EDDIE CHUMNEY
Is Yeshua Yahweh?
…at the moment however, I have had plans as a part of the Yeshiva teaching that I’ve been working on now for about three years to address as one of the topics - Yeshua being Yahweh. For some strange reason, people in the Hebrew Roots Messianic movement – some people just learn too well to question things and I honestly believe that many of the people in the movement simply are not rooted and grounded in the scriptures. They’ve been to church. They’ve heard some teachings but they really don’t know what the bible says and they don’t know what to believe themselves. So they are easily influenced by someone who is able to give them what is a seemingly strong biblical argument.
I got a request from the congregation before we actually do a Sabbath service which means I don’t know how long this is going to take but it really is important. For the past several years, it’s just not something that’s come up in the past month – it’s been a problem for several years that too many in the movement are questioning not only who Yeshua is in the New Testament but they are questioning Yeshua being Yahweh. You know you just simply have to have a lot of, lot of, lot of help and a lot of distortion of scripture to think and believe that Yeshua is not Yahweh.
You know the only thing I can think of at the moment is - and I know he won’t mind me doing this if he does happen somehow to hear what I am going to say and that is I would like to relate to you a story of how I ultimately first met Brad Scott, who is now one of the leading teachers in the Hebrew Roots movement. He’s excellent about teaching on insights into the Hebrew language. As Brad Scott was studying and investigating Hebrew Roots, he had heard about this two house teaching. At that point in time he didn’t really understand it and he thought that it was heretical. I didn’t know him at that time but Brad Scott decided that he was going to come to a conference in Florida where I was speaking at. I believe this was in 2000 or 2001. He was going to come to straighten me out. He was going to come to confront me about this two house teaching and the erroneousness of it. So after one of the breaks – I didn’t know this was Brad Scott. I didn’t know Brad at that time. I didn’t know he had a ministry. He was just somebody who I perceived that was coming up and asking me a question like often happens at conferences. So he says – well, what about this two house teaching? Where is it in the bible? How is this valid and so? Their perception was it was not anywhere in the bible. It’s not a biblical teaching. So I got frustrated in the dialogue and I ended up saying and this is the point of my story – of my answer that I’m giving as it relates to Yeshua being Yahweh. I got frustrated and I said – it is EVERYWHERE! The entire bible is about two house. Or as we use the words in our congregation – the entire bible is about exile and redemption.
You know some people have been going to church for fifty years and they’re not aware that the bible is about exile and redemption. All of a sudden Yah opens up your eyes and you realize it’s there from Adam and Eve in the garden through the entire bible. You just never saw it. So for somebody that wants to know is Yeshua Yahweh or not and where is that in the bible? My answer is – my goodness! It is EVERYWHERE! It’s everywhere in the Torah. It’s everywhere in the New Testament. You have to have a lot of help to not see it!
Let me give you just a few scriptures and I hope someday that I will be able to do a complete series on this and try to do this as thoroughly as possible. This is not an effort to do a thorough teaching on it. This is just what comes to my mind at the moment.
First of all, if you are a believer in Yeshua in His words which I happen to be, Yeshua said in Luke chapter 24 and verse 44:
44 …These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Torah of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me.
Yeshua Himself said that all of Tanakh is about Him. You know most Baptists can only tell you about Isaiah 53, maybe Psalm 22 and a couple of other ones where they see Yeshua. But besides that they don’t really see Yeshua in the Torah, the prophets and the Psalms. Even though Yeshua said it’s all written about Him. Paul in Acts chapter 28 and verse 23 says:
23 And when they had appointed him (Paul) a day, there came many to him (Paul) into his lodging, to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Yeshua, both out of the Law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
Paul saw Yeshua in the Torah and the prophets. He saw Him so much in the Torah and the prophets that he spent the whole day showing Yeshua in the Torah and the prophets. It says:
23 …..persuading them…..from morning till evening.
We have in the New Testament in Paul’s letters some examples where he showed Yeshua. If Yeshua is in the Torah, the prophets and the Psalms and Paul also says Yeshua is in the Torah, the prophets and the Psalms – if you look up the Torah, the prophets and the Psalms – it speaks about Yahweh Eloheim. So given that Yeshua Himself said that the Torah, the prophets and the Psalms speak about Him, given that Paul from morning till evening talked about how the Torah, the prophets and the Psalms spoke of Him – let’s see – for those of you who are on Pal Talk and are listening in to what we do at congregation here every week – I know every week we don’t have a Sabbath service but when we do we make it a point to repeat who Yeshua is.
And to me, I think or I have in my mind, you know this is so basic, so elementary; we’re boring people by doing this. But you know what? I see that we can’t ever bore people because some people just don’t get it. You know we share on every Sabbath service how Yeshua created the heavens and the earth. We share how Yeshua gave the Torah at Mount Sinai. That every knee will bow. Yeshua is the one that led the children of Israel out of Egypt. Who is the one that the Hebrew Scriptures say did all this? Yahweh Eloheim! This is not complicated. Regarding Yeshua, now remember Yeshua said in the Torah, the prophets and the Psalms that they speak about Him. Remember that Paul said from morning to evening. So what is regarded as probably the most read book in the New Testament by Christians is the book of John. Well, if we would read the book of John and let’s say we got excited about reading the book of John and we made it all the way to verse 3 – you know what we would learn?
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
That’s speaking about Yeshua and it’s saying He was in the beginning.
3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.
All things were made by Him. Yeshua created the heavens and the earth. Let’s say we read through real fast and we skipped by that and we were still diligent in reading our bibles. Perhaps maybe we decided to read the book of Colossians. In Colossians chapter 1 and verses 15 and 16 it says:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature;
16 For by Him
That is Yeshua – that is the one that is the image of the invisible God.
16 For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him.
Now, if we’re told that all things were created by Him and for Him and by the way, who is writing this in Colossians? Paul! Paul is the one that said - he persuaded from morning till evening the Hebrew scriptures regarding Yeshua and the kingdom. Well, if we read the Hebrew scriptures who does it say created the heavens and the earth? Yahweh Eloheim! Put two and two together. Who is Yeshua? Yeshua is Yahweh Eloheim.
So for example in John chapter 8 and verse 58:
58 Yeshua said unto them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.
Now for Yeshua to say – before Abraham was I Am – I Am – He’s saying He’s Yahweh. Yes, that’s pretty much quoting Exodus chapter 3. Now in John chapter 10 and verse 30 it says:
30 I and My Father are one.
He’s equating Himself equal or on the same level as His Father. Actually, in understanding the Father in Yeshua and describing their authority structure within the ecod Godhead – the Father has the greater authority. But nevertheless, they are ecod - even though the Father has the greater authority. It says in John 10 and verse 31:
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
So the fact that they took up stones to stone Him – they heard that He said that He was Yahweh because according to the Torah, blasphemy - which is claiming to be Yahweh if you’re not – is punishable by stoning. So the fact that they took up stones to stone Him means that they heard and they understood clearly that He was saying that He was Yahweh.
You know this is from the book of John. It’s the book that is supposed to be most read by Christians. So if Christians actually do read the book of John and have been encouraged to read the book of John and have acknowledged that the book of John is most read by Christians – why do Hebrew Roots Christians have a problem understanding whether Yeshua is Yahweh or not. Like, haven’t you ever read the book of John? Or maybe you have but you don’t understand what you’re reading.
So Yeshua answered them in John 10 and verse 32:
32 Yeshua answered them, “Many good works have I shewed you from My Father; for which of those works do ye stone Me?
33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we stone thee not; but for the blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
They said it explicitly that He being a man made Himself God, Yahweh. So here’s Yeshua’s argument to what they are saying:
34 Yeshua answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, I SAID, YE ARE GODS?
Well, the quote is not from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers or Deuteronomy. The quote is from Psalm 82 verse 6. So notice that the Psalm is called the Law! Because the Torah means the teaching or the instruction of Yahweh – it’s not just Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The book of John is Torah. Psalms is Torah. So He says –
34 …..”Is it not written in your (Psalm 82;6), I SAID, YE ARE GODS?
35 If He called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
36 Say ye of Him, whom the Father hath sanctified, (that’s Himself) and sent into the world, Thou blasphemes; because I said, I am the Son of God?
Here is His argument. If you go back to Psalm 82 in verse 6; it’s speaking about the children of Israel and it says:
6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
So the word gods there is the Hebrew word Eloheim. So in this verse the children of the most high God that is the nation of Israel – the entire nation of Israel in this verse are called Eloheim. Now Eloheim in Hebrew can mean the God of Israel – the Supreme God of the World. But it doesn’t mean the Supreme God of the World in all instances on all occasions. Judges and rulers of the people are called Eloheim. So here the nation of Israel – all the people are called Eloheim. So Yeshua says – wait a second. If the psalms say that you are Eloheim and the word of God is true, then why is it blasphemy that I say that I am Eloheim? That’s what His answer was to them. If the scripture says that you are Eloheim then why are you upset that I am Eloheim? Of course, the people being Eloheim didn’t mean that they were God. It means that they were leaders and God regarded them as having authority within His covenant nation.
Now in John chapter 5; we also are going to have an account once again. In John chapter 5 this is an account where Yeshua heals on the Sabbath day. So it says in John 5:5:
5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Yeshua saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he said to him, “Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool; but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Yeshua said to him, “Rise, take up thy bed and walk.”
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked; and on the same day was the Sabbath.
Go to verse 14:
14 Afterward Yeshua findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, “Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more,”
Now, there’s another occasion that I can’t remember off the top of my head – someone may be able to find it if they look it up on the computer – where Yeshua said – your sins be forgiven you. So here in John 5:15:
15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Yeshua, which had made him whole.
16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Yeshua, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the Sabbath day.
17 But Yeshua answered them, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal to God.
By the way, they accused Him of breaking the Sabbath but He didn’t break the Sabbath.
18 ….but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal to God.