Genesis 19:24 – YHWH rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah divine
Amos 4:11 – I have wrought destruction among you, as when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah; You have become like a brand plucked from the burning. Yet you have not turned back to Me – declares YHWH.
Genesis 22:11-12 – But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
Genesis 31:10-13 – In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I sai, ‘Here I am!’ And He said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to Me. Now, arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.'”
Genesis 48:14-16 – But Israel (Jacob) stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head – thus crossing his hands – although Manasseh was the first-born. And he blessed Joseph, saying: “The God in who ways my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked; The God who has been m shepherd from my birth to this day – The Angel who has redeemed me from all harm – May He bless these lads.” (The Hebrew for He in ‘May He bless these lads’ is in a singular verb form, indicating that the author wants to consider all three instances as one).
Judges 6:1- – An angel of YHWH came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was then beating out wheat inside a winepress in order to keep it safe from the Midianites. The angel of YHWH appeared to him and said to him, “YHWH is with you, valiant warrior!” Gideon said to Him, “Please, my Lord, if YHWH is with us, why has all this befallen us? And YHWH turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” And YHWH said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” ~ In this passage it is clear that the angel of YHWH is being spoken of as YHWH Himself. This passage continues for several additional verses.
Other passages show that the Word of the Lord was identifiable as YHWH: Genesis 15:1, 1 Samuel 3:1-21, Jerimiah 1:4-9. These examples show a being who is physically present, yet is referred to as The Word, and YHWH simultaneously.
All of the examples we’ve seen up till now are biblical. This next one is extra-biblical; a Passage from the Baal Cycle in Ugarit showing that Baal was thought of as the Cloud Rider – “What manner of enemy has arisen against Baal, of foe against the Charioteer of the Clouds?” This passage is evidence that Baal was thought of as a god who rode the clouds.
Psalm 104:1-3 – Bless the Lord, O my soul! O YHWH my God, you are very great! You are clothed with spendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment stretched out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of His chambers on the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He rides on the wings of the wind. ~ Here we can see the psalmist saying, in effect, Baal is not the Charioteer of the Clouds – it’s YHWH.
Daniel 7:9-13 – As I looked on, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His garment was like white snow, and the hair of His head was like lamb’s wool. His throne was tongues of flame; its wheels were blazing fire. A river of fire streamed forth before Him; thousands upon thousands served Him; myriads upon myriads attended Him; the court sat and the books were opened… One like a human being came with the clouds of heaven; He reached the Ancient of Days and was presented to Him. Dominion, glory, and kingship were given to Him.
The above was presented by Michael Heiser in the video posted below. His conclusions?
Old Testament theology supports the idea that Yahweh can be present in two persons, sometimes in the same scene. And, this second Yahweh figure is portrayed in human form, and even physically embodied. This was an accepted idea in Jewish theology until the second century, when the Jewish leaders realized that Jesus looked a little too much like that human embodiment of Yahweh; so, in spite of what scripture says, they made the idea of two powers of the Godhead into heresy.
In my opinion, these Old Testament scriptures that support the idea of Jesus / Yeshua being Yahweh are further, compelling evidence that Jesus was who He said He was – the Son of God, and God Himself.
Reference: The belief that there were two powers in heaven was acceptable in Judaism until about the second century. Two Powers in Heaven, a book written by Alan F. Segal in 1977, covers this phenomenon from a Jewish perspective. Segal was a practicing Jew .
Recent Comments