Program 163: Shocking evidence of Christ’s full humanity

Priests were always human as they served as mediators between divinity and humanity. Christ’s full humanity is revealed by the fact that he is our priest and priests cannot be divine.

Welcome to WLC Radio, a subsidiary of World’s Last Chance Ministries, an online ministry dedicated to learning how to live in constant readiness for the Savior's return.

For two thousand years, believers of every generation have longed to be the last generation. Contrary to popular belief, though, Christ did not give believers “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, he repeatedly warned that his coming would take even the faithful by surprise. Yahushua urgently warned believers to be ready because, he said, “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [Matthew 24:44]

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.

* * *Part 1: Christ’s Full Humanity

Miles Robey: Hello! Welcome to WLC Radio. I’m your host, Miles Robey and have we got an interesting line up for today’s program! Dave Wright is going to be presenting some unique evidence to support the fact that Yahushua is fully human and not, as most of us have been taught, part of a triune godhead or, as they say, “God the Son.”

Later, in our daily mailbag segment, we’re going to be talking about Yahushua’s use of the phrase, “I Am.” Does this support the theology of Yahushua as God the Son? Keep listening to find out!

Anytime we change beliefs, the ripple effects are far-reaching. I know there are a small handful of Christian sects that have always denied a triune godhead, but the church in which I was raised was not one of them. For most of my life, I believed in a trinity. So, even though it’s been a few years since I studied out the Biblical proof that the nature of Yahuwah is unitarian—He is one—rather than trinitarian—one in three—I still find myself surprised at the various doctrines impacted by this change in beliefs.

Dave? What can you tell us about this new evidence that supports Christ’s full humanity?

Dave Wright: Well, you’re right, Miles. Changing one belief does have very far-reaching effects, ones we don’t always see when we lay aside error and embrace new light. It’s rather like the so-called “butterfly effect” where a small change in some initial condition or situation results in much larger changes in later conditions or situations.

Miles: Reminds me of a really old proverb that describes a chain of causality.

Dave: Oh, really? Which one?

Miles: Well, different languages have their own version of it, but it goes back at least as far as the 13^th century. It goes:

For want of a nail the shoe was lost,
for want of a shoe the horse was lost,
for want of a horse the knight was lost,
for want of a knight the battle was lost,
for want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
So a kingdom was lost—all for want of a nail.

Dave: That is what happens when you decide to follow truth, laying aside all error. Not that a kingdom is lost, for we actually gain eternal life in Yahuwah’s kingdom, but that one small change can have very far-reaching effects that ripple down through centuries.

For example, when the Julian calendar was first established, it had an eight-day week. A few centuries later, the Romans adopted the pagan planetary week that began on Saturday and ended on Friday. This was later changed to start on Sunday and end on Saturday. When the Jews and apostolic Christians were persecuted for worshipping by the Biblical calendar, Hillel II made some modifications and adopted rules of postponement, allowing the Jews to worship on the continuous weekly cycle of the pagan calendar. So, what’s the ripple effect from that, 1,700 years later?

Miles: Well, you’ve got the majority of Christendom thinking Christ was resurrected on Sunday, because it’s the first day of the modern week, and you’ve got Saturday-Sabbatarians convinced that Saturday is the Biblical Sabbath because it falls on the seventh day of the modern week.

Dave: Right. You’ve got this whole house of cards built on error because of the ripple effects from those changes centuries ago.

Now, recently I learned of some additional evidence that supports the full humanity of Yahushua. It’s been in front of our faces all along, we’ve just never understood the full significance of what Scripture was saying.

Miles: And what’s that?

Dave: The role of Yahushua as our high priest. The role of high priest is interwoven throughout Scripture and, as applies to the Saviour, is expounded upon in Hebrews. We all know this. This is nothing new. Even trinitarians are aware of the passages in Hebrews that talk about the work of Yahushua as our high priest.

What we haven’t seen, however, is that the work of the high priest dictates that the high priest—any high priest—must be fully human. Now I know plenty of trinitarians say that Christ is fully human and fully divine.

Miles: Yeah, I used to believe that, too.

Dave: Fine. But the point is: you can’t be a high priest if you are any part divine. The work of the high priest necessitates that he always be fully human. Not fully human and fully divine, just fully human.

Miles: How so?

Dave: Well, let’s look at what Scripture has to say. The very first time a priest is mentioned in Scripture is centuries before Sinai. We hear “priest” and we think of Aaron and his sons and the tribe of Levi. But there was a priest much earlier than that. Turn to Genesis chapter 14.

You’ll remember this story. It’s when four Canaanite kings went to war against five Canaanite kings and Abram’s nephew, Lot, got caught in the crossfire. He and his family were taken prisoner. When word reached Abram, what did he do?

Miles: Well, he gathered up his own personal army, 318 men, wasn’t it? And went and rescued Lot and everyone else taken prisoner.

Dave: Right! Now, this is Abram we’re talking about here. Yahuwah hadn’t even changed his name to Abraham yet. This was years before Isaac was born.

Miles: Really early on.

Dave: Really early on. And yet, we find in this story that there is a priest. And not only a priest, but a priest of Yahuwah. Let’s read it. Start at verse, uh … 16. Genesis 14 verses 16 to 20.

Miles:

And he [Abram] brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. [Genesis 14:16-20]

Dave: “He gave him.” Abram gave Melchizedek a tithe of all he’d recovered in war.

“The most high God,” or “God Most High” as it says in some translations, comes from the Hebrew “El Elyon.” “Elyon” indicates the supreme or the highest. And the highest or most supreme is … whom?

Miles: Yahuwah.

Dave: There’s only one! So here, before Abram was assured of a son, before he was promised that the Messiah would come through him, centuries before the Levitical priesthood was instituted at Mt. Sinai, we’ve got a priest of “the most high God.” And Abram paid tithes to him!

Miles: Which is significant!

Dave: It is. As the author of Hebrews explained, it was the lesser paying respect to the greater.

Now, before we go on, let’s spend a moment talking about the trinity. The triune godhead of Christians is supposed to be God the Father (or Yahuwah); God the Son (or Yahushua); and God the Holy Spirit. But they’re all three co-equal partners. They’re all considered to be fully God, right?

Miles: Right. Some Christians even say they’re all three of the same “essence.”

Dave: And now we’ve got a problem. There are some trinitarians that teach Melchizedek was the pre-incarnate Christ. This is because no one knows who he was, who his parents were, or anything about him.

Miles: Yeah. Hebrews makes that really clear. Listen to this. It’s Hebrews 7 verses 1 to 3. It says:

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.

Dave: Okay, you’re getting just a little bit ahead of me here.

Miles: Sorry!

Dave: It’s all right. It’s a good passage. No one knows who he was or where he came from. That’s why some people have assumed he must be the pre-incarnate Christ. But that’s impossible, and the sheer impossibility of this demonstrates why Yahushua had to be fully human.

Go back to Genesis 14. What does it say Melchizedek did? Actually, what did he say to Abram? Verse, uh, verses 19 and 20.

Miles: He pronounced a blessing on Abram.

Dave: All right. Read those verses. Notice especially what Melchizedek said in verse 20. Go ahead.

Miles:

And [Melchizedek] blessed [Abram] and said:

“Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

Dave: Now, if Melchizedek were indeed “God the Son” in his pre-incarnate form, what would he be doing here in verse 20?

Miles: Um … Oh! He’d be pronouncing a blessing on himself, wouldn’t he? Because it says, “And blessed be the most high God.” It would be “God” blessing Himself!

Dave: Exactly! It doesn’t make logical sense, does it?

Miles: No, no. That’s just ridiculous.

Dave: Melchizedek could not be any form or part of “God,” pre-incarnate or otherwise, and still pronounce a blessing on the “Most High God,” because he’d be pronouncing a blessing on himself.

Let’s go back to Hebrews 7 again.

Miles: All right.

Dave: So, as you read a moment ago, the author of Hebrews is acknowledging the mysterious origins of Melchizedek. We don’t know who he was, what his lineage was. We don’t know the particulars of his life or death. Nothing, except that he was king of Jerusalem and priest of the Most High God. Now, read again verse 3. What does that say?

Miles: “Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.”

Dave: Made—like—the Son of God. Now, if Melchizedek were indeed “God the Son,” as some believe, how on earth could the author of Hebrews say that Melchizedek was “made like the Son of God”?

It would be like me saying something like, “Miles was made like Miles.”

Miles: That doesn’t even make sense!

Dave: No. So, clearly, Yahushua was not Melchizedek. Melchizedek was not a pre-incarnate Christ.

Miles: Is there anything we can deduce about Melchizedek? He’s a very curious character.

Dave: Sure! There’s plenty. The Bible does not say whether Melchizedek was high priest or just a priest, serving under a high priest. However, Scripture does say that he was a king. At this time of earth’s history, the oldest son inherited both the father’s material wealth as well as spiritual prerogatives as head of the family clan. Isaac inherited from Abraham. Isaac wanted to bestow both onto Esau, but Esau sold his birthright of both to the younger twin brother, Jacob.

Jacob, in turn, refused to give the birthright of head of the household to his oldest son, Simeon, because of a deed Simeon had done that had greatly dishonored Jacob. It went instead to Judah. Later, the spiritual prerogatives of the first-born son were bestowed on the tribe descended from Levi. They became the tribe of priests. So, it was a common thing back then for kings to be high priest as well. It is safe to assume that’s what Melchizedek was.

Miles: Huh! Interesting.

Dave: While Genesis 14 is the first time Melchizedek appears in Scripture, notice that Abraham doesn’t appear surprised to meet him. You wouldn’t just turn over a tenth of your possessions to a complete stranger, would you? So we can reasonably conclude that this was something Abram had either done before or, at the very least, had heard of Melchizedek before and knew he was a priest of Yahuwah. They may have even had a close friendship. We don’t know.

Miles: Yeah, that makes sense.

Dave: We may not know his origins, but we can rest assured that he was fully human. And this brings us to an important point: priests must be fully human in order to fulfill the work of priests. You can’t be divine and still a priest.

Miles: Now why do you say that?

Dave: Because the work of a priest is to … what?

Miles: Make atonement?

Dave: To mediate. Making atonement is part of that. The definition of mediation is the act of resolving differences between opposing parties. Atonement is to bring conflicting parties together, to make them “at one” through mediation.

This is the surprising proof we have that Yahushua is not—in fact, cannot be—divine. If Yahushua, like Yahuwah, is “God,” then … what? He’s mediating with himself? He’s acting as mediator between mankind and … himself?

Miles: That’s simply preposterous, isn’t it? I have to admit, I’ve never picked up on that contradiction before. It’s really ridiculous.

Dave: Well, we need to pick up on these things. This is one of the ripple effects of laying aside the trinity heresy. We start seeing truths and connections we never saw before.

I’d like you to turn to 1 Timothy chapter 2. There’s a very important statement here that, when we were trinitarians, we just kind of glided over. But, now seeing the sheer ridiculousness of God mediating between Himself and man, let’s take a look at it. It’s 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 5. Go ahead and read it as soon as you’ve got it.

Miles: All right … um, it says …: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Yahushua.”

Dave: The man Christ Yahushua. You can’t get a clearer statement than this: “There is one God and one mediator … the man Christ Yahushua

Not only does this clearly spell out Christ’s nature—he’s a man—but just as clearly he could not have been that mediator between God and man if he himself were also God. Do you see that?

Miles: Yeah. That just cancels it out, doesn’t it? If Yahushua were the equally divine, co-eternal partner, “God the Son,” that verse would read: “There is now one God and one mediator between God and men, God the Son.” It doesn’t make logical sense. But we’ve split this theological hair, haven’t we? It’s what you have to do when you accept error.

Dave: Yahuwah does not mediate between man and Himself. That’s not what a mediator does. The mediator has to be a separate party. It defies logic to say that Yahushua is both God (or divine) and mediator. And I’m using “God” in the all-inclusive sense that trinitarians do: God the Father is assumed to be one with and of the same substance as God the Son. So just leave off the phrases, “the Father” and “the Son.” Just use God, because if they’re all one, you can do that.

And what have you got? You’ve got “God” being His own mediator. And if He is indeed His own mediator, why didn’t He simply say “I will mediate between mankind and Myself”? But he didn’t do that.

Miles: Wow. The mental gymnastics you have to do to make sense of this when you try to reconcile truth with error is amazing, isn’t it?

We need to take a quick break and when we return, let’s talk about Yahushua’s role, his work as high priest.

Dave: Sure, we can do that.

Miles: Stay tuned, we’ll be right back!

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* * *Part 2: Christ’s Full Humanity

Miles: It’s obvious to any thinking person that “God”—however you wish to define that, either as one or as three-in-one—does not and cannot mediate between others and Himself. By its very definition, to mediate requires an outside party. So, let’s talk now about how this all applies to Yahushua and his work as our high priest.

Dave: All right. This theme appears prominently in the Book of Hebrews so let’s start there. Would you please read Hebrews 9 verse 11 for us.

Miles: All right … give me just a second here … It says: “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.”

Dave: So Yahushua in his role of Messiah has a dual role as mediator and high priest. But he’s not a priest of the Levitical line. Only descendants of Levi could be priests and Yahushua was from the tribe of Judah. This makes Yahushua’s position as a priest superior to those of the Levitical line.

Miles: How so?

Dave: To answer that, we need to look again at Melchizedek. Melchizedek is only mentioned three times in the Bible. The first, you read. It’s when Abram paid tithes to him. The second is found in Psalm 110. This is an important psalm. Why don’t you turn there? This is where David received the covenant from Yah of being king. It foreshadowed the Messiah. Start with verse 1. What does that say?

Miles: “Yahuwah said to my Lord,
‘Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’”

Dave: This, of course, was a promise to David. But David was a forefather of the Messiah. This psalm has a secondary application to the Messiah. Drop down to verse 4 and read that.

Miles:

Yahuwah has sworn
And will not relent,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”

Dave: David, like Yahushua, was of the tribe of Judah, not Levi. So being proclaimed a priest after the order of Melchizedek was a very high honor because the priesthood of Melchizedek supersedes that of Levi.

Let’s turn now to Hebrews. Melchizedek appears in Hebrews 6 and 7 where the New Covenant is being discussed and it’s natural that he would appear because Melchizedek is what ties together the entire covenant plan, both old and new, from Abram, to David under the old covenant, and on down to the Messiah under the new.

Miles: Oooh! So that’s why Yah’s promises to make Yahushua king are always tied up with His promises to make a priest “according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Dave: Exactly. It’s an everlasting kingship as well as an everlasting priesthood over all the nations.

Let’s read that. You’re in Hebrews. Read verses 13 to 19 of chapter 6.

Miles:

For when [Yahuwah] made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.

Thus [Yahuwah], determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for [Yahuwah] to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Yahushua, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Dave: Okay, then, in chapter 7, he talks about who Melchizedek was. That Abram paid him tithes, etc. Pick it up at verse 4.

Miles:

Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. [Hebrews 7:4-10]

Dave: This is explaining why the Melchizedek priestly line is superior to the Levitical priesthood. It predates it.

Keep going. Verse 11.

Miles:

Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. For he of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar.

For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. For He testifies:

“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”

For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to [Yah]. [Hebrews 7:11-19]

Dave: The Levitical priesthood was always intended to come to an end. This is an important point most people, in their preaching about the establishment of a third temple, don’t realize.

Miles: Why do you say that? Where do you get that from?

Dave: From Scripture! Turn to Ezekiel 44 and start reading at verse 10. This is where we get a very clear demarcation between the Levitical priests and the priests that serve after the order of Melchizedek.

Miles: Okay, it says:

The Levites who went far from me when Israel went astray and who wandered from me after their idols must bear the consequences of their sin. They may serve in my sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and serving in it; they may slaughter the burnt offerings and sacrifices for the people and stand before the people and serve them. But because they served them in the presence of their idols and made the people of Israel fall into sin, therefore I have sworn with uplifted hand that they must bear the consequences of their sin, declares the Sovereign Yahuwah. They are not to come near to serve me as priests or come near any of my holy things or my most holy offerings; they must bear the shame of their detestable practices. [Ezekiel 44:10-13]

Dave: Someone has to serve the people. Someone has to offer sin offerings, perform marriages, dedicate babies. These are all the jobs of the Levitical priests. They serve the people for the simple reason that Yahuwah cannot deal directly with sinful humanity.

This work, though, is very different from the work performed by the priests of Melchizedek. Read verses 15 and 16.

Miles:

But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign Yahuwah. They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and serve me as guards.

Dave: “Zadok” is a variation of “Melchizedek.” You can even hear it: Melchizadok.” Hebrews translates “Melchizedek” as “king of Righteousness” and “Zadok” means “righteous.”

This line of priests serves a very different purpose: they serve Yahuwah directly.

Miles: I remember quite some time back we had a program on the Sons of Zadok. It really made an impact on me.

Dave: Right! These people, like Yahushua himself, serve Yahuwah. Like Yahushua, they are righteous … or they will be, when gifted with a higher nature. Now, in our first segment, you read from 1 Timothy 2 verse 5 which states emphatically that there is “one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Yahushua.”

This role of mediator is accomplished through his work as high priest after the order of Melchizedek. That’s why it’s so important to understand just what this work is and why only someone fully human—as Christ is—can do this work.

Miles: Going off on a little tangent here, I just want to share with our listeners that there are many other reasons why Yahushua is fully human.

For one, Yahuwah can’t die. Scripture says so. It also says He can’t be tempted. He’s omniscient and incorruptible. But these are the very reasons why He can’t be High Priest. He can’t mediate between Himself and mankind.

Christ is High Priest. Therefore, he can’t be God. It’s a very basic logical, deductive syllogism.

Dave: Hebrews 6 to 9 covers a lot about the priesthood. We should all read it. I’ll just summarize a few points:

First, the Levitical priesthood was temporary. It was to provide mediators between God (Yahuwah) and Israel.

Miles: I find it interesting this role was phased out after the arrival of Yahushua, the “high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Dave: Yes, because he was high priest for all mankind.

Yahushua was from the tribe of Judah, not Levi. Therefore, his claim to the priesthood was not according to the Levitical codes established at Sinai. Rather, as Scripture says, he’s a priest after the order of Melchizedek, a much earlier, superior priestly line.

Miles: You know, you think about it: Yah had plenty of opportunities to set the record straight regarding His relationship with Yahushua. And He took it! He stated that Yahushua was His son. Then, in Hebrews 7:14 it says, quote: “It is evident that our Lord arose from Judah.”

This was the perfect opening to teach that he had a pre-existence, but nothing was said about that here.

Dave: Right! Go ahead and read the next two verses. Verses 15 and 16.

Miles: “And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.”

Dave: What is the likeness of Melchizedek? A diety?

Miles: No. A man.

Dave: A man. Yahushua can only be a priest because he is also a man, but his priesthood continues forever. Why? Because he’s divine? Because he had a pre-existence?

Miles: No.

Dave: Read verses 23 and 24.

Miles: “Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Yahushua lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.”

Dave: And the reason he continues forever as High Priest, the reason he has a permanent priesthood is because he lived a sinless life. Therefore, after dying for the sins of mankind, his Father could raise him back to life and grant him eternal life. This is an honor bestowed because of his great sacrifice, not because he’s divine.

Miles: I see here in Hebrews 8 that in order to enter the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary, Yahushua had to offer himself in sacrifice which, of course, was his own life.

Dave: And the blood he presented wasn’t the blood of sheep or goats but his own. That’s why—Hebrews 8:3—he “obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as he is also mediator of a better covenant.”

The Levitical priesthood was never intended to be perpetual. It was always intended to be replaced with the mediation of the High Priest—our Saviour—of the order of Melchizedek.

Miles: How do you know it was always to be that way?

Dave: Because Revelation 13:8 speaks of Yahushua as the “lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” It was always in the Father’s plan to have a human Messiah who would become a human mediator.

Turn back a few chapters to Hebrews 4 and read verses 14 to 16.

Miles:

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Yahushua the son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Dave: Yahuwah knew that fallen humanity needed a Saviour that could empathize with their struggles. We needed that. The only way to have that is to have a fully human Saviour. When Yahushua perfectly kept Yah’s law, Yahuwah was able to raise him back to life and exalt him to the position of mediator in his role as high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Yahushua cannot be “God” and still be high priest or mediator. In closing, please read Hebrews 5, verses 1 to 10.

Miles:

Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.

In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,

“You are my son;
today I have become your Father.”

And he says in another place,

“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”

During the days of Yahushua’s life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Dave: This passage does not make sense if you impose on it the belief that Yahushua was God the son. It doesn’t make sense. Only if he were fully human could he be Messiah, mediator, and high priest. That has been Yah’s plan from the very beginning. This is further proof that Yahushua, as our Saviour and our high priest, is fully human.

Miles: Amazing how far the ripple effects go of that one belief! Don’t go away folks. Up next is our daily mailbag followed by Elise O’Brien with today’s daily promise.

* * *

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WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.

* * *Daily Mailbag

Miles: Today’s question from our daily mailbag is coming to us from Tongcheng

in China!

Dave: Huh! Never heard of it before.

Miles: I hadn’t either, so I looked it up. It’s a really ancient city; very large with something like three-quarters of a million people there.

Dave: Wow. Did you know that China ties with Italy for the greatest number of UNESCO sights in the world? I wouldn’t be surprised if Tongcheng had at least one.

Miles: No, I didn’t know that.

Anyway. Jinhai has a question. He writes, quote: “I have listened to many of your programs about the humanity of Yahushua, how he is not divine and how Scripture does not teach a triune godhead. It’s all very compelling. There is just one thing that makes me hesitant to fully accept this, and that is Yahushua’s use of ‘I Am.’ When Yahushua said, ‘I Am,’ was he not identifying himself as one with the Father and a full member of the godhead?”

Dave: That’s a great question and I’m glad it’s been asked.

Miles: I am, too. Even though I’ve accepted the nature of Yahuwah as taught in the Bible—He’s ONE; not three-in-one. Still, I have wondered about that myself. So, what’s the answer? I’d like to hear this, too.

Dave: All right. Let’s clarify some things. We’re going to get into some technical aspects of grammar here—

Miles: Oh, boy!

Dave: —so hold onto your hat. English is a noun-based language. A “noun,” of course, is a …?

Miles: Person, place, or thing.

Dave: Right. However, there are some languages that are actually verb-based. For example, quite a number of American Indian languages are verb-based. Apache, Cree, Mohawk, Navajo, which was used by the Americans during the Second World War when fighting the Japanese.

Miles: Yeah, I’ve read about that. It was an unbreakable code, wasn’t it?

Dave: Right. Not only is Navajo a verb-based language, but it’s tonal as well. They never did crack the code.

Ancient Hebrew was also verb-based. Now this is important because of how it relates to Yahuwah’s personal name.

When Moses was at the burning bush and Yahuwah told him to go to Egypt to free Israel, he had a very logical question. He said, “Who shall I say sent me?”

Let’s take a look at that. Exodus 3 and why don’t you read, uh … verses 13 to 16?

Miles: All right, um …

Then Moses said to Elohim, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”

And Elohim said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

Moreover Elohim said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘Yahuwah, 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 memorial to all generations.’”

Dave: “What’s your name?”

“I AM WHO I AM.” To put it more succinctly in English, He said, “Be.” Yahuwah’s name comes from the root verb of being, hayah, which means “to be.”

Miles: I really love that. We don’t use verbs of being as names, but what better name could there be for the Creator than a verb of being? Am. Is. Are. Was. Were. They’re all equally applicable to Him.

Dave: And it’s that very same word that called the world into existence. During Creation week when Yahuwah spoke, He spoke His name.

Light … BE.
Light was.

Firmament … BE.

Firmament was.

Dry land … BE.
Dry land was.

It’s incredibly beautiful. However, this is where the confusion arises. Jinhai wants to know if Yahushua’s use of “I am” identifies him as part of the godhead and the direct answer is, no. No more so than it does when I use it, or you use it, or … the queen of England uses it.

Miles: Well, that’s true, I suppose. When I introduce myself to someone, I say, “Hi, I’m Miles.” That doesn’t make me part of the godhead.

Dave: No! It’s simply a self-identifier. That’s all. And that’s how Yahushua repeatedly used it.

Turn to John 14 verse 6. Here, Thomas is saying, “You’re going somewhere? Where? How can we know the way if you’re not here to teach us?” Read Yahushua’s answer. John 14, verse 6.

Miles: “Yahushua said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

Dave: He’s not claiming divinity here. It’s simply a self-identifier. Same with his conversation with the woman at the well. She said that when the Messiah would come, he would teach them all things. What was Yahushua’s response? John 4 verse 26.

Miles: “Yahushua said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you.’”

Dave: Yahushua wasn’t the only one that used this phrase as a self-identifier. In John 9, we’ve got the story of the man who’d been born blind. He used the exact same self-identifying language and he wasn’t divine! Why don’t you read it for us? John 9 verses 8 and 9.

Miles: “The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.”

Dave: See, the Father works within our various human languages. After all, He’s the one that gave us the languages we speak. He gave Himself a name that would have meaning to us.

We should also remember that the way certain passages are translated is often colored based on the theology of the translator. It shouldn’t be that way, but it often is.

Miles: For example?

Dave: Well, here, for one. In the Greek, when the healed blind man is asked if he’s the one who used to be blind, the translators have him saying, “I am he.” Our English phrase is translated from the Greek phrase ego eimi. This Greek phrase is typically translated correctly as “I am he.” Again: self-identifying.

However, because the Bible translators were trinitarian, they—perhaps subconsciously—imposed their theological beliefs on their interpretation of Scripture. So, while you typically have it correctly translated in the New Testament as “I am he,” you get something different when they translated Yahushua’s use of it. Then, it’s sometimes translated simply as “I am.” And when you read that, what are you going to think of?

Miles: The Father’s name, of course: I Am That I Am.

Dave: Right! But saying “I am the bread of life” or “I am the Messiah” or “I am the Rose of Sharon” is very different from declaring, as Yahuwah did to Moses, “I Am That I Am.”

Again, we run into issues in translation. Most translators don’t actually have a problem with the emo eimi of Yahuwah’s self-revelation. The confusion comes with another phrase: o ohn. You could say this other phrase, o ohn, are divine identifiers.

You can see this clearly in the New International Version when Yahuwah tells Moses, “I am … who … I am.”

Miles: Okay, you’ve lost me.

Dave: All right, I’ll say it again and this time I’ll stick in the other phrases.

I Am (ego eimi, the common self-identifiers) who I am (o ohn, the divine identifier). Read Exodus 3:14 again, this time in the New International Version.

Miles: “Elohim said to Moses, “I am—

Dave: Ego eimi.

Miles: —who I am.”

Dave: O ohn.

Miles: “This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

Dave: Right here is the key to solving the whole problem. This last “I am” where Yah says, “Tell the Israelites ‘I AM’ has sent me to you,” is not the common self-identifier of ego eimi. Rather, it’s the divine identifier of o ohn.

Miles: Oh, interesting.

Dave: Our modern translations emphasize the wrong phrase. Instead of focusing on ego eimi, a phrase we all use to identify ourselves, we need to be focusing on the phrase used for identifying divinity: o ohn. Yahushua never used this phrase to refer to himself and he certainly never put it all together: “ego eimi o ohn.” That would have been blasphemous because he wasn’t God and he knew it!

Miles: That’s true. From the first, so long as he had a receptive audience, Yahushua claimed to be the Messiah. But he never claimed to actually be Yahuwah or on a par with him.

Dave: Whether he was saying, “I am the Good Shepherd” or “I am the Messiah,” in that language, there was really no other phrase to use to refer to himself. But he never used the divine identifiers of o ohn.

Miles: Huh. That’s really fascinating. Wish I’d asked about this before because this was something I’d been wondering about, too.

Reminds me of something Yahushua said just before his betrayal in Gethsemane. John 17:3. He said, “This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Yahushua Christ whom you have sent.” That “and” is important. He’s separating himself from Yahuwah here.

Dave: And he does it other places, too. In Mark 12 when one of the teachers of the law asked Yahushua which was the most important commandment, he said, “The most important one is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: Yahuwah our God, Yahuwah is one.” It takes mental and verbal gymnastics to insist that Scripture doesn’t really mean what it says when it keeps repeating that Yahuwah is ONE.

To close, would you please turn to Malachi chapter 2 and read verse 10? That’s Malachi 2 verse 10. Both the Old and the New Testaments agree: Yahuwah is one, not three.

Miles: All right, it says:

Have we not all one Father?
Has not one God created us?
Why do we deal treacherously with one another
By profaning the covenant of the fathers?

Dave: Far from claiming to be one with Yah, Yahushua always separated himself and repeatedly declared that Yahuwah our God is one.

Miles: It would have been blasphemous to claim otherwise and we know Yahushua reverenced Yahuwah. He would never have blasphemed.

Thanks for another great question. Keep sending them in! Just go to WorldsLastChance.com and click on Contact Us. We always enjoy hearing from you and I, personally, learn a lot from the questions and answers, too, so … keep them coming!

Up next, Elise O’Brien will be sharing another faith-inspiring promise illustrated by a true story of Yah’s watch-care for one lonely, homesick soldier fighting in World War II.

* * *Daily Promise

Hello! This is Elise O’Brien with today’s daily promise from Yah’s word.

Franz was a German soldier serving on the eastern front during World War II. As the war dragged on and the allied forces bombed Germany, he worried about his wife and two young children back home. It was hard being away from them for so long in a foreign country. What made it even harder was that Franz and his wife were Sabbath-keepers. It was impossible to keep the Sabbath while serving in the army. He missed spending those sacred hours with his family, the good meals his wife used to make. All he wanted to do was just go home.

One cold winter day, Franz and several other soldiers were sent ahead of the advancing Nazi army to make sure all the civilians were cleared out of a village that would soon be engulfed on the front lines. As Franz and the other soldiers followed orders, he noticed one elderly man putting the last of his belongings on a cart. The care with which the old man nestled the last item in the cart sparked Franz’s curiosity. As he went over, the old man looked up, fear written across his face. He laid his hand protectively over the bulky object.

To his surprise, Franz saw that it was a Bible! A very old Bible and clearly precious to the old man. Franz’s face lit up when he recognized the Holy Book. With gestures, he asked the man if he could look at his most prized possession. Hesitantly, the man nodded. Just being able to touch the pages of sacred Scripture felt like a blessing to Franz. Although he couldn’t read the Cyrillic script, he could understand enough to find his way to Exodus, chapter 20, verses 8 to 10, which say:

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to Yahuwah your Elohim. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days Yahuwah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore Yahuwah blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Franz tapped his fingers on the words, then tapped his chest. I am a Sabbath-keeper, he tried to communicate.

It was the old man’s turn to light up with joy. He beamed at Franz as he took the Bible back and turned to Revelation 14 verse 6. Franz, like many Sabbath-keepers, had memorized those words before. It is a New Testament echo of the fourth commandment. It says:

Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear [Yah] and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

The old man pointed to the verse, then pointed to himself. Tears sparked in Franz’s eyes as he realized this was the old man’s way of saying that he worshipped Yahuwah on His holy seventh-day Sabbath, too. The two men gazed at each other in awe and elation. Supposedly enemies by circumstances beyond their control, they realized they were, instead, brothers in Christ. The men prayed together, Franz in German, the old man in Russian, asking Yahuwah to watch over each other. It almost felt as though they were standing on holy ground. Franz felt that it was Yahuwah’s way of saying that even here, in a foreign country fighting in a war he didn’t want to fight, Yahuwah was watching over him and would take care of him. They shared a hug before parting, never to see each other again in this life, but looking forward to being reunited when Yahushua returns.

First John 1, verses 5 to 7 say:

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: [Yahuwah] is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yahushua, His son, purifies us from all sin.

We have been given great and precious promises. Go and start claiming!

* * *Part 3: Christ’s Full Humanity

Miles: You know, today’s discussion really illustrates the analogy of truth being like an onion. There’s layer after layer to it. And the more you dig, the deeper you go, the more layers you find.

Dave: The same holds true for error, too. And like the ripples of a stone thrown into a pond—or the layers of onion—truth and error both have far reaching effects. This is why it is so important that we study our beliefs for ourselves. It’s not enough to believe that we have the truth.

When I was a trinitarian, celebrating the Lord’s Day on Sunday, I believed I had the truth then, too.

Miles: Well, yeah. No one consciously believes error.

Dave: But so many of our inherited beliefs are wrong! And now is the time to go back to Scripture, to dig deep and either affirm or lay aside. We have to be willing to do both if we really want the truth.

Miles: Be a Berean, folks! They didn’t just accept Paul’s word for it. They took what he said and then searched the Scripture for themselves to see if what he’d told them was true. That’s what we need to do, too, if we want to know the truth.

Dave: No one’s going to coast into Yah’s kingdom. It takes making deliberate choices. And we are making those choices on a daily basis. We need to each one ask ourselves: Is truth more important to me than everything else? Only those who are willing to follow truth no matter what the cost will be those who get to “follow the Lamb withsoever he goeth.” [Revelation 14:4]

Miles: It comes down to a conscious and very deliberate choice, doesn’t it? The choice to follow truth no matter what the cost; the decision to be willing to change your beliefs if Yah’s spirit convicts you they need changing.

Dave: And not being afraid of new ideas!

Miles: Right. We can always trust Yahuwah to keep our minds safe from error when we take an honest look at new ideas. He’s pledged to lead us into all truth, but we have to be willing to get up and actually step ahead, not rest lazily on what we think we know.

I want to thank each of you for tuning in. Please join us again tomorrow for another Bible-based study into truth. And until then remember: Yahuwah loves you . . . and He is safe to trust.

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This program and past episodes of WLC Radio are available for downloading on our website. They're great for sharing with friends and for use in Bible studies! They're also an excellent resource for those worshipping Yahuwah alone at home. To listen to previously aired programs, visit our website at WorldsLastChance.com. Click on the WLC Radio icon displayed on our homepage.

In his teachings and parables, the Savior gave no “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, the thrust of his message was constant … vigilance. Join us again tomorrow for another truth-filled message as we explore various topics focused on the Savior's return and how to live in constant readiness to welcome him warmly when he comes.

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.