Who is the Son?
Let’s start by asking, who is the Father? There is evidence that YHWH is the Father:
YHWH says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.”
It seems that the Father is speaking to the Son here, evidently confirmed by Yeshua in Matthew 22:42-45. Here are some more verses:
For you are our Father, though Abraham doesn’t know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, YHWH, are our Father. Our Redeemer from everlasting is your name.
A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, then where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says YHWH of Armies to you priests who despise my name.
I will surely tell of the decree of YHWH: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
It seems that YHWH is the one who would beget the Son. Is that the full story, though?
The First and the Last?
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me, saying, “Don’t be afraid. I am the first and the last, and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever.
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, to repay to each man according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify these things to you for the assemblies. I am the root and the offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
In the first passage it is perhaps not apparent who is speaking, but in the other two it is evidently Yeshua. It seems safe to say that He identifies as “the first and the last”.
Here’s where it gets interesting.
Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he. I am the first. I am also the last.
This is what YHWH, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, YHWH of Armies, says: “I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.
When Yeshua calls Himself “the first and the last” in Revelation, He is referring back to these verses in Isaiah, spoken by YHWH.
No God Apart from YHWH
In the previous verse from Isaiah, we also saw YHWH saying “besides me there is no god”, which we have to reconcile with this:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
~ John 1:1
… and this:
Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM.”
(which reminds us of the meaning of “YHWH”).
See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.
I am YHWH. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to engraved images.
For my own sake, for my own sake, I will do it; for how would my name be profaned? I will not give my glory to another.
Whose Name Are We Saved By?
I myself am YHWH. Besides me, there is no savior.
Declare and present it. Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has shown this from ancient time? Who has declared it of old? Haven’t I, YHWH? There is no other God besides me, a just God and a Savior. There is no one besides me. “Look to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by myself. The word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and will not be revoked, that to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.
And at that hour that Son of Man was named In the presence of the Lord of Spirits, And his name before the Head of Days. [...] And the wisdom of the Lord of Spirits hath revealed him to the holy and righteous; For he hath preserved the lot of the righteous, Because they have hated and despised this world of unrighteousness, And have hated all its works and ways in the name of the Lord of Spirits: For in his name they are saved, And according to his good pleasure hath it been in regard to their life.
In the above verse we see that salvation is “in the name of the Lord of Spirits”, who is separate from “that Son of Man”.
Does Yeshua Carry the Name?
I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them through your name which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name.
For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ...
The above verse clearly shows us that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all share the name.
Some people don’t like this verse and have suggested that it’s an insertion by Trinitarian Catholics, but there’s no evidence to suggest that. The Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew texts all contain this verse. Actually, in this study we’ve seen numerous examples where the Father and Son seem to share the name of YHWH.
“Behold, the days come,” says YHWH, “that I will raise to David a righteous Branch; and he will reign as king and deal wisely, and will execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. This is his name by which he will be called: YHWH our righteousness.
He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of YHWH, in the majesty of the name of YHWH his God.
Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Pay attention to him, and listen to his voice. Don’t provoke him, for he will not pardon your disobedience, for my name is in him.
Who is the Angel of YHWH?
In the previous verse we saw that the angel/messenger (Hebrew: malak) will not pardon transgressions. Scripturally, forgiving sins is associated with God (see for example Daniel 9:9). So who is this malak?
YHWH’s angel appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the middle of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. Moses said, “I will go now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When YHWH saw that he came over to see, God called to him out of the middle of the bush, and said, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Here I am.” [...] Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and tell them, ‘YHWH, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt.
YHWH’s angel came and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. YHWH’s angel appeared to him, and said to him, “YHWH is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Gideon said to him, “Oh, my lord, if YHWH is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, ‘Didn’t YHWH bring us up from Egypt?’ But now YHWH has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.” YHWH looked at him, and said, “Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Haven’t I sent you?”
For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not act deceitfully,” and he became their savior in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and pity it was he who redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
In the next passage it seems very clear that the angel of YHWH also bears His name:
He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before YHWH’s angel, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary. YHWH said to Satan, “YHWH rebuke you, Satan! Yes, YHWH who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn’t this a burning stick plucked out of the fire?”
In that day YHWH will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He who is feeble among them at that day will be like David, and David’s house will be like God, like YHWH’s angel before them.
He blessed Joseph, and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; And may my name live on in them, And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
The word for God here is “Elohim”, and the word for angel is “malak”.
The Right Hand of YHWH?
Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he. I am the first. I am also the last. Yes, my hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand has spread out the heavens. when I call to them, they stand up together.
YHWH has made his holy arm bare in the eyes of all the nations. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation [Hebrew: yeshua] of our God.
Who has believed our message? To whom has YHWH’s arm been revealed? For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no good looks or majesty. When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
My righteousness is near. My salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples. The islands will wait for me, and they will trust my arm. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish away like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment. Its inhabitants will die in the same way, but my salvation [Hebrew: yeshua] will be forever, and my righteousness will not be abolished.
Yeshua is Worshipped
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood in front of him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our enemies?” He said, “No; but I have come now as commander of YHWH’s army.” Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and asked him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”
We know this isn’t an angel because it is forbidden to worship angels (Revelation 22:8-9, Matthew 4:9-10).
On further investigation, “worship” is probably the wrong translation in this passage from Joshua. We see the same word “shâchâh” used in Genesis 19:1, where Lot “bows” to two angels. I have kept this section for the sake of completeness.
Those who were in the boat came and worshiped him, saying, “You are truly the Son of God!”
As they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” They came and took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.
He said, “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him.
They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Did Yeshua Pre-Exist?
And at that hour that Son of Man was named In the presence of the Lord of Spirits, And his name before the Head of Days. Yea, before the sun and the signs were created, Before the stars of the heaven were made, His name was named before the Lord of Spirits. [...] And for this reason hath he been chosen and hidden before Him, Before the creation of the world and for evermore.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM.”
Is The Son God?
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
He blessed Joseph, and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; And may my name live on in them, And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
The word for God here is “Elohim”, and the word for angel is “malak”.
Your throne, God, is forever and ever. A scepter of equity is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness, and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.
They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God, the Almighty! Righteous and true are your ways, you King of the nations. Who wouldn’t fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you only are holy. For all the nations will come and worship before you. For your righteous acts have been revealed.”
Other Interesting Verses
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you such a long time, and do you not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How do you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
Hear, O Israel! YHWH is our God, YHWH is one [echad]!
It is interesting to look at the Strong’s for “echad”. Indeed, it can refer to a unity. We see examples of this in Scripture:
Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one [echad] flesh.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; [...]”