I know that some people get hung up on the Divine nature of Yeshua saying that He is not God, because of the verse in Numbers 23:19
“God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
One of the objections that people who hold to this view make, is that God- generally referencing the Father, is Spirit, and as such does not have a body or form. This creates issues of inconsistency in the Scriptures, in my opinion, but one of which we are going to look at now, this moment because I just stumbled into it, is , the subject, of The Almighty. (got a little carried away with the commas for dramatic effect, Just read it like Jeff Goldblum or William Shatner)
These are some of the issues one has to reconcile are ( in no particular order)
- YHVH does not share glory, Yet Yeshua is worshiped by the angels of God
- YHVH there is no Savior but me
- YHVH made heaven and earth by His hand, Yeshua made heaven and earth by His hand
- YHVH is King of kings and Lord of lords, But Yeshua is the King of kings and the Lord of lords
- God is invisible, but they saw him in Exodus 24:10
- He had hands and feet, even though He is without form
The context of each of these shows contradiction unless Yeshua and the Father are YHVH, and...how does this work:
The only >>begotten God<< who is in the bosom of >>the Father<<, He has explained Him. -John 1:18 NASB
However, I digress, lets look at Gen 35 for a second. starting in verse 1
1 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”
In the text we see that God appeared to Jacob while he was fleeing Esau, so to get context on that, we head back to chapter 32
Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. 2 Jacob said when he saw them, “This is God’s camp.” So he named that place Mahanaim.hen Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.Jakey is on his way home and he can see that the place he's in is where God camps, and he says to some angels "Hey, is my brothers still all you know, ... murdery? Go ask if we're cool. they come back and are all like
6 The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”
Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?”
Jacob is asking for the Name, but, He says "You already know my name"
Some people say that the striving with God was in the greater general sense, but the one of whom Jacob is wrestling implies that Jacob already knew.
Who does Jacob say that He was?
Gen 48:3
Then Jacob said to Joseph, “God >>>Almighty<<< appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me
Jacob states that He wrestled with God Almighty
Rev 1Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come,>>> the Almighty.”<<<
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YHVH made heaven and earth by his hand, Yeshua made heaven and earth by His hand
The context of each of these shows contradiction unless Yeshua and the Father are YHVH
Lets take a look at Hebrews
Hebrews 1But of the Son He says,“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom.9 “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed YouWith the oil of gladness above Your companions.”10 And,“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of Your hands; 11 They will perish, but You remain; And they all will become old like a garment,12 And like a mantle 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.”
One thing we see in the Hebrews 1 passage is that GOD speaking of the Son says YOUR throne O GOD, pointing out the distinction of persons and also that God is also calling the Son, God. We see the same differentiation in Amos 5 where the Lord ( YHVH ) makes the distinction from God
Amos 411 “I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,And you were like a firebrand snatched from a blaze;Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
When we look at the distinctions and read the Hebrew 1 passage it talks about the Son being the one that made the Heavens and the Earth
Amos 5“Seek the Lord that you may live,Or He will break forth like a fire, O house of Joseph,And it will consume with none to quench it for Bethel,7 For those who turn justice into wormwoodAnd cast righteousness down to the earth.”8 He who made the Pleiades and OrionAnd changes deep darkness into morning,Who also darkens day into night,Who calls for the waters of the seaAnd pours them out on the surface of the earth,The Lord is His name.
The Psalmist states that YHVH is the one that made the stars in Psalms 8
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,The moon and the stars, which You have ordained - Psalms 8:3
Nehemiah 9“You alone are the Lord.You have made the heavens,The heaven of heavens with all their host,The earth and all that is on it,The seas and all that is in them.You give life to all of themAnd the heavenly host bows down before You.
John 1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
From these two passages we again still see that there are two persons, but one entity. This Word - which we know is Yeshua from other passages, and God which we can safely say is the Father. Word was with God, and was God. So when we look again at the passage of Nehemiah and John 1, we can see that YHVH alone made the heaven and earth, and in John it is still consistent to say that Nothing was created apart from Him.
Lets look at this passage in Isaiah 48
Consider that if verse 11 is Yeshua saying that He does not share His glory with another, then why does He spend so much time giving glory to the Father? If verse 12 is to be taken as meaning the Father, then why would verse 16 "refer to the Lord God who sent Me"“For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;For how can My name be profaned?And My glory I will not give to another.12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called;I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.13 “Surely My hand founded the earth,And My right hand spread out the heavens;When I call to them, they stand together.14 “Assemble, all of you, and listen!Who among them has declared these things?The Lord loves him; he will carry out His good pleasure on Babylon,And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.15 “I, even I, have spoken; indeed I have called him,I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful.16 “Come near to Me, listen to this:From the first I have not spoken in secret,From the time it took place, I was there.And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit.”
Hebrews 1:6John 12And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says,“And let all the angels of God worship Him.”
12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” 14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him
King of Israel Glorified = Yeshua
Look at this passage in Zechariah 9:14
And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.
I and the Father are OneNot the same PERSON but both are YHVH/ God
YHVH is King of kings and Lord of lords, But Yeshua is the King of kings and the Lord of lords
“Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? 14 Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it. 15 Yet on your fathers did the Lord set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. 16 So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer. 17 For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe - Deut 10
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. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 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. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”- Rev 19that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen- 1 Tim 6These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”- Rev 17
Deuteronomy 10:17 is stating that the King of Kings and the Lord of lords is YHVH, and the other texts provided show that King of Kings Lord of lords Title belongs to Yeshua
YHVH there is no Savior but me
Isaiah 43“For I am the Lord your God,The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;I have given Egypt as your ransom,Cush and Seba in your place.
Luke 2:11
for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord
There is no Savior but God- but Christ is the Savior... Look at this, Were we purchased for God or are we Christs own possession?
Titus 2looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Rev 5
And they *sang a new song, saying,“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
Acts 20:28
...Which one is the Shepherd?
-Ezekiel 34:11-16
For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God. 16 “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment.Matt 15:24
But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”John 10:11
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
John 10:27
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
One of the objections that I hear regarding the Divine nature of Yeshua is that God cannot be tempted and that Yeshua was tempted. Can God be tempted?
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 as we are, yet without sin.
James 1:13
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
Psalms 78:41Again and again they tempted God,And pained the Holy One of Israel.
Psalm 78:56Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High GodAnd did not keep His testimonies,
Who is the King of Israel, YHVH or Yeshua
John 12
On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.
John 1:49
Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”
Is 44“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:‘I am the first and I am the last,And there is no God besides Me.7 ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;Yes, let him recount it to Me in order,From the time that I established the ancient nation.And let them declare to them the things that are comingAnd the events that are going to take place.8 ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid;Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?And you are My witnesses.Is there any God besides Me,Or is there any other Rock?I know of none.’”
The various personhood detailed in verse 6 of Isaiah 44 where the Lord- King of Israel and his Redeemer- The Lord of Hosts- all being stated as YHVH should alone be enough to establish that Yeshua is YHVH, but we continue... Who is that Rock that established the ancient nation?
1 Cor 10
For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.
...and that isn't even detailing all the mentions of Him being the cornerstone that was rejected.
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Who can forgive sins?
Luke 5:21
The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?"
At the time of Luke, the Pharisees understanding is that God alone can forgive sins.
And they're right. They're familiar with Exodus 23:21
The Name is in him, HaShem, often interchangeable with YHVH.
God is invisible, but they saw him in Exodus 24, He had hands and feet, even though He is without form, how would this work
So if no one has seen God, then who was it that Moses saw in Exodus 24? Lets look closer at the descriptors found elsewhere
Who is this fiery white haired figure that dwells in precious stone encrusted dwellings? Scripture defines Him as the Living One who was dead but is alive forevermore. The Lamb who was slain
Who is the branch of David, YHVH or Yeshua?
And they're right. They're familiar with Exodus 23:21
Exodus 23:21
Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him.
The Name is in him, HaShem, often interchangeable with YHVH.
Isaiah 43I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake,And I will not remember your sins.26 Put Me in remembrance, let us argue our case together;State your cause, that you may be proved right.
Exodus 249Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. 11 Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank. 12 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.
John 1:18No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
So if no one has seen God, then who was it that Moses saw in Exodus 24? Lets look closer at the descriptors found elsewhere
Ezekiel 1:26
Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. 27 Then I noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. 28 As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.
Ezekiel 2
Then He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet that I may speak with you!” 2 As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me. 3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. 4 I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’
Daniel 79 “I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat;His vesture was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool.His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire.10 “A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him;Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened.
Revelation 1and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
Who is this fiery white haired figure that dwells in precious stone encrusted dwellings? Scripture defines Him as the Living One who was dead but is alive forevermore. The Lamb who was slain
saying with a loud voice,“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”- Revelation 5
Who is the branch of David, YHVH or Yeshua?
Is 425 Thus says God the Lord,Who created the heavens and stretched them out,Who spread out the earth and its offspring,Who gives breath to the people on itAnd spirit to those who walk in it,6 “I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness,I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You,And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people,As a light to the nations,7 To open blind eyes,To bring out prisoners from the dungeonAnd those who dwell in darkness from the prison.8 “I am the Lord, that is My name;I will not give My glory to another,Nor My praise to graven images.
Psalm 110A Psalm of David.The LORD says to my Lord:“Sit at My right handUntil I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
Jer 23 ( YHVH )Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD,“When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch;And He will reign as king and act wiselyAnd do justice and righteousness in the land . “In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.’
The Child that was born will be Mighty God and also Eternal Father on the throne of David?
The conclusion is this, that Yeshua is Ha Shem, the Name of YHVH. Yeshua was the Child born called "God with us" sent by YHVH to rule upon the throne of David, The YHVH that is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, The King of Israel.Isaiah 9For 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.7 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 righteousnessFrom then on and forevermore.The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Matthew 1She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
Phil 2Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped
