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  "description": "Another Arian Bites the Dust\n\nAccording to John’s Gospel, the prophet Isaiah saw Jesus Christ in his prehuman existence as YHWH of Hosts seated on his heavenly throne:\n\n“Jesus replied, ‘The light is with you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light.’ When Jesus had said these things, he ",
  "path": "/jesus-as-isaiahs-god/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-30T23:21:13.000Z",
  "site": "https://answeringislam.blog",
  "tags": [
    "John 12:41",
    "John 1:18",
    "John 14:9",
    "Isa 6:3",
    "1:14",
    "John 1:1",
    "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2012%3A35-42&version=NET",
    "1 Corinthians 10:9",
    "Deut 6:16",
    "10:4",
    "Jude 5",
    "1 Cor 10:9",
    "Jude 1:4",
    "Titus 2:13",
    "2 Pet 1:1",
    "Jude 1:5",
    "v. 4",
    "Verse 5",
    "Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 6",
    "WPNT",
    "Moffatt",
    "JWS AGREE: ISAIAH SAW CHRIST!",
    "Jesus Christ: The God Whose Glory Isaiah Beheld",
    "Jewish Christology [Part 1]",
    "[Part 2]",
    "[Part 3]",
    "Scholars on the Christology of James and Jude"
  ],
  "textContent": "**Another Arian Bites the Dust**\n\nAccording to John’s Gospel, the prophet Isaiah saw Jesus Christ in his prehuman existence as YHWH of Hosts seated on his heavenly throne:\n\n“Jesus replied, ‘The light is with you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.**** While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light.’ When Jesus had said these things, he went away and hid himself from them.\n\n“Although Jesus had performed so many miraculous signs before them, they still refused to believe in him,**** so that the word of the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled. He said,\n\n‘** _Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord_** ** _been revealed?_** ’****\n\nFor this reason they could not believe, because again Isaiah said,\n\n‘** _He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and understand with their heart,and turn to me,_** ** _and I would heal them_**.’\n\n“Isaiah said these things **__because he saw Christ’s glory, and spoke about him__**. Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue. For they loved praise from men more than praise from God. But Jesus shouted out, ‘The one who believes in me does not believe in me, **__but in the one who sent me, and the one who sees me sees the one who sent me__**. I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness.’” John 12:35-46\n\nJohn 12:41 **tn**  _Grk_ “his”; the referent (Christ) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The referent supplied here is “Christ” rather than “Jesus” because it involves what Isaiah saw. __It is clear that the author presents Isaiah as having seen the preincarnate glory of Christ, which was the very revelation of the Father (see__ John 1:18__;__ John 14:9__)__.\n\n**sn**  _Because he saw Christ_ ’ _s glory_. The  _glory_ which Isaiah saw in Isa 6:3 was the glory of Yahweh (typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT). Here John speaks of the prophet seeing the glory of Christ since in the next clause  _and spoke about him_ , “him” can hardly refer to Yahweh, but must refer to Christ. On the basis of statements like 1:14 in the prologue, the author probably put no great distinction between the two. __Since the author presents Jesus as fully God (cf.__ John 1:1__), it presents no problem to him to take words originally spoken by Isaiah of Yahweh himself and apply them to Jesus__. New English Translation (NET: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2012%3A35-42&version=NET; emphasis mine)\n\nHere is the vision of Isaiah, which the Apostle referenced:\n\n“In the year of King Uzziah’s death **I saw the Lord sitting on a throne** , high and lifted up, with the train **of His robe** filling the temple.**** Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.**** And one called out to another and said,\n\n‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is Yahweh of hosts; The whole earth is full **of His glory**.’\n\n“And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called out, while the house  _of God_ was filling with smoke. Then I said,\n\n‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; **For my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts**.’\n\n“Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.**** And he touched my mouth  _with it_ and said, ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is atoned for.’\n\n“Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall **_I_ send**, and who will go **for _Us_**?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’**** He said, ‘Go, and tell this people:\n\n“Keep on hearing, but do not understand; 'Keep on seeing, but do not know.’ Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.”’” Isaiah 6:1-10\n\nNot surprisingly, anti-Trinitarians object to this interpretation, and the reason is obvious.\n\nAn example of such an anti-Trinitarian is Arian apologist and former Jehovah’s Witness Greg Stafford, who writes:\n\nAgain, it seems reasonably clear that the things Isaiah said about Jesus are found in Isaiah 53, as cited in John 12:38. Verses 39-40 are an explanation of _why_ the crowds were not able to believe. If verse 41 has any reference at all to Isaiah 6 it certainly would not be to identify Jesus as Jehovah![_sic_] Rather, the context of Isaiah 6 does seem to have some Messianic significance[_sic_]. In verses 6-7 there could be some prophetic significance in the atonement of Isaiah's sins, perhaps foreshadowing the redemptive act the future Messiah would perform to remove the sins of many (compare Isa 53:11). Also, there is the reference to the one Jehovah would send as a messenger to his people, which could also be a foreshadowing of the role that Jesus would eventually have, in the outworking of Jehovah's purpose. Some later theologians held that Jesus was actually one of the seraphs in the vision.11 In Isaiah 6:8 Jehovah says, \"Who will go for us [לָ֑נוּ, _lanu_ , 'for us'].\" **This indicates someone other than Jehovah was present in this vision,_and that someone may very well have been the Lord Jesus Christ_ , in his pre-human glory as the \"Word.\" Joh 1:1; compare Joh 17:5**.\n\nOur quote from _The Watchtower_ earlier **suggested that Isaiah may have seen the glory of the preexistent Logos._This view would be in line with the Targum of Isaiah. Knowing as he did that no man (including Isaiah) has ever seen God (Joh 1:18)_** , John may have been following the tradition of the Targum which translates Isaiah 6:1 \"the glory of the Lord,\" and verse 5 \"the glory of the shekinah of the Lord.”12 Still, it seems clear that John is directly referring to those things Isaiah \"spoke\" in chapter 53 of the book bearing his name. Here Isaiah saw his [the Messiah's] day,' even as Abraham is reported to have done (Joh 8:56), and \"spoke about him.\" Isaiah was not confused at all about the identity of the Messiah, and what position he occupied in relation to the Most High.—Isa 11:1-3.\n\n11 Raymond E. Brown, _The Gospel According to John (i-xii)_ (AB 29; Garden City, New York; Doubleday, 1966), 487.\n\n12 Brown, _John (i-xii)_ , 486-487. Wilbert F. Howard, _The Gospel According to St. John_ (AB 8; New York: Abingdon, 1952), 673, states: \"The evangelist declared 'No one has ever seen God’ (1:18). He was probably well aware of the rendering in the Targ. of Isa. 6:1, 'I saw the glory of the Lord.’\" Franklin Young, \"A Study of the Relation of Isaiah to the Fourth Gospel,\" _ZNW_ 46 (1955), 215, points out that \"the words [of John 12:41] have been interpreted as referring to a vision of the Logos identified with Jesus, the pre-existent Messiah.\" (Greg Stafford, _Jehovah’s Witnesses Defended: An Answer to Scholars and Critics_ [Elihu Books, Huntington Beach, CA, 1998], pp. 54-55; emphasis mine)\n\nIt is ironic for Stafford to appeal to John 1:1, 18 and 17:5 to argue that the Son would have been present in Isaiah’s vision when he saw Jehovah, since this ends up being the very refutation of his objection.\n\nFor instance, Christ claims to have possessed glory alongside the Father as they existed alongside each other from before the world’s creation:\n\n“So now, Father, glorify me **in your own presence** with the glory that I had **in your presence before the world existed**.” John 17:5 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)\n\nAccording to Hebrews, the glory which the Son possessed (and continues to possess) is identical to the Father’s:\n\n“spoke to us at the last of these days by a Son, Whom He appointed inheritor of all things, through Whom also He made the worlds...Who— **being (_on_) the radiance of His glory and exact-representation of His essence**, and upholding all things **by the word of His power** — having made purification of sins, sat-down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” Hebrews 1:2-4 Disciples’ Literal New Testament (DLNT)\n\nThis brings us to John’s prologue.\n\nAccording to the Apostle, Christ as the Word was already existing before all creation since he is the One God employed to bring all things into being. Christ as the Word is also the One who spiritually energizes mankind by the life that abides in him:\n\n“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, **and the Word was God**. He was in the beginning with God. **All things came into being through him, and without him** not one thing came into being. **What has come into being in him was life** , and the life was the light of all people... The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, **and the world came into being through him** , yet the world did not know him... **And the Word became flesh** and lived among us, **and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son** , full of grace and truth... **No one has _EVER_ seen God**. It is **the only Son, himself God (_monogenes theos_)**, who is close to the Father’s heart, **who has made him known**.” John 1:1-4, 9-10, 14, 18 NRSVUE\n\nAs Stafford himself acknowledged, John is clear that no one has ever seen God apart from the revelation of the _monogenes theos_ , i.e., the Son.\n\nThe plain implication of the Apostle’s statement is that Isaiah could not see God unless and until the divine Son revealed himself to the prophet.\n\nThis basically means that Jesus is that very YHWH God whom Isaiah saw, and it was his glory that the prophet beheld and spoke of!\n\nAs noted Christian philosopher and apologist Dr. William Lane Craig puts it:\n\nEqually startling as the expression _monogenes theos_ is John's claim, in connection with 1.18a “No one has ever seen God,” that the vision of the LORD of hosts described in Is 6.1 was in actuality a vision of the pre‐incarnate Christ: “Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke of him” (Jn 12.41)! The idea here seems to be that no one has ever seen God the Father, but God the Son has revealed him. **_Therefore, Isaiah's vision of the LORD upon his throne must be a vision of God the Son!_** We have here not merely the application of an OT proof text about Yahweh to Jesus, but rather the actual retrojection of Christ into a prior historical circumstance. He is here clearly equated with God.67 On the basis of Jn 1.18 Anthony Hanson generalizes this retrojection of Christ to encompass in the mind of the Fourth Evangelist all theophanies in the OT: **_John's belief was certainly that “whenever in the OT God is described as appearing or being heard it is in fact Jesus, the pre‐existent Word, who was seen or heard_**.”68 But, he cautions, “this is by no means the same thing as saying that John identified Jesus with the _Adōnai_ of the Old Testament. On the contrary, John as much as Paul could envision God as speaking to Jesus in the OT.”69 The clearest example of this phenomenon actually occurs in the Synoptics, where Jesus quotes the oft‐cited Ps 110, “The Lord said to my Lord” (Mt 22.41–46; Mk 12.35–37; Lk 20.40–41). **_John clearly differentiates the Son from the Father, but it is the only‐begotten God that Isaiah saw_**. (Craig, _Systematic Philosophical Theology: On God: Excursus On Natural Theology: On the Trinity_ [Wiley-Blackwell Publishers, 2026], p. 347; emphasis mine)\n\nJohn isn’t the only inspired witness to claim that Jesus is the God who appeared all throughout the Old Testament period. Note what the Apostle Paul wrote in regards to Christ being the spiritual Rock who accompanied Moses and the Israelites:\n\n“For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they were all drinking from the spiritual rock that followed them, **_and the rock was Christ_**... And let us not **_put Christ to the test, as some of them did_** , and were destroyed by snakes.” 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, 9 New English Translation (NET)\n\nHere is what the NET textual notes say:\n\n1 Corinthians 10:9 **tc** Χριστόν (_Christon_ , “Christ”) **is attested in the majority of mss, including many significant witnesses of the Alexandrian (P 46 1739 1881) and Western (D F G) text-forms, and other mss and versions (Ψ latt sy co)**. On the other hand, some of the significant Alexandrian witnesses have κύριον (_kurion_ , “Lord”; א B C P 33 104 1175  _al_). A few mss (A 81) 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 the reading that gave rise to the others.** 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 significant Alexandrian mss [A B 33 81] 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 Cor 10:9. See the **tc** notes on Jude 5 for more information.) **In sum, “Christ” has all the earmarks of authenticity here and should be considered the autographic reading**.\n\nJude agrees with Paul who is just as explicit in affirming that it was the prehuman Jesus who personally led Israel out of Egypt, and subsequently punished them for their rebellion:\n\n“For certain men have secretly slipped in among you—men who long ago were marked out[d] for the condemnation I am about to describe—ungodly men who have turned the grace of our God into a license for evil and who deny **our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ**. 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 1:4-5 NET\n\nHere are the NET’s notes, which illustrate how remarkable Jude’s claims are:\n\nJude 1:4 **tn** **The terms “Master and Lord” both refer to the same person**. The construction in Greek is known as the Granville Sharp rule, named after the English philanthropist-linguist who first clearly articulated the rule in 1798. Sharp pointed out that in the construction article-noun-καί-noun (where καί [_kai_] = “and”), when two nouns are singular, personal, and common (i.e., not proper names), they  _always_ had the same referent. Illustrations such as “the friend and brother,” “the God and Father,” etc. abound in the NT to prove Sharp’s point. For more discussion see  _ExSyn_ 270-78. See also Titus 2:13 and 2 Pet 1:1\n\nJude 1:5 **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 88 322 424 c 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 P 72 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 NA 28 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.\n\n**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.\n\nDr. Craig mentions that the reading _Jesus_ is now adopted by virtually all of the major critical Greek New Testament textual apparatuses:\n\n67 Perhaps this is as good a place as any to mention **the even more mind‐boggling assertion in Jude 5 that it was Jesus who led the Israelites out of Egypt during the Exodus and later judged the apostates!** “Now I desire to remind you … that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe” (NRSVUE). So incredible is this assertion that earlier textual critics and translators defied the much weightier attestation of the Greek and versional witnesses to _Iēsous_ and chose to read _kyrios_ instead. **But now the UBS 5 and NA28 as well as the SBLGT and THGNT are united in preferring the reading _Iesous,_ a reading reflected in more recent translations**. Similarly Paul says in reference to the Israelites that “We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents (I Cor 10.9 NRSVUE). Again, although some later copyists substituted _kyrion_ , **the oldest Greek manuscripts (P 46) read _Christon_. _It is just stunning that Paul, John, and Jude all claim that God of the Hebrew Scriptures is, in fact, Jesus_**. (Craig, _Systematic Philosophical Theology_ , Volume 2b, p. 369; emphasis mine)\n\n**What did the Jews Say?**\n\nSince Stafford mentioned the Aramaic paraphrase of Isaiah 6, I thought it only appropriate to quote what it actually says:\n\nChapter 6\n\nבְּשַׁתָּא דְאִתְנַגַע בָּהּ מַלְכָּא עֻזִיָה אֲמַר נְבִיָא חֲזֵיתִי יַת יְקָרָא דַייָ שָׁרֵי עַל כּוּרְסֵיהּ רָם וּמִתְנַטֵל בִּשְׁמֵי מְרוֹמָא וּמִזִיו יְקָרֵיהּ אִתְמְלֵי הֵיכְלָא:\n\nIn the year in which King Uzziah was smitten with the leprosy the prophet said, **I saw __the glory__ of the Lord __sitting upon His throne__** , high, and lifted up unto the highest heavens, and the temple was filled with **__the brightness of His glory__**.\n\nשַׁמָשִׁין קַדִישִׁין בְּרוּמָא קֳדָמוֹהִי שִׁתָּא גַפִּין לְחַד שִׁתָּא גַפִּין לְחַד בִּתְרִין מְכַסֵי אַפּוֹהִי דְלָא חָזֵי וּבִתְרֵין מְכַסֵי גְוִיָתֵיהּ דְלָא מִתְחֲזֵי וּבִתְרֵין מְשַׁמֵשׁ:\n\nHoly ministers on high stood before him: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, that it should not see; and with twain he covered his body, that it should not be seen; and with twain he was ministering.\n\nוּמְקַבְּלִין דֵין מִן דֵין וְאָמְרִין קַדִישׁ בִּשְׁמֵי מְרוֹמָא עִלָאָה בֵית שְׁכִנְתֵּיהּ קַדִישׁ עַל אַרְעָא עוֹבַד גְבוּרְתֵּיהּ קַדִישׁ לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמַיָא יְיָ צְבָאוֹת מַלְיָא כָל אַרְעָא זִיו יְקָרֵיהּ:\n\nAnd one cried unto another, and they were saying, Holy in the highest and exalted heavens **is the house of His Shekinah** , holy upon the earth is the work of His might, holy for ever, world without end, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full **__of the brightness of His glory__**.\n\nוְזָעוּ אֵילְוַת סִפֵּי הֵיכְלָא מִקָל מִלוּלָא וּבֵית מַקְדְשָׁא אִתְמְלֵי אֲמִטְתָא:\n\nAnd the posts of the threshold of the temple moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house of the sanctuary was filled with cloudy darkness.\n\nוַאֲמָרֵית וַי לִי אֲרֵי חָבֵית אֲרֵי גְבַר חַיָב לְאוֹכָחָא אֲנָא וּבְגוֹ עַמָא דְמִגְעַל בְּחוֹבִין אֲנָא יָתִיב אֲרֵי יַת יְקַר שְׁכִינַת מְלַךְ עַלְמַיָא יְיָ צְבָאוֹת חֲזָאָה עֵינָי:\n\nThen said I, Woe is me, for I have sinned, for I am a guilty man to reprove, and I dwell in the midst of a people polluted with sin: **for mine eyes have seen __the glory of the Shekinah__ of the King of the worlds, the Lord of hosts**.\n\nוְאִשְׁתְּדִי לְוָתִי חַד מִן שַׁמָשַׁיָא וּבְפוּמֵיהּ מַמְלֵל דְקַבֵּיל מִן קֳדָם דִשְׁכִנְתֵּיהּ עַל כּוּרְסֵי יְקָרָא בִּשְׁמֵי מְרוֹמָא עֵיל מִן מַדְבְּחָא:\n\nThen flew one of the ministers unto me, and in his mouth was a word, which he received from the Shekinah of Him who sat upon the throne of glory in the highest heavens, above the altar.\n\nוְסַדַר בְּפוּמִי וַאֲמַר הָא שַׁוִיתִי פִּתְגַמֵי נְבוּאָתִי בְּפוּמָךְ וְיַעְדוּן חוֹבָךְ וְחֶטְאָךְ יִתְכַּפְּרוּן:\n\nAnd he placed it in my mouth, and said, Behold, I have put the words of my prophecies in thy mouth, and thy iniquities are put away, and thy sins are expiated.\n\nוּשְׁמָעִית יַת קַל מֵימְרָא דַייָ דַאֲמַר יַת מַן אֲשַׁלַח לְאִתְנַבָּאָה וּמַן יֵזֵיל לְאַלָפָא וַאֲמָרִית הָא אֲנָא שְׁלַח יָתִי:\n\n**And I heard __the voice of the Word__ of the Lord**, which said, Whom shall I send to prophesy? and who will go to teach? Then said I, Here am I, send me. (Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 6; emphasis mine)\n\nFar from helping Stafford’s case, the Targum actually reinforces the Trinitarian interpretation. This Aramaic paraphrase illustrates the fact that even non-Christian Jews were aware that there is an actual divine plurality existing within the Deity that they worshipped.\n\nNote that God’s Glory, Word and Presence (_Shekinah_) are hypostatized, being described as distinct Persons of sorts, and yet all of them still connected and related to the one true God of Israel.\n\nInterestingly, Christ is not only said to be the Word (cf. John 1:1, 14; 1 John 1:1-3; Rev. 19:13), he is further described as the Glory and the very physical embodiment of God’s entire, complete essence:\n\n“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” Colossians 2:9 (NIV)\n\n“My brothers, stop holding the faith **of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Glory (_tou kyriou hemon 'Iesou Christou tes doxes_)**, with partiality.” James 2:1 Wilbur Pickering’s New Testament (WPNT)\n\nHere’s another translation of James:\n\n“My brothers, as you believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, **who is the Glory** , pay no servile regard to people.” James Moffatt New Testament\n\nIn other words, Jesus is the very Presence and Glory of God Incarnate!\n\n**It’s All Greek to Me!**\n\nAs if appealing to the Targum wasn’t bad enough for Stafford, the Greek of Isaiah (known as the Septuagint [LXX]) makes it even worse for him:\n\n“And it came to pass in the year in which king Ozias died, [that] **I saw (_eidon_) the Lord** sitting on a high and exalted throne, and the house was full **of his glory (_tes doxes autou_)**... And one cried to the other, and they said, Holy, holy, holy [is the] Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full **of his glory** **(_tes doxes autou_)**.” Isaiah 6:1, 3\n\nContrast that with the Greek of John:\n\n“Isaiah said these things when **he saw his glory (_eiden ten doxan autou_)**, and spoke of him.” John 12:41\n\nThe Greek of Isaiah and John is identical, and only the form of the words differ due to their position within the sentence, i.e., first person versus third person, genitive versus accusative, etc. For instance, _eidon_ is the first-person singular form of _horao_ whereas _eiden_ is third person singular, and _doxes_ is the genitive feminine case of _doxa_ whereas _doxan_ is in the accusative feminine case.\n\nIn light of the above, could John have made it any more obvious that the God whose glory Isaiah saw is none other than Jesus Christ himself in his preincarnate state?\n\n**JESUS: YHWH’S UNCREATED, ALMIGHTY ARM**\n\nAnother blow to Stafford’s objections comes from the fact that Jesus is said to be the very Arm of YHWH in Isaiah 53, where the prophet describes the Servant as suffering and dying vicariously for the sins of the world:\n\n“Who has believed our message? **To whom has _Yahweh’s arm_ been revealed?** For **_HE_ **grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. **_HE_** has no good looks or majesty. When we see **_HIM_** , there is no beauty that we should desire **_HIM_**. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him. Surely he has borne our sickness and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted.\n\n“**But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities**. The punishment that brought our peace **was on him; and by his wounds we are healed**. All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; **and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all**. He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he didn’t open his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he didn’t open his mouth. He was taken away by oppression and judgment. As for his generation, **who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living and stricken for the disobedience of my people?** They made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death, **although he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth**.\n\n“Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has caused him to suffer. **When you make his soul an offering for sin** , he will see his offspring. He will prolong his days and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, **he will see the light and be satisfied. My righteous servant will justify many** by the knowledge of himself; **and he will bear their iniquities**. Therefore I will give him a portion with the great. He will divide the plunder with the strong, **because he poured out his soul to death** and was counted with the transgressors; **yet he bore the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors**.” Isaiah 53:1-12\n\nWhat Stafford fails to realize is that this phrase is used to describe YHWH acting by himself, all alone, in bringing about redemption and judgment.\n\nIn other words, “arm of YHWH” refers to God acting in his own power without any mediation, since he could not find any one good enough to assist him or to work through:\n\n“Awake, awake, put on strength, **_arm of Yahweh_**! Awake, as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Isn’t it you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the monster? Isn’t it you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?” Isaiah 51:9-10\n\n“Yes, truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Yahweh saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. **He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore _his own arm_ brought salvation to him**; and his righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head. He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle. According to their deeds, he will repay as appropriate: wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies. He will repay the islands their due. So they will fear Yahweh’s name from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which Yahweh’s breath drives.” Isaiah 59:15-19\n\nThis next one is quite remarkable:\n\n“Who is this who comes from Edom, **__with dyed garments__** from Bozrah? Who is this who is glorious in his clothing, marching in the greatness of his strength? ‘It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.’ **__Why is your clothing red, and your garments like him who treads in the wine vat?__** ‘**I have trodden the wine press _alone_. Of the peoples, _no one was with me_**. Yes, I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath. **__Their lifeblood is sprinkled on my garments, and I have stained all my clothing__**. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redeemed has come. **I looked, and there was _no one_ to help; and I wondered that there was _no one_ to uphold.** ** _Therefore _my own arm_ brought salvation to me_**. My own wrath upheld me. I trod down the peoples in my anger and made them drunk in my wrath. I poured their lifeblood out on the earth.’” Isaiah 63:1-6\n\nJohn takes the above description of YHWH and applies it to the Lord Jesus Christ!\n\n“I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself. **__He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood__. His name is called ‘The Word of God**.’ The armies which are in heaven, clothed in white, pure, fine linen, followed him on white horses. Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. **__He treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty__**. He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, ‘**KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS**.’” Revelation 19:11-16\n\nJesus does what only YHWH God is able to do, and Jesus appears in the exact same way that YHWH appeared to Isaiah!\n\nThe reason is obvious why this would be the case, i.e., Jesus Christ is the very Arm of YHWH, who is YHWH God Almighty coming to save and judge!\n\n**THE MESSIAH’S HEAVENLY EXALTATION**\n\nWe now come to Stafford’s _coup de grâce_. As the Arm of YHWH who comes to save the nations, Jesus is then described as being exalted to the very status of YHWH himself:\n\n“Yahweh has made **his holy arm bare in the eyes of all the nations**. All the ends of the earth **have seen the salvation of our God**. Depart! Depart! Go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Go out from among her! Cleanse yourselves, you who carry Yahweh’s vessels. For you shall not go out in haste, neither shall you go by flight**; for Yahweh will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard**. Behold, **my servant** will deal wisely. **_He will be _exalted and lifted up (yarum wa'nissa)__ , and will be very high**. Just as many were astonished at you—**his appearance was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men** —**so he will cleanse many nations**. Kings will shut their mouths at him; for they will see that which had not been told them, and they will understand that which they had not heard.” Isaiah 52:10-15\n\nThe prophet employs the exact same terms to describe the Servant’s exaltation, which he uses elsewhere in reference to YHWH’s enthronement:\n\n“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, **__high and lifted up (ram wa'nissa)__** ; and his train filled the temple.” Isaiah 6:1\n\n“**Yahweh is __exalted (nisgab)__ , for he dwells __on high (marom)__**. He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.” Isaiah 33:5\n\n“‘Now I will arise,’ says Yahweh. ‘Now **__I will lift myself up (eromam)__**. Now **__I will be exalted (ennase)__**.’” Isaiah 33:10\n\n“For **__the high and lofty One (ram wa'nissa)__ who inhabits eternity**, whose name is Holy, says: ‘**I dwell __in the_  _high (marom)__ 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.’” Isaiah 57:15\n\nThis language simply reinforces the point of the Messiah being both personally distinct from, and yet essentially equal to YHWH Almighty. Isaiah’s inspired utterances provide more confirmation for the Trinity, since the prophet’s witness proves that Jesus is God Almighty in the flesh, while also being distinct from both the Father and the Holy Spirit.\n\nSo much Stafford’s contention.\n\nUnless stated otherwise, scriptural references taken from the World English Bible (WEB).\n\n**Further Reading**\n\nJWS AGREE: ISAIAH SAW CHRIST!\n\nJesus Christ: The God Whose Glory Isaiah Beheld\n\nJewish Christology [Part 1]**,** [Part 2]**,** [Part 3]\n\nScholars on the Christology of James and Jude",
  "title": "Jesus as Isaiah’s God",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-11T05:38:07.264Z"
}