Not only does Tanakh support the concept of Yahweh becoming flesh in all four levels of Scriptural interpretation, but as we have seen from Torah, also REQUIRES that the Messiah be Yahweh in order to enact substitutional atonement while simultaneously sparing the soul of the innocent and avoiding the practice of child sacrifice which is condemned in the Tanakh.  Yahshua proclaimed that He was this Yahweh; this Mashiyach, and that He came expressly to fulfill this necessary Messianic role.  The apostles at the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost or Shavuot also attested that Yahshua was Yahweh as the SHEKINAH or Divine Presence incarnating a shell of human flesh, and manuscript evidence from the Peshitta reaffirms beyond a shadow of a doubt that Yahshua is indeed 'I AM', 'Master Yahweh', and 'Eloah/Deity'.  Still, much misunderstanding has arisen through false teachers' trickery and deceit, as they "deny the Set-apart and Righteous One, and ask that a man, a murderer, be granted them instead.... impaling the Prince of Life afresh, whom Elohim raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses." (Acts 3:14,15) As a result, vast multitudes are dumping the doctrinal authority and historical accuracy of the Scriptures in exchange for the traditions of men, as they are beguiled by antimessionaries into believing that a divine Messiah runs contrary to Jewish thought.  And so, in this chapter we will examine the TRUE historical position of Judaism and the Nazarenes on Messiah and the issue of "Elohim-ness" or "Divinity".

CHALLENGE:

The Nazarenes (being the original followers of Yahshua) rejected the virgin birth and the alleged deity of the Messiah. So how can you identify yourself as one of them, and teach both?

TRUTH:

The Nazarenes were identified by rabbinical Judaism as the "Minim",  a term applied to "sectarian(s) [or] infidel(s); a Jewish infidel, mostly applied to Jew Christians (sic)."⁽¹⁾ Sometime around 70 CE, a group called the Ebionites broke away from the Nazarenes, denying the virgin birth and Deity, yet both groups continued to be called the "MINIM" (an acronym for "MAANINIM YAHSHUA NOTZRI or Believers In Yahshua the Nazarene"⁽²⁾ and rabbinic slang for "heretics"), by rabbinical Judaism who still denounced both sects as heretical.  It is from this point, however, that the countermissionaries' cleverly created confusion arises.

Jerome, however, writes in the fourth century:

"And what shall I say of the Ebionites who pretend to be Christians? Today there still exists among the Jews in all the synagogues of the East, a heresy which is called that of the Minaeaeans (a.k.a. MINIM), and which is still condemned by the Pharisees. [Its followers] are ordinarily called 'Nazarenes;' they believe that the Messiah, the son of Elohim, was born of the Virgin Miriam, and they hold him to be the one who suffered under Pontius Pilate and ascended to heaven, and in whom we also believe."⁽³⁾

So we see at least according to this church father, a noted contrast between the Ebionites "who pretend to be Christians", and the "Jewish Heretics" known as "Nazarenes" who believed Yahshua was divinely conceived of a virgin and ascended to Heaven the same as Jerome.

According to Jerome, tThe Nazarenes also saw the Ruach Kodesh as a sort of heavenly Mother and the Messiah as her "Son," just as He is the Son of the Heavenly Father.  We read:

"According to the Gospel written in the Hebrew speech, which the Nazarenes read, the whole fount of the Set-Apart Spirit shall descend upon Him. Further in the Gospel which we have just mentioned we find the following written:  When the Master ascended from the water, the whole fount of the Set-Apart Spirit descended and rested upon Him, and said to Him, 'My Son, in all the prophets I was waiting for You, that You might come, and that I might rest in You. For You are My rest; and You are my Firstborn Son, who reigns forever.'"⁽⁴⁾

Origen, in the third century, also writes of this Nazarene Gospel according to the Hebrews, saying:

"If any accept the Gospel according to the Hebrews, where the Messiah himself saith, 'Even now did My mother, the Set-Apart Spirit, take Me by one of mine hairs, and carried me away unto the great mountain Thabor,' he will be perplexed..."⁽⁵⁾

The Mishna also recalls that the Minim taught: "There are many 'powers' in heaven";⁽⁶⁾ a concept which is supported by Yahshua's words as well.

Matthew 11:11. Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than Yahchanan the Immerser, yet THE LEAST ONE IN THE REIGN OF THE HEAVENS IS GREATER THAN HE.

The Cerinthians, another group which, according to Epiphaneus, believed much the same as the Nazarenes, taught that the world was created, not by the Supreme Deity directly, but by a certain power emanating from Him, and Epiphaneus goes on to say that this same belief was held by the Nazarenes.⁽⁷⁾ Irenaeus (130-200 CE) likewise states that the Nazarenes taught "the world was not made by the primary Deity, but by a certain power from Him, and at a distance from the Principality who is Supreme over the Universe",⁽⁸⁾ and that "a certain Cerinthus....asserted that the world was not made by the primal Deity, but by some virtue which was an OFFSHOOT Power (Branch / TZEMACH / Messiah), which is above all things."⁽⁹⁾

The Talmud discusses various proof texts which the Nazarenes used to support their teaching of "many powers in heaven" attempting to refute them. The following portion of Talmud explains that the Minim used passages where Elohim was referenced in a plural form⁽¹⁰⁾ as proof texts for their teaching of "many powers in the heavens" which the rabbis dismissed "as examples of Elohim speaking to 'His Heavenly Court' or 'Family', whom they identified with the 'watchers' of Daniel.

"R. Johanan said: In all the passages which the Minim have taken [as grounds] for their heresy, their refutation is found near at hand.

"Thus: Let us make man in our image, (Genesis 1:26) And Elohim created [singular] man in His own image; (Genesis 1:27).....[and again] "Till thrones were placed and One [singular] that was ancient did sit. (Daniel 7:9)

"Why were these [plurals] necessary? To teach R. Johanan's dictum; viz.: The Holy One, blessed be He, does nothing without consulting His Heavenly Court (literally "Family"), for it is written, The matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the Holy Ones. (Daniel 4:17)" ⁽¹¹⁾

According to Tanakh however, the "watchers" (or angels) are clearly created beings (Psalm 148:1-5), and not the ones who do the creating, which explodes the rabbis entire argument.   Even the rabbis realized that their explanation of Elohim speaking to the watchers did not work for other of the Minim proof texts, including Daniel 7:9, and so the Talmud goes on to address these passages.

"Now, that is satisfactory for all [the other verses], but how explain Till thrones were placed? (Daniel 7:9) One [throne] was for Himself and one for David (Messiah). Even as it has been taught: One was for Himself and one for David: this is R. Akiba's view. R. Jose protested to him: Akiba, how long will thou profane the Sh'kinah?"⁽¹²⁾

So in spite of the rabbi's efforts to disprove the "Minim", we  see that there were conflicting schools of rabbinical thought, some of which, as exhibited by rabbi Akiba, more closely parallelled that of the "Nazarene heresy". And so we continue where, once again, we are forced to wonder whether the rabbi's debate is hindering or helping the Nazarenes in supporting the Messianic belief.

"R. Nahman said: He who is as skilled in refuting the Minim as is R. Idith, let him do so; but not otherwise. Once a Min (Nazarene) said to R. Idith: 'It is written, And unto Moses He said, Come up to Yahweh (Exodus 24:1). But surely it should have stated, Come up unto Me!' 'It was Metatron,' [R. Idith] replied, 'whose name is similar to that of his Master, for it is written, For My Name is in him (Exodus 23:21). 'But if so, [the Nazarene retorted,] we should worship him!' 'The same passage, however,' replied R. Idith, 'says: "Be not rebellious against him, i.e., exchange Me not for him."' (The Nazarene replies) 'But if so, why is it stated: "He will not pardon your transgression?"' He answered: 'By our troth we would not accept him even as a messenger, for it is written, "And he said unto him, If Thy [personal] presence go not etc." (Exodus 33:15).'"⁽¹³⁾

Clearly, it was not the Nazarenes who rejected Messiah Yahshua's divinity, but their opponents.

CHALLENGE:

The Tanakh teaches that Yahweh is an absolute, not a composite unity, and Judaism has always held that the Messiah is a Davidic King who will restore Torah observance and eternally establish the nation of Israel. The Messiah, when He comes, will be a normal man who lives and dies just like the rest of us. The concept of a divine Messiah, or even worse, a "Yahweh the Father" and "Yahweh the Son" is blasphemous, and completely goes against Jewish thought.

TRUTH:

First we will address the claim that the Tanakh teaches Yahweh is an "absolute unity", which it does NOT:

"ECHAD can mean numerical one but more often than not in Scripture, ECHAD is referring to a combination of parts both in summation equaling one. This is clearly seen in such places as Genesis 2:24, where man and woman two individuals are said to be 'BASAR ECHAD', or 'one flesh.' We see this again in Genesis 3:22, where Yahweh sees man fall into transgression and turns to the Lesser Yahweh and says 'Behold the man has become one of us', or 'ECHAD' of us. To state that ECHAD always means an absolute or numerical one is the opposite of the truth. Most times when ECHAD is used it refers to a compounding of two or more parts of something or someone, and is rarely used as an absolute one as in Genesis to refer to 'day one' of creation."⁽¹⁴⁾

Even in Genesis, however, the 'day one' of creation is found to consist of both evening and morning--one day; two parts (Genesis 1:5b).

"The usage of the word, ECHAD, in the 'SHEMA' or Deuteronomy 6:4 is quite telling and compelling. Rambam the Spanish Jewish sage said that 'Yahweh is an absolute unity' or YACHID. Yahweh Himself, thorough Moses, says that Yahweh is a compound unity using the term 'ECHAD'. Which Moses will you believe? The one sent by Yahweh or the one spouting the teachings of the Mishna: Moses Ben Maimon / Rambam? If you desire to follow Scripture your choice is clear."⁽¹⁵⁾

Now concerning the divinity of the Messiah, if this concept has always went against Jewish thought, and therefore is wrong (and Yahshua, supposedly, is just another imposter), then why did Yahshua present Himself as a divine Messiah? After all, He was a Jew, very much aware of "traditional Jewish thought", and so were His apostles. So if no one was expecting a divine Messiah, it would be obvious that He was wasting His life and His time trying to be one, and his disciples were wasting theirs trying to promote Him. Furthermore, if the Jewish mind was somehow different from all other minds in the manner in which it interpreted Scripture -- that is to say, if the Jewish mind only ever expected an ordinary Davidic-King-Messiah, then why did so many Jews accepted His Messianic claims? If, on the other hand, Yahshua did not proclaim Himself divine as others would like you to believe, why was He still rejected by approximately 50% of the population?  The answer to all of these questions is that the concept of a divine Messiah only goes against RECENT Jewish thought, and even today there are Jews who expect a divine Messiah,⁽¹⁶⁾ and even today there are Jews who have accepted Yahshua as the fulfillment of the divine Messiah prophecies.  LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME MORE JEWISH HISTORY THAT THE ANTIMISSIONARIES WON'T TELL YOU ABOUT. 

An ancient Jewish baraita or rabbinical teaching, passed down in different versions, delineates seven things--the fifth of which is the Messiah--as having been created before the world was formed.

1) "The Torah, which is called 'the firstling of His way' (Proverbs 8:22, Hebrew)

2) "The throne of glory, which is 'established of old' (Psalm 93:2)

3) "The sanctuary-'From the beginning is the place of our sanctuary' (Jeremiah 17:12)

4) "Israel-'Thy congregation, which Thou hast created from the beginning' (Psalm 74:2, Hebr.)

5) "The Messiah-'Before the sun his name sprouts forth as Yinnon, 'the Awakener'" (Psalm 72:17, rabbinical interpretation); also, "His issue is from the beginning" (Micah 5:1; Pirqe R. El. 3)

6) "Repentance-'Before the mountains were brought forth, or even thou hadst formed the earth and the world,' Thou saidst, 'Return [to Elohim] ye children of men' (Psalm 90:2-3)

7) "Of the seven things fashioned before the creation of the world, the last was the name of the Messiah"⁽¹⁷⁾

The First Book of Adam and Eve (circa. 200-300 BCE), a work of which portions are contained in the Talmud, also demonstrates the antiquity of belief in a divine Messiah who is an aspect or offshoot of the Almighty, Yahweh.

"Elohim said to Adam, I have ordained on this earth days and years, and thou and thy seed shall dwell and walk in it until the days and years are fulfilled, when I shall send the Word that created thee, and against which thou hast transgressed, the Word that made thee come out of the garden, and that raised thee when thou was fallen, Yea, the Word that will again save thee when the...days are fulfilled." ⁽¹⁸⁾

"Yahweh Elohim said to Adam, Verily I say unto thee, this darkness will pass from thee, every day I have determined for thee, until the fulfilment of My covenant, when I will save thee and bring thee back again into the garden, into the abode of Light thou longest for, wherein is no darkness. I will bring thee to it, even in the Reign of Yahweh. Again said Elohim unto Adam, All this misery that thou has been made to take upon thee because of thy transgression will not free thee from the hand of shatan, and will not save thee. But I will. When I shall come down from heaven and shall become flesh of thy seed, and take upon Me the infirmity from which thou sufferest, then the darkness that came upon thee in this cave shall come upon Me in the grave, when I am in the flesh of thy seed. And I, who am without years, shall be subject to the reckoning of years, of times, of months, and of days, and I shall be reckoned as one of the sons of men, in order to save thee." ⁽¹⁹⁾

"And if thou saidest, Give me the Water of Life that I may drink and live - it cannot be this day, but on the day that I shall descend into sheol (the grave) and break the gates of brass and bruise in pieces the reigns of iron. Then will I in mercy save thy soul and the souls of the righteous, to give them rest in My garden. And that shall be when the end of the world is come. And again, as regards the water of Life thou seekest, it will not be granted thee this day; but on the day that I shall shed My blood upon thy head in the land of Golgotha (the skull). For my blood shall be the water of Life unto thee, at that time, and not to thee alone, but unto all those of thy seed who shall believe in Me; that it will be unto them for rest forever." ⁽²⁰⁾

The "Testament Of The Twelve Patriarchs", written between 107 and 137 BCE and quoted by Yahshua and the apostles⁽²¹⁾ also refers to the "only begotten Prophet" as a suffering Savior, "the Most High", and "Elohim speaking in the person of a man".

Benjamin 2:5. "...The Temple of Elohim shall be in your portion, and the last Temple shall be more esteemed than the first. [6] And the twelve tribes shall be gathered together there, and all the gentiles, until the Most High shall send forth His Salvation in the visitation of an Only Begotten Prophet. [7] And He shall enter into the first Temple and there shall Yahweh be treated with outrage, and He shall be lifted up upon a tree. [8] And the veil of the temple shall be rent, and the Spirit of Elohim shall pass on to the gentiles as fire poured forth. [9] And He shall ascend from the grave and shall pass from earth into heaven. [10] And I know how lovely He shall be on earth, and how esteemed in heaven.

Simeon 3:7. For Yahweh Elohim shall appear on earth, and Himself save men. [8] Then shall all the spirits of deceit be given to be trodden under foot, and men shall rule over wicked spirits. [9] Then I shall arise in joy and will bless the Most High because of his marvelous works, because Elohim hath taken a Body and eaten with men and saved men.... [11] For Yahweh shall raise up as it were from Levi a High Priest, and from Judah a King; Elohim and Man, He shall save all the gentiles and the people of Israel.

Asher 1:38. For I know that you will sin, and be delivered into the hands of your enemies; and your lands shall be made desolate, and your set-apart places destroyed, and you shall be scattered to the four corners of the earth. [39] And you shall be set at naught in the assimilation, vanishing away as water, [40] until the Most High shall visit the earth, coming Himself as Man, with men eating and drinking, and breaking the head of the dragon in the water. [41] He shall save Israel and all the gentiles, Elohim speaking in the person of man.

Again we find mention of the preexistent Son of Elohim and Davidic Messiah in the book of 4 Ezra (circa. 90 CE), where we read:

4 Ezra 7:28. The hidden Messiah will be revealed together with all those that are with Him.

4 Ezra 12:31,32. The Lion.....this is the Messiah whom the Most High has kept until the end of days, who will arise from the offspring of David, and will come and speak with them....

4 Ezra 13:26. This is He whom the Most High has been keeping for many ages, who will Himself deliver His creation; and He will direct those who are left.

[Verse 52] For just as no one can explore or know what is in the depths of the sea, so no one on earth can see My Son, or those who are with Him, except in the time of His day.

In the Talmud we discover that the Jewish sage:

"Akiba interpret(ed) Daniel 7:9 as referring to two heavenly thrones--the one occupied by Elohim and the other by the Messiah (ag. 14a; compare Enoch, 55:4, 69:290), with whom Elohim converses." ⁽²²⁾

Akiba, incidently, was among those that compiled the present-day Jewish canon, and lived in the early second century CE.

Likewise, referencing Psalm 36:10 and Genesis 1:4, Pesita Rabba declares:

"Elohim beheld the Messiah and his deeds before the Creation, but He hid him and his generation under His throne of glory.' Seeing Him, shatan said, 'That is the Messiah who will dethrone me.' Elohim said to the Messiah, 'Ephraim,⁽²³⁾ anointed of My righteousness, thou hast taken upon thee the sufferings of the six days of Creation.'" ⁽²⁴⁾

Again in one of the midrashim (or rabbinical commentaries) it is stated:

"....Because of the transgressions of Zion (the Messiah) is hidden, remaining so in heaven until the end (Targum Micah 4:8), where He sits in the fifth of the seven chambers (ib. 2:49, top).... The frequent expression, 'The son of David shall only come' (Sanhedrin 38a), presupposes his abode in heaven, and the statement that the world exists only to delight him implies his preexistence (Sanhedrin 96b);..... His names.... 'He who dwelleth in the clouds' (Targum 1 Chronicles l.c.), 'the Eternal' (following Jeremiah 23:6 and Lam. R. i. []), 'Light' (Daniel 2:22, Lam. R. i., and Gen. R. 1:6), and 'Tinnon' (Psalm 72:17: 'before the sun was created his name was'; Sanhedrin 98c and parallels), imply his origin and preexistence in heaven. He therefore stands higher than the ministering angels (Yal. 2:476), and He lives throughout eternity." ⁽²⁵⁾

To claim that that depicting Yahweh as "Father and Son" is "un-Jewish" is point blank untruthful, considering that this concept is expressly taught in the Jewish Spiritual writings.⁽²⁶⁾  Actually, it was the Alexandrian Jewish sage Philo, and not the church, who was the first to identify Elohim as a "triad" as early as the first century!  The Zohar, one of the most authoritative books of the Jewish Kabbalah, states the following concerning the famous SHEMA passage of:

Deuteronomy 6:4. Shema Yisrael, Yahweh Eloheynu, Yahweh Echad. (Hear O Israel, Yahweh our Elohim Yahweh is One).

"...We have said in many places that this prayer is a profession of Unity that is proclaimed:

"'Hear O Israel, Yahweh' first, [then] 'Eloheynu' [and] 'Yahweh' they are all One and thus He is called 'ECHAD'.

"Behold, these are three names, how can they be one?..... How these are one can only through the vision of the Set-Apart Sprit be known..... To make known that these three are one (i.e. a Tri-Unity).

"And this is the mystery of the voice that is heard. The voice is one. And is three Gaunin (meaning 'aspects' or 'elements')... And all these are one in the mystery of the voice.

"And also here 'Yahweh, Eloheynu, Yahweh' these are One. Three Gaunin (aspects / elements) that are One. And this is the voice of the act of a son of man in [proclaiming] the Unity. And to which he sees by the Unity of the 'All' from Eyn Sof (the Infinite One) to the end of the 'All'. Because of the voice in which it is done, in these are three that are one (i.e. a Tri-Unity)......

"And there are many Gaunin that are a Unity, and all of them are true. What the one does, that the other does, and what that one does, the other does.⁽²⁷⁾

So from the preceding quotation, we see that the Zohar understands Yahweh as being composed of three aspects or elements. Again, the Zohar identifies these three aspects as Father, Mother, and Son.

"We may also translate 'he who withholds blessings from the Son' (Proverbs 11:26), whom the Father and Mother have crowned and blessed with many blessings, and concerning whom they commanded, 'Kiss the Son lest he be angry' (Psalm 2:12), since he is invested with judgment and with mercy." ⁽²⁸⁾

These three are also identified as the "pillars of the Elohim-head", the outer two (Father and Mother) being reconciled through the middle "pillar" of the Son."

Why, it may be asked, was it necessary to repeat the word 'light' in [Genesis 1:3]? The answer is that the first 'light' refers to the primordial light which is of the Right Hand, and is destined for the 'end of days'; while the second 'light' refers to the Left Hand, which issues from the Right.

"The next words, 'And Elohim saw the light that it was good' (Genesis 1:4), refer to the pillar which is standing midway between them ..... and therefore when the unity of the three, right, left, and middle, was complete, 'it was good', since there could be no completion until the third had appeared to remove the strife between Right and Left, as it is written, 'And Elohim separated between the light and between the darkness.'

"This is the Middle Pillar: Ki Tov (or 'it was good') that threw light above and below and on all other sides, in virtue of Yahweh, the Name which embraces all sides."⁽²⁹⁾

The apostle Shaul (or Paul) also alludes to this "middle pillar" in his epistle to Timothy, where he refers to the "pillar and foundation of the truth" as the Son of Elohim.

1 Timothy 3:15. ...That you might know how you should behave in the House of Elohim, which is the assembly of the living Elohim--the pillar and foundation of the truth. [16] ...who was revealed in the flesh, declared right in the Spirit, was seen by messengers, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed on in the world, and was taken up in esteem.

The Zohar, likewise, later identifies this "middle pillar" as the "Son of Yahweh", and teaches that He resides in "the uppermost heaven" and performed a role in the creation.

"Better is a neighbor that is near, than a brother far off. This neighbor is the Middle Pillar in the Elohim-head, which is the Son of Yah."⁽³⁰⁾

"The Set-Apart One, blessed be He, has a Son, whose glory shines from one end of the world to another. He is a great and mighty tree, whose head reaches heaven, and whose roots are set in the holy ground, and his name is 'Mispar' and his place is in the uppermost heaven. As it is written, 'The heavens declare the glory of Elohim' (Psalm 19:1). Were it not for this 'Mispar' there would be neither hosts nor offspring in any of the worlds."⁽³¹⁾

Besides being 'Mispar', this middle pillar of the Elohim-head is also known in Judaism as 'Metatron'.

"The Middle Pillar is Metatron, who has accomplished peace above, according to the glorious state there."⁽³²⁾

Not only does the Zohar teach that Metatron is the Son of Yah, but also that he is the "first begotten of all the sons of Elohim", who "glorifies the bodies which are in the grave"!

"...Metatron, as said; He is appointed to glorify the bodies which are in the grave... The servant is Metatron, the eldest of [Yahweh's] House, who is the first-begotten of all creatures of Elohim, who is the ruler of all He has; because Elohim has committed to Him the government over all His hosts."⁽³³⁾

In the Encyclopedia Judaica we read that:

"Elisha b. Avuyah saw Metatron seated and said, 'perhaps there are two powers..."⁽³⁴⁾

"The story in tractate Sanhedrin also confers on Metatron a supernatural status [where] He is the Messenger of Yahweh mentioned in Exodus 23:21 of whom it is said '...and hearken unto his voice; be not rebellious against him... for My Name is in Him....'"⁽³⁵⁾

"The Karaite, Kirkisani, read in his text of the Talmud an even more extreme version: [whereupon R. Idith states,] 'This is Metatron, who is THE LESSER Yahweh.'""⁽³⁵⁾

In Judaism, another name for this Metatron or Middle Pillar of the "Yahweh Family" is the "Memra" or "Word", and whenever the Targums (authoritative Aramaic paraphrases of the books of the Tanakh) come to passages where Yahweh is seen, or where two or more Yahwehs appear to exist, they often substitute one of the two with "The Word (or Memra) of Yahweh" instead. For example:

Genesis 19:24. And Yahweh rained sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from Yahweh, out of the heavens.

The Hebrew grammar in this verse indicates that one aspect of Yahweh rained fire from another. Targum Jonathan substitutes "The Word (or Memra) of Yahweh" for the first of the two, as follows:

"And the Word of Yahweh caused to descend upon the peoples of Sodom and Gomorrah, brimstone and fire from the Yahweh in heaven."⁽³⁶⁾

Now just as the middle pillar of the Elohim-head was understood to have performed a role in Creation, so also was the MEMRA or the Word understood as being the Creator.

"And the Word of Yahweh created man in his likeness, in the likeness of Yahweh, Yahweh created, male and female created He them."⁽³⁷⁾

"And the Word of Yahweh said to Moses: 'I am He who said unto the world "Be!" and it was: and who in the future shall say to it "Be!" and it shall be.' And He said: 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: "'I Am' has sent me to you.'"⁽³⁸⁾

"The first night, when the 'Word of Yahweh' was revealed to the world in order to create it, the world was desolate and void, and darkness spread over the face of the abyss and the 'Word of Yahweh' was bright and illuminating and He called it the first night."⁽³⁹⁾

This is the same concept found throughout the Tanakh itself, where we are taught:

Psalm 33:6. By the Word of Yahweh were the heavens made, And all the hosts of them by the Spirit of His mouth.

It was this same line of thought which Yahchanan was also following in John 1:1-3 when he stated:

John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim. [2] He was in the beginning with Elohim. [3] All came to be through Him, and without Him not even one came to be that came to be.

Lastly, Targum Jonathan identifies the Word of Yahweh as the Savior.

"But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Word of Yahweh, their Elohim."⁽⁴⁰⁾

"(And) Israel shall be saved by the Word of Yahweh with an everlasting salvation. By the Word of Yahweh shall all the seed of Israel be justified."⁽⁴¹⁾

And so we see the rabbis admit that the Nazarene proof texts refer to the "Heavenly Family", "Elohim and the Messiah", and "Metatron", and that the Jewish Zohar interprets Deuteronomy 6:4 as referring to the three pillars of the Elohim-head, states that these three are a unity, that the Middle Pillar reconciles the two outer Pillars (Father and Mother), and that the middle pillar is the "Son of Yah" and Savior of mankind. What is more is that over 55% of modern Orthodox Jews adhere to the teachings of the Zohar and Kabbalah!

John 7:25. Therefore some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they are seeking to kill? [26] And see, He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him at all. Could it be that the rabbis know that (Yahshua) is truly the Messiah?"

The answer is nothing short of a resounding YES!

Comparative Teachings Of Jewish Sects On The "Elohim-ness" Of The Messiah

The Alternative (i.e. ISLAM'S "FINAL SOLUTION")

For those who continue to insist that Yahshua was not and is not, in fact, an aspect of Elohim or Deity, there is a religion which fits that viewpoint perfectly, and summarizes its beliefs like this:

"Pagans indeed are those who say that the Messiah, the son of Mary is God. Say, 'Who could oppose God if He willed to annihilate the Messiah, son of Mary, and his mother, and everyone on earth?' To God belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and everything between them. He creates whatever He wills. God is Omnipotent."⁽⁴⁶⁾

And again like this:

"...Fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war)."⁽⁴⁷⁾ "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the last day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Apostle, nor acknowledge [Islam as] the religion of truth, (even if they are) of the people of the Book [Jews and Christians]. ...The Jews call [Ezra] a son of God, and the Christians call Messiah the Son of God... Allah's curse be on them."⁽⁴⁸⁾

And again like this:

"First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people...."⁽⁴⁹⁾

The reference is all too clear to me, dear reader. What about to you?

Joshua 25.15a. "And if it seem evil in your eyes to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves this day whom you are going to serve.... But as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh."

Footnotes:

1. The Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Babli, Yerushalami and Midrashic Literature, Marcus Jastrow

2. Jocz, Jacob; The Jewish People and J-sus Chr-st; London 1949

3. Jerome; Letter 75 Jerome to Augustine

4. Jerome; Commentary on Is. 11:2

5. Origen on John, ii. 12.

6. Mishna San. 4:5

7. Epiphaneus Panarion 2:29:1

8. Irenaeus, Refutation Of All Heresies, p.351-352

9. Irenaeus, Refutation Of All Heresies, p.114

10. Example: Gen. 1:26; 11:7; 35:7; Deut. 4:7; 2Sam. 7:23, Dan. 7:9, etc

11. b.San. 38b

12. b.San. 38b, emphasis added

13. b.San. 38b

14. Koniuchowsky, Moshe; Messianic Believer's First Response Handbook, p 32

15. Koniuchowsky, First Response Handbook p. 32

16. Traditional Jewish (non-messianic) rabbi, Yitshaq Ginsburgh, for example, describes the Messiah as "A manifestation of primordial Divinity.... the archetypal soul of Mashiach.... (and) the Divine 'Intermediate'." <www.inner.org/worlds/adam.htm>

17. Comp. Psa. 122:17, Pesita Rabba 54a; emphasis added

18. 1 Adam and Eve 3:1,2

19. 1 Adam and Eve 14:2-5

20. 1 Adam and Eve 52:5-8

21. "The [Patriarchs] are biographies written between 107 and 137 BCE... [before Yahshua's first advent, which means that they are prophetic] The instances of the influence of these writings on the New Testament are notable in the Sermon on the Mount which reflects the spirit and even uses phrases from these Testaments. Paul appears to have borrowed so freely that it seems as though He must have carried a copy of the Testaments with him on his travels." (Forgotten Books Of Eden, p.220, Introduction to 12 Patriarchs, World Bible Publishers Inc)

22. Pesita Rabba 118b; Sukkah 52a

23. This reference to 'Ephraim' refers to Messiah ben Yoseph, or the suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, whom the Rabbi's mistakenly believed would be from the tribe of Ephraim. (See chapter 5: "The Real Messiah In Prophecy")

24. Pesita Rabba 161b,162a; comp. Yal. Isa. 499

25. Midrash Tehillim 2; Yal. l.c.

26. Ben Morcechai, Avi; Messiah Vol. 3, p. 392

27. Zohar 2:43

28. Zohar 3:191b

29. Zohar 1:16b

30. Zohar 2:115

31. Zohar 2:105a

32. Zohar 3:227

33. Zohar 1:129b

34. Encyclopedia Judaica Vol. 11, 1971 ed., p. 1443; under "Metatron"

35. Encyclopedia Judaica Vol. 11, 1971 ed, p.1444

36. Targum Jonathan, Gen 19:24

37. Targum Jonathan.1:27

38. Jerusalem Targum, Ex. 3:14

39. Fragmentary Targum, Ex. 12:42

40. Targum Jonathan, Hosea 1:7

41. Targum Jonathan., Isa 45:17,25

42. The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation; Harper Collins, San Francisco 1996, p. 455-456.

43. The Book of Enoch the Prophet 61:9-11; Wizards Bookshelf, San Diego, 1995

44. 3 Enoch 12:5

45. Book Of Enoch The Prophet 48:11, 51:2-5

46. Koran 5:17

47. Koran 9:5

48. Koran 9:29-31

49. Quoted by Dean Wheelock, Death By Religion, audio cassette, available through Hebrew Roots <www.hebrewroots.net>