by George Sidney Hurd -- What many are unaware of is that Jesus often referred to Himself as the Yahweh (Jehovah) of the Old Testament, and the New Testament authors also directly identified Him as Yahweh multiple times. We often overlook the fact that the very name that the angel told Joseph to give Him identified Him as Yahweh. Jesus in Hebrew means “Yahweh who saves.” Then, in case there were any doubt as to whether or not we should take His name literally, Matthew follows up by saying: “you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, ‘God with us.’” (Matt 1:21-23; cf. Isa 7:14) So, His very names, Jesus Immanuel, which were given to Him from above, announced to the world that Yahweh Elohim had come down to dwell among us and save His own people from their sins. As we shall see, He who was miraculously conceived in Mary’s womb of the Holy Spirit was none less that Yahweh Himself, the eternal I AM in the person of the Son who is eternally in the bosom of the Father (Jn 1:18). Isaiah likewise prophesied concerning His incarnation, applying to Him other names exclusive to Yahweh: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isa 9:6) In this blog we will be looking at fourteen different statements concerning Jesus in the New Testament which clearly demonstrate that He was none less than Yahweh incarnate. Many overlook these references to Jesus as the Yahweh of the Old Testament since most translations simply translate the tetragram YHWH as “LORD,” something most readers are unaware of. I will be quoting primarily from the NKJV, but I will replace their rendering LORD with Yahweh to assist us in identifying the references to Jesus as Yahweh in the New Testament quotes from the Old Testament. We see that both Yahweh in the Old Testament, and also Jesus are presented as “the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev 22:13 cf. Isa 44:6). In keeping with this reality, I will present the references to Jesus as Yahweh in chronological order from creation to the consummation. 1) Only Yahweh / Jesus is the Creator of All Yahweh Elohim is not only presented as the only Savior as we saw in the previous blog, but He is also presented in the Old Testament as the only Creator of heaven and earth. Isaiah says: “For thus says Yahweh, who created the heavens, who is God (Elohim), who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited: ‘I am Yahweh, and there is no other.’” (Isa 45:18) In Psalm 102 the psalmist worships Yahweh Elohim as the eternal Creator who never changes. He says: “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. 26 They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. 27 But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.” (Ps 102:25-27) The writer of Hebrews directly acknowledges Jesus as Yahweh when he quotes directly from this Psalm preceded by Psalm 45:6, which is also quoted word for word, identifying Jesus as Elohim: “But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God (Elohim), is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom… 10 And: “You, Lord (Yahweh), in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11 They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; 12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.’” (Heb 1:8,10-12, cf. Psa 45:6-7) If that affirmation of His deity were not clear enough to silence those who claimed that He was a mere angel, he continues by saying in the next verse: “But to which of the angels has He ever said: ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool?’” (Heb 1:13) This passage in Hebrews clearly affirms that Jesus is the eternal Yahweh Elohim, who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8), and the Creator of all things. As John says: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him” (Jn 1:10). That the Father and the Holy Spirit also make up the one Yahweh Elohim and equally participated in creation along with the Son, is a truth that will be considered in another blog. 2) Yahweh sends Yahweh In the midst of Jerusalem’s judgment and Babylonian captivity, Yahweh promises that He will send the Messiah Yahweh to save them. Notice how this passage speaks of Yahweh who rules on His throne, sending Yahweh to deliver them: “For thus says Yahweh of hosts: "He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. 9 For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me. 10 "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst," says Yahweh. 11 "Many nations shall be joined to Yahweh in that day, and they shall become My people (cf. Matt 1:21; Jn 1:11). And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent Me to you.” (Zech 2:8-11) More than one person in the Godhead is required in order for this prophecy to have been fulfilled. Yahweh who is seated on His throne is both the One who sends and also the One who comes to dwell in their midst in verse ten. He says that many will join themselves to Him on the day of salvation. The Jews in Jesus’ day eagerly anticipated the fulfillment of this promised deliverance, but when Jesus, their Yahweh – Savior presented Himself to them they rejected Him because He did not appear in the manner they expected. The full fulfillment of this Messianic prophecy awaits the Second Coming of Christ when all Israel will cry out, “blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord (Yahweh)” (Matt 23:37-39 cf. Psa 118:26). 3) Yahweh sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for Yahweh / Jesus In the appointed time of the Father, the word of the Lord came to John the Baptist in the wilderness, and he began to call upon all Israel to repent in preparation for the coming of the long-anticipated Messiah. Matthew 3:3 says: “For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord (Yahweh); Make His paths straight.’” (Matt 3:3) He is here quoting from Isaiah 40 which likewise promised the coming Messiah who would deliver them. Again, it is Yahweh Elohim Himself in the person of the Son who comes to earth, and Israel is being called to repentance in preparation for His coming. The verse he quotes in Isaiah 40:3 was the message John preached: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of Yahweh; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God (Elohim).” (Isa 40:3) Jesus was the very Yahweh whom John had been commissioned to prepare the way for. When John saw Jesus coming towards him, he cried out saying: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me’” (Jn 1:29-30). He was preparing the way for the Lamb of God, Yahweh Elohim, who, although He was born after him, nevertheless existed before him. And the moment he laid eyes upon Jesus he knew that He was the One he was preparing the way for. Is it any wonder that Thomas cried out, “My Lord and my God” when he found himself face to face with Jesus after His resurrection? This is the very Lamb of God whom John the revelator saw exalted upon the throne with the Father – a preview of the time when all of creation will give to Him all worship, honor and praise – something due to God alone (Rev 5:13). 4) The Rock in the wilderness was Yahweh / Jesus. Paul says that Jesus was Himself that Rock which sustained the Children of Israel throughout their desert wanderings. He said: “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” (1 Cor 10:1-4) Out of the rock sprang fountains of living water in the desert, satisfying their thirst. Moses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit declares that Yahweh Elohim Himself was that Rock: “For I proclaim the name of Yahweh: Ascribe greatness to our God (Elohim). 4 He is the Rock.” (Deut 32:3-4 cf. 8:14-15) Paul, being familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures, knew full well that He was identifying Christ as Yahweh our Rock. 5) The Children of Israel were Christ’s / Yahweh’s people The angel said to Joseph that Jesus would save His people from their sins (Matt 1:21). In John chapter 1, after saying that Christ, the Word was God, and that all things which exist were made by Him, says concerning God’s people Israel: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” (Jn 1:11) The Jews who heard this would have understood that John was affirming that Jesus was Yahweh Elohim, since Yahweh calls Israel “My people” 189 times in the Old Testament. 6) Yahweh / Jesus saved the Children of Israel from Egypt We all know that it was Yahweh who saved the Children of Israel from Egypt. However, Jude says that it was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who saved them from Egypt: “But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” (Jude 5) “Now I desire to remind you (even though you have been fully informed of these facts once for all) that Jesus, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, later destroyed those who did not believe.” (Jude 5 NET) We know that “the Lord” referred to is Jesus because the previous verse concludes with a warning against those who deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Also, there is a variant reading of verse five where many manuscripts, including some of the oldest, read “Jesus” instead of “Lord,” which would make it even more obvious who is being referred to. There are some strong arguments for favoring that reading. For that reason, many translations such as the NET Bible, the Douay-Rheims, the Coptic Version, the Latin Vulgate, and others, read “Jesus” instead of “Lord.” The NET Bible explains why the reading “Jesus” is most likely the correct reading in their footnote [1] 7) The Children of Israel put Yahweh / Christ to the test in the wilderness When the Children of Israel complained against Yahweh, despising His gracious provision, He sent serpents among the people: “And the people spoke against God (Elohim) and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread." 6 So Yahweh sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.” (Num 21:5-6) Paul, who clearly understood Jesus to be Yahweh incarnate, says that it was Jesus Himself whom they tempted in the wilderness. He said: “nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents.” (1 Cor 10:9) As with Jude 5, there are some manuscripts which read “Lord” instead of “Christ.” However, the textual evidence leans very heavily in favor of the reading “Christ.” That is why most translations read “Christ.” Again, I refer you to the NET Bible footnote on 1Cor 10:9. [2] 8) Yahweh / Jesus is the Shepherd. We are all quite familiar with Psalm 23 which says: “The Lord (Yahweh) is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” However, we often fail to consider that the Lord Jesus Christ identified Himself as that selfsame Shepherd when He said: “I am (EGO EIMI) the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (Jn 10:11, cf. Ex 3:14) As I will be demonstrating in a subsequent blog, when Jesus uses the construction EGO EIMÍ in certain contexts, it is evident that He is using it as the divine title which speaks of God’s eternal self-existence. This is clearly the case here, since Jesus elsewhere said that no one is good except for God alone (Matt 19:17). Additionally, He doesn’t simply say that He is a good shepherd, but rather that He is the good shepherd. 9) Yahweh / Jesus was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. Yahweh said that He would be sold for 30 pieces of silver: “And Yahweh said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’ — that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of Yahweh for the potter.” (Zech 11:13) This prophecy was fulfilled when Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. As prophesied, Judas afterwards repented and threw the pieces of silver into the temple before the chief priests and elders, and they used the money to buy the potter’s field (Matt 26:14-16 27:3-5,7). Matthew relates how Zechariah’s prophecy was fulfilled: “And they took counsel, and bought with it the potter's field, for a place to bury strangers. 8 Wherefore that field is called the field of blood, unto this day. 9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by the prophet, saying: I took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the Precious One, which they of the children of Israel had stipulated; 10 and I gave them for the potter's field, as Yahweh directed me.” (Matt 27:7-10 MNT) Here again we see how the authors of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, continually referred to Jesus as being Yahweh. 10) They will look upon Yahweh / Jesus whom they have pierced In Zechariah Yahweh Elohim says that a day will come when those in Jerusalem will look upon Him – the One whom they pierced: “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” (Zech 12:10) In the book of Revelation, we see that Jesus is the one whom they pierced and this prophecy in Zechariah will be fulfilled at His Second Coming: “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” (Rev 1:7) So, we see that it was Jesus / Yahweh who was speaking to Zechariah concerning His future coming to deliver Israel and reign over the earth. 11) Those who call on the name of Yahweh / Jesus will be saved The prophet Joel said that anyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved: “whoever calls on the name of Yahweh shall be saved.” (Joel 2:32) Paul, in Romans 10, directly quotes Joel 2:32, equating calling on the name of Yahweh, with confessing the Lord Jesus with our mouth: “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved… 13 For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” (Rom 10:9,13) 12) Isaiah saw Yahweh / Jesus’ glory At the time Yahweh anointed Isaiah as a prophet, Isaiah saw Him on His throne in a heavenly vision. He describes it in Isaiah chapter six: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw Yahweh sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!’… 5 So I said: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts… 9 And He said, "Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' 10 "Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed.” (Isa 6:1-5,9,10) Jesus manifested His glory, performing signs and wonders and the people still did not believe Him. John quotes Isaiah six to explain the reason why they did not believe even though He had manifested His glory in their presence. In doing so, he clearly identified Jesus as Yahweh. He said: “But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: ‘Lord (Yahweh), who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord (Yahweh) been revealed?’ 39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: 40 ‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’ 41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.” (John 12:37-41) John, consistent with the entire gospel of John, affirms the full divinity of Christ, presenting Him as being the same Yahweh who appeared to Isaiah. 13) Every knee shall bow to Yahweh / Jesus Closely related to calling upon the name of Yahweh in order to be saved, we see Him swearing by Himself that every knee will bow to Him, and every tongue will take an oath saying that in Him they have their righteousness: “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. 24 He shall say, 'Surely in Yahweh I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, and all shall be ashamed who are incensed against Him.” (Isa 45:22-24) In Philippians 2, Paul quotes these same words from Isaiah, applying it to Jesus as Yahweh: “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Yahweh), to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:10-11) It is to the glory of the Father that we honor His Son just as we honor Him (Jn 5:23). We are all to bow before Jesus just as Thomas did, declaring Him our Yahweh Elohim, or our Lord and our God (Jn 20:28-29). This glorifies the Father because He and the Son – although they be two distinct persons, are nevertheless one in essence (Jn 10:30). 14) The First and the Last. Yahweh Elohim declares the He is the only Redeemer, the First and the Last: “Thus says Yahweh, the King of Israel, and his (Israel’s) Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God (Elohim).” (Isa 44:6) That Jesus is Himself Yahweh Elohim is evident, since He begins and closes the book of Revelation with the declaration that He Himself is the First and the Last: “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen.” (Rev 1:17-18 cf. 2:8; 22:12-13) It is obvious that there can only be one who is “first.” If the Son is not co-eternal with the Father, He could not say of Himself that He is “the first.” Clearly, Jesus, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, being eternally one, are together the one and only Yahweh Elohim, the First and Last. These are just some of the many parallels in Scripture indicating that Jesus is Himself Yahweh Elohim incarnate. I will be considering other parallels in detail in subsequent blogs. Those who are determined to continue denying the full deity of Christ may be able to find plausible alternate interpretations for some of these parallels, but I hope that the reader would agree with me in saying that most of them are irrefutable affirmations of Christ’s deity. [1] tc The reading ᾿Ιησοῦς (Iēsous, “Jesus”) is deemed too hard by several scholars, since it involves the notion of Jesus acting in the early history of the nation Israel (the NA27 has “the Lord” instead of “Jesus”). However, not only does this reading enjoy the strongest support from a variety of early witnesses (e.g., A B 33 81 88 322 424c 665 915 1241 (1735: “the Lord Jesus”) 1739 1881 2298 2344 vg co eth Or1739mg Cyr Hier Bede), but the plethora of variants demonstrate that scribes were uncomfortable with it, for they seemed to exchange κύριος (kurios, “Lord”) or θεός (theos, “God”) for ᾿Ιησοῦς (though P72 has the intriguing reading θεὸς Χριστός [theos Christos, “God Christ”] for ᾿Ιησοῦς). As difficult as the reading ᾿Ιησοῦς is, in light of v. 4 and in light of the progress of revelation (Jude being one of the last books in the NT to be composed), it is wholly appropriate. The NA28 text now also reads Ιησοῦς. For defense of this reading, see Philipp Bartholomä, “Did Jesus Save the People out of Egypt: A Re-examination of a Textual Problem in Jude 5, ” NovT 50 (2008): 143-58.sn The construction our Master and Lord, Jesus Christ in v. 4 follows Granville Sharp’s rule (see note on Lord). The construction strongly implies the deity of Christ. This is followed by a statement that Jesus was involved in the salvation (and later judgment) of the Hebrews. He is thus to be identified with the Lord God, Yahweh. Verse 5, then, simply fleshes out what is implicit in v. 4. [2] tc Χριστόν (Christon, “Christ”) is attested in the majority of mss, including many important witnesses of the Alexandrian (P46 1739 1881) and Western (D F G) texttypes, and other mss and versions (Ψ latt sy co). On the other hand, some of the important Alexandrian witnesses have κύριον (kurion, “Lord”; א B C P 33 104 1175 al). A few mss (A 81 pc) have θεόν (theon, “God”). The nomina sacra for these readings are quite similar (cMn, kMn, and qMn respectively), so one might be able to account for the different readings by way of confusion. On closer examination, the variants appear to be intentional changes. Alexandrian scribes replaced the highly specific term “Christ” with the less specific terms “Lord” and “God” because in the context it seems to be anachronistic to speak of the exodus generation putting Christ to the test. If the original had been “Lord,” it seems unlikely that a scribe would have willingly created a difficulty by substituting the more specific “Christ.” Moreover, even if not motivated by a tendency to overcorrect, a scribe might be likely to assimilate the word “Christ” to “Lord” in conformity with Deut 6:16 or other passages. The evidence from the early church regarding the reading of this verse is rather compelling in favor of “Christ.” Marcion, a second-century, anti-Jewish heretic, would naturally have opposed any reference to Christ in historical involvement with Israel, because he thought of the Creator God of the OT as inherently evil. In spite of this strong prejudice, though, {Marcion} read a text with “Christ.” Other early church writers attest to the presence of the word “Christ,” including {Clement of Alexandria} and Origen. What is more, the synod of Antioch in a.d. 268 used the reading “Christ” as evidence of the preexistence of Christ when it condemned Paul of Samosata. (See G. Zuntz, The Text of the Epistles, 126-27; TCGNT 494; C. D. Osburn, “The Text of 1 Corinthians 10:9,” New Testament Textual Criticism: Its Significance for Exegesis, 201-11; contra A. Robertson and A. Plummer, First Corinthians [ICC], 205-6.) Since “Christ” is the more difficult reading on all accounts, it is almost certainly original. In addition, “Christ” is consistent with Paul’s style in this passage (cf. 10:4, a text in which {Marcion} also reads “Christ”). This text is also christologically significant, since the reading “Christ” makes an explicit claim to the preexistence of Christ. (The textual critic faces a similar dilemma in Jude 5. In a similar exodus context, some of the more important Alexandrian mss [A B 33 81 pc] and the Vulgate read “Jesus” in place of “Lord.” Two of those mss [A 81] are the same mss that have “God” instead of “Christ” in 1 
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