Who does Messiah Yeshua say he is?

WHO IS YESHUA, REALLY? Well, first of all, his given, Hebrew name is "Yeshua" - which looks like this in Hebrew: and it means, "YHWH is Salvation." (With vowels, the Father's Name is spelled "YAHWEH" (; but we often see other transliterations spelled in various ways, according to personal preference: Y'shua, Yahashua, Yashua, and a few wild and some crazy ones I'm not going to even bother with...

Who is he? Well, that will require a much longer explanation requiring an "open mind" that is actually listening to the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit). But first, here is the "short version":

Yeshua is YHWH's Divine Messiah - His "arm" (Isaiah 53:1; and the "Word" (John 1:1, 14) who came to remind God's people about who He (YHWH/Yahweh, the Father, The Creator) was and how He expects His people to behave in a lost and carnal world ... according to His Divine Instructions In Righteousness (Torah, the first five Books of the Bible that contain all of God's original do's and don'ts).

Yeshua was "the Word made flesh" (John 1:14) ... in other words, made into a HUMAN with a Divine Nature (after all, YHWH was his "Father"!). Yeshua was "born" and "died" - something YHWH/GOD cannot do (or else, He wouldn't be "God")....

THE LONGER VERSION IS THIS: As you know, Messiah Yeshua was human just for a few short years before he martyred himself on our behalf to take away our PAST sins. Contrary to popular opinion, he was not a "sacrifice", because nobody "sacrificed" him! (Animal sin sacrifices were always "sacrificed" on an altar, according to God's Rules; but Yeshua was a HUMAN, and, as you know, ADONAI never demanded "human" sacrifices! (Not even the original Passover lambs were "sacrificed"; they were simply killed so that their blood could serve to redeem YHWH's people. Please see our article, The Passover Connection to Yeshua.

There is so much more to this, so please read on!

BUT FIRST, LET'S BACK UP A BIT. First and foremost, we must realize that "God the Father - YHWH our ELOHIM - is indeed, ONE. He is NOT "three in one" as some Christian denominations teach - and He is definitely NOT "three persons in one!" In Hebrew, the word for "one" when referring to YHWH is "echad" - which is the "plural form" of "one" - such as ONE BUNCH of grapes or ONE DOZEN eggs.

Messiah Yeshua was not YHWH, per se; he was "the Word" (John 1:1 and 14); a "part" of whatever comprises YHWH; and, as such, he can certainly be referred to as "God, but we must remember, Yeshua never claimed to BE YHWH. (After all, he prayed to his Father, YHWH, to "take this cup from me" just before his crucifixion; Luke 22:42, Mark 14:36. He surely wasn't praying to himself!)

Regardless, whenever we attempt to illustrate the concept of God to the atheists who write to our website, we like to compare the idea of Him to a fiber optics lamp with its myriad little "points of light" emanating from the ends of long, thin tubes. The lamp's lights appear ONLY because of the base that is powered by electricity. The "power" of whatever comprises YHWH is something we humans, with our limited mindset, cannot even begin to comprehend!

Without the base, there is no light. The Entity of YHWH is the "base" with His light emanating everywhere via whatever "form" He chooses. For instance, He revealed Himself to Moshe through a burning bush, to the Israelites as pillars of cloud and fire, and as "three men" to Abraham at the Oaks of Mamre, one of whom was being referred to as "ADONAI" or "LORD" - and in myriad other ways.

Genesis 18:1-2;17 - 1 Adonai appeared to Avraham by the oaks of Mamre as he sat at the entrance to the tent during the heat of the day. 2 He raised his eyes and looked, and there in front of him stood three men. On seeing them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, prostrated himself on the ground....17 Adonai said, "Should I hide from Avraham what I am about to do... (CJB)

Proverbs 30:4 - Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has cupped the wind in the palms of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know! (CJB)

YHWH sent Yeshua to Earth to be His Messiah, His Holy Representative, to show mankind who God is and what He expects of His people, and to teach them His Torah so that they could know how to be holy/set apart and properly obey; and then to ultimately martyr himself as the Final SIN Offering - thus, providing ALL who choose YHWH/Yeshua, a way to "start all over again" (without having to continue shedding the blood of innocent animals), simply by repenting and changing their ways to comply with Torah Instructions...

Unlike any other "forms," Yeshua was the ONLY ONE who had YHWH's Name WITHIN His own Name! ("YAH"-shua,which in Hebrew means "YHWH is Salvation"). The names of the angels/messengers (Michael, Gabriel and Rafael) contain only the letters "El" which refer to ELOHIM ... (MichaEL, GabriEL, RafaEL). Yeshua had a divine qnoma/Nature - in other words, he was "powered" by YHWH, was always an indelible "part" of YHWH as "the Word ... but as a human for a short time, he was NOT YHWH, the "Base of the lamp." He did NOT come to replace YHWH, nor to "be God"; rather, He was the "arm" of YHWH (Isaiah 53:1), doing his Father's will on earth. Take look:

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."

Luke 8: 1 And it happened after these things that Y'shua was going around in the cities and in the villages and was preaching and declaring the Kingdom of Elohim.

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.

In other words, one could say YHWH used the "form" of Messiah Yeshua to reveal ELOHIM/God, and the teachings and the Nature of ELOHIM through a human vessel to help people to better understand Him via their limited, human mindsets.

On a more scholarly level, the YHWH/Yeshua relationship can be explained via the Aramaic word qnoma. 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 (Hebrew for "Messiah), 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. 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)....

Throughout Scripture we see over and over again that YHWH is the ONLY God. Examples:

Deuteronomy 4: 39 ...know today, and establish it in your heart, that ADONAI is God in heaven above and on earth below - there is no other.

Isaiah 45: 5 I am ADONAI; there is no other; besides me there is no God.

In view of the above, how could YHWH possibly be "three persons in one" - since YHWH is Spirit, Yeshua was the ONLY one who was a "person"; and the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) is the Power of YHWH that lives within us to guide and keep us focusing on HIS ways?

The Bible goes on to tell us, however, that Yeshua was co-equal of ELOHIM (Philippians 2:6-11; John 10:22-39); yet, at the same time we are NOT told that he was YHWH.

Isaiah 9:6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; dominion will rest on his shoulders, and he will be given the name Pele-Yo'etz El Gibbor Avi-'Ad Sar-Shalom [Wonder of a Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace], 7 in order to extend the dominion and perpetuate the peace of the throne and kingdom of David, to secure it and sustain it through justice and righteousness henceforth and forever. The zeal of ADONAI-Tzva'ot will accomplish this. CJB

Micah 5: 2 But you, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, so small among the clans of Y'hudah, out of you will come forth to me the future ruler of Isra'el, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times. CJB

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Colossians 2: ⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. ⁹ For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.

Matthew 16:15-17: ¹⁵"But what about you?" he (Yeshua) asked. "Who do you say I am?" ¹⁶Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Yeshua replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

John 10:30: I and the Father are One,

John 14:9: Whoever sees me sees the Father....

John 1 also tells us: ¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things came to be through him, and without him nothing made had being. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness not has suppressed it.

John 4:26: Then Yeshua declared, "I who speak to you am he." (the Messiah)

John 17:1-3: After Yeshua said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: ²"Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Yeshua Christ, whom you have sent. ⁴I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. ⁵And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Matthew 1: 23...they shall call his name EMMANUEL, which being interpreted is, GOD WITH US.

John 8: 24...if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Now take a look at this comment by Rav Shaul (Apostle Paul), who said Yeshua was seen by more than 500 people AFTER His death! Considering the discussion Rav Shaul just had about his followers not being spiritual babies, this is a very humbling statement! His point is, of course, that many people saw the risen Yeshua before him; and, even more than that, countless others heard him speak, face-to-face.

1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you from the first, as I had received it; that the Mashiyach died on account of our sins, as it is written: 4. And that he was buried and arose on the third day, as it is written: 5. And that he was seen by Keefa; and after him, by the twelve: 6. And after that, he was seen by more than five hundred Brothers at once; many of whom survive at the present time, and some of them sleep. 7. And subsequently to this, he was seen by Ya'akov; and after him, by all the Shlichim. 8. And last of them all, he was seen by me, as if I were an unborn fetus.

Check this out!

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 very tongue will avow MarYah - that is, Yeshua the Messiah - to the glory of His Father.

1 Timothy 3: 16. and truly great, is this mystery of righteousness which was revealed in the flesh and righteous in the spirit, and seen by Messengers, and proclaimed among the Gentiles, and believed on in the world, and received up into glory. (AENT)

Yeshua is never called "our Father" in the "New Testament" although he is called "Everlasting father" in Isaiah 9:6. In the New Covenant, Yeshua always appears beside the Father or with the Father. This does not compromise the dual truth that Yeshua is divine, having the nature, character, mission and capacity of God in every respect (as Yeshua is part of YHWH because he is his "arm" (Isaiah 53:1). Paul constantly demonstrates this principle (Romans 1:7, 2 Thessalonians 1:1, 2:16, Philemon 1:3).

There is both equality and hierarchy between Yeshua and the Father. (John 10:24, 14:28, 1 Corinthians 11:3). The subordination of a faithful messenger has a major part in the role of the Messiah and his Father. (Phillipians 2:6-11, Hebrews 5:8, Colossians 1:19, 2:9).

And yes, YHWH and Yeshua are NOT part of a "trinity"; YHWH is ONE, as declared in the Sh'ma (Deuteronomy 6:4). "Church founders" such as Ignatius(35-107 CE), Marcion (110-160 AD) and Tertullian who coined the word "trinity" (155-230 CE) were instrumental in tweaking the Scriptures and inserting their own opinions - which, of course, were swallowed by "the world" as "true Gospel" which sought to free the Church from "false Jewish doctrines":

• Ignatius was considered to be an "auditor" and "disciple" of John. Ignatius pioneered the Greek-based Christian religion and was instrumental in the assimilation of paganism into early Christianity, packaging Christianity for a Greco-Roman Hellenic culture. Ignatius saw Jewish followers of Y'shua as nothing more than legalists and Judaizers. He despised the observance of Shabbat in favor of a sunrise "Lord's day", Sun-Day, teachings. It is scarcely possible to exaggerate the importance of the Ignatian letters to modern Christian institutions. He was a key player in the development of the modern Christo-Pagan church, promoting the "infallibility of the church" and the "universal church". If there ever was a hierarchy loving "Christian" with a Hellenistic autocratic mindset, it was Ignatius who gave himself the nickname Theophoros (the God-bearer) and taught that deacons, presbyters and bishops were a separate category of people, high and lifted up, and infused with Jesus-like authority to be lords over people. Christians consider Ignatius as one of the all time biggest movers and shakers of the all-Gentile church. He strongly instructed that "without the bishop's supervision, no baptisms or love feasts are permitted". He also believed Mary to be the eternal virgin mother of God.
• Every Christian who uses the term "Old" and "New" testament must take their hats off to Marcion as he was the one who coined these terms which perfectly reflect the Hellenistic mindset of the pagan world which is ignorant of Torah. Marcion taught that the Old and New Testaments could not be reconciled with each other, and this is what you will hear in Christian churches today.
• One of Tertullian's better known "achievements" was to fall into a trance and then prophesy under the influence of the "Holy Spirit", insisting his utterances were the voice of the "Holy Spirit". (The modern day speaking in tongues "born again" Pentecostal or Charismatic Christians must really appreciate someone like Tertullian!) Also, Tertullian, while fumbling in all manner of paganism and spiritism, picked up an "anointing" of the "Holy Ghost" and coined the word "Trinity" which is one of the most beloved doctrines of the pagan Church to this very day. The "persons of the trinity" doctrine flourishes in the hierarchy-based religion which sees itself as a three-sided pyramid structure. Tertullian's works abound with puns, wit, sarcasm and a continual pounding of his opponents with invectives.

Yeshua is foreshadowed throughout the Tanach, especially in Isaiah 53, and also in every one of the Biblical Feasts. We're also told that Yeshua the Messiah is both deity and human; the "seed of a woman" as promised in Genesis 3:15; and his virgin birth (remember, YHWH ELOHIM "the Father" cannot be born our die!) was to be a sign to Israel of his Messiahship. Plus, He has fulfilled at least 300 Messianic prophecies....

Messiah Yeshua performed many miracles, including turning water into wine, raising the dead, walking on water, etc. He came to earth to represent God the Father, to teach us how to worship Him, to teach us how to treat each other, and to be our final sin sacrifice. He willingly went to the cross, and then He bodily resurrected and ascended, and the Bible tells us He would return in the future to establish His kingdom upon the earth.

Yeshua Himself made some startling predictions concerning His future on earth: Matthew 16:21 says From that time Yeshua began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.

He again makes a sweeping statement in John 2:19 "Destroy this Temple and in three days I WILL RAISE IT UP!" Verse 21: But he was speaking of the temple of his body. (Again, please think about this: YHWH ELOHIM/the Father is SPIRIT; He does not have a "body" that can be born or die; but Messiah Yeshua, whom YHWH "breathed" into Miriam (Mary) did... "The Word made flesh" did those things; but NOT YHWH Himself! Messiah Yeshua in his human body WAS a separate entity, yet, connected to YHWH via his Divine Nature ... in ways that are too mind-boggling to comprehend...)

Let's take a look at some of the other claims Yeshua makes:

• "Follow ME ... " - Matthew 4:19
• "That you may know that the Son of Man HAS POWER ON EARTH TO FORGIVE SINS." - Matt 9:6 (NOTE: Yeshua was given the power to forgive sins. Not even the angels/messengers were given that power. Example: In Exodus 23:20-22 YHWH warns the Israelites of a messenger who will lead them. He gives a proviso for this messenger: He will NOT forgive your sin. Now why say this? Has any messenger EVER been able to forgive sin? No, but as Y'shua said, "Which is easier to say? That your sins are forgiven or to the paralyzed, "Arise and walk, take up your pallet and go home? BUT SO YOU WILL KNOW THE SON OF MAN HAS THE AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE SINS (Daniel 7:1-14), I say, Arise and walk." In Hebrew the word for MESSENGER--malakh--can also be pointed to mean MELECH (king). This is a remez (hint).)
• Him that has Power to give out Healing Power and Power over Death to His followers. - Matt 10:8
• "The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath Day" - Matt 12:8
• "I cast out devils by the Spirit of God" - Matt 12:28
• "A Greater than Solomon is here" - Matt 12:42
• "Many Prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see ... and to hear the things which you hear " - Matt 13:17
• "The Son of Man shall send forth HIS ANGELS and they shall gather out of HIS KINGDOM all things that offend ... and shall cast them into a furnace, ... then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in THE KINGDOM OF THEIR FATHER" (There is ONE Kingdom only!) - Matt 13:41-43
• "And I will give unto thee the KEYS OF HEAVEN" - Matt 16:19
• Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven." - Matt 16:16-17
• "For the Son of Man ... shall reward every man according to his works." - Matt 16:27
• "They will see the Son of Man coming in HIS KINGDOM." - Matt 16:28
• "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I suffer you?" - Matt 17:17
• "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost" - Matt 18:11
• "For where two or three are gathered IN MY NAME, THERE AM I" - Matt 18:20
• "When the Son of Man shall sit in THE THRONE OF HIS GLORY..." - Matt 19:28
• "...For one is your Master, even Messiah" - Matt 23:10
• "When the Son of Man shall come in HIS GLORY and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit UPON THE THRONE OF HIS GLORY and before Him shall be gathered all nations, and He shall separate them ...." - Matt 25:31
• "For this is MY Blood of the New Covenant... " - Matt 26:28
• "All Power is given unto Me in heaven and earth." - Matt 28:18
• "I am with you even unto the end of the world." - Matt 28:20 (as the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh)

Does this sound as if Yeshua viewed himself as "just a mere man"?

In closing, I just wanted to reiterate that YHWH is ELOHIM/the Father; while Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son with a divine Nature. There IS a difference, but hopefully, this article has served to help you better understand the YHWH/Yeshua relationship...

Isaiah 44:6 - Thus says Adonai, Isra’el’s King and Redeemer, Adonai-Tzva’ot: “I am the first, and I am the last; besides me there is no God. 7 Who is like me? Let him speak out!

Revelation 1:8 - 7. Behold, he comes with clouds; and all eyes will see him, and also they who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn on account of him. Yes: Amen. 8. I am Alap, also Taw, says the Master YHWH, Elohim; who is, and was, and is to come, the omnipotent.[*] (AENT)

FOOTNOTE: Alap-Taw holds a universe of meaning; each Hebrew/Aramaic letter holds many specific values. Aleph speaks of the absolute Unity of YHWH; Taw is the Perfection of YHWH; this is a remez (hint) of the Urim and Thummin. This also reveals "YHWH is Salvation" as the First, Last, Beginning and the End. The Ten Commandments begin with the letter Aleph, "Anochi (I) am YHWH your Elohim who has brought you out of the land of Egypt..." Exodus 20:2. The Father YHWH is Ain Sof (without end) He is infinite; therefore, "the Arm of YHWH" (Mashiyach) spoke and appeared to Moshe. Taw reveals the Perfection of Mashiyach; Taw is the first letter of Tefilin (prayers), Torah, Teshuva (turning to YHWH) which speaks of the transformation of the natural man into a Tzadiq, spiritual man. Alap-Taw speaks of Alap/Head (Keter) and Taw/Feet (Malchut) of the sefirot and both the government of Mashiyach and the harmony of all things; and there are countless other Hebraic connections. These words and letters are important to reveal the nature of Mashiyach, which is why such a sober warning is given in Revelation 22:18-19.

Revelation 21:5 And He who sat on the throne, said: Behold, I make all things new. And he said: Write; because these are the faithful and true Words of Elohim. 6. And he said to me: I am Alap and the Taw, the Beginning and the Completion: to him who thirsts, will I give of the fountain of living water, freely. 7. He that overcomes will inherit these things; and I will be his Elohim, and he will be my son. (AENT)

Revelation 22:12-16: (12. Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me to recompense everyone according to his work. 13. I am Alap and the Taw, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the Completion. 14. Blessed are they who do His (Master YHWH's) Mitzvot,[*] that they may have a right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city. 15. Without (will be) dogs and sorcerers, and sexual sinners and manslayers and idolaters, and everyone that loves and does falsehood. 16. I Y'shua have sent my Messenger to testify to you these things before the assemblies. I am the root and offspring of Dawid: like the splendid star of the morning. (AENT)

FOOTNOTE: Very important! Y'shua is talking, so these are YHWH's Mitzvot (Commandments), not his. This is also the original reading in Revelation. The "wash your robes" line was substituted later, as a way to downplay the obvious pro-Torah message at the end of the NT. This is, in effect, the last speech Y'shua gives to the world. There are actually two ancient Greek witnesses that are split on the matter, and one may have arisen as a scribal error to the other between poiountes tas entolas (do his commandments) and plunontes tas stolas (wash their robes).

What you have read above is part of the reason Yeshua was nailed to the stake: He dared to compare Himself to YHWH, while at the same time submitting to Him! He never said he WAS YHWH; but he knew he was YHWH's Divine Messiah! Unlike any other rabbi before or since, he taught with the authority of someone who was on equal footing with the Father! He was a human with a Divine qnoma, YHWH's SON, sent to earth by the Father in order to allow man to be better able to relate to God, and then to martyr Himself as our substitution.

It is imperative to recognize the fact that GOD cannot be born or die; but His Son whose body was human and whose Nature was Divine, could! How merciful that YHWH cared enough about His wayward human creation to send His SON to earth to teach us about Himself and His Kingdom, and then to martyr himself to become our substitution so that we might have eternal life merely because we believe in our hearts that Yeshua was who he said he was!