Our society is in serious trouble. Over the past fifty years there has been a dramatic decline in the quality of our education and morals, and an equally dramatic rise in crime, murder, suicide, abortion, drugs, sexual promiscuity, divorce, debt, blasphemy, and other societal ills. Is the reason for this decline due to economics? Is big business to blame? The unfair distribution of wealth? Is it the fault of special interest groups? Lobbyists? Is it caused by the Republicans? The Democrats? Both parties? Hollywood? The mainstream media?
Before this dramatic decline began, A.W. Tozer concluded that almost everything wrong with the society of his day was due to the fact that as a nation, we had been losing the knowledge of God. He stated that almost all of life’s problems and their solutions are theological. The person who comes to a right belief about God will relieve himself of many other problems in life. The person who has a wrong concept about God will add many other problems to his life. There is hardly a problem in society that can’t be traced back to faulty ideas about God. It is impossible for an individual to keep their moral practices sound or a society to keep their values right when their ideas about God are inadequate or erroneous.
Tozer reasoned that if this decline of the knowledge of God brought on many of our troubles, then the rediscovery of the knowledge of God would go a long way toward curing them. If we would bring back true spiritual power to our lives and health to our nation, we must think about God as He really is – not as we assume He is. Tozer believed that one of the most important responsibilities for Messiah’s Holy Community of Jews and Gentiles – the Church, was to purify our concept of God until it was once more true and accurate and worthy of God.
Tozer was right about society in his day and his advice is even more applicable to our society today. We have fallen much farther from the knowledge of God. One way to enrich our knowledge of God is by studying the names, titles and metaphors used to describe Him in the Holy Scriptures. In the Divinely Inspired Writings, a person’s name often tells us about his character, his nature, his essential qualities. Sometimes a person’s name tells us about the purpose that the Lord has for him to accomplish. God’s names, titles and the metaphors used to describe Him tell us much about who He is and what He wants to accomplish.
ELOHIM
Elohim is the first name for God found in the Tenach (Old Testament). It is in Genesis 1:1 and is the third word of the Hebrew Scriptures: In the beginning “Elohim” – “God”. Elohim is the most common name that is translated as “God”. It comes from a root that means “strength, might, power”. It is used over 2,300 times in the Scriptures to refer to the God of Israel. Elohim is unusual since it is plural. It can also be translated as “gods”. Exodus 12:12 refers to “all the elohim (gods) of Egypt”. This plural name that is used for the One God opens the door for the revelation of the plural yet single nature of God that is more fully revealed in the rest of the Scriptures. When Elohim is combined with other words, different attributes of God are emphasized.
God Of The Beginning (Deuteronomy 33:27): The Powerful One always existed. He is the First One, before all things in time and priority. He must be before all else in our affections, and come first in our admiration.
God Of Hosts, or God Of Armies (2 Samuel 5:10): The Strong One is a mighty warrior and is the Commander-In-Chief of the armies of Heaven and His people on Earth.
God Of Justice (Isaiah 30:18): The Powerful One is perfectly just and will bring complete justice and righteousness to the world.
God Of Heights (Micah 6:6): The expression “Heights” signifies supremacy of power and position. The Strongest One is supremely exalted.
God Who Is Near (Jeremiah 23:23): The Mighty One is not distant. He is close to His creation – even nearer than our breath; so near that in Him we live and move and have our being. Yeshua’s incarnation supremely expresses this truth.
God Of My Kindness (Psalm 59:11): The Strong One is kind and He works to make us kind. Yeshua’s life and sacrifice is the supreme example of God’s kindness.
God Of My Strength (Psalm 43:2): The Strongest One desires to make us strong. When we realize that we are weak and learn to rely on Him, then He is able to make us strong.
God Of My Praise (Psalm 109:1): God is supremely worthy of our praise. He desires to be the main subject of our accolades as well as what we talk and think about. He enables us to do the things that will add to His praise. Whatever praiseworthy things we ever do are ultimately due to Him.
God Of My Salvation (Psalm 18:47, 25:5): Humans beings are estranged from God, and alienated from the Source of Life. God’s nature and will is to rescue, redeem, deliver, help and restore. Salvation must be personal for each human being. The Mighty One must become the God of my Salvation. Salvation is found in being in a right relationship to a Person – Yeshua, not by having a mere belief system or good works.
God Of Gods (Deuteronomy 10:17): There are other so-called “gods” and “higher powers”, but the Strongest One is mightier than all. Even they acknowledge Him as the Most Powerful, and compared to His infinite power, they are powerless.
God Of The Rock Of My Salvation (2 Samuel 22:47): Rock is strong, solid, dependable and enduring. It is useful as a weapon or for defense. We can completely depend on the Most Powerful One to give us eternal salvation.
God Of All Flesh (Jeremiah 32:27): The Mighty One created all living things on Earth, and rightly demands that they conform to His plans for them.
God Of The Spirits Of All Flesh (Numbers 16:22): God created us with both a physical and spiritual dimension. He claims lordship over body and soul, flesh and spirit. The One who made every human being is able to see into our innermost being, and distinguish between the innocent and the guilty, between those who really love Him and those who are religious hypocrites.
Holy God (Leviticus 19:2): The Mightiest One is unique, incomparable, one of a kind. There is no one and nothing like Him, and there never will be. He is distinct from everyone and everything else that exists. He is infinitely pure and free from anything that is wrong.
Living God (Jeremiah 10:10): The Strongest One has life in Himself. He gives life to everything else that exists. He desires to give us life that is eternal and abundant.
God Of Forgiveness (Nehemiah 9:17): Men might be slow to forgive, but it is the Mighty One’s nature to forgive. God’s desire is to forgive all of our sins and reconcile us to Himself, if only we will come to Him on His terms.
EL
El comes from the same root as Elohim, is translated “God” and is used 200 times in the Scriptures. El is also combined with words that emphasize different attributes of God.
The Faithful God (Deuteronomy 7:9): Everything the Mightiest One says and does is 100% reliable. He is completely trustworthy.
The Great God (Deuteronomy 10:17): He is great in all ways: His size (Heaven and the Highest Heavens can’t contain Him), His stature, His attributes and His deeds.
The Holy God (Isaiah 5:16): The Strong One is unique. There is no one and nothing like Him. He is incomparable – distinct from everything else that exists.
The God Of Israel (Psalm 68:35): The Powerful One chose the Jewish Nation and is forever uniquely connected to His Chosen People.
The God Of The Heavens (Psalm 136:26): The All-Powerful One created the Heavens – the sun, the moon, the planets, and the multiplied trillions of stars. His throne is in Heaven, where He rules over the heavenly hosts.
God Of My Rock (Psalm 42:10): The Mighty One is strong, enduring, and my defender, my stronghold and my protection from all attacks.
God The Joy Of My Exaltation (Psalm 43:4): The Strongest is the source of tremendous joy to me, as He raises me up in position and honor.
The God Who Sees (Genesis 16:13): The Most Powerful One sees and knows all. Nothing is beyond His sight.
The God Of Glory (Psalm 29:3): God Himself is beautiful. He is the source of all beauty and creativity. He is to be supremely honored.
The God Of Knowledge (1 Samuel 2:3): The Mighty One is all-knowing and is the source of all wisdom and understanding. Whatever knowledge man has comes from Him.
The God Of Eternity or The God Of The Universe (Genesis 21:33): The Strongest One is eternal – without beginning and without end. He is the Maker of time, eternity, and the universe.
The God Of Truth (Psalm 31:6): The Powerful One is the source of ultimate reality. Everything connected with Him is true and real. Likewise, the lives of His children are to be characterized by honesty and truth.
The Faithful God (Deuteronomy 32:4): The Strong One is completely reliable. You can trust Him completely in this life, and you can entrust your eternal destiny to Him.
The God Of My Salvation (Isaiah 12:2): God Himself is the source of our help. He alone can deliver us from the consequences of sin and death. He wants all human beings to be saved, but each individual must personally know Him as the God of my Salvation.
The God Of My Life (Psalm 42:9): The Strong One is the source of all life. He is the One who gives life to each human being, and He gives eternal life to those who find Messiah Yeshua.
The One God (Malachi 2:10): There is only one true God, who eternally exists as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The God Of Compassion (Deuteronomy 4:31): The nature of the Powerful One is one of kindness. He is full of compassion and feeling for people. He is completely free of any cruelty or meanness.
The Gracious God (Jonah 4:2): His nature is gracious, giving and generous, even when we don’t deserve it.
The Jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24): His very name and character is Jealous (see Exodus 34:14). The Mighty One is extremely protective towards His people and doesn’t want to share our affections with any other “gods”.
The Righteous God (Isaiah 45:21): Everything The Powerful One does and says is right. He is incapable of even the slightest iniquity. Although there is much unrighteousness in the world, He is completely fair and just in all His doings. Eventually He will make everything right.
God The All-Sufficient (Genesis 17:1): Like a nursing mother, El Shaddai completely nourishes and satisfies His people and takes care of all their needs.
The Most High God (Genesis 14:18): Height signifies power and position. The Powerful One is supremely exalted, and should be highest in our thoughts and affections.
The God Of Yeshurun (Deuteronomy 33:26): Yeshurun means “Upright One” and is another name for Israel. The Mighty One is forever and uniquely connected to Israel. He is righteous and will make Israel, and all those who are grafted into Israel, completely righteous.
The Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6): Yeshua, the Son of God, is fully Man and yet fully God. He is the mightiest warrior and the strongest force in the universe.
Elohim and El reminds us that God is the Strongest One in the universe and the source of all power, might and strength. No one is more powerful than He. We can go to the Mighty One, the Powerful One, the Strong One, who will infuse us with strength, and empower us to do all that He calls us to be and do.
ELAH
Elah is another name that is translated as “God”. It is used 70 times in the Holy Scriptures. Like Elohim, it comes from a root that means strength, might or power. It can be combined with other words so that different attributes of God are emphasized.
God Of Jerusalem (Ezra 7:19): Elah is uniquely associated with one city – Jerusalem, the City of Peace. The Mightiest One is forever connected to the capital of Israel. It is the place that He chose for the Temple, where He manifested His presence on Earth, and enabled atonement to be made. It is the place where the Son of God offered His ultimate sacrifice, which brought final atonement. It is the place where King Messiah will rule for 1,000 years when He returns to the Earth. At the beginning of eternity, the New Jerusalem will descend from Heaven to the New Earth, and it will be the eternal dwelling place of God and mankind, and the capital of the New Heavens and the New Earth.
A note about witnessing to Moslems: I have heard it repeatedly taught that Moslems don’t pray to the same God as Christians do; that Allah was an ancient moon god and so, when Moslems pray to Allah, they are not praying to God. I find this argument shallow. It is my understanding that the Biblical name Elah and the Arabic word “Allah” are virtually identical. When Moslems pray to Allah, they know they are praying to the Creator of the universe. Christians should not tell them that they are praying to a false god. The situation is similar to the Jewish people who have a zeal for God, but are not praying to Him with sufficient knowledge. It is similar to the situation with the Samaritans. Messiah informed the Samaritan woman that her people worshiped what they didn’t know. The Samaritans had some knowledge about God. They had the Torah. In spite of this, their knowledge about God was insufficient. We don’t witness to Moslems by telling them that they are worshiping a false god, but rather that their knowledge about God is insufficient.
God Of Israel (Ezra 5:1): God has a special connection with the Land and the People of Israel.
God Of Heaven (Ezra 7:23): The Strongest One created Heaven, which is a real place where He and the good angels dwell. He also created the Heavens – the sun, moon, stars and planets. God’s throne is in Heaven, where He rules over its heavenly inhabitants and everything else that exists.
God Of Heaven And Earth (Ezra 5:11): The Mighty One rules over the entire universe. There is no one and nothing that is not under His power.
ELOAH
Eloah is the singular of Elohim, so it too comes from a root that means strength, might or power. It is used 50 times in the Bible. It too is translated as “God”.
YHVH
YHVH is a name that is generally translated “Lord”. It is used approximately 7000 times in the Tenach (Hebrew Scriptures), more than any other name for God. It is also referred to as the “Tetragrammaton”, which means “The Four Letters”, because it comes from four Hebrew letters: Yud, Hay, Vav, Hay. This name comes from the Hebrew verb which means “to be”. YHVH emphasizes God’s absolute being. He has life and being inherent in Himself. Everything else derives its being from Him. The Lord is the source of all being, all existence and all reality. He is without beginning and without end because He always was, He is, and He always will be.
Even though YHVH appears in Genesis 2, God didn’t reveal Himself as YHVH until Exodus 3 in conjunction with the creation of Israel. This is the special memorial-name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. “And God said to Moses, “I Am Who I Am; and He said, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I Am has sent me to you… this is My eternal name, and this is how I am to be recalled for all generations” (Exodus 3:14-15).
Although some pronounce YHVH as Jehovah or Yaweh, those are only guesses, since we no longer know for sure the proper pronunciation. The Jewish people stopped saying this name by the third century AD out of fear of violating the commandment, “You shall not take the name of YHVH your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7), and we lost the knowledge of its proper pronunciation. According to the rabbis, the Tetragrammaton may not be pronounced under any circumstances. Another name, “Adonai”, is usually substituted in place of YHVH. When YHVH is combined with other words God’s different attributes are emphasized.
Adonai Elohim – Lord God (Genesis 2:4): This is a powerful revelation of God as the Strongest One who is the totality of all being, reality and existence. He is the Mightiest One who has all the power He needs to do whatever He wills. He has all the resources to meet all of mankind’s needs.
Adonai Tz’vaot – The Lord Of Armies (1 Samuel 1:11): Adonai is the most powerful being in the universe. The One with Life in Himself is the greatest of all warriors and the Supreme Commander in Chief of His forces in Heaven and on Earth.
Adonai M’kadesh – The Lord Who Makes Holy (Ezekiel 37:28): The Source of Being is holy – different from everything else that exists, unique, special, one of a kind. There is one God and there is no one and nothing like Him. He is infinitely pure and separate from any hint of evil. He sets apart people, places and things to accomplish His purposes. The closer we get to and the more we become like the Holy One, the holier we become.
Adonai Yireh – The Lord Who Sees: (Genesis 22:14): Adonai sees all and knows all. Since He is omniscient, He is aware of all our problems and needs. The Source of Existence is committed to provide for all the needs of His people.
Adonai Neesee – The Lord My Miracle, or The Lord My Banner (Exodus 17:15): If we need a miracle, Adonai is able to do one for us. In the midst of life’s raging battles, the One who is our Banner, is always able to be seen, high and lifted up and greatly exalted, leading us to victory.
Adonai Shalom – The Lord Of Peace (Judges 6:24): “Shalom” means peace in the sense of wholeness and completeness. The Lord is complete in Himself. The Self-Existent One needs no one and nothing to make Him complete. His purpose is to restore peace and wholeness to His creation that was fractured by sin.
Adonai Rofehcha – The Lord Who Heals You (Exodus 15:26): The Lord is the Great Physician and the ultimate source of all healing – spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, societal, environmental. If you are in need of any kind of healing, He is the first One to turn to.
Adonai O’saynu – The Lord Our Maker (Psalm 95:6): Adonai made us by given us existence and life. Since He is our Creator, we must follow His plans and designs for us. Since He is our Maker, He deserves all that we are and all that we have.
YESHUA IS YHVH
The same Lord who revealed Himself as YHVH in the Tenach is revealed as Yeshua in the New Testament. Yeshua shares the same attributes as YHVH. He has life in Himself: “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself” (John 5:26). He gives existence to and sustains all other things: “All things came into being by Him” (John 1:3). “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). “He upholds all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). In addition, the Son of God claimed to be Adonai. When asked by some Jewish leaders how He could have seen Abraham, who lived 2,000 years before, Yeshua replied: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I Am” (John 8:58), I Am being an essential part of the Tetragrammaton. Rabbi Paul tells Messiah’s Holy Community at Rome: “if you confess with your mouth Yeshua as Lord… you shall be saved”. A few verses later, in 10:13, Paul backs up this statement by quoting Joel 2:32: “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord (YHVH) will be saved”. Calling on Yeshua as Lord is equivalent to calling Him YHVH, because Yeshua is YHVH. In fact, the powerful title, Adonai Tzidkaynu – the Lord our Righteousness, is prophetically applied to the Messiah (Jeremiah 23:6). In some miraculous way, a human being who comes from the royal line of King David will ascend to David’s throne, save us and rule over us with wisdom and righteousness. And, He is also Adonai Himself, the Source of Being, who enables those who trust in Him to have a right relationship with God.
YAH
Yah is a shortened form of YHVH, and so it too comes from the Hebrew verb that means “to be”. It is generally translated as Lord. It is used approximately 40 times in the Holy Scriptures, and appears primarily in the book of Psalms. It is also found in the compound word “hallelu-Yah”, which is a plural command to “praise Yah”. The way to praise someone is to say nice and true things about him. If you son comes home with good grades, you don’t say: “Praise you son; praise you son; son, praise you”! No, you praise him by telling him that he is smart, that he is a hard worker. In just the same way, we praise Yah not by saying, “hallelu-Yah” but by saying nice and true things about who God is and what He has done, is doing and will do.
ADON
Adon means “Master” or “Lord” (Isaiah 10:33), and lets us know that God is the Lord and Master of all things. He has the right to rule over us, and issue commands, which we should obey.
ADONAI
Adonai is an emphatic form of “Adon”. It is a plural, and can be translated as “my lords”. It is used approximately 450 times in the Tenach. It is also used as a substitute for the Tetragrammaton. Lord of lords, a compound form of Adonai, is found in Deuteronomy 10:17. The God of Israel is the Master of masters, and the King of kings, and the Lord who rules over all principalities, powers and authorities that exist, whether they are visible or invisible.
Biblical Names, Titles And Descriptions For
God The Father That Are Found In The Tenach
Biblical Names And Titles
Creator (Ecclesiastes 12:1): The One who, by His infinite and almighty power, created everything in the universe.
Creator Of Israel (Isaiah 43:15): God brought the Chosen Nation into existence, through which He will accomplish the redemption of humanity and the salvation of the world. He will fulfill His good purposes in and through Israel.
Maker (Psalm 115:15): The One who constructs, out of nothing and sometimes from what already exists, everything that has being. As our Maker, He has the right to direct every aspect of our lives.
The Name – HaShem (Leviticus 24:16): “Name” stands for character, reputation, essence and authority. When we refer to God as The Name, it means that He is the Supreme Being, the Ultimate Person with impeccable character and supreme authority.
The God Of Abraham, The God Of Isaac, And The God Of Jacob (Exodus 3:15): The true God who made a covenant with the Jewish Fathers, promising to bless them and through their descendants, reveal Himself to the nations and send the Redeemer who would save mankind.
God Of Gods And Lord Of Lords (Deuteronomy 10:17): There may be other beings with great power and authority, but God is infinitely greater in wisdom, power and authority!
The Great, Mighty And Awesome God (Deuteronomy 10:17): The Almighty is supremely big and powerful. There is no being in the universe whose strength can be compared to His infinite power. Therefore He must always be treated with reverential fear.
Father (Isaiah 64:8): The Almighty is not an impersonal force, nor merely a supreme idea, but a personal, intimate, loving Being. He gives us existence, and adopts those who are joined to Messiah Yeshua as His sons and daughters, making us partakers of His divine nature. Like a good father, He teaches and corrects us, as well as provides for us.
Holy One (Habakkuk 1:12): The Supreme Being is infinitely pure, separate from all evil and absolutely unique. There is no other being in the universe like Him.
Holy One Of Israel (Psalm 78:41): Israel is a holy nation, separate from all the other nations on Earth. This holy nation has a holy land, and a holy city, which was and will again be home to a holy house served by holy priests, with holy days and people dressed in holy clothes, eating a holy diet! The God of this holy nation is holier than all else!
Upright One (Isaiah 26:7): The Lord is exactly who He appears to be. He is like a straight and level path, with no twists or turns. He is morally and ethically straight. There is nothing crooked or deceitful about Him.
Redeemer (Psalm 19:14): The Strongest One is able to extract human beings from the difficult situations in which they find themselves, including our most dangerous dilemma – being sold into the satanic slave market of sin and death.
Redeemer Of Israel (Isaiah 49:7): The Most Powerful has helped the Jewish people out of many difficult and threatening situations. He will ultimately rescue the Jewish nation physically, spiritually and completely!
Deliverer (Psalm 144:2): The Holy One enables us to escape from dangerous situations, including the most desperate situation of all – being dead in our trespasses and sins, and alienated from God, the Source of our life and happiness.
Savior (Isaiah 45:15): The Faithful God can rescue us from any danger, give aid in any situation, and help all those who ask for it.
Metaphors Used To Describe God The Father
That Are Found In The Tenach
Light (Psalm 27:1): The Eternal God is the source of wisdom, truth, revelation, understanding, knowledge, victory and salvation! He has most powerfully accomplished this through Yeshua, the Light Of The World!
Light Of Israel (Isaiah 10:17): The Chosen Nation’s salvation is found, not in itself, nor in its own wisdom or strength, but in God, who gives His people knowledge and salvation.
Dwelling Place (Psalm 90:1): From a close relationship to the Living God comes the ability to live properly and in peace.
Fortress (Psalm 91:2): The Mighty One is able to provide protection for those who are facing any kind of attack.
Stronghold (Psalm 18:2): The Greatest One is like a strong and secure place, which is inaccessible to our enemies.
Tower Of Strength (Psalm 61:3): The one and only God is like a secure and impenetrable tower, which protects us from those who are trying to hurt us.
Refuge (Psalm 46:1): When we are in danger, we can flee to the Most Powerful, who will shield us from all evil that is devised against us.
Shield (Psalm 18:30): Like a shield that protects a warrior from sword, bow or spear, the Lord of Hosts protects His children from dangerous attacks.
Hiding Place (Psalm 32:7): The God of Heaven, who is invisible to human sight, is able to conceal us from peril, so that we are safe.
Rock (Habakkuk 1:12): In an unstable world, the Strongest One protects us, adds stability and provides a solid foundation for our lives.
Stone Of Israel (Genesis 49:24): [Used of the foundation stone of a house (Isaiah 28:16), or precious stones (1 Kings 10:2, 11) or to commemorate a special event (Joshua 4:3 and 1 Samuel 7:12), or as a weapon (1 Samuel 17:40)]. The Eternal One is the foundation of our existence, upon whom we can build our lives; He is our protector, whom we should continually remember.
Rock Of Israel (2 Samuel 23:3): Just as one hides among rocks and finds safety, or uses a rock as a weapon, so the Lord is the Protector of His Chosen People.
Rock Of My Strength (Psalm 62:7): The One who defends a nation is also the One who watches over each of His children individually. The Lord is my Defender, and the Source of my ability and stability.
Strength (Psalm 46:1): The Mighty One gives us the ability to accomplish all the good things He has ordained for us to do.
My Portion In The Land Of The Living (Psalm 142:5): An intimate relationship with God is preferable to my share of food or wealth.
The Portion Of My Inheritance (Psalm 16:5): I desire a close relationship with the Righteous God more than my share of the family’s assets!
My Cup (Psalm 16:5): Knowing God is like drinking a refreshing glass of water on a hot day, or drinking a delicious cup of wine that brings a feeling of happiness.
Beautiful Crown And Glorious Diadem (Isaiah 28:5): Like a glorious crown which sits on the head of an honorable king, a symbol of authority that adds beauty to the monarch, so the Lord will bless His people with beauty and power.
Potter (Isaiah 64:8): God is responsible for shaping humanity and each individual human being; He has the right to mold us to His purposes, and to allow those circumstances, gifts, abilities, and trials in our lives that He chooses.
Husband or Lord (Isaiah 54:5, Jeremiah 31:32): The Most High God relates to us like a good man to his wife – loving us, providing for us, protecting us, and helping us reach our full potential.
Shepherd (Genesis 49:24): The Almighty, with all of His vast resources and abilities, cares for us like a shepherd manages his sheep. He protects us and provides for all of our needs. Even though we are stubborn, weak, timid, foolish, pathetic, need endless attention and cause Him a lot of trouble, He is gentle, kind, firm and selfless in His devotion to us.
Shepherd Of Israel (Psalm 80:1): It is God who directs the Chosen Nation, meeting all of our needs and providing for our protection and discipline.
My Lovingkindness (Psalm 144:2): The Living God continually acts with love and kindness toward me; He showers me with His grace, and inspires me with love and zeal.
The King (Isaiah 6:5): The Lord is the Supreme Authority over all things; He rules over everyone and everything in Heaven and on Earth; it is our duty to be His loyal subjects, yielding to His will and obeying His ways.
King of Glory (Psalm 24:7): Many earthly rulers have had a measure of glory, but the Supreme Authority is surrounded by infinite beauty, power, riches, wisdom, blessing, majesty and honor!
King Of Israel (Zephaniah 3:15): The Mightiest One has the right to govern the Jewish people, and issue commands concerning every aspect of our existence.
Lord Of All The Earth (Micah 4:13): The Almighty has the power and the right to control everything on this planet – animate and inanimate. Everyone and everything has the duty to bend to His will.
The Most High (Deuteronomy 32:8): The Lord is in the position of greatest honor, supreme authority and ultimate power; He is infinitely beyond all other beings.
Ancient Of Days (Daniel 7:9): God is without beginning, eternally full of wisdom and honor. As the Eldest, He is worthy of our greatest respect.
The Fear Of Isaac (Genesis 31:42): The One whom Isaac feared, dreaded and held in awe. The Holy One is supremely deserving of our respect. We should be afraid to displease Him, and dread incurring His wrath. We should always revere Him, and respect those things closely connected to Him – His People, His Land, His City, His House, His Son, His Spirit, His Word. We should never speak ill of Him. We should never ignore His desires. We should never defy His will. We should never disobey His commands. We should never worship, serve or pray to any other god. We should fear God more than man. We should fear God more than death. As the prophet Isaiah said to his generation: “It is the Lord of Hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread”.
When the Lord delivered us from the Egyptians, and brought us safely through the Red Sea, then Moses and the sons of Israel asked, “Mee chah-moh-cha ba-elim Adonai? Who is like You among the mighty ones O Lord?” The answer was, is now, and always will be, “There is none like You!”
Names, Titles And Descriptions For The Son Of God
That Are Found In The Tenach
Adonai Tzidkaynu – the Lord our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6): This is a prophecy about a human being who comes from the royal line of King David. He will ascend to David’s throne, save the Jewish people, and rule over us with wisdom and righteousness. The Lord is righteous – everything that He does, and everything that He says is perfectly good and right. Since He is our righteousness, He enables those who trust in Him to have a right relationship with Him, and be considered righteous by Him. Ultimate, saving righteousness doesn’t come by keeping commandments or doing good deeds, but by developing a right relationship with Adonai Tzidkaynu and being declared righteous by Him.
The Son of David is also Adonai, and possesses all the attributes of Adonai. Adonai is also referred to as the “Tetragrammaton”, which means “The Four Letters”, because it comes from four Hebrew letters: Yud, Hay, Vav, Hay. This name comes from the Hebrew verb which means “to be”. The title Adonai emphasizes God as the Supreme Source of all being, all reality, and all existence. He has life and being inherent in Himself. Everything else derives its existence from Him. Adonai is without beginning and without end because He always is. He is involved in creation, but is Himself beyond this creation. Messiah has life and being inherent in Himself: Yeshua said, “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself” (John 5:26). He gives existence to and sustains all things: “All things came into being by Him” (John 1:3). “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). “He upholds all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). Furthermore, the Son of God claimed to be Adonai. When asked by some Jewish leaders how He could claim to have seen Abraham, who lived 2,000 years earlier, Yeshua replied: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I Am” (John 8:58), I Am being an essential part of the Tetragrammaton. As Adonai, Yeshua has all the resources to rule over Israel with wisdom and righteousness, to save the Jewish people, and give us a right standing and relationship with God.
Messiah (Psalm 2:2): The anointed Prophet, anointed Priest and anointed King. Messiah Himself uniquely embodies all three offices in one Person. He is the Prophet greater than Moses, the Priest greater than Aaron, and the King greater than David. He was not merely anointed with oil (a symbol of God’s presence) as were Israel’s earthly prophets, priests and kings, but He was anointed with the Holy Spirit of God, the reality to whom the oil points! Moses was indeed great, having performed miracles, saved us out of Egypt, mediated the covenant at Sinai, taught us God’s laws, and led us, but Yeshua is far greater! He performed greater miracles, saved us from sin and death, is the mediator of the New and Eternal Covenant – one which saves and blesses all the families of the Earth. Not only did He teach us, but He Himself is the Living Torah. He is our High Priest, who offers a better sacrifice for us – Himself. He fully atones for us, reconciles us to God, lives forever and intercedes for us, and is able to save us to the ultimate by means of His eternal, indestructible life. Yeshua is the Anointed Ruler sent to save us, the descendant of King David and rightful eternal heir to his throne, who is destined to rule with perfect justice over Israel and the nations, bringing salvation, peace, prosperity, justice and righteousness to every corner of the Earth.
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Father Of Eternity, Prince Of Peace (Isaiah 9:6):
Wonderful: The nature of this Son who is given to us (the Jewish people) is above that of any ordinary man; He is miraculous and full of wonders.
Counselor: He is available to give us the best counsel in every situation. His advice is unparalleled for its depth of wisdom, and given freely to everyone who asks Him for it. He is our Chief Rabbi, the Supreme Teacher who guides us into all truth.
Mighty God: This Son who is born to the Jewish people is fully man, but also fully God. In some miraculous way, He is Immanu-El – God with us – the Word made flesh, the fullness of God dwelling in humanity! Since He is fully God and fully Man, He is the only Mediator capable of ending the estrangement between God and man. He is the Bridge that spans that infinite gulf, enabling God and man to be reconciled. As the Mighty God, He wields within Himself power so great that He can atone for all the evil that is or ever has been in the world, and bring us forgiveness, reconciliation and peace with God.
Father Of Eternity: Since He is the Mighty God, He is also eternal. He is utterly beyond the limits of time. A thousand years in His sight are like yesterday when it passes by. He is the Creator and the Possessor of eternity. Since He is eternal, He is forever able to meet all the needs of His people. He is the One who enables His people to live forever. Father of Eternity can also be translated and understood to mean “Eternal Father”, indicating that the Son of God shares the very same name and nature, character and essence as God the Father.
Prince Of Peace: Yeshua has so much power that He can restore shalom – wholeness, completeness and peace – to a broken and shattered universe. He is able to establish peace between man and God, between man and his fellow man, Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, blacks and whites and between man and nature. The wonderful peace that He will bring at the inauguration of his kingdom will not be temporary, but will last forever!
Light Of The Nations (Isaiah 42:6): Messiah is the source of wisdom, truth, revelation, understanding, knowledge, victory and salvation, not only for the Jewish people, but for all the peoples of the world!
Star (Numbers 24:17): Messiah is like a Heavenly body – high and pure, which radiates its own light in the vast darkness of the universe. His light shines in the darkness of this world, pointing us to God, and to salvation, victory and life! As the stars declare God’s intelligence, power and glory, so does Messiah!
Cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16, Psalm 118:22): Just as the cornerstone adds strength to the foundation, upon which the rest of the building is supported, so we must build our lives on the Son of God. It is impossible to have a stable and enduring life apart from Him.
Stone (Psalm 118:22): Just as stones are used for building, so we must build our lives with Messiah. Just as a stone may be used as a weapon, so Messiah is our protector. Just as stones are used to erect memorials, so Yeshua is the One we should continually remember.
Branch (Zechariah 6:12): As the branch or sprout which starts out small but grows great and soon produces fruit, so the activity of God’s Son was to begin in a humble way, but will increase until He accomplishes all of God’s purposes.
Scepter (Numbers 24:17): As a rod which is used to strike one’s enemies, so the Son of God will defeat all the enemies of God. As a royal rod in the hand of a king, which symbolizes his authority, so the Messiah is God’s authorized ruler.
Messenger Of The Covenant (Malachi 3:1): The Messiah was sent by God to inaugurate a new covenant (contract, agreement) with the Jewish people, and with the nations of the world. The terms of this eternal covenant include knowing and loving God, the ability to understand God’s Word, and having all of our sins forgiven. This covenant became effective when Messiah died and then came back to life.
Covenant To The People (Isaiah 42:6): Messiah Himself is the essence of this contract that God has made available to mankind. Anyone who rejects this Covenant remains in a state of alienation from God. All people everywhere must believe in Yeshua and follow Him in order to participate in this new contractual relationship with the God who can save us.
Shiloh (Genesis 49:10): This is a remarkable prophecy about the coming of the Messiah, who will descend from the tribe of Judah, and rule over Israel and the nations. While there have been many suggested translations for Shiloh, the one I like best is “to be quiet, to enjoy rest and security”. I like the way one rabbi translated Shiloh as “final tranquility”. He is the One who can give rest to the weary and heavy-laden. Ultimately, He will bring tranquility to the entire world.
Ruler (Micah 5:2), Prince (Daniel 9:25), King (Jeremiah 23:5): From His throne in Jerusalem, Messiah is destined to rule over Israel, which will be the head of the nations. He will be a good and fair ruler, an exceedingly capable ruler, a firm, righteous and enlightened ruler. There have been thousands of rulers over humanity, but Yeshua will be the best ruler that humanity has ever experienced! His enlightened administration will end all war and injustice, heal the world’s wounds, extend peace and righteousness to the farthest reaches of the Earth, and bring the knowledge of God and salvation to all of humanity.
Arm Of The Lord (Isaiah 53:1): Just as a man’s arm does his work for Him, so the Son of God is the Father’s Executor. The Father plans and commands, and the Son obeys and carries out His Father’s will, counsel and purposes. It is through Messiah that the universe came into being. It is through the Messiah, that the great work of atonement and salvation was accomplished.
Son Of God: In both Psalm 2:12 and Proverbs 30:4, God tells us that He has a Son. That does not mean that God created Him, or that He is younger than God – exactly the opposite! Just as a son shares the same nature as his father, so Yeshua shares the very same nature as His Father. The Son of God is fully divine, complete deity, eternal, uncreated, with life and being within Himself, sharing all the attributes of God!
Names For The Spirit of God
That Are Found In The Tenach
Holy Spirit (Psalm 51:11): God has a Spirit – His non-corporeal, immaterial essence, who pervades the entire universe, but indwells certain places and things more than others. His Spirit is holy – infinitely pure, separate from evil, and unique.
Spirit Of God (Genesis 1:2): The Spirit of God has the attributes of a Person; He has consciousness, mind, emotion and will.
The Spirit Of The Lord God (Isaiah 61:1): the immaterial essence and mind of the One who is Master of all things, and the Source of being.
In Isaiah 11:2, the Spirit of God, who given a sevenfold description, is predicted to rest on the Messiah. From the Spirit of the Lord spreads six branches, which corresponds to the seven branched menorah in the Temple, the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne of God in heaven (see Revelation 4:5), and the seven eyes on the Lamb (see Revelation 5:6). These sevenfold things tell us that Messiah Yeshua has the fulness of God’s Spirit abiding on Him. The Messiah, who is a descendant of David, will be empowered for His task of ruling and reigning over Israel by more than merely human abilities. Everything about His leadership will testify to a supernatural empowerment. He will be anointed by more than oil, but by the reality which oil pictures, the fullness of the Spirit of God.
The Spirit Of Adonai: He is anointed by God Himself. The whole creative Spirit of God rests on Him. He fullness of God rests on Him in bodily form. This is the center of this description. From it flow six other aspects:
The Spirit Of Wisdom: Wisdom is more than just knowledge, but how to wisely apply knowledge to accomplish the desired goals. There are many knowledgeable fools.
The Spirit Of Understanding: The Messiah will be full of understanding, intelligence and skill in any art or learning. He is quick to understand.
The Spirit Of Counsel: He gives the best advice and counsel. He can always and in every situation discern what is best and give good counsel and advice. He will be able to perceive things correctly and will be able to carry out correct decisions. He always forms the right conclusions. He has no need to surround Himself with advisors and counselors. He counsels all that come to Him for wisdom. This term “counsel” is used to execute a plan or purpose, and it is used of the counsel or purpose of God. King Messiah helps form and then puts into action the counsels, plans and purposes of God. He is a Wonderful Counselor. He gives wonderful, miraculous advice, unfailing in the depths of it wisdom. He is the supreme source of counsel for the Jewish nation. We ought to listen very carefully to everything that He says. It is more important, more beneficial, than what anyone else has said. You can listen to the foolishness of human wisdom, or the supernatural wisdom of the Messiah.
The Spirit Of Strength: He has the ability to carry out all His counsels with power. He will have God’s true might and power about Him, power so great that it can absorb all the evil which can be hurled at it. He will be empowered to reign justly and righteously over Israel and all the nations of the world. This one individual is more powerful than all the armies of the world put together.
The Spirit Of Knowledge: intelligence, understanding, wisdom. He is more knowledgeable than Solomon, who knew about all manner of earthly things, animals, creatures, they way things worked. Someone wiser than Solomon will be with us. Especially the knowledge of God, personal intimate knowledge that comes from experiencing God. He helps us to know God personally and intimately.
The Spirit of the fear of the Lord: He is dominated by the respect and awe of God. He takes everything connected with God seriously and with the utmost respect. The Lord is at the very center of His life. Everything that He does centers around God.
NEW TESTAMENT NAMES, TITLES AND DESCRIPTIONS
The Names, Titles and Descriptions for God that are found in the New Testament are rich and varied. The writers of the New Covenant referred to God in many other ways than the Lord Jesus Christ, or God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
New Testament Names, Titles And Descriptions
For Messiah Yeshua
Names, Titles and Descriptions Emphasizing Messiah’s Deity
Son Of God (Matthew 26:63): That does not mean that God created Messiah, or that Yeshua is younger than God, or that Yeshua was in some way given birth to by God the Father. It means exactly the opposite! It means that Yeshua shares the very same nature as God, just as a human son shares the human nature of his human father. Yeshua is deity, divine, eternal, uncreated, with life within Himself, sharing all the essential attributes of God.
The Son is equal to the Father in nature, but the Father is superior to the Son in position and authority. The Son sits at the right hand of the Father. The Father sits on the main throne. The Son does not send the Father. The Father sends the Son. The Son is sent by the Father. The Father commands the Son. The Son obeys the Father. The Son never commands the Father. The Father speaks the word, and the Son carries out the word of the Father. The Son acknowledges that the Father is superior in position when He calls Him Father and God (see John 20:17).
God has many sons. Angels and human beings are also called “sons of God”. Perhaps angels and humans are called sons of God because God is their Creator, and since they are intelligent creatures, and have mind and will, and because God loves them and provides for them, as a father does his children, they are entitled to be called sons of God. But there is one Son who is unique. Therefore He is called is the Only Begotten Son (1 John 4:9). He stands in a special relationship of sonship to God. The Son shares the Father’s name and nature, deity and attributes and essence. He is very God of very God. He is one with God in nature and substance, but separate from the Father as to His person. The Son is eternal and His relationship to His Father is eternal. He always was in the eternal relationship of Son to His Father. His relationship to God the Father is begotten – referring to eternal sonship. Eternally begotten – never created, not made. However, angels and men do not share all of God’s nature. But, there is one special Son who does fully share God’s nature. Therefore He is called the Son (John 8:36) and the Son of the Father (2 John 1:3).
Only Begotten God (John 1:18): God has many sons, but Messiah Yeshua is unique. He is the uniquely begotten God – fully God, sharing the nature of God, yet begotten – in the position of eternal Son to His Father.
Because the Son shares the good and loving and perfect nature of the Father, and obeys the Father, and always did and always will do what is pleasing to the Father, the Son of God is God’s Beloved Son (Matthew 3:17) and the Beloved (Matthew 12:18) in whom God delights. And, we should love and delight in Him too, above all else! Do you?
Son Of The Most High (Luke 1:32): Height signifies superiority in power and position. The Creator is the Most High, and the Most Powerful One and is rightfully in the position of greatest honor and supreme authority. He is infinitely higher than all other beings. The Most High God and the Son of the Most High should be highest in our thoughts, affections, priorities and devotion. Are they in yours?
I Am (John 8:58, see Exodus 3:14): The Carpenter from Nazareth claimed to be the same Supreme Being who appeared to Moses at the burning bush – the I am who I Am, and the source of existence and being for all else. If we believe that Yeshua is the great I Am, then we will be, and we will live forever. If we deny that Yeshua is the infinite and eternal I am, then we will die and it will be as if we will not be. Before Abraham was, Yeshua could say “I am”. Do you believe that?
Lord (Romans 10:9-13, see Joel 2:32): Rabbi Paul tells Messiah’s Holy Community at Rome: “if you confess with your mouth Yeshua is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved”. A few verses later, Paul backs up this statement by quoting Joel 2:32: “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord (YHVH) will be saved”. Yeshua is YHVH. This special name for God is also called the “Tetragrammaton”, which means “The Four Letters”, because it comes from four Hebrew letters: Yud, Hay, Vav, Hay. This special name for God comes from the Hebrew verb “to be”. He is without beginning and without end because He always was, He is, and He always will be. YHVH emphasizes God’s absolute being. He has life and existence inherent in Himself. Everyone and everything else derives its existence from Him. The same Lord who revealed Himself as the Tetragrammaton in the Tenach is revealed as Yeshua in the New Testament. Confessing that Yeshua is Lord is equivalent to calling Him YHVH. To be saved, we must believe that Yeshua is Lord – fully divine, fully God, equal in nature to Adonai. Do you believe that Yeshua is Lord? Lord also means one who rules. Yeshua is the Supreme Ruler over all the powers, authorities, forces and laws in the universe. Because He is Adonai, Yeshua has the right to rule angels and men. Is He your Lord? Are you submitted to His lordship?
God (John 1:1): Yeshua is God – fully God, sharing all the attributes of God. Yeshua is to be acknowledged as God, to be treated as God, to be called God. He is to be obeyed and along with the Father as God, worthy to be worshiped as God.
Immanu-El [God with us] (Matthew 1:23): Yeshua is El – The Strongest One, the Mightiest One – God, and He is with us. The same God who was with us in the garden of Eden, who walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day; the same One who was with us when He visited Abraham; the same One who was with us when He wrestled with Jacob; and was with us in the burning bush; and was with us in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night; and was with us on Mount Sinai; and was with in the Mishkan and the Temple, was with us in Yeshua of Nazareth! In spite of our problems, inadequacies and challenges, and the damage that sin has inflicted on us, God’s desire is to be with us, and so the Son of God came from Heaven to Earth, and through the incarnation He joined Himself to a human body, and to human nature, so that He could be with us, and we could be with Him. He truly is Immanuel, God with us, the fullness of God’s desire to be with us, and dwell among us. Messiah Yeshua is the true Temple of God, the place where God dwells in this world. If God’s glorious Dwelling Presence could dwell with us in the Temple, in a building of wood and gold, silver and stone, can’t He dwell with in a human being, a being that is alive and made in the image of God? Immanuel wants to be with us, and is with us. Do you want to be with Him? Are you with Him?
Names, Titles and Descriptions Emphasizing Messiah’s Humanity
Son Of Man (Matthew 26:64): The Son of God, who is fully God as to His nature, is also the Son Of Man. Through the incarnation the Son of God entered into humanity and became a real man. He is fully human, but sinless, good, obedient, faithful, pure, holy, always pleasing His Father, a-joy-and-a-delight-to-His-God kind of human. And He is forever the Son of Man. He has eternally joined Himself to humanity. Even when He died and rose from death, He retained His humanity – glorified humanity, but still humanity. He still has a human nature. He still is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh! He is the perfect man, and our role model, our example, the One we strive to be like, to imitate, to follow.
The Man (John 19:5, 1 Timothy 2:5): Yeshua is Lord, and the great I Am, and God, but He is also man. There is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the Man Messiah Jesus. Because He is fully human, He is able to identify with humanity and thereby save us. Only our Kinsman Redeemer, who is one of us, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, could save us. Angels are different from us, and could not be our redeemers. The blood of bulls and goats, rams and lambs and pigeons could not save us because they are worth less than us. Because the Son of God was willing to become the Son of Man, human beings can be saved and humanity is forever exalted. Behold the Man!
Yeshua (Matthew 1:21): This is the name that the angel instructed Joseph to name the Son of God when He came into this world. “You are to give him the name Yeshua because He will save His people from their sins”. Yeshua means “salvation” or “the Lord saves”. The Messiah was given this name because it tells us the essence of what He came to accomplish. Fallen humanity’s greatest need is not salvation from political or economic injustice, or salvation from problems in the environment, but salvation from our sins. We are so fallen, so sinful, so pathetically weak, so spiritually dead, that we are utterly incapable of extracting ourselves from this disaster that we brought upon ourselves. Only the Lord can save us the way we need to be saved, and this salvation He makes possible through Yeshua, and no one else.
Yeshua Of Nazareth (Matthew 26:71): The eternal Son of God came from Heaven to Earth and through the incarnation He became a real human being. He was a real man. He had a real body and a genuine human nature. He lived in time. He lived in history. He lived in a location. He lived in the nation of Israel. He grew up in the city of Nazareth. Matthew 2:23 tells us that Yeshua’s family “came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.’” In Yeshua’s time Nazareth was a small town that had a reputation for being rustic, backward, insignificant (see John 1:46). It was looked down upon. Calling someone a Nazarene expressed derision. Someone commented that these words: “He shall be called a Nazarene” are found nowhere in specific in the Scriptures, yet the thought is contained everywhere in Bible. The Messiah was to be despised, afflicted and rejected. “Nazarene” was one of the names used to refer to Messianic Jews in the early centuries. They were identified as followers of Yeshua of Nazareth. Following Messiah will cost you something in status and prestige in acceptability in the sight of the world. Are you willing to be identified with the Nazarene? Are you willing to be treated like a Nazarene?
Son Of Abraham (Matthew 1:1) and Abraham’s Seed (Galatians 3:16): Yeshua is a direct descendant of Abraham, the father of Israel. Abraham becomes the spiritual father of all who have saving faith. God made a covenant with Abraham, promising him that through him and his descendants the world would be blessed. The Jewish people have indeed brought many great things to the world (the knowledge of the One True and Only God, the Holy Scriptures which can lead us to salvation and successful living, intellectual and scientific discoveries, artistic contributions), but the primary way that God blesses the world is through Yeshua, the Son of Abraham. The Abrahamic covenant, and all the promises and blessings and good things that God has for Jews and Gentile get condensed and focused into one of Abraham’s descendants – Yeshua, Abraham’s Seed. When we are connected to the Son of Abraham, by knowing Him and placing our confidence in Him, Jews become acceptable sons of Abraham, and Gentiles become the blessed spiritual sons of Abraham. Are you a genuine son of Abraham because you are in a right relationship with Abraham’s Seed?
Son Of David (Matthew 1:1): The Lord made a covenant with David that his descendants would have the right to be the kings of the Chosen Nation. Yeshua is a direct descendant of David, both on His father’s side and His mother’s side. He was born in the city of David. He is the ultimate heir of the Davidic dynasty, and by covenant has the right to rule over the Jewish people and the nations of the world.
The Root And Offspring Of David (Revelation 22:16): Yeshua is the Root of David. He preceded David. David came from Him. He is David’s Lord. He is also the Offspring of David. He is David’s son, David’s heir, the Davidic Messiah. He is David’s Lord and David’s son. He is fully God and He is fully man. This is the last title for Yeshua in the New Testament, and reminds us that Yeshua is forever connected to Israel, David, Jerusalem and the Jewish people! Do you like that and accept that, or do you resent that?
Son Of Joseph (John 1:45): Joseph was a righteous man and a descendant of David. Joseph was in the line of Jeconiah. The problem is that Jeconiah’s line was cursed so that his descendants couldn’t rule on David’s throne (see Jeremiah 22:24-30). It seems to me that in the time of Zarubbabel, some generations later, that curse was removed (see Haggai 2:23). As the adopted son of Joseph, and also as a descendant of David through Mary, Yeshua has the right to rule on David’s throne. Do you acknowledge Him as your King? Is He ruling on the throne over your life?
The Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45): The Scriptures refer to the first Adam and the last Adam – the first man and the Last Man. First came the natural man – Adam, then came the Spiritual Man – Yeshua. First came the man of Earth, then came the Man from Heaven. First came the one made from Earth, who yielded to sin, and whose body returned to the Earth. Then came the man filled with the Spirit, who resisted sin, whose body was in the Earth for three days, but whose glorified body then returned to Heaven. First we are like Adam, of the Earth, subject to sin and death; then if we are born by the Spirit of God we will become like the Last Adam, the man of the Spirit, overcoming sin and death, destined to live forever. All of us were connected to the first Adam, but if we want to live forever we must be joined to the Last Adam. Have you joined yourself to the Last Adam? Have you made the transition from the first, the natural, the physical, to the Last Adam, the spiritual, the heavenly, the victorious, the eternal Man?
Names, Titles and Descriptions Emphasizing Messiah’s Functions
The Word (John 1:1): In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. The Word existed in the beginning. Yeshua is eternal. The Word was with God. The Father and Son eternally co-existed, eternal in their association, distinct in their persons. The Word was God. Yeshua is God – fully divine, very God of very God. And yet, the Word is distinct from God. It can be said that He was with God, and yet He was God – a distinction of Persons, with a oneness of nature. Without words, we are unable to fully communicate with one another. Words enable us to fully communicate. Words enable us to reveal more of ourselves to others. Word enable us to exchange information. Words enable us to bring clarity to complex situations. Yeshua is the way that the infinite, invisible God, whom no man has ever fully seen, is able to fully and clearly communicate to mankind, and sufficiently reveal Himself and His ways to us. Words bring meaning. Words can bring order. God’s words can create. In the beginning the Creator’s words brought the universe into existence. Yeshua is the One through whom God brought the universe into existence. He brings meaning and order to a chaotic world. Is He bringing meaning and order to your life?
He is the Word Of God (Revelation 19:13): He is the personification of all that God wants to say to mankind. Yeshua is the final communication of God to mankind. He Himself is an essential part of the message that God wants us to understand. He is the ultimate communicator of truth, the final Prophet, God’s Messenger and Message, the Torah of God in living form. Are you listening to Him above everyone and everything else?
He is the Word Of Life (1 John 1:1): That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The same eternal Word that gave life to the universe, came among us in Yeshua of Nazareth. Yeshua is God’s ultimate Messenger and is Himself the Message. This Messenger and Message that is life, and gives life, came so very close to us, so that we could readily grasp the Message. The eternal Word left Heaven, and became incarnated, and revealed Himself to us, and was seen and touched by John and others. To know that Yeshua is God’s Messenger and Message, and to trust in and welcome Messiah is to receive life – meaningful life, abundant life, life with God, eternal life. Have you?
The Life (John 11:25, 14:6): Yeshua said: “Just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself”. Yeshua’s Father is Adonai – the One who is who He is, and who will be who He will be, the One who has being, existence, reality, and life in Himself. The life of every creature is given by God. But even though Yeshua was a true man, He is no mere creature. He is the divine Son of God, and the life that Yeshua possesses is the same kind of independent, self-existent, eternal life that God the Father has.
Life is good. It is good to be alive. Normal human beings want to live. We have a very strong desire to live. If we could live in a perfect place, and if we could be perfect, and if we could live there forever, most sane people would want eternal life. But, because we have crossed moral and spiritual boundaries that should not have been crossed, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. We are not fully alive. We are not headed to eternal life but to death. We are in the most desperate need of God’s kind of life. We can’t give this kind of life to ourselves.
Many have claimed: “follow what I say and you will have a better life”. Yeshua claimed something greater – that He is the Source of Life, and is able to give eternal life. Yeshua didn’t so much offer religious ideas as He offers Himself. Yeshua is exclusively the Life. Gordon Ainsworth made this observation: By saying “I am the Life”, Yeshua was saying that every other way leads to death”. Rejection of Yeshua is rejection of life. Do you have the Messiah? Do you have the Life?
Prince Of Life (Acts 3:15): A prince is a leader who has great authority. The Son of God has all authority over matters of life and death. He has authority over own life and death, and He has authority over our life and death. The Prince Of Life has the power and authority to give life to others – and He willingly does so for those who know Him and follow Him. Do you?
Living One (Luke 24:5): Yeshua has eternal life in Himself. In Him was and is life. He was always alive. He will always be alive. Even though the Living One died on the cross, death was no match for Him! Death could not keep Him. The grave could not hold Him. He came back to life, never to die again, and able to give eternal life to those who love Him. Do you?
The Resurrection (John 11:25): God has placed within us the desire to survive. We want to live. Death seems unnatural. Because of the Fall, and sin, and our continued rebellion against the King of the universe, death dominates humanity. Death is not good. It is frightening. It is unpleasant. It is an adversary to be overcome. The good news is we can have victory over this great adversary! Those who die in a right relationship with God, having atonement based on their faith in God the Father and Messiah the Son, will be brought back to life! They will live again! They will be resurrected and live forever! Without the resurrection, life is shallow and ultimately meaningless. Without the resurrection, life is unfair. Often the wicked are left unpunished, and the innocent and righteous are persecuted, oppressed and never vindicated. For justice to prevail, for the righteous to be vindicated and the wicked punished, we need to be raised back to life!
Yeshua said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life”. Yeshua claimed to be able to raise all of the dead – the God-fearers and the God-ignorers, good and the wicked, to life on the Last Day. And, since He is One who will resurrect the dead, and give eternal life to the righteous, we must place our confidence in Him. He who believes in Me will live even if he dies. Those who place their trust in Him, even if they do die, will be resurrected from death. He continued his words to Martha: And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Every human being – Jew or Gentile, man or woman, who comes to understand that Yeshua is the Messiah, and the Son of God, and the only Savior that God has sent to rescue mankind, will not experience death – not physical death, but the Second Death – Gehenna, Hell, the Lake of Fire, the ultimate separation from God, who is the Source of Life. Yeshua asked Martha, “Do you believe this?” Do you?
Messiah (John 1:41): In ancient Israel there were three ruling offices – prophet, priest and king. Often prophets, priests and kings were anointed with oil when they began their office. This was a sign of God’s approval and blessing on them and their work. Yeshua is the Anointed One. Yeshua uniquely embodies and combines and fulfills all three offices in one Person. He is the anointed Prophet, anointed Priest and anointed King. He is the greatest of the prophets, the Priest greater than Aaron and the high priests that came from Aaron, and the King greater than David and the other kings of Israel. He was not merely anointed with oil (a symbol of God’s Spirit and God’s presence) as were Israel’s earthly prophets, priests and kings, but He was anointed with the Holy Spirit of God, the reality to whom the oil points! He is the greatest of the prophets, God’s ultimate and supremely authoritative spokesman. We must listen to Him. He is our High Priest, the one and only mediator between God and man, who bring God closer to us, and us closer to God. Our High Priest offers a better sacrifice for us – Himself. He fully and completely atones for us, and perfectly reconciles us to God, and enables us to live forever. He continually and forever intercedes for us, and is able to save us by means of His eternal, indestructible life. Yeshua is the Anointed Ruler sent by God, the descendant of King David and rightful eternal heir to his throne, who is destined to rule with perfect justice over Israel and the nations, bringing salvation, peace, prosperity and righteousness to this Earth, and then to the new Heavens and new Earth. Is He your Messiah? Do you acknowledge that God sent Him and filled Him with the Spirit of God? Is He your prophet? Is God speaking authoritatively through Him to you? Is He your Priest, who brings God closer to you, and you closer to God. Is He your King?
King Of Israel (Mark 15:32) and the King Of The Jews (Matthew 27:37): The kings of Egypt, Assyria, Syria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome controlled the Jewish people at various times, but they were not the rightful kings of Israel.
The Lord did not want the political life of Israel to be like the other nations. He wanted to be the King of Israel. Priests would be in charge of the religious life. Prophets would be raised up as needed to call the people and priests to repent, or to bring a new message from the Lord. If a leader was needed in a crisis, God would raise up a leader. When the people demanded a king, the Lord allowed it, and ultimately chose David and his descendants to be the kings of Israel. As the One who is fully God, Yeshua is the rightful King of Israel. As the Messianic heir of David, Yeshua is also the rightful King of Israel. If you are Jewish, is He your King? Are you His loyal subject?
There is an inherent connection between the King of Israel and the Nation of Israel. Like Israel, Yeshua lived in Egypt and was called out of Egypt. Like Israel, He was tested in the wildness. He is the true Israel. Israel is called God’s vine. Messiah is the true vine. Israel was the light to the Nations. Messiah is the Light of the World. Israel is God’s son in Torah. Messiah is God’s ultimate Son. Israel was God’s witness. Yeshua is the ultimate Witness. Israel is God’s Servant. Yeshua is God’s perfect Servant. But the King of Israel, the perfect Israeli, gloriously succeeded where the nation of Israel failed. If you are Jewish, is Yeshua your King?
King Of Kings And Lord Of Lords (Revelation 19:16): Yeshua is not just the King of Israel and the King of the Jews, but the ruler over all the leaders and nations of the world. From Jerusalem He will take over the administration of every nation. He will rule the nations firmly, so that He will be in complete control and His will and His laws will be followed. He will rule with a rod of iron and yet with perfect fairness and justice.
Prince (Acts 5:31) and Master (Luke 8:24): Both prince and master refer to one who wields authority over others. Our Prince leads by right of His position at the right hand of God, and He leads by example. Our Prince is not just a political leader, but a moral and religious and spiritual leader who leads us to repentance and salvation. Is He your prince? Are you following the Master, receiving His orders, following Him where He directs, even if He commands us to go into battle, or experience hardship?
The Head Of The Body, The Church (Colossians 1:18) and Head Over All Things To The Church (Ephesians 1:22): The Son of God is ruler over all things to the called out ones, those men and women, those Jews and Gentiles, who are taken from a dying world and placed into a united and living and eternal community headed by our loving and powerful and glorious Messiah Himself. As the Head Over All Things To The Church we follow Him. We embrace His ways. We study and implement His teachings, He make His will our will. We obey His commands. Just as a head and body are connected, and together form a living being, so Messiah is the head and we are the body. Just as a body can’t live without being securely attached to its head, we can’t live without the living Messiah who is connected to the Living Father. We must make sure that we are always properly and securely connected to Him – by drawing near directly to Him by faith – not to intermediaries like angels, popes and saints and icons and sacraments.
Rabbi (Matthew 23:8): Rabbi means teacher and Yeshua is the Supreme Rabbi of Israel, and Israel is the teacher of mankind. We need a supreme teacher because we are in deep spiritual darkness. We are confused about reality, truth, salvation and the way to attain eternal life. He taught with beauty, with simplicity and with originality. Yeshua taught with authority. He never quoted other rabbis. Instead He said, “I say unto you”, because there was no higher authority to which He could refer! The multitudes were amazed at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes who quoted some other rabbi who depended some other rabbi for his authority.
Our Supreme Teacher turned the world’s values upside down, teaching us: “blessed are the poor”, not “blessed are the rich;” “blessed are the gentle” not “blessed are the aggressive and the powerful;” “blessed are the merciful” not “blessed are the conquerors;” and “blessed are those who mourn” over their own sins, who grieve that humanity is so broken, who are saddened by our alienation from God, and our loss of eternal life – not blessed are those who seek their own personal happiness.
Yeshua is the Supreme Authority on all religious matters. His teaching is the final authority. There is no other religious leader, authority, prophet within Israel or outside of Israel whose teachings supercede His. There is no legitimate church Council whose decrees contradict His. His teaching is in keeping with the prophets of Israel who came before Him, but His teaching surpasses the other prophets of Israel as the light of the sun surpasses the light of the moon in radiant power. Therefore we must learn His teachings, and study them and implement them and give His teachings the highest respect and listen more carefully to Him than to any other human being or institution. Do you?
The Prophet (John 1:25, see Deuteronomy 18:15): A prophet is one who hears clearly from God, and then communicates what he has heard to the rest of us. He is the Lord’s spokesperson. The Lord, speaking to Moses, promised: I will raise up for the Jewish people a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name, I myself will call him to account. The Lord promised to speak to the Jewish people though human beings – and specifically through Jewish prophets. From this Torah promise, some Jewish people in the first century were expecting one special prophet – the Prophet, as is seen by this question directed to John from a delegation of priests and Levites sent by the leaders in Jerusalem. They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
There have been many great prophets in Israel’s long history, like Moses, David, Jeremiah and Elijah, but there is one prophet – Yeshua, who excels them all! Adolph Saphir, one of the best Messianic Jewish preachers from years past, commenting on Hebrews 1:1-2, wrote the following: God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2).
Yeshua is greater than all of the prophets because He is the prophet in whom is the perfect revelation of God. The ministry of the prophets was a great blessing to mankind, a wonderful gift. Yet let us consider some of the imperfections of these messengers.
The first imperfection of the prophets was that they were sinful men. The prophets were not merely finite and limited in their abilities and their understanding, but they were sinful and fallen. When one of the greatest of the prophets, Isaiah, saw the glory of the Lord, he said: woe is me, for I am undone. I am a man of unclean lips. When the prophet Daniel, a man who was greatly loved by God, prayed to God, he confessed that he had sinned and transgressed and acted wickedly. All of the prophets, from the greatest on down, were men full of weaknesses and sin.
Another imperfection of the prophets was that they did not possess the Spirit of God on a continual basis. King David had to pray: take not your Holy Spirit from me. Suddenly, after a long time, the Spirit of God would come upon them and they would prophecy. The Spirit of God did not flow out of them live a continuous river. The word of God came to them from time to time and then left.
Another imperfection of the prophets was that they did not always understand the word of God that they were given! Their own words were often a mystery to them. Their own prophecies were often closed to their understanding. Sometimes they had to search diligently and investigate what the Spirit that was speaking through them meant. They did not fully understand the sufferings and the glory of the Messiah who was to come.
Another imperfection of the prophets was that they were varied in their abilities and gifts. Each prophet had his unique capacities. The manner in which the word of God was given to them was varied. To some God spoke in dreams, to another in visions, to another He spoke in symbols. In the highest position stands Moses. God spoke to him not by dreams or visions or dark speeches, but directly (Numbers 12:6-8).
Another imperfection was that none of them was the goal of the prophecies. All of them, like John the Baptist would testify that “they are not the light”. They were only sign posts pointing the way, directing us not to themselves, but to Anointed One who was to come. They could make known to man the will of God, they could give us God’s holy commandments, like Moses did, they could bring us prophecies that fill us with the hope of redemption, but they themselves could not redeem us. None but the Most High can save. God alone is our light and our salvation. The Lord alone is our Redeemer!
Another imperfection of the prophets was that there were many of them. One succeeded another. No one prophet was able to contain the whole message that God needed to communicate. Each one had to be supplemented by the revelation given to another.
Abel shows us that a righteous shepherd was to suffer and die. Enoch shows us that the Messiah would walk with God and would be lifted up to the Heavens. Noah shows us that there will be a Comforter who will save not only Himself, but many others, out of the judgment and destruction which sin calls down from a holy God. Moses shows us that Messiah will be a prophet like he was, a leader who was prophet, priest and king. But Moses must be combined with Joshua, for Moses was not able to lead the people of God into the Promised Land. It was Joshua who brought us in and gave us victory. David was a great prophet and king, but we must combine him with Solomon to get the full picture of kingship, of gentleness, sympathy, suffering, glory and extensiveness. Mal-kee-tze-dek was both a priest and a king, but we must combine him with Aaron in order to have the idea of atonement and intercession, as well as blessing and rule.
For more than 4000 years, from Adam to John the Baptist, the prophets spoke for God to man. But their revelation of God was only partial. God spoke through dreams and visions, proverbs and poetry, rituals, laws, tabernacle and temple, objects in the temple, sacrifices and ceremonies and holidays, through kings, judges, patriarch and prophets. God used all these ways and some 45 people, but wherever we go, we find the revelation in fragments. No one prophet was able to contain it all. The revelation in all the ages prior to the coming of the Messiah, who came in the fullness of times, was imperfect. Everything was a fragment that contained an aspect of the truth, some part of the treasure, but we must combine them all to see the full and blessed truth to which they pointed – the final prophet – Messiah.
The revelation that comes through the prophets is wonderful. It is true. It is accurate. It reveals many things about God and creation and what He is doing. But the time for fragmentary imperfect revelation had to come to an end. God wanted to speak to us in an ever greater and more wonderful way. To fully express His heart, His mind, His will, His love, His hatred of sin, His mercy, His nature to us the Lord had to come to us Himself. In the person of Yeshua the Messiah, God found a perfect way to communicate Himself, His heart and mind and message, to mankind.
When you read the Tenach you are reading the Word of God. God did communicate through the prophets. They are a great blessing. Knowing their writings brings great advantages. But God wanted to be able to say even more. After 4000 years of prophets and 400 years of silence, in the fulness of time, God sent forth His Son, and in that Son the revelation of God is perfect. The revelation of God is filled up, fulfilled, reaching its perfection and climax. The word which now comes to us by the Son of God, by means of what Yeshua said and did and who He was, is a stronger and more inclusive message than God ever was able to speak through any or all of the prophets.
God has spoken to us by means of His Son. Many people think that when we say that Yeshua is the Son of God it means that He is not God. There is God and there someone else, the Son of God, but not God. Nothing could be further from the truth! When the Scriptures declare that Yeshua is the Son of God, what they are trying to tell us is Messiah is just like His Father. He shares the same nature as God. He shares the same essence as God. He shares the same attributes as God. He is His Father’s Son. He is just like His Father.
When the Scriptures teach that Yeshua is God’s Son, it means that Yeshua has a special closeness and love with the Father that no one else has. The Son has always been in the heart of the Father. He has always been the special delight and treasure of the Father. He has always been the infinite object of the Father’s love. From all eternity the Father has rejoiced and delighted in the Son and shared with Him all His counsel. This beloved One of the Father – He is the true messenger who alone can reveal all the secrets of the Father’s heart, who alone tells us all the fullness of the Father’s counsels, and who alone reveals all the purposes of the Father’s plan.
God has spoken to us by means of His Son. Who is there who knows the mind of God, or is equal to Him? No man knows the Father except for the Son. No man has ever seen the Father at any time. The Only begotten Son of the Father, He is the only one who has fully revealed Him.
The Son is the eternal uncreated Word of God who was with the Father before the foundation of the universe. Yeshua is able to speak the words of God and is the goal of the Word of God because He is the eternal uncreated Word of God. There was from all eternity perfect communication between the Father and the Son. Whether the Father speaks or Yeshua speaks, it is the same voice, it is the same mind. The Son is the true and faithful witness. He speaks about that which He has seen and testifies about what He knows firsthand. He is the prophet who was to come whose mind was adequate to understand and reveal the mind of the Father. He spoke nothing except what He first heard the Father speak.
God has spoken to us by means of His Son. The prophets were many – the Son is one. The prophets were servants – the Son is their Lord. The prophets were created in time. The Son existed from eternity before the creation of the world. The prophets were temporary – the Son lives forever. The Spirit came upon the prophets and then left – the Spirit was always in the Son and He possessed the Spirit without measure. The prophets were imperfect – the Son is perfect, just as the Father is perfect. The prophets were guilty of committing sin. The Son is not merely pure, but able to perfectly cleanse every human being who is guilty of sin. The prophets said: thus says the Lord – Yeshua said: Truly truly I say to you.
The prophets testified that Messiah was coming. Yeshua testified that He was the Messiah and the Kingdom of God was at hand. The prophets pointed to Messiah. Yeshua pointed to Himself. He said about Himself: I am the bread of life. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the way, the truth and the life. I will give everyone that comes to Me rest and eternal life. The Son of God not only perfectly declared to us the message of God, He is the message. He is the Light, He is the Truth, He is the Life, He is the Way, He is the Goal. The most important things that God has to say to us are found in Yeshua.
God has spoken to us by means of His Son. God, by speaking to us through His Son, shows us how we can become sons of God. The one who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet receives a prophet’s reward. The one who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man receives a righteous man’s reward.
The one who receives the Son of God as the Son of God will become a son of God himself! In knowing the Son we receive the adoption as sons. We receive eternal sonship. In the Son we know and have the Father. In the Son we are also the children of God.
The apostle John declared that whoever confesses that Yeshua is the Son of God, God abides in Him, and he in God (1 John 4:15). You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God was the thrilling confession of Simon Peter. Yeshua replied to him: flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in Heaven. So great a thing is it for a sinful human being to come to this understanding, that the unique Son of the Father was made flesh and blood and dwelt among us, and died for our salvation, that whenever anyone said: I believe that Yeshua is the Messiah and the Son of God, the apostles said: Come, let us immerse him. What more do we need? He has discovered the secret. God has revealed the life saving secret to his soul. God has come to him. God lives him, and he lives in God. Let us baptize him. Do you know that Yeshua is the Prophet, the Lord’s supreme and final spokesperson? Are you listening to Him? Are you paying attention not only to His words, but also to Him, and His actions?
The Deliverer (Romans 11:26): We are able to get ourselves out of some problems. Sometimes other agents, like animals, human beings and angels can help us overcome various problems. But neither we ourselves, nor any other agent, can deliver us from our greatest problems – sin and death. To extricate ourselves from those problems we need the help of the Deliverer! We need Messiah to get us out of the Satanic slave-market of sin and death. He alone is able to redeem us from the control of the god of this world, from sin and death, from condemnation and judgment and punishment in the Lake of Fire. And how did the Deliver redeem us? Not with money, not with the blood of animals, but with His very own efforts, His own rejection, suffering, blood and death. Each human being desperately needs deliverance. Is Yeshua your Deliverer?
Savior Of The World (John 4:42): The world, which is made up of fallen men and women, is alienated from our wonderful Creator, who is the Source of life and goodness and blessing. The world of human sinners is lost, ruined, destroyed and headed to death and Hell. It has no hope. The world of sinful human beings is in the most desperate need of deliverance from this deathly dilemma. The world is so fallen, so dead in trespasses and sins, so pathetically weak, that it is totally incapable of saving itself. No ordinary human being – no prophet, no king, no politician, no economist or philosopher, no scientist, and no group of human beings, can rescue us from this disaster. The prophets, priests and kings of Israel could not be the Savior Of The World. Buddha, Mohammed, the great political and economic thinkers, scientists and political leaders could not be our Savior. Yeshua, whose very name means salvation, is the only One who can solve the world’s greatest problems. He alone makes reconciliation with God, peace with God, atonement, deliverance from sin and death, possible. He alone can reconcile the world to the God from whom the world is estranged. He alone can reverse the curse brought about by sin. Only He can triumph over sin, sickness, Satan, death and Hell. He is the only One who can end our alienation and bring us peace – peace with God, peace with one another, peace with nature and creation, and peace within ourselves. He truly is the Savior Of The World! Is He your Savior?
Savior Of All Men (1 Timothy 4:10): It was too small a thing for the Son of God to be only the Savior of little Israel. He also is the Savior Of All Men. He is the Savior Of All Men in the sense that He makes salvation available to human beings, but each man, each woman, by personal faith and repentance, must individually act on that offer of salvation. Have you?
Horn Of Salvation (Luke 1:69): Powerful animals like bulls had horns, so “Horn” became a symbol for power. Messiah, the Horn Of Salvation, is able to save not just little, not with a meager amount of saving ability, but abundantly and powerfully! He is able to help us now, with all the various problems we face in this life – problems with people, with relationships, marital problems, problems at work, financial pressures, money problems, problems with the kids. He can help us deal with mental and emotional problems. He can save us not just now, but forever, with an eternal salvation! He is able to save not just Israel, but the whole world! His saving power is so great that He will save not only men and women, Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, those who had faith before the Cross and those who believed after the cross, but this world, and eventually the entire broken universe! He will end the curse on nature, and one day will create a new and perfect universe, where only the righteous and redeemed live! His saving ability is great! It is infinite! It is eternal! Have you availed yourself of it? Of Him?
Sheep and Shepherd – Sacrifice and Leader
The Lamb (Revelation 5) and the Lamb of God (John 1:36): The greatest of the prophets, John, saw Yeshua coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” The greatest need of fallen, corrupt, headed-towards-the-First-Death-and-the Second-Death-mankind, is to overcome sin and death. To be reconciled to God, receive forgiveness, find atonement, and be restored to real life, God’s life, meaningful life, lasting life, eternal life, it is not enough to simply say, “I am sorry”. It is not enough to try and live a better life, because the quality of your life can never be good enough. It is not enough to try and be a good person. It is not enough to follow a man-made religious system. The Word of the Lord is clear: without genuine faith in God (a close personal relationship with the Living God), and the shedding of blood of a sacrificial animal at the Temple in Jerusalem, supervised by a descendant of Aaron the brother of Moses, there can be no atonement, no forgiveness and no restoration to life.
According to the Torah, being forgiven was a complicated procedure. If you sinned, first you had to go to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem. Then, you had to find a priest. Then, a bull, goat, lamb, ram or dove had to be killed. The priest had to sprinkle the blood on the bronze altar. Part of the animal’s body was then burned. Then, if the sacrifice was done by one who had genuine faith in God, these sacrifices and the shedding of blood brought a measure of atonement – not full and final atonement, but a temporary covering for our sins. Under the Mosaic covenant, with its constantly repeated sacrifices by the priests, there was no ultimate and final forgiveness for sin – only a temporary covering. Aaron and all the priests that descended from him stood before the bronze altar and repeated the same sacrifices, day after day, Sabbath after Sabbath, month after month, holiday after holiday, year after year, century after century. But these continually repeated sacrifices could not fully atone for our sins. If they had completely atoned for our sins, we would have stopped offering them, because they would have done the job. Israel could never say, “It is finished!” From the time of Moses until 70 AD, when the sacrifices stopped, there was a continual shedding of the blood of bulls, goats, lambs and rams, day after day, Sabbath after Sabbath, month after month, holiday after holiday, year after year, century after century – millions upon millions of animals were slaughtered and burned, rivers and rivers of blood were spilled that did not permanently take away our sins. I once calculated the number of animals that were required to be killed, and the total is astounding: 171,000 bulls, 48,000 goats, 55,500 rams, 301,639,500 lambs.
Why couldn’t the blood of bulls, goats, lambs, rams and pigeons fully take away our sins? Animal are lower on the Scale of Being. On the Scale of Being, the eternal Creator is the most valuable, followed by man, then animals, then plants, then followed by the inorganic. Therefore one man is more valuable than all the animals in the world, and all the animals in the world could not fully atone for even one human being. But that’s OK, because God had a better plan. The Mosaic Covenant, and the Levitical priests, and the Temple in Jerusalem, and the bulls, goats, rams, lambs and pigeons were temporary measures designed to enable God to temporarily cover our sins, until a better solution would come, that would provide perfect and final and full atonement, grant us complete forgiveness of all of our sins, forever reconcile us to God, and bring us eternal life!
There have been, and are, many lambs, but Yeshua is the unique Lamb that was slain, the Lamb of God and God’s Lamb – the special sacrificial victim who God provided to meet our greatest need – overcoming sin and death, who alone can take away the sin of the world. The sacrifice offered by Yeshua is so much better than all of the millions of animals that died because the sacrifice offered by the Messiah was a willing sacrifice. The sacrifices of the animals weren’t voluntary. The animals were killed against their wills to obtain their blood. But Yeshua died willingly and voluntarily. The One who was perfect, and needed no sacrifice for Himself, was willing to give His life that we might live – live with Him, live with His Father, live with each other, forever! The sacrifice of Yeshua is so much better because He became one of us. As a man, He can help man. He became a man – a perfect and sinless man, who was always pleasing to His Father. As a man, He is our equal. Therefore He can be our kinsman redeemer. But, Messiah is not only a man who is equal to us, but He is also Immanuel – God with us, and infinitely superior to us. As the One who is fully man and fully God, He is at the very top of the Scale of Being. He is of infinite worth. His sacrifice is of infinite worth.
So, the sacrifice of the One who is fully God and fully Man is infinitely more valuable than all the millions of animals ever slaughtered. Therefor His sacrifice possesses absolute perfection, and never ceasing effectiveness. His sacrifice is eternally powerful and is sufficient for all human beings. His sacrifice accomplished infinite redemption, perfect and full and final and eternal atonement. Almost-sacrificed-Isaac was not God’s Lamb. The prophets of Israel were not qualified to be the Lamb of God; the rabbis who created non-Messianic Judaism, Buddha, Mohammed, Marx or anyone else were not and could not be the Lamb. Do you consider Messiah, the Lamb that was slain, worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing? Are you praising Him, blessing Him, honoring Him, following Him, obeying Him? Behold, take a good very look, pay the closest attention to Yeshua of Nazareth, the Lamb of God, who alone can take away the sin of the world! Your life, your salvation, depends on it!
Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:6-7): Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Messiah our Passover Lamb also has been sacrificed. Passover is a wonderful and true account of the miraculous rescue of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. The Lord had to pressure Pharaoh to let Israel go with ten terrible plagues. The tenth plague was the most severe of all – death of all first-born sons living in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man and of animals. The Lord made it possible for the first-born sons to survive that first Passover. He instructed us to take an unblemished, year-old lamb. We were to kill the lamb and pour its blood into a bowl. Then we applied the blood to the two doorposts and the top of the door of the house where the Passover lamb was to be eaten. God promised that He would go through the land that night, striking all the houses of Egypt. But God would pass over any house where He saw the blood of a spotless lamb applied by faith to the door. The first-born son would be spared from death, and the next day the Jewish people would be redeemed out of Egypt. Then God led us through the wilderness to the promised Land of Israel.
Passover was a prophecy of a greater redemption, a more profound Exodus, and a more excellent Lamb who was to come. Passover was a prediction that God would one day send His Son into the world to be the ultimate sacrifice, to shed His blood on a cross, so that God may “pass over” the sins of those who believe in Messiah. God’s plan to redeem not only the Jewish people, but all peoples, is again through a Lamb – the ultimate Sacrifice – the Messiah of Israel, and our Passover Lamb! It’s no coincidence that Messiah Yeshua died on Passover. His last supper was a Passover Seder and He died the next day, the first day of Passover – in fulfillment of Passover.
Just as the Jewish people in Egypt applied the blood of a spotless lamb to our doors, we must keep the Passover today by acknowledging our sin and guilt and our inability to save ourselves, and by placing our full confidence in Messiah Yeshua. Each one of us must apply the blood of Yeshua to the doors of our hearts. Then God will pass over our sins and bring us from our Egypts, our bondage to the world, our slavery to sin, our captivity to the flesh and our slavery to the adversary. The Lord will take us by the hand, lead us through the wilderness of this world, to the New Jerusalem. Can you say, “Messiah is my Passover Lamb? Even now He is delivering me from sin and death and leading me to the New Jerusalem”?
Good Shepherd (John 10:11): A shepherd is one who cares for domestic animals, particularly cows, sheep and goats. He protects the animals and provides for all of their needs. Human beings are like domestic animals – especially sheep. Like sheep, we are stubborn, weak, timid, foolish, pathetic, need endless attention and cause a lot of trouble. There are good shepherds and bad shepherds, good religious leaders and bad religious leaders. Bad religious leaders, who are not fit for their positions of spiritual authority; or who are not morally, spiritually or theologically qualified; or who are in their position for the wrong reasons (they want to take from you, not give to you), can do so much damage. A good leader is like a good shepherd. A good shepherd is gentle and kind, yet strong and brave, intelligent and selfless in his devotion to his sheep. A good leader knows his people, and is intimately involved with them. A good leader knows the needs of his people, and does everything to meet their needs. A good leader feeds his people with truth. A good leader corrects his people when stray or fight. A good leader will go after one of his people who is wandering away, and try to bring him home. A good leader leads with courage. He goes in front where the danger is the greatest. He leads the people himself. He doesn’t drive the people in front of himself. A good leader will not abandon his position in times of trouble. He is willing to lay down his life for his people. Messiah is this kind of Good Shepherd. Is He your Leader? Sheep are stupid creatures, but they are smart enough to distinguish their shepherd’s voice from that of others. Can you? Do you know that Yeshua is the Messiah? Do you hear Him speaking to you through the Holy Scriptures? Can you hear His still, quiet voice speaking to you?
Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4): The Good Shepherd has appointed human leaders – pastors, teachers, rabbis, to take care of us – to feed us with truth, to lead us, to correct us. We need to be able to recognize them, and then submit to their leadership, and follow them. That is part of our duty to the Chief Shepherd who has appointed them. Above them all, leading each one of the sons and daughters of God, is the Chief Shepherd Himself, who is gentle and kind, yet firm and selfless in His devotion to us; providing for all of our needs.
Shepherd And Guardian Of Our Souls (1 Peter 2:25): For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. In the time of Yeshua, most of the Jewish people, even though we were raised with the knowledge of God and Torah, had been continually straying from God, like sheep wandering away from their Shepherd. We went after man-made teachings, false rabbinic theological systems and materialism. But, the Shepherd And Guardian Of Our Souls went after us. He sought us out! He came from Heaven and lead us back to God, to salvation, to faithfulness to the Scriptures. He taught us the truth. He opened for us the Scriptures, so that we could understand where we were misunderstanding them. He then died to ensure that our lives, our souls, would be kept forever safe. Is Yeshua shepherding and guarding your soul? Have you placed your life into His most able care? If you do, you will find that He will protect your life in this world, and your soul in the Life To Come!
Stone (Matthew 21:42-44): Yeshua said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone; this came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”… he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust”. Stone is a material that is solid, heavy and enduring. Stones are used to build houses. Stones are used to erect memorials. Stones are used as weapons. Stones are used to punish serious criminals. Stones are used to bring beauty. Stone – big stone, in the form of hills or mountains, symbolize government.
Just as stones are used for building, so we must build our lives with Messiah. We must get to know Him and His character, values, priorities, will and ways. We must commit ourselves to wholeheartedly follow Him. If we do, our lives will have strength, stability and endurance. They will have the strength to endure in this world, survive in the World To Come! and If we don’t build our lives with the Stone, they will be chaotic, confused, unstable and impermanent.
Just as stones may be used as weapons, to protect and to attack, so Messiah is our protector. With all authority given to Him in Heaven and on Earth, He will defend us from all that is truly evil. We need to get close to Him so we can avail ourselves of the maximum amount of the protection He offers. In ancient days, stones were used to punish. The Torah permits death by stoning for the most serious offenses. Messiah will judge and destroy those who deny Him and refuse His gracious offer of salvation. He will attack all that is opposed to the will of God, to righteousness, to us. This Stone will eventually shatter everyone who opposes Him. Every human being, no matter how strong, how rich, how successful, how powerful he thinks he is, if he opposes Yeshua, if he doesn’t submit to Messiah, if he doesn’t acknowledge and believe that Yeshua of Nazareth is the Messiah that God sent; each human being, if he doesn’t serve, follow, obey Yeshua, will fall and be broken to pieces; every human being – Jew or Gentile, who rejects, ignores, opposes or betrays this Stone, will be completely and totally destroyed by Messiah, so that it is if he is scattered like dust with nothing remaining.
Stones were used to make idols, but Yeshua is the unique Son of the true God who will destroy all false religion and those who are engaged in any religion other than the Faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints. Are you part of the true Faith?
Big visible formation of stones are called hills or mountains, and they represent government. Daniel 2 records a vision which Daniel interpreted. A stone that was cut without human hands – no ordinary ruler, but someone uniquely sent by God, destroyed the statue that represents human government. Then this special stone grew and became a great mountain that filled the whole Earth. That means that a day is coming when the Son of God, sent by God, whose came the first time with humility, will come again with power and honor and destroy all the governments of the world, and take control of the administration of planet Earth.
Just as stones are used to erect memorials, and placed on graves to remember the dead, so Yeshua is the One we should continually remember. He must constantly be in our thoughts. We should continually remember His coming from Heaven; and His amazing life; and His great teachings; and His miracles; and His rejection and death which atones for sin; and His resurrection; and His coming again; and His eternal saving power, and His love for us.
Some stones are rare and very beautiful. Think of all of the precious and semi-precious gem stones – beautiful diamonds or red rubies, purple amethysts, red garnets, blue topazes and aquamarines, multi-colored opals. Messiah is exceedingly rare, precious and beautiful – in character, in love, in faithfulness, because of His amazing grace. We should always find Him beautiful, alluring, interesting, fascinating, attractive. Do you?
Chief Cornerstone: The cornerstone is large well-shaped stone that is put at the bottom of a building and gives strength to the foundation. Yeshua is the Stone that the builders – the leaders of Israel, tragically rejected. But, God the Supreme Builder, God the Father, overruled their rejection, and made His Son the Chief Cornerstone! Just as the cornerstone gives strength to the foundation and supports the building, it is essential that we build our lives on the reality of the Son of God. It is impossible to have a stable and enduring life apart from Him. It is impossible for eternal life to be established apart from Him. Yeshua is the cornerstone, not just of our own individual lives, but He is the foundation for everything that God is building throughout eternity! The new Heavens and new Earth are built on His reality, His redemption, His salvation, His presence, His leadership, His will, His ways. Are you building your life in this world, and your life in the World To Come, on Yeshua, the Chief Cornerstone?
Firstborn (Hebrews 1:6) and Firstborn Of All Creation (Colossians 1:15) and Beginning Of The Creation Of God (Revelation 3:14): This does not mean that Yeshua had a beginning or is a created being. The Son is eternal. He never had a beginning. He was in the beginning with God. He preceded the creation of the universe. According to Biblical law, the firstborn is the eldest son. He has a special place and special privileges in the family. He becomes the head of the family. He becomes the main heir. The Firstborn and the Firstborn Of All Creation means that Yeshua is older than anything in creation. He is the eldest. He is older than the first Jew. He could truthfully say, “Before Abraham was, I am”. He is older than humanity. He preceded Adam. He is older than all things. He is older than the primordial waters which were created on the first day. He is older than the first angelic being who came into being and served the eternal God. God has a family. As the Firstborn, Yeshua is our eldest brother. He is in the place of prominence among all the sons and daughter of God. He is the leader of the family of God. Is He your brother? Is He your leader? Really? Truly? As the Firstborn Of All Creation, Yeshua is to be preeminent over all created things – especially those with the ability to think and choose, like angels and men. Is He preeminent over your thoughts, your will?
Heir Of All Things (Hebrews 1:2): As the Firstborn, Yeshua is God’s primary heir. Because He is the Son of God, and the Son of Man; because He is the Creator and the Redeemer of all things, Messiah is the inheritor of an everlasting kingdom that encompasses all things. Because of His divine nature, and His perfection and His redemptive sufferings, He is worthy to receive all things. When someone you love receives a nice inheritance, you are happy for him. We will be delighted that Messiah, our Lord and Savior and Elder Brother, will receive all things! When someone receives a generous inheritance, it is nice when he in turn is generous with others, and this is what will happen to us. Out the generosity and the grace of the Father and the Son, the redeemed will share in that kingdom, that blessedness, life, wealth, happiness and authority that Messiah will receive! We become God’s heirs and fellow heirs with Messiah! We will receive a real and amazing inheritance – eternal life in the glorious New Jerusalem; a fabulously rich inheritance, that will make us far wealthier than the richest man who ever lived on Earth; an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance; a lasting inheritance that won’t fade away or be used up which we can enjoy forever; a glorious inheritance that is reserved for us to enjoy in perfect health; an inheritance that we will enjoy in the presence of God the Father and Messiah the Son, with the saints and angels. Normally, human beings receive their inheritance when a death takes place. Our inheritance is made possible and comes to us because of the sacrificial and all-sufficient for atonement death of the sinless and perfect Messiah. Are you sure that you are one of God’s heirs, and will share in this amazing inheritance, because you will share it with Messiah, the Heir Of All Things?
Firstborn From The Dead (Revelation 1:5): A few human beings, like Lazarus, have been temporarily raised from the dead, only to die again, but the Man, Messiah Yeshua was the first human being to be raised from the dead and given an immortal body. The Righteous One conquered sin and death. Death could not hold Him! As the Firstborn From The Dead, He is preeminent over the rest of the dead who will be raised. Because He was raised from the dead, those of us who believe in Him and join ourselves to Him by placing our faith in Him, will also be raised from the dead, and receive body that is no longer capable of dying. Do you know that Yeshua is the Firstborn from the dead? Do you believe that He has overcome death, is alive now? Do you have the happiness that comes from knowing that you will be raised from the dead? If you know that Messiah is the Firstborn From The Dead, and that you too will be raised from the dead to be alive forever, are you living your life for life in this world, or for eternal life in the World To Come?
Not only is He preeminent among those who will be raised from the dead, He is in the position of authority over all of the dead. He is the Judge Of The Living And The Dead (Acts 10:42). A time is coming when the Carpenter-Turned-Miracle-Working-Rabbi will raise the dead. At the Time of the End, those who are still alive, and every human being who has ever died – Jew and Gentile, man and woman, good and bad, will hear His voice. The dead will come back to life, and receive a new body. Those who truly loved the God of Israel and were loyal to Him and proved it by consistently doing the right things will receive a glorified body and live forever. But those who ignored the Lord, and didn’t serve Him, honor Him or love Him, will appear before the Son of God, the Judge Of The Living And The Dead, at the Great White Throne judgment, where He will call them to account for what they believed and how they acted, and send them to Gehenna – the Lake of Fire.
The Faithful Witness (Revelation 1:5): A witness is one who is called upon to declare what he has seen or heard or knows. For various reasons, not all witnesses are faithful witnesses. Some may not come forward and give the necessary information; if they do come forward, some may withhold information; some may distort the facts or lie. Messiah Yeshua is the faithful witness. He always, in every circumstance, told human beings what is true. He always gave us accurate and reliable information. His information can be completely trusted. When He spoke about the utter lostness of mankind, and His mission to rescue humans beings who believe in Him, and the realities of Heaven and Hell, and His eternal relationship to His Father, and His death to atone for sin, and Himself being the only way to everlasting life, and the peace that comes to those who follow Him, and the certainty of resurrection from the dead for those who follow Him, and the sure hope of eternal life for those who follow Him, we can rely on the truthfulness and the accuracy of what He said.
There can be unpleasant consequences for being a faithful witness. There are situations when people do not want the information of the witness to be revealed. Pressure and threats are applied to intimidate the witness from testifying fully and honestly. In these circumstances, it takes courage to be a faithful witness. It takes love for the truth, and for doing what is right, and for justice. It takes a willingness to be inconvenienced or to suffer. Messiah Yeshua is the Faithful Witness. He never stopped declaring the truth, even when facing powerful opposition. He never gave in to intimidation. He never toned down the message. Each child of God is called upon to be faithful witnesses. What God tells us in a whisper, we are to shout. We are to declare to the world the things we know about the God of Israel, the reliability of the Holy Scriptures, the way of righteousness, the path of salvation through Messiah, the realities of Heaven and Hell and eternal life. May we be faithful witnesses, willing to be inconvenienced, suffer, even die, in order to be like the Faithful Witness!
The Apostle (Hebrews 3:1): Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Yeshua, the Apostle and High Priest whom we confess. An apostle is someone who is sent on a mission to accomplish one or more tasks. Yeshua is the Apostle. That means that the He was sent by the Father on a great mission. He was entrusted to accomplish various tasks – the salvation of ruined humans, which He did by dying; clarification of the Scriptures, which He did by His great teachings; enlarging our understanding of God, which He did by teaching and by His life and death; overcoming sin and death, which He accomplished by dying on the cross and coming back to life; the salvation of Israel; extending the offer of salvation to the Gentiles; ultimately restoring a broken universe and ruling over it. We must faithfully respond to the mission of the Apostle. We must recognize that Yeshua is the Messiah, indeed sent by the Father. To ignore the sentness of the Son is to insult the One who sent Him – the Father. To deny the mission of the Son is to reject the gracious plans of the Father. We must fix our thoughts, focus them, continually attach them to this great Apostle. And, not only His Person, but we must also fix ourselves to His mission. His mission becomes our mission. As the Father sends Him, the Son now sends us to help fulfill His mission. His purposes, His goals, His agenda, must become ours. We are not to fix our thoughts on money, power, fame, success in this world, as the world values success; we are to keep Yeshua constantly in our thoughts, and His mission, and what we are to do to fulfill it.
Servant (Acts 4:27): Shortly after Messiah died and rose again, the apostles gathered together and prayed this prayer to God the Father: For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Yeshua, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. A servant has limited freedom. He is not independent. He can’t do what he wants when he wants. He must do the desires, wishes, wants, will of the one in whose service he is. In His Sonship, Messiah is equal to the Father in nature. In His humanity, He was servant to God the Father. Yeshua was and is always God’s Son, but while He was on Earth He was also God’s holy, anointed, willing, suffering servant. Some are forced to be servants, but Messiah willingly volunteered to be a servant. He continually submitted Himself to serve God. He continually submitted His will to the will of the Father. He always obeyed His Father’s commands, submitted to His will, took instructions from, even if it mean deprivation and suffering, even a painful death. Even though He is the Lord of Glory, and the King of kings, Yeshua did not came to Earth to be served, but to serve God, and to serve us! Think of that! And, He tells us that we must be like Him. We are to seek power to rule over others, and to be served by others, but to serve one another. If the Greatest One humbled Himself and washed the feet of the disciples, so can we!
Light, Stars, Planets
The Light (John 1:5). Because of the Fall of Man, darkness covers the Earth, and a deep darkness overshadows humanity. Darkness is a symbol for spiritual confusion and chaos, alienation from God, sin and death. We do not want to remain in the dark! Light is a symbol of revelation, truth and knowledge, wisdom and understanding, victory and salvation and life and happiness! Messiah is the Light. Yeshua is Pure Wisdom, the Highest Truth, the Source of Victory, Eternal Salvation, and Unending Happiness!
He is the True Light (John 1:9) in contrast to the weaker lights – like the prophets of Israel. The truth that emanates from Yeshua is superior to the prophets of Israel like the light of the sun surpasses the light of the moon in radiant power. The sun shines because of its own radiant energy, while the moon merely reflects the light from the sun. The King of the Jews is the True Light as contrasted to the many false lights that come from the other world religions. The light that they offer is a mixture of truth and error, which in reality makes them part of the darkness.
Messiah is the True Light that gives light to every man. Whatever truth any human being has ultimately comes from Him. But knowing partial truth about God is not enough. Every human being needs to know the pure truth about the Savior that God has sent us, and learn about Yeshua in order to get truth, victory, success and happiness. Whoever knows Him, and believes in Him, and follows Him will never walk in darkness, but will have enough truth that will result in a whole new quality of life now, and everlasting life in the World To Come!
The Jewish Messiah is not just the light of Israel, but is also the Light Of The World (John 8:12). Messiah is the source of wisdom, truth, revelation, understanding, knowledge, victory and salvation, not only for the Jewish people, but for all the peoples of the world! At first, the holy people of Israel were chosen to be a light to the nations. Sadly, all too often, not only did we not shine truth to the world, but we fell into darkness. At the time of the coming of the Light Of The World, we were living in darkness and the shadow of death. We were the first to be blessed the rising of this great light, but that light was intended to spread all the nations of the world. So, if anyone from any nation – Israel or Arabia or India, wants wisdom, truth, victory, salvation, everlasting life, genuine happiness, they must come to Yeshua, believe in Him, trust Him, be confident about who He is and join themself by their faith to the Son of God. Have you?
Have you ever been through a long and difficult night? You worked the graveyard shift, or pulled guard duty, and you were tired? Or, you had to stay up all night with a sick child, or had nightmares? When you have a night that is difficult and frightening, you long for sunrise, because you know things will be better in the light of day. You look forward the light that comes from the rising of the sun, and the dawn of a new day – with the hope of better things? That’s what the coming of the Messiah was like! After centuries spent in chaotic darkness, the King’s arrival was like a glorious, magnificent Sunrise From On High (Luke 1:78). Zechariah said the Messiah is like the rising sun who came to us from Heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to bring us peace.
Are you experiencing that peace? That sense of well-being between you and your Creator? Even though you sin from time to time, you love the Lord, because of His grace and Messiah’s atonement, and you know that the Father loves and accepts you? Are you experiencing peace in your soul? Is He shining hope and happiness into you? Do you know Him? Are you committed to following Him for better or for worse?
Messiah is like the sun, which is powerful and beneficial. Without the light of the sun our planet would be a frozen speck in the coldness of space. Without the sun sight would not be possible. Is Messiah giving you life and enabling you to see your way safely to the goal? An eclipse of the sun took place during Messiah’s death on the cross. Why? Maybe because the powers of darkness were doing their worst; maybe because the pure and holy Son of God was taking upon Himself the sin of the world; and maybe because the light of the sun was diminished because during that time of suffering, the greatness of the Son of God made its light seem weak by comparison to the eternal magnificence shining for the Sacrificed One! In order to experience eternal life in the New Jerusalem, where the glory of God the Father illumines that great city, and the source of its light is the Messiah who died for us, a person must welcome the Sunrise From On High in this life. Have you?
Messiah is like the sun that shines during the day. He is also the Bright Morning Star (Revelation 2:28 and 22:16, also 2 Peter 1:19) which shines at night. The Morning Star is not actually a star, but a planet – Venus. Except for the sun and the moon, the second planet from the sun shines brighter than any other object in the sky. For three hours after sunset and three hours before sunrise, Venus stands out in the darkness of the night sky. Before the dawning of a new day, Venus is one of the last things visible in the night sky. The Son of God is like the brightness emanating from the second planet. Messiah is like that light that is shining in the dark. Before the dawning of a new day of light and hope and happiness, while it is still dark, Messiah is already visible, and shining brightly, letting us know that even in the night, there is light and truth and salvation; letting us know that even more light – day – is about to arrive, because He is about to return. Messiah is visible and accessible for those with the ability to see spiritual truth, night or day!
A star was associated with His arrival. Around the time of His birth, a special star appeared and wise men from the east had the wisdom to understand that the Prince of Heaven had come to Earth. They kept their eyes on that special star, and it lead them to Bethlehem, the House of Bread, and the city of David, and stopped over the place where the child Yeshua was, directing those wise men to the one who is the Light of the World. Wise men still seek Him. Do you?
Ruler Of God’s Creation (Revelation 3:14):
The Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14):
The Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5):
The Author And Perfecter Of Faith (Hebrews 12:2):
The Chosen One (Luke 9:35):
The Way, The Truth, And The Life (John 14:6):
The Door (John 10:7):
Advocate, Counsel For The Defense (1 John 2:1):
Lion Of Judah (Revelation 5:5):
The Bridegroom (John 3:29):
The Bread Of God (John 6:33):
The Bread Out Of Heaven (John 6:32):
The Bread Of Life (John 6:35):
The True Vine (John 15:1):
The Expected One (Luke 7:19):
God’s Mystery (Colossians 2:2):
King Of Kings And Lord Of Lords (Revelation 19:16):
The Way, The Truth, And The Life (John 14:6):
The Image Of The Invisible God (Colossians 1:15):
Holy One (Acts 3:14):
Righteous One (Acts 3:14):
The Faithful And True One (Revelation 19:11):
The Amen (Revelation 3:14):
The Alpha And The Omega (Revelation 22:13):
The First And The Last (Revelation 22:13):
The Beginning And The End (Revelation 22:13):
The Power Of God (1 Corinthians 1:24):
The Wisdom Of God (1 Corinthians 1:24):
New Testament Names, Titles And Descriptions For God The Father
Father (Matthew 6:9):
Abba: [Daddy] (Romans 8:15):
God The Father (2 Timothy 1:2):
Father Of Our Lord Yeshua The Messiah (Colossians 1:3):
The Father Of Lights (James 1:17):
The Father Of Glory (Ephesians 1:17):
The Father Of Spirits (Hebrews 12:9):
Father of Mercies (2 Corinthians 1:3):
God (Elohim) (2 Corinthians 9:7):
The God Of Our Fathers [Elohay Avotaynu] (Acts 7:32):
The God Of Abraham, Isaac And Jacob [Elohay Avraham, Yitzchak v’Yaakov] (Acts 7:32):
God Of All Comfort [Elohay Kol HaNechamah] (2 Corinthians 1:3):
God Of Peace [Elohay Shalom] (Hebrews 13:20):
The God Of Glory [Elohay Kavod] (Acts 7:2):
The Living God [Elohay Chaiyim] (2 Corinthians 3:3, 6:16):
The God Of Israel [Elohay Yisrael] (Matthew 15:31):
Lord God [YHVH Elohim] (Acts 3:22):
Lord God of Israel [YHVH Elohay Yisrael] (Luke 1:68):
Lord Almighty [YHVH Shaddai] (2 Corinthians 6:18):
The Almighty [Shaddai] (Revelation 1:8):
Power [Ha Gevurah] (Mark 14:62):
The Creator [HaBoray] (Romans 1:25, 1 Peter 4:19):
The Most High God [El Elyon] (Hebrews 7:1):
The Divine Nature (Romans 1:20, 2 Peter 1:4):
Lord Of Armies: [YHVH Tz’vaot] (James 5:4):
The Majestic Glory (2 Peter 1:17):
The Majesty (Hebrews 1:3):
The King Of The Nations (Revelation 15:3):
The Lawgiver And Judge (James 4:12):
The Eternal Immortal Invisible King (1 Timothy 1:17):
Sovereign (1 Timothy 6:15):
Heaven (Matthew 21:25):
A Consuming Fire (Hebrews 12:29):
New Testament Names, Titles And Descriptions For The Spirit Of God
The Spirit (Romans 2:29):
The Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16):
The Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30):
The Holy Spirit Of Promise (Ephesians 1:13):
The Spirit of the Living God (2 Corinthians 3:3):
The Spirit Of The Lord (Luke 4:18):
The Eternal Spirit (Hebrews 9:14):
The Spirit Of Truth (John 15:26):
The Spirit Of Yeshua (Acts 16:7):
The Spirit Of Yeshua The Messiah (Philippians 1:19):
The Spirit Of Messiah (Romans 8:9):
The Spirit Of God (Romans 8:9):
Helper or Comforter (John 14:26):
The Holy Spirit is compared to:
Clothing (Luke 24:49): Because He clothes us with power from on high.
A Dove (Matthew 3:16): Because the dove is a symbol of purity, peace, and flies in the heavens and was used as a sacrifice for the poor.
A Pledge, Earnest Money (2 Corinthians 1:22): Because He is the pledge and the downpayment of our inheritance.
A Seal (Ephesians 1:13): Because a seal protects, makes secure, and demonstrates ownership.
Fire (Acts 2:3): Because fire separates the impure from the pure, it cleanses and purifies.
Oil (Acts 10:38): Because oil was used for anointing, for healing, for nourishment and burned to give light.
Water (John 7:38): Because water is simple yet mysterious. It is tasteless, formless, colorless, transparent, and buoyant. It can hold up a huge ship. It is used for transportation. The Holy Spirit holds us up and transports us through this world to the World To Come. Water cleanses and refreshes. With water there is life, growth, and fruitfulness. Without water there are deserts.
Wind (John 3:8): Because we can’t see the wind but we can see its results. Just as the winds blows wherever it wants, so God’s Spirit is sovereign. He gives gifts as He wills. Wind can be powerful like a tornado or hurricane, or be a cool refreshing breeze.
Breath: (John 20:22). Without breath we die. God’s Breath gives us life. We have life and intimacy with God due to His indwelling Spirit.
Wine: Because we are not to be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18).