What shall we think about Yahushua?.   What sort of BEING is He?  Who can forgive sins?   Only Elohim YHWH, the Almighty (El Shaddai) surely.  The authority to forgive sins -- or atone for them --  must be seriously considered and kept in mind as we study this sensitive topic.  Since Yahushua came, there has been controversy among His students/followers regarding Who He is.   Yahushua raised the dead, and He also claims to have raised Himself:  "Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Yn. (John) 2:19.   This may seem to be a conflict, but not if you understand Him, and Who He really is, and what the words might mean.   Galatians 1:1 states that Father YHWH raised Yahushua from the dead.   Titus 1:3 states that Elohim is our Savior, just as Yesha Yahu (Isaiah) 43 informs us.   The Torah is His Word, and the Scriptures themselves are about Him.    If you have Him (Messiah Yahushua), you have the Father also, so we see Scripture teaches.  Does that mean there are two persons involved, or just one?   If we don't solve the equation, no harm is done really.   This short study will take many components or hints from Scripture, and reduce them to their simplest form, and probably cause many to dispute back and forth over various texts and translations.   We will all wrestle with this until we are clothed with immortality, to be sure!    It should not divide us however.   There is a "Spirit" at work in believers, and this Spirit is Yahushua of Natsarith, the Mashiach.   There is a mystery concerning a knowledge of Messiah.    Ephesians 1:17,18  tells us that our "knowledge of Him"  (Messiah) is given to us by YHWH, as a Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.  Colossians 2:9-12 tells us:  "For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;  and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Messiah, having been buried with Him in baptism (immersion), in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of Elohim, who raised Him from the dead."    So, the Messiah, Yahushua is the Being Who indwells His people, and circumcises their hearts with a love for Torah, which is the promised Brit Chadasha  (A circumcision is called a Brit, and this Hebrew word means "COVENANT").    The preceeding text says that Elohim raised Messiah from the dead;  yet, we know that Yahushua said HE would raise Himself after 3 days.    Who is Yahushua?    Could He be El Shaddai, Elohim YHWH?    He said "I and My Father are one." Yn. 10:30.    The mystery, or secret,  to be proclaimed among the Gentiles,  is simply that "Messiah is in you" - Col. 1:27, Philippians 2:13, 2 Yn. v.9.   This requires omnipresence.  Other texts which declare this are at 2Cor. 13:5, Gal. 2:20, and Eph. 3:17.    The Shema (Debarim 6:4) declares Elohim YHWH is ONE.   If He were multiple personalities, we'd surely know.    So, if there is only one Elohim, and that Elohim descended to become a man, and He told us that's what happened, why get tough with each other over it?  Below, I will quote some texts that will make declarations concerning this topic, but there are many more.  

     If Yahushua is not in you, you are not His.  2 Cor. 13:5.    Yahushua revealed the Father to mankind, and came to destroy the works of the devil.   Through Yahushua, we come to (a knowledge of) the Father:  "I am the way, and the truth, and the life;  no one comes to the Father, but through Me."  Yn. 14:6.    If we know Yahushua, then we also know the Father:  "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also;  from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."    Philip said to Him, "Master, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."   Yahushua said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father;  how do you say, 'Show us the Father?'" Yn. 14:6-9.   Mind-blowing!    To get even a slippery handle on where any of this is headed, we all have to keep a very loose, open approach to how we think about this unique Being;  and be careful about how we apply words to describe it all.   It is easiest to simply think of Yahushua and YHWH as two Beings, and simply stop there before your head over-heats.   And, no one is saying this is a problem;  but if you want to press on, it will make you a little unusual.  2 Cor. 5:19 tells us Elohim was in Messiah, to reconcile us to Himself.

     1Yn. chapter 3 discusses the operation of the Spirit in believers -- and this Spirit is only given to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32 -- Ruach ha Qodesh dwells in us).   The Spirit comes in the Name of Who?   Yahushua!   Omnipresence is required in order to accomplish this.   Yahushua told us that He is the "Life", and He said the comforter, the Ruach ha Qodesh, would be sent to guide us into all Truth.   Yn. 6:63 tells us that it is the Spirit Who gives us Life (and this Spirit is the Spirit of Yahushua of course).   2 Tim. 1:14 tells us that this Spirit dwells in us, making the Spirit everywhere at once.   Yahushua told us that He and His Father would come to us -- and live in us  (Yn. 14:23).   Two Beings?   Perhaps just One Being, identified in two uniquely distinct ways.   The Spirit was promised (Joel 2:32) and poured-out on the believers (Acts 2:38).   There are many evidences provided in Scripture of the omnipresence (as well as omnitemporality and omnipotence) of YHWH's Spirit.   Being temporal beings ourselves, we perceive things in simplistic ways, and can only understand partially at that.   When Yahushua said "the Father is greater than I", we immediately reconcile it by thinking of two Beings, and one is more than the other in power, scope, authority, and so on.  That's fine.  However, if we can accept it, by revelation in the knowledge of Him, "the Son" is the "container" which was brought into existence as a human form through which the Father (YHWH) manifested Himself to His creation.   Sure, this is tough to deal with;  and it's perfectly fine to struggle with  --  I don't pretend to have my mind wrapped around it yet.   But, we must not judge one another over this kind of thing either.    To even begin to think about this "mental imaging" topic quickly shows all of us our limitations.   It's not important enough to argue over, but those who have been given a special Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him can appreciate what this article is really about.  The rest may find the topic heretical.

Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father, Mighty Elohim   ~   these all refer to ONE Being;  but there's much more to consider.  At Revelation chapter 1 quoted above, we find the One speaking calling Himself "the Almighty", the "living One;  and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore".   Fascinating.  Micah, the prophet, at 5:2 tells us that Bethlehem Ephrathah would have One "go forth for Me to be Ruler in Israel.  His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity."    There is only one eternal Being, and He tells us there is no one beside Him, and identifies Himself as the first and the last (Yesha Yahu 41:4, 44:6).   "I, I am YHWH, and besides Me there is no Savior." (Yesha Yahu 43:11).  

     ZecharYah 14 tells us about the return of Yahushua to Earth;  the text describes the "Day of YHWH", and how YHWH will gather "all the nations against Yerushaliyim to battle".  "Then YHWH will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.  And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives . . . and YHWH will be King over all the Earth;  in that day YHWH will be the only one, and His name the only one."   Notice that this same event is described in chapter 12, and "the inhabitants" will recognize Him and mourn:  v.10 "And it will come about in that day that I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Yerushaliyim.  And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Yerushaliyim the Spirit of chen (favor) and supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born."  

 

     The omnipresence of Yahushua (the Spirit of Yahushua) is seen in how He healed the synagogue ruler's daughter from a distance.  He didn't need the address, but already knew all about the man and his family.  He knew when His friend Lazarus was sick, and the moment he died.   Even with the internet and cell phones, no normal person or being can know and do the things Yahushua accomplished.   Limiting Yahushua and His abilities in our eyes can quickly lead to questioning other matters concerning Him, and new doubts may ultimately lead to a loss of faith in Who He is, and what He accomplished.   Teaching others to think of Yahushua as being simply a special man means we have to become blind to many, many Scriptures which indicate otherwise.   Yahushua is one of 3 possible things:  Master, liar, or lunatic.   His actions confirm He is Elohim -- without them we may be able to suspect Him of being deluded, or a liar.   When we stand before Him, we will know and sense better Who He really is;  He will shake the heavens with His voice at His return, not just the Earth.  We are puny creatures incapable of creating life;  He is the Author of it.

     Notice this phrase carefully:   ". . . whatever you ask of the Father in My Name, He might give you."  Yn. 15:16.   Then, at Yn. 16:25, Yahushua explains,  "These things I have spoken to you in figurative language;  an hour is coming when I will speak no more to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father."   Yahushua is holding back a great deal, so of course we currently dispute each other's understandings of His true identity and relationship to Father YHWH.   "All things that the Father has are Mine;  therefore I said that He takes of Mine, and will disclose it to you."  Yn.  16:15.  The fact is, Yahushua is the One, and the Source, from which and by which our prayers are answered:  "If you ask whatever in My Name I shall do it."  Yn. 14:14.   The more you study about this, the more your point of view will differ from those who haven't studied it. 

 

     All things that are the Father's are Yahushua's  (and this includes His abilities), Yn. 15:16.  Creatures cannot raise the dead, nor create anything.   The authority to forgive sins rests solely with Yahushua, and He will be the Judge of the living and the dead.   Yahushua raised Lazarus and others from the dead, and His Spirit in the talmidim raised the dead and healed the sick and lame.  In Yahushua's Name there is found the forgiveness of sins, the power of healing, and authority over demonic spirits.   It would seem that Yahushua is a "role" (a function or position) through which Father YHWH manifests Himself to His creation.  Of course when we only superficially survey the various statements made such as "the Father is greater than I", we can still be missing the point Yahushua is trying to convey to us.    To the men seeing and hearing Yahushua at that time, the Person of Yahushua standing before them certainly was "lesser" in every sense of the word than Father YHWH.   He had humbled Himself infinitely to take on the form of men.   His rank was below that of the messengers (Hebrews 2:7);  and He came into the world He had created.  "He was in the world, and the world came to be through Him, and the world did not know Him.   He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him."  Yn. 1:10,11.    YHWH exists not only throughout infinite space, but also time  --  infinity past and future.   He's actually there in time.  It is laid bare before Him every nanosecond.   Every moment of all time is His reality.  One million years in our future timeline doesn't exist for us, as temporal beings.  But, YHWH is there right now.   His goings-forth are from eternity.   He doesn't just KNOW the future, or the past, He is there at all times, holding all things together.   He knows your inner-most thoughts, and He created the spirit within you that makes you uniquely you.   His powers are unfathomable.  His Name, YHWH actually means "I was, I am, and I will be", or 'Who is and Who was and Who is to come'.   He is THE Eternal Being, but He hides Himself;  only those diligently seeking will find Him.   These same "diligent seekers" have to take some great risks  --  in other words, they are not lacking in courage.   He made them that way.   But, He dislikes the cowardly, or those who faint away and won't bear up under the scorn of man.   We must endure our "thorns"  -- those who would make it their occupation to torture us for our courage and faithfulness.   

     Some believe it is wrong to "worship" Yahushua;  yet Hebrews 1:6 tells us the messengers (angels) worship Him.   Messengers are on record in Scripture saying to various men that we are to only worship YHWH.   In spite of all the hints in Scripture, people resist making it all add up.   The hints are like the components in a big equation, but people often will not solve the equation, because it will make Yahushua equal to YHWH, and reveal that "they" are in fact "ONE"  --  exactly as it should be.   When ha shatan tempted Yahushua in the wilderness, Yahushua responded to it in an interesting way:  "You shall not try  (test)  YHWH your Elohim".  Mt. 4:7.    Imagine any creature making a statement like that  --  including an "angel".   It would be blasphemous for any creature to make such a statement.   Remember, angels (messengers, or malakim) are creatures too  ~  they were simply created before the Earth, and the first man, Adam.   Malakim were not designed to ever terminate, or stop living, so they aren't "mortal" (from the Hebrew muth, and Latin mort, for death).

 

    The Spirit of Truth comes in the Name of Yahushua, and Yahushua is the Truth and the Life.  Messiah is to be All in all (Col. 3:11);  the objective of YHWH is to be All in all (1 Cor. 15:28).  YHWH and Yahushua are One, not two or three.  Yahushua is an aspect of YHWH, revealing the Father to us.  Many try to make "them" into a "twinity" or "trinity", but these teachings originate from outside Scripture.  When the day arrives and we stand before Yahushua, we can ask Him to show us the Father.  He may have the same answer for us that He did for brother Philip, and that will be enough for me.  Yahushua's omnipresence is one of the main problems for ha shatan.  One of the first realizations I had when I was a child was that Yahushua is omnipresent, and that I could talk to Him.  Praying to the dead is an abomination, and quite silly.  The Catholics across the whole Earth pray to "Mary".  There are 3 obstacles to her hearing their prayers:  1. she's not omnipresent;  2. she doesn't speak any language but Hebrew (or the dialect of it called Aramaic), so she can't understand a word they are saying;  3.  she's dead.   Yahushua can hear us, He is everywhere (in the universe), and He's alive.  See the subtle distinctions there?  If we found ourselves in space beyond the visible galaxies, He would still be there with us.   Even if much of this is a huge misunderstanding on my part, at least Messiah is preached;  see Philippians 1:12-30.   Philippians 2:5-8 tells us that Elohim YHWH took the form of a bond-servant, being made in the likeness of men.  Verse 11 is the clincher.   Philippians 2:13,14  tells us that it is Elohim Who is working in you  -- and that we should be without grumblings and disputings, in order to be blameless, to shine as lights in the world amid a perverse generation.   If Elohim is in us, and the Messiah is in us, then we know more about Who Messiah is.    No creature can ride two chariots (or cars) at the same time, or ride two horses;  yet Messiah is in many of us right now.  He's no created being, He's the Creator.

Colossians 1:16-20:   "And He is the image of the invisible Elohim, the first-born of all creation.   For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities  --  all things have been created by Him and for Him.   And He is before (foremost) all things, and in Him all things hold together.   He is also head of the Body, the ekklesia (Hebrew, qahal), and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.   For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His stake;  through Him, I say, whether things on Earth or things in heaven."

     When the day arrives that the Children of YHWH are revealed to the universe, and Yahushua takes the Throne, He will be the Sovereign of sovereigns, and Master of masters (Rev. 19).   "For let this mind be in you which was also in Messiah Yahushua, Who being in the form of Elohim, did not regard equality with Elohim a matter to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and came to be in the likeness of men."  Philippians 2:5-7.   "Elohim, therefore, has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Yahushua every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on Earth, and of those under the Earth, and every tongue should confess that Yahushua is Master, to the esteem of Elohim the Father."  Philippians 2:9-11.   If Yahushua is Elohim, as I believe He is, we may worship Him and pray to Him;  and whatever we ask in His Name, He will do it.   This is to say we have to be asking in HIS will, since He gives us the desire (in our hearts) to ask for the things;  He will not give us whatever WE want).    Let Elohim YHWH be the Judge of these conclusions, and let me fall into His forgiving hands  --  but let me not fall into the hands of men.   It is not for everyone to understand this, and it is certainly not a salvational issue.   If this study leans away from what traditional human doctrines have established, such as the Nicene Creed or Apostle's Creed (both Catholic conventions), all well and good.   In the fullness of time, it will be revealed to us all  --  "But let Elohim be true, and every man a liar, as it has been written, 'That you should be declared right in Your words, and prevail in Your judging.'"  Romans 3:4.

If I didn't use enough Scripture, please let me know.   If there were just a couple of places in Scripture that suggested that Yahushua is Elohim, one might suspect there could be some misunderstanding.   Many folks can justify believing in the doctrine of the "trinity" -- having only a few proof-texts to hang on (and being in conflict with many other texts),  but the above Scriptural texts are not "proof-texts", but they actually teach the conclusions this article addresses.   The Savior, or Mashiach, seems to be equivalent in every way to YHWH.   For example, YHWH claims He is the King (Melek) of Israel, but at the same time we find that Yahushua is also.   YHWH is the "husband" of Israel,  and yet Yahushua is the "Bridegroom".   He's not the best-man, or number 2 in any way.   They merge together into One, if you follow everything to its logical conclusion.   The arguments against these conclusions are usually based on deriving radically different interpretations of the text, and I'm not implying they are in error  --  they are simply radically different interpretations.    Also, in order to arrive at certain interpretations, it may be claimed that specific articles were mistranslated, leading one to arrive at the wrong conclusion.   Another explanation that some people give is that the Brit Chadasha (Messianic Writings, or Re-newed Covenant Writings) have been tampered with, and certain ideas were added to "deify" Yahushua.    I like to use the "Ockham's Razor"*   approach, and keep it as simple as possible.   Let there be no striving and fighting among us  --  Mashiach is proclaimed, and that is what is most important.   To some of us, He is simply more important than anything else.  

Lew White

ARTICLES 
CLICK FOR LISTINGS

0958435367 Fossilized Customs,- The Pagan Sources Of Popular Customs, and  0620310103   In The Twinkling Of An Eye - The End Of Days

 WHAT ABOUT THAT DOME -    KIPA or YARMULKE 

  STRONG DELUSION 

 www.fossilizedcustoms.com/kipa.html 

 

  SAMBUCOL LOZENGES     do they combat viruses?  

          SHORT ARTICLES:  CLICK HERE TO VIEW TITLES       

   ISHTAR, ASHERAH, OSTER      EASTER  

   NUTRITIONAL:  MULTIVITAMINS, FLOR-ESSENCE, SAMBUCOL, and more  

                 SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN                

Strawberry Islands Messianic Publishing, Louisville KY

The Torah is out there.   I want to obey.

TORAH ZONE:  FOSSILIZED CUSTOMS ARTICLES

ISRAEL YAHWEH  YHWH   144,000 WEBINAR

PAGAN CHRISTIANITY THE ORIGINS OF OUR MODERN CHURCH PRACTICES    Nazarene Israel

CHRISTIAN  ~  IS THIS WORD A GOOD LABEL, CONSIDERING IT HAD A PREVIOUSLY PAGAN USAGE?