Page 25 - BV4

Chief Agent of Yehovah

Jesus Christ served and worshipped YEHOVAH His God, the God of His fathers -- the
One God of Israel! He constantly testified to this in the New Testament: "Yeshua [Christ] an-
swered him [Satan], 'The Tanakh says, "Worship ADONAI [YEHOVAH, YHVH] your God and
serve him only"'" (Luke 4:8). Then, in Mark 12:29-30: "Yeshua [Christ] answered, 'The most im-
portant is, "Sh'ma Israel, ADONAI Eloheynu, ADONAI echad [Hear, O Israel, the LORD [YEHO-
VAH] our God, the LORD [YEHOVAH] is one], and you are to love ADONAI your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, with all your understanding and with all your strength."'" Also, in
John 17:3: "And eternal life is this: to know you, THE ONE TRUE GOD, and him whom you sent,
Yeshua the Messiah." As the apostle Paul put the matter in I Corinthians 8:6, "yet for us there is
ONE GOD, THE FATHER, from whom all things come and for whom we exist; and one Lord,
Yeshua the Messiah, through whom were created all things and through whom we have our being."

The confusion arises when people misunderstand the basic idea of agency. As the chief
agent of YEHOVAH, Christ does carry out the Divine Will. So, in that sense, He too can be seen
as King, Judge, Shepherd, Redeemer, Savior and Lord. But -- and remember this -- He is NEVER
called YEHOVAH, and all such roles are clearly given to him by YEHOVAH Himself. States
James Tabor: "Shared rulership, task, and mission, DO NOT IMPLY SHARED IDENTITY. For
example, according to Revelation 3:21 the Messiah promises his faithful followers that they can
'sit with me on my throne, as I sat with my Father (YEHOVAH) on His throne.' The idea here is
unity of task and mission, NOT a merging of personal identity" (The LORD (YHVH) God and His
Messiah).

There are a number of New Testament passages which show Christ as REFLECTING THE
IMAGE of YEHOVAH God -- see II Corinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:15 and Hebrews 1:3. Once
again -- and please understand it -- this is not to be confused with identity. Writes James Tabor --
"An image is just what the word implies, representation. The idea here is that YEHOVAH Him-
self is invisible and unseen, but the Messiah [Christ] can REFLECT an image of God. In other
words, the Messiah [Christ] can function as a human representation and manifestation of God. One
must NEVER confuse the reflection, no matter how perfect, with the One reflected" (ibid.). For
example, the angel of YEHOVAH in the Old Testament could speak for God and represent Him
with full power and authority -- He was a visible manifestation of the Invisible One whom no man
can see or behold (Exodus 3:2; 23:20-21). But remember this -- NEVER are the two confused.

Christ is also called "Son of God." But this does not make him YEHOVAH God, rather it
implies faithfulness and intimacy -- such as we see in II Samuel 7:14! The son remains just that -- a
"son." As such, he carries out the will of his Father, YEHOVAH God. As we see in I Corinthians
15:28, NEVER are the roles confused.

Christ As High Priest

In Zechariah 6:12-13 we find a passage that is quite extraordinary in its implications --

Then speak to him, saying, "Thus says the LORD [YEHOVAH, YHVH] of hosts, saying:
Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and

25