Defending Messiah

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What started out as a single blog post has grown quite lengthy and is likely to continue to grow a lot more. So, in order to make things easier to find, I’ve created the following quick reference table of contents. Just click on the link for the topic you want to check out and it should take you right to that spot on this page:

• Introduction
• Debunking the so-called Copycat Thesis
• Debunking Zeitgeist
• Debunking Caesar’s Messiah
• Undeniable Historical Proof for the Jewish Messiah
• Additional Evidence
• Christians are Guilty of Creating Many of Their Own Problems
• Who Was the Angel of the LORD?
• How Should We Understand the “Godhead”?
• The Messiah’s Name
• The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53
• Questionable Doctrines
• How Many Gods Do We Serve?
• The Right Hand of YHWH is Salvation (aka Yeshua)
• The Word Made Flesh
• Is Belief in Yeshua Idolatry?

INTRODUCTION:

I (Rob Skiba) was recently interviewed on Jessica Arellanes’ YouTube channel along with Adam Fink about what is happening to many within the Torah community. Before continuing reading the rest of this blog, I would suggest you watch this video first in order to set the stage for what will follow:

This particular webpage is a direct result of realizing there is a real need to address the many arguments that are being raised against Yeshua. We are in a war. Many are falling away. Adam Fink addresses this here:

OK. Let’s jump right in and deal with some of the various go-to arguments that are often used in order to try and dismiss the truths of the Messiah as described in the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible…

DEBUNKING THE SO-CALLED COPYCAT THESIS:

The following playlist contains 17 videos, which specifically address – and utterly destroy – the so-called “Copycat Thesis” – the idea that Jesus is just a copycat of numerous other pagan deities:

Here are a few more videos that also address the copycat argument…

DEBUNKING ZEITGEIST:

One of the most popular “documentaries” that have come out attempting to cast significant doubt in the person of Yeshua/Jesus is called Zeitgeist. So let’s address the many fraudulent claims made in this one first:

DEBUNKING CAESAR’S MESSIAH:

Another “documentary” many have unfortunately fallen prey to is “Caesar’s Messiah,” which in my opinion is actually among the weaker of those that have been put out over the past few decades. The following is a playlist of 15 videos that specifically address the many (bogus) arguments in “Caesar’s Messiah.” I would suggest you watch all of them and pass this playlist along to those you may know who have unfortunately believed this nonsense.

UNDENIABLE HISTORICAL PROOF FOR THE JEWISH MESSIAH:

Here a some good apologetic videos proving the legitimacy of Yeshua/Jesus Christ as a real, historical figure:

Here is a good parody exposing some of the lunacy involved in denying the historical facts…

ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE:

When it comes to the issue of whether or not Yeshua/Jesus really existed and did what the New Testament claims He did, please consider:

CHRISTIANS ARE GUILTY OF CREATING MANY OF THEIR OWN PROBLEMS

It should be pointed out that Christians must share the blame for many misconceptions concerning our Messiah. For starters, Yeshua most definitely was not born on December 25th! He did not die on “Good Friday” and was not raised on Easter Sunday! And there are many other traditions that have unfortunately become associated with the “Jesus” version of our Messiah that must be exposed and abandoned if we’re ever going to win this battle. I worded it that way because the Hebrew Yeshua doesn’t share these attributes. Many who have come out of pagan Christianity and begun to walk in Torah have – for the most part – already realized this. Our Savior/Messiah was a Torah keeping, Hebrew of the tribe of Judah, who walked in 100% obedience to His Father. The major events of His life (i.e. His birth, death and resurrection) all happened on the Biblical “moedim” (appointed times) as described in Leviticus 23 and are thus far removed from the pagan “holidays” most Christians celebrate. The sooner we get to know and actively promote this Hebrew version of the Messiah the better. Because the Sabbath dissing, Torah abolishing, Sunday worshipped, pork dinner celebrated “Jesus” version associated with X-mess and Ishtar has caused many to go astray.

In this regard, here are some more good resources for you to check out, which show what went wrong, when and how our Hebrew Messiah got mixed up with so many pagan traditions:

• Time is the Ally of Deceit by Richard Rives​
• See also his video series by the same title: https://toolong.com/time-is-the-ally-of-deceit-book-and-5-dvd-study-series/​
• Too Long in the Sun by Richard Rives​
• Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Volume 1: Historical Evidences for the Christian Faith by Josh McDowell​
• The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict: Evidence I & II Fully Updated in One Volume To Answer The Questions Challenging Christians in the 21st Century by Josh McDowell​
• Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World by Josh McDowell​
• The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel​
• Pagan Christian Connection Exposed by Michael Rood​
• Pagan Christianity? Exposing the Roots of Our Church by Frank Viola and George Barna​
• Epidemic: Examining the Infected Roots of Judaism and Christianity by Dr. Russ Houck ​
• The entire 12 volume “Walk in the Light” series by Todd D. Bennett is quite good: https://toddbennett.selz.com/item/walk-in-the-light-12-volume-complete-set​
  • But as it pertains to this issue, please see… The Messiah: A Scriptural and Historical Examination of the Purpose and Identity of the Messiah (Walk in the Light Book 5)​
  • Pagan Holidays: Examining the Ancient Origins and Propriety of Various Religious Holy Days (Walk in the Light Book 11)​
• Some FAQ and issues concerning Paul: https://vhc.ephraimawakening.com/dealing-with-paul​
• See also: https://vhc.ephraimawakening.com/foolish-galatians​

I’m sure there are many others, but this will get you started in understanding how we got to the place we’re at now, wherein we are having to deal with so many lies that have been piled atop the truths of the Messiah as described in Scripture.

Moving forward, this page is meant to be a resource for defending the Messiah and debunking the debunkers. In doing the latter, we also end up defending the reality that Yeshua (Jesus Christ) was real and did what the New Testament claims He did. Thus, this page will be a continual work-in-progress, so come back often.

OK. Let’s transition into some studies that can help us better understand the Messiah. I’d like to start with another excellent video done by Adam Fink…

WHO WAS THE ANGEL OF THE LORD?

HOW SHOULD WE UNDERSTAND THE “GODHEAD”?

THE MESSIAH’S NAME:

Before continuing in our defense of the Messiah, I think it is important to address His name. Today, we call Him “Jesus” in English but no, contrary to the ridiculous accusations some try to make to the contrary, the name “Jesus” has nothing whatsoever to do with Zeus! Nothing. To say otherwise is to telegraph extreme ignorance of language and how words are translated/transliterated. And no. His name doesn’t mean “Earth Pig” either.

That said, it is true the name “Jesus” is less than 400 years old. No human on Earth heard that word/name prior. Even the King James Bible originally shipped with “Iesous,” which again, was derived from Yeshua via transliteration (as opposed to direct translation).

That said, I am not a “Sacred Namer” and I do believe there is still power in the name of Jesus. I was saved in that name. I’ve been healed, set free and delivered in that name. I’ve even cast out demons and seen others healed by the name of Jesus. So, I have no problem using it or with others who do. I simply maintain that it is a late addition to the dictionary of words in English – and any other language for that matter. And since I do know the word from which it was derived – Yeshua – the name our Savior was called, heard and used while He walked this earth, I see no reason not to use it. And yes, there are variations that others use even of the Hebrew. Yahusha, Yahushua and/or Yehoshua being among the more popular variants. I don’t get hung up on any of that either.

The longer form of the name “Yahushua/Yehoshua” means “Yah is salvation.” This was the name Moses gave to his servant who would lead the Israelites after his death. We call him Joshua in English, which is more of a translation. Whereas “Jesus” is a transliteration – perhaps to differentiate between the two people of Scripture. Whatever the case may be, both Moses’ servant and our Savior had the same name. And Jesus was derived from the short form, Yeshua as you can see in the picture above. I like to think of it as Yahushua/Yehoshua to Yeshua is like Robert to Rob. And the shorter form “Yeshua” is the part that means salvation in Hebrew. Keep this in mind as we continue…

THE SUFFERING SERVANT OF ISAIAH 53:

Is the “suffering servant” of Isaiah 53 the nation of Israel or the Messiah? This is a hotly debated topic. Those who deny Yeshua as the Messiah claim Isaiah is referring to the nation of Israel. Those who accept the Messiah claim Isaiah is referring to Him. While it is true earlier in the book, the prophet refers to Israel as YHWH’s servant, consider the problems with this in chapter 53 as we start by looking first at what is said in the preceding chapter:

Isaiah 52:7  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

Right away we must pause here and take a look at what is being said. King James translates בָּשַׂר as “good tidings” but many other English Bibles render it as “good news.” What is the “good news” you may ask? It is the Gospel! The Good News about what? Salvation – which is the Hebrew word yeshua! Don’t believe me? Check it out…

Now let’s compare the Hebrew with the Greek and English all together:

“Announcing the good news” in Greek is “euaggelizomenou” derived from the Greek word  “euaggelion,” which we see all through the New Testament (76 times)…

Yeshua is salvation, which is the good news for Israel! Let’s continue reading the rest of

Isaiah 52:
⁸ Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.
⁹ Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

¹⁰ The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation (Yeshua) of our God.

What’s at the end of your arm? Your hand. All through the Bible, we see that YHWH’s right hand is His salvation (Yeshua). I cover this at some length in my Yahuwah Triangle series.

I will deal with this more shortly. In the meantime, let’s continue…

Isaiah 52:
¹¹ Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.
¹² For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your reward.

¹³ Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
¹⁴ As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
¹⁵ So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

OK. Notice the shift in wording here. The “ye” is Israel departing in verse 11. Same with the beginning of verse 12. However at the second half of verse 12, we see that YHWH will go before them. And in so doing, He says to behold His servant. Is this Israel or the Messiah of YHWH (His right hand – salvation) that is being referred to here? Verse 14 seems to make the distinction. Many were “astonished at thee” (Israel), but then the prophet changes pronouns to talk of another whose appearance was marred more than any man. Can Jacob/Israel make this claim? No. Can Yeshua? Yes, most certainly! Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ came close to depicting how truly awful His visage was marred…

But I believe it was even worse than that. And this is what “sprinkled the nations” in the sense that this marring – this sacrifice – would be known throughout all the world. And this is the set up for…

Isaiah 53:

¹ Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

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.

Right away all the pronouns completely dismiss this suffering servant as being Israel. But, let’s address this “arm of the Lord” spoken of in verse 1. Who is that? Let’s go back to Isaiah 51 to find out…

Isaiah 51:

¹ Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
² Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

³ For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

⁴ Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.

⁵ My righteousness is near; my salvation [yesha] is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

⁶ Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation [yeshua] shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

⁷ Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

⁸ For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation [yeshua]  from generation to generation.

⁹ Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?

¹⁰ Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

All through the Scriptures, YHWH’s right arm/hand is repeatedly described as His salvation. The Hebrew word used there is Yeshua. Coincidence? I think not. Regardless, this is the new character introduced into the Isaiah 53 narrative as indicated in verse 1 of the chapter. This is the “he” that is spoken of in verse 2 and following that shall grow up.

Please note: Israel already exists! Isaiah is a member of Israel and Isaiah says “he” (the suffering servant) SHALL grow up. This is a prophecy of something yet to come. And Isaiah says “we” (meaning the house of Israel) shall see “him” meaning someone else. How can this possibly be talking about Israel?? It can’t! As we continue reading we see this same interchanging of pronouns…

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.

I mean come on! Good grief! How can anyone claim this is talking about Israel alone? Clearly Isaiah is talking about another character that Israel hid their face from, that they despised and did not esteem. Yet this character (the Messiah, right hand of YHWH) bore their griefs and carried their sorrows anyway. How can Israel do both for himself?? Clearly the transgressions and iniquities were Israel’s, so how can Israel pay the price for their own sins, while committing them?? I mean at this point, you have to be willfully ignorant to believe the suffering servant is Israel. Because nothing in the above four verses even remotely fits such an idea! But let’s continue…

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.

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.

Again, you would have to be wilfully ignorant (i.e. dumb on purpose) in order to try and twist this into meaning Israel and not the Messiah! Yeshua was “cut off from the living.” At what point in history has this happened to Israel? And the latter part of verse 8 clearly states this character was stricken for the transgression of “my people” who is Israel. His grave was with the wicked in the sense that at His death, he was among two thieves who were crucified on either side of Him. But that wasn’t to be His actual resting place.

The Septuagint renders this verse:

Isaiah 53:9 And I will give the wicked for his burial, and the rich for his death; for he practised no iniquity, nor craft with his mouth.

The JPS Tanakh 1917 translation renders this verse:

Isaiah 53:9 And they made his grave with the wicked, And with the rich his tomb; Although he had done no violence, Neither was any deceit in his mouth.’

The New American Standard Bible renders it as:

Isaiah 53:9 And His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

And the Amplified Bible renders it as:

Isaiah 53:9 His grave was assigned with the wicked, But He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

There is no instance where I can see this fitting for Israel, however it fits perfectly with Yeshua, who was crucified with thieves. They would have been buried basically in a dung heap, with no care or thought for them at their death. However, Yeshua was not buried there. Rather, He was placed in a rich man’s tomb.

Verse 10 is an intriguing verse. We see that YHWH was the one who “put Him to grief” and made “his soul an offering for sin.” Now, anti-Messiah Torah folks are quick to point out that no human sacrifice is sanctioned by the Torah. In fact it is strictly forbidden. For example:

Leviticus 18:21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.

Leviticus 20:
² Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
³ And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
⁴ And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:
⁵ Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.

Deuteronomy 12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

Deuteronomy 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.

However – and not to in any way condone human sacrifice – I have to still admit that, when taken in context, the above verses specifically reference not sacrificing to other gods and not to put anyone “through the fire” as a burnt offering. Neither of which would apply in reference to Yeshua’s sacrifice.

Then again, as it pertains to the idea of a human sacrifice by fire to YHWH, what are we to do with YHWH’s command to Abraham?

Genesis 22:

¹ And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

² And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

³ And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

Yes, we know YHWH spared Isaac, by providing a ram in his stead. But still, YHWH commanded a human sacrifice by fire and Abraham intended to go through with it… and would have done it had the angel of the LORD (a.k.a. Yeshua) not stopped him.

Regardless, Yeshua was not set on fire, so the above verses really don’t apply as a good argument against His sacrifice. Still, anti-Messiah types are quick to point out that no one can pay the price for the sins of another…

Deuteronomy 24:16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

And yet, that’s precisely what Isaiah 53:10-12 clearly states would happen. Whether you think it’s talking about Israel or the Messiah, the fact remains, Isaiah records someone doing precisely that: paying the price for the transgressions/iniquities/sins of others through some process that would horribly disfigure Him, and lead to death, wherein he would be numbered with transgressors, bearing the sins of many, then buried in a rich man’s tomb. So, regardless of which camp you belong to, this has to be reckoned with and cannot be ignored.

No man is without sin. So no human who is a sinner can possibly atone for the sins of anyone else. Thus, the suffering servant cannot possibly be Israel, who is described as literally being full of sin and iniquities all throughout the Bible!  I mean how many times did the prophets, beginning with Moses, expose all the wrong doings of Israel they were constantly committing in the sight of her Husband, YHWH?

There is no logical way to even remotely consider Isaiah 53 to be describing Israel as the suffering servant. And since no sinner can pay the price for the sins of others, I submit that YHWH was paying the price for this sinful nation (and in fact, the whole world) Himself – through His own saving right hand (more on this shortly).

But why did it have to be a death by crucifixion? I never really had a good answer for that myself until I watched 119 Ministries’ teaching on the bitter cup and what it was exactly that was nailed to the cross. If you haven’t seen it, this is definitely one worth watching:

25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

 

27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

 

29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.

 

30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.

 

34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?

 

35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

 

37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? <- citing Isaiah 53:1

 

39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,

40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

See also:

Dealing with rebuttals:

2 For Good Israel shall grow up before Unrepentant, Sinful Israel as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: Good Israel hath no form nor comeliness; and when Unrepentant, Sinful Israel shall see Good Israel, there is no beauty that Unrepentant, Sinful Israel should desire Good Israel.

3 Good Israel is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and Unrepentant, Sinful Israel hid as it were their faces from Good Israel; Good Israel was despised, and Unrepentant, Sinful Israel esteemed Good Israel not.

4 Surely Good Israel hath borne Unrepentant, Sinful Israel’s griefs, and carried Unrepentant, Sinful Israel’s sorrows: yet Unrepentant, Sinful Israel did esteem Good Israel stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But Good Israel was wounded for Unrepentant, Sinful Israel’s transgressions, Good Israel was bruised for Unrepentant, Sinful Israel’s iniquities: the chastisement of Unrepentant, Sinful Israel’s peace was upon Good Israel; and with Good Israel’s stripes Unrepentant, Sinful Israelites are healed.

2 For Israel shall grow up before the Gentiles as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: Israel hath no form nor comeliness; and when the Gentiles shall see Israel, there is no beauty that the Gentiles should desire Israel.

3 Israel is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and the Gentiles hid as it were their faces from Israel; Israel was despised, and the Gentiles esteemed Israel not.

4 Surely Israel hath borne the Gentile’s griefs, and carried the Gentile’s sorrows: yet the Gentiles did esteem Israel stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But Israel was wounded for the Gentile’s transgressions, Israel was bruised for the Gentile’s iniquities: the chastisement of the Gentile’s peace was upon Israel; and with Israel’s stripes the Gentile’s are healed.

2 For the ARM OF THE LORD/Messiah shall grow up before Israel as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: the ARM OF THE LORD/Messiah hath no form nor comeliness; and when Unrepentant, Sinful Israel shall see the ARM OF THE LORD/Messiah, there is no beauty that Unrepentant, Sinful Israel should desire the ARM OF THE LORD/Messiah.

3 The ARM OF THE LORD/Messiah is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and Unrepentant, Sinful Israel hid as it were their faces from the ARM OF THE LORD/Messiah; the ARM OF THE LORD/Messiah was despised, and Unrepentant, Sinful Israel esteemed the ARM OF THE LORD/Messiah not.

4 Surely the ARM OF THE LORD/Messiah hath borne Unrepentant, Sinful Israel’s griefs, and carried Unrepentant, Sinful Israel’s sorrows: yet Unrepentant, Sinful Israel did esteem the ARM OF THE LORD/Messiah stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But the ARM OF THE LORD/Messiah was wounded for Unrepentant, Sinful Israel transgressions, the ARM OF THE LORD/Messiah was bruised for Unrepentant, Sinful Israel iniquities: the chastisement of Unrepentant, Sinful Israel’s peace was upon the ARM OF THE LORD/Messiah; and with the ARM OF THE LORD/Messiah’s stripes Unrepentant, Sinful Israel is healed.

QUESTIONABLE  DOCTRINES:

Scripture clearly identifies Yeshua as the Son of God (and also the Son of Man, which is a Messianic title). But is He a “son” in the same sense that we have sons as a separate person, apart from the Father? Admittedly, this was the view I had for most of my life due to the standard Trinitarian doctrine I was raised to believe, having grown up in the Baptist Church. As I began to study Torah however, I came to realize there are many, many problems with believing this way. Not the least of which being if Yeshua is in fact the son of YHWH in the same sense as we understand sonship as humans, then it would be a violation of Torah for the son to redeem the bride (Israel) of YHWH (the Father) in order for her to become His (the Son’s) bride.

Some would say that’s not what happened though. They would claim that the “Church” is the “bride of Christ” as opposed to Israel (or “the Jews”), which is the bride of YHWH. This idea of two brides comes largely from Dispensation Theology, which is a demonstrably fraudulent doctrine that directly violates the whole of Scripture, but especially Romans 11, which describes former unbelieving Gentiles (of the wild olive tree) being grafted into the cultivated olive tree (which is Israel) through faith in the Messiah. For more on the many problems of Dispensation Theology (and its accompanying Pre-Trib Rapture thesis), please see the videos in this playlist:

Having come from a Pre-Trib Rapture, Dispensationalist, KJV Only, Baptist background myself, I used to believe there were two brides too. One for the Father (that is Israel/the Jews) and the other for the Son (known as the “Church”). But as soon as you realize the “Church” is in fact Israel (see Identity Crisis), which Paul clearly understood, as evidenced by his his writings in Romans 7 – 11, Ephesians 2 and Galatians 3 (among other references), the whole idea of two brides goes out the window. For more on this, please see:

• Who is the Church Anyway?
• Pick a Stick
• The Church in the Wilderness
• Leviticus 26, Ezekiel 4 and the Fullness of the Gentiles
• Redeeming the Bride
• Redeeming the Bride 2: Drinking the Cup

Indeed, there is only one Groom (YHWH), who has one bride (Israel) , who was divorced (in Jeremiah 3), and then redeemed according to the Torah and the Prophets through the Messiah (Yeshua) as detailed in the New Testament. But how does it all work, without violating a number of principles clearly laid out for us in Torah? Consider…

Now, I’ll share some of my own thoughts on the nature of Yeshua/Jesus. But first…

A PERSONAL DISCLAIMER:

I make no claims that I am 100% correct here. I am still very much a student on a quest for truth. As a result, I’ve had to realize the need to unlearn many of the things I was taught to believe growing up in the Baptist Church. Regarding my Christian upbringing, I must say that I am very thankful for Godly parents and for the many good Christian men and women that I sat under, who were serving (and continue to serve) YHWH with all their heart. I do not believe any of them intentionally taught deception. I believe like myself and many others, they themselves have accepted a lot of things in ignorance, which they then innocently passed on to others. In other words, I believe they were simply deceived about some things and thus they passed them on thinking it was the truth. But there finally came a time in my life – in 2003 – when I basically took an eraser to the “whiteboard” in my head and I asked the Father to help me start over from scratch, allowing only the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth. But as I said, I don’t make any claims to being 100% correct in what I’m going to write next. I recognize I am still a work-in-progress and that the Holy Spirit is still working in me. In short, I’m not convinced I have fully arrived yet. So, the following merely represents my current understanding, thoughts and the personal convictions I have come to after going on my own journey of “questioning everything” over the years. I could be right. I could be wrong. It’s up to you to pray the same prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into the truth, convicting you and showing you what is right and what is in error.

Be a good Berean and “search and see if these things be true” as you continue…

HOW MANY GODS DO WE HAVE?

As a result of over a decade of studying Torah – and the rest of the Bible in the light of Torah – I have come to believe that the only way to understand who/what the “son” is, is to simply accept what the Scriptures have to say about Him, literally. Otherwise, we run the risk of legitimate idolatry. Why? Because in the Torah and all throughout the Old Testament, we find that there is no other God but YHWH. He is truly ONE (not one divided into 3 co-equal – but separate – “persons”).

 Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one:

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.

The goal of this page is not to address the Trinity, which is a much bigger topic than I have time to address here. But rather, as stated above, this page is simply meant to address who/what Yeshua is. For more on issues concerning the Holy Spirit (and the Trinity), please see:

• http://www.quest4truth.net/Archived-Shows/quest4truthepisode14

THE RIGHT HAND OF YHWH IS SALVATION (aka YESHUA):

I have come to believe Yeshua is the actual, physical right hand of the Father. What’s interesting about this is, if we take the letter meanings of the name of YHWH, we already start to find ourselves thinking along these lines:

Additionally, I believe there are a number of Scriptures that directly testify to the identity of YHWH’s right hand as being Yeshua:

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.

It is therefore my opinion that Yeshua is indeed the actual saving right hand of the Father, but He is described for us as a “son” because when He became flesh to dwell among us, He was born through the physical, human body of Mary. So, it is is a legitimate description: Son of God/Son of Man. And this was prophesied to be the case from the foundation of the world. Thus, we have the word “son” as a frame of reference that we can relate to in an intimate way as humans.

Theologically speaking though, Yeshua has to be the Father in order to avoid massive problems. But this is a topic, which has been hotly debated for the better part of two millennia. In fact, the whole purpose of the Council of Nicea in 325 AD was to try and settle the issue of who/what Yeshua/Jesus really was.

The main theological issue had always been about Christ. Since the end of the apostolic age, Christians had begun debating these questions: Who is the Christ? Is He more divine than human or more human than divine? Was Jesus created or begotten? Being the Son of God, is He co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, or is He lower in status than the Father? Is the Father the one true God, or are the Father, Son, and Spirit the one true God?

While it is true that the divinity of Yeshua/Jesus was believed prior to the Council of Nicea, the debates surrounding the details of these deep theological questions were ultimately settled by a Mithra worshipper and thus became official Church dogma through the declarations of that Council. But the hand analogy, as described in the above Scriptures, settles the issue for me.

Just like my hand is not fully Rob Skiba, all the information that makes up who I am as a complete person (i.e. my DNA) is contained in the makeup of my hand. So, while my hand is me, I am not my hand. This is how I understand Yeshua being “separate” and yet a physical part of the whole. That’s about the best way I can describe how I believe Yeshua is “in the Father” and the “Father is in Him” and how the two are in fact literally one just as Yeshua Himself clearly stated.

John 10:30 I and my Father are one.

John 10:38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

John 14:
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.

1 John 2:
²² Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
²³ Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
²⁴ Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

Your hand only does what you tell it to do (via your brain). It does nothing without you. If it did, you would be having some serious problems. Likewise…

John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

John 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

The Hand (Yeshua) is only doing what the Head (YHWH) has directed Him to do.

There is so much more I could say on this here, but for now, I will direct you to please read the following blog:

• https://ephraimawakening.com/the-hand-of-yhwh-is-salvation/

THE WORD MADE FLESH:

Yeshua only says what the Father commands Him to say:

John 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

We know Yeshua is also the WORD that was “made flesh” as we see in the opening chapter of the Gospel of John:

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.
⁴ In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

⁵ And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
⁷ The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
⁸ He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
⁹ That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
¹¹ He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
¹² But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
¹³ Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

It is my understanding that the phrase, “the word of the LORD (YHWH)” was used over 200 times in the most ancient translations (Targums) of the Torah alone. But it has been removed in our more modern translations. Thus, we have been robbed of seeing just how often the Word (a.k.a. Yeshua) was at work in the Old Testament. Again, it is beyond the scope of this blog to go into an in-depth study of how it was the Word (Yeshua) of the LORD (YHWH) that was the One interacting with humans all throughout the Bible. However, my friend Zen Garcia has done extensive research into this particular topic and recently published a book I highly recommend you check out called, The WORD of the LORD: A Coparative Analysis of the Hidden Memra. He has also been talking about this at length in many of his YouTube videos and radio talk shows:

Assuming what I have said here is true, how does a word/hand of YHWH (Who is Spirit) become a “separate person” to interact with man in the flesh? Well considering the fact that YHWH literally SPOKE the entire cosmos into existence in all its amazing macro and micro intricacies, it’s not much of a stretch at all for me to believe He could have figured out how to accomplish this comparatively simple task.

John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

According to John chapter 1, “all things were made by him (the Word); and without him was not anything made that was made.” And yet, if you go read the Creation account in Genesis 1 and 2, we see that YHWH is the Creator. Is this a contradiction? Not if Yeshua is the Word/Hand of the Father. Again, YHWH spoke the world into existence. Speaking involves the word. The Word is Yeshua Who is the saving right hand of the Father, YHWH, who is the Creator.

IS BELIEF IN YESHUA IDOLATRY?

For the above stated reasons (and more), I reject the false premise that belief in Yeshua is idolatry. It would be if He were a separate entity apart from YHWH. But being that He is the Word/Hand of YHWH Himself, everything about Yeshua is still YHWH.

Hebrews 1:

¹ God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
² Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
³ Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:
⁴ Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

⁵ For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
⁶ And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

⁷ And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

⁸ But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
⁹ Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

¹⁰ And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
¹¹ They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
¹² And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

¹³ But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
¹⁴ Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Is Yeshua actually sitting on God’s right hand (that creates a rather odd picture in one’s mind doesn’t it)? Or is His right hand merely sitting on His right side just as ours would if we were seated on a throne? I believe the latter, so it can’t be considered idolatry. We are dealing with One (singular) being here – Yeshua being the “expressed image of the Father” in human form.

Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

That said, even Yeshua Himself directed our worship and prayers not to Himself, but rather to the One who sent Him. This just makes sense. We’re not to “talk to the hand” so-to-speak. But rather to the Head of the being we call YHWH, who is basically saying, “Please take my right hand that I might save you.”

I know there are probably many “yeah butts” already bouncing around in the minds of many as they read this. So, I will try to add more to this page in the future, doing my best to address them (as I had the same knee-jerk reactions to a lot of this myself).

In the meantime, please take all of this to the Father in prayer and stay tuned for more to come…