Messianic Perspectives

Liz Iello: Stay with us as we discuss the question, do Christians worship three gods? Right here on Messianic Perspectives. Shalom and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinctive first century Jewish point of view. I'm Liz Iello. Today Dr. Gary Hedrick is discussing the doctrine of the Trinity. Does it really mean that Christians worship three gods, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Some people think so, and that's what we want to find out. I'll be back at the close of the program to tell you about our special offer.

And now with today's installment, here's Gary Hedrick.

Dr. Gary Hedrick: Thank you. It's good to have you with us listening friend as we continue this series of studies on the Trinity. And as we've been making our way through the Old Testament scriptures, we've been able to discern three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all three of whom are identified as God. And our subject today really goes to the main point of this whole discussion because what we're going to talk about is the question of whether or not Jesus Christ really is God. When you get right down to it, that's really the main question.

That's the dividing line between Christianity and the other world religions. Think about it. Muhammad never claimed to be God. Confucius never claimed to be God. Buddha never claimed to be God. Moses never claimed to be God. Only Jesus Christ claimed to be God incarnate. So that's the watershed between Christianity and all the other religions of the world. As a matter of fact, I was talking to a Jewish man not long ago and he said, I don't believe Jesus is God. And I said, why not? And he said, because God cannot die. And since Jesus of Nazareth died, he could not have been God.

So I asked this man if he would agree with me that God is all wise and all powerful. He said, of course I agree. So I said, let me ask you a hypothetical question. What if God decided that for some reason it would be necessary for him to experience physical death? Do you think the God of the universe could figure out a way to leave heaven temporarily, take upon himself a human body, live on earth, taste death, and eventually overcome death by being resurrected? Would you acknowledge that it's at least a possibility? Well, my Jewish friend thought about that for a moment and then said that he'd rather not answer the question.

His comment was that it was like asking someone if he'd ever stopped beating his wife because either way he answered he'd be incriminated. And do you know what? He was right. Because if he said God couldn't devise a way to take upon himself a human body, subjecting himself even to death, he would be placing limitations on God. The same God who said in Genesis 18:14, is anything too hard for the Lord? But then on the other hand, if my Jewish friend said that God could do it, he would be acknowledging at least the possibility that Yeshua of Nazareth may indeed have been God incarnate.

You see that's the dilemma. What do you do with Jesus of Nazareth? He said he was God in the flesh. He said, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father. He said, I and the Father are one. So what you and I have to decide is, was he God or not? Well, the rabbis traditionally have said, no, he wasn't. And why wasn't he? Because Jesus of Nazareth didn't fit their Messianic job description. He didn't fit in the first century and he doesn't fit today. He doesn't have the right resume. Rabbinic Judaism is looking for a mortal man like Moses who will appear someday to accomplish three things.

First, he will rebuild the Jerusalem temple. Second, he will deliver God's people from their enemies. And third, he will establish the Messianic age. And since Jesus didn't do any of those three things, they say he could not have been the Messiah. Three strikes and you're out according to the rabbis. What they've missed is that there are two tracks of Messianic prophecy in the Bible, not just one. The first track consists of the suffering servant prophecies. Some of the ancient rabbis even had a name for the suffering servant. They called him Mashiach ben Yosef, Messiah son of Joseph.

And they said he would die in the battle of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38 and 39. So they didn't have it exactly right, but at least they understood that there was a prophetic track in scripture that described the Messiah as a suffering servant like in Isaiah 53. Then the second track of Messianic prophecy talks about the Davidic king. This is the one the rabbis call Mashiach ben David, Messiah son of David. He's the great political ruler, the Melech Mashiach, king Messiah, who will restore the Jerusalem temple, deliver Israel from her enemies, and establish the Messianic age.

So while many of the rabbis have traditionally thought there would be two Messiahs, each of whom comes once to fulfill these two tracks of prophecy, the truth is that there is only one Messiah who comes twice. Are you with me? Not two Messiahs who each come once, but one Messiah who comes twice. That's where most of the rabbis missed it. If the great Sanhedrin had put an ad in the Jerusalem Post in the first century, it would have said something like this. Messiah wanted. Must be a descendant of the Davidic dynasty. Must be willing to lead the Jewish nation to a political victory over the Romans and usher in the Messianic age.

Suffering servant types need not apply. You see, that's what they wanted. And at the heart of this whole controversy is the Christian doctrine of the incarnation, which says that Jesus is God in human form. Is it true? Or are the Orthodox rabbis right when they say it's idolatry? Well, the important thing to consider is what does the Bible teach? Not what Jewish tradition says, not even what Christian tradition says because listen, there are some so-called Christian traditions that are just as unbiblical as some Jewish traditions. So what does the Bible say about the Messiah? Is he a mortal man just like the rest of us or is he a God man like the New Testament portrays Jesus of Nazareth?

Well, we spent some time in the book of Isaiah on the last program. So let's turn back there again today since Isaiah wrote more Messianic material than any other Old Testament writer. And let's see what he has to say. Let's start with Isaiah chapter 7 and verse 14. Here's what the prophet says. Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. What a beautiful prophecy foreshadowing the Messiah's miraculous supernatural conception and birth. Now some critics are quick to jump on us at this point here in Isaiah 7 and they'll say, now come on, there's nothing in this passage about the Messiah.

And what they do is they limit the fulfillment of this prophecy to the immediate historical context. But wait a minute. There are several precedents in Jewish history for a miraculous conception and birth. If the birth of Isaac in Genesis 21 was supernatural, if the birth of Samson in Judges 13 was miraculous, and if the birth of Samuel in 1 Samuel chapter 1 was also miraculous, then will someone please explain to me why it's so difficult to imagine that the birth of the Messiah, the most important person ever to be born in human history, would also be supernatural?

Then someone will say, but you're taking that verse in Isaiah 7:14 out of its context. Not at all. As a matter of fact, my friend, it fits the context very well. The theme of this section of Isaiah is deliverance. The message conveys God's assurance that Judah will be spared by one, the crumbling of the hostile northern Aram-Israel alliance, and two, the fall of the Assyrian Empire in chapter 10. Then Isaiah emphasizes Judah's future blessing and prosperity by focusing his prophetic telescope on the distant, glorious millennial reign of the Messiah. Isaiah chapter 11 verses 1 through 16.

The primary prophecy was fulfilled when the threatening northern alliance was broken in 732 BC and Tiglath-Pileser the Third destroyed Damascus. After Tiglath-Pileser had defeated Aram and put Rezin to death, king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet the Assyrian king. The time frame fits perfectly because approximately three years would have elapsed, that is nine months for the pregnancy and two or three years until the promised child whose name was Emmanuel would know the difference between good and evil, just like the prophet said in Isaiah 7:16. Interwoven throughout this section, however, are secondary prophecies which transcend the immediate historical context and provide important clues about the identity and character of the coming Messiah.

Since Isaiah 7:13 clearly alludes to the Davidic covenant, it says, hear ye now, O house of David, we conclude that the sign promised in Isaiah 7:14 was given not merely to king Ahaz in the immediate historical context, but it was also given to the Davidic dynasty and indeed to the entire nation. And we'll get into this amazing prophecy in more detail next time. In the meantime, why don't you get a pen or a pencil so you can write down our address and send for the booklet we're offering this month. I think you'll enjoy it. I'll see you next time.

You take care. Bye-bye.

Liz Iello: Thank you Gary and thank you listening friend for tuning in today. Now let me tell you about our special offer for this month. It's Gary Hedrick's booklet entitled, do Christians worship three gods? In this 70 page booklet, Gary addresses head on the question of whether or not the doctrine of the Trinity makes Christianity incompatible with the teachings of the Jewish Bible or what we call the Old Testament. It's available for a suggested gift of $7. After all, the Jewish people have always been champions of monotheism. The central creed of Judaism is Deuteronomy 6:4 which says the Lord our God is one Lord, not three.

So when a Jewish person becomes a believer in Jesus, isn't he forsaking his monotheistic Jewish heritage? Surprisingly enough, the answer is no. And you'll find out why in this interesting booklet. It has an informative question and answer section and also a helpful glossary of Hebrew words at the end. The title again is, do Christians worship three gods? Then we also have the programs you're hearing here on the broadcast available on two CDs with the same title, do Christians worship three gods? This series is available for a suggested gift of $12. Just visit our secure online store at messianicspecialties.com to place your order.

If you would prefer to order by mail, just address your request to Messianic Perspectives, PO Box 345, San Antonio, Texas 78292. To order by phone, use our toll free order line. The number is 1-800-926-5397. Let me remind you that when you order the materials we offer here on the program, you're not only enabling us to remain here on your station, but you're also helping us take the good news of Yeshua Ha Mashiach to Jewish people and Gentiles all over the world. Even if you're one of our regular listeners, you still may not know that we're much more than just a radio program.

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And as always, when you're in touch with us, please mention the call letters of this station. If you're listening to our webcast or podcast, we need to know that too. I'm Liz Iello. Join us next time, won't you as Dr. Gary Hedrick continues our series of studies on, do Christians worship three gods? Right here on Messianic Perspectives. Messianic Perspectives is sponsored by CJF Ministries of San Antonio, Texas and is made possible on this station by the free will contributions of our listeners in this area.