Yesterday, I talked about and debunked (quite nicely I would say) the notion that “Mighty God” is referring to the Messiah as the Almighty YEHOVAH Himself in human flesh.
Now as much as I would like to move on and get back to the text of 1 Samuel, we can’t leave Isaiah 9:6 behind just yet.
There’s another 2-word phrase in this verse we gotta contend with.
Of course, I’m talking about the phrase “Everlasting Father”.
That’s another part of Isaiah 9:6 that causes trinitarian Christians to get all dizzy with excitement because they think it’s irrefutable proof that Yeshua is literally God the Father in human flesh.
So today I’m gonna take this verse down by showing you why I believe the traditional evangelical interpretation of this verse is WRONG (that’s right man! I said WRONG!) from both a scriptural contextual perspective and a Hebrew linguistic perspective.
So let’s get started.
First, take a look at this New Testament verse in reference to Abraham.
“Therefore, the promise
comes by faith,
so that it may be
by grace and
may be guaranteed to all
Abraham’s offspring
—not only to those
who are of the law
but also to those who
have the faith of Abraham.
He is the father of us all.”
-Romans 4:16
Ain’t that interesting homies?
Abraham is called the “father” of us all.
In fact, did you know that Abraham is referred to as “Father” 17 times in our Bibles?
Yet, I don’t see anybody attempting to make him the eternal God though.
We actually have a similar nuance in our modern language when we say “The Father of Our Nation” for instance in reference to George Washington.
Ya feel me?
Or how about this verse?
“So now it was not you
who sent me here, but God;
and He has made me a father
to Pharaoh and lord of all
his house and a ruler throughout
all the land of Egypt.”
-Genesis 45:8
Interesting, isn’t it?
My point is in Isaiah 9:6, Yeshua is called “father” because he is the father over everything that God his Father made him Father over.
Let me say that again for the dull, thickheaded and stubborn.
Yeshua is called “father” because he is the father over everything that God his Father put him over.
Yeshua is the Father of the church.
But he is NOT God the Father.
And he never claimed to be.
Quite the opposite actually.
Remember he said…
“I ascend unto my Father
and your Father,
and to my God
and your God”.
-John 20:17
And he also said…
“My Father is greater than I”.
-John 14:28
That simple verse means two things.
FIRST, it means the Father to whom Yeshua is referring to IS A SEPARATE BEING THAN YESHUA HIMSELF.
SECOND, it means the Father to whom Yeshua is referring to IS GREATER THAN YESHUA HIMSELF.
In fact, Yeshua’s authority comes from the Father.
Remember, when Yeshua says “I and the Father are one and the same”, it was a statement of mission and purpose, not biology.
Again, Abraham is called “father” 17 times…
Yet Yeshua is called “Father” once in Isaiah 9:6 and we use that to try and prove he is the eternal Father.
That dog ain’t gonna hunt homies.
And speaking of “eternal father”, let’s now switch over to the linguistic evidence.
So you might be thinking…
“What about the word ‘Everlasting’
that’s in front of “Father” in Isaiah 9:6?
Surely that proves Yeshua is the
Almighty God, the eternal Father in
human flesh?”
That’s what you’re thinking, right?
Well, brace yourself if you’re a Trinitarian…
Because you may never be able to recover from what I’m about to reveal next.
So here goes…
The original Hebrew for “Everlasting Father” is AVI-AD (אֲבִיעַ֖ד).
AVI is “father” and AD is “everlasting”.
But here’s the thing…
And pay close attention…because this is where the rubber hits the road folks.
The Hebrew word AD (the word being translated into “everlasting”) does NOT mean eternal.
It originates from the Hebrew word ADAH and means to continue.
Let me say that one again also for the dull, thickheaded and the stubborn.
“The Hebrew word AD which is translated into “everlasting” originates from the Hebrew word ADAH and does NOT…I repeat, it does NOT mean eternal”.
Got it?
Are we clear?
I mean do I have to say it again?
AD in this context means there’s a starting point and then it continues on in one direction.
On the other hand, the Hebrew word for “eternal” is OLAM and it is this word that means “everlasting” in the sense of having no beginning and having no end.
Now in case you think I’m giving you a load of semantic booooooooooooool sheeeeeeeeeet, check out this verse from the Book of Habakkuk.
“He stood, and measured the earth:
he beheld, and drove asunder the nations;
and the everlasting mountains
were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow:
His ways are everlasting.”
-Habakkuk 3:6
Notice how the word “everlasting” appears twice?
Well, here’s the thing.
The Hebrew word for the first “everlasting” and the second “everlasting” are different in this verse.
The Hebrew word used for “everlasting” in relation to the mountains is ADAH.
And the Hebrew word for the second “everlasting” in “His ways are everlasting“ is OLAM.
Again, one means “continuing” and the other means “eternal”.
My point is there’s a world of difference between a Father who comes to continue (AD) and a Father that is eternal (OLAM).
Here’s another thing.
Every single time Isaiah speaks of the “Everlasting God” in reference to YEHOVAH…
The Hebrew word for “Everlasting” is OLAM without exception…
I mean EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
But he did NOT use that word in Isaiah 9:6.
Bottomline, Yeshua is the “Father of the Coming Age” over everything that God his Father put him over.
But he is NOT the eternal Father.
And Isaiah didn’t claim that for him.
Ya feel me?
It doesn’t do our Messiah any favors to make him out to be something he isn’t.
Based on everything we’ve gone over about Isaiah 9:6 and the original Hebrew, including what we went over yesterday, I would say the following translation of Isaiah 9:6 fits best (thanks Mary!):
“For a child shall be born unto us,
a son shall be given unto us,
and the rule is on his shoulder:
A wonder, a Counsellor, Strong EL ,
my Father of continuity
shall call him Prince of Peace”
-Isaiah 9:6
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“And again,
‘I will put my trust in him.’
And again,
‘Behold, I and the children
God has given me.‘”
-Hebrews 2:13.
“And I tell you, you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build
my church, and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it.”
-Matthew 16:18
“For the husband is the head
of the wife even as Messiah is
the head of the church,
his body, and is
himself its Savior.”
-Ephesians 5:23
“And he is the head of the body,
the church. He is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead,
that in everything he might
be preeminent.”
-Colossians 1:18
“And he put all things
under his feet and gave
him as head over all things
to the church, which is his
body, the fullness of him
who fills all in all.”
–Ephesians 1:22-23
P.S. Source of the above rendering of Isaiah 9:6 comes from a book titled “The End of the Messianic Lie Vol. 1” by Uriel ben-Mordecai (page 233). Thanks Mary Lian!
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