The Christian Letter, Volume One: Chapter 6
Christians, Jews, Muslims, and indeed, everyone, needs to know Who the Messiah is, for without this knowledge how can they know if they should worship Him or not. “Trust in Yahoweh with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;” (Proverbs 3:5). Yahoweh is Creator of Heaven and Earth, and He spoke light into being. Unless we Trust Him, we will wrestle all of our days with the question of Who the Messiah is. Since human understanding cannot understand Him, let us, therefore, begin by praying for His Spirit to guide us in His Word.
Previously, two different questions were asked. One was foolish, and one was wise. The correct one was: “Can the Father and Son be One if they are separate to the degree of the Son praying to the Father? If so, then how should this affect our behaviour? What does Scripture, as a whole, teach us on this?” Now that we have the right question, let us look for the right way to answer it.
Let us start in Genesis, as we always should, where Yahoweh says, “Let Us make man in Our own image.” Yahoweh was not talking to the angels, as they are unable to create. Therefore, we must ask: Who can create?
“In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth. And the earth came to be formless and empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohim was moving on the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:1-2).
“Thus said Yahoweh, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb, ‘I am Yahoweh, doing all, stretching out the heavens all alone, spreading out the earth, with none beside Me,’” (Isaiah 44:24).
“Because in Him were created all that are in the heavens and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or rulerships or principalities or authorities—all have been created through Him and for Him. And He is before all, and in Him all hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17).
“And, ‘You, Master, did found the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.’” (Hebrews 1:10).
“You did found the earth of old, and the heavens are the work of Your Hands.” (Psalms 102:25).
“All came to be through Him, and without Him not even one came to be that came to be.” (John 1:3).
“The Spirit of El has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4).
“Did you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting Elohim, Yahoweh, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.” (Isaiah 40:28).
These texts speak not only of Yahoweh, but also Yahoshuah and the Holy Spirit. So are there three of them? Are there three dieteis or are these divisions of One? Is Yahoshuah, Yahoweh, omnipresent?
“And Elohim said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness,” (Genesis 1:26a).
Us?
“Come, let Us go there and confuse their language, so that they do not understand one another’s speech.” (Genesis 11:7).
Us?
“And I heard the voice of Yahoweh, saying, ‘Whom do I send, and who would go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’” (Isaiah 6:8).
Us!
“Hear, O Yisra’el: Yahoweh our Elohim, Yahoweh is one!” (Deuteronomy 6:4). In Hebrew: “Shama (Hear / obey) O Yisrael (O Israel) Yahoweh (Yahoweh) Eloheinu (our Elohim) Yahoweh (Yahoweh) echad (one).”
“For there are Three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and The Holy Spirit: and these Three are One.” (1 John 5:7).
The Hebrew word for “one” is echad which means composite unity. Echad is used in Genesis 2:24 where the husband and wife become “one flesh.” The word for absolute unity is yachid, which is never used in reference to Yahoweh in Scripture that I have found. Deuteronomy 6:4 and Isaiah 44:8 shows us there is only One Almighty.
Some, however, claim that the Father and the Son are not One in the same, simply because the Christian Church shines in this. Very often when people find faults within Christianity, they just abandon everything for which it stands. A good example of this is that many Jews will not kneel in prayer, simply because the Christians do. In the same way, many Christians will not keep His Feasts, simply because the Jews do. When in reality, few of those commonly called Jews keep the Feasts, and fewer commonly called Christians kneel in prayer. Therefore, one should look at this concept from the pages of Scripture, and the Holy Spirit, as opposed to traditional thought, or denominational theology.
“They forgot El their Saviour, the Doer of great deeds in Mitsrayim,” (Psalms 106:21).
“But I am Yahoweh your Elohim since the land of Mitsrayim, and an Elohim besides Me you shall not know, for there is no Saviour besides Me.” (Hosea 13:4).
“Declare and bring near, let them even take counsel together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has declared it from that time? Is it not I, Yahoweh, and there is no mighty one besides Me, a righteous El and a Saviour, there is none besides Me.” (Isaiah 45:21).
“For I am Yahoweh your Elohim, the Set-apart One of Israel, your Saviour; I gave Mitsrayim for your ransom, Kush and Seba in your place.” (Isaiah 43:3).
“‘You are My witnesses,’ declares Yahoweh, ‘And My servant whom I have chosen, so that you know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no El formed, nor after Me there is none. I, I am Yahoweh, and besides Me there is no Saviour.’” (Isaiah 43:10-11).
“‘See, the days are coming,’ declares Yahoweh, ‘when I shall raise for David a Branch of righteousness, and a Sovereign shall reign and act wisely, and shall do right-ruling and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel dwell safely. And this is His Name whereby He shall be called: Yahoweh our Righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23:5-6). Hear what His Name is to be, O Christians, O Jews, O Muslims, O world: “He shall be called: Yahoweh our Righteousness.”
“Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there. And now the Master Yahoweh has sent Me, and His Spirit.” (Do you think this is Acts, or Matthew? It is Isaiah 48:16). “to the only wise Elohim, our Saviour, be esteem and greatness and might and authority, both now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:25).
“But you, Beyth Lehem Ephrathah, you who are little among the clans of Yehudah, out of you shall come forth to Me the One to become Ruler in Yisra’el. And His comings forth are of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2). (See Isaiah 43:10-11).
“And Yahoweh said to Mosheh, ‘Even this word you have spoken I shall do, for you have found favour in My eyes, and I know you by name.’ Then he said, ‘Please, show me Your esteem.’ And He said, ‘I shall cause all My goodness to pass before you, and I shall proclaim the Name of Yahoweh before you. And I shall favour him whom I favour, and shall have compassion on him whom I have compassion.’ But He said, ‘You are unable to see My face, for no man does see Me and live.’” (Exodus 33:17-20).
No man, not even Moses, could see the face of Yahoweh and live. He is so powerfully righteous that our sin would burn in His presence, for in His presence not one sin can be. Yet look with excitement at what happens next, as if you were Moses himself.
“And Yahoweh said, ‘See, there is a place with Me! And you shall stand on the rock. And it shall be, while My esteem passes by, that I shall put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I shall take away My hand and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.’” (Exodus 33:21-23).
Yahoweh holds Moses in the cleft of the rock with His Hand as He passes by. How did He hold Moses in the rock while He did that? Also, Moses was face to face with Yahoweh at other times, and he did not die (Exodus 24:9-11, 33:11, 20, John 6:46, 12:41, and Isaiah 6:5). Many groups say Yahoweh the Son is Whom Moses beheld, and Who held Moses in the rock, as Yahoweh the Father walked past Him and uttered the Name above all names. Could it be? Considering John 1:18, is there any other option?
Our King will be with us in our suffering, giving us words through the Holy Spirit when we are put on trial, and in our gatherings (Matthew 18:20). I do not doubt that the Father Himself is in Heaven (Matthew 5:16) and I do not doubt He is with us as well (Hebrews 13:5). He is able.
We also see this distinction at the baptism of the Messiah in Matthew 3:16-17. The Son is baptized, the Father speaks from Heaven, and the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, flies down and lands on the Son. Do I understand this? About as well as anyone else, I’m afraid. Much as His Spirit was on the waters at creation, I am aware that He can be separate, but I also know He is wholly Awesome. The most important thing to grasp is that the One we worship, no matter if He is in ten billion places or just one, is Awesome!
Speaking of baptism, Who did John the Baptist think this Messiah was? John is identified as the voice of one who cries in Isaiah, the messenger in Malachi, and Elijah. All three are identified to be John the Baptist, and all three prophecies are about preparing the way for Yahoweh. Not an angel, or a man, or someone from Yahoweh—but Yahoweh Himself.
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of Yahoweh; make straight in the desert a highway for our Elohim. Let every valley be raised, and every mountain and hill made low. And the steep ground shall become level, and the rough places smooth. And the esteem of Yahoweh shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see it. For the mouth of Yahoweh has spoken.’” (Isaiah 40:3-5).
“‘See, I am sending My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me. Then suddenly the Master you are seeking comes to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. See, He is coming,’ said Yahoweh of Hosts. ‘And who is able to bear the day of His coming, and who is able to stand when He appears? For He is like the fire of a refiner, and like the soap of a launderer.’” (Malachi 3:1-2).
“‘For look, the day shall come, burning like a furnace, and all the proud, and every wrongdoer shall be stubble. And the day that shall come shall burn them up,’ said Yahoweh of Hosts, ‘which leaves to them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My Name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings. And you shall go out and leap for joy like calves from the stall. And you shall trample the wrongdoers, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,’ said Yahoweh of Hosts. ‘Remember the Torah of Mosheh, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Yisra’el—laws and right-rulings. See, I am sending you Eliyahu the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yahoweh. And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with utter destruction.’” (Malachi 4:1-6).
“and saying, ‘Repent, for the reign of the heavens has come near!’ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Yeshayahu, saying, “A voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of Yahoweh, make His paths straight.’” (Matthew 3:2-3). (See Isaiah 40:3-5 above).
“I indeed immerse you in water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to bear. He shall immerse you in the Set-apart Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He shall thoroughly cleanse His threshing-floor, and gather His wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff He shall burn with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11-12).
“As smoke is driven away, you drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, the wrong perish before Elohim.” (Psalms 68:2).
John the Baptist was born before Yahoshuah, however, John says Yahoshuah was before him. Take a look at John 8:58-59: “Yahoshuah said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I am.’ Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Yahoshuah was hidden and went out of the Set-apart Place, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.” Why did they pick up stones to kill Him? It is because He was claiming to be Yahoweh. (Please read all of John 10). John 10:31-33 reads, “Again the Yahudim picked up stones to stone Him. Yahoshuah answered them, ‘Many good works I have shown you from My Father. Because of which of these works do you stone Me?’ The Yahudim answered Him, saying, ‘We do not stone You for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself Elohim.” The Jews understood Yahoshuah was claiming to be Yahoweh. Also, the Messiah escaped rather than denouncing that He was indeed Yahoweh. Would the Rabbi leave His sheep in confusion, or is what they heard Him say true?
“And one of the scribes coming near, hearing them reasoning together, knowing that He had answered them well, asked Him, ‘Which is the first command of all?’ And Yahoshuah answered him, ‘The first of all the commands is, “Hear, O Israel, Yahoweh our Elohim, Yahoweh is One. And you shall love Yahoweh your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This is the first command. And the second, like it, is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other command greater than these.’
And the scribe said to Him, ‘Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the Truth, for there is One Elohim, and there is no other besides Him. And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the being, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, is more than all the burnt offerings and offerings.’
And when Yahoshuah saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the reign of Elohim.’ And after that no one was bold enough to question Him. And Yahoshuah responding, said, while teaching in the Set-apart Place, ‘How is it that the scribes say that the Messiah is the Son of David? David himself said by the Set-apart Spirit, “Yahoweh said to my Master, ‘Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool of Your feet.’” David himself calls Him “Master.” In what way then is He his Son?’ And the large crowd heard Him gladly.” (Mark 12:28-37).
The two greatest commandments are the essence of the Ten Commandments, true, but what does Yahoshuah mean by, “You are not far from the reign of Elohim.” What more did he need? The Messiah answers this with a question. Read that last paragraph again.
When the Messiah asked the Pharisees what David meant when he said, “Yahoweh said to my Master, ‘Sit at My Right Hand,’” the Pharisees couldn’t answer, and that answers a lot. They knew Who He claimed to be, inasmuch as they knew the Scriptures claimed the same. But what about some of the passages that make Yahoweh and Yahoshuah seem so separate?
“Can the Father and Son be One if they are separate to the degree of the Son praying to the Father? If so, then how should this affect our behaviour? What does Scripture, as a whole, teach us on this?”
Who was Yahoshuah praying to in the garden and on the cross? Who was Yahoweh talking to when He said, “Let Us make man in Our Own image?” When He prayed on the cross, was He fulfilling all things written about Him such as Psalms 22? Yahoweh was both Fire and Cloud for the fleeing Israelites in Exodus, question His ability to be both Son and Father and Spirit, and we question how He could create something out of nothing, how He could speak and light would form, and how His blood can save us. … How He could love us.
“And Yahoweh went before them by day in a column of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a column of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. The column of cloud did not cease by day, nor the column of fire by night, before the people.” (Exodus 13:21-22).
While we commonly see, throughout Scripture, discourse between Yahoweh and Himself, this prayer is sometimes seen as a stumbling block. Other times we see the Messiah praying it is an instruction. Was this prayer an instruction? Was the lesson for Peter?
“O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I desire, but as You desire.” (Matthew 26:39b).
“O My Father, if it is impossible for this to pass unless I drink it, let Your desire be done.” (Matthew 26:42b).
And as the text states, “He left them and went to pray a third time according to the first words.” (Matthew 26:44).
It is often said that Yahoshuah was fully human as well as fully divine, and humans should pray. Therefore, it follows that it was proper for Yahoshuah to pray in His humanity. Yet, does the common reading of this prayer line up with surrounding Scripture, or with Peter? Let us be diligent and look.
“And look, one of those with Yahoshuah put out his hand and drew his sword, and striking the servant of the high priest he cut off his ear. Then Yahoshuah said to him, ‘Return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword shall die by the sword. Or do you think that I am not able to pray to My Father now, and He shall provide Me with more than twelve legions of messengers? How then would the Scriptures be filled that it has to be this way?’ In that hour Yahoshuah said to the crowds, ‘Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to arrest Me? Daily I sat with you, teaching in the Set-apart Place, and you did not seize Me. But all this came to be, so that the Scriptures of the prophets might be filled.’ Then all the taught ones left Him and fled.” (Matthew 26:51-56).
Considering that the Messiah said He could have prayed and legions of angels would protect Him, we must now look at His prayer in the garden a little differently than that of a begging man. Considering the disciples fled, as each of us has done in the past, perhaps this prayer, too, is very much for us.
“Then Shim’on Kepha, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. And the servant’s name was Melek. Then Yahoshuah said to Kepha, ‘Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?’” (John 18:10-11).
The prayer in the garden is read as if the Messiah were asking that the cup be taken, but here He asks, “Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?”
“Then He said to them, ‘My being is exceedingly grieved, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.’ And going forward a little, He fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I desire, but as You desire.’ And He came to the taught ones and found them asleep, and said to Peter, ‘So, were you not able to watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into trial. The spirit indeed is eager, but the flesh is weak.’ Again He went away, a second time, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is impossible for this to pass unless I drink it, let Your desire be done.’” (Matthew 26:38-42). The Messiah wanted to pray with them, not apart from them. He wanted to pray for them, and Peter especially, not Himself. The Rabbi prays. Will you stay awake to hear His prayer for you?
Through prayer, the Almighty can command His Spirit, but if we sleep and reject that prayer, then we, too, will deny Him. Can we perform a righteous deed that the Creator is unable to do as well? Of course not. Are not His Words a prayer to us, asking us for His yearning desire? The Bible ends, after all, with the word: Amen.
Side note:
Picture a man sitting on a park bench. There is a street a little ways away, and the day is just beautiful. In the first scenario, a homeless man, who smells of urine and feces, who has not bathed in months, comes up to him and says, “Hey man, do you know what I am going to do, huh, do you? I’m going to give you the greatest secret in the world for riches. That’s right man, I’m going to tell you how to be rich!”
The man on the bench is not going to listen to this man … at all. In a different scenario, a brand new sports car pulls up, the kind you only see in fancy magazines or movies, and out steps a man dressed in a suit and tie made for him. He walks up, sits down beside the man, and says, “Sir, I have been watching you for a long time. I know about you, and I want to do something for you, because I know it will help more than just you. I am going to tell you the greatest secret, and the easiest way, to become incredibly wealthy.”
That man will hang on this rich man’s words. He will listen and apply. He will smile, lean in, and memorize that conversation.
I urge you to never listen to, or adhere to, a man who claims to not believe in the Messiah, but is going to tell you all about Him anyway. Who a person is to us, determines what we do with those words. A growing number of allegedly Jewish ministers out there are trying to tell you about the Messiah, while they are an unbeliever. Really? These people will tell you that they believe Yahoshuah was a good man, but not the Messiah. … Let’s work on that for a moment, shall we?
If your neighbor claimed to be the Messiah, and said that anyone who has seen him, has seen Yahoweh—you would not write a nice little kiddy book about him, or go around preaching that he is a nice man. You would call him a lunatic and liar—demon possessed. Yet, these alleged ministers openly announce they do not believe in Him … but He sure was a nice guy.
Wow.
You get the same thing with messianic rabbis. Who do these people think they are fooling? The Messiah openly stated to not call anyone a rabbi, for One is your Rabbi. These men may as well call themselves Messiahs. Yet, to this day, many people are so ignorant of the Scriptures that they follow these alleged rabbis, more than likely because of word studies they got from non-believing Hebrew scholars.
Look, at best, these people are tourists to the faith. At best! We serve a King so powerful that He created the world, placed life on this earth, and breathed life into beasts, both animal and man. It is high time we stop telling Yahoweh Elohim that He cannot be the Saviour, Yahoshuah, that He cannot hear all our prayers, and that He cannot love even those who reject Him by calling Him a good man, as well as a liar.
Ah, but there is something darker, something far worse than even these wolves that have entered in. While it makes no sense, it is nonetheless true: Christians all over the world profess Him as the Almighty, and yet refuse to obey Him. How dark a heart must be, how confused by doctrines, how beguiled by the foolishness of devils, to call Him King, but think we have the right to alter His Word by professing to all: “There is no need to obey the King anymore, for His Word is older than ours.”
No. … No more. I accept Him as King, and by doing so, I know that I become His. I hope, I pray, that you will accept Him today, this very day, as the Almighty King, Whose Ageless Word is far and away more powerful and important than any of our traditions or fellow brothers.
Many groups profess that Yahoshuah is just an angel. To think that the Saviour, the Messiah, is just an angel is exactly what Satan wants. The devil, an angel himself, wanted Yahoweh to worship him, but no angel is to be worshiped. Even so, Satan tried to tempt the Messiah to worship him in Luke 4:5-7. Now some have said, “Yahoshuah was just a man, otherwise Satan wouldn’t have tried to tempt Him. How can you tempt a deity?” But if Yahoshuah was just a man, or just an angel, there is no way Satan would have given up everything to be worshiped by Him. Satan knew Who the Messiah has to be, according to Isaiah 49:26. Satan knew the Messiah was Yahoweh; otherwise, there is no way he would have offered such a request. Satan wants Yahoweh to worship him (Isaiah 14:12-14). That is why a third of Heaven fell (Revelations 12:7-9). Do you think he would give up everything, one third of the angels included, just to be worshiped by one angel? No! Satan tried to get Yahoweh to worship him before and he is still trying. He, however, will always fail.
“And Yahoshuah answering him, said, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For it has been written, “You shall worship Yahoweh your Elohim, and Him only you shall serve.”’” (Luke 4:8). And Yahoshuah was, and is, and shall be, worshiped.
Yet, Whom do we serve? Luke 4:8 or Colossians 3:24?
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Master and not to men, knowing that from the Master you shall receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Master, Messiah, you serve.” (Colossians 3:23-24).
Others believe that the Messiah was just a man, yet that is the purest form of human worship, or humanism. No human could be perfect. Not one. The Saviour is Yahoweh. The very Name of the Messiah, Yahoshuah, proves this. Yahoshuah means: Yah is Saviour! It’s even in His Name!
“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the Name of Yahoweh shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21).
“And there is no deliverance in any one else, for there is no other Name under the heaven given among men by which we need to be saved.” (Acts 4:12).
Every man must die for his own sins. Consider the Word of the Messiah, that to even look at a woman lustfully is a sin, and that to do so is to commit adultery with her in your heart. Do you think, for one moment, that to be perfectly sinless is a feasible possibility for a man? I sin every day! I don’t like it. I do my best to fight it, but from a smidgen of pride to a thought gone wrong there ain’t a soul alive today on this earth that could claim to be sinless and still be sane.
“And He said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except One—Elohim. But if you wish to enter into life, guard the commands.’” (Matthew 19:17). To say the Messiah is not good is simply absurd. Even if you did not believe in Him, that would be a ludicrous statement. The Messiah was sinless, and you do not get more “good” than that. Yahoshuah says that only Elohim is good, and the Messiah is called Elohim many times in both the Hebrew and the Greek Scriptures.
All men have sinned and gone astray. Is the Messiah a sinner? Or is He good? Abraham, who was called a friend of Yahoweh in 2 Chronicles 20:7, lied in Genesis 20:2-5. David, who was a man after Yahoweh’s own heart according to Acts 13:22, committed adultery in 2 Samuel 11:3-4, and Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, whose wisdom would never be surpassed by “man” according to 1 Kings 3:12, had a thousand wives according to 1 Kings 11:3, and worshiped pagan idols. No man is without sin (Romans 3:23). In fact, even the angels fell to the temptation of lust in Genesis 6:2. And since Yahoshuah showed how high the bar always was in Matthew 5:27-28, I again, being an honest man, can say that no one can escape sin’s cost without His sacrifice.
Since Yahoshuah claimed to be the Father, His claims are either true or false. If false, He must have been a liar, deliberately misleading the multitudes. However, if Yahoshuah was a good man, as many people believe, how then could He be both good and a liar? Indeed, He and the Father are One.
Think back to a time of teenage years: Did you ever lust, feel greed or spite; have you always honored your parents, even when upon hands and knees you walked? Isn’t it time we asked in prayer, “Yahoweh, the Almighty One worshiped by Avraham, Yitzhak and Ya’akov, are You Yahoshuah, the Saviour of Israel?” His Spirit will answer you if your own words are still.
Let us consider how some common translations read: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9). The very Name of our Creator is often distorted into Lord, and Yahoshuah is often traded down for the name Jesus. Considering this, how would we read this passage if it had not been altered?
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Yahoshuah is Yahoweh,’ and believe in your heart that Elohim raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9). Elohim is Spirit, and it is only by His Spirit this unfathomable truth can be known. If Yahoshuah is the Word, then He is the Spirit, and the Spirit is indeed the breath of Yahoweh.
While translations vary, the King of my heart doesn’t. The Scriptures read: “That if you confess with your mouth the Master Yahoshuah and believe in your heart that Elohim has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” There can be only One Master!
“And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Master and my Elohim!’” (John 20:28). Did Thomas trade Yahoweh for a mere man? Or is Yahoshuah the Master Yahoweh? “And we know that the Son of Elohim has come and has given us an understanding, so that we might know the true One. And we are in the true One, in His Son Yahoshuah Messiah. This is the true Elohim and everlasting life.” (1 John 5:20). Yahoweh is the true Elohim! As, “for us there is One Elohim, the Father, from Whom all came and for Whom we live, and One Master Yahoshuah Messiah, through Whom all came and through Whom we live.” (1 Corinthians 8:6). No man can serve two masters. Yah is Yah!
Side note: The Name of the Father with a title is, “Yahoweh-Yiri,” which means, “Yahoweh my Provider.” In Scripture, His Name is abbreviated and rendered in its short form forty-nine times as “Yah,” just as Elohim is sometimes rendered in its short form, “El.” So, “Yahoweh-Yiri,” could also be rendered as, “Yah-Yiri,” or, “Yahyiri.” The Father has another Name: Yahoshuah, the Messiah. The Name Yahoshuah broken down is Yah-Shua, in its long form Yahoweh-o-Shua, or, “Yahoweh is Saviour.”
“But I am Yahoweh your Elohim since the land of Mitsrayim, and an Elohim besides Me you shall not know, for there is no Saviour besides Me.” (Hosea 13:4).
In John 20:28, Thomas said the Son of Yahoweh was, in most translations: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas called the Saviour both “Lord and God” and Yahoshuah not only didn’t correct him, but went on to tell him that those who believe even though we have not seen Him are blessed. If Yahoshuah were not “Lord,” He would have corrected Thomas. What is the Name, Yahoweh, altered to? What word has been used to replace the title Elohim?
Kurios is the term used for “god” in the Greek. It is the word used for lord throughout Romans (save once). Kurios is used even when quoting Joel 2:32 in Romans 10:13 (please read 10:9-13). “Lord” in Joel, is truthfully: Yahoweh, the Almighty Himself. Is the Messiah not called “Lord” many times in the Greek Scriptures? In the Hebrew Scriptures The Father’s Holy Name was changed from Yahoweh to LORD, or in the Greek: Kurios. Since some earlier copies of the Greek texts show His Name in Hebrew, could not the same blasphemous thing have been done to the Greek Scriptures? When we see, “Jesus is Lord,” is what we’re really seeing, “Yahoshuah is Yahoweh”?
Let us consider this again. Some translations read to the effect: “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed; and no one can say that Jesus is the Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3). What happens when we restore the Names?
“Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of Yahoweh calls Yahoshuah accursed; and no one can say that Yahoshuah is Yahoweh, except by Ruach HaKodesh.” (1 Corinthians 12:3). No man can say Yah is Yah save by Yah. Should He be confined to human logic? No. You cannot even say this unless you have the Holy Spirit! I have never met an atheist who, if he were to believe, would ever believe that it is possible for the Father and Son to be One. This is truly of His Spirit, for until you meet Him in Word and heart, and walk with Him in action, you cannot know Him.
However, when Thomas felt the nail marks and the side of the Messiah … Who was he touching, according to the Scriptures? Was this a man, a spirit, or was this Yah?
“For dogs have surrounded Me; a crowd of evil ones have encircled Me, Piercing My hands and My feet;” (Psalms 22:16).
Yahoweh Himself speaks, “And I shall pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Yerushalayim a spirit of favour and prayers. And they shall look on Me Whom they pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for his Only Son. And they shall be in bitterness over Him as a bitterness over the first-born.” (Zechariah 12:10). (See Revelation 1:7).
“See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” (Luke 24:39).
“But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and instantly blood and water came out. And he who has seen has witnessed, and his witness is true. And he knows that he is speaking the truth, in order that you might believe. For this took place in order for the Scripture to be filled: ‘Not one of His bones shall be broken.’ And again another Scripture says, ‘They shall look on Him Whom they pierced.’” (John 19:34-37).
Yah is Yah.
“I have sworn by Myself, a word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, so that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue swear. One shall say, ‘Only in Yahoweh do I have righteousness and strength’—he comes to Him. And all those displeased with Him shall be put to shame.” (Isaiah 45:23-24).
“Elohim, therefore, has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every Name, that at the Name of Yahoshuah every knee should bow, of those in Heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Yahoshuah Messiah is Master, to the esteem of Elohim the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11).
Strange and beautiful, isn’t it, that Yahoweh is so Powerful … and yet so Gentle.
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father also does seek such to worship Him. Elohim is Spirit, and those who worship Him need to worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24).
“But the Helper, the Set-apart Spirit, Whom the Father shall send in My Name, He shall teach you all, and remind you of all that I said to you.” (John 14:26).
Yahoweh-Ha-Ruach is not only the hearer of prayer, but also an answerer of prayer. He is not only our Judge, but also our Pleader. He is Yahoweh! “for Yahoweh is our Judge, Yahoweh is our Lawgiver, Yahoweh is our Sovereign, He saves us—” (Isaiah 33:22). This is the Almighty One.
“And the Elohim of peace Himself set you completely apart, and your entire spirit, and being, and body—be preserved blameless at the coming of our Master Yahoshuah Messiah!” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Are you three: a spirit, being, and body, or are you one? In the same way: Yahoweh is not a Father or a Son or a Holy Spirit, but Father and Son and Holy Spirit. In order for the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers, He would have to be infinite, but Who do we say He is?
“Now when Yahoshuah came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His taught ones, saying, ‘Who do men say the Son of Adam is?’ And they said, ‘Some say Yohanan the Immerser, and others Eliyahu, and others Yirmeyahu or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘And you, who do you say I am?’ And Shim‘on Kepha answering, said, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living Elohim.’ And Yahoshuah answering, said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Shim‘on Bar-Yonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father in the heavens.’” (Matthew 16:13-17).
You can come up with different answers as to Whom Yahoshuah is; however, the Messiah asked, “And you, who do you say I am?” He asks us to judge Who He is. If we judge Him as a man or angel, then we are in effect saying that we are on His level, and thus able to match His perfection. Thus, we condemn ourselves. Furthermore, if we judge and say He does not exist, then He may judge us the same way: We do not exist. However, if we judge Him as Yahoweh, then we are saying that He is far above us, and that we could never attain His perfection, even though we strive for it with the sole reason to love He Who loved us first.
Philip was confused at what Yahoshuah was saying, and so asked to see the Father. A great many people are confused, in denial, or so angry at the ways of the church they deny everything the church does whether Biblical or not. They really ought to stop wondering and simply question themselves for a moment. “Hey. What if the Messiah already answered the question? Will I believe Him?” If the answer is yes, which I really hope it is, then, hey, let’s ask Him!
Rabbi! Who … are … You?
Yahoshuah answers, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father too. From now on you know Him, and have seen.”
“Well yeah, but the Father is the only Saviour … so show us the Father. We are going to worship Him and only Him.”
Yahoshuah answers, “Have I been with you so long, and you have not known Me, [insert your name here]? He who has seen Me has seen the Father, and how do you say, ‘Show us the Father?’”
(Taken from John 14:7-9).
If I am wrong and the Father and Son are not One, then I have this to say in my defense: The Son was sinless and loved beyond our understanding; therefore, if I have mistook Him for the Father Himself, then may this mistake be to the glory of Yahoweh the Father. However, if I were to say the Father and Son are not One, then I have found a difference between the Father and Son, and by my words have attempted to disgrace the Father with His Son. Indeed, we are unable to understand eternity, though we have the concept of it. Likewise, who among us can fully understand His great Love? Thankfully, though, our lack of understanding His great Love does not nullify the very potent reality. In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two. With faith, I take joy in Isaiah 9:6. Will you?
“Who do you say that I am?”
“Yahoshuah. You are the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace … the One Who loved me first.”
“You have said it.”
“Rabbi … may I ask it?”
“You may.”
“Since then I am Yours, who do you say I ought to be?”
Be Blessed and be a Blessing.
Shalom
-Valentine Thalken Billingsley
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Additional Scripture References:
Psalms 33:6, John 15:7, Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 1:8, Jeremiah 17:10, Revelation 2:23, Ephesians 1:23, Isaiah 45:21-22, Isaiah 48:12, Jude 1: 5, Genesis 18:1, Genesis 14, 2 Peter 1:1, Titus 2:13, Acts 13:2, Philippians 2:5-11, John 1:14, John 8:56-58, Colossians 1:15-16, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Psalms 139:7, 1 John 2:23, John 14:17, 1 Corinthians 12:11, Acts 8:29, Hebrews 1:2-3, Acts 17:29, Colossians 2:2, 2:9, Isaiah 25:9, 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, Exodus 34:34, Jeremiah 32:18, Colossians 2:9-10, Daniel 4:34, Isaiah 9:6, Psalms 112:5; Yah is the Rock: Deuteronomy 32:4, 1 Samuel 2:2, 2 Samuel 22:32, Isaiah 8:14, Psalms 95:1, 1 Corinthians 10:4, and 1 Peter 2:6; Yah is the First and the Last: Isaiah 41:4, 44:6, and 48:12 compare to Revelations 1:17, 2:8, and 22:13; Yah is the Great I AM: Exodus 3:13-14, John 8:58, 13:19, 18:5; Yah is our Light: Micah 7:8, Isaiah 60:20, Psalms 27:1, Luke 2:32, John 1:9 and 8:12; Yah is Elohim: Deuteronomy 32:39, Jeremiah 32:18, Isaiah 9:6, 43:10, and 45:22, 2 Peter 1:1, Hebrews 1:8, and 1 John 5:20; Yah is Judge: Genesis 18:25, Joel 3:12, Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10, and 2 Timothy 4:1; Yah is King of kings and Master of masters: Deuteronomy 10:17, Psalms 136:1-3, 1 Timothy 6:14-16, and Revelations 17:14; The Father, Son, and Spirit, know all things: 1 John 3:20, John 16:30, and 1 Corinthians 2:10-11; The Father, Son, and Spirit, sanctify us: 1 Thessalonians 5: 23, Hebrews 2:11, and 1 Peter 1:2; The Father, Son, and Spirit, give us life: Genesis 2:7, John 5:21, and John 6:63; The Father, Son, and Spirit, fellowship with us: 1 John 1:3 and 2 Corinthians 13:14; The Father, Son, and Spirit, are outside of time, a reality we call eternity: Psalms 90:2, Micah 5:2, and Hebrews 9:14; The Father, Son, and Spirit, love us: John 3:16, Ephesians 5:25, and Romans 15:30, and while some may scoff and say that Love proves nothing, in truth, Love proves all.
