To be CRYSTAL CLEAR right up front:
I believe Yeshua/Jesus is God!
Scripture clearly describes this (most directly in Jonn 1) and I believe it. YET, Yeshua/Jesus also CLEARLY stated over and over again (in many different ways) that He was NOT “co-equal” with the Father, with consistent statements that indicate He was subordinate to His Father. A subordinate is not an equal. This should go without saying. But for the sake of argument, I’ll post the definition of the word:
sub·or·di·nate:
adjective
1. LOWER in rank or position.noun
1. a person UNDER the authority or control of another within an organization.verb
1. treat or regard as of LESSER importance than something else.
NONE of that amounts to any measure of “co-equality.”
Yeshua/Jesus openly stated that our God was also HIS God (John 20:17) and that the Father God was GREATER than Him (John 14:28). Again, how can a “co-equal” have a God greater than Him? That’s an oxymoron.
But let’s unpack this some more…
YESHUA/JESUS IS GOD. For instance:
John 1:
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.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
And in verse 14, we see that the “word became flesh.” Interesting side note in support of the thesis I’m putting forth here, in Ephesians we see Paul also agrees with John’s account of Creation:
Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Both John and Paul said that “all things” were created by Christ, Who was the word made flesh. Now consider what the Prophet Isaiah said:
Isaiah 48:13 Yes, my hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand has spread out the heavens: when I call to them, they stand up together.
So, if all things were created by Christ, Isaiah seems to be telling us point-blank Who/What Christ is! He’s the right hand that spread out the heavens and laid the foundation of the Earth. Furthermore Isaiah had previously stated…
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Once again, the Son, Yeshua/Jesus is God. Thomas called Him, “my lord and my GOD” with no rebuke from Jesus in John 20:28. Jesus also said, “before Abraham was, I Am” in John 8:58. These and other such Scriptures make it abundantly clear that Yeshua/Jesus was/is as much God as He was man. But when in human form, He was in every way human just as we are. Paul said He put aside His “Godness” if you will in Phil. 2:5-11 and humbled Himself completely in human form, subject in every way to all the issues of life as a man, yet remained without sin, through complete and total obedience to the Father. I love the way the Amplified Bible expands on this:
So, yes, clearly Yeshua/Jesus is God. He is the Son of YHWH. He is the God-Man. How can He not be fully God and fully man? I’m Polish from my father’s side and Scottish from my mother’s. Likewise how can Yeshua/Jesus not have the attributes of both parents? But while I might be considered 50% Polish and 50% Scottish, I believe Yeshua/Jesus was fully God on His Father’s side and fully man on His mother’s. In theological terms, this is called Hypostatic Unity and it’s often described as:
But the problem is, how do we as finite humans understand and accurately define all of this? Make no mistake, people have been trying to for two thousand years and there are no shortage of concepts and ideas to consider – most of which are called “heresy” by those who don’t share the same view. For instance, the following represents a list of “heresies” described on the CARM.org website:
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Adoptionism – God granted Jesus powers and then adopted him as a Son.
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Albigenses – Reincarnation and two gods: one good and other evil.
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Apollinarianism – Jesus’ divine will overshadowed and replaced the human.
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Arianism – Jesus was a lesser, created being.
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Docetism – Jesus was divine but only seemed to be human.
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Donatism – Validity of sacraments depends on character of the minister.
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Eutychianism – Jesus finite human nature is swallowed up in His infinite divine nature.
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Gnosticism – Dualism of good and bad and special knowledge for salvation.
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Kenosis – Jesus gave up some divine attributes while on earth.
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Marcionism – An evil God of the O.T., good God of the N.T. 11, books in the Canon
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Modalism – God is one person in three modes.
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Monarchianism – God is one person.
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Monophysitism – Jesus had only one nature: divine.
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Nestorianism – Jesus was two persons.
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Patripassionism – The Father suffered on the cross.
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Pelagianism – Man is unaffected by the fall and can keep all of God’s laws.
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Semi-Pelagianism – Man and God cooperate to achieve man’s salvation.
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Socinianism – Denial of the Trinity. Jesus is a deified man.
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Subordinationism – The Son is lesser than the Father in essence and or attributes.
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Tritheism – The Trinity is really three separate gods.
I’m sure there are probably even more categories than these, and likely sub-categories within each. And as I’ve tried to study the various views, honestly, I find problems with all of them… including the standard view by which these others are being judged to be “heresy.”
In fact, I actually find the last one in the above list to be quite ironic and rather humorous. Standard Trinitarians will call a Tritheist a “heretic” while at the same time arguing and demanding that we accept the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as “co-equal” PERSONS in the “Godhead” – all while trying to somehow claim they are NOT separate, but in fact One being. And yes, they will fight to the death on this one. To me, a Standard Trinitarian is just a Tritheist in denial. See for yourself as CARM.org tries to explain their views of each. This is how they define Tritheism:
Tritheism is the teaching that the Godhead is really three separate beings forming three separate gods. This erring view is often misplaced by the cults for the doctrine of the Trinity which states that there is but one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the trinity is, by definition, monotheistic. That is, it is a doctrine that affirms that there is only one God in all the universe.
And by contrast, this is how they defend their standard view of the Trinity (bold emphasis mine):
The word “trinity” is not found in the Bible. Nevertheless, it is a word used to describe one fact the Bible teaches about God: Our God is a Trinity. This means there are three persons in one God and not three Gods. The persons are known as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and they have all always existed as three distinct persons. The person of the Father is not the same person as the Son. The person of the Son is not the same person as the Holy Spirit. The person of the Holy Spirit is not the same person as the Father. If you take away any one, there is no God. God has always been a Trinity from all eternity: “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God,” (Psalm 90:2).
God is not one person who took three forms, i.e., the Father who became the Son, who then became the Holy Spirit. This belief is known today as the “Jesus Only Movement” (also known as Oneness Pentecostalism). It is taught by the United Apostolic and United Pentecostal churches and is an incorrect teaching.
Nor is God only one person as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Way International, and the Christadelphians teach. (These groups are classified as non-Christian cults). For proof that there is more than one person in the Godhead, see the Plurality Study.
The Bible says that there is only one God. Yet, it says that Jesus is God (John 1:1, 14). It says that the Father is God (Phil. 1:2), and it says that the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4). Since the Son speaks to the Father, they are distinct persons. Since the Holy Spirit speaks also (Acts 13:2), He is a distinct person. There is one God who exists in three persons.
Over and over again, a standard Trinitarian will dogmatically declare that there are three distinct PERSONS who are “co-equal.” Well, if they are “co-equal PERSONS” then they would have to be three separate INDIVIDUAL BEINGS who are collectively being called “God” – but still uniquely separate! You can try to explain it away with analogies like an egg, having a shell, white and yoke, yet altogether a singular egg. It’s a cute description (and one I’ve used myself). But in the end, you still demand an understanding of each as separate BEINGS operating in unity, which is no different than what a Tritheist – who you call a heretic – believes.
The Trinitarian just uses the singular word “God” where the Tritheist seems to be more honest with the text and their own belief and makes the word God plural (in accordance with the Hebrew word “Elohim,” which is plural). Ironically, the Trinitarian will go berserk on a Tritheist for this, while at the same time, the typical Trinitarian will look at Genesis 1 and see “evidence” of the “triune nature of God” in the PLURAL understanding of “God” (Elohim in Hebrew) described in verse 26.
Genesis 1:26 And God [Elohim] said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
It’s maddening listening to these people! Now, let me be clear though – I’m not taking sides here, so please don’t go running off claiming I’m a Tritheist (I’m not). I’m just pointing out the hypocrisy that is plainly obvious to anyone not blinded by the preferred dogma of the Church today.
“If you deny the Trinity you will lose your soul.
If you try and explain it you will lose your mind.”
– St. Augustine
Indeed, when arguing with a standard Trinitarian, you will quite often find them flip-flopping between verbiage that either sounds very much like Tritheism or Modelism or some bizarre hybrid of the two – all while maintaining complete denial that they are anything like either one. And usually while listening to them call you a “heretic” if you aren’t completely buying into their rhetoric and double-talk. For instance, this is how Ray Pritchard of Christianity.com puts it:
“First of all, Christians don’t believe in three Gods. That’s a heresy called Tritheism. Second, we don’t believe that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are three “forms” of God—like, steam, water and ice. That’s the heresy called Modalism. Third, we don’t believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are “parts” or “pieces” or God. That would imply that Jesus is 1/3rd God, the Father is 1/3rd God, and the Holy Spirit is 1/3rd God.”
And from what I’ve seen, while each flavor of Trinity talkers argue over the nature of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, most of them just blatantly ignore the fact that YHWH actually has SEVEN SPIRITS (Isaiah 11:2-3; Revelation 1:4; 3:1; 4:5 and 5:6), of which the Holy Spirit is either a member or in addition to (depending on who you ask). If God has seven spirits, then all would have to be just as Divine as He is. So, when you demand “distinct personhood” for each member of the “Godhead,” how many are we really dealing with here? Three, Seven, Eight, Nine or TEN (seems to be getting rather crowded around the Throne doesn’t it)? And how is all of this to be reconciled with the repeated statements of Scripture that we have ONLY ONE God? GotQuestions.org attempts to answer this, but in my opinion, they fall short…
They conclude by saying the “most likely” answer to the problem is that the Seven Spirits of God are actually the Holy Spirit. But wait. The Holy Spirit is allegedly a distinct person of the Godhead, which allegedly is a three-in-one, plural/singular Deity. So, now we have a three-in-one, within which one of the three is a seven-in-one? Wait. What!??
Again, everyone believes everyone else who holds to a different view is a “heretic.” And majority rules in this game. It is always the self-proclaimed “authority” who sets the standard “doctrine” and enforces it – often upon pain of persecution and even death. Yet, nowhere in Scripture are we given a concise, irrefutable, undeniable, clear-cut definition for understanding the exact nature of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Rather, we must piece it all together from the whole counsel of Scripture and do our best as finite humans to understand an infinite God, Who’s ways, thoughts and true nature are very far above ours. So, it would be the height of extremely arrogant hubris to assume we could actually put any measure of a truly accurate description together and declare ourselves to be correct and everyone else wrong – or worse, a “heretic.”
Along these lines, there is a famous story associated with St. Augustine. It goes something like this…
St. Augustine was walking on the beach contemplating and praying about how he is to understand the mystery of the Trinity. Eventually, he saw a boy in front of him who had dug a hole in the sand and was going out to the sea again and again with a little bucket and bringing some water back to pour into the hole. Curious, St. Augustine asked him, “What are you doing?”“I’m going to pour the entire ocean into this hole!” exclaimed the proud boy.“That is impossible! The whole ocean could never fit into that tiny hole you have made” said St. Augustine.The boy replied, “And neither can you fit the Holy Trinity into your tiny little brain.”The story concludes by saying that as Augustine contemplated the boy’s answer the boy vanished. It is thus believed St. Augustine had been talking to an angel, who had been sent to answer his prayers.
I’ve seen variations of the dialogue in this story, but each version conveys the same idea: our little pea brains are not capable of figuring out the immense complexities of an infinite God. Yet, still we try our best. So, what right does anyone have to claim someone else is a “heretic” when their views are unavoidably just as feeble in describing something so complex as the next person’s? In short, we don’t have any right at all. We’re all falling short. So, with this admitted and irrefutable fact in mind, I will now add my own feeble attempt at putting another drop in the tiny bucket, which aims to contain the water from all the oceans of the world.
Let me start off by saying, I accept and believe the above to be an accurate representation of what we call the Trinity. I believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That’s three, Who are in unity. Hence, a Tri-Unity or Trinity. I believe this! What I don’t however accept is the definition given to us by a Mithra worshiper through a Catholic council meeting 1700+ years ago for understanding the nature and relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
When it comes to the latter, I’m with Bullinger on this one, but that’s a whole other topic which is addressed in a separate blog.
For this blog, I will be focusing on the nature of Yeshua within the context of what we call the Trinity. The New Testament does emphasize the unity between the Father and Son (John 10:30), yet it also makes the distinction between the two clear in numerous scriptures (e.g., John 20:17; Romans 15:6; 1 Timothy 2:5). And it is quite clear that the Son is subordinate to the Father, thus nullifying the argument of them allegedly being “co-equal”. For instance, here is a post I made on Feb. 6, 2019:
As a result of this post (and others like it), entire campaigns have been launched against me claiming I’m a heretic in denial of the “true Godhead.” SMH. I’m sorry, but there are just too many Scriptures which directly contradict the dogma of those who are coming against me and I’m not going to just pretend they’re not there.
If I may ask, is it possible that there could be another way to look at the “Godhead” apart from the descriptions given in the list above? Obviously, I believe there is. But as I now progress into explaining why I believe this, please understand, I’m not claiming I’m right nor that what I’m about to say is the truth that needs to be the new standard. No. I’m merely going to make some suggestions that at least in my mind seem to resolve most (if not all) of the problems typically found in most understandings of the Godhead we’ve discussed thus far.
For me, most if not all of the “issues” brought up in the above viewpoints concerning the nature of the Godhead are easily reconciled in recognizing that the Scriptures consistently refer to YHWH’s RIGHT HAND as “salvation” (which is actually the word “Yeshua” in Hebrew). Just do a Bible word search on everywhere it mentions YHWH’s right hand/arm and see for yourself. It’s a fascinating study. Here are just a few examples (of many):
Exodus 15:6 Thy right hand, O YHWH, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O YHWH, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
Psalm 17:7 Show your marvelous loving kindness, you who save those who take refuge by your right hand from their enemies.
Psalm 18:35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
Psalm 20:6 Now I know that YHWH saves his anointed. He will answer him from his holy heaven, with the saving strength of his right hand.
Psalm 89:13 You have a mighty arm. Your hand is strong, and your right hand is exalted.
Psalm 98:1 Sing to YHWH a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand, and his holy arm, have worked salvation for him.
Psalm 118: 15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation (yeshuah) is in the tents of the righteous. “The right hand of YHWH does valiantly. 16 The right hand of YHWH is exalted! The right hand of YHWH does valiantly!”
Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation (yeshua); I will trust, and not be afraid: for the YHWH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation (yeshua).
Isaiah 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 48:13 Yes, my hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand has spread out the heavens: when I call to them, they stand up together.
In the New Testament, Who has been exalted and lifted up and credited for creating, saving and getting the victory for us? Yeshua! The literal right hand of the Father.
Even the name YHWH means “hand behold, nail behold” (reading the letters right to left). So, in my mind, recognizing Yeshua as the actual Right Hand of the Father (just as the Scriptures state) resolves most of these types of questions.
Now, does that mean He’s NOT the “FULLNESS of God” manifested in the flesh (Col. 2:9)? Nope. He certainly IS! He said the Father was in Him and He in the Father (John 14:10,11). Think about your hand. The same DNA that’s in other parts of you is in your hand, thus in essence, you are in you… all over you. Is my hand me though? No. Am I my hand? No. But both “me” and my hand are indeed one. And Scripture says that the “HEAD of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3). Hence the hand can “only do what the Father does” (again as Jesus Himself stated numerous times). The hand can do nothing of its own accord. It receives instruction from the head and performs accordingly. Furthermore, if you have the proper know-how and technology, you COULD clone your FULL being from the DNA of your hand. So, in that sense, yes, the FULLNESS of you IS in your hand (and everywhere else for that matter). So, there is no problem believing Yeshua/Jesus is BOTH the physical right hand of the Father AND the FULLNESS OF HIM, manifested as such.
Along the same lines, it’s not unreasonable for Yeshua/Jesus to say, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen my Father.” How are we typically identified in a legal system? By our FINGER PRINT! Thus, my finger print IDENTIFIES ME. If you’ve seen my finger print, you’ve seen me – in terms of my identity. If someone were to “run my finger prints”, images and information about ME would come up on their screen. For instance, when I go to the gym (24 Hour Fitness), I use my finger print on a scanner to sign in. Once the machine recognizes ME (from a finger on my HAND), the person behind the counter says, “Enjoy your work out ROB!” Why? Because if they’ve seen my finger print, they’ve seen me.
You may argue, “But Jesus received worship.” (see John 20:28 for instance). Indeed He did. Why? Because as we’ve already established, He’s deity! How can any part of YHWH not be? As I said above, I’m of Polish and Scottish ancestry (among a variety of other nationalities). Guess what? My hand is just as Polish/Scottish as the rest of me. This doesn’t need to be complicated. Yeshua is just as much “Elohim” as the rest of YHWH. He’s GOD through and through. So, of course Yeshua accepted worship.
Is it Time for a Theological Reset?
To me, reconciling the issue of the Godhead requires us to intimately understand and accept this critically important Biblical fact:
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one:
This Scripture is known to the Jews as the Shema Yisra’el… (Hear, Israel) prayer and it is at the very heart and foundation of their faith. Hence, no Hebrew Israelite (regardless of tribal affiliation – in the Old or New Testament) who had read and believed their Scriptures would have ever considered any notion of a “Trinity” as described in modern Christian theology. So, this presents a problem for the typical Trinitarian.
The New Testament must be understood in light of the Old and it cannot contradict it. Indeed, none of the Prophets of the Old Testament and none of the Jewish Apostles of the New Testament would have believed as we do today. The Trinitarian doctrine as we now know it came from former pagans converting to Christianity and became solidified as dogma by the Catholic Church quite some time after the first century by people who were doing everything they could to distance themselves from anything considered to be “Jewish.”
The next thing you know, Sabbath was replaced by Sunday. Passover was replaced with Easter and nearly anything to do with the Torah was completely discarded. In fact, to continue to observe such things was a death sentence. And before you know it, there was a massive divide created between Malachi and Matthew and this divide only grew wider with time until entire doctrines were developed that found no precedence whatsoever in the foundation of our Scriptures (i.e. the Torah, Prophets and Writings of the Old Testament). I believe it is time to close up that divide and allow Scripture to define Scripture – not the Catholic Church!
Scripture clearly states we have only ONE God over and over again all through the Bible. Yet, we have clear descriptions of a Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So, what are we to do with that? Do we have three Gods as the Tritheists believe? Is it one God manifesting in different forms as the Modalists believe? Are we talking about three distinctly separate PERSONS, who inexplicably represent one singular/plural entity known as “God” as the Tritheist/Modalists in denial, calling themselves Trinitarians believe? Or is there an easier way to look at all of this without compromising the fact that we are talking about ONLY ONE Deity? Obviously, I submit there is. This blog attempts to make the case for Yeshua as the literal right hand of YHWH, Who created all things. And in a separate blog, I have tried to make the case that the Holy Spirit is the literal ruach/pnuema – breath, wind, spirit – of YHWH. In this view, we have one God who extends portions of Himself (e.g. his hand and his empowering breath) into our existence in a variety of ways, but all of which are still Him and no one else.
Remember…
Isaiah 44:6 Thus says YHWH, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, YHWH of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.
Isaiah 45:5 I am YHWH, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me,
THERE IS NO GOD BUT YHWH! NONE!
He declared this in no uncertain terms. And every author of Scripture agreed. So, if we are to accept that Yeshua/Jesus is God, the obvious question becomes, can God die? No. Of course not. And yet, Yeshua/Jesus died – and men killed him. Can a man kill God? No. This is actually one of the main arguments Islam raises against Christianity (I encountered many Muslims in my days as a missionary, and consistently ran into this argument). This is not an argument that can easily be dismissed either. If you demand an understanding of Yeshua/Jesus as God, co-eternal, co-equal with the Father and all powerful, how then could He die? You may argue (as I have myself) that He “laid His own life down,” which is true. But He still DIED! How does GOD DIE?
When you allow yourself to ask such questions, you find these are just the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, it’s part of the reason why we have the list above to begin with. People began to ask these types of questions and then spun off entire doctrines based on the solutions they came up with for the various problems raised by those questions.
But I’m sitting here raising my hand and asking, “Why don’t we just accept what the Scriptures say at face value?” We have numerous Scriptures telling us YHWH is ONE and that there “are no others” and that His right arm/hand is His salvation (yeshua). His own name even means “hand behold, nail behold” for crying out loud! Then, what do you know? Someone named Yeshua shows up and has nails put through His hands (and feet) and dies in order to “pay the price” for our salvation! Is this just a coincidence?
Consider this:
Can someone’s hand “die” and be “raised again” from the dead? Actually… YES! For instance, you could get frostbite and the FLESH of your hand could die and go completely black. Yet, by way of example, it is possible with things like hyperbaric oxygen therapy, to bring that “dead” hand back to life again. Your hand was dead, but you were not. And then your hand was “raised from the dead.” You could even have your hand severed from your body, which would effectively “kill” your hand, while you still live. But it is possible to “revive” your hand, by re-attaching it, if done in a timely fashion, thus making both you and your hand whole once again. So if we can do this, I have no problem believing YHWH – “Hand Behold, Nail Behold” – could have done the same.
1 Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
Again, here we have another Scripture that refutes the notion of co-equality. But perhaps we have something more here as well. Granted, the context of this is talking about “headship” in terms of hierarchical authority. But what if it can be taken quite literally? YHWH is the head and Yeshua is His hand (as we’ve already established). Hence why Yeshua constantly said He could do nothing of His own, but only said and did what the Father (the Head) directed Him to do.
You might say, “But Yeshua/Jesus wasn’t a HAND. He was a person.” Yes. He was. If I may use this (somewhat crude) analogy, I have no problem believing that YHWH could have put on a “flesh glove” (so-to-speak) that was made in His own image in order to interact with us, much the same way a puppeteer puts a voice (and even body and sometimes legs) to a puppet on his hand, making it APPEAR to come to life. I say “appear” in this case because obviously we can’t do what YHWH can. If He can SPEAK a universe into existence, I’m pretty sure He can handle animating His own right hand into a walking, talking person that looks like Himself and can interact with us on Earth “in the flesh.”
Why would He do this? Because we can’t handle ALL OF HIM. Moses asked to see all of Him in all His glory. YHWH said he couldn’t handle that so He covered Moses WITH HIS HAND (interesting) and then walked past, allowing Moses to only see “the fullness” of His back.
Exodus 33:
The Glory of the Lord
12 And Moses said unto YHWH, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. 14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. 15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. 16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
17 And YHWH said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. 18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of YHWH before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 21 And YHWH said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
Praise YHWH for His protective, saving right HAND, which covers us!
Even one of the most popular go-to Scriptures in the Old Testament (Isaiah 53) seems to support this concept. This powerhouse of Messianic prophetic Scriptures starts off by asking…
Isaiah 53:
1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD [YHWH] revealed?
Isaiah then goes on to describe this “arm” in the remainder of the chapter…
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Please note, the “him” mentioned here and in the following verses is commonly accepted in most Christian circles to be Yeshua/Jesus. But this “him” is FIRST described by Isaiah as the “arm of YHWH.” And as we have already seen in a number of other Scriptures, it is YHWH’s right arm/hand that is always associated with salvation.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
A Grave Assigned
(Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42)
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
At this point, I’m ready to just say, “Okie dokie” and simply believe what the Scriptures are saying at face value. I see no reason to complicate any of this with Catholic doctrine and/or the many spin-offs that came from it.
There’s much more I could say about this concept, but it doesn’t mean anyone has to accept my analogies. I’m not trying to create some new doctrine here. I’m just saying, this is how it all works out in my mind. Take it or leave it. But I’ve yet to see a better analogy that doesn’t eventually end up contradicting itself over and over again.
Rob Skiba