"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God [Eloah], and Jesus Christ [Yah'shua the Messiah] whom You have sent" (John 17:3, NKJV)

I am one of those curious persons who likes to understand things, and especially the big questions of life. Today I want to ask one of those "big" questions. It's a question that I have been asking ever since I became a believer some 30 years ago and it's one that I am only just now beginning to understand. And the question is: "Who is Yah'shua (Jesus)"? And as a secondary question, just what is His relationship to Yahweh our Heavenly Father? Where did He come from? What do the scriptures mean when they say He was the "firstborn" of the Father? Is He a part of some "Trinity"? Was He always "part" of God? Or was there some point in time when He was created by the Father? And did He really have a beginning?

There are several Scriptures in the Bible which Trinitarians find very difficult, if not totally impossible, to explain. These Scriptures, when carefully analysed and examined, totally destroy and refute the doctrine of the Trinity. But at the same time, they also destroy and refute the doctrine of a "Dual" Godhead, or what some have termed a "Binitarian" Godhead of Two members!

According to the Trinity doctrine, which is accepted by the vast majority of Christian churches, there is One God who is expressed in Three Persons -- who are all combined into "One" actual Being -- not three different Beings! These three are supposed to be "co-equal, co-eternal," and "uncreated." They are supposed to have no bodily form whatsoever because to think of them in such a way would, according to Trinitarians, be to impose a limited, fallible human view onto God. And yet we know that the resurrected Yah'shua (Jesus) has a visible, physical form because He has a resurrected human body which can be seen and touched.

Another common theory is that originally there were Two Beings in the Godhead -- who existed all eternity. According to this theory, these two Beings -- the Father and the Logos (Greek for "word"), Davar (Hebrew for "word"), or Son -- were themselves "co-equal, co-eternal," and uncreated. They are two Beings, yet act in unison as One. They have shape and form, and it is they who said, "Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness" (Gen.1:26, KJV). The Ruach haQodesh [Holy Spirit], according to this model, is not a person but the invisible power or force sent by the Father and Son.

In What Way Is God [Eloah/Elohim] "ONE"?

But are either one of these concepts really true? Does the Bible teach a Trinitarian or a Binitarian Godhead? In the Old Testament, Yahweh reveals Himself to Israel in the famous Shema which every Jew is taught to repeat daily: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD [Yahweh] our God [Elohim] is one LORD [Yahweh]" (Deut.6:5). This, however, is not precisely the meaning of the original Hebrew expression. The actual original Hebrew for this verse literally translates:

"The LORD [Yahweh] our God [Elohim], the LORD [Yahweh] is one"

or

"Yahweh our Elohim, Yahweh is one".

What does it mean that the LORD or Yahweh is "One"? The Hebrew word for "one" in this verse is echad and has a very interesting meaning. The Companion Bible says of this word:

"One. Heb. 'echad -- A COMPOUND UNITY (Lat. unus), one made up of others; Gen.1:5, one of seven; 1:11, one of four; 2:21, one of twenty-four; 2:24, one made up of two; 3:22, one of the three: 49:16, one of twelve; Num.13:23, one of a cluster. So Ps.34:20, etc. It is not yahid, which is (Latin) unicus, unique -- a single or only one . . ."

Thus we know there is ONE GOD -- but what does that really mean? Polytheism, the worship of many gods, is pagan and demon worship. The pagans worship many gods!

The apostle Paul tells us something very interesting about the true God, however, in contrast to pagan gods. He wrote:

"For though there be that are called gods (elohim), whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) but to us there is but ONE GOD [El/Eloah], THE FATHER, of whom are all things, and we in him; and ONE Lord [Master] Jesus Christ [Yah'shua the Messiah], by whom are all things, and we by Him" (1 Cor.8:5-6, KJV).

Now this is very interesting. Here we see that ultimately God [El/Eloah] the Father is the ONE TRUE GOD. Yah'shua (Jesus) here is not referred to as "God," but as the "Lord" (Master). Yet we know that He also is God, because, in Hebrews we read of Him:

"[Yah'shua/Jesus] being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by INHERITANCE obtained a more excellent NAME than they. For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art MY SON, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to Him a FATHER, and he shall be to me a SON? ... But unto the SON He saith, Thy throne, O GOD [El/Eloah], is for ever and ever ..." (Heb.1:4-7, KJV).

Yah'shua (Jesus) also, then, is "God." But it should be obvious that He is not as great as the Father! Just as a Son is under the authority of his Father, so Yah'shua (Jesus) learned everything from His heavenly Father, and is like Him -- but under Him!

Yah'shua (Jesus) Himself acknowledged this fact. He said,

"I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the WILL OF HIM that SENT Me" (John 5:38, KJV).

Yah'shua (Jesus) said in another place:

"I am not come of Myself, but He that SENT Me is true, whom ye know not. But I know Him: for I am FROM Him, and He hath SENT me" (John 7:28-29, KJV).

Notice again, in another place, Yah'shua (Jesus) said,

"I proceeded forth and CAME from GOD [Eloah]; neither came I of myself, but He SENT me" (John 8:42, KJV).

Yah'shua (Jesus) here clearly shows that the Father exercises supreme authority, and SENT him to do a job -- to be our Saviour! In another place, Yah'shua (Jesus) said plainly:

"For my Father is greater than I" (John 14:28, KJV).

In His final prayer for His disciples, Yah'shua (Jesus) said:

"And this is life eternal, that they might know THEE the ONLY TRUE GOD [Eloah], and Jesus Christ [Yah'shua the Messiah], whom THOU hast sent " (John 17:3, KJV).

Yah'shua (Jesus) worshipped the Father, prayed to the Father, and loved the Father, and obeyed the Father! Clearly, in the God Realm, the Father is GREATER than the Son!

After His resurrection from the dead, Yah'shua (Jesus) appeared to Miryam (Mary), and said to her:

". . . Go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto MY FATHER, and YOUR FATHER; and to MY GOD [Eloah], and YOUR GOD [Eloah]" (John 20:17, KJV).

Do you see? Yah'shua (Jesus) looked upon the Father as HIS "God"! That is, He WORSHIPPED the Father! Now if He was a co-equal part of the Trinity, this would make no sense at all. Would One equal part of the Trinity WORSHIP another part which was only EQUAL? You worship that which is GREATER in authority and power -- you don't worship EQUALS! Yah'shua (Jesus) calls the Father His own GOD!

Clearly, there is something direly wrong with both the "Trinity" doctrine, and also the doctrine that the "Word" or Logos / Davar is EQUAL with God the Father and existed from all eternity, "co-equal" and "co-eternal"!

What is the answer to this mystery? What is the TRUE ORIGIN of the Logos, or Word, of God? What is His real relationship to God the Father?!

"The FIRSTBORN of Every Creature"

In the book of Colossians we find an incredible passage of Scripture which bears upon this question, and the true nature of the pre-existence of the One who became "Christ." The apostle Paul wrote of Messiah Yah'shua (Christ Jesus), and His pre-existence before His supernatural human birth through the woman Miryam (Mary):

"[The Father] Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son ... Who is the IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD [Eloah], THE FIRSTBORN OF EVERY CREATURE: For BY HIM WERE ALL THINGS CREATED, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: ALL THINGS were created BY HIM and FOR him: And HE is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the HEAD of the body, the CHURCH [Assembly]: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead that in all things he might have the pre-eminence" (Col.1:12-18, KJV).

When we read this passage in context, it seems to clearly suggest outright that the One who became Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) was originally made, created, or fashioned in "the IMAGE of the invisible God [Eloah]" -- and that He was "the FIRSTBORN of every creature" or creation of GOD [Eloah] the Father!

The word translated "firstborn" in Colossians 1:15 is prototokos, derived from protos, meaning "foremost" in "time, place, order or importance," and is translated "before, beginning, best, chief, first, at the beginning." It is the superlative of pro, which means "in front of, prior to"; and tokos derived from tikto and teko, meaning, "to produce, (from seed, as a mother, a plant, the earth, etc.) -- bear, be born, bring forth, be delivered" (see Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, #4416, 4413, 5088).

Now, for this Scripture to be LITERALLY TRUE, and for the One who became Messiah [Christ] to have been the "FIRSTBORN" of every creature, He would literally have to have become the 'FIRSTBORN" BEFORE ANY OTHER CREATURE WAS BORN OR CREATED! He would have to have been FIRST! The Greek word translated "creature" in this verse is ktisis (Strong's #2937), and means "original formation," "building, creation, creature, ordinance." Thus when we examine this verse carefully, we find that Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) BORN FIRST, before every other "original formation," "creature," and "creation" and "ordinance" (or law) of heaven and earth!

That is, after God the Father, He came FIRST, and was "FIRSTBORN"!

This statement is made, in Colossians 1:15, right before the following phrase: "For by HIM were ALL THINGS CREATED ... all things were created by Him and for Him" (v.16). Thus, after the Logos, or One who became Christ, was born, or "created," He participated in the creation of EVERYTHING ELSE in the Universe!

Thus we read in John 1 the following clarification of His creative role:

"In the beginning was the Word [Logos/Davar], and the Word [Logos/Davar] was with God [Eloah], and the Word [Logos/Davar] was God [Eloah]. The same was in the beginning WITH God [Eloah]. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:1-3, KJV).

In the book of Hebrews, Paul adds this insight:

"God [Eloah] ... hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He appointed HEIR of all things, BY WHOM ALSO HE MADE THE WORLDS; who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, ... sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High" (Heb.1:1-3, KJV).

The Logos, then, was and is the "brightness" of the glory of God [Eloah] the Father. He is the "Heir" of the Father. It was by Him that the Father "made the worlds" -- the Universe! And now He sits at the Father's right hand in heaven!

What do these things tell us? Before we attempt to put the picture together, notice a few more clear and fascinating Scriptures!

"The Beginning of the CREATION of God [Eloah]"

In the book of Revelation, in the seven letters to the seven churches [assemblies], Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) said to the Church [Assembly] in Laodicea:

"These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION OF GOD [Eloah]" (Rev.3:14, KJV).

The Greek word translated "beginning" here is arche and means "A COMMENCEMENT, or (concrete) chief (in various applications of ORDER, TIME, PLACE or RANK); beginning, corner, first, magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule." Adds Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon:

"1. BEGINNING, ORIGIN; a. used absolutely, of the BEGINNING OF ALL THINGS ... b. in a relative sense, of the BEGINNING of the things spoken of ... 2. The person or thing that COMMENCES, THE FIRST PERSON OR THING IN A SERIES, the leader ... 3. that by which anything begins to be, the ORIGIN ... 4. THE EXTREMITY of a thing ... 5. the first place, principality, rule, magistracy ..."

The basic, underlying meaning of this word is simply "BEGINNING," or "FIRST," that which "COMMENCES" OR BEGINS -- as the first automobile in history, the first aeroplane, the first wheel, the first planet, the first fire, the first house built, etc. Notice how this word is most commonly used in Scripture:

Matthew 19:8 "from the beginning it was not so." (KJV)

Matt.24:8 "these are the beginning of sorrows." (KJV)

Matt.24:21 "since the beginning of the world to this time ..." (KJV)

Mark 1:1 "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ." (KJV)

Mark 10:6 "But from the beginning of the creation ..." (KJV)

Luke 1:2 "us, which from the beginning were eye witnesses" (KJV)

John 2:11 "This beginning of miracles did Jesus" (KJV)

Col.1:18 "Who is the beginning, the firstborn of every creature" (KJV)

Rev.1:8 "the beginning and the ending" (KJV)

From these verses, it seems very clear that Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) AS THE LOGOS, was the very FIRST ACT OF PRODUCTION OR CREATION, the very FIRST CREATION of the Father -- His FIRSTBORN SON BY A SEMINAL ACT OF CREATION!

How the Father, the original ONE GOD, brought into being the Word, Logos, or Son, is not immediately clear from our translations. Apparently, at first sight, He took "part" of Himself, of His eternal spirit, and fashioned it into the Logos. (How He did this we shall see in a moment). However, when He made Him, He made Him to be VERY GOD -- even as He, the Father, is very God -- only lesser in authority! In the beginning, there was ONE GOD [Eloah]. Then, in another subsequent time of "beginning," God [Eloah] "reproduced" Himself, and created a SON! Thus the Logos was indeed the "first BORN" of all creation -- the BEGINNING of the Creation -- the First Step in God's Creative Plan!

Thus there was ONE God [Eloah]. And then ONE became, by process of reproduction known only to God [Eloah], TWO divine Beings, in complete unity and harmony and purpose, also God [Elohim]! As Yah'shua (Jesus) said to His disciples:

"Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not know Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father ... Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? the words that I speak unto you, I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me" (John 14:9-11. KJV).

Yah'shua (Jesus) explained further in His final prayer for His disciples,

"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that THEY ALSO MIGHT BE ONE IN US ... And the glory which thou gavest Me I have given them; THAT THEY MAY BE ONE, EVEN AS WE ARE ONE: I in them, and Thou in Me, THAT THEY MAY BE MADE PERFECT IN ONE ... " (John 17:20-23, KJV)

What it Means, God [Eloah] is "One"

Do you see? God, the Father, is ONE GOD -- He is "ONE." The Hebrew expression connotes the meaning of "ONENESS." When the Father created the Logos, They became "ONE." And now, Christ, the Son of God, is bringing "MANY BRETHREN" INTO THIS DIVINE "ONENESS"!

The apostle Paul wrote:

"For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the IMAGE OF HIS SON [who is in HIS own image! -- Heb.1:1-2], that He might be the FIRSTBORN among MANY BRETHREN " (Romans 8:29, KJV).

Even as God the Father made the Logos His Son, and brought Christ into the world, as His Son, to die for our sins, He is now in the process of creating MANY MORE SONS AND DAUGHTERS -- just like Himself -- DIVINE -- who will all SHARE IN HIS "ONENESS" -- the Oneness of "GOD"!

"The Spirit itself [Aramaic, Herself] beareth witness with our spirit, that we ARE the CHILDREN OF GOD [Eloah]: And if children, then HEIRS; HEIRS OF GOD [Eloah], and JOINT-HEIRS WITH CHRIST [Messiah]; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also GLORIFIED TOGETHER " (Rom.8:16-17, KJV).

In the beginning, there was ONE God [Eloah] -- the "Father." In process of time, He created a FIRSTBORN SON -- THE LOGOS -- to share with Him in all creation, with whom He made the Universe, and Eloah [God] became Elohim [God]! He somehow took part of Himself, and fashioned that part -- that divine seed -- into a complete copy, an IMAGE of Himself!

Thus the ONE God [Eloah] now became TWO Beings [Elohim], but completely UNITED as "ONE," or "ONENESS." Originally, there was ONE Being who was "God" [Eloah]. He became "Two" [Elohim] by process of self-reproduction! Think for a moment. Does it really make sense that in the first "beginning" there were TWO Beings who were both "God" [Elohim]? If there were TWO, then they would both have to be EQUAL -- co-eternal, co-equal. But as we have seen, MANY Scriptures prove that Yah'shua (Jesus) or the Logos, is less powerful and under the authority of the One known as the "Father," and He Himself worships the Father and calls Him His "God" [Eloah]! Clearly, in the first beginning, there was ONE God [Eloah] -- and He later brought into being the Logos/Davar, or Word, who came forth from Him (John 6:46; 7:29; 8:42; 9:4; 10:29; 17:8).

Does it really make any sense that in the beginning there were TWO? Simple logic impels us to the conclusion that in the beginning there was originally ONE, and in a later "beginning," there were "Two." This is the real meaning of John 1:1, for in the original Hebrew/Aramaic and in the Greek translation we read, literally:

"In a beginning was the Word [Logos/Davar], and the Word [Logos/Davar] was with God [Eloah], and the Word [Logos/Davar] was God [Eloah]" (John 1:1, KJV).

The Englishman's Greek Interlinear correctly reveals there is no article "the" in the original Greek in John 1:1. The actual Greek language here is, "In beginning was the Word." The absence of a definite article indicates that the indefinite article "a" would be the appropriate translation here!

Similarly, in the Old Testament, in Genesis 1:1, we find the same thing in the original Hebrew. The text reads: "Bereshit bara Elohim ha shamayim va ha eretz". Literally, this means, "In [a] beginning, God ["the Mighty Ones" - Elohim] created the heavens and the earth." The lack of a definite article "the" for "beginning" has given rise to many different English translations, including the following:

"When God began to form the universe ..." (Moffatt).

"When God began to create heaven and earth ..." (Tanakh).

"When God began creating the heavens and the earth ..." (Living Bible).

The Divine Name Elohim

Who is this 'God' who created the heavens and the earth? The Hebrew word is Elohim, a fascinating word. Says the Critical-Experimental Commentary on the word Elohim:

"The Hebrew word Elohim, from its derivation and use, signifies 'strong,' 'mighty' ... A remarkable peculiarity, however, distinguishes this word; for it is A PLURAL NOUN accompanied with a SINGULAR VERB, which is the construction maintained for the most part throughout the Hebrew Scriptures of the Old Testament, though it is also found in various passages associated with plural adjuncts, and in such a connection it irresistibly suggests the idea of more objects than one. This interchange of singular and plural forms, as well as the frequent combination of both in the same sentence, constitutes a peculiar idiom unparalleled in any other language, and it demands particular attention ... The use of it originated from no imperative necessity. It arose from no grammatical defect; for the word existed in the singular form ... Nor was it occasioned by any poverty of language; for the Hebrew vocabulary is richer and more copious in names for the Deity than any other cultivated language ...

"The choice of Elohim, therefore, in preference to all other names for the Divine Being, must have been dictated by some special reason of great utility and importance. Applied as it commonly was to false deities, and liable, from that constant and familiar use, to suggest or foster polytheistic ideas, the introduction of such a term as the designation of the true God into a book which was designed to give a death-blow to idolatry ... seems altogether unaccountable except upon the ground that it was conducive to the promotion of the same high end; and therefore we are led to conclude by its use here in the PLURAL FORM is obscurely taught, at the opening of the Bible, a doctrine clearly revealed in the later portions of it -- viz., that though God is one, there is a PLURALITY OF PERSONS IN THE GODHEAD, who were engaged in the creative work " (p.1).

However, in the primordial beginning, there was ONE God, El (or Eloah), or "the Mighty One." Later, He somehow took part of Himself and fashioned a companion -- a SECOND member of the God Family or Kingdom, thus ONE became TWO -- yet they were still ONE in Unity function, and total harmony. Thus the SINGULAR EL became the PLURAL ELOHIM! Therefore, the two of them, acting as ONE GOD, and in every way truly ONE, require a SINGULAR VERB!

The Personality of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit)

To understand how the Son was created by the Father we must now turn to the third member of the Godhead, the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit). That the Spirit is a PERSON and not just an INVISIBLE FORCE is proven by many passages, though it is equally true that the ACTIVITY of the Spirit is often present in neutral, sexless terms.

To lie to the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) is to lie to God [Eloah] (Ac.5:3-4). And the way that the Third Member of the Godhead is linked to both the Father and the Son in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 would be a blasphemy if the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) were not God [Eloah]. The Ruach (Spirit) shows personality - thus She "understands" (Rom.8:27, Aram.), She "wills" (Ac.13:2; 1 Cor.12:11, Aram.), She may be "grieved" (Eph.4:30, Aram.). Such terms would be meaningless if applied solely to an impersonal power or influence.

The Feminine Gender of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit)

According to both classical Trinitarian and Binitarian models, the Third Member of the Godhead is MALE. The problem here is that in the Hebrew OLD TESTAMENT the Spirit is always FEMALE (ruach) and in the GREEK New Testament always NEUTER (pneuma), thus creating a CONTRADICTION. When translated into Latin (spiritus) the Spirit becomes MALE. The Western belief that the Holy Spirit is male comes from the Roman language, Latin, not from either Hebrew or Greek. No Person can have three genders!

The problem is eliminated when we turn to the original HEBREW and ARAMAIC texts of the New Testament from which the GREEK texts were translated. As one scholar notes:

"One problem that presents itself in translating the New Testament from Hebrew and Aramaic into English is that of the gender of the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit). English is very different from Hebrew and Aramaic. To begin with, English has three genders, masculine, feminine and neuter (i.e. he, she and it). Hebrew and Aramaic have no neuter gender. In Hebrew and Aramaic everything is either a "he" or a "she" and nothing is an "it". Also gender plays a much more important rôle in Hebrew and in Aramaic than in English. In English gender is usually only an issue when dealing with pronouns. But in Hebrew and Aramaic nouns and verbs are also masculine or feminine. And while there are no true adjectives in Hebrew (nouns are also used as adjectives), noun modifiers must agree in gender with the noun. Now the Hebrew word RUACH (Aramaic RUCHA) is grammatically feminine as is the phrase Ruach haKodesh. This is matched by the rôle of the Ruach haKodesh as "comforter" (Jn.14-16) and the identifier of the "comforter" with YHWH acting as a "mother" (Is.66:13).

"Now in English the Ruach is often referred to as "he" or "it" as also in the Greek New Testament. However this seems very odd indeed to the Semitic mind.

"Now it is very clear that the gender of the RUACH has been revised in many passages of the Aramaic to agree with the Hellenistic concept of the Holy Spirit as being either a "he" or an "it". Thus the pronouns used for the Ruach haKodesh in Jn.14-16 in the Peshitta are all masculine. However, the hand of revision is very clear. For example while both the Peshitta and Old Syriac have "he" in Jn.16:8 the Old Syriac has "she" just a few verses further down in 16:13 while the Peshitta has "he".

"Moreover there are many passages in which the Peshitta itself pairs the Ruach haKodesh with feminine verbs and/or feminine modifiers. Mk.1:10; Jn.1:32-33; 6:63; 7:39; Acts 8:29,39; 16:17; Rom.8:9-11,16,26a,26b; 1 Cor.3:16; 1 Tim.4:1; 1 Pet.1:11; 4:14 and 1 Jn.5:6. In fact the Peshitta Aramaic of Rom.8:16 opens with:

"And She the Ruach gives testimony ..."

(James S. Trimm, Hebraic-Roots Version "New Testament", 2001, SANJ, Hurst, Texas, pp.xxxiii-xxxiv)

The Book of Proverbs and the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit)

Because of this confusion of genders both scholars and scriptorians often mistakenly believe that the "Wisdom" of God in the Book of Proverbs is an allusion to the Second Member of the Godhead, Yah'shua (Jesus). Thus William F. Dankenbring writes:

"A clear allusion to this fact of divine unity of plurality is found in the book of Proverbs. Here the second member of the Godhead is revealed, as the "Wisdom" of God. Notice this remarkable Scripture witness!:

"The LORD [Yahweh] possessed me in the BEGINNING of his way, before His works of old. I was set up [established] FROM EVERLASTING, from the BEGINNING, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I WAS BROUGHT FORTH [CREATED, BORN]; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I BROUGHT FORTH [CREATED, BORN] ... When He prepared the heavens, I WAS THERE ... when He appointed the foundations of the earth: THEN I WAS BY HIM, as one brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him; rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men" (Proverbs 8:22-31, KJV).

The Old Testament "Wisdom" is a Female Personage

However, as Karen Vaughan points out:

"Sophia, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Hochmah is the feminine personification of Wisdom in the Pentateuch. She is neither a goddess nor a new age creation of feminist theologians. She was a real biblical person with more material on her in the Old Testament (with Apocrypha) than anyone in the scriptures, except God, Job, Moses and David ...

"One reason we little consider Sophia, even in readings of the Old Testament, is that English translations usually translate the feminine Sophia into the abstract "Wisdom". Although the Greek and Hebrew words were fully feminine, the English is not. The fullest development of her is in the so-called "Wisdom Books" of the apocrypha in the Greek Pentateuch (sic. - should be Tanakh or Old Testament - ed.) that were canonised into Christian Scripture and are still used by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Sophia dominates the first nine chapters of Proverbs and is found in both the Old and New Testaments.

"In the Hebrew tradition, Sophia was considered to have been with God from the beginning of Creation. In Proverbs 8:27-51, Sophia says:

"When He [Yahweh] set the heavens in place, I was present,
When He drew a ring on the surface of the deep,
When He fixed the clouds above,
When He fixed fast the wells of the deep,
when He assigned the sea its limits-
and the waters will not invade the land,
when He established the foundations of the earth,
I was by His side, a master craftswoman,
delighting Him day after day,
ever at play by His side,
at play everywhere in His domain,
delighting to be with the children of humanity."

"Sophia, in the biblical creation was not 'a god', but was a divine being. It is not clear that She was uncreated like Jesus [Yah'shua]: the word used to refer to Her creation also means "acquired" by God. Proverbs 8:22 - "God created me [acquired me] (Sophia) when God's purpose first unfolded." Ecclesiasticus 1:14 - "before all things, Sophia was created." She serves at the heart of the creative process, as Wisdom and as Teacher who was sent by God to save humanity. The book of Wisdom speaks to Her divinity (7:25-26):

She is the breath of His [Yahweh's] power & a stream of pure glory of the Almighty. This is why nothing polluted enters Her. For She mirrors Yahwehs energy completely, and She images His goodness."

(Review of the book Sophia in the Biblical Tradition (Harper and Row; 1986) by Susan Cady, Marian Ronan and Hal Taussig)

From this we are able to come to two stunning conclusions:

• 1. Hochma/Sophia/Wisdom was CREATED;
• 2. She is GOD (ELOHIM) in a subordinate sense.

In other words, She was created at some "beginning" JUST AS YAH'SHUA (JESUS) was. In Hebrew tradition, Hochma / Sophia / Wisdom is known also as the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) (Prov.8:22-31) and the HEAVENLY MOTHER -- a created being, and was "by God's [Yahweh's] side".

A Divine Lesson from the Creation of Man

Similarly, when God made man, He first made Adam. Adam came first -- and he was alone. So God said:

"It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" (Gen.2:18, KJV).

Does this show us that God [Eloah] the Father decided, originally, that it was not good for Himself to remain alone -- and so He made Hochmah / Sophia / Mother / Holy Spirit, to be "an help meet [fitting] for Him"? It seems very plausible.

Notice what God [Elohim] did next:

"And the LORD God [Yahweh-Elohim] caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the LORD God [Yahweh-Elohim] had taken from man, made He a WOMAN, and brought her unto the man [and I would bet that when Adam saw her, he flipped!] And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman [Isha], because she was taken out of Man [Ish]" (Gen.2:21-23, KJV).

"After His Kind" --"Image and Likeness"

Was the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) originally "taken out of" the Father, even as Eve was taken out of Adam, from his rib? Did Yahweh similarly create the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) in time primordial?

"With God [Eloah], all things are possible" (Matt.19:26).

"For with God [Eloah] nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37).

What then of the Logos / Davar / Son? He is described as the First BORN of all creation. Since sons (and daughters) are birthed from two parents, is it not conceivable that the only begotten Son, Yah'shua (Jesus), was also similarly supernaturally conceived by Yahweh [God] and the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit)? And was not this same Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) the moving force for His subsequent PHYSICAL VIRGIN CONCEPTION?

These are radical thoughts but they do harmonise all the scriptures. And if this is not enough, the Scriptures further teach that the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) is not One Person but SEVEN (Rev.5:6; 4:5; 3:1; 1:4). Could it be that Yahweh [God] the Father created different orders of being through different Holy Spirits - Yah'shua (Jesus) Himself (uniquely - the "only begotten"), the angels (perhaps several orders), and mankind (to name some)? Such a notion is not only by no means CONTRADICTED by the Scriptures but actually HARMONISES with them. It resolves all the apparent paradoxes.

Heresy?

Trinitarians, of course, will deny this. They will cry, "Impossible!" They will shout, "Heresy!" But it is perhaps they who are the real heretics, who deny the plain Scriptures of the Word of God? Why should it be thought impossible that GOD, who can do all things, can also therefore REPRODUCE HIMSELF?

The whole story in Genesis chapter 1 is that God [Elohim] CREATED the world, and life -- and that all life reproduces "AFTER ITS KIND" (Gen.1:11-12, 21, 24-25, KJV). Then God [Elohim] made MAN -- but He made mankind DIFFERENT.

"And GOD [Elohim] said, Let US [the Father, the Logos and the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit)] make MAN in OUR IMAGE [physical shape, with a body fashioned to look like God's own body, only flesh instead of spirit!], AFTER OUR LIKENESS [that is, character and personality, spiritual maturity, wisdom, intelligence, creative ability! -- potentially!]: And let them have DOMINION [rulership, government, authority!] .... So God [Elohim] created man IN HIS OWN IMAGE, IN THE IMAGE OF GOD created He him; male and female created He them" (Gen.1:26-27, KJV).

The Essence of GOD

Do we understand? The essence of God [Eloah], His Supreme Characteristic, is ultimately, ONENESS (echad). God is "ONE." Even though He can reproduce Himself, the result is still ONENESS (echad). God the Father, the Logos, and the Ruach haQodesh / Mother / Holy Spirit act as ONE. They are in each other, and think alike, and are in complete harmony and co-operation.

Even so, God [Eloah] has called us to become ONE WITH HIM. He desires that we share in His ONENESS (echad). He is like a PERFECT FAMILY, with total LOVE as the supreme characteristic, expressing itself in TOTAL UNITY and HARMONY.

When God created Eve for Adam, He said:

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall CLEAVE unto his wife: and they shall be ONE [echad] FLESH" (Gen.2:24).

Remember, the Hebrew word echad means a "unity," a "togetherness," "oneness." Two individuals, two parts, become an integrated, harmonious WHOLE ONE.

God [Eloah] is in the process of making all of us, who yield to Him, and obey Him, trust in Messiah (Christ), and keep His commandments -- ONE [echad] -- ONENESS WITH HIM!

As Paul wrote,

"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord [Adon] Jesus Christ [Yah'shua the Messiah], of whom the WHOLE FAMILY in heaven and earth is NAMED " (Ephesians 3:14-15, KJV)

-- that is, the Family named "GOD" [Elohim]!

"There Is None Like Me"

God [Elohim] says -- that is, the Father, the Logos [Yah'shua], and the Spirit [Ruach], speaking and acting AS ONE (echad), as a UNITY:

"Before Me there was no God [El] formed, neither shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD [Yahweh]; and beside me there is no Saviour" (Isa.43:10, KJV).

God [Elohim] says further:

"Thus saith the LORD [Yahweh], the King of Israel, and his Redeemer the LORD [Yahweh] of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God [Elohim]" (Isaiah 44:6).

"Is there a God [Eloah] beside me? yea, there is no God (created - tsur) [beside me]; I know not any" (Isa.44:8).

Do these Scriptures nullify everything I have written so far?

Again, we read:

"... and there is no God [Elohim] else beside Me; a just God [El] and a Saviour [Mashiach]; there is none beside Me. Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God [El], and there is none else" (Isaiah 45:21-22, KJV).

Does this mean God CANNOT "add" to His Family?

"Remember the former things of old: for I am God [El], and there is none else; for I am God [Elohim], and there is none like Me" (Isa.46:9, KJV).

What about these verses? Do they somehow negate all that we've discussed so far? Do they somehow "prove" the Trinity doctrine is right? Or the Binary God doctrine? Do these verses state categorically that God is One Person with Three Personalities? Wouldn't that make Him a Schizoid God with a Split Personality, reminiscent of the movie "The Three Faces of Eve"?

Let's be fair, and honest. These verses only state the obvious -- that the FATHER is SUPREME GOD [El/Eloah] -- and there is no other "God" beside Him, who exists, or brought himself into existence, or who can compare or compete with God the Father! But the Father has chosen to REPRODUCE HIMSELF in the LOGOS through the RUACH, so now the Three (or Nine) of them, Three (Nine) Divine Beings, called Elohim in Genesis, which translates literally as "THE MIGHTY ONES," acting together, as ONE WILL and ONE MIND, constitute the ONE GOD WHO, AS ELOHIM, created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). Therefore, in this case, the Plural form Elohim takes the singular verb, bara -- for God is a UNITY, echad, "ONEness"!

Therefore, there was no God formed before God the Father (Isa.44:10), nor apart from Him, nor shall any "God being" come into existence apart from Him or be formed after Him! But in saying this, God obviously excepts Himself and His own Divine Family Plan! He can do as He wishes! No "God" being will ever be formed apart from His own plan, energy, and activity!

When God the Father reproduces Himself, and makes more members of the divine God Family, they all enter into HIS ONENESS. They become PART OF HIM -- PERFECTLY ONE WITH HIM AND CHRIST, even as they are ONE! AS Yah'shua (Jesus) prayed, "That they all may be ONE; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in thee, that they ALSO may be ONE IN US" (John 17:21), "that they may be one, EVEN AS WE ARE ONE" (verse 22), "I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be MADE PERFECT IN ONE" (John 17:23). Notice! He said -- "PERFECT IN ONE"!

And what did Yah'shua (Jesus) expect of us:

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matt.5:48, NKJV - cp. 19:21).

Therefore, when this happens, we become literally PART OF GOD! Therefore, we become part of the One, the Supreme Essence and Personality, who says, of Himself, and INCLUDES us as His CHILDREN, as part of Himself, when He says it:

"I am He: before Me there was no God [El] formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD [Yahweh] ..." (Isa.43:10-11, KJV).

When God and Christ say:

"I am the first, and I am the last; and beside Me there is no God [Elohim - not 'El' or 'Eloah']" (Isaiah 44:6; compare Rev.1:8, 11, 18; 3:14; 21:6; 22:13)

the reference is to BOTH of them as a UNITY, as ONE. But in Isaiah 41:4, God says:

"I the LORD [Yahweh], the first, and WITH the last; I am He!"

Notice! He said He is here "WITH the last"! Does this not indicate that in process of time, He will EXPAND His own family, and the Godhead? In this way, CREATION WILL CONTINUE FOR EVER!

Do you comprehend? There is NO LIMIT to God! And as He reproduces and develops His ONENESS throughout His Divine FAMILY, the whole CREATION will grow, and surge, and expand, and increase, in glory, and majesty, and beauty, and love, and height, and depth, and breadth, and length, and IN ALL DIMENSIONS known and unknown!

There is NO LIMIT to God. He can, as He chooses, go on MULTPLYING and EXPANDING and increasing His Kingdom, FOREVER, adding to CREATION!

Beside Him, and His progeny, His offspring, apart from His ONENESS -- there is no other God, none at all! He says, "Is there a God beside me? [and by extension, "beside my family"? "Beside those whom I make a part of ME"?] yea, there is no God [beside me, and my Oneness]; I know not any" (Isaiah 44:8, KJV).

Yahweh's Angels and Judges are Also Elohim

Is it not also a "coincidence" that those whom Yahweh has placed as His rulers in Israel - the Judges - are also called elohim? (Ex.21:6; 22:8, 9) And is it, further more, not interesting that Yah'shua (Jesus) went to the trouble of pointing the same thing out to those who accused Him of blasphemy when He equated Himself with Deity, by reminding His detractors of a similar passage of Scripture in the Davidic psalms? (Ps.82:6 cp. Jn.10:34) And is it not even more interesting that Yahweh also calls His ANGELS elohim? (Ps.8:5) Are these not indicative of a single divine family -- of a SINGLE ELOHIM?

The True "Never-Ending Story"

God is not like the pagans, and the Greeks, and the Trinitarians, imagine. He is not some monolithic never-changing ethereal spirit. He is LIVING! And one of the key characteristics of ALL LIVING THINGS is that they GROW, and they REPRODUCE!

The supreme law of biology known as the great Law of Biogenesis states simply that "LIFE REPRODUCES LIFE" -- or that it requires LIFE to bring forth LIFE! Living things cannot be produced from dead or inanimate objects! Only LIFE produces LIFE! This truth has been demonstrated time and time again in the test tubes of science and scientific laboratories. The Second Law of Biogenesis states that "living things only reproduce after their own kind."

God is LIFE! That is one of His supreme characteristics! He is therefore reproducing life, and He is reproducing after HIS OWN KIND, in his image and likeness!

The Never-Ending Story of Yahweh-Elohim

The Trinity doctrine limits God. It denies Him the ability and opportunity to REPRODUCE Himself, as all living things on this planet do! It denies His Plan, revealed in the Scriptures! It limits Him to some sort of "Three-in-One" Triangle, which nobody can understand or make any sense of! It defies logic, common sense and human intellect and experience!

No human corporation, with three "Presidents," will get anywhere! And where would the United States of America be if it had THREE "Presidents" instead of one? Confusion! Chaos! The whole thing boggles the mind and marinates the brain!

God is NOT and never was a "Trinity" -- nor does He ever intend on limiting Himself to a "Trinity"! Rather, He is the SUPREME BEING who is building a Creation, and part of that Creation is the reproduction and multiplication of Beings like Himself, who have been saved by Christ, with the very same character, humility, love, and UNITY of mind and purpose, who will rule with Him -- as His subjects -- over an ever-expanding and growing UNIVERSE -- THE KINGDOM OF GOD!

The Incredible Adventure

Isaiah wrote of the Plan of God:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God [El], The everlasting [more accurately, 'mighty'] Father, The Prince of Peace. OF THE INCREASE OF HIS GOVERNMENT AND PEACE THERE SHALL BE NO END ... " (Isaiah 9:6-7, KJV).

Did you get that? "NO END" to the INCREASE of His authority, His Kingdom, His Peace and Prosperity -- NO END TO THE GROWTH, EXPANSION, AND MULTIPLICATION! The Hebrew word for "increase" here is marbiyth and literally means "a multitude, offspring, interest on capital, greatness, increase, multitude" (Strong's, #4768). Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon defines it as "multitude, magnitude, very great part, progeny, interest, usury," and is related to the root of the Greek/Latin/English word for "fetus," "fecund," "fecundity," "fertility." In other words, the FAMILY OF GOD WILL CONTINUE EXPANDING, GROWING, REPRODUCING, MULTIPLYING AS THE KINGDOM OF GOD EXPANDS AND GROWS! The Hebrew word for "end" in this verse is kates and means "extremity, border, end, finite" (Strongs, #7093). Coupled with the word "no," the expression means there will be NO BORDER, NO END OR TERMINATION, NO LIMIT OR FINITE ENDING to the Family of God -- it will be INFINITE, and will grow throughout INFINITE ETERNITY!!

Can your feeble brain and mine comprehend such an awesome, incredible, marvellous thing? And just think of it! We are called and chosen of God to be a wonderful, integral part of it!

Further Reading on the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit)

[1] Sebastian Brock, The Holy Spirit as Feminine in Early Syriac Literature
[2] Johannes van Oort, The Holy Spirit as Feminine: Early Christian testimonies and their interpretation (Herv.teol.stud. vol.72 n.1 Pretoria 2016)
[3] The NCAY Trinity (Prototrinitarianism) website

NCAY Videos (with no written text)

[1] ITS038 Two Amazing Encounters with the Heavenly Mother: The Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit)

"Just read with complete fascination your article Yah'shua_Godhead. You have just answered a prayer! And it ties in perfectly with something that happened a couple of weeks ago. I was in prayer and asked for the Holy Spirit to reveal him/herself to me and to speak to me. I fell into something I guess was a brief trance and heard someone say to me 'He is family'... you've helped me tremendously to understand my burning question about the trinity. Thank you and God Bless you." (J, UK - 30 August 2009)

"This is excellent and so important! If only every believer could read this." (DC, USA, 30 May 2009)

"I found another verse a day or two ago that Elohim used to confirm and highlight that Yah'shua truly became man, and not just take on a type of 'physical form' (like I began sharing after your devotional about godly authority or authorities, of how Elohim used Scripture to confirm that Yah'shua, like Aaron, was chosen as a man among men by Elohim to be our High Priest)...

"He brought up to confirm again that Yah'shua truly became man and not just take on a kind of physical form was 1 Corinthians 15:21 "For since by *man*[Adam] came death, by Man [Yah'shua] also came the resurrection of the dead." Also, while checking this verse, I saw this also what Romans 5:15 looks at and contrasts - of how by one man's offense many died, but much more the grace of Elohim and the gift through the grace of one Man, Yah'shua the Messiah, abounded to many... contrasting the death bought by one man [Adam's] offense and by one Man [Christ's] obedience by Elohim's grace and enabling, many will be made righteous and alive (Romans 5:19)

"And with these things, the understanding that if Yah'shua (who truly is Elohim and Yahweh's son) hadn't become man, we couldn't have been saved, because of where death had come through man, that resurrection had to come through Man as well? (DP, South Africa, 30 January 2011)

"Shalom! A very good article! thanks a lot Achi Christopher for sharing your message. I remember reading Watchman Nee's book about the Godhead. He explained that it's like electricity that consists of light, heat and power. That's how he explained it. the way you explained it gives a clear understanding of the relationship between the Godhead. Thanks again. You have a very deep insight of the Scriptures" (RL, Indonesia, 19 February 2014)

This page was created on 4 February 2002 Last updated on 7 September 2023

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