King James Version “Looking unto Yahshua the author and finisher of our faith; ...”

Heb. 12:2, as it reads in the King James Version, might be construed as contributing to the doctrine of pre-existence, and therefore to the doctrine of the Trinity as well. If Yahshua is the author of our faith, does not this indicate that Yahshua is the Creator, and possibly, has existed forever? Unless Yahshua pre-existed there can not be a Trinity as the Christian Church teaches; "God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” When we consult other reference material we see there is no intended support for the Trinity in Heb. 12:2, or that Yahshua pre-existed.


Young’s Concordance reveals that, of the four times archegos appears it is translated author one time (Heb. 2:12),  quoted above, and means “beginning, chief leader.” Archegos is translated as captain one time:

“For it became him [Yahweh] ... in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Heb. 2:10);

Archegos is translated twice as prince (Acts 3:15; 5:31).

“But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; And killed the Prince of life, whom Yahweh hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses” (Acts 3:14-15).

Had not Yahweh raised Yahshua from the dead, he would still be in the grave today. This reveals that Yahshua is not the author of life.

“Him hath Yahweh exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31).

Yahshua is NOW the Savior as well as prince. One day he will be King of Israel, ruler of the Kingdom of Heaven [Yahweh].

The word author seems to indicate an original source, but Yahshua was not not the original source of our salvation, nor of our being - our existence.The heavenly Father, is the original source of all things. He existed before Yahshua existed. Yahshua freely admitted that he did nothing on his own authority, but only that which the heavenly Father directed him to do (John 5:30-32; 7:15-19; 12:49-50; 14:24).

Once we understand this, we can see why most translators use words which are more correct than author in Heb. 12:2. Below are listed several versions which illustrate this improvement:


Revised Standard Version “... looking to Yahshua the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, ...”

A pioneer is not an author, but one who goes before; who precedes others, who arrives ahead of others, or one who leads others into new areas.

The Norlie Version “Let us look for strength to Yahshua, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”

New American Version “... let us keep our eyes fixed on Yahshua, who inspires and perfects our faith.”

Cassirer Version “... having our eyes fixed on him who is the founder of our faith and the one who brings it to perfection, Yahshua, ...”

Good News Bible “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Yahshua, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end.”

New Century Version “Let us look only to Yahshua, the one who began our faith and makes it perfect.”

Beck Version “... looking to Yahshua, who gives us our faith from start to finish.”

New English Bible “... our eyes fixed on Yahshua, on whom faith depends from start to finish: ...”

Charles B. Williams Version “... keeping our eyes on Yahshua, the perfect leader and example of our faith, ...”

Charle K.Williams Version “... with our eyes fixed on Yahshua, the leader and perfect model of our faith; ...”

Jerusalem Bible “Let us not loose sight of Yahshua, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: ...”

The Living Bible “Keep your eyes on Yahshua, our leader and instructor.”

Weymouth Version “... simply fixing our gaze on Yahshua, the Leader and Perfecter of our faith.”

Ben Wilson Version (Diaglott) “Looking away to the Leader and Perfecter of the Faith, Yahshua, ...”

Ferrar Fenton Version “... looking forward to the Leader and Trainer of our faith.”

New World Translation “... as we look intently at the Chief Agent and Perfecter of our faith, Yahshua.”

Bible in Basic English “Having our eyes fixed on Yahshua, the guide and end of our faith, ...”

Koster Version “... looking to the Princely Leader and Perfecter, Yahshua ...”

Emphasized Bible “Looking away unto our faith’s Princely-leader and perfecter, Yahshua ...”


Perhaps it will be of interest to point out that most of these translators accept(ed) the pre-existence of Yahshua and the Trinity, yet they were interested in delivering a correct reading of Heb. 12:2. Therefore we see an improvement in their translations.


The true message is, Yahshua is not the author (the source) of salvation, but the agent who represents the True Source; that is, Yahweh the Father, the Source of all created things, including the Great Salvation, as Scriptures indicate:

John 3:16 “For Yahweh so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Yahweh the Father is the Great Life-Giver; the author of life. He is pleased to give life through his Son, Yahshua the Messiah.

In view of these considerations, the Jerusalem Bible reads very well:

“Let us not loose sight of Yahshua, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection” (Heb. 12:2).

There is no allusion to the Trinity or the pre-existence.


Note #1: The name Yahshua has been restored to these Scripture quotations.

Note #2: In the KJV appear the words “... he [Yahshua] ... became the author of salvation to all them that obey him” (Heb. 5:9). This is aitios, a different Greek word, used only here. Briefly, the following versions give the sense of this passage:

“And when he had finished, he became One who gives everlasting salvation to all who obey him” (Heb. 5:9, Beck Version).

“And when he had been made complete, he became the giver of eternal life to all those who are under his orders” (Heb. 5:9, Bible in Basic English).

Assembly of Yahweh (7th Day)
Box 509, Cisco, Texas 76437
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YAHSHUA: A DESCENDANT OF DAVID
3/14/90

There are those who deny that Yahshua came in the flesh. The Apostle John reported that these are anti-messiahs (2Jn. 7). Many people cannot believe that Yahshua was really human.
Some refer to him as "God," some as "God in the flesh," etc. indicating the belief that he was not really human. Some have even indicated he was in no way genetically related to any human on earth - not one. But what do the Scriptures reveal? Let us decide now to believe the Scriptures, even though these may not support our presently held views.

Yahshua: A Descendant of David

o     Romans 1:1-4.  Yahshua was physically the seed of David (KJV). When Yahshua arose from the dead, he was then declared to be the son of Yahweh.
o     Mt. 1:1-17.  Yahshua the Messiah, the son of David.
o     Mt. 9:27.  Yahshua, the son of David.
o     Mt. 15:22.  Yahshua, the son of David.
o     Mt. 20:30-31.  Yahshua, the son of David.
o     Mt. 21:9.  Yahshua, the son of David.
o     Mt. 22:41-45.  The promised Messiah is the son of David.
o     Mk. 10:47-48.  Yahshua, the son of David.
o     Mk. 12:35-37.  The promised Messiah is the son of David.
o     Lk. 1:32.  Mary's firstborn son will rule forever on the throne of his father David.
o     Lk. 18:38.  Yahshua, the son of David.
o     Lk. 20:41-44.  The promised Messiah is David's son.
o     Jn. 7:42.  The Messiah was from the seed of David.
o     Acts 2:30-31. "Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that Yahweh had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of HIS LOINS, ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, he would raise up [the] Messiah to sit on [David's] throne; ..." KJV).
o     Acts 7:37.  "A prophet shall Yahweh your Elohim raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto ... [Moses], ..." (Deut. 18:15). This was Yahshua.
o     Jer. 32:15.  A Branch shall spring from David and rule on David's throne (Verse 17).
o     2Tim. 2:18.  Yahshua Messiah, "of the seed of David" (KJV).
o     Rev. 5:5.  [Yahshua] was the Lamb, the Root [descendant] of David.
o     Rev. 22:16.  Yahshua, the root and offspring of David.
o     Acts 13:22-23 

Yahshua: A Descendant of Abraham

o     Gal. 3:16.  The Messiah was the offspring of Abraham (the seed of Abraham, KJV).
o     Gal. 3:29.  Therefore, if we belong to the Messiah, we too, are Abraham's offspring.
o     Mt. 1:1-2.  Yahshua the Messiah is the descendant of Abraham.
o    Acts 3:25-26.  Yahweh promised Abraham that his descendents would be a blessing to all the families of the earth. The main descendant spoken of is Yahshua the Messiah.
o     Rom. 9:4-6.  The Messiah is descended from the Israelite people, who are children of Abraham (Verses 6,7).
o     Gal. 3:8.  The Gospel (of Yahshua Messiah, verse 1) was preached to Abraham saying, "In you shall all nations be blessed." This is a reference to Yahshua Messiah.
o     Gen. 12:3.  In Abraham (and his descendant, Yahshua) all nations will be blessed.
o     Heb. 2:16.  Yahweh is not concerned with angels, but with Yahshua and his brethren, the descendants (seed, KJV) of Abraham.
 
Yahshua: A Descendant of Judah

o     Heb. 7:14.  For it is evident that our Savior descended from Judah.
o     Mt. 1:1-2.  Yahshua Messiah descended from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah.
o     Mt. 2:6.  A prophecy: The Messiah was to come from the rulers of Judah and Israel.
o     Rev. 5:5.  Yahshua: the "Lion of the tribe of Judah."

Yahshua Was Truly Human: 100% Flesh & Blood

o     Heb. 2:11.  Yahshua had the same origin as his brethren (RSV & others).
o     Heb. 2:14.  Yahshua was flesh and blood and had the same nature as other men.
o     Heb. 2:17.  Yahshua was made like his brethren in every respect.
o     Rom. 8:29.  Yahshua was the firstborn (from the dead) among many brethren.
o     Jn. 1:14.  The angel of Yahweh spoke, and his word was made flesh (Lk. 1:26,31).
o     Jn. 3:6. That which is born of the flesh IS flesh. Yahshua was born of fleshly Mary.
o     Gal. 4:4.  Yahshua was born of a woman.
o     Jn. 6:51.  Yahshua gave his (human) flesh so that we might have life.
o     Acts 2:30.  From David's LOINS, Yahshua was born ACCORDING TO THE FLESH (KJV).
o     Rom. 1:3.  Yahshua was the SEED of David, ACCORDING TO THE FLESH (KJV).
o     Rom. 8:3.  Yahshua was sent in the likeness of sinful flesh.
o     Rom. 9:5.  Yahshua was born according to the flesh (RSV).
o     2Cor. 5:16.  The Messiah was once a fleshly human being.
o     Eph. 2:15.  Yahshua, by his flesh, abolished hostility between man and his Creator.
o     Col. 1:21-22.  Yahshua's fleshly body reconciled us to Yahweh.
o     1Tim. 3:16.  Yahshua was manifested (made known) in the flesh.
o     Heb. 5:7.  In the days of his flesh, Yahshua offered prayers with loud cries and tears.
o     Heb. 10:20.  Through his flesh, Yahshua opened the way to everlasting life.
o     1Pet. 4:1. The Messiah suffered in the flesh for us.
o     1Jn. 4:2-3.  Yahshua Messiah came in the flesh. All who deny this are led by the spirit of the anti-messiah.

More than 80 times Yahshua is referred to as "the son of man," as was Ezekiel the Prophet.

Yahshua: Son of Yahweh

But isn't Yahshua declared to be the "Son of Yahweh?" Indeed he is (Mt. 3:17; 4:3,6; 8:29; Lk. 1:32; Jn. 3:16; etc.). In a sense, all men are "sons of Yahweh," including Adam (Lk. 3:38). In the wilderness, the people of Israel were declared to be "sons of Yahweh" (Deut. 14:1); and at a later time (Jer. 3:19). We are the son of Yahweh (Rom. 8:14,19,21; Gal. 3:26). Many Scriptures indicate that Yahweh is Israel's Father, so this makes Israelites the sons of Yahweh (Isa. 63:16; 64:8; Jer. 3:19; Mal. 1:6). Actually, we are today sons of Yahweh by faith, meaning we hope to become truly his sons (Gal. 3:26; Rom. 8:23-24). This will happen at the first resurrection (Lk. 20:34-37). It was also at his resurrection from the dead that Yahshua was declared to be truly the son of Yahweh, as Scriptures indicate: "... and designated Son of Yahweh ... by his RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD, ..." (Rom. 1:4).


COME

"Yahshua is come in the flesh" (2 John 7)

come - ... draw near; approach: ... 3. to become visible, audible, perceptible, etc.; ... 4. to arrive; 5. to issue from or forth from, as a source: ... - Winston's Dictionary, Encyclopedic Edition

ELOHIM: ONE, OR MORE THAN ONE?

Exodus 32

By Voy Wilks

3/9/98

The Hebrew word elohim, even though a plural, is in most places treated as a singular when referring to the one and only Yahweh, indicated by singular pronouns which accompany Elohim; I, me, mine, he, him, his, etc. Sometimes elohim appears in Scriptures even when referring to one pagan god (idol). This is made clear in Exodus chapter 32.

The Israelites said to Aaron, "Up, make us gods which shall go before us, ..." Ex. 32:1, KJV). So Aaron fashioned a golden calf and the Israelites said, ""These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt!" (Ex. 32:4,8, KJV).

Gods (Ex. 32:1,4,8) comes from the word elohim, of course, If read only casually, these verses would seem to indicate more than one god, or idol, had been made. But notice the remaining words in this bit of history:

0     Aaron fashioned it (the elohim) with a tool (Ex. 32:4).

0     Aaron built an altar for it {not them} (Ex. 32:5).

0     For they have made a molten calf {only one calf} (Ex. 32:8).

0     And have worshiped it (singular, Ex. 32:8).

0     Moses entered the camp and saw the calf (only one calf, Ex. 32:19).

0     Moses destroyed the calf (singular, not calves, plural, Ex. 32:20).

0     There came out this calf (singular, Ex. 32:24).

0     Yahweh plagued the people because they made the calf (singular, Ex. 32:35).

0     Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, "This is thy god [elohim]  that brought thee up out 

of Egypt ..." (Neh. 9:18.

0     They made a calf [only one calf]  in Horeb, and worshiped the molten image" (only one image, Ps. 106:19).

0     They made a calf (only one calf) in those days (Acts 7:41).

Several times the word elohim appears in these verses, More than a dozen times, words are employed which indicate clearly that elohim can be used as singular as well as a plural. This also come through clearly in another quotation from Moses, as follows:

"And I looked, and, behold, ye ... had made you a molten calf: ... And I took your sin, the molten calf which ye made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, until it was small as dust ..." (Duet. 9:12,16,21).

Only one god (elohim), and only one calf; the golden calf.

Note: The word "these" in the phrase, "these be thy gods" (Ex. 32:4,8), can also be translated "this," as indicated in Neh. 9:18, and in Strong's Concordance. Obviously, Ex. 32:4 should have been translated, "This is the god who brought you up out of the land of Egypt." On another occasion, a single calf (one calf) was referred to as elohim:

"I have spurned your calf  O Samaria. ... A workman made it; it *is not god [elohim]. The calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces" (Hosea 8:5,6).

* Webmaster's Note: The word "god [elohim]" in the above verse is not in reference to Yahweh as "Elohim", but is in reference to an idol god [elohim] with no power, strength or might and can also be translated as follows:

"... A workman made it; it has no power [strength, might] whatsoever." 

End Webmaster's Note

Moses An Elohim To Aaron And Pharaoh

But Moses said to Yahweh, Oh my Yahweh, I am not eloquent, ... Then  ... Yahweh ... said, "Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite? ... He shall speak for you to the people; and he shall be a mouth for you, and you [Moses] shall be to him as *god [elohim]" (Ex. 4:10-16).

And Yahweh said to Moses, "See, I make you as *god [elohim] to Pharaoh; ..." (Ex. 7:1).

* Webmaster's Note: The above two verses can also be translated in the following manner:

"... and you [Moses] shall be to him as *one with power [authority]" (Ex. 4:10-16).

... "See, I make you as *one with power [authority] to Pharaoh; ... (Ex. 7:1).

Moses as a spokesman for Yahweh communicated to Aaron what Yahweh had communicated to him. Aaron in turn acted as a spokesman for Moses in communicating to Pharaoh what Yahweh had said to Moses, since Aaron was more eloquent in speaking than Moses.

End Webmaster's Note

From these Scriptures we see that Moses became an elohim to Pharaoh and to his brother Aaron. Question: What was the numerical value of Moses?  Did he consist of one, two or three persons? All must agree; there was only one Moses. Nevertheless,  the ONE man, Moses, was elohim (plural, indicating authority and majesty). Again, there was only one Moses, not two or three.

Chemosh An Elohim

"Will you not possess what Chemosh your elohim gives you to possess?" (Judges 11:24).

Chemosh (singular) was an elohim.

Dagon An Elohim

The second time Dagon fell over, his head and hands were broken off, putting fear into the Philistines (1 Sam. 5:1-6). Notice in the next verse the use of the word elohim (plural), even though there was only one statue. The men of Ashdod said,

"The ark of Elohim must not remain with us; for his hand is heavy upon us, and upon Dagon our elohim" (1 Sam. 5:7, RSV).

Ashtoreth, Chemosh & Milcom

"... because he [Israel] has forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess [elohim] of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god (elohim), of Moab, and Milcom the god [elohim] of the Ammorites, and have not walked in My ways ..." (1 Kings 11:33).

IN THE MAJORITY OF CASES, ELOHIM EQUALS ONLY ONE

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Eerdman's Publishing Company, Volume Two, 1984, Page 1254

"One of the oldest and most widely distributed terms for deity known to the human race is el, with its derivations 'Elim, 'Elohim, and Eloah. Like theos, Deus and God, it is a generic term, including every member of the class deity. It may even denote a position of honor and authority among men. ...  It is, therefore, a general term expressing majesty and authority, ... By far the most frequent form used by O. T. writers is the plural, 'Elohim, but they use it regularly with singular verbs and adjectives to denote a singular idea. Several explanations have been offered of this usage of a plural term to denote a singular idea - it expresses the fullness and manifoldness of the divine nature, or that it is a plural of majesty used in the manner of royal persons, ..." (Some of the emphasis was added by Voy).

The New Bible Dictionary

Eerdman's Publishing Company, 1979, Page 478

"Elohim: Though a plural form, Elohim can be treated as a singular, in which case it means the one supreme deity, ..."

Theological Word Book of the Old Testament

By Harris, Archer & Waltke, Volume One, 1980, page 44

"'Elohim. God gods, judges, angels. ... This word, which is generally viewed as the plural of eloah,' is found more frequently in Scripture than either 'el' or 'eloah' for the true God. The plural ending is usually described as a plural of majesty and not intended as a true plural of God. This is seen in the fact that the noun 'elohim' is consistently used with singular verb forms and with adjectives and pronouns in the singular."

Footnote in the Emphasized Bible - Genesis 1:1

By J. B. Rotherham, 1897

"Hebrew: 'elohim. "Probably a plural of quality = 'God-head, ' as our 'Lordship' = Lord (Davies, H.L.. p 9). It should be carefully observed, that although 'elohim is plural in form, yet when, as here, it is construed with a verb in the singular, it is naturally singular in sense, especially since the 'plural of quality' or 'excellence'  abounds in Hebrew in cases where the reference is undeniably to something that which must be understood in the singular number."

The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary

Zondervan Publishing House, 1982, Page 248

"Elohim, the most frequent Hebrew word for God (over 2,500 times in the O. T.). Elohim is plural in form, but is singular in construction (used with singular verbs and adjectives). When applied to the one true God, the plural is due to the Hebrew idiom of a plural of magnitude or majesty."

In the majority of cases, the word elohim is used in Scriptures as a singular term. There is only ONE (one) Yahweh, not two, three, or a dozen. There is no Trinity. There is no Twinity. There is no duality. Instead, there is only ONE and only one true Deity. That one true Deity is Yahweh, just as Yahshua reported:

And one of the scribes ... asked him, "What commandment is first of all?" Yahshua answered, "The first is, "Here O Israel: Yahweh our Elohim, Yahweh is ONE; ..." (Mark 12:28-30; quoted from Deut. 6:4).

From these Scriptures we see that it is not optional. We are commanded to believe that Yahweh is ONE (O-N-E), not two or three.

"And this is eternal life, that we know thee the only true El, and Yahshua Messiah whom thou has sent" (John 17:3).

Scriptures reveal that elohim can be correctly used in referring to one, or to more than one object or person. Since many Scriptures proclaim there is only one Yahweh, then we can be sure the phrase, Yahweh the Elohim of Israel" refers to only one person, one being, one El, one Deity. There is no other (Neh. 9:6; Isa. 43:10-13; 44:6; 45:18,22; John 17:3).

"To you [Israel] it was shown, that you might know that Yahweh is Elohim; there is no other besides him [not them or us]. Out of heaven he let you here his voice ... know therefore this day, and lay it to your heart, that Yahweh is Elohim in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other" (Deut. 4:35-39, RSV).

The Books of Deuteronomy and Psalms confirm that the title Elohim is sometimes used as a singular noun:

"For Yahweh your God (El) is God (Elohim) of gods (elohim) and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God (El), ..." (Deut. 10:17, RSV).

"Oh give thanks to the God (Elohim) of gods (elohim), for his steadfast love endures forever" (Ps. 136:2, RSV).

The one Yahweh is the Elohim (singular) of elohim (plural); the GOD of gods. Te ONE Yahweh, this ONE  Elohim, is referred to 36 times throughout Psalm 136 by singular pronouns; HE, HIS, and HIM, indicating one person.

We see then, elohim, even thou technically a plural, often refers to the ONE Yahweh, the ONE true El.

Conclusion

The evidence is conclusive: The word elohim is sometimes singular. This is certainly true when referring to Yahweh (Deut 6:4,5; Mark 12:28-30). There is only ONE (one) Yahweh, not two, three, or a dozen.

For further study, see "Elohim: Singular Or Plural?" Other free literature is available from:

Assembly of Yahweh (7th Day)

Box 509, Cisco, TX 76437

Also see:

LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE

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