To Omega
Also in the book of Micah it says: But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. This is further proof that He {Jesus} has no beginning, therefore making Him the Eternal God and Saviour my friend.
Jesus most definitely does have a beginning. Matthew speaks of the ‘genesis’ of Jesus Christ. [Matt 1:1]. Neither Matthew nor Luke in their narration about how Christ came into existence, has any concept of literal pre-existence.
Now let us look at the phrase ‘from everlasting’. The Hebrew is OWLAM
(Strong’s 5769). Now note how it is translated in the following verses: (In each case the word(s) translated from OWLAM are CAPITALIZED)
- mighty men which were OF OLD: Gen. 6:4;
- for those nations were OF OLD: 1 Sam. 27:8;
- the ANCIENT people: Isa 44:7;
- in the generations OF OLD: Isa 51:9;
- Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far ... it is an ANCIENT nation: Jer 5:15;
- the prophets ... OF OLD: Jer 28:8;
- the people OF OLD TIME: Ezek 26:20;
- tabernacle of David ... as in the days OF OLD: Amos 9:11;
- days OF OLD: Micah 7:14, Mal. 3:4
Although OWLAM in the right context can be used to denote ‘eternity’, it is clear to see that OWLAM in the above cases cannot mean eternal/eternity i.e. eternal mighty men, eternal nations, eternal prophets, eternal people, etc.
And this goes also for Micah 5:2 which is a verse simply speaking about the coming (that is, his first coming) and birthplace of the Messiah (as used in Matt 2:5-6, John 7:42). It is simply saying that the Coming of the Messiah had been depicted and spoken of from days of old,
from of old time, even from the time of Abraham, who rejoiced to see his day. [John 8:56]
The KJV English translators being biased by their trinitarian theology used the words ‘from everlasting’.
Therefore, using the same Hebrew word, Micah 5:2 could so easily be
translated:
”… yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be
ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from old time.”
Compare :-
- Revised Standard Version (hereafter cited as RSV) Micah 5:2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
(Likewise the New Revised Standard Version has the same rendition; hereafter cited as NRS)
- Young’s Literal Translation Micah 5:2 And thou, Beth-Lehem Ephratah,
Little to be among the chiefs of Judah! From thee to Me he cometh forth—to be ruler in Israel, And his comings forth {are} of old, From the days of antiquity.
- New American Bible Micah 5:1 But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times.
- New Jerusalem Bible (hereafter cited as NJB) Micah 5:1 But you
(Bethlehem) Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah, from you will come for me a future ruler of Israel whose origins go back to the distant past, to the days of old.
That is all this verse is saying. It is Messianic. It is the verse that the
Jews in Herod’s time turned to, knowing full well that this verse was speaking about the ‘Coming and Birth of the Messiah’. The coming and origin of the Messiah was prophesied from old or ancient times, even as ancient as Adam & Eve [Gen 3:15], Abraham [Gen 22:18, Gal 3:16], Judah [Gen 49:8-10], David [2 Sam 7:12-14, 1 Chr 17:11-13, Psalms 132:11, Isaiah 11:1,10, Jere 23:5, 33:15], Daniel [9:25-26], etc. The Jews were expecting a Davidide Israelite king whose origin had been spoken of
from ancient times, to be born in Bethlehem.
This is what Micah 5:2 is all about. Again, you find nothing in the Jewish
writings, before and after the time of Christ
(I am open to be corrected), that speak of the Messiah being an Eternal Being who would be born into the world.
The term mighty God has been given to both Jesus and the Father: 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, The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 And compared to: The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. Isaiah 10:21 Both are called mighty God …
There is always the possibility that Isaiah 9:6 is a simply
a name being
given to a child (similar to
Mahershalalhashbaz, Isaiah 8:3, or
Immanuel, Isaiah 7:14, 8:8 ). This is suggested by the Jewish Publication Society’s
Masoretic Text rendering of Isaiah 9:6: “And his name is called
Pele-joez-el-gibbor-Abi-ad-sar-shalom.
Incidentally, many ancient rabbis had understood Isaiah 9:6-7 to be speaking of
King Hezekiah as well as the Messiah e.g.
”Hezekiah, who was very unlike his father Ahaz. This passage is acknowledged, not only by Christians, but by the Chaldee interpreter, to relate in the same manner, but in a more excellent sense, to the Messiah.”—Annotationes ad vetus et Novum Testamentum, by Hugo Grotius, 1583-1645.
The Jewish Publication Society’s
Masoretic Text, as cited above, says this …
There are good reasons to apply the name to Hezekiah, since this is one of those outstanding texts of Isaiah that speak in exalted and royal terms both of Israel’s kings and the coming human Messiah. The hope of Israel was resting on the permanence of David’s dynasty. The symbolic name given to the royal child signified more than a continuation of the dynasty. It meant a decisive intervention by God whose own greatness would become manifest in his dealings with and blessings upon Hezekiah.
This is suggested by the Jewish Publication Society’s Masoretic Text rendering of Isaiah 9:5:
“And his name is called Pele-joez-el-gibbor-Abi-ad-sar-shalom”.
Either way, whether Jews saw this verse, as Messianicly or not, they
all interpreted this verse as speaking of
an Israelite king – they never interpreted Isaiah 9:6 as speaking of deity!! They had NO CONCEPT of ALMIGHTY GOD being born! IT NEVER EVER ENTERED THEIR MINDS! (I have never come across it in any Jewish writings, although I am open to be corrected)
Nevertheless, let us individually look at the terms
mighty god & everlasting father.
The term ‘mighty God’ in Hebrew is
’el gibbor’, which in fact, is never used of the Father! The Brown, Driver and Briggs,
Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, p.42 (hereafter cited as BDB), the best lexicon around, informs us that
’el gibbor’ in Isaiah 9:6 means
”divine hero (as reflecting the divine majesty)”. In fact, the Hebrew bible speaks of more than one ‘el gibbor’.
The plural ‘
elei gibborim’ can be found in Ezek 32:21, the BDB informing us that thereby it means
”mighty heroes”. It is translated in the KJV as
”The strong among the mighty”. It is therefore talking about
the strongest mighty men and definitely not deities!
(NJB translates it as
”the mightiest heroes”. The RSV/NRS translates it as
”the mighty chiefs”.)
How much more the Messiah, who is the most mightiest man/hero in the universe, the most ultimate representative of GOD Himself, who so perfectly reflects the divine majesty of GOD. How rightly he is the ultimate ‘el gibbor’, the strongest, mightiest one of them all, next to GOD the Father.
In the Hebrew bible, men that is human beings, are not only sometimes called
elohim [e.g. Exo 7:1, 21:6, 22:8-9,28; Psa 82:6] but they are also sometimes called
el(ei) or
el(im) as shown above. (For example, Ezek 32:11, Nebuchadnezzar, the
el {mighty one} of the heathen).
In each of these cases, these men have not been deified neither have they somehow become ‘god-men’!!
When they are called
elohim (Strong’s 430) it is as representatives of GOD ... they represent Almighty GOD.
The same goes for the Messiah. [Psa 45:6 cp. Heb 1:8].
When men are called
el (Strong’s 410, 352 and 193) it is used to denote that they are MIGHTY, STRONG men. [e.g. Exo 15:15, Job 41:25, Ezek 17:13, 31:17, etc]
How much more the ‘warrior-king’ whose return we are awaiting, the King Messiah. He won’t be
‘No Gentle Jesus, Meek & Mild’ at his return. Oh no! He will be
the ‘mighty one of GOD’ who will execute the wrath and judgment of GOD; [Isa 61:2, 2 Thess 1:7-8, Rev 6:16-17, 19:15] whose enemies will be made his footstool! [Psalms 110:1, Heb 10:13]
Now concerning Isaiah 10:21 ... the fact is the definite article
’the’ is NOT in the Hebrew text of this verse. The text actually reads “… the remnant of Jacob, unto [a] mighty god” i.e. ‘el gibbor’, the ‘el gibbor’ of Isaiah 9:6, the Messiah. The text is talking about Israel acknowledging the Messiah after the Messiah destroys
The Assyrian. Look at the context of Isaiah 10, noting the fact that Isaiah called the Messiah,
el gibbor in Chapter 9; in the very next chapter he uses the title again; there is no need to believe he is not referring again to the Messiah. See the context :- Isaiah 10:5-11:4:
- {10:5} “Woe to the Assyrian…[the instrument for the punishment of Israel, to bring her back to God and the Messiah]. {v. 12} When the Lord has completed all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say: ‘I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the King of Assyria…’ {v. 16} The Lord will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors. And under Assyria’s glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame. And the light of Israel will become a fire and His Holy One a flame and it will burn and devour Assyria’s thorns and his briars in a single day…
- {v. 20} Now it will come about in that day that the remnant of Israel and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on YAHWEH, the Holy One of Israel.
- {v. 21} A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob to a Mighty God [Divine Warrior, the Messiah – note: there is no ‘definite article’].
- {v. 22} For though your people Israel may be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant within them will return. A destruction is determined overflowing with righteousness. For a complete destruction, one that is decreed, ADONAI YAHWEH of Hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land. Therefore, thus says ADONAI YAHWEH of Hosts, ‘O my people who dwell in Zion, do not fear the Assyrian, who strikes you with a rod and lifts up his staff…{v. 25} For in a very little while My indignation against you will be spent and My anger will be directed to the destruction of Assyria… {v. 33} Behold, Adon YAHWEH of hosts will lop off the boughs with a terrible crash…
- {Isaiah 11:1} Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. And the spirit of YAHWEH will rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of YAHWEH…
- {11:4} With righteousness he will judge the poor and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth. And he will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips he will destroy the wicked one.”
- How does Paul deal with this information?
He gives inspired commentary on it. In Romans 9:27, 28 he quotes Isaiah 10:22, 23, repeating the prophet’s vision of the future when the Messiah returns. In 2 Thessalonians 2:8 he warns of the coming of the Wicked one and describes the destruction of the Wicked one by Jesus, using the words found in Isaiah 11:4 (above).
- Paul, in other words, expects the Wicked one to be the Assyrian of the end-time and he sees the fulfillment of Isaiah 11:4 at the coming of Jesus. Jesus will eliminate the Assyrian “with the breath of his lips.” All this is part and parcel of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom to which the Gospel invites us and the Kingdom, which will assert divine government across the globe.
Hence the
‘el gibbor – mighty god’ spoken of in Isaiah 10:21 is indeed the Messiah In conclusion then, since
ELOHIM is used in regards to men and judges; and since
EL is used in regards to ‘power’ (e.g. Gen 31:29, Micah 2:1,etc), idols (Isaiah 44:10,15,17,etc) and mighty men including heathen kings such as Nebuchadnezzar (e.g. Ezek 31:11);
EL (and ELOHIM) being used in a title for the Messiah is no proof of the so-called deity of the Messiah.
… but furthermore Jesus is also called the Everlasting Father
as in God the Father, do you see the connection here my
friend?
You are kidding, right? Am I misunderstanding you? Are you saying that Jesus IS the Father!!!
I assumed you were a trinitarian not a modalist neither ‘Oneness’ in your
theology!!! Guess I got that wrong as well. Beside the very obvious fact that Jesus is clearly called the ‘Son of the Father’ [2 John 3] in the Scriptures; maybe I am misunderstanding you.
Let us look at the Hebrew phrase translated as ‘everlasting father’ i.e.
abi-ad (Strong’s 1 & 5703)
Practically every name that begins with ‘ab(i)-‘ (Strong’s 1) is translated ‘father of’. e.g.
- Abraham – father of a multitude
- Abimelech – father of the king
- Abidah – father of knowledge
- Abiasaph – father of gathering
- Abidan – father of judgement
- Abihail – father of might
- Abinoam – father of pleasantness
- Abner – father of light
- Abiathar – father of abundance
- Absalom – father of peace
- Abinadab – father of generosity
- Abishai – father of a gift
- Abishua – father of plenty
ET CETERA
Abi-ad’ can therefore be translated ‘father of the age’ hence the Messiah
will be ‘the father of the age to come’; as translated in :-
- “Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty One, Potentate,
Prince of Peace, Father of the age to come.”—The Septuagint as found in the Codex Alexandrinus, translated by Sir Lancelot C.L. Brenton, c. 1850. (Also translated in this manner by Archimandrite Ephrem Lash)
See also
- “Wonder-Counsellor, Divine Champion, Father Ever, Captain of Peace.”—Byington
- “A wonder of a counsellor, a divine hero, a father for all time, a peaceful prince.”—Moffatt
- Interestingly, the Catholic Douay-Rheims Version of the Bible calls Messiah “the Father of the world to come.”
Of course being called ‘father’ doesn’t make Christ ‘deity’ anymore than Abraham or Eliakim or Joseph being ‘deity’ even though they are called ‘our father’ or ‘a father to the inhabitants of Israel’ or ‘a father to Pharaoh’ respectively [John 8:53, Rom 4:12, Isa 22:20-21, Gen 45:8].
In the age to come, the Messiah will be the ‘father’ of that age in fulfillment of Isa 9:6 (also compare Isa 22:20-22 with Rev 3:7). Jesus will demonstrate that he is the “Father of the Coming Age” because he will “raise the dead and gives them life” in the age to come. Clearly, Jesus will be an ‘eternal’ “Father of the world to come,” the “Father of the age to come,” since both he and the children given to him by God
will live forever.