Gideon finally realizes the mysterious stranger called the MALACH YHVH or the “Angel of the Lord” he has been conversing with is indeed God.
Since Gideon addressed this person as YHVH and the man didn’t decline being called that, we know this figure wasn’t a human being and neither was it your average angel.
So we have no choice but to conclude that God Himself was sitting in front of Gideon.
Yet the Torah makes it clear that no man can see God and live.
Which means if Gideon did indeed peer straight into the essence of the Father, he should have been a dead man.
But he didn’t die.
Therefore, we have no choice but to conclude this mysterious stranger called the Angel of the Lord was actually a MANIFESTATION of God.
He carried the authority of God and acted on behalf of God to such a degree that He even accepted being called YAHWEH.
Yet at the end of the day, He was a physical and human manifestation of the Lord.
Which means that yes, I believe this doctrine demonstrates the falsity of the trinitarian doctrine.
Because think about it man.
If Yeshua is literally the Father in human flesh, then anybody who saw him during New Testament times would have fallen over dead.
Because no man can see God and live.
There would have been corpses dropping all over the freakin’ place wherever he set foot during his ministry
When Yeshua says “He who has seen me has seen the Father”, I believe it’s gotta be taken in a metaphorical sense, not literally.
In other words, if Yeshua was doing the works of the Father, then you have seen the Father through the works Yeshua displayed.
In fact, couldn’t the same thing be said for anyone filled with the Holy Spirit who is doing the works of the Father?
We can see this same sentiment expressed in the following verses from the New Testament.
“Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever trusts in me will also do the works I do! Indeed, he will do greater ones, because I am going to the Father. In fact, whatever you ask for in my name, I will do; so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me for something in my name, I will do it.”-John 14:12-14
Because a lot of Christians (not all of them but quite a few) believe that Yeshua is literally God Himself (like on a molecular level) in spite of what the Torah says on the matter, they’ll also use that verse “he who has seen me has seen the Father” to conclude the Hebrew Bible had been done away with and is now dead and gone.
And because they’re handcuffed by their trinitarian theology, they’ll absolutely insist this Angel of the Lord who appeared to Gideon must absolutely be Yeshua, no questions asked.
I cannot accept that because this Angel of the Lord is called YAHWEH which is the official, personal and formal name of the Father as first given to Moses.
And this name is NEVER applied to the son.
Heck, even the most hardcore evangelical Christian will admit that Yeshua and the Father are two different beings.
The New Testament makes this pretty darn clear too.
Because there are too many scenes where we have Yeshua praying TO the Father and giving honor TO the Father as a being higher than himself in authority and power.
I mean come on man, the very fact that Yeshua refers to God as a being separate than himself should put to rest the notion that he also is that Being.
Therefore, whenever we come across statements like “I and the Father are one and the same”, we should take that to mean “My Father’s WILL and my WILL are one and the same”.
It’s a statement of purpose and mission, not biology.
Considering how challenging this doctrine is for believers whether they be Christian, Jewish or anything in between, imagine how confused Gideon must have been interacting with a supernatural being who looked human yet referred to Himself as YAHWEH.
Yes, It’s a statement of purpose and mission. Lets remember that Yeshua himself said he is not in any competition or power struggle. The salvation project’ question should be; how do l get saved? Yeshua ls the way, the truth and the life, Thanks
Dear brother I am a Messianic and follow the Torah and keep the Sabbath.
But I can not agree with your explanation that Yahweh was the Angel. Gideon said Angel of Yahweh.
The Angel indeed bears the Name of Yahweh, and even we may bear it at times, we do not need to make it complicated and let our spirit be all-knowing for we are not. But it is a wondrous thing and helps us to develop miraculous gifts through these words if, of course, we walk righteously. Halelluyah.Thank you for your good sharing of insides I love it.Kuno
Perfectly happy to agree to disagree. Be blessed and shalom!
John 10:30 “The Father and I are one”
One: heis – Logos Bible Sense Lexicon say, “one (single unit) – used of a single unit or thing; not two or more”
BDAG: “a single person or thing, with focus on quantitative aspect; in contrast to more than one”
NTGED: “one, alone, one and the same, only one”
Gr-Eng Dict. Of NT: “one, single, only one, a certain one”
DBL Gr.: “a single (thing); a reference to a single indefinite person, whole, that which is a unit”
Louw-Nida: “in contrast to more than one”
Are: eim
NTGED: “to be, exist, live, stay, reside, occur”
LBSL: “to have the quality of being”
DBL Gr: “be identical”
Above are only some of the Dictionaries/Lexicons giving definitions for “are one”. Pretty convincing I’d say.
I see no reason to doubt Jesus is not literally God…they certainly were in agreement in mission & purpose…
I can see your interesting points on the Angel of the Lord not being a pre incarnation of Yeshua but Jesus not being called YHWH is no clincher. I am unaware of Holy Spirit called YHWH either (but the Spirit of God). So is Holy Spirit not YHWH either?
It seems Messianic-Christians bloggers try to bend over backwards to try to keep Yeshua from being God…Skip Moen is another anti-Yeshua as God blogger…it distracts from your excellent insights.
I greatly appreciate & enjoy your Messianic Revolution daily…learned lots…really enjoying Judges…
Respectfully
Dr. Terry M. Hayes D.PC
Canadian Revival Training Centre
Thanks for sharing your thoughts in a respectful manner.
Honestly, I don’t feel like I’m bending over backwards to make Yeshua not God. To me, a plain reading of Scripture seems to make that clear. The son and the Father are two different entities and the son is portrayed as being subservient to the Father.
I’d like to share this comment I received from a Messianic Jewish believer:
“Absolutely right! Yeshua states over and over (in John’s gospel) that he does what the Father tells him to do and says what the Father tells him to say, so when he says that he and the Father are one, it means one in purpose. Also, when Yeshua says that when we see him, we see the Father, it is a metaphorical reference to how Yeshua does and says what God tells him to do and say so he is, in effect, a mirror image of God. To conclude that Yeshua says he is God (again, you only find these misguiding statements in John’s gospel), is no different than to conclude that God looks like an average guy on the street because he said we are made in his image.
Seems Christianity doesn’t want to chance degrading God by saying that he is like us, but it has no problem saying a man, Yeshua, is God. Why is that? Oh, yeah, I know! When you want to worship an idol, you say it is really God, then you can worship him without breaking the commandment, and at the same time keep Jews from knowing their true Messiah. Oh, but that is a different message.”
Be blessed and SHALOM!
Nice article by Rich Oka. What are your views on the Godhead and trinitarianism Rich?
Honestly, I wouldn’t necessarily deny it but I definitely think it’s incomplete for 2 reasons.
Reason 1: When I read Scripture, I don’t see the son as being on the same level as the Father. The son always seems to be subservient to the Father.
Reason 2: Even if the trinity were true, it’s definitely incomplete and cannot account for every physical manifestation of the Father in the Hebrew Bible. For exaample, what would you make of the Burning Bush. That was neither the son or the Holy Spirit.
Would be curious to know what your thoughts are?