Who Did Yahshua Represent?(Page 1 of 14)

Introduction

  • Relationship between the Father and Son is unique.
  • Most of “Churchianity” believes the Father and Son are part of a multi-dimensional, conglomerate, semi- non-discernible being (trinity).
  • Many in the Church of God Movement understand that the Father and the Son make up the current 2 separate beings of the divine makeup.
  • Many have come to believe that the Son (Yahshua) was the Spokesman; the Logos; that He directly communicated with humans in the OT.
  • Many have called Yahshua, or Jesus, the “God of the OT”.
  • One question to ponder is; was He the “Elohim of the OT” or did He represent the “Elohim of the OT”?

The Relationship

  • Most Christians understand the Father/Son relationship of the Divine Family; although it is usually incorporated in a Trinitarian understanding.
  • Many understand and believe that this Father/Son relationship occurred at the human birth of the Son about 2,000 years ago.
  • It was prophesied of His arrival; both as a human and as the returning, conquering King.

Micah 5:2, 4:

2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.

4 And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of Yahweh, in the majesty of the name of Yahweh His Elohim; and they shall abide, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth.

Jeremiah 23:5-8:

5 “Behold, the days are coming,” says Yahweh, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

6 In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: Yahweh Our Righteousness.

7 Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” says Yahweh, “that they shall no longer say, ‘As Yahweh lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’.

8 but, ‘As Yahweh lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land.”

Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the Lord <Adonay> Himself will give you a sign: behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:6: For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty Elohim, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

  • So we can see that Yahweh will sendOne to lead Israel in the end times. He is identified as His Son.Hebrews 4:14: Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Yahshua the Son of Elohim, let us hold fast our confession.
  • The apostles understood this also. Matthew 16:16: Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living Elohim.”
  • But was that Father/Son relationship established only after the human birth? Was there a hierarchy previously understood?
  • Consider a few verses in the OT.Proverbs 30:4: Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, If you know?
  • The Psalms adds information here. For instance, the Anointed of Yahweh will battle the nations in the end times.Psalms 2:1-12:

1 Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh and against His Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord<Adonay> shall hold them in derision.

5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure:

6 “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.

7 I will declare the decree: Yahweh has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.cf – Hebrews 1:5

8 Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of ironthink Revelation 2, 12 and 19; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”

10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth.

11 Serve Yahweh with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

  • Notice how Daniel saw it, in the attempted murder of Hananiah, Mishael and to Azariah, known to many as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. Daniel 3:25: “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the 4th is like the Son of Eloah.” (An Aramaic translation).
  • Ezekiel also references this.Ezekiel 21:10: Sharpened to make a dreadful slaughter, Polished to flash like lightning! Should we then make mirth? It despises the scepter of My Son, as it does all wood.

Yahshua Was the Spokesman

  • Yahshua played an important set of roles in the Father/Son relationship. John 1:1-3:

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim.

2 He was in the beginning with Elohim.

3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

  • This tells us of 2 very important characteristics: 1) He has always existed as Elohim (the Divine Family), and 2) He, made or created, everything.
  • The OT declares that Elohim created everything! Some samples:

Genesis 1:1: In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 2:4: This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh Elohim made the earth and the heavens.

Nehemiah 9:6: You alone are Yahweh; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.

Isaiah 45:5-8, 11-12, 18:

5 “I am Yahweh, and there is no other; there is no Elohim besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me,

6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am Yahweh, and there is no other;

7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, Yahweh, do all these things.

8 Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together. I, Yahweh, have created it.”

11Thus says Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: “Ask Me of things to come concerning Mysons; and concerning the work of My hands, you command Me.

12 I have made the earth, and created man on it. I – My hands – stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have commanded.”

18 For thus says Yahweh, Who created the heavens, Who is Elohim, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am Yahweh, and there is no other.”

  • The Psalms explain how Elohim created everything. Psalms 33:6: By the word of Yahweh the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
  • Note that the NT explains this creative force further.
  • Remember that John 1:3 said that “All things were made through Him <the Word>, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
  • Other NT references confirm this:

Ephesians 3:9: to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in Elohim who created all things through Yahshua Messiah.

Colossians 1:16-18:

16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

  • The declaration that He was the “Word”, or “Logos”, also identifies an important characteristic; He was the Spokesman. He directly interfaced with humanity; in person and vision.
  • The 1st time was with our 1st parents (Adam and Eve). He continued with many others throughout Genesis.
  • But a major encounter occurs in the next book of the Bible. Exodus 3:4-6:

4 So when Yahweh saw that he turned aside to look, Elohim called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”

6 Moreover He said, “I am the Elohim of your father – the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon Elohim.

  • Moses understood this was no ordinary Individual, Who showed Moses a glimpse of just how unordinary He was, by allowing Moses to “see Him”. Exodus 33:18-23:

18 And he (Moses) said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

21 And Yahweh said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.

22So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.

23Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

  • However, the same book that declared Him as “the Word” (Logos) also makes this declaration. John 1:18: No one has seen Elohim at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He <the Word>has declared Him<the Father>.
  • Later in this book, this is expanded by Yahshua Himself.

John 5:37: And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.

John 6:46: Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from Elohim; He has seen the Father.

  • John continues this theme in his 1st epistle. I John 4:12: No one has seen Elohimthe Father> at any time.
  • But didn’t we read where there were such encounters; Where Moses, and others previously, witnessed and heard this Elohim?
  • Yahshua Himself explained this to the scribes and Pharisees. John 8:56-58:

56“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

58 Yahshua said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

  • Yahshua tells us that He is the One who appeared and spoke to those in the OT.
  • But didn’t the Father also speak? No! A voice from heaven (not the Father’s) proclaimed Yahshua as His Son. Matthew 3:17: And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
  • In all of the accounts of the Transfiguration this is confirmed. Matthew 17:5: While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
  • The existence, and by extension the role, of the One we refer to as the Father, needed to be proclaimed by Yahshua.

The Authority

  • With the knowledge the Individual who interfaced with humanity in the OT and NT, we should ask a few questions:

Why did One speak directly to humanity and not the other?

What was the purpose of this arrangement?

Does the Father/Son relationship that is very apparent in the NT apply to the OT also?

By what authority did the Word speak? On behalf of Himself, or another (the Father)?

  • Some clues lead us to believe that there has always a hierarchical order in the Divine Family; the Father, as the most supreme, with the Word under Him.
  • Like the family unit and the church, there is an order of authority. I Corinthians 11:3: But I want you to know that the head of every man is Messiah, the head of woman is man, and the head of Messiah is Elohim<the Father>.
  • The purpose of this arrangement is outlined in Philippians 2:9-11:

9 Therefore Yahweh also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

10 that at the name of Yahshua every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

11 and that every tongue should confess that Yahshua Messiah is Yahweh, to the glory of Elohim the Father.

  • Yahshua Himself tells us that He is subordinate to the Father.

Matthew 11:27: All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

John 5:19, 30:

19Then Yahshua answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

  • Yahshua confirms that the Father is greater than the Son.

John 10:29: My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all.

John 14:28: You have heard Me say to you, “I am going away and coming back to you.” If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, “I am going to the Father,” for My Father is greater than I.

  • The apostle Paul confirms this.

I Corinthians 15:28: Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that Elohim may be all in all.

Ephesians 4:6: one Elohim and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

  • Yahshua tells us that the focus of our worship is the Father. John 4:21, 23:

21Yahshua said to her (the Samaritan woman at the well), “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.

23But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

The Representative

  • Yahshua recognizes the Father as superior to Him.
  • As the Word, the Spokesman, of the OT, how does He present Himself?

Is He speaking about Himself? No.

Is He speaking about the Father? Yes.

  • As the Word spoke and interacted with humanity, He presented Himself as if He was the Father.
  • He spoke in the 1st person in the OT; as if He was the ultimate authority and power.
  • This changed as He communicated in the NT. He differentiated Himself from the Father.
  • Was there a reason for this? Was there a need for a change in representation?
  • Let us understand that the Father and the Son do not change:

Malachi 3:6: For I am Yahweh, I do not change. The Supreme Authority and Power, the Father, as presented by and represented by the Word, does not change. Not in the OT, not in the NT.

Hebrews 13:8: Yahshua Messiah is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Word also does not change.

  • So, if neither change, why the need to have the Word directly represent the Father?
  • Remember, no one has heard nor seen the Father at any time. And it was the will of the Father to maintain that standard.
  • However, He needed to have communications with humanity. So the Word was used to accomplish this.
  • He spoke if He was the Father; with the full authority and backing of the Father; for the purpose to provide humanity with the will of the Father, and what the Father expected of humanity in return.

Conclusion