Recently, a dear sister discovered this ministry through our website, www.themessianictorahobserver.org. She reached out to me via a couple email messages. And she posed the question: Who or what I believe Yeshua Messiah to be?

 

And she prefaced her question by informing me, along with some other information that I’ll not mention, that she had perused our website, but could not find the answer to her question.

 

I knew immediately what she was asking me. And I realized right then and there that this was a topic or issue I needed to re-address, sooner than later.

 

Now, I actually published two posts that addressed this issue: The first one on 12/3/2016, and that one was entitled simply the Divinity of Yeshua Messiah, Part 1. I apparently did not post a 2nd or concluding part to this post. However, I did another post entitled, “My Last Word on the Cepher Bible and the Divinity of Yeshua Messiah-Till Next Time,” which I posted on 1/4/2019. (If you are so led, I would invite you to check out either or both of those posts.)

 

Obviously, I did not do justice to this topic and that’s probably not acceptable. At least not acceptable to me.

 

My understanding of who and what Yeshua Messiah is, in the grand spiritual scheme of things means nothing. But to you, my listeners and readers, it is important that you understand and know where I presently stand on this topic. It’s important to you because it will give you a reference point and help you understand, in some ways, how and why and from what perspective I frame certain Yeshua-related topics and issues.

 

Now, I will say at this juncture, that my understanding of the Person of Yeshua Messiah does not jive with the understanding that some brethren in our Faith Community have.

 

I would describe my understanding of the Person of Yeshua Messiah as “scripturally pragmatic.” In other words, my understanding of the Person of Yeshua Messiah is based exclusively on the identification He either gave or affirmed of Himself to us, as well as the Creator’s identification of who Yeshua was and is. To me, this is the only criteria I need to establish my understanding of who and what Yeshua Messiah was and is.

 

When I was in Denominational Christianity, I based my understanding of the Person of Yeshua Messiah on the teachings and traditions of the handful of denominations I was a part of. And generally speaking, that understanding was trinitarian based. However, prior to my coming into this beloved Faith of ours, I began having serious doubts about the biblical accuracy of the Trinitarian Concept and my understanding of the Person of Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ at the time) became uncertain.

 

Upon my coming into the fringe area of our Faith Community that houses the splinter groups of Herbert W. Armstrong’s Worldwide Church of God—namely United Church of God and the Church of God, International—my understanding of the Person of Yeshua Messiah shifted.

 

It was in these groups that I came to partially accept the so-called Binarian or Binary Nature of God—God the Father and God the Son, although I still struggled with assigning Yeshua the title “God.”

 

 

But it wasn’t until I transitioned out of the Churches of God and began receiving substantive, meat level teachings from some of our Communities most prominent teachers that my understanding of the Person of Yeshua finally moderated. And allow me to just say: My understanding of the Person of Yeshua Messiah didn’t moderate because of the doctrine or teaching of these Messianic/Hebrew Roots teachers. My understanding shifted because I had finally become free from the influence and indoctrination of organized religion for the first time in my life.

 

The other thing I will admit to you is that I am still a student of this critical subject of our Faith. I don’t pretend one bit to think that I know all there is to know about the subject. For the truth of the matter is, I only know what I know.

 

Thus, I don’t feel that I am in any place to criticize brothers or sisters of our Faith as it relates to their understanding of the Person of Messiah, just as long as we can agree on the basic Truths of who He was and is:

 

• He was born of a virgin through the agency of the Holy Spirit (Mat. 1:20; Luk. 1:35).
• He is the Son of the Living Elohim (Mat. 16:16; Joh. 6:69).
• He bled suffered and died for our sins and His Heavenly Father raised Him from the dead on the 3rd day.
• He has been exalted above all creation where He sits at the right-hand of the Creator and intercedes on our behalf before YHVH (Act. 2:33; 5:31; Phi. 2:9; Heb. 7:25; 9:24).
• And He was without sin (Heb. 4:15; 9:28).

 

By the way, I did respond to the dear sister’s inquiry. And it is my response to her inquiry that I will frame my discussion here today.

 

I’d like to begin the discussion first and foremost by stating my understanding of the prevailing theories as it relates to the identity of Yeshua. Some of these “theories” are based upon the various rulings by the early Catholic Church (aka the Church Triumphant) through the leadership and influences of the so-called [Patristic] Church fathers.

 

The Trinity=There appears to be at least 2 primary lines of thought regarding Yeshua’s relationship to a Trinity.

 

The first is a Godhead that consists of 3 co-existing Entities or Persons. These Entities or Persons make up this Godhead and they include, of course: The Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost. Each Person in this Godhead is equal in every respect, but they are said to execute different functions in the work of redemption, salvation and restoration.

 

The Trinity is not in any true sense biblical, although those who hold to this understanding of God and Jesus contend that scripture heavily points to the Trinity as the only viable understanding of the Persons of Yeshua and YHVH.

 

Another aspect of The Trinity has the Godhead consisting of One God or Entity. This one God or Entity, however, functions in 3-differing capacities. Those 3-differing capacities are often described separately by employing the title “God” and a definite article such as: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Contrary to the previous iteration of the Trinity where there were 3-separate, but equal Persons or Entities, this form of the trinity has just One Person or Entity who serves 3-roles, depending on which role is at play at any given time in creation history. The visual example that was given to me that best describes how this manifestation of the trinity can be understood involves “water.” We know that water can take on a solid form which we know to be ice; a liquid form which we know to be water; and a gaseous form which we know to be steam. I guess one could say that this iteration of the Trinity is a form of “monotheism,” whereby there is one supreme Being. But this supreme Being functions in varying capacities or roles. 

 

Next we have what can only be labeled as a Binary understanding of Yeshua. The binary theory holds that the Godhead consists of 2 co-existing persons: God the Father or Creator and His Son, the Messiah. These are equal Persons in a 2-Person Godhead, although the Son is said to have willfully subordinated His authority and power to the Father or the Creator. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is simply the Spirit of God, which is not a Person or Entity of that Godhead. In this theory, Yeshua has always existed and worked with and for the Creator or Father.

 

There seems to be another form of Binarianism, which borders greatly on monotheism. It borders on monotheism because this theory holds that there is just a single God who functions as either the Creator (or Father) or as the Son (or Savior). Sort of like that second form of Trinitarianism. In this form of binarianism, Yeshua is both Messiah and the Creator: or better, Yeshua and Yehovah are one in the same Person. In certain Evangelical circles, this theory was or is known as “Jesus Only.”

 

Lastly there’s Monotheism, which holds that YHVH is the only God or Elohim. Yeshua, on the other hand, is His Son who Yah has exalted to His right hand and given Him His Name (Adoptionism). The thing about Monotheism is that it can be manipulated to include both the trinitarian and binarian theories. And it is capable of housing both theories because the various proponents of these theories hold that there is indeed just One God. However, they will proffer, the One God is manifested in three or two Persons. One version takes the liberty of stating that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost all consist of the same divine substance—cut from the same divine cloth. And so forth.

 

Who and What I Believe Yeshua Not to Be

 

So, having now dispensed of that denominational noise, let me get to the crux of the discussion for today. And I’ll start by discussing who and what I believe Yeshua NOT to be.

 

I believe wholeheartedly that Yahoshua is NOT the Creator of the Universe. He is not YHVH, although YHVH His Father gave Yahoshua His Name. And yes, I get the whole John 1:1 and other similar passages that seem to suggest that our Master was the Creator of the Universe; that He, being the Word from the very beginning; that He was with God; and that He was God, and that He created all things. But my position on such passages is that what many believe these passages are saying regarding Yeshua being the Creator of all things, is not what the original authors meant when they penned their witnesses.

 

I believe to place Yeshua on equal par—equal footing–with YHVH, when neither He nor YHVH attested to such a thing–would run contrary to YHVH’s Torah, in particular Deuteronomy 6:4, 5. (Reference my recent blog post on Parashah 130 where we discussed in some detail the Shema.) 

 

I contend that passages such as John 1:1 that English translators have worded in such a way that supports a multi-Person, co-reigning and co-equal powered Godhead are not what they are perceived by many to reveal about our Master and His relationship with the Eternal. For I truly believe what we have here in these passages are most likely linguistic-challenges (such as phraseology and word order and such) that are often seized upon by savvy teachers and so-called apologists who use these difficult verses to promote their doctrinal agendas such as the Trinity.

 

The nature of our modern English language often runs afoul with the unfamiliar, unique nature of the Hebrew and the Koine Greek. And it is this disparate nature between the languages that often leave room for interpreters to re-imagine for the reader what the original writer was actually trying to convey.

 

Things such as word order, punctuation placement, and archaic turn of phrases, often present challenges and impediments to a true and accurate understanding of scripture. And certainly the best way to overcome these uncertain challenges is to allow the whole of scripture to interpret itself and not read into those challenging passages the things we want them to say.

 

Abba said that He is the only true and living God and that there is no other. And so, why is it that these aforementioned savvy teachers and apologists feel they must work around definitive scriptural passages such as Deuteronomy 6:4, 5 (I.e., the Shema) and the very words our Master used to identify and describe Himself as the Messiah, Son of the (One) Living Elohim, in order to make the man Yeshua Messiah Someone and Something He obviously is and was not?

 

Even Shaul reminded his mentee Timothy:

 

For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus, (1Ti 2:5 ASV)

I have to say that a safe haven for the true student of scripture when it comes to such challenging scriptural topics and issues as the one we’re discussing here today is for him/her to ask him/herself if any of Yeshua’s disciples understood Yeshua to be YHVH or another God in a Godhead? Probably not.

 

And another thing I mention here as well is that I reject this whole idea of progressive revelation card that many well meaning folks have given as their excuse for reading into scripture a Greek or Roman god identity for Yeshua Messiah.

 

Now, Abba willing, sometime in the future I’ll share my understanding of John 1 with you. But for now, in order that we stay on topic and not go down too many rabbit-holes, I’ll simply say, regarding John 1:1, that I do not believe Yochanan is making the definitive statement that Yahoshua and YHVH are one and the same Person. I, in fact, believe quite the opposite: That Yochanan is actually expressing a view that Yeshua and YHVH are NOT one and the same Person or that Yeshua is the Creator of the Universe.

 

Furthermore, I do NOT believe that our Master was the “Angel of the LORD” as mentioned and described throughout Scripture. For nowhere in scripture are we told that Yeshua started out as an angel or messenger. Those who believe Yeshua was the Angel of the LORD are essentially nullifying or dismissing the Trinitarians’ and Binarians’ position that Yeshua co-existed alongside or with YHVH before time began–that He is without beginning nor without end. There are at least two reasons I would argue: (1) Because angels are created beings. And (2), the Angel of the Lord appears in the Brit-Hadashah on a couple occasions contemporaneously with Yahoshua here on earth. The whole Angel of the Lord being Yeshua Messiah just doesn’t work.

 

Along the lines of an angelic origin for our Master, Yeshua is NOT the brother or of any relation to Lucifer. There is No scriptural backing for such blasphemous thinking. This I believe is a doctrine of Mormonism exclusively.

 

And contrary to the thinking of some in modern academia, Yeshua is not the product of a union between Miriam (His mother Mary) and some unnamed Roman soldier. Nor did Yeshua marry Mary Magdalene and produce a line of children as suggested in the popular Dan Brown novels surrounding the DaVinci Code.

 

There are other points as to Who Yeshua is not that I could go into, but I’ll simply leave it at what we’ve just discussed.

 

Where I Stand on the Question of Who or What is Yeshua

 

Moving on: At the further risk of alienating some, I will state emphatically that I am a staunch “Monotheist.” By that I specifically mean the following:

 

I subscribe to the understanding that the so-called “Shema” of Deuteronomy 6:4,5—Hear O’ Yisra’el, YHVH your Elohim is One”—means what it seems to be clearly saying: There is no other God but YHVH. Period. This does not leave any room, in my mind that is, for Yeshua being God—that is, equal to YHVH; co-existing from eternity with YHVH and such. For me, my understanding and position on YHVH as the One True and Living Elohim leaves no room for Yeshua being one and the same Person as YHVH. It leaves no room for three-co-existing, co-equal members of a so-called Godhead. 

So where does that leave Yeshua for me?

Well, my understanding of the Person of Yeshua is built solely upon scripture’s direct description or identification of Who He is. I find the opinions of the Patristic Church Fathers and the various Christian denominations on this subject interesting. But that’s pretty much where I end my affiliations and references to them on this subject.

Yeshua Is Messiah (the Christ)

 

I’ll start off with: Yeshua Himself affirmed and even declared to us that He is the Messiah (aka the Mashiyach; Mat. 16:16-20; Mar. 8:29; Luk. 9:20; 22:64; Joh. 4:42; 10:24-26; 11:25-27).

 

Mashiyach/HaMashiyach or Messiah simply means “the anointed One.” The reference to one being “anointed” simply means that individual has received a special calling or appointment from YHVH. King David was described as an anointed one (Psm. 28:8).

 

No, I do get that Yeshua being the Mashiyach or Messiah carries with it a much higher calling or appointment from Yah than any other human being who has ever lived. His calling or appointment was established from the very beginning of time. (Now, we could get into a detailed study on the concept and term of Mashiyach and anointed, but for the sake of not getting off topic, we will visit that subject at another time.)

 

Yeshua is the Son of the Living God

 

Secondly, scripture affirms that Yahoshua is the Son of the Living God (Mat. 16:16; Joh. 6:69). 

Yehovah certified our Master Yeshua to be His beloved Son, of whom He was well pleased (Mat. 3:17; 17:5; Mar. 1:11; 9:7; Luk. 3:22; 9:35).

 

Son of Man—Lord—I Am Descriptors Can Be Misleading

 

I won’t comment here on the miscellaneous titles and descriptors that were used either by Yahoshua or others to describe or identify Him such as “Son of Man,” “Lord” or “kurios,” and the utterance “I Am.” These elements require a ton more unpacking than I wish to devote here in this discussion. But suffice to say, from my perspective, the lack of clear, truthful/transparent understanding of the context and language in which these elements were used, has led to a great many folks of Faith falling for the various denominationally derived explanations or descriptions of our Master. 

 

Yeshua is the Last Adam

 

Along the lines of Yahoshua being referred to as a Son of Man, the Apostle Paul described Yeshua as the 2^nd or “Last Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45). And it is this perspective of Yeshua being the Last Adam that we find the Apostle in a handful of his writings describing Yeshua in relation to Adam (the first human) (Rom. 5:14; I Cor. 15:22, 45). And this plays heavily in my understanding of Who and What Yeshua is. For in Shaul’s handful of Adam references in relation to Yeshua, we get this beautiful understanding that Yeshua is the start of a whole new line of humans who have been adopted as children of the Most High. And if Yeshua is YHVH or God (let’s say), there is a major disconnect in this whole stream of understanding of YHVH bringing His human creation into a true and substantive covenant relationship with Him: Not by Him physically putting on flesh and coming down to earth and dying for human-kind’s sins, but through a special human being who would pick-up where Adam utterly failed.

 

The Exalted One at the Right Hand of the Most High

 

Other writings describe Yahoshua as the most unique, special man to have every lived. Special because He was without sin (I.e., sinless) and because of His miraculous birth (He had His mother’s human DNA and His Father’s divine DNA—let’s say). So yes, in a sense, our Master was of divine origin since half of His DNA make-up came from the Creator of the Universe. But let us not forget that the first Adam was also of divine origin as well, having received his life force directly from the breath of YHVH.

 

But getting back to the uniqueness of Master Yeshua, it was his unwavering obedience to His Father’s Will, even unto His death, that Yeshua—the anointed one–was exalted to Yah’s right hand where He also serves as our intercessor and mediator in the heavenly Temple (Psa. 110; Rom. 5:15; Act. 2:33; 5:31; I Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24).

 

Personal Beliefs About the Person of Yeshua Beyond Scripture

 

Outside of scripture, what do I personally believe about Yeshua?

 

Well, I don’t believe He is a member of a so-called Trinity nor Binary Godhead as denominational Christianity teaches. I believe, however, that Yeshua was in the heart, mind and purpose of our Father, Yehovah, from the creation of time (Joh. 1:1). How that actually manifested—whether He existed in some form beyond Father’s thoughts and heart and purpose or plan, scripture does not say. But I do believe He is a created Being, albeit the most unique created being of all creation.

I do not believe that Yeshua and Yehovah are one and the same Being. For YHVH our Elohim (God) is eternal and He cannot die. Our Master died for our sins and it took His Heavenly Father to raise Him from the grave.

Riddle Me This Batman

During His Personal ministry, our Master was adamant that He received His marching orders directly from His Father. Furthermore, He prayed to His Father and clearly stated that He did not know when He would return and establish His millennial kingdom, as that information belonged exclusively to the Father.

So riddle me this batman: If indeed Yeshua and YHVH are somehow one and the same Person in some unified Godhead, was He receiving His marching orders from Himself? Was Master praying to Himself? And if He was the Creator of the Universe, why did He not know the details of His own Plan of Salvation, Restoration and Redemption?

Furthermore, our Elohim cannot be tempted nor does He tempt any human being as recorded in James 1:13. But we know that our Master was tempted in every way by the Enemy. But praise be to Yah the Eternal Yahoshua overcame those temptations and proved worthy of His calling as the Prophet (Deu. 18:15-18), the Mashiyach (Heb. 4:15) and the Lamb that took away the sins of the world (Joh. 1:29, 36).

By virtue of Yeshua—a special, unique human being–being sinless, He was indeed worthy to atone for our sins—to serve as propitiation for sinful human beings; to stand in our stead and take on our sins so that we, members of His human creation, may be restored to a right relationship with our awesome Creator. Praise Yah! Halleluyah!

I see this as the greatest news to have ever come to the hearing of Yah’s human creation. In every sense, it is the Gospel. For if our Master was indeed a human being which I wholly believe Him to be—albeit the most unique human being to ever grace this planet for the above stated reasons—we have the divine opportunity to be like Him—to walk as He did—to resist sin as He did (for we have Father’s Holy Spirit as Yeshua did)—to do great works, even greater than He did declared our Master (Joh. 14:12)—we are even authorized through His mighty, powerful and holy Name to do that which He instructs us to do.

If, on the other hand Yahoshua and YHVH were one and the same Person, we are asked, as Yah’s elect, to fill a very tall-order: to do greater works than that of the Creator of the Universe. Just saying. But if Yeshua was indeed human, we have a very real and workable example in Him: to conform to His image, which is the image that Father has always wanted us to conform to.

Aside from His sinlessness and unwavering righteousness, I believe Yeshua had His Father’s eyes (to borrow from a popular Christian song of I believe the 70’s). While being fully human, He possessed His Daddy’s Ways; His mind, heart and the love He possessed for His human creation. We know from the Gospel record that He was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luk. 4:1). Furthermore, He was the human manifestation or expressed manifestation of His Father’s divine character (Joh. 14:9) as well as He was the Perfect human that Yah requires us all who would be His child to be like (Rom . 8:29).

I, of course, could go on and on. Nevertheless, I recognize that my position on the Person of Yeshua Messiah runs contrary to many peoples’ thinking. And I’m okay with that. And I’ll also add that I’m still searching, like many of you, as to the most complete understanding of the Person of Yeshua that our Heavenly Father would entrust me with. I do believe that to a great extent, much about Who and What He was and is today remains a mystery that will be revealed to us when He comes and establishes His millennial kingdom. But for now, I am resting on this stated understanding until such time Father reveals differently.