Psalm 110:5 - Did David Claim the Messiah is Jehovah?

The Lord is at your right hand. He will crush kings in the day of his wrath. -- Psalm 110:5, World English.

Some refer to Psalm 110:5 as proof that Jesus is Jehovah, or a person of Jehovah. The claim appears to be that since David's Lord is spoke of as being at the right hand of Jehovah in Psalm 110:1, that Jehovah is depicted as being at the right hand of Jehovah in Psalm 110:5 must be referring to the Messiah as the second person Jehovah, sitting at the right hand of the first person of Jehovah. Of course, one has to add a lot of assumptions to the what is said in Psalm 110:1,5 in order to "see" any idea of the alleged trinity at all.

The Masoretic text does not have the Holy Name in this verse; it has what is often transliterated as "adonay/adonai."
http://qbible.com/hebrew-old-testament/psalms/110.html#5

The original Hebrew, however, does not actually have ADONAY anywhere. In the ancient Hebrew, there is no distinction between adonay and adony. They are both represented exactly the same in the ancient Hebrew, both words appear by what could be transliterated as 'DNY or 'DNJ (some give it as 'DNI). Strictly, this means "my Lord." Nevertheless, it is not inherent in the original Hebrew text that David's intent was to use 'DNY here was to speak of Jehovah or of the Messiah whom Jehovah anoints. (Isaiah 61:1; It could be understood that David stated to Jehovah: "My lord is at your right hand." 

However, Ginsburg's findings indicate that the copyists may have changed the Holy Name to Adonai in this verse, if this so, then it should read as:

Jehovah is at your right hand. He will crush kings in the day of his wrath. -- Psalm 110:5.

As we have pointed out elsewhere, however, Ginsburg's conclusions are not always correct. It could be that the Hebrew for "my Lord" was what David originally wrote. At the same time, it could be the David did originally write the Tetragrammaton of God's Holy Name and it was later changed.

If the World English is correct, then it would be David speaking to Jehovah, saying that his lord is at the right hand of Jehovah. If Ginsburg is correct, then it would be David saying to his lord of verse 1 that Jehovah is at the right hand of his lord. This would simply mean that Jehovah is at the right hand Jehovah as the source of the Messiah's strength. (Micah 5:4) Either way, there is nothing in the verse that would mean that we need to add to what is said that Jehovah of Psalm 110:1 refers to the first person of Jehovah a while David's Lord refers to the second person of Jehovah, etc.

There is definitely nothing in Psalm 110:5, or anywhere else in the Bible, that says that Jehovah is more than one person, or that Jehovah is three persons. No such concept is ever introduced anywhere in the faith once delivered to the saints. (Jude 1:3) To add such a concept to the Bible, would, in effect, be following another spirit, especially since that concept tends to deny the purpose for which Christ came into the world. -- 2 Corinthians 11:4; John 3:17; 6:51; Hebrews 10:10; 1 John 4:3,9,10,14.

Related:

Hebrew Analysis of Psalm 110:5

Jehovah Comes to Judge Through His Son

By Ronald R. Day, Sr.

God's Holy Name is presented throughout this study as "Jehovah", regardless of translation.

Joel 3:11 Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations, And gather yourselves together.” Cause your mighty ones to come down there, Jehovah.
Joel 3:12 “Let the nations arouse themselves, And come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; For there will I sit to judge all the surrounding nations. — World English

Matthew 25:31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then will he sit on the throne of his glory.
Matthew 25:32 Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  — World English

Trinitarians, Oneness believers and some others may present these two scriptures together and offer them as proof of the trinity, or proof that Jesus is Jehovah. Of course, there is nothing in the verses about three persons in Jehovah, or about a triune God, or that Jesus is Jehovah.

The claim, however, is that in Joel 3:11-12 it is Jehovah who gathers and judges the nations, and that in Matthew 28:31-32,  it is Jesus before whom the nations are gathered,  and it is Jesus who does the judging. It is therefore assumed and presented as fact that this is proof that Jesus is Jehovah.

Aside from the fact that the judgment of the nations of Joel 3:11-12 is of the nations as collectively condemned in Adam, and the judgment 0f the nations in Matthew 25:31-32 is of the individuals of the nations (representing two different judgment periods), those who would claim this is as proof that Jesus is Jehovah overlook the scriptures that show the unipersonal God has given all judgment to the Son, and that Jehovah, as one person, comes to judge the world by means of the person whom he has ordained.

John 5:22 World English
For neither does the Father judge any man, but he has given all judgment to the Son.

John 5:27 World English
He also gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man.

In John 5:25, “God” is presented, not as three persons, but rather as one person, and Jesus is presented as the “Son” of that one person. Thus “God” is one person, the father, as Jesus stated in John 17:3, and as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 8:6. Indeed, through the whole book of John, the word “God”, when applied to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 3:14,15), is always used to represent one person (the God of Jesus), and never once is it used to represent more than one person.

It was this unipersonal “God” who gave “all judgment” to the Son. (John 5:22,27) Does this mean that Jesus was at one time not a person of God and that when “all judgment” was given to him that he then became a person of God, or that he then became “God” who gave him this authority to judge? That is what the logic would lead to if the claim concerning Joel 3:11,12 and Matthew 25:31,31 should be true.

Not only this, if we followed such logic through as it would be applied to other scriptures, it would mean that the saints themselves also become God, or persons of God, since we read:

Judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. — Daniel 7:22, World English

Don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? — 1 Corinthians 6:2, World English.

I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. — Revelation 20:4, World English.

To be consistent with the idea that since Jehovah and Jesus judge the nations, that this should make them both Jehovah, then the above scriptures would mean that all of the saints are also Jehovah. Of course, the whole basis of the line of argument is scripturally incorrect.

Regarding the coming day of judgment, we read:

Psalm 96:1 – Sing to Jehovah a new song! Sing to Jehovah, all the earth.
Psalm 96:2 – Sing to Jehovah! Bless his name. Proclaim his salvation from day to day.
Psalm 96:3  -Declare his glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples.
Psalm 96:4 – For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised! He is to be feared above all gods.
Psalm 96:5 – For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But Jehovah made the heavens.
Psalm 96:6 – Honor and majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Psalm 96:7 – Ascribe to Jehovah, you families of nations, Ascribe to Jehovah glory and strength.
Psalm 96:8 – Ascribe to Jehovah the glory due to his name. Bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Psalm 96:9 – Worship Jehovah in holy array. Tremble before him, all the earth.
Psalm 96:10 – Say among the nations, “Jehovah reigns.” The world is also established. It can’t be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.
Psalm 96:11 – Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice. Let the sea roar, and the fullness of it!
Psalm 96:12 – Let the field exult, and all that is therein. Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy
Psalm 96:13 – Before Jehovah; for he comes, For he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, The peoples with his truth.

And:

Psalm 98:1 – Sing to Jehovah a new song, For he has done marvelous things! His right hand, and his holy arm, have worked salvation for him.
Psalm 98:2 – Jehovah has made known his salvation. He has openly shown his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
Psalm 98:3 – He has remembered his lovingkindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Psalm 98:4 – Make a joyful noise to Jehovah, all the earth! Burst out and sing for joy, yes, sing praises!
Psalm 98:5 – Sing praises to Jehovah with the harp, With the harp and the voice of melody.
Psalm 98:6 – With trumpets and sound of the ram’s horn. Make a joyful noise before the King, Jehovah.
Psalm 98:7 – Let the sea roar with its fullness; The world, and those who dwell therein.
Psalm 98:8 – Let the rivers clap their hands. Let the mountains sing for joy together.
Psalm 98:9 – Let them sing before Jehovah, For he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with equity.

In those two psalms. we find that Jehovah is the One who comes to judge the world with equity. However, in Isaiah 11:4, we read that that “a shoot out of the stock of Jesse”, one who is not Jehovah, but who has reverential fear for Jehovah (Isaiah 11:2), will judge the people with equity. To understand how this is so, let us read also:

[God – Acts 17:30] has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man [person] whom he has ordained. — Acts 17:31.

Thus, Jehovah comes to judge the world by means of the person whom he has ordained, His Son, Christ Jesus, the one whom God “has raised ... from the dead.” This does not mean that the Son is a person of “God”. Indeed, the context shows that “God” is not three persons, but one person; the context shows that Jesus is not “God”, but rather the Son of “God”.

We can find many examples in the Bible of how God performed works through various ones, and by which both are said to have performed the work. We ill cite one:

We read that Jehovah spoke to Moses:

Exodus 3:7 – Jehovah said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
Exodus 3:8 I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and large land.

Here we find that Jehovah says that he had come down to deliver [save] the children of Israel out of the hand of the Egyptians. But let us read further as Jehovah speaks to Moses:

Exodus 3:10 Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

Now, Jehovah says that Moses will bring forth the children of Egypt out of Egypt. Does this mean that Moses is Jehovah? Absolutely not! The Psalmist says to Jehovah: “You led your people like a flock, By the hand of Moses and Aaron.” Jehovah used as his instruments both Moses and Aaron to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Likewise, through Jesus as His agent, Jehovah comes to judge the world. This does not mean that Jesus is Jehovah anymore than in Exodus 3 we should conclude that Moses must be Jehovah.

Psalm 2:7 - Today I Have Become Your Father

Is the Trinity a Biblical Doctrine?

According to many trinitarians, "the trinity is a Biblical doctrine," and the trinity dogma is presented as allegedly stating what the Bible says. In reality, there is absolutely no concept of a trinity presented anywhere at all in the Bible. The idea has to be added to, and read into, each and every scripture that is presented to allegedly support the added-on dogma.

Yes, the trinitarians present an array of scriptures, both from the Hebrew "Old Testament" Scriptures as well as the Christian "New Testament Scriptures to allegedly support their dogma. Upon close examination, however, one has to realize that in each and every scripture that is presented, what the trinitarian relies on is a presupposition that will see "trinity" when the scriptures are read. Closer examination of the scriptures reveal how the trinity has to be added to and read into each and every scripture presented.

The truth is that the scriptures can be seen to be totally and fully harmonious without adding the trinitarian philosophy to the Bible.

"It must be admitted by everyone who has the rudiments of an historical sense that the doctrine of the Trinity, as a doctrine, formed no part of the original message. St Paul knew it not, and would have been unable to understand the meaning of the terms used in the theological formula on which the Church ultimately agreed".

Dr. W R Matthews, Dean of St Paul's Cathedral,
"God in Christian Thought and Experience", p.180

My belief in the Trinity is based on the authority of the Church: no other authority is sufficient. I will now show from reason, that the Athanasian Creed and the Scripture are opposed to one another.

"Rev." James Hughes, Roman Catholic Priest,
As quoted in Percy White's The Doctrine of the Trinity (1913.)

In other words, this Roman Catholic Priest begins by saying that he believes in the trinity, not because he can find in the Bible, but because he accepts as authority the word of men who claim such authority. This, in effect, denies that the faith was fully delivered in the first century. -- Jude 1:3

Nevertheless, the Catholics appear to be more honest regarding this than the Protestant trinitarians who insist the Bible teaches the trinitarian concept. However, none of the protestant trinitarian apologists ever actually give any scripture in the Bible where that concept is taught. They do present many scriptures that one may, with an imagination bent towards the preconceived trinitarian concept, create assumptions beyond what is written so as to "see" the trinity in those scriptures. In effect, what they actually present as being "Biblical proof" of the trinity is what has to be imagined, assumed, added to, and read into the scriptures they present, and then it has to be further imagined and assumed that what has been imagined and assumed is what the scriptures mean.

The fact is that, despite how many scriptures are presented to allegedly support the trinity dogma. not one scripture in the Bible ever presents the concept of a triune God. Not one scripture ever once presents the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jaocb as being more than one person. Not one scripture presents Jesus as being a person of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Such a concept has to be based on what is thought beyond what is actually written, and assumptions have to be created beyond what is written, and then the imagined assumptions have to be added to, and read into, what is actually stated in any scripture that is alleged to "teach" the triune God concept.

See also our study: Jesus is not Jehovah

Related Books and Aids

Isaiah 40:3 – Malachi 3:1 – The Sent Messenger And His Message

By Ronald R. Day, Sr. -- This study needs to be updated.

Isaiah 40:3 - The voice of him who cries in the wilderness: [speaking to the people of Israel] Prepare the way of Jehovah; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. -- Green's Literal.

Malachi 3:1 - Behold, I am sending My messenger, and He will clear the way before Me [[or, more literally, my face, presence]]. And the Lord whom you are seeking shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Angel of the Covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He comes, says Jehovah of Hosts. -- Green's Literal.

The two prophecies above speak of John the Baptist and his work. There are aspects of each that help us to understand the other. In Isaiah 40:3, the message that was to be given was a directive to the people of Israel, that they should prepare the way of Jehovah. In Malachi, it is stated that the messenger was to prepare the way before Jehovah's face.

Many, in seeing the application of John the Baptist as being the forerunner of Jesus, have thought that these scriptures offer proof that Jesus is Jehovah. This idea, however, is due, in part, to a misreading of what these scriptures are actually saying.

In Malachi 3, two messengers are referred to. The first is the messenger who turns the way toward Jehovah's face, and then there is the other messenger, spoken of as the “messenger of the covenant. The Hebrew translated “messenger” in both instances is malak, angel. Neither of these are of the order of spirit beings that are normally referred to as “angels”, but both are messengers for Jehovah. The Hebrew word translated “way” [Strong’s #1870] is a form of the word often transliterated a derek, meaning:

way, road, distance, journey, manner
road, way, path
journey
direction
manner, habit, way
of course of life (fig.)
of moral character (fig.)
http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/nas/derek.html

Jehovah was about bring about the fulfillment of his prophecies upon Israel, which would being about the destruction of Israel. The avoid that destruction, the people of Israel needed to repent. The record shows that only a few repented, and thus only a few were ready for the Messiah whom Jehovah sent to them.

Jehovah, through the prophet Malachi, was foretelling that the work that was being assigned to John the Baptist was to turn the moral character of the people before the presence of face of Jehovah. This John the Baptizer did by preaching to the people of Israel the message of repentance toward Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who sent and raised Jesus up as his prophet, the God and Father of Jesus. -- Exodus 3:14,15; Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Isaiah 61:1; Mark 1:4; Acts 3:13-26; 13:24; 19:4; Ephesians 1:3.

Although it is possible that John’s preaching of repentance was based on the coming sacrifice (Romans 3:25; 5:12-19; 8:3; Hebrews 9:28; 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18) of the one who was coming after him, John was not preaching that the people should repent toward Jesus, but he was preaching, as did the disciples, “repentance toward God,” as shown by Acts 20:21. The preparing, or turning, of the way before or towards the face/presence of Jehovah, was actually toward the God of Jesus, not toward Jesus himself. It to the God and Father of Jesus that Israel (as well as the world) needed to be reconciled, not to Jesus. -- Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18,19.

The Lord (adon) whom Israel was seeking was the Messiah, who came suddenly to his temple. The word suddenly should be better rendered as unexpectedly. He came unexpectedly to test and prove Israel as a people, and as such he came to the temple in Jerusalem, but more specifically, Jesus came to his temple, his church, which has been given to him by his God. — Ezekiel 32:2-24; John 10:11-17,29; Ephesians 2:20-22; John 6:37,39; 10:29.

In Isaiah 40:3, we find that John is being foretold as the voice in the wilderness. John, himself, is not being depicted as preparing the way, as many have falsely assumed; he is the one declaring to the people to prepare the way; this he did by his preaching to the people repentance toward Jehovah, by which, the way of the people were being made straight,  justified, before Jehovah, that they believed in the words of God as spoken through John the Baptizer.

Matthew 3:1-3

In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea [as foretold in Isaiah 40:3], saying [to children of Israel], “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” [in effect, prepare the way of Jehovah] For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ready [form of Greek, transliterated, Hetoimazos (Strong’s #2090), corresponding with Hebrew Strong’s #6457, to turn, as to change one’s course in life, repent] the way [Greek course of conduct] of [before] Jehovah, Make his paths straight.” — Holy Name supplied.

Matthew 3:3
houtos gar estin ho rheetheis dia eesaiou tou
THIS FOR IS THE (ONE) SPOKEN OF THROUGH ISAIAH THE
3778 1063 1510_2 3588 2064_5 1223 2268 3588
propheetou legontos phwnee bowntos en tee
PROPHET SAYING VOICE OF ONE CRYING OUT IN THE
4396 3004 5456 0994 1722 3588
ereemw hetoimasate teen hodon kuriou eutheias
WILDERNESS MAKE YOU READY THE WAY OF LORD, STRAIGHT
2048 2090 3588 3598 2962 2117
poieite tas tribous autou
BE MAKING THE ROADS OF HIM.
4160 3588 5147 0846_3

Like most quotations of the Old Testament in the New Testament, this is not a direct quote of Isaiah 40:3, but an indirect adaptive quote. 

John, in effect, tells the people: “Make ready the way of [or for, on behalf of] Jehovah, Make his paths [more literally, paths of/for him”] straight.” The method by which John the Baptist tells the people this message is by his preaching to the people: “Repent, for the Kingdom of the Heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:1-3; see also Acts 20:21, which shows that repentance is toward God.) In other words, ‘The Royal Majesty from heaven is at hand!’ Neither Jehovah’s paths, nor Jesus’ paths, needed to be make straight, since both are without sin. It is the paths of the sinful people, the people of Israel, who belong to Jehovah, that needed to be made straight towards Jehovah, and, thus, the method in which the people make ready [turned] the ways [figurative of moral character] of Jehovah, and make his ways straight is through repentance toward Jehovah, being made straight, just, through belief and obedience, in preparation for the one coming in Jehovah’s name, the one who spoke for Jehovah, the one appointed as King by Jehovah. — Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Psalm 2:2,6; 45:6,7; 110:1,2; Isaiah 9:6,7; 61:1; Daniel 7:13,14; Matthew 21:9; 23:39; 28:18; Luke 24:19; John 4:25; 5:43; 8:28; 10:25; 12:49,50; Acts 2:34-36; 3:17-26; 5:30,31; Ephesians 1:22; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:2,9; 3:1,2.

Some often refer to the verse in Isaiah 40:3 as though the message to prepare the way was actually addressed to John the Baptist, rather than being the words addressed to the people. The reality, the command, "Prepare the way of Jehovah" is the message that John the Baptist delivered to the people, which Matthew records as being a message of repentance. Nevertheless, some would read the prophecy as an address to John the Baptist to prepare the way of Jehovah, who they claim to be Jesus. As a result the misread the prophecy as saying that John the Baptist, himself, was to prepared the way for Jesus, and then claim that that what they have misread means that Jesus is Jehovah. In reality, in Isaiah, the messenger [John] directs the message to the people of Israel. (Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1 — see also Genesis 18:19; Proverbs 10:29; Jeremiah 5:4,5) The command given to prepare the way is not to one person, as John the Baptist, but the Hebrew is in the plural, not singular. Thus in Matthew 3, the “one” before foretold is John the Baptist, who is the one in the wilderness who declares a message to the people: “Prepare the way before Jehovah”, which was a message to the people of repentance toward Jehovah.

Of course, Jesus is the representative of Jehovah, and John did come before Jesus, and did, by means of preaching repentance toward Jehovah, prepare the people to receive Jesus, not as being Jehovah the Almighty, but as being the Anointed One of Jehovah the Almighty, the one whom Jehovah. sent to speak his words in his name. Jesus did not come in his own name; Jesus came in the name of another who is not himself, that is, he came in the name of his God, whose name is Jehovah (Yahweh). — Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 118:26;Isaiah 61:1; Luke 1:32; 13:35; John 3:16,17; 5:43; 17:1,3; Acts 3:13-26; Hebrews 1:1,2.

Thus, a secondary way of viewing the words of Matthew 1:1-3 is that by telling the people to prepare the way of Jehovah by means of repentance toward Jehovah, a way was also being prepared for Jesus, the representative of Jehovah. It could be said that John, in making the way, for Jesus, was also preparing the way for the one who sent Jesus. The Messiah was sent by Jehovah as the representative of Jehovah. Those who received him received Jehovah also, just as any who receives a true disciple of Christ, also receives Christ. — Matthew 21:9; 23:39; Mark 9:37; Luke 2:26; 9:20,48; John 3:17; 4:34; 5:24,30,36-38; 6:29,38-44,57; 7:16,18,28,29,33; 8:16,26,29,42; 9:4; 10:36; 11:42; 12:44-49; 13:20; 17:1,3; Hebrews 1:9.

Regardless, one would have to read into the verses that Matthew meant to say Jesus is Jehovah, which would mean that Jesus did indeed come in his own name, and that John must have erred in recording Jesus’ words of John 5:43. One would have to imagine even more so that anything written in these verses denotes anything about a triune God, which “God” is not once ever mentioned in the Bible.

Matthew 11:9,10

But why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before [in the sight of] you.’

Matthew 11:10
houtos estin peri hou gegraptai idou egw
THIS (ONE) IS ABOUT WHOM IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN LOOK! I
3778 1510_2 4012 3739 1125 2400 1473
apostellw ton aggelon mou pro proswpou sou
AM SENDING OFF THE MESSENGER OF ME BEFORE FACE OF YOU,
0649 3588 0032 1473_2 4253 4383 4771_1
hos kataskeuasei teen hodon sou emprosthen sou
WHO WILL PREPARE THE WAY OF YOU IN FRONT OF YOU.
3739 2680 3588 3598 4771_1 1715 4771_1

Jesus quotes indirectly from Malachi 3:1 . Jesus is speaking to the multitudes of Jews concerning John the Baptist, that John was more than just an ordinary prophet. The wording replaces the “me” as found in Malachi 3:1 with “you”: in relation to the prophecy, the messenger sent is John the Baptist. He is the one delivering the message that effects a preparation before the face of Jehovah. In other words, in agreement with Isaiah 40:3, John's message was to the people that they prepare the way before the face of Jehovah; the wording in Matthew turns it around and seems to speak of the way before the people of Israel. The “I” is Jehovah himself speaking prophetically, and the messenger is John the Baptist. John was to deliver to the people of Israel a message that they were to prepare the way before (in the face) of Jehovah.  We cannot be certain as to why Jesus changed the “me” to “you”,  but "you" in the Greek is singular.Jesus was probably referring to Jehovah as "you." On the other hand the singular "you" could be referring to the children of Israel as whole. If this is what is meant, we would have assume he did so because, in application, it is the people who were in need of repentance, and thus John preached that they should repent before Jehovah. Regardless, the message of John was to the people of Israel to repent. Acts 20:21 shows that such repentance is toward God, not Jesus. 

Mark 1:2-5

As it is written in the prophets, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, Who will prepare your way before you. 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of Jehovah! Make his paths straight!'” 4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. 5 There went out to him all the country of Judea, and all those of Jerusalem. They were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins. — Divine name supplied.

Both prophecies are referred to here. Again, it is evident that Mark is making an indirect quotation and rewords the prophecies. Malachi 3:1 is quoted similarly to the same way is quoted in Matthew 11:9,10, which see above. Jesus is the representative of Jehovah, the messenger of the covenant, and also was sent by Jehovah. He is not Jehovah who sent him.

Mark immediately shows how John fulfilled the prophecy and that was by preaching to the people the message of repentance. It was the through the message of repentance to the people that Isaiah 40:3 was being fulfilled. Verse two shows this, in that the messenger directs the message to the people of Israel, who needed to repent before Jehovah. And thereby the people, through their repentance toward God, did prepare the way of Jehovah by making themselves a prepared people before their Messiah (anointed of Yah) was made known to them. — Acts 20:21.

Please note that it is not only John, who is Jehovah's messenger to the people, but more importantly the people who prepare the way of Jehovah by means of their repentance. John’s mission was pre-eminently that of a reprover and reformer, telling the people to prepare the way of Jehovah through repentance toward Jehovah symbolized through water baptism.

See Matthew 3:1-3 and Matthew 11:9,10 above.

Luke 1:1-4

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. He came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance to remission of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of Jehovah. Make his paths straight.”

This is also another indirect quote of Isaiah 40:3. See Matthew 3:1-3 above. Again, it depicts John as being the one presenting the message to the children of Israel, by means of preaching repentance toward Jehovah.

Luke 1:15-17

For he will be great in the sight of Jehovah, and he will drink no wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. He will turn many of the children of Israel to Jehovah, their God. He will go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for Jehovah.”

Here John is said to make ready a people for Jehovah. This he did by his preaching of repentance toward Jehovah.

See Matthew 3:1-3 above.

Luke 1:76,77

And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, For you will go before the face of Jehovah to prepare [Hebrew in Malachi 4:1 is a form of the verb transliterated as Panah, meaning to turn] his ways, To give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins.

It is often claimed that Jesus is referred to here as Jehovah (Jehovah). Actually, it is the God of Jesus that is spoken here as Jehovah, not Jesus. John preached to the people of Israel repentance toward God, and it was in this manner that John prepared, or turned the people, to the ways of Jehovah. See Matthew 3:1-3 above.

Luke 7:26,27

But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, Who will prepare your way before you.’

See Matthew 3:1-3 and Matthew 11:9,10 above.

John 1:23

He [John the Baptizer] said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of Jehovah,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

The same applies here as to the verses already discussed above.

The above examination shows that there is nothing in any of these verses that should lead us to believe that Jesus is Jehovah.

Some Related Writings – We do not necessarily agree with all conclusions presented by these authors.

“Waiting For Messiah”, Zion’s Watch Tower, December 1, 1911, page 443, Reprints page 4930
http://www.agsconsulting.com/htdbnon/r4930b.htm

“Messenger of Jehovah”, Zion’s Watch Tower, December 15, 1905, page 376, Reprints page 3683
http://www.agsconsulting.com/htdbnon/r3683.htm

“Christ’s Testimony of John”, Zion’s Watch Tower, November 1, 1908, page 368, Reprints page 1736
http://www.agsconsulting.com/htdbnon/r1736.htm

“Preparing the Way”, The Dawn – Herald of Christ’s Presence, February 2002
http://www.dawnbible.com/2002/0212ib29.htm

Edit

Revelation 3:14 - Is Jesus the Beginning, Ruler or Beginner of Creation?

Did Jesus Need To Be Uncreated To Pay For The Sin Of The World?

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" -- John 1:29.

The claim is made that Jesus must not have been created, since, according to this reasoning, 'nothing created could pay the penalty of sin for everything was created and subject to corruption.' Many have stated this or something similar: "Jesus had to be God so that He could pay our debt." Thus the conclusion is that Jesus is the uncreated God.

Many say this as though such was written in the Bible. Actually, such a thought is not in the Bible at all. In reality, this thought has to imagined and assumed totally beyond what is written in the Bible. — 1 Corinthians 4:6.

On the other hand, if Jesus had to be the Most High in order to obey the Most High, then rather than condemning sin in the flesh (Romans 8:3), Jesus justified sin the flesh, for he would have proved that in order to obey the Most High, Adam would have needed to have been the Most High. Such, in effect, condemns the Most High for demanding of a being that is not the Most High obedience to the Most High. It would further imply that a sinless, incorrupt, yet corruptible, man could not possible have obeyed the Most High, and thus the Most High was unjust in demanding the death penalty for his disobedience.

However, what does the scripture actually say? Does it say that Jesus had to be the Most High in order to pay the price for sin? Absolutely not! “For since through man is the death, also through man is a rising again of the dead.” (1 Corinthians 15:21, Young’s Literal Translation) It was “the man [not God], Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all.” (1 Timothy 2:5,6) Only could an incorrupt sinless man, as was Adam before Adam sinned, actually prove that such a mere man could obey God, and provide the offsetting price – antilutron – for sin (1 Timothy 2:5,6), thereby condemning sin in the flesh. (Romans 8:3) Not only that, unlike Adam, Jesus proved that such a man can put on incorruption (Greek, Aphtharsia; 1 Corinthians 15:54), having overcome even the possibility of dying the second death (Revelation 2:11; 3:21), thereby bringing life and incorruption (Aphtharsia) to light for man. — 2 Timothy 1:10.

How could one man pay the offsetting price for sin? Because all were condemned in one man, who was once incorrupt, but was corrupted through sin (Romans 5:12-19), and thus only one fully faithful incorrupt sinless man — not God — was needed to buy back that which was lost. — 1 Corinthians 15:21,22.

Jesus was not born of this world (John 8:23), the offspring of Adam that has been corrupted through the sin of Adam and Eve. (Romans 5:12-19; 2 Peter 1:4) Adam was not created corrupted; he was created incorrupt, upright, straight. (Ecclesiates 7:29) On the other hand, neither was Adam created incorruptible, for such would have meant that it would have been impossible to Adam to sin. Adam was created incorrupt, but he was created corruptible, that is, it was possible for him to become corrupted through sin.

Jesus was begotten of the holy spirit in the womb of Mary. (Matthew 1:20) His body was specially prepared by God. (Hebrews 10:5) Thus, he was not born under the condemnation of Adam , but he took upon himself the penalty of that condemnation, and suffered as though he were under that condemnation, as though he were under the bondange of corruption (Greek, phithora -- Strong's #5356), in order to pay the price as an offering to his God (Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 9:14) to release man from that condemnation. Only in this manner is God found to be just, and yet the justifier of sinners. — Romans 3:26; 8:3,20-22; 1 Timothy 2:5,6.

Isaiah 57:15 – Examining The Hebrew Word ‘Ad

Isaiah 57:15: “For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

This is one of scriptures that is often used to show that Jehovah is eternal, to which we agree; however, it is often claimed that, by the usage here, that this proves that the Hebrew word ‘ad means eternity, not simply as meaning something different than eternal past, present and future, but it is often claimed that eternity exists outside of time altogether. Although eternal past is implied here, the Hebrew word ‘ad does not, of itself, necessarily mean this, as one can easily determine by looking up the how it is used in various verses.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/kjv/ad.html

Some read into Isaiah 57:15 that Jehovah exists outside of time; whether Jehovah actually dwells outside of time or not is not given in the Bible, nor is there anything in the Hebrew to warrant this conclusion. The Hebrew word ‘ad cannot be used to make such claim.

The Hebrew word ‘ad (Strong’s 5710) is also used of the dwelling of the righteous on earth in Psalm 37:29, where no thought would be placed in dwelling outside of time. In Numbers 24:20, the word ‘ad there certainly does not mean eternity outside of time, but it does refer to Amalek as having perished referring to future time? In the Bible, the Hebrew word ‘ad is usually used pertaining to future time.

In Psalm 41:13, 90:2; 93:2, Jehovah is said to be “from everlasting.”  These verses are often cited in connection with Isaiah 57:15. The word used in these verses, usually translated as “everlasting’, is not ‘ad, but rather the word often transliterated as ‘olam or ‘owlam. Does ‘owlam, of itself, designate eternal past, present and future, or an eternity outside of time? We have discussed this word elsewhere*, and have shown from the scriptures that it does not inherently mean either. The word can take on the meaning of eternal past or eternal future, depending on context. The very wording of the verses (Psalm 41:13, 90:2; 93:2) under discussion, however, indicates that it is not being used to mean eternity outside of time, since the time elements of “from” (past time) and “to” (future time) are given related to its use. Of itself, however, the Hebrew word ‘olam does not designate either eternal past or eternal future; the contextual usage in this verse, however, as applied to Jehovah, does give it the meaning of eternal past and eternal future.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/kjv/owlam.html

Nevertheless, returning to Isaiah 57:15, the New American Standard renders Isaiah 57:15 as: “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever.” The Hebrew word translated “lives” (Strong’s #7931) simply means to dwell, reside. The Hebrew is simply saying that Jehovah dwells forever, He continues to abide forever, that is, that he lives into the future without end.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/kjv/shakan.html

Nevertheless, “eternity” is claimed to be a supposed incommunicable attribute of Jehovah, and thus no one else should have it. We concur that having an eternal past only belongs to Jehovah, the "one God of whom are all" (1 Corinthians 8:6), the God and Father of our Lord Jesus. (John 17:3; Ephesians 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3) On the other hand, to live forever (as pertaining to the future) is not an incommunicable attribute of Yahweh. We gave Psalm 37:29 which shows that humans will dwell for eternity (‘ad) upon the earth; this certainly doesn’t mean that they will dwell in an eternity outside of time, or that they will share an incommunicable attribute of Jehovah. — See also: Psalm 21:4,6; 22:26.