [YJ], he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him."
- Since Jesus ascended, the Spirit now dwells with us - making the presence of the Father and the Son known - revealing the unified essence of the triune God.
● Hebrews 1:1-3: "God... has spoken to us in His Son... He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature..."
- The Son is the exact representation (charaktēr) of the Father's nature (hypostasis), meaning He shares the same divine essence.
● Ephesians 4:4-6: "There is one body [the Church] and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord [YJ], one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all."
- ONE is ALL. There is "one baptism" in the one name - Yahweh - of the three Persons - Father, Son, Spirit - of the One God. (see above Matthew 28:19)
● Hebrews 9:14 (paraphrased) "...much more will the blood of Christ [YJ], who through the eternal Spirit [YS] offered Himself without blemish to God [YF], cleanse your conscience... to serve the living God [YG]."
- The living God we serve is clearly revealed here to be Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit and God the Father - the Triune God.
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The Three Persons Of The Godhead and Their Titles
From our study of the Old Testament, it has become clear that God - Yahweh - is not a solitary Person, but a multi-personal Being. The consistent testimony of Scripture leaves no reasonable alternative: the eternal One True God exists as more than one Person.
It is important to understand that when Scripture ascribes divine titles, attributes, or actions to a specific Person of God - while at the same time distinguishing that Person from others who are also identified as God - we are not encountering contradiction, but divine revelation. The only faithful response is to receive what God has disclosed about Himself: that He is one in essence, yet exists as three distinct Persons.
As we move forward, we will take a closer look at the identity of these divine Persons. In particular, we will examine the various titles used for God throughout Scripture - especially those associated with the Person sometimes called the "Messenger of Yahweh." Are these titles merely descriptive, or do they point unmistakably to true deity?
To help answer this, the following table will present many of the titles ascribed to God, along with scriptural references that reveal not only who is being described, but also affirm that each is fully and truly God.
The Triune Nature Of God
The Trinity As Seen Through The Old Testament
The doctrine of the Trinity - One True God - Yahweh - in three co-equal, co-eternal Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - is often thought to be a New Testament revelation. However, an attentive reading of the Old Testament reveals that the Triune nature of God is present from the very beginning. The following table explores key Old Testament passages where the distinct Persons of the Godhead are seen independently interacting with humanity - and among themselves. By examining the roles of Yahweh the Father, Yahweh the Son, and Yahweh the Holy Spirit, we gain a deeper understanding of how the Trinity has always been at work in redemptive history.
Entries highlight specific descriptions and actions - both physical and spiritual - that point to the unified yet distinct work of the Persons of God. As Jesus affirmed in John 5:39, "You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me..." He was, of course, speaking of the Old Testament. This first table will help us see how even the earliest Scriptures bear witness to this fullness of God's nature.
The Trinity by Title: A Unified Testimony to the Divine Persons of the Godhead
Our exploration of the Triune God has continued in this table by focusing on the divine titles used throughout Scripture to describe the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These titles are not merely poetic or symbolic; they are revelatory. They unveil the eternal identity and divine nature, and describe the distinct roles of each Person of the One True God - Yahweh-Godhead.
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible consistently presents God as one in essence and three in Person. The Father is revealed as the sovereign source and sender, the Son as the visible and incarnate Word, and the Spirit as the indwelling presence and power of God. Each Person bears divine titles, performs divine actions, and receives divine worship - yet all are united in will, essence, and glory.
We gave special attention to the Messenger of Yahweh - a figure who appears throughout the Old Testament speaking as God, receiving worship, and acting with divine authority in ways which demonstrate that He is the pre-incarnated Christ. In the New Testament, He is revealed as Yahweh-Jesus - the New Testament's embodiment of Yahweh-Messenger - the One required to establish God's New Covenant with mankind. He is the new Angel of the LORD and the new LORD of Armies. He is the Word who both created us and became flesh to dwell among us, and He is the Judge of all the earth. These titles are applied directly to Jesus Christ, affirming His full deity and eternal identity as the Second Person of the Trinity.
As we have learned, all the various titles of God are not simply references to messages or roles, but to divine Persons. All of God's titles together form a unified testimony to the Triune nature of the One True God. They confirm that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the same God now fully revealed in Jesus Christ and poured out through the Holy Spirit. Yahweh-Jesus was not only present at creation, He is the Creator, and as Scripture declares, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). The Triune God has not changed - He has only revealed Himself more fully.
The Doctrine Of The Trinity
The doctrine of the Trinity stands at the heart of the Christian faith. It reveals the profound mystery that the One True God - Yahweh - exists eternally as three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This table explores how Scripture presents the unity and diversity within the Godhead, showing that while each Person is fully and equally God, they are not three gods, but one God in essence. Understanding the Trinity requires both humility and reverence, as we approach a truth that surpasses our full comprehension yet clearly is revealed in God's Word. Through biblical passages and theological reflection, and building upon what has been presented, this discussion invites us to behold the glory of the Triune God and to recognize how the Church has been called to reflect His divine nature in unity and diversity.
One God in Three Persons - A Revealed and Coherent Mystery
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity teaches that the One True God exists eternally as three distinct Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - who are each fully and equally God, yet together are not three gods, but one. At first glance, this may sound illogical or self-contradictory, but Christians do not claim that God is three in the same way that He is one. Rather, we are saying that God is one in essence (what He is), and three in Person (who He is). This distinction may stretch our categories of thought, but that's precisely the point: If God is truly infinite and beyond creation, we should expect Him to be unlike anything we encounter in the natural world - and beyond our full understanding.
We use analogies - such as a tree with roots, trunk, and leaves, or the human body made up of many parts - to help us glimpse this mystery, but we also acknowledge that no analogy can fully capture the nature of an infinite God. What Christians believe about the Trinity is not based on philosophical speculation, but on how God has revealed Himself in Scripture: as a Father who sends the Son; as the Son who prays to the Father; and as the Spirit who proceeds from both and dwells within believers. These are not merely roles played, but real relationships between real Persons who share the same divine nature - a single essence. While the Trinity may be impossible to fully grasp, it is not irrational - it is a coherent, revealed truth that invites both faith and wonder.
The biblical testimony is clear: God is one in essence and three in Person. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each fully divine, yet they are not interchangeable or merely different modes of the same being. They relate to one another personally and eternally, as seen in passages like Jesus' baptism, the Great Commission, and Jesus' promise to send the Spirit. The Spirit is described both as an independent Person, and as an emissary who may be sent from One True God, from the Father or from the Son, affirming both the unity and diversity of the Godhead. While our attempts to explain it may help us approach this mystery, they fall short of fully capturing the infinite nature of God. The Trinity is not a contradiction, but a divine reality that transcends human categories. It is a revealed truth that is firmly rooted in both Testaments of Scripture, affirmed by the early Church, and essential to the gospel. It calls us to faith, humility, and awe before the One True God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
As We Begin it is Important to First Understand the Christian Perspective, and to Keep the Following in Mind:
● God's name Yahweh is found only in the Old Testament and in most versions of our Bible is always replaced with either LORD, Lord GOD, or Lord God.
● For Jews, Yahweh always represents the One True God as a single Person. Through Jesus' life and teaching, we can now more clearly discern among three Persons.
● The name Yahweh speaks of the One True God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, either individually or together. All of God is Yahweh.
● On its own, Yahweh can refer to any Person of the Trinity, or to the entire Godhead - the One True God. Context and the full witness of Scripture are indispensable.
● Many names of the One True God are individualized, clarifying which Person of the Trinity is being considered. They are all Yahweh.
● Father (most often Heavenly Father, Father in Heaven, etc.) represents Yahweh expressing Himself as God the Father. God the Father is Yahweh.
● Yeshua (Jesus, Christ, Messiah, etc.) represents Yahweh expressing Himself as God the Son. God the Son is Yahweh.
● Holy Spirit (Spirit, Spirit of the Lord, Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ, etc.) represents Yahweh expressing Himself as God the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit is Yahweh.
● The Greek word Kurios means "Lord" and is found only in the New Testament.
● Kurios can refer to any Person of the Trinity, or to the entire Godhead - the One True God. Context and the full witness of Scripture are indispensable.
● Being omnipotent, Yahweh can express His perfect essence in multiple ways simultaneously, which He does.
● Bracketed [red] lettering still indicates the translated word in the original language.
Christianity is monotheistic, affirming that there is only One True God, and His name is Yahweh. Yet the Bible also reveals that this One God exists in three distinct Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three Persons are the One True God - Yahweh, the Triune Godhead - who for clarity will at times be referred to here as Yahweh-Godhead. The three Persons of Yahweh-Godhead are the ways by which Yahweh has revealed Himself. They are all Yahweh, and form the totality of Yahweh-Godhead.
In our churches, we have been taught that God the Father is the God who interacted with Israel, as portrayed in the Old Testament, and that He is the One with whom Jesus interacts during His ministry. This, however, is not correct. As Yahweh-Godhead's primary representative and the First Person of Yahweh-Godhead, God the Father rules from heaven. His precise role is not exposed in the Old Testament, but is very clear in the New. To avoid confusion among the many and varied references to Yahweh, we will at times refer to Him as Yahweh-Father.
Yahweh-Godhead formed the Old Covenant with Israel acting through Yahweh of Armies, who has a number of titles which we will encompass with Yahweh-Messenger. We will show that Yahweh-Messenger is a separate Person from Yahweh-Father, and is the Second Person of Yahweh-Godhead, who spent much time interacting with Old Testament Israel.
As He had promised, Yahweh-Godhead formed the New Covenant with all of mankind, acting through Jesus Christ, the Messiah - God the Son. Yahweh-Messenger of the Old Testament and Yahweh-Jesus of the New Testament are the same Person - the Second Person of Yahweh-Godhead. It was necessary for Yahweh-Messenger to become Yahweh-Jesus - both devine and human - in order to accomplish Yahweh-Godhead's New Covenant plan of salvation.
Yahweh-Holy Spirit is the Third Person of Yahweh-Godhead. He is seen clearly acting within both Testaments, although He plays a more prominent role in the New as Jesus' replacement messenger and our Helper. We will show that the Bible represents Him as an individual Person in the same sense as the other two Persons.
Yahweh - The One True God - Is The Only God
In the Old Testament, the triune Yahweh-Godhead is represented before Israel by the Person we call Yahweh-Messenger (more on this later). Though He is given several titles, He is primarily known as LORD [Yahweh] of Armies, translated as LORD of Hosts in some versions. To Israel, He is not just the One True God, but also the only Person of God they recognize, since they don't understand or acknowledge God's triune nature. His name is Yahweh, and when it appears in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) it refers to Yahweh-Messenger - who for Christians is the Second Person of the Godhead, as we will see.
- The Scriptures, including Yahweh Himself, say there is not a single God besides Him - Yahweh is the only God who exists
● Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, Israel! The LORD [Yahweh] is our God [Elohim], the LORD [Yahweh] is one!"
- This verse, known as the Shema, is Israel's central confession of faith. Affirming that Yahweh is one, not one among many, it forms the foundation of biblical monotheism.
● Mark 12:29: "Jesus answered, 'The foremost [of God's commandments] is, "Hear, Israel! The LORD [Kurios] is our God [Theos], the LORD [Kurios] is one..."'"
- Jesus quotes and confirms the Shema.
● Isaiah 43:10-11: "Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. I, only I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me.
- This passage denies the existence of any past or future gods. Yahweh alone is the Savior of mankind; an important point when considering the deity of Christ (Titus 2:13).
● Isaiah 44:6: "This is what the LORD says, He who is the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of armies: 'I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me.'"
● Isaiah 45:5-6: "'I am the LORD, and there is no one else; There is no God except Me.'"
- Jesus Said He and the Father Are One
Can a person read the following scripture and not conclude that Jesus claimed, not only to be God, but that He also claimed to be ONE GOD with the Father?
According to Old Covenant Law, if He was only a man like the rest of us, Jesus broke the Law by plainly claiming to be God:
John 10:24-30: "'If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.' Jesus answered them, 'I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify
of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and
they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out
of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.'"
● Jesus was asked if He was the Christ, a claim which His accusers - the Jews - knew to be a claim of deity, the same as His claim to forgive sin and give eternal life.
● Jesus' answer to this clear question was, "I told you, and you do not believe", and that His works (miracles, v21) testify that this claim is the truth. Jesus didn't lie.
● Jesus claimed to forgive sin and give His followers eternal life. Only God can do that. Jesus didn't lie.
● There is no one who can take His sheep out of Jesus' hand; or out of the Father's hand. Whose hand are the believers in exactly? They are in Yahweh's hand.
● Jesus said the Father (who is Yahweh and represents the fullness of the Yahweh-Godhead) was greater. At that time, the Father was greater than the Son because Jesus had
to be "made for a little while lower than the angels" (Hebrews 2:9) in order to fulfill God's plan of salvation. In doing so, Yahweh expressed Himself in the person of Jesus,
the true God-Man. Jesus is also Yahweh and, since His return to glory, shares fully in that divine identity. This will be dealt with more fully later.
● Confirming His equality with the Father, Jesus claimed that He and the Father are ONE. Again, Jesus didn't lie.
Jesus' words emphasized a unity with the Father that went well beyond mere association, confirming a shared essence or nature. Jesus knew that to say, "I and the Father are one," in the context of a discussion with Jewish leaders, would result in accusations of blasphemy for claiming to be equal with God. The statement was understood by his audience as a claim of deity, leading them to attempt to stone him. His claim was a direct assertion of equality with God, which the Jews found offensive and blasphemous, and worthy of death by stoning. All Jesus needed to do in order to avoid this hostile situation - before His time had come - was to correct their wrong conclusion that He was claiming diety. He didn't. Because their conclusion wasn't wrong - He was claiming deity.
As was their Old Covenant Lawful right - if Jesus was not God - the Jews now tried to carry out the punishment for breaking the Law against claiming to be God:
John 10:31-33: "The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus replied to them, 'I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning
Me?' The Jews answered Him, 'We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God."
Deniers of Jesus' divinity (Israel Anderson and many others) claim that Jesus was only a man who was spiritually evolved, and who should be viewed as no more than a guiding example of how we should live our own lives. For them, Jesus' life didn't reflect anything which we can't accomplish ourselves and He was only "god" in the sense that we are all "sons of god." For support within the present passage, they appeal to Jesus' defense against the Jews which He made in the continuing verses:
John 10:34-39: "Jesus answered them, 'Has it not been written in your Law: "I said, you are gods"? If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came [the Word
of God came to humanity, and He is Jesus - John 1:1] (and the Scripture cannot be nullified), are you saying of Him [Jesus] whom the Father sanctified and sent into
the world, "You are blaspheming," because I said, "I am the Son of God"? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, even though you do not
believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.' Therefore they were seeking again to arrest Him
[because He had again claimed deity], and He eluded their grasp."
Until this time Jesus had consistently hidden His deity from the public, and had also told others to do the same, many times. This was because it was not yet His time to die - to be arrested and murdered - sacrificed for the sins of the world. - John 7:1-13 (also: Matthew 9:30; 16:20; Mark 1:34; 43-44; 3:11-12; 5:43; 7:36; 8:30; 9:9; Luke 4:41; John 6:15)
Jesus often deliberately concealed or veiled truth from people who were not spiritually ready or receptive, and certainly when they opposed Him. In fact, it was for this very reason that Jesus spoke in parables. - Matthew 13:10-16 (also: Matthew 10:5-6; 17:9; 21:23-27; Mark 4:10-12; 33-34; John 2:23-25; 16:12) This wasn't deception per se; it was a requirement to protect sacred truths, provoke deeper seeking, or to fulfill divine timing.
As Jesus put it, these Jews trying to trap Him were not of His sheep. Their unwavering resistance towards God - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - was a revelation of their true nature. They weren't followers of God, but were followers of Satan's logic and persuasion, and as such had made Satan their de facto leader - their spiritual father as it were. More on this later.
It was still not time for Jesus to die, and His scriptural quotation in response to these men's attempt to stone Him was an effort to confound them with their own lack of understanding. Jesus was quoting from Psalm 82; a brief but theologically rich psalm that portrays God as standing in judgment over other "gods." While at first glance it may appear cryptic or confusing, Christian interpretation typically understands it within the framework of God's supreme authority, human justice, and a messianic foreshadowing. We will now look at Psalm 82 in some detail.
Who are the sons of God?
First we note that Psalm 82 is properly prefaced with the heading, "A Psalm of Asaph." The Hebrew mizmor le'asaf is part of the Masoretic Text, the authoritative version of the Hebrew Bible used in Judaism and Protestant Christianity. It is not a later editorial addition, but part of the original verse structure in Hebrew manuscripts, and is always counted as verse one in the Hebrew Bible.
Psalm 82:1-8:
1 "A Psalm of Asaph. God [elohim: the one true God] takes His position in His assembly; He judges in the midst of the gods [elohim: rulers, judges]."
- A psalm is a sacred song or a poem set to music, often rich in metaphor and not meant to be taken literally. A Modern example of such a song:
- "You crown me with confidence, I am seated in the heavenly place Undefeated, with the one who has conquered it all." - "Champion" by Dante Bowe / Bethel Music
- This song and Asaph's Psalm both use metaphor to make their points. Relying upon them theologically will leave one stranded on an island - metaphor meaning far from the truth.
- Asaph was a Levite musician appointed by King David (see 1 Chronicles 16:4-7). Twelve psalms (Psalms 50 and 73-83) are attributed to him or his descendants.
- We know that Asaph agreed with the entirety of Old Testament writers, that the name of God was Yahweh, a fact which he repeats numerous times:
- Psalm 50:1a: "A Psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God, the LORD [Yahweh], has spoken." (Also Psalm 73:20,28; 74:18; 75:8; 76:11; 77:2,7,11; 78:4,21,65; 79:5,12; 80:4,19; 81:10,15; 83:16,18)
- Elohim denotes anyone with authority, and can refer to God Himself, angels or humans. The intended meaning of elohim always needs to be carefully determined by context:
- Exodus 21:9: "...the case of both parties shall come before the judges [elohim - human judges]; he whom the judges [elohim] condemn..."
- Psalm 82 portrays God as the divine Judge presiding over an assembly. There are three main Christian interpretations of who the gods in this assembly are:
- Spiritual beings; angelic or fallen powers - a minority view that reflects ancient understandings of a divine council of supernatural beings.
- Idols or false gods - another minority view which receives little credence overall.
- Human rulers or judges; mortal authorities who hold power over the population - the most common view in Christian thought.
- This aligns with John 10:34-38 where, after quoting from Psalm 82, Jesus makes it clear the passage refers to humans, establishing this interpretation as the correct one.
- The main takeaway from Psalm 82 is that God alone has ultimate authority, including over those given temporary power on the Earth.
- Jesus Said He Co-Occupies God's Throne
● One shared throne
Revelation 3:21: "The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne."
- Jesus explicitly claims to already sit with the Father on His throne, demonstrating His co-reign with the Father with shared authority and position.
● One shared throne signifies a shared reign by equal Persons (Revelation 22:1-4)
Revelation 22:1, 3-4: "Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb... There will no longer be any curse;
and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads."
- This is a single throne belonging jointly to God and the Lamb (Jesus), Father and Son. Otherwise, it would be described as the thrones of God and the Lamb.
- Whether this single throne is metaphorical or actual, the statement itself signifies the co-reign of equal Persons of Yahweh - God.
- Confirmed no less than four times through the use of singular pronouns referring to both God the Father and Jesus the Son. Father and Son are ONE - they are Yahweh.
● Seated at God's right hand
Hebrews 1:3: "...and when He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."
Jesus explicitly claims to co-occupy God's throne in Revelation 3:21, where He states that His current position is seated with the Father on His throne, sharing in the Father's rule. This is confirmed in Revelation 22:1-3, where a single throne belongs jointly to "God and the Lamb," from which divine rule flows eternally. The New Testament repeatedly affirms that Jesus is seated "at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3), a position denoting shared authority and reign. This fulfills Psalm 110:1: "Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet" - a prophecy Jesus applies to Himself (Matthew 22:44). Taken together, these passages form a consistent biblical witness: Jesus not only reigns with God but shares the very throne of God, occupying the place of ultimate divine authority - a place reserved for God Alone.
Asaph's use of elohim in describing powerful humans holding authority over a population, is both metaphorical as well as a permitted use of the word. The intended meaning is clear within the psalm itself, since only mortal humans die. When we add Jesus' perspective it really becomes indisputable. The gods to whom Aspah refers are humans, and this designation neither elevates humans to the level of Jesus Christ, nor does it lower the level of our Lord to that of an ordinary human.
As fallen and sinful human beings, we are fundamentally unlike Jesus, who was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Though His life is the perfect example for us to follow, we cannot attain the level of righteousness required to earn God's mercy and forgiveness on our own. The only way to be saved is through Jesus Himself. As He declared, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
Psalm 82 is Asaph's description of:
● Human failure (vs 1-2): Those entrusted with power often fall short;
● God's call to justice (vs 3-4): God demands that those in power protect the weak;
● God is the ultimate Judge (vs 5-7): All authority is answerable to Him;
● Eschatological hope (v 8): God will overthrow injustice, setting all things right; and ultimately
● Christ's fulfillment: Jesus is the righteous Judge and King to whom all nations belong. And He is Yahweh.
It is necessary to point out what can only be described as a profound inconsistency - if not outright speciousness - on the part of those who:
● profess an unqualified commitment to the Bible as their definitive source of theological authority; and yet
● disregard the more than 6,800 explicit references identifying Yahweh as God;
● neglect the abundant biblical testimony affirming the full deity of Jesus Christ; go on to
● isolate and elevate a small handful of passages as though they override the rest of Scripture; and
● subject those selected texts to inadequate exegesis, with minimal critical rigor, in order to reinforce pre-existing doctrinal assumptions.
2 "How long will you [the gods of v1] judge unjustly And show partiality to the wicked? Selah"
3 "Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. 4 Rescue the weak and needy; Save them from the hand of the wicked."
- It is as though Asaph had just read God's own words in the Scriptures and felt they needed to be repeated:
Deuteronomy 1:16-17: "Then I ordered your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen and judge righteously between a person and his fellow
countryman, or the stranger who is with him. You are not to show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You are not to be afraid of any person, for the
judgment is God's.'"
- God rebukes the unrighteous rulers and judges, urging the powerful to repent and turn to justice, and to act on His behalf - especially in protecting the weak and vulnerable.
- Jesus confirmed this in His own ministry, consistently defending and healing the poor and the marginalized, and condemning the oppressive leaders of His time.
- These verses exhort the same values of the Kingdom of God as preached in the Gospels. Both were given by the same God - Yahweh.
5 "They do not know nor do they understand; They walk around in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are shaken."
- These powerful men - the gods - lack wisdom and act blindly, disrupting the moral order, underscoring their base character and the need for divine intervention.
6a "I said, 'You are gods...'"
- This is the quote which Jesus references and speaks about in John 10:34-38, where He responds to Jewish leaders accusing Him of blasphemy for claiming to be God Himself. His purpose was not to dispense pearls of theological wisdom to these obstinate men, but rather to once again (adding to the many examples given above) keep His true identity hidden from those who would kill Him for this claim. His time to be our sacrifice had not yet arrived. Precisely as Jesus had explained that His reason for speaking to people in parables was to keep them uninformed (re-read Matthew 13:10-16), He purposely gave only this short quote, leaving out all the surrounding explanatory information which clearly identifies the gods as those who are given the human responsibility of being a ruler or judge. It had nothing to do with the claim of deity He had just made.
6 "I said, 'You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High.'"
- The Most High can only be Yahweh, and people are His sons by virtue of the fact that it is God who created us in His image, sustains us and saves us.
- Ultimately, sonship applies only to those who choose to follow God, receiving His forgiveness and then His reward - those who are in fact saved:
- Rev 21:7-8 "The one who overcomes will inherit these things, and I [Jesus is speaking] will be his God [Jesus = Yahweh] and he will be My son. But for the
[unrepentant non-believers] ...their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
- Human sons of God are very different from Jesus who is both God's one and only Son, and an expression of Yahweh God Himself:
- "No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him." - see John 1:1-18 (John 3:16-18; 1 John 4:9)
- This is the same as it was in the case of Isaac, who was the type of Jesus, and was Abraham's only son (Genesis 22:2, 12, 16; Hebrews 11:17).
- We just looked at sons of God in more detail above, if you want to review.
7 "'Nevertheless you will die like men, And fall like one of the princes.'"
- Psalm 82 is Asaph's metaphorically-presented scene of a divine courtroom, in which Yahweh addresses a group called "elohim" in verse 1 - powerful earthly rulers and judges. God condemns them for injustice and partiality, especially toward the vulnerable. In verse 7, He delivers His judgment: 'Even though you hold high status, you will die as mortals. You are not exempt.' This is God's rebuke of hubris: Those in positions of divine-like authority will still face mortality and judgment, and they are accountable to the One True God. Jesus, by contrast, is the eternal one and only Son, and He fulfills perfectly the role that human rulers fail to play.
8 "Arise, God, judge the earth! For You possess all the nations."
- Asaph cries out for final justice, asking God to take full control and set everything right. This is the messianic hope, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who will return to judge the world and rule in righteousness (Acts 17:30-31; Rev 11:15).
- "Possession of the nations" anticipates the spread of the Gospel to all people and the ultimate reign of Christ (Rev 14:6-7), again confirming the psalm speaks about humanity.
- Jesus Said He Shares God's Glory
● A glorious throne
Matthew 19:28: "And Jesus said to them, 'Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration, the Son of Man will also sit on His glorious throne...'"
- Jesus' throne is glorious.
● A unique glory
John 1:14: "We saw His [Jesus] glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."
- Jesus' incarnation reveals God's glory on Earth.
● A glory foreseen by Isaiah
John 12:41: "These things Isaiah said because he saw His [Jesus] glory, and he spoke about Him."
- Jesus' glory was glimpsed by Isaiah, who then prophesied of Him:
Isaiah 9:6: "For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."
● A glory which God does NOT share with anyone else
Isaiah 42:8: "I am the LORD [Yahweh], that is My name; I will not give My glory to another..."
● And yet a glory shared between Father and Son
John 17:5: "'And now You, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world existed.'"
- Jesus repeats the same unity and authority seen in the throne passages.
- This is a divine glory of God Himself - Yahweh-Father and Yahweh-Jesus.
- It is Christ's words such as these which set the stage for their full reveal in Revelation 3:21 and 22:1-4, where the shared throne is made explicit.
● And a glory personally experienced by the disciples
John 17:22-24: "'The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them [Jesus' disciples], so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that
they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have
given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.'"
Yahweh's emphatic declaration that He will not share His glory underscores its unique and exclusive nature. Yet the New Testament reveals that Jesus fully shares this divine glory - not in contradiction to God's singular majesty, but as a profound manifestation of the unity between Father and Son. Jesus testifies that the glory He shares with Yahweh-Father existed before time began, highlighting His eternal oneness with the Father and within Yahweh-Godhead. This glory is supremely revealed in the incarnation, which laid bare God's glory for all humanity to behold - if only we have eyes to see (Revelation 3:18).
Together, these passages affirm that while Yahweh's glory remains uniquely His, the Father and Son share it eternally as the One True God, revealing the profound unity within the Godhead. Remarkably, motivated by divine love and mercy, Jesus willingly extends participation in His glory to believers - so that more of humanity may behold God's glory, come to faith, and be saved - becoming partakers in His divine majesty and grace.
● Comparing God's Glory with the glory promised to believers
Hebrews chapter 2 draws a clear and humbling distinction between the glory of God - Father and Son - and the glory promised to believers. The difference begins with the source: God possesses His glory within Himself, eternally and unchangeably. Our glory is not inherent; it is a gift, bestowed by grace through Jesus Christ. And it does not contain the fulness of God's glory. Hebrews 2:9 says,
"But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of His suffering death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the
grace of God He might taste death for everyone."
Before the incarnation, the Son possessed the full divine glory He shared with the Father (John 17:5). But in order to fulfill the Old Covenant Law and become the perfect sacrifice for sin, He took on human existence and entered a lower state - "for a little while lower than the angels." In this humbled condition, Jesus depended upon the Father and submitted Himself fully to Him (John 5:19, 30).
It is in this human context that Hebrews 2:11 calls believers His "brothers." This is not a statement of shared divinity - Jesus is the only begotten from the Father - it is a deliberate affirmation of His true humanity. By calling us "brothers", Jesus identifies Himself with us as a fellow man, fully subject to human weakness, temptation, and mortality - yet without sin. His divine nature remains infinitely above ours, eternal and self-existent, and it is never diminished or shared in the way His humanity is.
In this way, Hebrews 2 presents a profound contrast:
- the Son's earthly glory was veiled and limited in appearance, though never diminished in His divine essence;
- the Father's glory remained undiminished, unshared with any creature except through the Son;
- the believer's glory is entirely derivative, coming from God; and
- just as we can only be righteous through Christ's perfect righteousness imputed to us, we can only have a measure of God's glory because Christ gives it as a gift.
Paul echoes this in Romans 8:17-18:
"...heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."
Our present experience of glory is partial - a hope and a promise - but its fullness awaits the resurrection, when Christ will transform our lowly bodies into conformity with His glorious body (Philippians 3:20-21). Even then, our glory will remain derived and dependent, a gift flowing entirely from Christ's own victory over sin and death.
Thus Hebrews 2 and Romans 8 together remind us: The glory of God belongs to Him by nature; the glory of believers belongs to us only by gift, given through Christ. And when Jesus calls us "brothers", He is speaking from the depths of His incarnation - identifying Himself with us in our humanity, not in His deity - so that, through His condescension and triumph, we may one day share in His reflected splendor and magnify the One from whom all glory flows.
- Jesus Accepted Worship
● Nothing Created is to be Worshipped
Deuteronomy 4:15-20: "Do not... make a carved image... of any (created thing)... and allow yourself to be drawn away and worship them and serve them..."
- Worship is reserved for the Creator alone; nothing created - whether in heaven, on earth, or in the sea - is to be worshipped or served.
● Humans are not to be Worshipped
Acts 10:25-26: "When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter also raised him up, saying, 'Stand up; I, too, am just a man.'"
- No human is worthy of worship.
- Peter immediately corrected this misplaced reverence to prevent blasphemy. (Also Acts 14:11-15)
● Angels are not to be Worshipped
Revelation 22:8-9: "...I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel... But he said to me, 'Do not do that... Worship God.'"
- Angels are created beings and are not to be worshipped. (Psalm 148: 2, 5; Nehemiah 9:6; Colossians 1:16)
- The angel promptly halted improper worship, underscoring that worship belongs only to God. (Also Rev 19:10)
● Only Yahweh Should Be Worshipped
Exodus 20:3-5: "'You shall have no other gods before Me... You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the LORD [Yahweh] your God, am a jealous God...'"
Deut 6:13: "You shall fear only the LORD [Yahweh] your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name."
Matthew 4:10: "Then Jesus said to him, 'Go away, Satan! For it is written: "You shall worship the Lord [Kurios] your God, and serve Him only."'"
- In drawing this rebuke of Satan from the Old Testament, Jesus confirms two things:
1. Yahweh - the God of the Old Testament - continues to be God in the New Testament; and
2. Kurios is the New Testament Greek word most often used representing Yahweh.
● Jesus Should Be Worshipped
- Matthew 14:33: "And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, 'You are truly God's Son!'"
- Matthew 28:9: "Jesus met them and said, 'Rejoice!' And they came up and took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him."
- Matthew 28:17: "When they saw Him, they worshiped Him..."
- John 9:38: "And (the healed man) said, 'I believe, Lord [Kurios].' And he worshiped Him."
- Luke 24:51-52: "...while He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy..."
- Revelation 5:8-14: "'To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion forever and ever.' ...And the elders fell down
and worshiped."
The biblical witness is clear and consistent: Worship belongs exclusively to Yahweh, the One True God. Neither idols, created things, angels, nor humans are to receive worship. Yet, not once did Jesus reject or correct worship offered to Him. We must recognize the pattern - the principle - which has now become the norm. This universal truth holds steady throughout everything we have examined: ONLY Yahweh - AND that includes Jesus.
Continuing in this reality, scripture has here demonstrated that ONLY Yahweh is to be worshipped - AND Jesus is to be worshipped. This dual affirmation - that Yahweh alone is God, and Jesus fully shares in that divine nature - forms the very foundation of Christian understanding and devotion. We worship the Father and the Son - we worship Yahweh.
- Jesus Said He Is Eternal
● Before Abraham - I AM
John 8:58: "Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."
- Jesus takes Yahweh's divine name I AM (Exodus 3:14) for Himself, and claims timeless existence before Abraham.
- The Jews immediately tried to stone Him for blasphemy, showing they understood this as a claim to divinity.
● Before the World Existed
John 17:5: "And now You, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world existed."
- Jesus speaks of pre-existing with Yahweh-Father before creation, sharing divine glory - something Yahweh says He will not share with another (Isa 42:8). (also John 17:24)
● I AM - the First and the Last - the Living One - Alive Forevermore
Revelation 1:17-18: "'...I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore…'" (also Rev 1:17; 2:8; 22:13)
- Jesus is speaking and He has again claimed Yahweh-Messenger's divine name, I AM.
- "The First and the Last", is now also claimed by Jesus. It is a title claimed by Yahweh-Messenger in Isaiah 41:4, 44:6, and 48:12:
Isaiah 44:6: "This is what the LORD [Yahweh] says, He who is the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD [Yahweh] of armies: 'I am the first and I am the last,
And there is no God besides Me.'"
- We have seen repeatedly that Yahweh-Messenger's attributes and titles are completely interchangable between Himself and the Yahweh-Jesus . . .
- Jesus is also King (Matt 27:11; John 18:33-37), Redeemer (Titus 2:13-14; Rom 3:24; Eph 1:7), and yes, Lord of armies in Revelation 19:11-16 where Jesus is all this:
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are
a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. [this name is Yahweh, Rev 22:4] He is clothed
with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were
following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and
He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: 'KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.'"
- There can only be ONE "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" who commands heaven's armies. To think that Jesus only showed us what we all can become is absurd.
- So much of what is written about Yeshua (Jesus, Messiah, Christ, the Son, etc.) is also written about Yahweh-Messenger. Looking at the present passage we see:
- The Faithful and True Witness:
- Yahweh: "May the LORD [Yahweh] be a true and faithful witness..." - Jeremiah 42:5
- Yeshua: "...the faithful and true Witness..." - Revelation 3:14
- The Righteousness Judge of the Earth at the time of the end:
- Yahweh: "...the LORD [Yahweh] for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness." - Psalm 96:13
- Yeshua: "...Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead... on that day... [of] His appearing." - 2 Timothy 4:1-8
- Wages War for the Earth at the time of the end:
- Yahweh: "So will the LORD [Yahweh] of armies come down to wage war on Mount Zion..." - Isaiah 31:4
- Yeshua: "...ten kings... with the beast... will wage war against the Lamb [Jesus], and the Lamb will overcome them..." - Revelation 17:12-14
- "...the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads." - Revelation 14:1
- A Robe Dipped in Blood: "...their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I [Yahweh] stained all My clothes." - Isaiah 63:3
- His name is The Word of God: "The word of God came... saying... So they listened to the word of the LORD [Yahweh]..." - 1 Kings 12:22-24
- A Sword and a Rod: "...LORD [Yahweh]... will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked." - Isaiah 11:3-4
- Wine Press of Wrath: "I [Yahweh] have trodden the wine trough... I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath..." - Isaiah 63:3
- KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS: "...LORD [Yahweh] your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords..." - Deuteronomy 10:17 (1 Tim 6:15)
- Jesus Said, "Today this scripture [from Isaiah] has been fulfilled in your hearing."
Luke 4:17-21: "And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 'The Spirit of the Lord [Kurios - Yahweh] is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord [Kurios - Yahweh].' And He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. Now He began to say to them, 'Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.'"
Here is the passage as translated from it's original language, and how the Jews of Jesus' day understood it:
Isaiah 61:1-2: "The Spirit of the Lord [adonay] GOD [Yahweh] is upon me, Because the LORD [Yahweh] anointed me To bring good news to the humble; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim release to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD [Yahweh]..."
The Significance of Jesus quoting this from Isaiah and applying the prophecy to Himself:
● Whose Spirit is upon Jesus?: "The Spirit [Godhead Person #3] of the Lord [adonay] GOD [Yahweh; Godhead Person #1] is upon me [Godhead Person #2]."
● Who anointed Jesus?: "The LORD [Yahweh] anointed me."
● Whose favorable year has now arrived?: "The favorable year of the LORD [Yahweh]."
● Isaiah, confirms (as does every biblical writer) that Yahweh is the One True God, and Jesus confirms this when He quotes Isaiah (and many other biblical writers).
- If Yahweh is not the One True God, Jesus would have been obligated to correct this most egregious of errors at this time. He didn't. Here or anywhere.
● The passage is a prophecy of the coming Messiah, and so Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, the Son of God - the Son of Yahweh.
● If Jesus had been lying, such a claim is blasphemous and worthy of death. His audience understood this, and so they lawfully attempted to kill Him (vs 28-30).
- If the Jews were wrong that Jesus claimed to be God, all He had to do for them to calm down was to correct them. He didn't. Here or anywhere.
The Significance of Jesus choosing Isaiah - some of Isaiah's prophetic detail confirmed in Jesus, also quoted in the New Testament:
● Born of a Virgin
- Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel."
- Matthew 1:22-23: "'Now all this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: 'Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son,
and they shall name Him Immanuel,' which translated means, 'God with us.'"
- This is a historical claim that affirms both the divine origin and human nature of Jesus.
● The Birth of a Divine and Eternal King
Isaiah 9:6-7: "For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD [Yahweh] of armies will accomplish this."
- The Messiah's titles - Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace - clearly affirm that Jesus is God, the Son, and fully Yahweh in the flesh.
- A divine Child who is Mighty God is coming who will rule with justice and peace. Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise, as the Son of God and eternal King.
- The zeal of the LORD of Armies is embodied within the virgin-born child - Mighty God, Immanuel - affirming that Jesus is the LORD of Armies incarnate.
● Jesus' Ministry of Light in Gallilee
Isaiah 9:2: "...Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them."
Matthew 4:14-16: "...spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: '...Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light..."
- Jesus began His public ministry in Galilee, fulfilling this prophecy by bringing the light of the gospel to this region that had long been spiritually dark.
4 However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore, And our pains that He carried; Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted, Struck down by God, and humiliated.
Matthew 8:16-17: "...they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This happened so that what
was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: 'He Himself took our illnesses and carried away our diseases.'"
John 10:20: "Many of them were saying, 'He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?'"
5 But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, And by His wounds we are healed.
- Isaiah unmistakably confirms Jesus' Substitutionary Atonement for the sins of mankind. This is one of the clearest prophecies of the substitutionary death of the Messiah, foretelling His physical punishment and death, not for His own sin, but for ours - For Our Atonement. This is the heart of the Gospel: EVERYONE will atone for their sin; either through their own Eternal Death, or through acceptance of Atonement as a gift from God, purchased with His own Infinite Death on our behalf.
John 19:34: "...one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out."
- Direct, literal fulfillment of being pierced - this happened after His death, confirming He truly died and emphasizing His suffering.
John 19:31-38: "...another Scripture says, 'They will look at Him whom they pierced.'"
- Quoting Zechariah 12:10, John connects the piercing to Old Testament prophecy, reinforcing the messianic fulfillment - including Isaiah 53.
Revelation 1:7: "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him..."
- Even in the now-approaching judgment, the piercing of Jesus remains a defining image - fulfilling Isaiah 53's prophecy.
2 Corinthians 5:21: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
- Jesus - who was sinless - was treated as sin itself. He bore the full weight (crushing) of our wrongdoings. Something we cannot do for ourselves:
Romans 4:25: "He who was delivered over because of our wrongdoings, and was raised because of our justification."
- He was delivered over to be punished for our sin, and to secure our justification - our well-being before God.
1 Peter 3:18: "For Christ also suffered for sins once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God..."
- Christ took the punishment for sin in our place - the righteous for the unrighteous - to reconcile us to God.
1 Corinthians 15:3: "For I handed down to you as of first importance... that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures."
- Paul emphasizes the substitutionary nature of Jesus' death - "for our sins" - directly aligning with Isaiah 53:5, and other - Old Testament - Scriptures.
Colossians 1:20: "and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace [well-being] through the blood of His cross."
- Peace (well-being) came through His blood - the punishment laid on Him became our reconciliation.
Galatians 3:13: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us..."
- He took on the curse and punishment, which the Law had placed upon us, and freed us from its grip - directly fulfilling Isaiah 53:5.
1 Peter 2:24: "...He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed."
- Only the life of Someone Infinite - God - could have made atonement for ALL!
6a All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way;
Universal Human Sinfulness - Isaiah knew that every single human is sinful by nature.
Romans 3:10-12: "There is no righteous person, not even one... They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt..."
Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
1 Peter 2:25: "For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls."
- Peter explicitly echoes Isaiah 53:6, applying it to all of mankind, including the redeemed, just as Isaiah did.
6b But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all To fall on Him.
Substitutionary Atonement - Isaiah knew that we are not capable of saving ourselves from our sinful nature.
1 Peter 2:24: "...He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed."
- Isaiah unmistakably confirms Jesus' Substitutionary Atonement for the sins of mankind. Only the life of Someone Infinite could have atoned for ALL!
2 Corinthians 5:21: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Galatians 1:4: "Who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father."
John 1:29: "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
Romans 5:6-8: "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ...while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
- "Helpless" - we could not save ourselves.
Ephesians 2:1-9: "And you were dead in your offenses and sins..."
- "Dead" - we could not save ourselves.
"But God, being rich in mercy...made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)..."
- Through His mercy and grace God can now give us life - if we will allow our sin "To fall on Him."
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
- Spiritually dead people can't raise themselves - God had to act to save us.
Galatians 2:21: "I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
- If we could earn righteousness ourselves by "keeping the rules", Jesus wouldn't have needed to die. We will have our sinful nature until God makes us anew at the resurrection.
Galatians 3:10-13: "For all who are of works of the Law are under a curse... Now, that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident..." "Christ redeemed us from the
curse of the Law, having become a curse for us..."
- Jesus did what we couldn't: On our behalf, He bore the curse of the Old Covenant - keeping the Law perfectly - and then paid its Death Penalty - Infinitely - for all who believe.
Romans 8:3-4: "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did:"
- The Law could not save us, because we have a weak, flawwed, sinful nature, often referred to in the Bible as the flesh. - read all of Romans, especially chapters 7 & 8.
"He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin,"
- God - Yahweh - sent the Son - a representation of Himself in human form, to take the punishment for our sin as demanded by the Law.
"He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us..."
- Jesus' sinless human life fulfilled the perfection demanded by the Law and, because He is infinite God, His death paid the Law's punishment Infinitely - for Everyone.
Hebrews 10:1-18: 1 "For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come...can never, by the same sacrifices...make those who approach perfect."
12 "But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God..."
14 "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified."
- The Law and animal sacrifices could never perfect the sinner - Jesus did what they couldn't.
Titus 3:4-5: "But when the kindness of God our Savior [ Father & Son - Yahweh] and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us - not on the basis of deeds which we
did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy..."
- Not by our works (which could never be sufficient) - salvation is fully God's merciful intervention.
John 15:5: "I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."
- Jesus says plainly: "Apart from Me, you can do nothing." Does this in any way sound like Jesus was only an example of what we can also be.
The New Testament writers clearly teach that the only way we can attain God's unyielding standard of perfection, is if we repent of our sin and thank Jesus for taking it upon Himself, and fulfilling the requirement of the Law - Atonement - by paying the Law's sin-penalty of death on our behalf. This is exactly what Isaiah explained centuries earlier.
7a He was oppressed and afflicted,
Matthew 26:67-68: "Then they spit in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him, and said, 'Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?'"
John 19:1-3 & 16: "...took Jesus and had Him flogged. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and placed it on His head, and put a purple cloak on Him; and
they repeatedly came up to Him and said, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' and slapped Him in the face again and again." "...then handed Him over to them to be crucified."
7b Yet He did not open His mouth;
Matthew 26:62-63a: "The high priest stood up and said to Him, 'Do You offer no answer for what these men are testifying against You?' But Jesus kept silent."
Matthew 27:12-14: "And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not offer any answer. Then Pilate said to Him, 'Do You not hear how many things they
are testifying against You?' And still He did not answer him in regard to even a single charge, so the governor was greatly amazed."
1 Peter 2:23: "And while being abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously."
7c Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
John 1:29: "The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'"
Acts 8:32-35: "Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this [from Isaiah 53]: 'He was led like a sheep to slaughter; And like a lamb that is silent before
its shearer, So He does not open His mouth...' Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture [Isaiah 53] he preached Jesus to him."
1 Peter 1:18-19: "Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things... but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ."
Revelation 5:6: "And I saw... a Lamb standing, as if slaughtered..."
8a By oppression and judgment [an illegal process] He was taken away;
As Isaiah foresaw, Jesus' arrest and trial were illegal under Jewish Law for many reasons:
- Jewish Law: Arrests were not to be made without proper warrants and specific charges.
John 18:1-11: Jesus was arrested without specific charges, by basically a gang of thugs.
- Jewish Law: Trials Were Not to Be Held at Night.
Matthew 26:26-75: Jesus was arrested well after supper, and then tried, judged, condemned and beaten by the Jewish Sanhedrin, all before the rooster crowed at dawn.
- Jewish Law: A death sentence required two truthful and independent witnesses (Deut 19:15).
Matthew 26:59-60: "Now the chief priests and the entire Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus... many false witnesses came forward."
Mark 14:56: "For many people were giving false testimony against Him, and so their testimonies were not consistent."
- Jewish Law: The accused could not be compelled to testify against themselves.
Luke 22:71: "And then they [the Council] said, 'What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth!'"
- Jewish Law: The accused had the right to a defense and to call witnesses.
No defense lawyer was assigned; defense witnesses were never called; and the opportunity to mount a defense of any kind was never given.
- Jewish Law: Legal proceedings were not to be held during religious festivals.
John 19:13-14: "...Pilate... brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat... Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover..."
- Jewish Law: In capital cases, judgment and sentencing could not occur on the same day - especially if the verdict was guilty.
John 18 - 19: The narrative from Jesus' arrest through to His crucifixion, all takes place on the same day.
- Convicted in the absence of evidence - strongly condemned under both Jewish and Roman Law.
Luke 23:4: "But Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, 'I find no grounds for charges in the case of this Man.'"
- Regardless of all of this, Jesus was Convicted, Sentenced and Condemned to Death.
John 19:15-16: "So they shouted, 'Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!' Pilate said to them, 'Shall I crucify your King?' The chief priests answered, 'We have no king
except Caesar.' So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified."
8b And as for His generation, who considered That [Few considered, recognized or accepted that Jesus was the Messiah during His time on Earth.]
Luke 19:41-44: "When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying... '...because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.'"
8c He was cut off from the land of the living [Isaiah knew the Messiah would have to die in order to create the plan of salvation.]
Matthew 27:50: "And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit."
8d For the wrongdoing of my people,
Romans 4:25: "He who was delivered over because of our wrongdoings, and was raised because of our justification."
Ephesians 1:7: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace..."
8e to whom the blow was due?
Romans 1:27-32: "...(committing) shameful acts [sins of all kinds] and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to
acknowledge God... ...those who practice such things are worthy of death..."
- Everyone dies the first death. The death which these unrepentant sinners are worthy of is clearly the Second Death - the due penalty of their error.
9a And His grave was assigned with wicked men, [Jesus died between two criminals, as though He were one of them.]
Luke 23:32-33: "...criminals, were also being led away to be put to death with Him. ...they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left."
9b Yet He was with a rich man in His death, [Despite being condemned as a criminal, He was buried honorably by a rich man.]
Matthew 27:57-60: "...a rich man from Arimathea... ...took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock..."
9c Because He had done no violence, [Jesus was innocent of any wrongdoing whatsoever.]
Luke 23:41: "And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our crimes; but this man has done nothing wrong."
Hebrews 7:26: "For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens..."
9d Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
1 Peter 2:22: "He who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth..."
10a But the LORD [Yahweh] desired To crush Him, causing Him grief; [Jesus' suffering and death were part of God's redemptive plan from the beginning - Genesis 3:15.]
Acts 2:23: "this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death."
Acts 4:27-28: "...against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, (were) both Herod and Pontius Pilate... to do whatever Your hand and purpose predestined to occur."
10b If He renders Himself as a guilt offering, [Jesus willingly gave Himself as our guilt offering - our sacrifice for sin.]
Ephesians 5:2: "and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."
Hebrews 9:14: "how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead
works [keeping Old Covenant Law can only lead to death] to serve the living God?"
Romans 8:3: "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for
sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,"
- Jesus was the perfect guilt offering which has forever atoned for the believers' sin.
10c He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days,
- How is this even possible if He was cut off from the land of the living (v8c) when He rendered Himself as a guilt offering (v10b)? Isaiah foresaw Jesus' resurrection and the
spiritual descendants (believers) He brings forth. And he knew that Jesus is Eternal God.
Hebrews 2:10: "For it was fitting for Him... in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the originator of their salvation through sufferings."
- These sons are obviously not physical offspring. They have been perfected through the glorious originator of their salvation - the sacrificed Christ; God in the flesh. They are
far from having a nature even similar to Jesus; they did not and can not originate their own salvation; only Jesus can do that for them.
Revelation 1:18: "I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore..." [These are unmistakable claims to Deity.]
10d And the good pleasure of the LORD [Yahweh] will prosper in His hand. [God's redemptive purpose is accomplished through Christ.]
Colossians 1:19-20: "For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on
earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross."
11a As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; [Christ's suffering leads to a completed and satisfying outcome - our redemption and His return to Glory.]
John 19:30: "Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished!' And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit."
Hebrews 12:2: "...who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
11b By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many,
Justification Through Faith - Isaiah knew that the only way we can be justified before God is through Jesus the Savior, not by anything we can do.
Romans 3:20-26: "because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes knowledge of sin. But now apart from the
Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, but it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ
for all those who believe; for there is no distinction, for all [except Jesus] have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace
through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation [atonement] in His blood through faith. This was to
demonstrate His righteousness, because in God's merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed [under the Old Covenant] go unpunished; for the demonstration,
that is, of His righteousness at the present time [Jesus is this demonstration of God's righteousness - God on Earth], so that He would be just and the justifier of
the one who has faith in Jesus.
In the Bible, the inachievable effort to become righteous was through keeping Old Covenant Law. Today a person's effort might be based upon any number of perceived standards
of conduct. But Isaiah knew that, by any measurement other than the Righteous One, our personal efforts are insufficient and no one can be righteous - Justified - before God:
Isaiah 64:6: "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our wrongdoings, like
the wind, take us away."
Titus 3:5: "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the
Holy Spirit."
And so we again see how different and insufficient the human condition is from Jesus. As He told us Himself:
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."
11c For He will bear their wrongdoings.
Hebrews 9:28: "so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who
eagerly await Him."
- We are unable to bear our own wrongdoings. Unable to pay the debt they have accrued. Only Jesus can do that for us, if we will accept His free gift.
12a Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the plunder with the strong, [Christ is exalted above all others and shares the victory with His people.]
Isaiah saw all the way to the end of this age, including the glory of Christ, and that He would share His honor and glory with those who love Him.
Philippians 2:9-11: "For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name..."
Revelation 5:12: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing."
Matthew 19:28 "And Jesus said to them [His 12 disciples], 'Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration [the first resurrection] when the Son of Man
will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.'"
1 Corinthians 6:2-3: "Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? ...Do you not know that we will judge angels?"
Revelation 20:6: "Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God
and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years."
Revelation 19:15: "He [Jesus] (will) strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron..."
Revelation 2:26-27: "I will give him [the overcomer] authority over the nations; and [together with Jesus] he shall rule them with a rod of iron..."
12b Because He poured out His life unto death, [Christ gave Himself completely, even to death.]
Mark 10:45: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
John 10:11: "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."
12c And was counted with wrongdoers;
Luke 22:37: "For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me: 'And He was counted with wrongdoers'; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment."
- Jesus directly quotes from Isaiah 53, stating that He is its fulfillment.
12d Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, [Reaffirming His substitutionary death.]
Hebrews 9:28: "so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many..."
12e And interceded for the wrongdoers.
Romans 8:34: "Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us."
Isaiah 53 offers one of the clearest and most compelling portrayals of the Gospel found in the Old Testament. In just a few powerful verses, it reveals the heart of God's redemptive plan: a divine Savior who would suffer in our place, bearing the weight of our sin to bring us back into a right relationship with God. This chapter presents a multi-dimensional portrait of the Messiah - His divine nature, His mission to save, His suffering, and His ultimate vindication - all of which are fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.
Far more than ancient poetry, Isaiah's words are the promises of God fulfilled with historical precision and theological depth. The themes of humility, substitution, justice, mercy, and victory resonate throughout the New Testament, confirming that Isaiah 53 is not only prophetic but divinely inspired. It affirms two essential truths: that Jesus is infinitely greater than us in His divine nature, and that He has accomplished for us what we could never do for ourselves. In this way, Isaiah 53 stands as a powerful testimony to the truth, unity, and authority of Scripture.
But Isaiah 53 does even more than that. It also directly refutes the unfounded objection raised by critics such as Israel Anderson:
The Claim That the Gospel Message Was a Later Forgery Added by a Corrupt Early Church
This claim is widely recognized as unfounded, lacking any credible historical or textual evidence. Scholars across theological and historical disciplines agree: There is no reliable documentation to support the idea that the Gospel message was fabricated or inserted into the Bible, by a corrupt early church or anyone else. Additionally, archaeological discoveries increasingly show that the Church embraced the Gospel - including the divinity of Christ - well before the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., where some claim corruption began.
But beyond the lack of evidence for the claim itself, Isaiah's writings - particularly Isaiah 53 - pose an even greater challenge to this claim. As we've seen, Isaiah 53 contains a vivid and theologically rich prophecy that exactly mirrors the core message of the New Testament. It speaks with remarkable precision about a suffering servant who bears the sins of mankind, who is pierced for their transgressions, and who brings them healing through His affliction. It is, in essence, a summary of the Gospel message - crafted with such depth and clarity that it would rival what any biblical scholar could compose, even today. And yet, Isaiah wrote these words centuries before the birth of Christ.
For critics to maintain that the Gospel message was later fabricated, they would also need to argue that Isaiah 53 was either forged or altered at the same time in order to create its remarkable affinity with emerging Christian theology. But this is demonstrably impossible.
The Reliability of Isaiah
The authenticity and integrity of the Book of Isaiah have been overwhelmingly confirmed by archaeological discoveries - most notably the Dead Sea Scrolls. Among the scrolls discovered at Qumran in 1947 was the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaᵃ), a nearly complete copy of the book of Isaiah.
This scroll has been reliably dated to around 150 - 125 B.C., well over a century before the life and ministry of Jesus. Its age has been confirmed through radiocarbon dating1 and paleographic analysis.2 Most significantly, the text of Isaiah 53 in this ancient manuscript is virtually identical to the version we have today - demonstrating that the passage was not inserted, edited, or distorted in the early Christian era.
This discovery decisively removes any credibility from the idea that Isaiah 53 was a Christian-era addition. The prophecy was already in circulation in Jewish communities long before the rise of the early church, and it exactly describes the Gospel message of the New Testament.
In other words, Isaiah's words were not shaped by the New Testament - they anticipated it. The consistency of this passage over more than two millennia affirms not only the reliability of the biblical text, but also the divine foresight woven throughout Scripture.
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1. Radiocarbon Dating (Carbon-14 Analysis)
Conducted by: Laboratories in Zurich and the University of Arizona
Date of Publication: Early 1990s
Result: The scroll was dated to around 335-107 BC.
This scientific method confirmed that the scroll was written well before the time of Jesus.
Reference: Bonani et al. (1992), "Radiocarbon Dating of 14 Dead Sea Scrolls," Radiocarbon, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 843-849.
2. Paleographic Analysis (Handwriting Style)
Conducted by: Scholars such as Frank Moore Cross and others
Based on: Comparison of letter forms with other known dated texts
Result: The script of the Isaiah Scroll was dated to around 150-100 BC.
Paleography placed it solidly in the Hasmonean period, again before the birth of Christ.
Reference: Cross, Frank Moore. The Ancient Library of Qumran, 1958 & later editions.
Summary
Both radiocarbon dating and paleographic analysis independently confirm that the Great Isaiah Scroll was copied more than 100 years before Jesus. This makes it one of the oldest known copies of a complete biblical book.
"The Isaiah Scroll provides dramatic evidence that the biblical text has been preserved with extraordinary fidelity for more than two thousand years."
- Peter W. Flint, Dead Sea Scrolls scholar
video: This 2200 Year Old Scroll Proves Jesus Is God
video: Dead Sea Scrolls: Ancient References to the Real Jesus?
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Daniel's Vision Of God At The End
Of The Age
(Daniel 7:9-14, 22, 27)
Old Testament confirmation of Jesus, His Deity and
His Person as distinct from the Father
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● "I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days [YF] took His seat; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire." - This is Yahweh-Father. Compare: Rev 4:2, 5 & 11; compare Jesus' heavenly appearance 1:13-15
● "A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him [YF]; Thousands upon thousands were serving Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court convened, And the books were opened." - Compare: Rev 22:1; 5:11; 20:11-12
● "Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was killed, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire." - This is at God's coming Judgment. Compare: 2 Thes 2:1-4; Rev 19:20
● "As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time." - Comp: Rev 20:1-3, 7-10
● "I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a son of man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him." - The son of man is Yahweh-Jesus. Compare: Rev 14:14; Matt 16:13-17 - these two Beings are separate Persons, and both are God.
● "And to Him [YJ] was given dominion, Honor, and a kingdom, So that all the peoples, nations, and populations of all languages Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed." - Honors only God is worthy of. Comp: Rev 5:12-14; 7:9-17, 22:3
● "...the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One [YJ], and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom." - The Highest One is Yahweh-Jesus. Compare: Matt 21:9; Rev 18:20; 11:18; - "saints" love Yahweh-Godhead, including Yahweh-Jesus, Rev 20:4-9
● "...the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His king-
dom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the empires will serve and obey Him.'" - Comp: Rev 2:26-27, 11:15; Highest One = Firstborn (Pre-eminent), Col 1:18, Rev 1:5
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The Broken
Heart Of God
(Malachi 1 to 4)
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● "'...if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?' says the LORD of armies [YM] to you, the priests who despise My name!"
- Yahweh-Messenger has again subtly applied the I AM name of God to Himself, as He identifies Himself as One with Yahweh-Father. Just as Jesus did.
● "Do we not all have one Father? Is it not one God [YG] who has created us? Why do we deal treacherously... so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?"
- Malachi, the last-written book of the Old Testament, is God's broken-hearted lamentation over His people's rejection of the spirit of His Covenant with Israel.
- In the book's four short chapters, "LORD of armies" appears 24 times, underscoring that He and His coming New Covenant represent God's final appeal.
● "'...you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by the instruction; you have ruined the covenant of Levi,' says the LORD of armies."
- God nullified this weak and useless (unable to save) obsolete (Heb 7:18-19; 8:13) covenant, replacing it with the New Covenant as He promised. (Jer 31:31-34; Heb 1:1-2)
● "'Behold, I am [YM's Name] sending My messenger [John the Baptist (Matt 11:7-11)], and he [John] will clear a way before Me [YM speaking as YJ; compare Isaiah 40:3; John 1:23]. And the Lord [adon - honored person], whom you are seeking [John], will suddenly come to His [YG] temple; and the messenger of the covenant [YJ], in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,' says the LORD of armies [YM]." - Yahweh-Messenger has spoken this, equating Himself with Yahweh-Jesus.
- A careful reading of this Old Testament passage reveals that the Old Covenant's Yahweh-Messenger is the New Covenant's Yahweh-Jesus.
● "'...they will be Mine,' says the LORD of armies, 'on the day that I prepare My own possession [Rev 19:7, the Bride of YJ] - YM and YJ are the same Person.
● "'...the day is coming, burning like a furnace ...and every evildoer will be chaff [Matthew 3:12]; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze [Rev 20:14-15],' says the LORD of armies, 'so that it will leave them neither root nor branches. But for you who fear My name [YM], the sun of righteousness [YJ, Luke 1:78-79] will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and frolic like calves from the stall. And you will crush the wicked underfoot, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I am preparing,' says the LORD of armies."
- The Day of Yahwey-Messenger's Wrath is also the Day of Yahweh-Jesus' Wrath [Rev 6:16-17].
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● The Suffering Servant - The Complete Gospel Clearly Presented in Isaiah 53!
Isaiah 53 stands as one of the most astonishing and theologically rich passages in the entire Old Testament. It presents a prophetic vision of the Gospel so vivid and profound that many first-time readers believe they are reading from the New Testament. This has led countless believers, and even skeptics to marvel at its clarity and precision, seeing in it the foretelling of the very heart of the Christian faith. As we begin to explore this passage, we are entering a sacred space where prophecy and fulfillment meet, and where the timeless plan of God's redemption is laid bare with breathtaking clarity centuries prior to the actual events.
Isaiah 53:1-12: 1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
John 3:11: "Truly, truly, I [Jesus] say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you people do not accept our testimony."
John 12:37-38: "But though He had performed so many signs in their sight, they still were not believing in Him. This happened so that the word of Isaiah the prophet
which he spoke would be fulfilled: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of dry ground;
Romans 15:12 "Again Isaiah says, "There shall come the root of Jesse, And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, In Him will the Gentiles hope."
Revelation 5:5: "...the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to be able to open the scroll and its seven seals."
He has no stately form or majesty That we would look at Him, Nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him.
Philippians 2:6-8: "who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-
servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross."
- Highlights of Jesus' voluntary self-emptying and humbling by becoming human.
Hebrews 4:15: "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin."
3 He was despised and abandoned by men, A man of great pain and familiar with sickness; And like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we had no regard for Him.
Luke 23:35-36: "And the people stood by, watching. And even the rulers were sneering at Him... The soldiers also ridiculed Him..."
Matthew 26:56: "...Then all the disciples left Him and fled."
John 1:10-11: "...the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him."
Matthew 27:29-31: "And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head... and mocked Him... They spat on Him, and took the reed and beat Him on the head."
Satan's Lie
The lie that Satan told in the Garden of Eden - that humans could become like God - is the most foundational deception in all of Scripture. It is subtle, dangerous, and has resurfaced in today's culture through what is often called 'New Age' theology.
"The serpent said to the woman, 'You certainly will not die! For God knows that on the day you eat from it
your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.'" - Genesis 3:4-5
● You certainly will not die!
- Satan directly contradicts God's command and warning in Genesis 2:17, where God said, "on the day that you eat from it, you will certainly die."
- This is a denial of God's Word. Satan is calling God a liar, stating that disobedience will not bring judgment. But Scripture is clear that sin brings death:
- This is a denial of Jesus Himself who said, "...unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins." - John 8:24
- Adam and Eve's death began that day. Spiritually, through separation from God (Genesis 3:8), and physically, through separation from the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:22-24).
● You will become like God.
- This is the core of the lie-that humans can become like God in a way that usurps His authority.
- Satan implies that God is withholding something good, and that humans can define good and evil for themselves.
- But this was not a promise of godliness or holiness - it was a temptation to autonomy, to be self-governing, to decide right and wrong apart from God. This is rebellion.
- This is Satan's defiant hubris that caused his own downfall: "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." - Isaiah 14:14
- The prideful ambition of Lucifer (Satan), who wanted to be like God in authority and glory. In Eden, he tempts Eve with the same prideful desire.
● The Truth Behind the Lie
- As with all effective lies, there was a grain of truth in Satan's words. After their disobedience, Adam and Eve did gain a knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:22).
- But it was not the kind of knowledge that brings life or godliness. It was the experience of evil through disobedience, which brought guilt, shame, and separation from God.
- God acknowledges that man now knows good and evil, but not in the way that leads to life. Instead, it leads to judgment (Genesis 3).
● Modern Echoes of Satan's Lie
- This ancient lie - that we can become gods, defining what is truth for ourselves - is still alive today.
- In New Age spirituality, where people claim to be divine or to awaken their "god within" or their "christ within".
- In secular humanism, where man is the measure of all things.
- In false religions that promise godhood or exaltation (e.g., Mormonism teaches that humans can become gods).
- Satan still uses partial truths to deceive, just as he did in Eden. As an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) he offers the illusion of enlightenment, but it leads to destruction.
- Jesus told us what is really within human hearts, since we chose Satan's lie over obedience to God:
- "...from within, out of the hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery, deeds of greed, wickedness, deceit,
indecent behavior, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile the person." - Mark 7:21-23
Satan's lie in the Garden was that we can become like God - not in holiness or character (which God desires for us), but in autonomy, deciding good and evil on our own terms. This is the essence of sin: rejecting God's authority and elevating ourselves to take His place.
The gospel offers the true path to restoration - not by becoming gods, but by becoming children of God through faith in Jesus Christ:
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name." - John 1:12