Carmen Welker’s responds to Orthodox Jew, Miriam Levinson’s post concerning “Jesus” - Part 2:

Miriam Levinson wrote:

Secondly, it says they tried to stone him. But they didn't, did they. Why did they stop? Because he denied it, merely claiming to be a generic "son of God" as is stated in Psalm 82:6. Furthermore, if they truly believed he claimed to be God, why didn't they similarly stone his followers for the double sin of idolatry and blasphemy? Acts 5:13 says that other Jews "held them in high honor." So that blows away any idea that he or his followers believed Jesus was God.

Carmen’s Response:

Scripture doesn’t say WHY they didn’t stone Y’shua. My guess is, YHWH kept them from it because it wasn’t Y’shua’s time to die, yet.

But you are correct! All of Y’shua’s followers knew that he was a MAN sent by his Father. They didn’t worship him as “God” and he never accepted worship because, as a human with a divine nature (since He was placed into Miriam’s womb by YHWH Himself) he didn’t have the right to pretend he was God….

However, he DID view himself as “equal” to YHWH. Why? Because outside of his temporary human shell, he WAS the Word, and by performing miracles he revealed WHO he was! (See Psalm 33:6; 107:20; 119:89; 147:15-18; John 1:1, 14; 14:9; 20:30-3.)

Philippians 2:5 And think you so in yourselves, as Y'shua the Mashiyach also thought; 6. who, as he was in the likeness of Elohim, did not regard it sinful to be the coequal of Elohim; 7. yet disinherited himself and assumed the likeness of a servant, and was in the likeness of men and was found in fashion as a man; 8. and he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the stake.

9. Wherefore, also, Elohim has highly exalted him and given him a name which is more excellent than all names; 10. that at the name of Y'shua every knee should bow, of (beings) in heaven and on earth and under the earth; 11. and that every tongue should confess that Master YHWH is Y'shua the Mashiyach. (AENT)

Footnote: "Name" in verse 9 is more than his literal birth name Y'shua (which was and is a common Hebrew name), and more than the perfect reputation that his name represents.

Y'shua bears (reveals) the Name of YHWH, the "name above all names"! Y'shua has the Name and reputation of the Father YHWH in him (John 17:11) and the name means "YHWH is Salvation" (Matthew 1:21).

Traditional Jews and those who have decided to reject the New Testament after discovering the need for Torah always attempt to negate Philippians, because it is in the "New Testament" - which they reject; insisting that for something to be valid, it MUST be outlined in the Torah, or mentioned somewhere in the Tanach (Old Testament).

What they are doing, in essence, is "playing God" and "putting our ELOHIM in a box" by suggesting that He HAD to say something in a certain Book of the Bible so it could be validated according to their respective understanding, opinions and timing. What they have forgotten is: He is YHWH and He does things in His OWN timing and His OWN way!

Nobody writes a book by giving the entire plot away within the first few chapters! Things progress as they progress...logically, in due time. YHWH revealed Messiah in Isaiah 53 (which "they" also attempt to negate with their fuzzy, man-made explanations), and Y'shua can be found in every one of the Mo'edim/Appointed Times. YHWH gave us "the rest of the story" via the "New Testament" - which perfectly lines up with the "Old"...

Yet, "they are out there", pushing erroneous concepts such as: "The NT was written hundreds of years later by Gentiles with an agenda to destroy Judaism."

Well, we do not know all of the authors, or the actual dates of the books of the Tanach, either! Did Moshe write the last chapter of Deuteronomy in the Torah about his death after he died? Even some of the Oldest texts known of the Tanach are not much older than the NT Original Texts.

Before the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, some of the NT Texts were actually older than the oldest Masoratic Texts known! Time and archaeology will prove even more to come about the NT Texts and their much earlier Hebrew origins than was thought even just a few short years ago.

Fact is, there are far too many Hebrew concepts in the NT to have been written "hundreds of years later" by Gentiles! Yes, the NT writings were sometimes corrupted by the early Roman Church (and many others to this day). Most Hebrew Texts found by the Romans were destroyed out of hatred for the Jews. There are many sources outside of the NT that confirm some of the Historical Information contained within; as well as the existence of some of those actual persons, including Yeshua.

Now, let’s examine the other scripture in which we see Y’shua “equating himself” to his Father:

John 5: 18. And because of this the Yehudeans were seeking all the more to kill him, not only because he had loosed[1] the Shabbat, but also concerning that he would say that his Father was Elohim and was equating[2] himself with Elohim. (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Y’shua did not break the Shabbat according to Torah; rather, he restored the observance of Shabbat as YHWH intended, without the burden of religious tradition. In so doing, the traditions of the Pharisees had been violated, but certainly not the Torah of Moshe.

[2] To consider oneself “equal” to YHWH is a very serious matter. Y’shua spoke of himself as being about his Father’s business, of coming in his Father’s Name; he spoke and taught with authority and performed healings which made him a formidable opponent to religious tradition. The charge here of Y’shua making himself equal to YHWH is simply Pharisee tradition projecting itself onto Y’shua.

The Ruach haKodesh in Mashiyach is “equal” to YHWH, but the Pharisees supposed that Y’shua and his followers equated his humanity with YHWH; they didn’t understand Isaiah 11:1-2, that Mashiyach has the Ruach haKodesh (another name for YHWH—Psalm 51:1-11, Isaiah 63:1-11) within him. YHWH spoke through the Spirit of Mashiyach, rather than through his human component!

Y’shua maintained that his nefesh (soul) would die, but that YHWH would resurrect it! Y’shua believed his own nefesh was mortal. Zechariah 12:10 the Spirit of YHWH is “pierced” but they mourn for him (Y’shua) as an only begotten son. YHWH cannot literally be “pierced”; therefore, this refers to Mashiyach who has the Spirit of YHWH in him. The matter of the Father raising the dead is confirmed in verse 21, but we also see in this verse that the Son takes on the role of His Father as His Firstborn, for both Resurrection Power and Judgment.