Yahweh’s nature is perennially debated. This debate may stem partly from the fact that it is difficult for human intellect to imagine how Yeshua (J-sus) could be both human and divine, and perhaps it stems from a healthy desire to avoid pagan custom and tradition.
Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 28:14-15
14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the set-apart mountain of Elohim; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.”
Satan was the anointed cherub that covered. Because of this, Satan is intimately familiar with the heavenly system, and therefore he knows how to lead us subtly away from Yahweh’s perfect truth.
Yochanan Aleph (1st John) 5:7
7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Set-apart Spirit: and these three are one.
First John 5:7 seems to support the popular Christian idea of a Trinity, which tells us that Yeshua is but one of ‘three equal persons’ of the so-called ‘Godhead.’ Yet while Scripture clearly speaks of a Father, a Son and a Spirit, Scripture never uses the word ‘Trinity.’
Let us note, then, that while First John 5:7 appears to match with most mainstream conceptions of Yeshua’s nature, First John 5:7 does not appear in the Peshitta Aramaic, or in any Greek manuscript prior to 1215 CE. Many scholars, including Sir Isaac Newton, believe it was originally added as a gloss (explanatory note) that somehow became incorporated into the later Greek texts, as if it belonged there.
As the parable of our fathers says, “The Devil hides in (wrong) details.” So while there is every reason to believe that there is a Father, a Son and a Spirit, there are some very good theological reasons why we should not use the word ‘Trinity.’ There are also some sound theological reasons we should reject the Trinitarian concept of a ‘Godhead’ that consists of ‘three equal persons in one.’
The specific concept of a ‘triune godhead’ originally derives from paganism, and Satan has established numerous alternative belief systems which incorporate the idea of a ‘three-in-one’ God. For example, in Egyptian mythology, Isis was the daughter of Seb, the wife of Osiris, and the mother of Horus. Isis, Horus and Seb are the mother, the son and the grandfather. Although the Catholic Church offers other explanations, many scholars believe this is the real meaning behind the letters IHS which are displayed so prominently in most mainstream Sunday Churches.
In Babylon, the ‘holy triune’ was comprised of Nimrod, Semiramis and Tammuz (also called Baal, Ashtoreth and Tammuz), while in Hindu, the ‘holy three’ are Brahma, Vishu, and Shiva. Others believe that the ‘three pillars’ of Kaballah (Keter, Hochmah and Binah) also reflect this ancient ‘three-in-one’ god tradition. The real danger here is that this represents a spirit.
Many of our Orthodox brethren reject Yeshua precisely because they associate Yeshua with the Trinity. They see this as being contrary to Deuteronomy 6:4, which tell us that Yahweh is not three, or two, but just One.
| Deuteronomy 6:4 4 “Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our Elohim, Yahweh is One!” |
4 שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל | יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד |
Since the Torah says Yahweh is One, Orthodox Judaism maintains it is idolatrous to try to make Yahweh out to be two, or three, or any other number of persons.
So while we want to defend Yeshua, should we be defending (or even teaching) the idea of three equal persons in one? We might believe Trinitarianism’s ‘three-in-one’ concept to be correct, since Yeshua tells us that to look on Him is to look upon the Father.
Yochanan (John) 14:8-11
8 Philip said to Him, “Adon, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
9 Yeshua said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”
However, then in the same chapter, Yeshua plainly tells us that His Father is greater than He is.
Yochanan (John) 14:28
“My Father is greater than I.”
How can we understand this apparent contradiction? Let us read in the next chapter, at John 15:4.
Yochanan (John) 15:4-8
4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
Although Yeshua is much greater than us, when we surrender control of our lives to Him, and continue in relationship with Him, He remains with us, and is in us.
If Yeshua is with us (and is in us) then at least in a certain sense to look upon us is to look upon Yeshua. Yet at the same time we are not Yeshua, because He is so much greater than we are.
Shaul tells us that even though it is a great mystery, Yeshua was Elohim manifested in the flesh.
TimaTheus Aleph (1st Timothy) 3:16
16 And without controversy, great is the mystery of uprightness: Elohim was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by messengers (angels), preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.
What does it mean that Shaul tells us Yeshua was Elohim ‘manifested’ in the flesh? A manifestation can be thought of very much like a projection, except that it is much more than an image, a ghost or a shadow: it is real. John tells us Yeshua’s resurrected body was real: Thomas was able to put his hand into the holes in Yeshua’s forearms and sides.
Yochanan (John) 20:25-27
25 So he (Thomas) said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Yeshua came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”
27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
But if Yeshua’s manifested body was real, then what is manifestation? Manifestation is an agency relationship. Since Yahweh the Father is pure Spirit, He does not wish to be defiled by coming into contact with the material world. Therefore, whenever He wants to do something here on earth, He sends a malach (an angel, an emissary or a messenger). Or, if the job is extremely important, He can manifest Himself here in the material world, while at the same time not leaving His throne room. This is in much the same way as an earthly king might send out an emissary (malach) when he wants to get something done, except that in this case, the messenger is simultaneously Yahweh Elohim. Some people believe that this is beyond understanding by mere mortals, and this may well be correct.
How does this apply in Yeshua’s case? As we saw earlier, the Orthodox Jews reject Yeshua’s identity as the Son of the Living Elohim on the basis that Yahweh tells us that He is only just One.
| Deuteronomy 6:4 4 “Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our Elohim, Yahweh is One!” |
4 שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל | יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד |
As logical as the Orthodox argument might seem, the problem with this is that the Torah also tells us that Yahweh is at least two, because in Genesis 19:24, one Yahweh (who was on earth) called down fire from another Yahweh, who was in the heavens.
| Genesis 19:24 24 Then Yahweh rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from Yahweh out of the heavens. |
24 וַיהוָה הִמְטִיר עַל סְדֹם וְעַל עֲמֹרָה גָּפְרִית וָאֵשׁ | מֵאֵת יְהוָה מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם |
The reader may wish to count the number of Yahweh’s in this passage, and verify that there are a total of two.
But if Deuteronomy 6:4 tells us that Yahweh is One, then how can Yahweh be two? The answer is that the word ‘One’ in Deuteronomy 6:4 is not the cardinal number one (meaning sole or singular). Rather, it has an altogether different meaning. In Hebrew the word ‘One’ as used here is echad (אֶחָד), and it means ‘united.’
Strong’s H#259 ‘echad’ (ekh-awd’); a numeral from H#258; properly, “united,” i.e. ‘one.’
Checking the root at Strong’s H#258, we see that the word אֶחָד means ‘to unify.’
Strong’s H#258 ‘achad (aw-khad’); perhaps a primitive root; to unify.
So if the word אֶחָד means not the cardinal number ‘one’ (lone), but an ordinal number ‘one’ (united), then what Deuteronomy 6:4 says is that Yahweh is united.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4
4 “Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our Elohim, Yahweh is United (אֶחָד)!”
Just like any good Father and Son team are united in purpose and mission, Yahweh and His Son are united. And, as we will see, the reason Yahweh and Yeshua are so perfectly united is that Yeshua is a ‘manifestation’ of His Father Yahweh. We will also talk about what that means, but first let us look at Deuteronomy 6:4 again. This passage gives us other clues that Yahweh is more than just one singlular being.
| Deuteronomy 6:4 4 “Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our Elohim, Yahweh is One!” |
4 שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל | יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד |
In Hebrew, the root word for ‘G-d’ is ‘El’ (אֵל). However, the word ‘our G-d’ as used here is ‘Eloheinu’ (אֱלֹהֵינוּ), which is a possessive plural. The word used in most places in Scripture is also a plural, ‘Elohim’ (אֱלֹהִים).
The fact that Yahweh refers to Himself in the plural tells us that He is more than just one lone, singular being, and Proverbs 31 tells us that Yahweh has a Son.
Mishle (Proverbs) 30:4
4 Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name; and what is His Son’s name? Surely you know.
So then, why do the Orthodox Jews reject Yeshua? It has a lot to do with rejecting the idea of a trinity.
What we will see is that Yahweh can manifest Himself as anything He desires, from a burning bush (Exodus 3:2), a torch (Genesis 15:17), Yeshua, and other ways. For example, in Judges the messenger who speaks with Gideon is called both Yahweh and a ‘messenger of Yahweh.’ This is because a malach (messenger) is a manifestation of Yahweh that has been sent to deliver a message.
Shophetim (Judges) 6:11-23
11 Now the messenger of Yahweh came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the messenger of Yahweh appeared to him, and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
13 Gideon said to Him, “O Adonai (Master of masters), if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us?
And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
14 Then Yahweh turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”
15 So he said to Him, “O Adonai, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
16 And Yahweh said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
17 Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talks with me.
18 “Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.”
And He said, “I will wait until you come back.”
19 So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them.
20 The messenger of Elohim said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so.
21 Then the messenger of Yahweh put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the messenger of Yahweh departed out of his sight.
22 Now Gideon perceived that He was the messenger of Yahweh. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Adonai Elohim! For I have seen the messenger of Yahweh face to face!”
23 Then Yahweh said to him, “Peace be with you! Do not fear, you shall not die!”
In verse 23 we see that Yahweh says, “Peace be with you!” However, in John 20:19 it is Yeshua who says “Peace be with you.”
Yochanan (John) 20:19-20
19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Yeshua came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Adon.
We should also note that the reason Gideon was afraid he would die was that he understood that the Torah teaches that no man may look on the face of Yahweh the Father, and yet live.
Shemote (Exodus) 33:20-23
20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”
21 And Yahweh said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.
22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.
23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”
Since Moshe was not able to look on His face, we know that this manifestation was not exactly the same as the Yeshua we know from the Renewed Covenant. However, it makes sense that no one may look on the face of the invisible Father in heaven while he is still alive. Yet, one may look on at least some of the visible manifestations of Yahweh and live, just as Moshe did, when he looked on the burning bush.
Shemote (Exodus) 3:1-6
Now Moshe was tending the flock of Yithro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian.
And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of Elohim.
2 And the messenger of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed!
3 Then Moshe said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn!”
4 So when Yahweh saw that he turned aside to look, Elohim called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moshe, Moshe!”
And he said, “Here I am!”
5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is set apart ground.”
6 Moreover He said, “I am the Elohim of your father — the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob.” And Moshe hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon Elohim.
It was not Yahweh the Father who appeared in the flame of fire, for Yahweh the Father does not desire to become tainted by leaving the heavens, and taking on a visible material form. Rather, it was a messenger of Yahweh (verse 2) that spoke to Moshe, and yet this manifestation was called both Yahweh and Elohim (verses 4 and 6). Once we understand messengers of Yahweh are simultaneously Yahweh and a messenger, this also explains certain mysteries of the Renewed Covenant.
Yochanan (John) 1:18
18 No one has seen Elohim (the Father) at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father: He (Yeshua) has declared Him (the Father.)
Shaul also tells us that Yeshua was Elohim manifested: He was not Yahweh the Father Himself.
Timoteos Aleph (1st Timothy) 6:13-16
13 I urge you in the sight of Elohim who gives life to all things, and before Messiah Yeshua who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Adon Yeshua Messiah’s (second) appearing,
15 which He (the Father) will manifest in His (the Father’s) own time: He (the Father) who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Master of masters,
16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amein.
Because Yahweh the Father desires to remain on His throne, He used His Son Yeshua as an agent, in order to bring the material world into being.
Qolosim (Colossians) 1:15-17
15 He is the image of the invisible Elohim, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
In Hebrew, the term ‘Revelation’ is related to the word for manifestation, and this is why it speaks of Yeshua.
Hitgalut (Revelation) 1:1
1:1 The Revelation (Manifestation) of Yeshua Messiah, which Elohim gave Him to show His servants — things which must shortly take place.
Eight verses later, Yeshua tells us that He is the Aleph and the Tav (the Aleph-Tav or אֵת).
Hitgalut (Revelation) 1:8
8 “I am the Aleph and the Tav, the Beginning and the End,” says Yahweh, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Hebrew uses a special verb particle, the Aleph-Tav (אֵת). The Aleph-Tav indicates a relationship between the subject and the object. Since English does not use a similar verb particle, perhaps we can understand this better by looking at the Hebrew.
| B’reisheet (Genesis) 1:1 In the beginning created Elohim (את) the heavens and (את) the earth. |
1 בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים | אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ |
The sequence of presentation is important in Hebrew. In the beginning, first Yahweh Elohim created the Aleph-Tav (בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת) (which is Yeshua), and then Elohim created (or manifested) the heavens and the earth through the Aleph-Tav (through Yeshua). This may be why Shaul tells us that all things were created through Yeshua, and for Him.
Qolosim (Colossians) 1:15-17
15 He is the image of the invisible Elohim, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by Him (Yeshua) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him (Yeshua) and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
In order to understand this better, let us consider how Yahweh used the Aleph-Tav (Yeshua) to create the universe.
First John 1:5 tells us that Elohim is light.
Yochanan Aleph (1st John) 1:5
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that Elohim is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
Since Elohim is light, let us consider what takes place with a prism. If the Light (Yahweh) were first to create a Prism (Yeshua), all the many colors of light would then be created by refracting the Light through the Prism. If we plug this analogy back in to Genesis 1:1, we would get:
In the beginning Light created a Prism, through which the colors were created.
Translation: In the beginning Elohim created Yeshua, through which the heavens and the earth were created.
If we can follow this analogy, we should be able to see how Yeshua was the Principal Agent (Prince) by which (and through which) the heavens and the earth were manifested (or created). However, since the Prism originally came from Elohim, and is still (of) Elohim, Elohim is still Echad (אֶחָד, one, united.)
Yochanan (John) 10:29-30
29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.
30 I and My Father are one (אֶחָד).”
Yahweh is certainly more than just a great Light, and Yeshua is certainly more than a Prism. However, this is how Yahweh used the Aleph-Tav as the Principal Agent (Prince) by which the heavens and the earth became (and remain) manifest.
Even though Yahweh the Father is much too set-apart to interact with the material realm directly, He still needs to have control of the material realm. He has control of the material realm because He manifested the material realm through His Son.
Tehillim (Psalms) 8:4-6
4 What is man that You are mindful of him, and the Son of Man that You visit him?
5 For You have made Him a little lower than Elohim, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands. You have put all things under His feet.
The Masoretic Sopherim were the Karaite scribes of the Middle Ages who altered the Tanach to fit their understanding. They admit to having emended verse 5 to read ‘messengers’ (angels) (as it reads in the King James Version and most other common versions).
However, with the emendation corrected back to its original form (as above), we can see that what this passage really says is that Yahweh made the Son of Man (Yeshua) a little bit lower than Yahweh Elohim; but that all of creation was given to Him, that He should have dominion over it, and that everything is meant to be under His feet. And why should it not be under His feet? It was through Him, and by Him, that it was created. Without Him, none of it would ever have existed. It is therefore not surprising that the Apostle Shaul tells us the same thing.
Qorintim Aleph (1st Corinth.) 15:27-28
27 For “He (the Father) has put all things under His (Yeshua’s) feet.”
But when He (the Father) says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He (the Father) who put all things under Him (Yeshua) is excepted.
28 Now when all things are made subject to Him (Yeshua), then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him (the Father) who put all things under Him, that Elohim may be all in all.
More Manifestations
The whole point of Yahweh the Father originally making Yeshua as the Aleph-Tav, then, was so that the Father (who is Light) could create a material world (which is originally dark), and then transform that material world to worship Him without ever having to be sullied by contact with it. This was done through agency relationship, with Yeshua (אֵת) acting as the Principal Agent.
Yet if no one has seen Yahweh the Father at any time, then who gave the Torah to Israel at Mount Sinai?
Shemote (Exodus) 19:18-20
18 Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because Yahweh descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.
19 And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moshe spoke, and Elohim answered him by voice.
20 Then Yahweh came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And Yahweh called Moshe to the top of the mountain, and Moshe went up.
It could only have been a manifestation of Yahweh who gave the Torah to Israel, yet this manifestation was still very much Yahweh, because He said not to have any other elohim (‘g-ds’) before Him.
Shemote (Exodus) 20:2-3
2 “I am Yahweh your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, (and) out of the house of bondage.
3 “You shall have no other elohim
(g-ds) before Me!”
However, as we will see, while manifestations deserve to be feared, and even worshipped, they are never to be prayed to. While one might worship Yeshua, one only ever prays to Yahweh the invisible Father.
In Shophetim (Judges) 13, a malach (messenger or angel) is manifested to Shimshon’s (Samson’s) parents in the form of a man. However, notice that this messenger is described interchangeably as a man, a messenger and as Elohim proper.
Shophetim (Judges) 13:2-23
2 Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children.
3 And the messenger of Yahweh appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.
4 “Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean.
5 “For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to Elohim from the womb;
and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
6 So the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A Man of Elohim came to me, and His countenance was like the countenance of the messenger of Elohim, very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name.
7 And He said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to Elohim from the womb to the day of his death.'”
8 Then Manoah prayed to Yahweh, and said, “O Adonai, please let the Man of Elohim whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.”
9 And Elohim listened to the voice of Manoah, and the messenger of Elohim came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her.
10 Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, “Look, the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me!”
11 So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, “Are You the Man who spoke to this woman?”
And He said, “I am.”
12 Manoah said, “Now let Your words come to pass! What will be the boy’s rule of life, and his work?”
13 So the messenger of Yahweh said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful.
14 She may not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor may she drink wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her let her observe.”
15 Then Manoah said to the messenger of Yahweh, “Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You.”
16 And the messenger of Yahweh said to Manoah, “Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to Yahweh.” (For Manoah did not know He was the messenger of Yahweh.)
17 Then Manoah said to the Messenger of Yahweh, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?”
18 And the Messenger of Yahweh said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is Wonderful?”
19 So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to Yahweh. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on —
20 it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar — the messenger of Yahweh ascended in the flame of the altar!
When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground.
21 When the Messenger of Yahweh appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He was the Messenger of Yahweh.
22 And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen Elohim!”
23 But his wife said to him, “If Yahweh had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as these at this time.”
In verse 18, the messenger tells us that His name is Wonderful. Notice the similarity to Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 9:6.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 9:6
6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty El, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
This reference in Isaiah 9:6 can only be Yeshua, the manifestation of Elohim, because no mortal human child was ever called Mighty El or Everlasting Father.
Still More Manifestations:
Perhaps the most obvious manifestation in Scripture is when Yeshua and the two messengers appeared to Avraham just before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The manifestation of Yahweh is alternately described as a man, as a messenger, and as Yahweh. In contrast, the other messengers are described interchangeably as messengers and as men (but never as Yahweh).
B’reisheet (Genesis) 18:1-8
1 Then Yahweh appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.
2 So he (Avraham) lifted his eyes and looked, and behold! Three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,
3 and said, “Adonai, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.
4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.”
They said, “Do as you have said.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes!”
7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it.
8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
Notice that Yahweh is described as Yahweh in verse 1, but in verse 2 He is described as a man. This trend of interchangeability continues.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 18:13-23
13 And Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’
14 Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid.
And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.
17 And Yahweh said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the Way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice, that Yahweh may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
20 And Yahweh said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,
21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
22 Then (two of) the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before Yahweh.
23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
After Avraham pleas with the manifestation of Yahweh to save the city and his relative Lot, we come to chapter 19, where the two ‘men’ of verse 22 show back up in the narrative as messengers (angels) once more.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 19:1
1 Now the two messengers came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.
The messengers are described as men once again, in verse 12.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 19:12
12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city — take them out of this place!
The men are again described as messengers in verse 15.
15 When the morning dawned, the messengers urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.”
In verse 16, the two messengers suddenly revert to being ‘men’ once more:
16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, Yahweh being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
It is Yahweh who is merciful to Lot. Note once more that it is Yahweh on earth who calls down fire from Yahweh out of the heavens (showing us that there is at least a greater and a lesser Yahweh, or two Yahweh’s).
23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
24 Then Yahweh rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from Yahweh out of the heavens.
Whom to Worship: And Whom to Pray To
In Yehoshua (Joshua) 5, a Man who describes Himself as “the Commander of the Army of Yahweh” appears to Joshua, son of Nun. Joshua worships Him, but does not pray to Him. That is because a manifestation of Yahweh can be worshipped, but never prayed to. This is a very important point: one should only ever pray to Yahweh the Father, as Yahweh the Father is greater than all (and all prayer belongs only to Him).
Yehoshua (Joshua) 5:13-15
13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”
14 So He said, “No, but as Commander of the Army of Yahweh I have now come.”
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped, and said to Him, “What does Adonai say to His servant?”
15 Then the Commander of Yahweh’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is set-apart.”
Just as Moshe took off his shoes in the presence of the burning bush, Joshua took off his shoes, because the presence of the Commander of the Army of Yahweh had set the ground apart. Yet just as Moshe never prayed to the burning bush, Joshua never prayed to the Commander of the Armies of Yahweh.
What we should learn from this is that while we should worship Yeshua, we must always remember never to pray to Him (but only to Yahweh). We should also never pray to any human being (or to any being that is not Yahweh the invisible Father). For example, we should never pray to any of the apostles, or to Miriam (Mary).
Because no visible manifest being is the invisible Father in heaven, no earthly being is worthy of our prayers: only the invisible Father on the throne in heaven is worthy of our prayers.
Malachim (angels, messengers or emissaries) must be treated similarly to human beings. While we should respect them, Revelation shows us that we should never pray to them, and not even worship them, for they also are fellow servants of the Most High.
Hitgalut (Revelation) 22:8-9
8 Now I, Yochanan, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the messenger who showed me these things.
9 Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that! For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book! Worship Elohim (instead)!”
Here are the four levels:
| Who: | Worship? | Pray to? |
| Yahweh Father | Yes | Yes |
| Manifestation | Yes | No |
| Malach | No | No |
| People | No | No |
We should never worship created beings, such as malachim, Miriam (Mary), or any of the saints. Further, while we are to worship manifested beings (such as Yeshua or the Commander of Yahweh’s armies), we are never to pray to them. Our prayers belong only to Yahweh Elohim, who created (and creates) us all.