Prosecution
Listen! You heretics have forgotten the words of Torah:
Deuteronomy 13:1 The entire word that I command you, that shall you observe to do; you shall not add to it and you shall not subtract from it. [2] If there should stand up in your midst a prophet or a dreamer of a dream, and he will produce to you a sign or a wonder, [3] and the sign or the wonder comes about, of which he spoke to you, saying "Let us follow gods of others that you did not know and we shall worship them!" [4] do not hearken to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of a dream, for HASHEM, your G-d, is testing you to know whether you love HASHEM, your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul. [5] HASHEM, your G-d, shall you follow and Him shall you fear; His commandments shall you observe and to His voice shall you hearken; Him shall you serve and to Him shall you cleave. [6] And that prophet and that dreamer of a dream shall be put to death, for he had spoken perversion against HASHEM, your G-d Who takes you out of the land of Egypt, and Who redeems you from the house of slavery to make you stray from the path on which HASHEM, you G-d, has commanded you to go; and you shall destroy the evil from your midst."
Defense: The modern Jews appeal to this passage as justifying their rejection of Jesus Christ. But He possessed all the characteristics of a true prophet, and He was so far from alienating the people from God and His worship that the grand object of His ministry was to lead to a purer, more spiritual and perfect observance of the law.
A dreamer of dreams - One that pretends God hath revealed himself to him by visions or dreams. Giveth a sign or wonder - That is, shall foretell some strange and wonderful thing.......
Many have been witness to the signs and wonders of the Messiah our Lord Jesus Christ. They witnessed his birth.. his ministry..his miracles...his being witnessed of by John the baptist who was the voice in the wilderness..the transfiguration.. his death which was foretold in Psalms and Isaiah.. and his resurrection.
You have followed your dreamer of dreams into worship of himself, a man-god, a god whom your ancestors did not know. He gave you signs of wonder and you failed the test. You succombed and turned from God. Do you not know as it says in Torah:
Defense: Objection Heresay..I followed Gods mandates on how to know a false prophet and I dont see how I failed the test.
Numbers 23:19 G-d [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Defense: "Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and act wisely, and shall do judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is His name by which He shall be called, JEHOVAH, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."
(Jer 23:5-6)
we will consider the question, "Is Jesus also Jehovah, Yahweh?"
We will start with the above verses. There are two key points to look at in Jer 23:5-6, 'a righteous Branch' and the multiple application of the name 'Jehovah, or Yahweh'.
We know from the genealogy of Jesus Christ, and from the Gospels, that He (Jesus of Nazareth), is the 'righteous Branch.'
"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."
(Mat 1:1)
We see in Jer 23:5-6, 'Jehovah' speaking and calling the 'righteous Branch' 'JEHOVAH, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.' We know that 'Jehovah' is the name of the God of Israel, Our Almighty and Eternal God.
" And God said to Moses again, You shall say this to the sons of Israel, Jehovah the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My title from generation to generation."
(Exo 3:15)
"And you shall not profane My holy name. But I will be holy among the sons of Israel. I am Jehovah who is sanctifying you, "
(Lev 22:32)
"For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says Jehovah. "
(Jer 29:9)
We find Our Great God naming 'the righteous Branch', Jesus Christ, as 'JEHOVAH, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.' This names Him as God Almighty and Eternal, since the name/title 'JHVH, or YHWH' was only applied to the God of Israel, 'The Great I AM', by the Spiritually inspired Hebrew writers of Testament.
Further proof is evidenced by comparing Isa 61:1-3 and Luke 4:17-21.
"The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is on Me; because Jehovah has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to preach the acceptable year of Jehovah and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to appoint to those who mourn in Zion, to give to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness; so that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that He might be glorified."
"For I Jehovah love judgment-"
(Isa 61:1-3 & 8)
We find that Isa 61:8, names the speaker of verses 1-3 as 'Jehovah'. He states that He has been anointed by Jehovah to preach the Gospel. Again, we find 'JHVH, or YHWH' being assigned by God's inspiration to two different beings. In the Gospel of Luke we find this corresponding entry concerning Jesus,
"And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And unrolling the book, He found the place where it was written, 'The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; because of this He has anointed Me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor, (etc).'- "
"And He began to say to them, Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears."
(Luke 4:17-19 & 21)
With these verses, Jesus names Himself the anointed 'Jehovah' of Isa 61:1-3, which in turn names Him God.
More Scriptural proof that Jesus is 'Jehovah' occurs in Isa 48:16-17 & Zec 2:10-11,
"Come near to Me, hear this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning. From its being, I was there; and now the Lord Jehovah, and His Spirit, has sent Me. So says Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, I am Jehovah your God -"
"Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion. For lo, I come, and I will dwell in your midst, says Jehovah. And many nations shall be joined to Jehovah in that day, and shall be My people; and I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that Jehovah of Hosts has sent me to you. "
We again see the name 'Jehovah' being used to indicate two individual beings. We have 'Jehovah' speaking and being sent by 'the Lord Jehovah, and His Spirit'. In other words, 'Jehovah your God' is sent by the 'Lord Jehovah and His Spirit'. The 'sent One' is identified in the Gospels,
"And He (Jesus) said to them, I must proclaim the gospel, the kingdom of God, to other cities, because I was sent on this mission,"
(Luke 4:43)
"Jesus said to them, If God were your father, you would love Me, for I went forth and came from God; for I did not come of Myself, but He sent Me."
(John 8:42)
" do you say of Him whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, You blaspheme, because I (Jesus) said, I am the Son of God?"
(John 10:36)
In these, and numerous other, verses of the Bible, Jesus is proclaimed as the 'Sent One', which in accordance with Isa 48:16-17, and other Scriptures, names Him as 'Jehovah God.'
Additional Biblical testimony that Jesus is God, is provided by the Gospel of John.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
(John 1:1)
"And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth."
(John 1:14)
From verse 14, we can determine that ' the Word' is Jesus. The final portion of verse 1 proclaims that the Word was God. See John 1:1-3 Bible Study for more in-depth info.
(Note; The contention that this part of the verse should read, 'the Word was a god', is refuted by the original Greek manuscripts, which read, 'God was the Word.' Additionally, the Title 'ho theos' is used for the name 'God'. Throughout ALL the Greek manuscripts, this TITLE was used only to name the One, True, God. For a more in-depth explanation see The Title ho theos.)
" Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.
Jesus said to him, Have I been with you such a long time and yet you have not known Me, Philip?
He who has seen Me has seen the Father. And how do you say, Show us the Father?"
(John 14:8-9)
Also we find more proof in John 20:28-29
Both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible contain many proclamations that Jesus is God, 'JHVH and ho theos'. We also find several titles being shared by God, Jehovah and Jesus. These also attest to the fact that Jesus is God.
Psalms 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, [nor] in the son of man, in whom [there is] no help.
Defense: Son of man in this verse is not the same as the title that Jesus used in the OT..
Denotes mankind generally, with special reference to their weakness and frailty (Job 25:6; Psalms 8:4; 144:3; 146:3; Isaiah 51:12, etc.).
It is a title frequently given to the prophet Ezekiel, probably to remind him of his human weakness.
In the New Testament it is used forty-three times as a distinctive title of the Saviour. In the Old Testament it is used only in Psalms 80:17 and Daniel 7:13 with this application. It denotes the true humanity of our Lord. He had a true body (Hebrews 2:14; Luke 24:39) and a rational soul. He was perfect man.
Hashem did in fact proclaim, "Exodus 20:2 I [am] the LORD thy G-d, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. [3] Thou shalt have no elohim acherim before me." But you have made this man into an elohim, as the word is also used for a person of authority, and placed him before God.
Defense: Indeed, for the divine name, YHWH, was given to Jesus, that every knee should bow to him and every tongue confess that he is Lord Isa 45:20-23). New Testament believers are to live their lives in Jesus' name just as the Old Testament believers were to live in the name of God the Lord.
I recognize similarities between your beliefs, and those of the Mithraists. But I suppose that's what gradually happens to Hellenizers and pagans such as yourselves.
Defense: Objection your honor.. badgering the witness
You introduce ideas such as human sacrifice and the view that one being can die to remove another's sin, when in fact the Torah says "Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin" (Deuteronomy 24:16) And where in the Torah or any other part of the Tanach does it describe the method by which human sacrifice should take place? All sacrifices are clearly described, and they all take place in the Beit HaMikdash(Temple). Where is the description for a human sacrifice that dies of prolonged suffering, rather than quickly with limited suffering as God usually requires?
What say you?
Defense: Genesis 22: 1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."
Would God ask Abraham to do what he himself would not do?
