God In The Flesh

Many of my articles since returning to the old paths, where Yahweh said the good way is (Jer 6:16), have focused on contending for the faith once delivered to the saints, in which I frequently rebut claims that “Jesus nailed the TORAH to the cross.” But today, I must contend for the faith regarding a truth even more fundamental than TORAH. That is the deity of the Messiah.

Now those of you fresh out of Constantine Christianity may think that’s like expounding on the wetness of water, for most everyone knows, Jehovah Witnesses excepted, that Yeshua is Emanuel, God with us, God in the flesh. Only yesterday I got marooned while surfing the internet on what, at first, I mistook for just another Hebrew Roots website, until I linked to one of their articles. In it the blogger called the “God in the flesh doctrine of Christianity profound error,” and I knew I must write this article.

But first, before I start citing scriptures, let me tell you about Daniel Boyarin, a renowned professor of Talmud at the University of California in Berkeley, who many claim is the world’s greatest Rabbinic scholar. While he’s not a Messianic Jew, in 2012, Boyarin authored: The Jewish Gospels.

 Here is a quote about this groundbreaking work from an article in the Jewish Chronicle Online, titled: Why A ‘Divine’ Messiah Was Not Beyond Belief, by Simon Rocker.

“In ancient times, the borders between Judaism and Christianity were far more porous than we conceive today . . . it was not until the fourth century that the doctrinal differences were clarified, not least because of the desire of the Roman-backed church to put clear water between the spreading new faith and those it considered Jews. His most explosive contention is that the concept of a divine messiah was not an alien import but part of the cauldron of ideas that bubbled in the volatile world of classical Judaism. ‘The basic underlying thoughts from which both the Trinity and the incarnation grew are there in the very world into which Jesus was born,’ he writes.”

I started with this quote to establish that although modern Rabbinic Judaism denies the Messiah will be divine, that was not always the case. Let me quote one more passage from Simon Rocker’s article for the Jewish Chronicle Online.

“Jesus could have plausibly claimed to be the “son of God”, or rather the “son of Man”, as was the more potent phrase, which goes back to the Book of Daniel. In his dreams, the prophet sees heavenly thrones—the plural is significant. On one sits the “Ancient of Days” whose hair is white as wool (Daniel 7:9): but emerging from the “clouds of heaven” is another apparition, who is likened to a “Son of Man”, whose “dominion is an everlasting dominion” and who is to be served by all peoples and nations (7:13-14). Some interpreters may regard the Son of Man simply as the symbolic representation of a warrior-Messiah, who does not enjoy divine status, or of heroic Israel. But Boyarin suggests that Daniel’s vision reflected earlier traditions of a dual Father-Son godhead—which later rabbis successfully fought as heresy but which underlay the Gospels’ depiction of Jesus.”

As for the reason the rabbis later (well after the resurrection) “successfully fought as heresy” schools of thought that held to a Father-Son Godhead was to distance themselves from those who came to be called Christians, just like the Roman Constantine-Church changed God’s law to distance themselves from the Jews.

More About the Jewish View of the Godhead.

 While researching this article, I also came across a teaching by Eddie Chumney. It is titled, “The Jewish View Of The Godhead.” Below I have copied the description of that video.

“From a Jewish perspective, the God of Israel is ‘Ein Sof’ (without definition). ‘Ein Sof’ is explained in human terms to manifest Himself to the natural world by causing His eternal light to become a prism. This prism that reveals the attributes of ‘Ein Sof’ and His Will in creation is known as ‘Sefirot.’ There are ten ‘Sefirot’ which are called the ‘Tree of Life.’ They form three pillars which represent the ‘Godhead.’ The middle pillar of the Godhead is known as ‘Metatron’ and the ‘Son of God’ and is the visible image of ‘Ein Sof.’ The Jewish view of ‘Metatron’ matches descriptions of Yeshua in the New Testament. The numeral value of the attributes of the middle pillar of the Godhead is 26 which is the numeral value for YHVH. In Yeshua dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9)”

 I laid this out to establish that the Creator’s revelation of Himself is indeed consistent with (pre-fourth century) Jewish thought as Daniel Boyarin, the renowned professor of Talmud at Berkeley pointed out in his book.

Now Let’s Begin:

Mica 5: And you, Bethlehem Ephratah, being least among the thousands of Judah, out of you He shall come forth to Me to become One ruling in Israel; and His goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Matthew 1:22-23 Now all this happened so that might be fulfilled that which was spoken of the LORD by the prophet, saying,”Behold, the virgin shall conceive in her womb, and will bear a son. And they will call His name Emmanuel,” which being interpreted is, God with us.

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.

Isaiah 33:22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us. James 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: 1 Timothy 6:15 For He in His own time will reveal who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords… Revelations 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he (the Lamb) is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithful. Revelation19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will raise to David a righteous Branch (Yeshua), and a King shall reign and act wisely, and shall do judgment and justice in the earth. In his (the Branch, who is Yeshua) days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is His name by which He shall be called, JEHOVAH (YHVH), OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word (Yeshua), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and without Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Joh 1:15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, This was He of whom I spoke: He who comes after me has been before me, for He was preceding me.

I Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among nations, believed on in the world, and received up into glory.

Joh 20:27-28 Then He said to Thomas, Reach your finger here and behold My hands; and reach your hand here and thrust it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my God!

John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify Me with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. John 17:24 Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me, that they may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me, for You have loved Me before the foundation of the world.

 Colossians 1: 13-19 For He has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son; in whom we have redemption through His blood, the remission of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the First-born of all creation. For all things were created in Him, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the Head of the body, the church, who is the Beginning, the First-born from the dead, that He may be pre-eminent in all things. For it pleased the Father that in Him all fullness should dwell.

 1 John: 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and He has given us an understanding so that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him that is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and the everlasting life.

 Hebrews 1:8 But to the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

 Tit 2:13-14 looking for the blessed hope, and the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Rom 9:5…, and from whom is the Christ according to flesh, He being God over all, blessed forever.

1Corinthians 15:47 The first man was out of earth, earthy. The second Man (Yeshua) was the Lord (Kurios: Strong’s G2962: Supreme authority) out of Heaven.

Philippians 2:6-7 who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.

Colossians 1:16-17 For all things were created in Him (Yeshua), the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.

 Hebrews 1:2-3 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds, who being the shining splendor of His glory, and the express image of His essence, and upholding all things by the word of His power, through Himself cleansing of our sins, He sat down on the right of the Majesty on high…

Revelation 1:17-18 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying to me, Do not fear, I am the First and the Last, and the Living One, and I became dead, and behold, I am alive for ever and ever, Amen. And I have the keys of hell and of death.

I could go on and on citing scripture after scripture about Yeshua as the Captain of the Host, as the Rock, and as the Shepard of Israel in order to prove Yeshua’s pre-incarnation and deity, but I think you’ve gotten the point.