“One Yahweh”

Daniel 12:4: But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Most all reading this would agree that we are in the “time of the end,” by the words of Scripture, prophecy and the signs therein coming to life in the world we live in. Some have said that this “knowledge” is indicative of more coming into truth, but that is not true “knowledge.” If knowledge is to “increase,” than there must be some to start with and what folks learn in the world is not the “knowledge” Scripture refers to. Therefore, by mere definition, the increase is going to be for those who know Scripture. It is not “new” Scripture, it is the knowledge that pertains to what is already known.

This topic of “One Yahweh” IN NAME (replacing the Tetragrammaton, the Heavenly Father's personal Name, in the original Scriptures [Genesis through Malachi] with “Yahshua” in any fashion) is something which goes back to the earliest days of the Sacred Name Assemblies and previous to that. It appears to be something that has never been questioned to a major degree. Very sincere, dedicated folks have not seen this, yet. “IF” this is correct and folks blow it off, it could be to their very detriment. If Yahweh the Father is the ONLY entity to be called “Yahweh,” and it is insisted upon to say, think or teach that Yahshua is the “Yahweh of the Old Covenant” in any fashion, then it would be in direct violation of both the first and third commandments as well as bordering (if not conclusively) on blasphemy. It must be looked at “as a child” (Mark 10:15), and that means putting some pre-conceived notions (as below) on the back burner for a bit. There are teachings that can be actual mental roadblocks to learn further that MUST be clarified before any of this can be seen. We are told not to add or delete from scripture (Deuteronomy 4:2 for one) and that the secret things belong to Yahweh (Deuteronomy 29:29), and we must keep both of those directives in mind as well.

First and foremost is the word “elohim” (Strong’s #430). Basically the word means “mighty one” or “ones.” Many teach it is plural meaning more than one. However, it is used in the singular more than the plural. In fact, according to Strong’s, it is used in the singular 2,366 times and in the plural 216 times. Interestingly, the Word Study Dictionary states, “Although the form of this word is plural, it is frequently used as if it were singular-that is, with a singular verb,” and “The singular form of this word ’elôah (H433) occurs only in poetry.” One very strong example of this concerns the “witch of Endor,” where Saul asks her to conjure up Samuel. She says in 1 Samuel 28:13, “…I saw g-ds [H430/elohim] ascending out of the earth,” but Saul never thought she saw two entities (or three or four). HE says quite clearly in Verse 14, “What form is he [not “they”] of? And she said, An old man…[not “men].” There are many examples but the point is, if you cannot get past the fact that “Elohim” is used in the singular sense far more times than in the plural sense; and “Elohim” usually meaning multiple entities, then it will be next to impossible to see there is only one Yahweh, and He is our Father.

Secondly, I have heard all my “believing” life that “No one can see or hear the Father.” There are multiple verses saying how no one can see the Father’s FACE and live (right off the bat, that is different from “hearing the Father”) but there is only ONE VERSE IN ALL OF SCRIPTURE that says “YOU [not “no one”]” have not heard His voice,” (John 5:37). In that verse, Yahshua Himself was speaking to certain “Jews” as indicated in verses 15, 18-19 and continues with: John 5:38-40, You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. Just like so many in the world today who do not “hear or see” the Father, they (not all mankind) did NOT hear our Heavenly Father! Why, because they did not/do not believe the one Yahweh sent! I pray I DO hear our Heavenly Father, just like many others. I hear Him through His words, in my dreams and through His Son! Yahweh was very clear in Exodus 33:20 that Moses could not see His face; however, Moses heard Yahweh and that is evident many times. There is a major difference between seeing and hearing. Most times Yahweh appeared, it was in a cloud or smoke. Anyone having been in a very thick fog could imagine trying to see a person.

Third, it has also been said that Scriptures say Yahweh cannot be in the presence of sin/evil. Psalm 5:4 says that evil shall not dwell with Him. His abode is high above the evil of this world but when the angels were cast down, wouldn’t that mean there was evil in the heavens that He got rid of? Habakkuk 1:13 talks of His eyes being pure and He cannot look upon wickedness, yet it says right afterwards, “Why do you look with favor on those dealing treacherously?” It is not referring to our Father being unable to be in the presence of evil. In fact, in the very first chapter of Job it talks of how the sons of man AND SATAN came before the Father! So, once again, this is a misconception that will block someone from seeing past it.

Lastly, it must be understood that you CAN believe in the pre-existence of our Messiah WITHOUT thinking He is everywhere the Tetragrammaton is. Our Messiah COULD have been the Angel of Yahweh and could be referenced at times where it says “elohim,” but we are never told (that is important because “the secret things belong to Yahweh,” Deuteronomy 29:29). Many believe that since Yahshua was “made lower than the angels,” He had to have been above the angels in His pre-existence. What scripture says, however is Hebrews 2:9, “But we see Yahshua, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of Yahweh should taste death for every man.” This could absolutely indicate He was on the same level as angels PRIOR TO coming as a man.

To summarize these “roadblocks,” they are:

Misunderstanding the word “elohim”;
Believing NO ONE HEARD the Father;
Believing Yahweh cannot look upon evil; and
Misunderstanding topic of pre-existence in connection with two entities.

The more of the “roadblocks” you have as listed above, the more unlikely you are to be able to accept wisdom from our Father and, as it says in Daniel, “knowledge will be increased” in the end times and scriptures have not changed! As mentioned above, some believe this is merely indicative of more coming into truth but I see it as actual “knowledge” increasing. I believe it's a misunderstanding that some people have of things I listed below that is keeping them from accepting the fact that “no one is called by the Name of Yahweh except Yahweh Himself.” Psalm 83:18, That men may know that thou, whose name alone is YAHWEH, art the most high over all the earth.

There are several aspects to this study. First of all, there are a few verses which seem to indicate two entities unless you search them out with the mind of a child (learning anew) which is difficult when you do not want to question something. This is the first aspect I will address. Secondly, however, and perhaps more important is how the Father perceived Himself (as “one”) and that appears numerous times in Scripture, albeit overlooked. When I consider that and how the Son describes himself over and over again in the Bible, I find it impossible to ascribe the Father's Name, Yahweh, to the Son, whose name is Yahshua, not Yahweh—it violates how they themselves addressed the issue. The third aspect is: “If the phrase 'Yahweh the Son' is not in scripture, where did it originate?” Just like the topic of Christmas which likewise is not in scripture--we are “taught” to see where it originated and then make our decision. Shouldn’t we do the same with “Yahweh the Son”?

FIRST ASPECT:

Genesis 19:24 refers twice to YAHWEH, one seemingly being on earth and one in heaven. However, it is customary for the Scriptural verses to speak in this manner. In Genesis 4:23 (King James version), it says "wives of Lemech" and not "my wives." Same as David in 1 Kings 1:33, "Take with you the servants of your master," and not "my servants." Likewise in Esther 8:8, it says "in the name of the king" and not "in my name." So the verse in question states "from Yahweh" and not "from Him." Many will say, “We KNOW there was only one David, Lemech, etc.” which in each of those cases, we truly do NOT know. There were probably many called David, Lemech but with our Heavenly Father, we “profess” to KNOW there were two? This strongly seems to be a preconceived notion as opposed to a researched with a clear mind notion. This verse in Genesis has come up every time this topic comes up, almost as if it proves beyond a doubt there were two Yahwehs! ONE VERSE!

Another example, though less used is Exodus 3:1-3, Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of Elohim. The angel of YAHWEH appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, "I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up." When YAHWEH saw that he turned aside to look, Elohim called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ If you take that AS IT IS WRITTEN, it appears there was an “elohim” in the bush (i.e., messenger?) but YAHWEH was speaking. I do not see any problem with that whatsoever but most seem to say the whole thing revolved around Yahshua! Scripture does not say that!

SECOND ASPECT:

So, how did/does Yahweh address Himself? What position does He have? As a sidenote, we know that scriptures say Yahweh is “eternal.” Anything less than eternal cannot be “Yahweh.” The Messiah was NOT always with Yahweh and, therefore, is not eternal. So here’s some scriptures on how Yahweh addresses Himself:

Yahweh says no Elohim besides Him, Deuteronomy 4:35-39;
Isaiah 40:25, "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
There is only one Savior, Isaiah 43:11. This is confirmed in Romans 10:13 and Acts 2:21, direct quotes from Joel 2:32. Of course, calling upon the Name of the Messiah, His Yahweh-given Name as opposed to titles, IS absolutely calling upon Yahweh as His Name MEANS Yahweh's Salvation or Salvation is of Yahweh! But the Messiah, on His own behalf, is NOT the ultimate Savior just as we've seen in scripture--it is THROUGH His Name we receive salvation.

Interesting, indeed is Deuteronomy 28:9-10, Yahweh will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of Yahweh your Elohim and walk in His ways. So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of Yahweh, and they will be afraid of you. So, does that mean my name is now “Yahweh” since I keep His commandments? I’m certain most will find that absurd, but that is what the Scriptures say! Obviously, my name is NOT “Yahweh,” no more than the Messiah’s Name ever was!

Due to the vast number of Scriptures which reference Yahweh ALONE or “BY MYSELF,” only a few of them will be listed here, but I would encourage anyone reading this to research this on their own. As we are told “line by line, precept by precept”:

Genesis 22:16, …”and said, ‘By Myself I have sworn, declares YAHWEH, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,’”
1 Kings 8:39, …then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men,
2 Kings 19:15, Hezekiah prayed before YAHWEH and said, ‘O YAHWEH, the Elohim of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the Elohim, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.’
Nehemiah 9:6, You alone are YAHWEH. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before You.
Isaiah 37:20, "Now, O YAHWEH our Elohim, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, YAHWEH, are Elohim."
Isaiah 43:11, "I, even I, am YAHWEH, And there is no savior besides Me. [NOTE: Of course, using Yahshua's Name is professing Yahweh is our savior.)
Isaiah 43:25, "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.
Isaiah 44:24, Thus says YAHWEH, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, ‘I, YAHWEH, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone,
Psalms 83:18, That they may know that You alone, whose name is< the Yahweh, Are the Most High over all the earth.
Psalms 86:10, For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are Elohim.
Isaiah 26:13, O Yahweh our Elohim, other masters besides You have ruled us; But through You alone we confess Your name.

If you say any one of these (or the many other verses) reference the Son, then ABSOLUTELY you are taking away/reducing the Father! It says “ALONE”! You would also be saying that someone is lying because the Scriptures are clear and, remember, that is only a small sampling of the verses.

A couple of verses which were brought to mind in a discussion should be addressed and this may be the appropriate place. They are: Exodus 23:20-21, Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. First of all, as has been studied many times, the word “name,” connotes much more than a word. It is in “the authority” of the Father this angel goes forward (which, by the way, “could” be Yahshua though again we are never told). Yahweh appears in a “pillar of cloud” many times, such as over the tent of meeting (Exodus 33:9, for instance). In leading Israel out of Egypt, one verse says: Exodus 14:19, And the angel of Elohim, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: Is there any confusion here? Not if you take it as it is written--

Where does Yahshua put Himself?

Matthew 4:8-10, Yahshua said Worship Yahweh your Elohim and serve Him only.
Luke 4:5-8, Worship Yahweh your Elohim and serve him only, quoted from Deuteronomy 6:13. Many teach we worship Yahshua and we do, but in a different form from our Heavenly Father. We worship Yahshua as our king as kings have always been worshipped, given homage to, on earth.
Yahshua says to know the Father, the only true elohim, AND Yahshua the Messiah whom He sent, John 17:1-3.
Yahshua, Himself, said in John 5:30 that He does nothing of His own initiative and Philippians 2:5-6 says, Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Messiah Yahshua, who, although He existed in the form of Elohim [mighty one, which He absolutely was/is], did not regard equality with Yahweh a thing to be grasped,...
Philippians 2:9, Wherefore Yahweh also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: Let me ask: If He was called “Yahweh” in the old covenant scriptures, how on earth could He have been given a name above all names? He would have already had it!
In John 17:5, Yahshua asks the Father to restore Him to the glory He had with Him previously. What was that “glory”? We are told in Hebrews 2:9 that Yahshua was made for a little while lower than the angels, Yahshua, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of Yahweh He might taste death for everyone. If He was made “lower than the angels” to become a human male on earth, then it is quite possible the “glory He had before” was that “as an angel.” Notice how because of “suffering of death” and resurrection, He was crowned with glory and honor. Similarly, in Matthew 28:18, Yahshua says, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Again, this was AFTER His resurrection!
Lastly, with regard to our Messiah, IF He pre-existed AS “YAHWEH THE SON,” then isn’t it just a bit ridiculous to think not one person, Pharisee, apostle, disciple, or Yahshua Himself, ever made reference to, “You know, back when you talked to Moses and told him this and that”? Again, this is NOT saying Yahshua did not pre-exist, just that He was never, ever called by the Father’s Name. And, again, the Father’s Name is in our Messiah, just like in many other of the patriarchs and prophets’ names (including, by the way, “Yahshua son of Nun”). Yahshua, Himself, prayed to the Father that the glory which Yahweh gave to Him, Yahshua gave to us, that they may be one, even as we are one (John 17:22). So this “glory” and “oneness” is the same for the Father and Son as exists between the Son and us.

THIRD ASPECT:

So where did the concept of “Yahweh the Son” come from? In verbage, it is the same as “the Greater Yahweh” and “the Lesser Yahweh,” (or, actually, “G-d the Father, G-d the Son) and includes several originations including “Metatron” and “Mamre.” I have been told the concept of Yahshua being called Yahweh in the Old Covenant is not the same thing as “the Greater” and “Lesser,” however, if that is your thought, you may want to look at it a whole lot closer because it absolutely is the exact same issue—dwell on it. We’ve been taught that Yahweh the Father is the highest and Yahshua is beneath Him (the “lesser”); same principle. This phraseology is NOT found in the Scriptures although the “Hebrew Roots” bible has the exact phrase “Yahweh the Son” in their notes quite a few times.

We’ll start our search with Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. Here are a few excerpts:

“Although Metatron is mentioned in a few brief passages in the Talmud, he appears primarily in mystical Kabbalistic texts within the Rabbinic literature.” That alone should speak volumes to folks.
“In 2 Enoch, Enoch is assigned titles commonly used by Metatron such as ‘the Youth, the Prince of the Presence and the Prince of the World.” So now, Enoch is the Messiah????
“In 3 Enoch Metatron is called the lesser Yahweh. This raises a problem since the name Metatron does not seem to be directly related to the name of G-d YHWH.”
“In Maaseh Merkabath the text reasons that Metatron is called the lesser YHWH because in Hebrew gematri Metatron is numerically equivalent to another name of G-d Shaddai.”
Under “Talmud” (still in Wikipedia), “There are indeed two powers in Heaven!. The rabbis explain that Metatron had permission to sit because of his function as the Heavenly Scribe, writing down the deeds of Israel (Babylonian Talmud).” That is from the Babylonian Talmud!!!

Looking online for more information on this topic of the Lesser YHWH, I found a paper, which hits the nail on the head in many ways. Click here to read the article online which would be worth reading for anyone interested in pursuing this to determine whether the ideology of Yahweh the Son should be abandoned.

Going to the Jewish Encyclopedia, we find a substantial amount of information pertaining to Metatron, the Lesser Yahweh and, again, will only put some excerpts here:

Under “Metatron,” we find “The early commentators with good reason identified the prince of the world (tul. 60a; Zeb. 16b; Sanh. 94a) with Metatron (Joël, "Blicke in die Religionsgesch." i. 124 et seq.). G-d instructs children in the Torah during the last quarter of the day; Metatron, during the first three-quarters ('Ab. Zarah 3b). It was this angel who caused Shamtazai to say before the Flood, "G-d will destroy the world" (Yalt. i., § 44). He is, moreover, Enoch, the great scribe (Targ. Yer. to Gen. v. 24; in tag. 15a he is likewise represented as a scribe).
Under “Metatron,” “Views as to Origin,” “In medieval mysticism Metatron plays the same role as in antiquity and in the period of the Geonim (passages in Schwab, s.v.), thus furnishing a further proof of the tenacity and stability of mystic and superstitious conceptions.” [Remember, “Metatron” is “the lesser YHWH”; same as “Yahweh the Son”.]

This was initially summarized for folks who had requested it and I only spent a small amount of time researching this “Greater/Lesser” concept. For me, what I found is enough to convince me beyond a doubt that the thought, concept or belief that Yahshua was called “Yahweh” at any time (replacing “YHWH” with “Yahshua” or “Yahweh the Son”) is in direct violation of our Heavenly Father’s own words, again, NOT that the Messiah did not pre-exist.

MISCELLANEOUS ASPECTS

We know that Israel was given to Yahshua as His inheritance. Did you ever consider that “if” Yahshua in any form possessed Israel, then Israel could NOT be His inheritance? If Israel was Yahweh’s possession (Deuteronomy 7:6), then and only then could Yahshua be granted the inheritance.

Marriage. Yahweh uses marriage symbolically with Israel and I’ve heard it said that “Yahshua’s death released Israel to remarry,” however, that is not in scripture anywhere that I could find. Here is what we do know. In Jeremiah 3:8, Yahweh sent Israel away and gave her a writ of divorce. According to the law, Israel is free to re-marry (Deuteronomy 24:1-4), no death was necessary. The verses in Romans 7 pertaining to being bound to a husband first of all was being spoken to “those who know the law,” and was referring to re-marrying WITHOUT being divorced (verse 3). We hear how Israel is the bride/or will be, yet, in Revelation 21:2, it says, “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from Yahweh, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” Revelation 19:7 speaks to “the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." I have personally thought that was the Assembly, yet remember what Revelation 21:2 says. Could the bride of Messiah be Jerusalem and His people, His inheritance? One thing from looking at the verses, it has nothing to do with Yahshua being where the Tetragrammaton is in the original scriptures.

I just scratched the surface but does this sound like something we want to believe in? Is this something that should be taught? What happened to going with Scriptures? Again, we have always been instructed to search/prove all things and because of doing that, those who come into the true knowledge of scripture gave up christmas, easter, halloween, belief in the trinity, and so forth. This belief in Two Yahwehs, regardless of being two distinct beings, violates the very words we live by and is only found in this Jewish mysticism!

May Yahweh bless all those who seek to follow His Son, His truths!