Answering the questions of Jehovah's Witnesses
Answering the questions of Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses (who believe that "Jesus Christ is Michael the Archangel" and other untruths) are asking some pointed questions about God. Below are some of their questions, along with answers from the Netzarim viewpoint:
JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES WANT TO KNOW:
1. Why is he called the "firstborn of all creation"? (Col. 1:15, Rev 3:14)
In order to understand this concept, we must read the passage in context via the original Aramaic:
Colossians 1: 15. who is the likeness of the invisible Elohim and the first-born of all creatures: 16. and by him was created everything that is in heaven and on earth, all that is visible and all that is invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; everything was through him and was created by him:(1) 17. and he was prior to all, and by him every thing exists. 18. And he is the head of the body the Assembly; as he is the head and first-born from among the dead, that he might be the first in all things. 19. For it pleased (the Father) that in him all fullness should dwell; 20. and by him, to reconcile all things to himself; and through him he has pacified, with the blood of his stake, both (those) on earth and those in heaven. (AENT)
Footnote: The literal Aramaic reading is "by him," whereas Greek and English texts have "for him." Mashiyach is the creative Word through which everything was made (Psalm 33:6, John 1:1-5, Hebrews 1:1-5). The common Aramaic idiom here and in John is "through his hands" meaning as the Word, Mashiyach crafted all things according to YHWH's blueprints. Mashiyach Yeshua emerges as the Word from YHWH's breath and command and, as such, was with Him in the beginning (John 17:1-11).
Yeshua, in a nutshell:
First of all, our Creator's Name is never "Jehovah" (Jehovah is a perversion of His true Name!), and YHWH's Son was never called "Jesus" but rather, Yeshua (Hebrew for "YHWH is Salvation"). Please see Matthew 1.
Secondly, Yeshua - the Torah observant, tallit-wearing, Seventh Day Sabbath and Biblical Feast-keeping, kosher Jew - was "an arm of YHWH" (Isaiah 53:1) who came to proclaim the Kingdom of YHWH (Luke 4:43, 10:60), and His Apostles backed everything He said and did:
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."
Acts 28: 23 "From morning till evening the Apostle Paul explained and declared the Kingdom of God and tried to convince people about Yeshua from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets."
Acts 24: 14. But this indeed I (Paul) acknowledge, that in that same doctrine of which they speak, I do serve the Elohim of my fathers, believing all the things written in Torah and in the prophets.
Yeshua, although a human born of a virgin, had a divine qnoma (nature) which allowed Him to be "YHWH-Come-in-the-Flesh". He was never part of any "trinity" because YHWH is ONE!
Qnoma is a very important term that has been greatly diluted and misunderstood over the centuries. Through an exceedingly complex linguistic chain of events this word, meaning "an occurrence of a nature" got morphed and perverted into "person" in Greek. As a result, the One Elohim (YHWH) is represented in a pagan manner in the Greek New Testament as a "person" distinct and equal with "Elohim the Son" and "Elohim the Ruach haKodesh." Instead, it is the oneness of YHWH that manifests in Mashiyach, not that Mashiyach's divinity is separate from his Father's. However, in this case we are talking about humanity and not YHWH, and both of them have "natures" that cannot be seen, and yet are a root part of their being. (AENT)
Or, to put it another way, a "nature" is like a body hidden behind a curtain. For those in the audience, nothing of that nature can be seen. Then, all of a sudden, a hand and part of an arm appears through the veil. While we know there is a body attached to that limb, the limb is all we see. Furthermore, that arm moves with full force, will and agreement of the mind that controls the body. For the viewers, the arm appearing out of the curtain is the qnoma (occurrence) and the hidden mind behind that limb's movement is its kyanna (nature). As the centuries moved along, the ancient meaning of qnoma as "occurrence of a nature" devolved by Aramaic assemblies who compromised with the Byzantine Empire. Gradually, "core substance" became the common definition; at first it closely paralleled its Greek counterpart, hypostasis. More time passed and Greek redactors changed the meaning of hypostasi, taking it further from the original definition of qnoma. Qnoma/hypostasis became equivalent to "person" to line up with Greek passages that used this meaning in the form of the word prospon.
Imagine a fiber optics lamp with thousands of tiny tubes emanating light. Note that these tubes are connected to one single Base. YHWH can be likened to the Base of that lamp, which is the actual Power or Source. The little tubes are all a part of that Power, and Yeshua can be likened to one of those tubes. Yeshua was but ONE aspect of YHWH, eternally connected to YHWH; thus, He was “YHWH in the Flesh” while He walked the Earth. That does not mean that while Yeshua walked the Earth, YHWH was no longer in charge of the universe; Yeshua isn’t the “Base” – YHWH is! The “Base” controls everything and everything is dependent upon that Base.
How YHWH chooses to reveal Himself to us is up to Him, but we cannot limit Him by insisting He is a “trinity" or "persons" because YHWH (God) is a Spirit; we cannot even look upon Him without dying. His Son Yeshua was here in HUMAN form (not to replace YHWH, but to walk out His Will) and to "put a face on God" (so to speak) and to show us how to worship and obey Him through Torah. The memory of Yeshua (and consequently YHWH) is the Holy Spirit (Ruach haKodesh in Hebrew) that appears as the "still small voice" also known as bat kol, or "daughter of a voice." (For instance, when your parents die, their memory stays with you and will nudge you to remember not to touch that hot stove or you'll get burned, or not to tell a lie, or not to hurt animals, etc. The Ruach is "that small, still voice" from God that nudges you to know right from wrong, good from evil - according to God's Torah. It's not a "person" but the spirit of that parent/person that resides within your very being and keeps you on that straight and narrow path.)
YHWH has revealed Himself to us in MANY ways, including speaking to Moses through a "burning bush"; as "pillars of cloud and fire" to the Israelites in the desert for 40 years; as "a man" to Jacob when He broke Jacob's thigh (Gen. 32:24-32); "three men" to Abraham at the Oaks of Mamre; and He even talked through a donkey! So, to call Him a "trinity" or "persons" is like putting Him in a box to limit Him. Trinity cannot be found in the Bible - anywhere; that is because YHWH never told us He was "three persons" in One!
2. Why did he say he did not come of his "own initiative" but was "sent forth"? (Joh. 8:42)
Yeshua (our Savior's true Name which in Hebrew means "YHWH is Salvation") was "an arm of YHWH" (Isaiah 53:1) was sent in human form, through a human birth, to basically "put a face on God" as He showed us who God is, how to properly obey His commands and worship Him, and then He martyred Himself on our behalf to be our Final SIN Sacrifice.
(NOTE: Our use of the term "martyr" is intentional because traditional Jews love to point out that "G-d never required human sacrifice!" Well, Y'shua wasn't a "human sacrifice" because nobody "sacrificed" Him. He was a Divine Sacrifice who willingly went to the cross/stake. As a human being, He had the choice to obey YHWH or not. As we see time and time again, He CHOSE to obey. He KNEW who He was....)
Yeshua was not someone who came to usurp His Father's power or abolish His Father's original Divine teaching/instructions in Righteousness (Torah). He came to proclaim the Kingdom of YHWH:
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."
3. Why did Jesus not know the "day and hour" of the Great Tribulation but God did? (Mt 24:36)
Because not even Yeshua while in human form was to know the day and hour so that He could not be tempted to accidentally reveal it.
4. Who did Jesus speak to in prayer? (John 17:3)
John 17: 3. Now this is life that is eternal, that they might know You, that You are the Elohim of Truth, and he alone whom You have sent, the Mashiyach Y'shua.
As you know, Yeshua is the Son, the "arm" of YHWH (Yahweh) (Isaiah 53:1). In his human form, He is not "the Father" per se, but as the WORD He is ONE with YHWH! He was with YHWH in the beginning! When Yeshua cried out from the stake on that fateful day, He was talking as a son to his father. We must remember that GOD cannot be born or die! But His Son's temporary body was human, prone to all the pains and illnesses of this fallen world.
God simply is and always was, and when He sent His "Son" to be our Final SIN Sacrifice, He was actually sending a part of Himself - a human vessel with a divine Nature. Yeshua was the "arm" of YHWH (Isaiah 53:1) It is that Divine Nature inside Yeshua that lived on after His human body was killed. In other words, Yeshua basically "put a face" on God temporarily to explain YHWH to mankind from a more "personal" level.
And take a look at Philippians 2:5-11:
Philippians 2:5 And think you so in yourselves, as Y'shua the Mashiyach also thought; 6. who, as he was in the likeness of Elohim, did not regard it sinful to be the coequal of Elohim; 7. yet disinherited himself and assumed the likeness of a servant, and was in the likeness of men and was found in fashion as a man; 8. and he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the stake. 9. Wherefore, also, Elohim has highly exalted him and given him a name which is more excellent than all names; 10. that at the name of Y'shua every knee should bow, of (beings) in heaven and on earth and under the earth; 11. and that every tongue should confess that YHWH is Mashiyach Y'shua, to the glory of Elohim.. (AENT)
FOOTNOTE: More than his literal birth name Y'shua (which was and is a common Hebrew name), and more than the perfect reputation that his name represents. Y'shua bears the Name of YHWH, the "name above all names"! Y'shua has the Name and reputation of the Father YHWH in him (John 17:11) and the name means "YHWH is Salvation" (Matthew 1:21). (The angels, for instance, only have YHWH's title of ELOHIM within their names: GabriEL, MichaEL, RaphaEL....)
Yeshua was "God in the Flesh" only because He had His Father's Divine Nature, which is how He was able to be perfect enough to be our Final Sin Sacrifice. YHWH caused him to grow inside of a human VIRGIN whose hymen was ruptured "from the inside out." But we must remember that Yeshua in his human form did not come to replace the Father in any way.
Part of the misunderstanding about the "Father/Son" relationship is the false "trinity" concept that is perpetuated within Catholicism and Christianity. You won't find the word "trinity" in the entire Bible, yet Christianity believes "God is three Persons!" Hardly anyone stops to think that Scripture amply shows that YHWH is ONE (Deuteronomy 4:35, 6:4, 32:39; Isaiah 45:18, Mark 12:29, James 2:19, etc.).
Nowhere do we find that He was "three persons in one" which is an absolutely ridiculous concept. First of all, YHWH is a SPIRIT as is His Ruach (Holy Spirit). Neither of them have human bodies and cannot therefore be "persons." Yeshua, however, was an actual Person who walked the Earth - a Person with a divine Nature! While we're on the subject, please think about this: If the Holy Spirit was a "person" then how could he possibly get inside each believer?
God can present Himself to us in whatever form He wishes and we have no right to suggest He is anything except what Scripture has revealed. (Please read our article which debunks "trinity" and reveals why it is an erroneous concept.) People tend to forget that YHWH has also revealed Himself as a burning bush, pillars of cloud and fire, three men at the Oaks of Mamre, and He even spoke through a donkey before Yeshua ever came onto the scene. That's more than just three emanations of God, if one chooses to "get technical" about it....
5. How did he "appear before the person of God for us"? (Heb. 9:24)
God is not a "person" (YHWH is SPIRIT - see Genesis 1:2) and the original documents say the following:
Hebrews 9: 24. For the Mashiyach entered not into the sanctuary made with hands which is the emblem of the true (sanctuary): but he entered into heaven itself to appear in the presence of Elohim for us.
Our Savior and Final SIN Sacrifice appeared in the presence of Elohim for us, because He could! He was YHWH-Come-in-the-Flesh, whose human body died and rose again....
6. Why did Jesus say "the Father is greater than I am"? (Jo 14:28)
While "the Word" who was with YHWH in beginning (John 1:1) Yeshua (the only Entity who ever carried the Sacred Name of YHWH Himself within His own Name) was fully human and, as such, He was not the Father, but He was still Divine, nonetheless, because of his Divine qnoma.
7. Who spoke to Jesus at the time of his baptism saying "this is my son"? Mt 3:17
YHWH, of course! Yeshua, the "arm of YHWH" (Isaiah 53:1) was His Son - an extension of YHWH Himself!
8. How could he be exalted to a superior position? (Php. 2:9,10)
Philippians 2: 9. Wherefore, also, Elohim has highly exalted him and given him a name which is more excellent than all names; 10. that at the name of Y'shua every knee should bow, of (beings) in heaven and on earth and under the earth; 11. and that every tongue should confess that Y'shua the Mashiyach is YHWH, to the glory of Elohim his Father.
More than his literal birth name Yeshua (which was and is a common Hebrew name), and more than the perfect reputation that his name represents, Yeshua bears the Name of YHWH, 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).
The following was borrowed from an appendix in the AENT entitled "Mashiyach Y'shua is YHWH":
Philippians 2: 11 "and that every tongue should confess that Y'shua the Mashiyach is YHWH, to the glory of Elohim his Father."
The Spirit of YHWH, also known as the Ruach haKodesh, is both within Mashiyach and is YHWH; however, the nephesh (soul) of Y'shua is "the person" or vessel of Y'shua where the Spirit of YHWH dwells. The physical body of Y'shua and his soul are not YHWH, but Y'shua made himself subject to YHWH in all aspects. Rabbis have long believed that Mashiyach existed before the material universe and that everything in time and space is subject to Mashiyach. That Mashiyach existed continuously from before creation indicates a very intimate spiritual connection to YHWH, which isn't such a mystery when we consider our own spirit, soul and body.
Within every person is a neshama (human spirit) which is made in the tselem (image) of Elohim; this is a "portion" of Elohim within each of us. Each one of us has a spirit element that enables us to communicate with the Ruach haKodesh, spirit to spirit. Our mind, will and emotions decode spiritual experiences allowing us to share information about the spiritual worlds within this world system, but we also communicate with others in spiritual dimensions where we "know" or perceive certain things but don't necessarily know why. However, the stronger the spiritual elements within each of us the more resources we have to understand the nature of Mashiyach.
The "mystery" of Mashiyach can only be correctly understood within the Laws of Torah. Mashiyach is synonymous with Torah (instructions in righteousness) and the Word of YHWH is his very nature and being. Before Mashiyach came to earth as Y'shua, the Spirit of Mashiyach dwelt with YHWH as Ruach haKodesh. The Messenger (Angel) of YHWH is Mashiyach who is certainly not a created Angel, but the Arm of YHWH revealed. Mashiyach's dominion is over everything in time and space; when YHWH wills something He does so through Mashiyach. Mashiyach does what the "Mind" of his Father YHWH designs....
...If we consider that we existed, even metaphysically, in the mind of YHWH before we arrived on this Earth before we were given a physical body, then we can better understand how Mashiyach could exist before creation and also appear in various "forms" through time, including his coming to Earth as Y'shua and his return as Mashiyach ben Dawid. Mashiyach appears in hundreds of places in the Tanakh as "the Word of YHWH," even in a vision to Awraham (Gen. 15:1) as well as Gen. 19:24: "Then YHWH rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from YHWH out of heaven;" here it is clear that YHWH is communicating with YHWH. The Word of YHWH occurs within time and space but the Father YHWH (who is Spirit) is outside of time and the space. These passages in Torah are written for our benefit to understand how Mashiyach connects us to the Father. Mashiyach is the Arm of YHWH revealed within time and space; otherwise there would be no "mediator" between us and The Father....
9. How can he be the "mediator between God and man"? (1 Tim. 2:5)
See the above.
10. Why did Paul say that "the head of Christ is God"? (1 Cor. 11:3)
See the above!
11. Why did Jesus "hand over the Kingdom to his God and subject himself to God"? (1 Cor. 15:24,28)
Again, we can find the answer in the AENT:
In order to better understand Mashiyach Y'shua (as well as the writings of Paul), it is vital to have a Hebrew and Aramaic contextual understanding of Mashiyach. With the advent of a Greek "Jesus" throughout the text, the intended depth and clarity was lost because the Greek Iesous has no similarity to, and nothing whatsoever to do with, the Name of YHWH. Some might backtrack and suggest that, the Good News tells us what "Jesus" means; but this is a blind alley because Greek is still only attempting to translate a Hebrew name with all its intrinsic force and insight to begin with, and so we must turn to the original vessel to get the message! That "Jesus" means "God saves" is only a very partial translation of the Name of Y'shua. Y'shua means "YHWH saves" which is an extremely vital key. Every title for Deity in Tanakh is just a title, as in Elohim, El-Shaddai, etc.; but only YHWH is the One true authority and Name, as opposed to the many generic titles conjured up by men. This is paramount to understanding the special messenger mentioned in Shemot (Exodus) 23:20-22 which states, "My Name is in him."
The first unique aspect to this messenger is that the verse says "he will not pardon." This implies that the messenger could, given the right circumstances, forgive sin; but for the fact that YHWH is saying he will not, in this instance. It is that potentiality for forgiveness of sin which sets this "messenger" above all others, for in no other case is such a clarification ever mentioned, meaning that no other messenger has this capability. In Isaiah we find many references to the fact that only YHWH can forgive sin, and yet Mashiyach is given this "Elohim-exclusive" ability as well, even as this messenger. Compare Isaiah 43:1-3, 10-13, 24-28; 44:6-7; 45:5-8, 14-17 to Isaiah 53:1-12.
The second aspect is the name of this unique "messenger." Every other messenger in Tanakh always has part of the same name with the other messengers: EL (e.g. MichaEL, UriEL, RaphaEL, GabriEL, etc.). Everyone that is, except this one, which has "My Name" in him. That being said, of course we know what this Name is: "Moses said to Elohim, 'When I come to the Israelites and say to them the Elohim of your fathers has sent me to you, they will ask me, What is His Name? what shall I say to them?' And Elohim said to Moses, 'Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I am that I am].'" He continued, "'Thus you shall say to the Israelites, Ehyeh [I am] sent me to you.' And Elohim said further to Moses, 'Thus shall you speak to the Israelites: YHWH, the Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Awraham, the Elohim of Yitzkhakh, and the Elohim of Ya'akov, has sent me to you. This shall be My Name forever. This is My appellation for all eternity.'" (Exodus 3:13-15).
12. Who does he refer to as "my God and your God"? (Joh 20:17)
John 20: 16. Y'shua said to her Maryam. And she turned around fully and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbuli!" which means Teacher. 17. Y'shua said to her Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I ascend to my Father and your Father and my Elohim and your Elohim.
"My Elohim and your Elohim" proves that this is the reanimated nefesh of Yeshua, the "human side" that is speaking.
13. How does he sit at God’s right hand? (Ps. 110:1, Heb. 10:12, 13)
It's a "figure out speech." It means, He is WITH God. Once the "arm" (Isaiah 53:1) resurrected He was re-united with the "brain."
14. Why does John say "no man has seen God at any time"? (Joh 1:18)
This can only be understood when read in context!
John 1: 17. Because Torah was given through Moshe, but truth and grace through Y'shua who is the Mashiyach. 18. Man has not ever seen Elohim. The Only Begotten of Elohim, he who is in the bosom of his Father, he has declared Him. 19. And this is the witness of Yochanan when the Yehudeans from Urishlim sent priests and Levites to inquire of him, "Who are you?" 20. And he confessed and did not deny and did not declare, "I am the Mashiyach."
To understand the above, please read Exodus. 34:5, 6; Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 25:10; 31:5; 119:142, 151; 146:5, 6; Isaiah 65:16; Jer. 4:1, 2; John 17:17. Genesis 6:8; Exodus 33:12-17; Psalm 84:11; and Jeremiah 31:1-3.
In Exodus 33:20 God said to Moses: "You cannot see My face; for no man can see Me and live." But Genesis 32:30 records Jacob as saying: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Seeing YHWH (the Spirit) will kill man; seeing Yeshua, YHWH in human form (i.e. Yeshua, with whom Jacob wrestled), will not....
15. Why did people not die when they saw Jesus? (Ex. 30:20)
Because He was in His human form while He walked the earth! That temporary human form in NO WAY detracted from the fact that He was YHWH-Come-in-the-Flesh!
16. How was Jesus dead and God alive at the same time? (Ac 2:24)
See the above!
17. Why did he need someone to save him? (Heb. 5:7)
Again, you need to read "the rest of the story" which actually contains the answer:
Hebrews 5: 7. Likewise, when he was clothed in flesh, he offered fervent prayers and pleadings with intense anxious tears, to him who was able to revive him from death; and he was heard. 8. And though he was a son, yet, from the fear and the sufferings he endured, he learned obedience. 9. And the result was that he was perfected and became the cause of eternal life to all them who obey him. 10. And he was named of Elohim, the High Priest after the likeness of Melchisedec.
18. Who is referred to prophetically at Pro. 8:22-31?
It's about Yeshua, so what's your point?
Proverbs 8: 22 "ADONAI made me as the beginning of his way, the first of his ancient works. 23 I was appointed before the world, before the start, before the earth's beginnings. 24 When I was brought forth, there were no ocean depths, no springs brimming with water. 25 I was brought forth before the hills, before the mountains had settled in place; 26 he had not yet made the earth, the fields, or even the earth's first grains of dust. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there. When he drew the horizon's circle on the deep, 28 when he set the skies above in place, when the fountains of the deep poured forth, 29 when he prescribed boundaries for the sea, so that its water would not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 I was with him as someone he could trust. For me, every day was pure delight, as I played in his presence all the time,. 31 playing everywhere on his earth, and delighting to be with humankind.
19. Why did Jesus say "that all authority has been GIVEN to me in heaven and on earth". (Mt 28:18, Dan. 7:13,14)
Er....because it was?
Matthew 28: 18. And Y'shua drew near and spoke with them and said to them, All authority is given to me in heaven and on earth. And as my Father has sent me, I send you. 19. Go therefore make disciples of all nations, and immerse them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Ruach haKodesh. 20. And teach them to keep all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world. Amen.
Ruach haKodesh is a title for YHWH, see Isaiah 63:1-11; Psalm 51:1-11. The Son has his Father's Name within him and the Father keeps His people in His Name; John 17:11