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Part Three:
One Spirit, One Name
by haRold Smith
from Jerusalem, Israel
"How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, who intend to make My people forget My NAME?" Jeremiah 23:26-27
"...baptizing them in the NAME of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." Matthew 28:19
"But when help comes alongside, which I will impart to you from the Father, the spirit of truth, which goes out from the Father, He (YHVH) will bear witness about me." John 15:26
"The wind (spirit) blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of spirit." John 3:8
It is a source of constant wonderment to see how men can extract a single verse out of scripture, build an empirical doctrine of theology around it but that has no consistency of support or verification anywhere else in scripture. But, this is not a new phenomenon - seen in the passage from Jeremiah above. The last article, In Addition (click on highlighted words to view scriptures), ended with this question - "Ask yourself, if the Father's intent is for us to really come to know Him in Truth, and the scriptures were given to help us verify Truth - then why does the word "Trinity" not appear in any manuscript of scripture and why is the concept itself not to be found historically any further back than 300 years after the Resurrection (even then only emerging within the nefariousness that was the origin of the Constantinian Roman Catholic Church)?" The answer to this question can be found in the lies perpetuated by the tradition of men which carry an agenda of their own intent (that of replacement theology) and have been handed down to us for centuries.
For instance - are you aware that Matthew 28:19 is the only verse in the entirety of all scripture where this phrase, "the NAME of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" are linked together in this fashion in the same passage? Particularly with all the traditional doctrinal emphasis placed upon there being a triune god - do you not find this an odd occurance? When you couple this fact with the additional observation from the previous paragraph and with the knowledge that the Greek word used for "Holy Spirit" in this passage (Strong's G4151 - pneuma), is not the same Greek word used for "Comforter or Helper" in John 14:16-20 (Strong's G3875 - parakletos) - do not even more questions begin to arise? After all, are not both instances supposed to be referring to this same "third person" of the trinity?
Pneuma is found 385 times in scripture and is used to generally describe "a spirit" - not "the spirit" (in spite of the Strong's insistent adherence to the superimposition of the trinity doctrine upon it, i.e., the last definition in the Strong's list, "a movement of wind", is the first definition used by the Thayer's Lexicon for pneuma). Not once among all those 385 appearances is pneuma ever associated with or used as an "advocate" - which is the primary definition of parakletos (Comforter or Helper), found only five times in scripture. And the last time parakletos is used is to describe the function of Yeshua haMashiach (the Messiah) in 1John 2:1 as our advocate - not the "Holy Spirit". Isn't that interesting? Then, when you go to Galatians 4:6 and see where it says YHVH has sent, not the Comforter (parakletos), but the "spirit (pneuma) of His Son" into our hearts - doesn't it make you curious as to just Who the heck is in there and why there is so much confusion over this issue?
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Spirit / Wind |
The confusion in all of these issues lies in not understanding, not knowing this Hebrew Spirit for Who He says He is in Truth - who scripture speaks of Him as; and, instead, relying on and following the dictates of the tradition of men (Mark 7:13. Every letter of every book in the Book (including all those of the NT) were written by Hebrews, from a Hebrew perspective, out of a Hebrew culture primarily to a Hebrew audience. When we consider 2/3 of this Hebrew Book to not be relevant because everything has been replaced, we find ourselves at a serious disadvantage when it comes to comprehending these Hebrew concepts contained in those Hebrew words (see Who's Word Is It? for a further explanation).
There is a consistent theme found in scripture from cover to cover of the Book. Every premise contained in all the other scriptures are built around and upon this one, distinct, single Truth that every Hebrew knew when these books were written and knows now - even Yeshua, born a Hebrew, confirmed it. That theme is the Shema - "there is but One Spirit and His Name is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Mark 12:28-30). Yeshua said in John 4:24 that "God IS Spirit" - so, everytime the word "God" is read in scripture, we should be thinking "Spirit". To know the Source of Life Who is an eternal Spirit and the Messiah, the One Whom He Sent as the image of that Spirit displayed among us, IS eternal Life (John 17:3.
In Hebrew, names, like words, mean things. They are not simply abstract references, as is illustrated in 1Samuel 25:25 where Nabal is described "...as his name is, so is he." Names in Hebrew have intrinsic meanings. This speaks to the name as describing the character of the bearer of that name. The Hebrew language began as pictures - images of what was essential to the object described. When Adam named the animals, he didn’t just pull their names out of thin air. The names he chose revealed what he saw, images displayed before him, that made that particular animal what it was. The same is true of Hebrew names for humans. Nabal is not just any name. It is a name that describes who Nabal is. He is foolish as his name says. So, the composite Paleolithic image that the individual Hebrew picture/letters N-B-L comprise mean, "one pulled along by activity in the house." In other words, Nabal's world is focused entirely on what is happening within the confines of his being, his house. His world is centered only on his own concerns and that, from a Hebrew perspective, is the essence of a fool.
Now, notice that the Hebrew noun, nabal, is really a description of actions. It doesn’t just refer to a person who happens to be called by this word. It reveals the actions of that person. His name can not be disconnected from how he lives. To name something is to designate its true essence. Consequently, a name like Balaam Numbers 22 is not just the name of a prophet who is to speak a curse against Israel. It is his identity. In the case of Balaam, his name means not of the people. Names mean things and this concept of naming is found throughout the Tenakh (OT), becoming very important in how we view these Hebrew words - as we shall see.
Naming is the act of identifying the essence of something and applying that essence as a purpose in the life of the thing or person so named. Since the English language evolved out of Greek and Latin influences, it embraces the inherent philosophies of those languages. This means that, if we are to understand what was originally meant by the authors of these Hebrew documents, we must dig below the surface of translation and look at their words from the same Hebrew perspective so as to uncover the true intent of the words they wrote. While names in Greek and Latin tend to be abstract in nature, in Hebrew the word spoken and the thing identified are identical - they cannot be separated. It is what gives the person or the thing named its identity. This is illustrated by the Hebrew word for "hear", which is shama` - but, in Exodus 19:5, this same Hebrew word is used for "obey". In Hebrew to hear IS to obey, to obey IS to hear. Whether you hear what is spoken or not is measured by how you obey what you hear. Conversely, how you obey determines whether or not you heard what was said. To say "God is good" is to also say "good is God" at the same time - they are the same. Therefore, from a Hebrew perspective, a person's name IS his purpose (see the Glory for a look at His Name).
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| Wind / Spirit |
Thus, the name Immanuel which means "God with us" (but, since Yeshua makes plain in John 4:24 that God is Spirit - the definition should actually read "Spirit with us"), is an active description of what it means to have the Essence of the Nature and Character of the Spirit of YHVH displayed among us. When you are with someone in the flesh in a park does not make that person you - they accompany you. The Spirit of YHVH accompanied the man Yeshua as He chose to manifest the essence of that Spirit by, in and through His actions. Yeshua displayed the active description of Immanuel and, thus, fulfilled the purpose of the name. This is how the active description of the "Word" described in John 1:1 be with YHVH and be YHVH both at the same time. They are both pointing to the same identity - not some other person (see the Word for more detail). Let's see how this Hebrew concept of naming applies to another well-known verse.
| "And His NAME will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 |
Many look at the "Everlasting Father" portion in this passage and think, "Aha - here it is! This verse says it - Jesus is God!!". W-e-l-l, not really. If we are to find Truth in these words, we have to remember that we are looking at an English translation carrying with it and bringing forward the inherent philosophies of those languages that embraced many different gods as eternal - not the Hebrew understanding of there being only One Spirit whose NAME is One. You see, the Hebrew Isaiah was writing out of his Hebrew perspective compiled during the reigns of kings we can date, mentioned in the opening statement of the book (generally considered between 740 and 680 BC) - not the translated Hellenistic Greek words of the third century Septuagint (LXX) we read from today (that's 300 AD, folks).
If we look at these words through the Hebrew perspective they were written in, this passage in Isaiah is speaking to something much richer. We have viewed this verse through the filtered lens of "the trinity" for so long, we just don’t realize this Hebrew prophet is telling us the NAME of the child, not the translated meaning of the child’s name. The full Hebrew name given this person is phla-iuotz-el-gibur-abiod-sar-shalom. All of the capitalizations in this passage are artificial - meaning they were added to the translated text and do not appear in the original Hebrew that way. Consequently, the Hebrew word "el" (which means god-like) does not mean "the God" which, by capitalizing it, gives the implication this person IS God. His full NAME is “one marvelous counseling-masterful godlike father of eternal-prince of peace.” This is the essence of the Spirit within this child - all rolled into one. His NAME is a composite picture of an eternal master AND a prince of peace AND a marvelous counselor - all at once, all in one. Does that phrase sound familiar? From this Hebrew perspective - how does Matthew 28:19 look now? Can you now see that when Yeshua spoke these words He was referring to this description in Isaiah - the Essence of Spirit contained in those words? He was admonishing us to be baptized in the NAME of the One True Spirit, all at the same time - is to be immersed into the Nature and Character of that Spirit? - "there is but One Spirit and His Name is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Mark 12:28-30).
In the context and culture of Hebrew Israel, this child’s very name expresses the essence of His divinity - what it is that makes Him divine. Isaiah gives us, in the name of this child, a name of divine titles that describe the actionable character of the one born to us. This is why names are so important to our reading of the scriptures. Now, are you ready for a shock? “Jesus” is not the name of this child. This child has many names, as we can see from this verse in Isaiah, but "Jesus" is not one of them. "Jesus" is a Greek derivation from a translated meaning of a Hebrew name. The real name of the child born to Miriam is Yeshua, which, of course, has a specific meaning that describes the essence of this person. Why does this change matter? It matters because this child is the seed of YHVH through which the promised salvation (deliverance) would come to the house of Israel to redeem them from the bondage of darkness they had been sold into by the first seed - the role of the Kinsman Redeemer, the Messiah. In other words, in the context and culture of Hebrew Israel, this child’s very name expresses Who and What He is (see Who's Name Is It? for an expanded look at His Name).
The Greek word for "salvation" in John 4:22 is soteria and primarily means deliverance, preservation, safety. The Hebrew word used throughout the Tenakh for "salvation" (found in (found in Isaiah 52:10, Isaiah 62:1 and elsewhere) and elsewhere) also has as its primary definition deliverance. And that Hebrew word is - are you ready for this - Yeshua. Yeshua is the fulfillment of the promise of deliverance from the bondage of darkness by the Kinsman Redeemer, to the family of YHVH - Israel.
By the way, the name, Yeshua, is not the same as Joshua, Yehoshua in Hebrew meaning "the Lord is salvation", and which many have attributed the translated name "Jesus" to have derived from. Yeshua means "salvation/deliverance" - He is not "the Lord is salvation", the definition used to connotate salvation spread over mankind. The definition of salvation (deliverance) used throughout the Tenakh as yeshua is very narrow - pertaining to the house of Israel, the family of YHVH (see Inhabiting Inheritance). Which brings us to the inclusion of Isaiah’s phrase, sar-shalom (Prince of Peace), into this passage - the only place this phrase is found in scripture.
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Immersed in Immanuel the Spirit of YHVH with us |
Sar and melek have one unique, but different, distinction. While both have authority, a king has authority in and of himself - he is a ruler in his own right. A sar, however, is someone who has authority bestowed upon him by another. He is a ruler, but a ruler by appointment only - appointment from a higher authority. This difference is crucial in understanding Yeshua's role as the Prince of Peace (Ephesians 2:14). The Suffering Servant, the Messiah, Immanuel, is not a self-appointed ruler. He is the One Who comes in the NAME of the Spirit of the One Who appointed Him, granted authority by another - YHVH. When we think of Yeshua as king, we must not get confused. Isaiah understood - the Messiah comes as sar, not melek. Yeshua understood His Role (John 14:28); as did the apostle Sha'ul (Paul in 1Corinthians 15:27 - as did all the other Hebrew apostles.
Isaiah describes the Son saying He will be like a mighty god. Trying to make these words say the Mighty God is bending, altering the words so that they conform to our pre-conceived notion of what we want them to mean. It does not say that in Hebrew - neither are any of those words capitalized in Hebrew. It should be repeated, His Name is comprised of all of these words taken together. They are attributes of, characterizations of the Spirit of the One who abides in eternity (Isaiah 57:15, see the Present Presence for an expanded explanation) - of which the appointed prince stated He manifested the NAME, the Essence of in (John 17:6, see what it means To Be Made Manifest). That means appointed by someone else. The Greek translation was flavored to support an imported doctrine, an agenda of man not supported by the rest of scripture. This verse simply does not make the statement that this child IS YHVH or that YHVH birthed Himself - nor is it made any where else in scripture. Yeshua is the displayed image of the Spirit of the Father, the Essence of the Father's Nature and Character - not the Father Himself (2Corinthians 4:4),
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"But to all who did receive him,
who believed in His NAME,
He gave the right to become children of Spirit (YHVH)..." John 1:12 |
Please feel free to email them to me at harold@hethathasanear.com. I don't claim to have all the answers, but I would be honored to share with you what the Father is uncovering in these days.