Did you know there is a difference between “God, the Father” and His Divine Messiah? It’s true! While Christianity’s main focus is on “Jesus is God,” they tend to forget “the Father” – and few seem to question how “God” can be a human who was born and died. You see, if that were truly the case, then He would be no different from us! Not to mention, the Bible contains many references to “God the Father”; yet there isn’t one reference to “God the Son” or “God the Messiah.”
That’s because there IS a distinction – and when you see what it is, you’ll wonder why you didn’t recognize it before!
Let’s begin by checking out the scriptures that discuss the “one God” idea:
Deuteronomy 6:4 "Sh'ma, Yisra'el! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad [Hear, Isra'el! ADONAI our God, ADONAI is one]; 5 and you are to love ADONAI your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources. (CJB)
(See also Zechariah 14:9’ Mark 12:29 and 32; James 2:9, etc.)
Now, take a look at this:
1 Corinthians 8:4 …."and there is only one God." 5 For even if there are so-called "gods," either in heaven or on earth - as in fact there are "gods" and "lords" galore - 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things come and for whom we exist; and one Lord, Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, through whom were created all things and through whom we have our being. 7 But not everyone has this knowledge…. (CJB)
Notice the difference between “One God” (whose Name is YHWH – explanation later) and “one Lord” - Yeshua the Messiah? While Yeshua is definitely divine (because he was placed into a virgin’s womb supernaturally by God Himself!) and is indelibly connected to YHWH (Isaiah 53:1 tells us he is the “arm”), he is also human – someone who was born and died … which YHWH, the Father, cannot do!
The Aramaic in the above passage references two divine occurrences from the singular divine nature, or qnomeh - a concept that is directly stated fifteen times in the “New Testament”, and alluded to at least as much in figurative language (e.g. living water in John 4, leading to a direct reference in John 5:26).
(See also Isaiah 63:16 and 64:8; Malachi 2:10; Ephesians 1:3 and 4:6; Psalm 68:5, etc.)
If you’re shaking your head in disbelief right about now, please hold on, because this is really deep and VERY important!
One of the main things we MUST learn to recognize that “the Father” has His own Name … יהוה (the English transliteration consists simply of the letters “YHWH” - most likely pronounced “Yah-way” if vowels were to be added). Take a look:
Exodus 3:13 and Mosheh said to Elohim, "See, when I come to the children of Yisra'el and say to them, 'The Elohim of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His Name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 And Elohim said to Mosheh, "I am that which I am." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Yisra'el, 'I am has sent me to you.'" (ISR)
QUICK EXPLANATION: The Heḇrew text reads: ’eyeh ’asher ’eyeh, the word ’eyeh being derived from hayah which means to be, to exist, but the Aramaic text here in v. 14 reads: ayah ashar ayah. This is not His Name, but it is an explanation that leads up to the revelation of His Name in verse 15, namely: יהוה.
Exodus 3:15 And Elohim said further to Mosheh, "Thus you are to say to the children of Yisra'el יהוה Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Yitsh'aq, and the Elohim of Ya'aqob, has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance to all generations.' (ISR)
It is imperative to remember that YHWH Himself was NEVER a human being; plus, we are told that no one can look upon YHWH and live – He Himself told Moshe this just before placing him into the cleft of a rock to protect him (Exodus 33:19-23). And in Isaiah 6 we read that even the Seraphim “covered their faces.”
Now, let’s find out what the Bible reveals about the DIVINE Son – the Messiah whose true Hebrew name was Yeshua, which in Hebrew means “YHWH is Salvation”….
Since we now know that YHWH, the “Father” is “the head honcho” who always was and who has no beginning nor end – guess what? The same holds true for Yeshua!
NOT the “human” that Yeshua was; rather, because of his divine nature, and for the “essence” of who he was: “The Word” (John 1:1, 13) and the “arm” (Isaiah 53:1). (As you all know, an “arm” is not separate from the body….).
YHWH had said HE would send a prophet who was to do everything He ordered him to do:
Deuteronomy 18:15 "ADONAI will raise up for you a prophet like me from among yourselves, from your own kinsmen. You are to pay attention to him, 16 just as when you were assembled at Horev and requested ADONAI your God, 'Don't let me hear the voice of ADONAI my God any more, or let me see this great fire ever again; if I do, I will die!' 17 On that occasion ADONAI said to me, 'They are right in what they are saying. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I order him. (CJB)
The bottom line is that Yeshua’s purpose was never to replace YHWH as ELOHIM; but to be His MESSIAH while on earth … basically, YHWH’s mouthpiece to proclaim the Kingdom and to do everything His Father commanded him to do:
Luke 4:43 "But he (Yeshua/Jesus) said, "I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." (CJB)
Luke 8:1 And it happened after these things that Y'shua was going around in the cities and in the villages and was preaching and declaring the Kingdom of Elohim. (AENT)
Keep reading….
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things came to be through him, and without him nothing made had being. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. (CJB)
John 1:14. And the Miltha[1] (Word) became flesh and dwelt among us and we saw His glory,[2] the glory as the Only-Begotten who is from the Father who is full of grace and truth. (AENT)
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Miltha refers to the “Manifestation” of the Ruach haKodesh within Mashiyach (Messiah). The physical body of Mashiyach is not the Word of YHWH, but his words and actions demonstrate the Will and Word of YHWH, which upholds observance of Torah. However, Christo-Pagans like Marcion and Constantine taught that Y’shua’s body and spirit manifested a different “word” that did away with Torah. The Word of YHWH was substituted with dispensational and replacement “theologies,” which is very popular in Christianity.
[2] Isaiah 42:8; 48:11
Yeshua himself said He came to do HIS FATHER's will; not his own! (Would he have said that if he were “God”?)
John 6:35. Y'shua said to them, I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will not hunger. And whoever believes in me will not ever thirst. 36. But I have said to you that you have seen me, and you do not believe. 37. All who my Father has given to me will come, and whoever comes not to me I will cast outside! 38. For I came down from heaven, not to do my will, but to do the will of Him who sent me. 39. And this is His will, that of Him who sent me, that all that He has given to me I do not lose even one. 40. For this is the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him, will have life that is eternal. And I will raise him up on the last day. (AENT)
So, Yeshua came to proclaim the Kingdom, and to warn people about the end – and to ultimately martyr Himself on our behalf – as the promised salvation.
Ephesians 2:13. But now, by Y’shua the Mashiyach, you who before were afar off, have been brought near by the blood of the Mashiyach. 14. He is himself our peace, who has made the two (become) one, and has demolished the wall[1] which stood in the midst, and the enmity, by his flesh; 15. And in his flesh (the) enmity and regulations of commands (contained) in his commandments are abolished[2] (so) that in himself (an occurrence of the divine nature, or qnoma),[nature] he might make the two into one, establishing peace. 16. And has reconciled both with Elohim in one body and has slain the enmity by his stake (of execution).
17. And he came and proclaimed peace to you afar off, and to those near: 18. Because by him there is access for us both, by one Spirit, to the Father. 19. Wherefore you are not strangers nor sojourners, but you are fellow-citizens with the Set Apart believers and of the household of Elohim. 20. And you are built upon the foundations of the Shlichim and the prophets; and Y’shua the Mashiyach has become the head of the corner in the edifice. 21. And in him all the edifice is framed together and grows into a Set Apart temple in Master YHWH; 22. While you also are built in him for a habitation of Elohim through the Spirit. (AENT)
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Aramaic for wall is syaga. Ironically, this exact term was picked up by the Talmudic rabbis in Pirkei Avot (Sayings of the Fathers) 1:1 that commanded, “make a fence around the Torah.” Y’shua specifically warned against this activity in Matthew 15, rebuking the Pharisees in the process. Later on, Y’shua said he was the “door/gate” using a synonym for syaga, known as taarea, which is a homonym for “Torah” and “teachers,” meaning the Pharisees. So while the Pharisees are busy erecting their fence, Y’shua is pulling it down, allowing everyone access!
[2] The grammatical structure here fully guarantees that namusa is referring to “customs” as in the traditions of the Pharisees, not Torah itself. Mashiyach abolishes the “enmity” (hatred or animosity) that has been brought against YHWH by religious tradition and false interpretations of Torah, which was a heavy burden that people could not bear.
Christian theologians, however, twist this verse and teach that it was YHWH’s Torah that brought the hatred and that Mashiyach did away with Torah, which is a very reckless and evil theology. Mashiyach sent the Ruach haKodesh to write YHWH’s Torah upon the hearts of his people, not abolish it.
Now… drawing all this together, can you begin to understand how YHWH and Yeshua can be “one”, yet Yehsua is not “God” per se?
Philippians 2:5-11 actually tells us so! However, it is VERY important to remember that their "one-ness" is something the human mind cannot thoroughly comprehend:
Philippians 2: 5 Let your attitude toward one another be governed by your being in union with the Messiah Yeshua: 6 Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God something to be possessed by force. 7 On the contrary, he emptied himself, in that he took the form of a slave by becoming like human beings are. And when he appeared as a human being, 8 he humbled himself still more by becoming obedient even to death - death on a stake as a criminal!
9 Therefore God raised him to the highest place and gave him the name above every name; 10 that in honor of the name given Yeshua, every knee will bow - in heaven, on earth and under the earth 11 and every tongue will acknowledge that Yeshua the Messiah is ADONAI [my Lord/Master] - to the glory of God the Father. (CJB)
NOTE: Yeshua (which was and is a common Hebrew name), bears (reveals) the Name of YHWH, which is the "name above all names!" Yeshua has the Name and reputation of the Father YHWH in him (John 17:11) and the name means "YHWH is Salvation" (Matthew 1:21). All other heavenly beings, such as Messengers (angels) contain only the TITLE of “Elohim” (Micha-El, Rapha-El, Gabri-El)…
So, to reiterate, Yeshua came to proclaim the Kingdom of YHWH and to do everything his Father commanded. He tore down the fences of man's legalism. Neither he nor his Apostles ever advocated against Torah!
John 12:44. But Y'shua cried out and said, He who believes in me, it is not in me he does believe, but in Him who sent me. [1] 45. And he who sees me sees Him who sent me! 46. I have come as the light into this world that all who believe in me might not remain in the darkness! 47. And he who hears my words, yet does not keep them, I do not judge him, for I have not come to judge the world but to give life[2] to the world.
48. He who rejects me and does not receive my words, there is something that judges him. The word that I have spoken, it will judge him on the last day. 49. For I have not spoken from my soul, but the Father who sent me. He gave a Commandment to me what I should say and what I should speak. 50. And I know that His commands are eternal life. [3] Therefore, these things that I speak just as my Father told me, thus I speak.[4] (AENT)
[1] Y'shua does not bring a new Faith, but reveals the original Faith of YHWH the Father.
[2] Y'shua proclaims that he came to give life, then he declares that his father's Commands are eternal life! The Father's "Commands" are instruction in righteousness; this is Torah which contains Commandments, Judgments, Testimony and Witness regarding the Kingdom of Elohim. Those who enter into Covenant with Mashiyach are entering into Covenant with his Father YHWH; therefore, it is evil - an outright lie - to teach that Torah is done away with and replaced by a new theology!
[3] The Commands of YHWH bring eternal life. YHWH's "Commands" refers to all of His Commandments; these are one and the same as every Word that proceeds out of the Mouth of Elohim. These are not Commands only between Y'shua and his Father but they are universal for all souls who will enter into the Malchut Elohim.
[4] Y'shua speaks the Word of YHWH, not his own words; therefore, he conveys the revelation of YHWH according to the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) without the baggage of man's religious tradition. Religion has a propensity to reinvent or interpret the Word of YHWH to make it "acceptable" to man's standards; whereas Mashiyach came not to please men, but to honor and bring Glory to his Father.
The difference between YHWH and Yeshua is that one was human; the other was NOT! That is why we must be VERY careful to make a distinction between "the Father" and His Divine Messiah and "Son". Mankind HAS seen Yeshua because he was a human being. However, mankind has never seen YHWH Himself – and we won’t until we are out of our “earth suits” to stand before Him on Judgment Day.
Revelation 22:4 And they shall see His face, and His Name shall be upon their foreheads. (ISR)
Excellent Carmen thanks for this !
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