THE BOOK
HEBREW FOR CHRISTIANS.
The Concept of the “Trinity”
“Although the word “Trinity” (Ha-shilush Ha-kadosh) does not directly appear in the Scriptures, it is an entirely Jewish concept, derived from both the Tanakh and the Brit Chadashah. Scripturally, God is revealed as a “triune” in some of the following ways” [Because we only need the major points of Jewish belief for our purposes, we will quote from a few in the list of the full text; just the relevant excerpts.]
| 1. | The Omniscient Voice -- ‘The Scriptures speak from an omniscient, “third person” perspective. When we read, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”, we must ask who exactly is speaking? Who is the narrator of the Torah? The very next verse states that the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Gen. 1:2), followed by the first direct quote of the word of God Himself: “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3). The creative activity of Elohim (God) and the presence of Ruach Elohim (the Spirit of God) are narrated by an omniscient Voice or Word of God. Obviously the Spirit of God is God Himself (who else?) (*) just as the Word of God is likewise God Himself, and therefore in the first three verses of the Torah the triune nature of the Godhead is presented.’ |
Let’s briefly break into our list of Jewish “reasons” for a Trinity and very crucially comment on our single asterisk notation in point 1., vis-à-vis; --- (*) Obviously the Spirit of God is God Himself (who else?)
Not so: Not possible. The very words say so! The words --- from out of “your exalted book” --- read “...the Spirit of God”! In plain English grammar the “phrase” means, therefore, from out of God! It does not mean the “Spirit God”. After thousands of years of being the “chosen” people, and ostensibly “enlightened” by your many Prophets and true Servants of God --- and especially by The Son of God --- on your “religious” journey to the present-day; in just this one critical example, you still have not yet even begun to grasp how far you are from really understanding HIS HOLY TRUTH!
Of course, in order to do so, you must first accept He Whom you have continuously rejected. Secondly, you must further recognise He Whom we Proclaim in this Work, thus He Whom you as a people say you are ‘awaiting’. But do you know what; as a people you won’t do that, for you are far too entrenched in your “ancient religion”. In short, you are still too “stiff-necked”! Reader, despite that sure reality, lets nonetheless learn a little more about that “belief”.
| 2. | The mysterious use of Aleph-Tav --- ....’Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and Tav the last, though the grammar of the verse may indicate that Elohim is not the subject of the verb, but rather Aleph-Bet. Creation begins and ends with the redemptive love of God as manifested in the Person of Yeshua our Mashiach... He is the Center of Creation –- Its beginning and end. As it is written: “I am the Aleph and the Tav”, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 22:13). Indeed, Yeshua is Melech Malchai Hamelachim: The King of Kings.” He is Lord of all possible worlds –-- from the highest celestial glory to the dust of death upon a cross... --– “Let the name of the LORD be blessed” forever and ever (Psalm 113:2). |
| 3. | Plural Names --- Elohim, the third word in the Tanakh, is a plural form. This Name is often associated with singular verbs. ... ...though in other places Elohim takes verbs with plural endings. For example, in Gen. 35:7, says, “there God revealed himself to him.” Note that the verb is third person plural form. |
| 4. | Plural Pronouns --- The LORD God, speaking in Genesis 1:26, says “Let us make man in our image and in our likeness.” |
| 5. | “Creators” --- In Ecclesiastes 12:1 it is written, “Remember your Creators ... in the days of your youth.” As mentioned above, in Genesis 1:1-3, God (Elohim), the Spirit of God (Ruach Elohim), and the Word of God (and God said...), are all involved in the creation of the universe. |
| 6. | “Makers” --- In Isaiah 54:5 plural constructions are used in conjunction with three separate names of God. “For you Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his Name; the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of all the earth He is called.” |
| 7. | Plurality within the Godhead --- King David writes: “The LORD says to my Lord: sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet (Psalm 110:1)... |
| 8. | The Great Torah Blessing --- The great blessing of the Torah, called Birkat Kohanim ..., is a threefold blessing that includes the Sacred Name three separate times. |
| 9. | The Shema and Oneness ---
In the Shema we read, “Shema Yisrael (Hear, O
Israel): Adonai Eloheinu (the Lord our Gods, Adonai Echad (the Lord is one).”
... There is no contradiction implied in the “oneness” of God and His
multiplicity, and indeed, the idea of the triune nature of the Godhead answers
the age-old metaphysical problem of the :one and the many”... The idea of the triunity of God does not impugn the oneness of God, but it transcends rabbinical Judaism and Islam’s idea of “absolute monism” by understanding oneness in reference to an eternality of intra-personal community. ... |
| 10. | Isaiah 48:12-16 ---
In this passage, the God of Israel calls Himself the first and
the last. The “First and the Last,” declares that “the Lord God” has sent me
and His Spirit. The Creator who is speaking claims to have been sent by the
Lord God and His Spirit. John J. Parsons |
In the minefield of Jewish belief centred on this subject, we are not sure what the alluded-to “third part” of the Trinity is. Traditionally, Jesus as The Son of God is certainly part of the Christian Trinity, but He does not hold that position in Rabbinical Jewish beliefs, being in their eyes “only a prophet of God”. The only entity that could perhaps fit the bill there would be some kind of, perhaps, amorphous entity, in Jewish eyes, as their “Spirit of Truth”.
‘Most modern Jewish people seem to have made their peace” with Jesus of Nazareth. Some consider Him to be a great Jew, or even the greatest Jew who ever lived. Some of our Jewish leaders, Dr Heinrich Graetz and Dr. Joseph Klausner, compliment Him on His teaching. Some admire His parables and purity, as Moses Montifiore ... Scholem Asch and others, even consider Him to be the Messiah of the Gentiles. Today we often meet Jewish people who acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah for Jew and Gentile alike; and some are even willing to share these convictions with other Jewish people. What then holds such Jewish people back from joining with us and accepting Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour?
‘The Christian concept of God’s triunity seemed to us to be a Gentile and Pagan idea. NOT SO! Christians, as well as Jewish people, must believe in One God. There is no other. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the God of the Jewish people and of the Christians.
‘Even those of our rabbis who do not accept as yet the triunity of God, realize that this verse (“Let us Make man.”) is clear support for such teaching. Thus in Midrash Rabbah on Genesis we find the following comments on the verse. Rabbi Samuel bar Nahman in the name of Rabbi Jonathan said, that at the time when Moses wrote the Torah; writing a portion of it daily, when he came to his Verse which says, “And Elohim said let us make man in our image after our likeness,” Moses said, Master of the Universe why do you give herewith an excuse to the sectarians (who believe in the triunity of God). God answered Moses, You write and whoever wants to err let him err.
‘But surely God did not make Moses to write the whole Scriptures in order to make people err, but rather to show them the right way and the right revelation, namely that the One God is a triune God who calls Himself Elohim and who says. Let us make man.’
THE PROPHETS: There are many Scripture verses which show clearly that God manifested Himself also as the Word by which He created heaven and earth and by which He leads and directs creation. He also manifested Himself as the Ruakh Hakodesh, the Holy Spirit, who inspired the prophets of God and who did mighty miracles through the great judges of Israel, Gideon, Samson, and David. We want to point out one Scripture which compels us to admit the triunity of God. Isaiah the prophet speaks in the name of God and says:
Come near unto me. Hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the
beginning: from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD,
and His Spirit, hath sent me.
Isaiah 48:16. (The Messianic Literature Outreach.)
Yes: “...the Lord GOD, and His Spirit, hath sent me”. Note the conjunction, “and”! That says it all --- it means more than one! Let’s keep this theme going for a while longer so that we might garner a little more on Jewish acceptance and/or Jewish non-acceptance of The Trinity. Paul Sumner has this to say on the website:
Messianics, Scripture and the Trinity
“The fact that we accept the Bible as the authority of the Church does not
make the authority of the Church the higher of the two.”
C.S. Lewis (1898 – 1963) Professor of English Literature (Oxford and
Cambridge)
The doctrine of the Trinity is the most controversial issue between Judaism and Christianity. The Synagogue says those who believe in the Trinity are idolaters.
We also realize the doctrine is at the core of Muslim rejection of what they believe are Christian traditions of the true “Injil” (gospel) about the prophet Isa (Yeshua, Jesus). The Mosque says Christians are going to hell for believing in it.
The fact that Rabbinic Judaism and Islam reject the Trinity is not, in itself, reason to re-examine it. There is also a vast array of anti-Trinitarian Christian sects, such as Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christadelphians, and Unitarians.
Messianic believers should not allow any of these so-called “monotheistic” religions to influence what they accept as revealed truth. A modern summary of the Trinity Model reads:
“There is one God and only one God; this one God exists eternally in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; these three persons are completely equal, each fully possessing the divine nature or essence.”
The 5th century Creed of Athanasius had given more explicit detail:
“The Catholic Faith is this:
That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
Neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance [Essence]
“In this Trinity none is before or after another.
“The whole three Persons are co-eternal and co-equal.
So that in all things, as said before, the Unity in Trinity and the
Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.”
Reader, how are you faring so far? The TRINITY: In all its theories, assumptions, declarations, proclamations, denigrations, denials etc.; how does one who is uncertain about a “decisional-question” that is absolutely critical for him and all the rest of global humanity, really decide either for or against, just to begin with?
And then, having made a determination for either yes there is, or no there is not --- another 50% choice with a 100% outcome --- how does one negotiate the many different opinions and beliefs associated with a “yes-there-is” choice?
Without real and final knowledge, it is not simply a very difficult exercise, but, indeed, quite an impossible one. For under the all-pervasive umbrella of just “religiosity”, there is very little likelihood of finding one’s way through the maze of “stuff” that ultimately blocks the way to clear recognition of the actual Trinity. A case in point: Here are a few more of the many different doctrines to “mess with your head”. By the way, they are all very, very, wrong!
MORMONISM
Mormonism teaches that the term Godhead refers to a council of three
distinct divine persons consisting of God the Father, Jesus (His firstborn Son,
whom Mormons sometimes call Jehovah), and the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit).
Mormons believe that the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost are three distinct
beings, and that the Father and Jesus have perfected, glorified, physical bodies,
while the Holy Ghost is a spirit without a physical body.
(Italics mine.)
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES:
Teach that the present world order, which they perceive as being under
the control of Satan, will be destroyed by a direct intervention of Jehovah (God),
who will use Jesus Christ to fully establish his heavenly government over earth,
destroying existing human governments and non-witnesses, and creating a
cleansed society of true worshippers.
CHRISTADELPHIANS iffer from mainstream Christianity in a number of doctrinal areas, rejecting the Trinity and the immortality of the soul believing these to be corruptions of original Christian teaching. The movement developed around the teachings of John Thomas, who coined the name, Christadelphian, from the Greek for “Brethren in Christ”.
UNITARIANISM is historically a Christian theological movement named for its belief that God is one entity, as opposed to the Trinity which defines God as three persons in one being, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Unitarians believe that Jesus was inspired by God in his moral teachings and is a saviour but a human being rather than a deity. (Information source: Wikipedia.)
Christadelphians and Unitarians tend towards the Muslim view on this topic, don’t you think? They would, however, make quite strange “bedfellows”. Now, before we move into the next and greater part of this Discourse, a very brief look at the opinions of two Jewish authors to begin with provides the kind of opinion we are looking for on terms of strong opposition to the concept of the Trinity by Rabbinical Judaism.
From JewishEncyclopedia.com
Trinity --- By Kaufmann Kohler, Samuel Krauss
‘The fundamental dogma of Christianity; the concept of the union in one
God of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three infinite persons. It was the
Nicene council and even more especially the Athanasian Creed that first
gave the dogma its definite formulation:...
The Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost as the third person of the Trinity could
originate only on Gentile soil, since it was based on a linguistic error. The
“Gospel According to the Hebrews,” which was once held in high esteem,
especially in Ebionitic circles, still regards the term, “mother” as
equivalent to Holy Ghost, since in Aramaic the language of the Gospel and
possibly the original dialect of all the Gospels, the noun “ruha” (spirit) is
feminine.
Jewish objections. The controversies between the Christians and the
Jews concerning the Trinity centred for the most part about the problem
whether the writers of the Old Testament bore witness to it or not, the
Jews naturally rejecting every proof brought forward by their opponents. ‘
I think that the input to the “Concept of Trinity” we now have is more than
sufficient for this Discourse, for it has included some key beliefs “for and
against”. Here, however, is a truly interesting “one”. On our journey thus far, we
have seen that the Old Testament has many references and/or inferences to a
Triune aspect of the One God. Encyclopaedia Britannica, however, notes that
the New Testament does not record the actual word, Trinity.
Trinity --- ‘Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the
New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the
Shema in the Old Testament’: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one
Lord.” (Deut. 6:4.)
Reader, do we find that especially strange or not? A prestigious Encyclopaedia has determined that the doctrine and perhaps even the notion of Trinity is not anywhere in the New Testament. So: What do we make of the key Scripture that drives the actual “Battle” between Islam and Christianity for “Ownership of the Spirit of Truth”; that we have been constantly hammering since virtually the inception of this Work; the prophecy of which culminates in this very Discourse?
Of course, we are talking about the message/prophecy that Jesus gave to His Disciples about the Other: He, Who would bring the All-Truth in the “last days”. “Howbeit when the Spirit of Truth is come, He will lead you into all truth ...”
Perhaps the actual word, Trinity, may not be there in the New Testament, or the “explicit doctrine” pertaining to it, but three “Divine Personages” are certainly there. One is Jesus, Who in this case is the “prophesier”. The Other is The One Whom He is prophesying will bring the All-Truth in the “last days”, and of course The ONE proclaimed by John, “Whom no man hath seen at any time” --- The ALMIGHTY. HE is obviously there!
What, then, does Britannica mean? What are the authors actually saying? Strictly speaking, the Britannica entry is probably correct. Few would argue against Britannica. However, the inference from the particular “entry-notation” could influence one from fully recognising the “Truth of The Trinity” in the Bible, for one can clearly deduce the “reality” of The Godhead in the New Testament. Britannica could have made that inference.
(Reader: That was a small but necessary digression over this powerful and contentious concept.)
Our next segment – which is the major part of the Discourse -– centres on the Origin of Imanuel in the first instance, His associated Place in The Trinity and therefore His Title and thus His Mandate and His Mission --- under the aegis of The Almighty!
Note: Even though we use the necessary Names and Titles etc., however, when using words of the English language, or any language for that matter; how can they ever convey concepts and realities far above even the farthest reaches of our imagination. Surely that is why religions constantly promote a “personal” relationship with their deities, with “monotheism” being the worst offender. In their “strait-jackets of religiosity”, they of earth cannot seem to get off the planet and recognise how immeasurably far we are from THEY of THE DIVINE!
No: Instead, in religious arrogance, the three “Religions of Monotheism”, in blind intransigence and stupidity, constantly attempt to drag THEM down to our ridiculous level of non-recognition.
Reader: Let’s smash all that away with the Truth of Imanuel: The Truth of The Two Sons of God [Two Parts of God] and the Truth of The Trinity! Now there are real Titles; the only ones that should really matter for we human beings of “Subsequent” Creation.
Now: Of the three religions of monotheism, only the Bible gives the sequence of the “Creation-events” that each age in its sequential turn eventually brought forth. In an incalculable time-frame obviously beginning with the very Highest Realms, the Creative-Process produced each Realm in its turn, reaching “all the way down” to the formation of the Material World of the physical universes, planet earth and human beings. Thus, an immeasurably vast and living total expanse ultimately “prepared” for the arrival on earth of that Part of God Whose Divine Mandate --- as Part of the Living Truth --- was long-prophesied to “bring the judgement” and “reprove the world of sin”.
That clearly and obviously means -- as we have probably said a number of times and will do so more times yet --- the destruction of all that does not measure up to the Living Laws of God: The Divine Laws of Creation, as embodied in Imanuel’s All-Truth. Absolutely in the “firing line” will be the “big three” of monotheism, for more than any other entity, organisation, and of course religion, “you three” have distorted the Truth of God more than was ever thought possible by human beings.
Don’t just take that from me, I am only a messenger. Take it, however, from two Lectures written by The Hand of Imanuel in His Work: IN THE LIGHT OF TRUTH!
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SERVANTS OF GOD
This idea was disseminated at the time of the founding and development of all sorts of cults by the servants of these cults, who thereby sought to gain respect for themselves, which they would hardly have been able to achieve personally. And it has been retained ever since without anybody attempting to realise the fact that this is harmful instead of beneficial to mankind and, most important of all, that it leads to a wrong conception of God.
A man standing in Creation with an alert spirit, one who does not remain closed to the delicate intuitive vibrations of his soul, will never be able to accept as true that the Great and Living God can really be served through the practice of cults, through the begging that men call “praying”, or through mortification of the flesh! With these practices you do not give anything to your God! You do not offer Him anything! What then is your real aim? You yourselves do not know how to answer this question when you stand before the Judgement Seat of God! You will have to remain silent, for you have done this only for yourselves, for your inner composure and exaltation, or in despair and affliction!
But I say unto you: Only that man who stands aright in the Creation of his God, who recognises himself as a part of Creation and lives accordingly, only he is the true servant of God, no matter in what way he earns his living on earth. .....’
IMANUEL:
THE SON OF MAN.
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Well, reader, that was from Vol. III, Page 22 of His All-Truth! So: What did you get from that? He certainly pulls no punches, and neither should HE. The LORD of TRUTH has the strange distinction of being in the most invidious position ever on earth with regard to the monotheistic “big three”. TRUTH versus religion! That is what it means. Though an absolutely one-sided battle with only complete annihilation of the “religiosity” side; in the final analysis, however, not what Islam, Christianity and Judaism could ever conceive of happening to “their religions”.
You, however, can become free within yourself by learning to recognise and listen to your intuition. When you have done that, heed it, for it is never wrong. It cannot be, for it comes from your spirit –- and is therefore not subject to outside influence or interference.
Since this Discourse is about IMANUEL, and before we continue on to our main theme, let’s look at another “excerpt” from His Hand, but from a different Lecture.
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SHUN THE PHARISEES!
Persons deserving this designation can be found everywhere today, in all countries and in every walk of life. This has nothing whatever to do with race or nation, and there are many more of them now than there ever were before. Every profession has its Pharisees, but they can still mostly be found where they could formerly be encountered at any time in great numbers ---- among the servants and representatives of the temples and churches!
And, strangely enough, wherever some messenger of the Light had to proclaim the Truth according to the Will of God, he was attacked, defiled, slandered and persecuted. This was done first and foremost by the representatives and servants of the prevailing dogmas who pretended to serve God, and by those who even had the effrontery to profess themselves a representative of the Divine Will.
This has always been the case from the most primitive medicine man and sorcerer up to the highest priests. Without exception they always felt themselves menaced by the Truth, and thus either carried on a veiled agitation or quite openly made mischief against every person who was ordained, mercifully granted or sent by God to bring Light to these earthmen.
No denial of this irrefutable fact is of any avail, nor any perversion or glossing over, for world history gives proof of it! Clearly and distinctly it testifies to the ineffaceable fact that it has never been otherwise; among the many instances that have occurred there has not been a single exception. Always and ever again it was just the priests who were the most definite adversaries of the Light and thus enemies of God, Whose Will they did not want to observe. Instead they fought against the Will of God, and opposed it with their own volition. .....
IMANUEL:
THE SON OF MAN.
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Hard-hitting, Powerful, and Imperious, for that is Who HE Is, for among His many designations, the one that we will now describe is that of the WILL OF GOD! In this Discourse, He is now revealed as:
THE “CREATIVE” WILL OF GOD!
I hear laughter and derision. For those who would mock, perhaps we could use a “Ringling Brothers; Barnum and Bailey” circus approach to the whole global industry of maintaining the religious status quo of terrible and ultimately fatal untruths and distortions.
“Step right up, folks. Hurry, the show is about to start. Get your ticket to truth now before you miss out. Hurry now, seats are filling up fast. Step right up.”
Well, reader, did you think that that little analogy was in keeping with the gravitas that this Work is meant to display? In general, certainly not, but let’s be clear here too: If you apply the “circus approach” to the proselytizing activity of religions -- more especially Christianity perhaps --- what you read there is exactly the kind of “promotion” they use to gain more followers. They would not like that analogy, but it’s actually historical fact to this day! Don’t play their game!
As we have intimated; in order to understand Imanuel and Who and What He Is, we must go to the beginnings of Creation. There will be revealed His role in the Creative-Process of the actual “Structure of Creation”. That does not mean that this Discourse is about the complete process. That will be elucidated further on in a later Discourse. What we need here is a logical starting point for IMANUEL -- Whose Origin is from out of GOD --- that we can more or less logically understand. For only through the process of a severance from GOD could His Very Word be ultimately brought to earth twice. Reader: Even though a humanly-incomprehensible process to ever understand, at least strive to grasp the “mechanics” of it, for that should help.
The first generally known time was with Jesus! The last and final time in the 20th century by Imanuel for the “few” of Bible prophecy who, among the billions on earth, were open to His Truth. The rest of the “blind billions” have thus far for the most part --- rejected it.
End-Time Warning: Imanuel: Spirit of Truth: Son of Man. He -- personal pronoun -- therefore embodied in human form on earth with His All-Truth!
Now: Notwithstanding the fact that the whole journey of the Book to this current Discourse has been focussed on revealing the identity of The Spirit of Truth to the Naming of Him herein; the path that we have scribed to this revelatory point has not yet revealed the full picture. Since we have Proclaimed Him as the “Son of Man Who was to Come” --- and thus one Part of The Trinity --- we need now to illuminate more decisively the connecting links of that Trinity and how and why it came into being.
Islam, on the other hand, vehemently opposes such a concept. The very idea of the “sonship of God” and Imanuel as the Spirit of Truth is implacably opposed by Muslims as an affront against Allah. Noting the fact that the greater bulk of this Discourse will necessarily be sourced from the Bible, we will still use Koranic quotes where relevant.
Given the fact that global Christendom does not at all accept such a thing as a Second Son (PART) of God is truly puzzling because, very curiously; with its many thousands of Ph. D. toting Bible scholars striding the long halls of universities and colleges dedicated to the Christian religion in their fermenting crucibles of religiosity, one would think that after many hundreds of years of ‘collective study’, Paul’s ‘tongue-in-cheek’ “wise of the world” would have recognised the monumental error long before now. For the very Book by which they derive their dissertations, theses, reasons, and arguments, very clearly and bluntly states that such is the case.
Before we elucidate that stupendous revelation, we will look at what Judaism and Islam have to say about Creation. (The actual revelation is, indeed, truly “stupendous”, to the point that recognition of that reality should seriously move one’s spirit to a place --- before the fact --- that it has not ever been to.)
Reader, because this Discourse is not strictly about Genesis and the whole Creative Process; to get a real picture on that happening, a later Discourse will elucidate, in detail, the complete, awesome, process. This brief segment is designed to ascertain where Judaism and Islam stand on Creation in terms of God only; or another with Him! We’ll start with Judaism.