The book of Hebrews describes Jesus as the unchangeable Creator and Sustainer of all creation, even going as far as to take specific Old Testament texts about YHWH and applying them to the Son:

“God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high… And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “And let all the angels of God worship Him.’… But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God (ho theos), is forever and ever, And the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.’ And, ‘You, Lord [the Son], in the beginning founded the earth, And the heavens are the works of Your hands; They will perish, but You remain; And they all will wear out like a garment, And like a mantle You will roll them up; Like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.’” Hebrews 1:1-3, 6, 8-12 Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

Note how the inspired writer has the Father attributing to Jesus the following OT verses in which angels are commanded to worship YHWH,

“Rejoice with him, you heavens, and let all of God’s angels worship him. Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles, and let all the angels be strengthened in him. For he will avenge the blood of his children; he will take revenge against his enemies. He will repay those who hate him and cleanse his people’s land.” Deuteronomy 32:43 New Living Translation (NLT)

And where YHWH is described as the eternal Creator of all things:

Do Not Hide Your Face from Me A Prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before Yahweh. O Yahweh, hear my prayer! And let my cry for help come to You… But You, O Yahweh, abide forever, And the remembrance of Your name from generation to generation… I say, ‘O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days, Your years are from generation to all generations. Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. Even they will perish, but You will remain; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.’” Psalm 102:1, 12, 24-27 LSB  

This proves that for Hebrews, Jesus is none other than YHWH God Almighty who became a flesh and blood human being:

“But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels—Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of One; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, ‘I will recount Your name to My brothers, In the midst of the assembly I will sing Your praise.’ And again, ‘I will put My trust in Him.” And again, ‘Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.’ Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brothers in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to help those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:9-18 LSB

“For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me; In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure. Then I said, “Behold, I have come, In the scroll of the book it is written of Me, To do Your will, O God.”’ After saying above, ‘Sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the Law), then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will.’ He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies are put as a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:4-14 LSB

As the late New Testament scholar F. F. Bruce explained in his commentary on Hebrews:

10-12 (f) The sixth quotation is taken from Ps. 102:25-27 (LXX 101:26-28). The psalm, which begins “Hear my prayer, O Yahweh,” is truly described in its superscription as “a prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint, and pours out his complaint before Yahweh.” Both he and Zion, his city, have experienced the judgment of God, but he makes confident supplication for mercy and restoration for himself and Zion, that men and women may assemble there once more to give praise to God. He is oppressed by a sense of the brevity of his personal span of life, with which he contrasts THE ETERNAL BEING OF GOD. In comparison with his own short life, heaven and earth are long-lived; yet heaven and earth must pass away. They had their beginning WHEN GOD CREATED THEM, and they will grow old and disappear one day; but THE GOD WHO CREATED THEM EXISTED BEFORE THEY DID, AND HE WILL SURVIVE THEIR DISAPPEARANCE. As one man in his lifetime outlives many successive suits of clothes, so God has seen and will yet see many successful material universes, BUT HE HIMSELF IS ETERNAL AND UNCHANGING.

The words in which the psalmist ADDRESSES GOD, however, ARE HERE APPLIED TO THE SON, as clearly as the words of Ps. 45:6f. were applied to him in vv. 8 and 9. What justification can be pleaded for our author’s applying them thus? First, as he has already said in v. 2, it was through the Son that the universe was made. The angels were but worshiping spectators when the earth was founded,⁹⁷ but the Son was the Father’s agent in the work. He therefore can be understood as the one who is addressed in the words: 

Of old thou didst lay the foundation of the earth;

And the heavens are the work of thy hands.

Moreover, in the Septuagint text the person to whom these words are spoken is addressed as “Lord”⁹⁸ (“Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth”); and it is God who addresses him thus. Whereas in the Hebrew text the suppliant is the speaker from the beginning of the psalm, in the Greek text his prayer comes to an end with v. 22;⁹⁹ and the next words read as follows:

He answered¹⁰⁰ him in the way of his strength:

“Declare to me¹⁰¹ the shortness of my days:

Bring me not up in the midst of my days.

Thy years are throughout all generations.

Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth….”

This is God’s answer to the suppliant; he bids him to acknowledge the shortness of God’s set time (for the restoration of Jerusalem, as in v. 13) and not summon him to act when that set time has only half expired, while he assures him that he and his servants’ children will be preserved forever.¹⁰² But to whom (a Christian reader of the Septuagint might well ask) could God speak in words like these? And whom would God himself address as “Lord,” AS THE MAKER OF EARTH AND HEAVEN?¹⁰³ Our author knows of one person only to whom such terms could be appropriate, and that is the Son of God.

That our author understood this quotation from Ps. 102 as an utterance of God seems plain from the way in which it is linked by the simple conjunction “and” to the preceding quotation from Ps. 45. Both quotations fall under the same rubric: “But to¹⁰⁴ the Son [God says].” If in the preceding quotation the Son is addressed by God as “God,” in this one he is addressed by God as “Lord.” And we need not doubt that to our author the title “Lord” CONVEYS THE HIGHEST SENSE OF ALL, “THE NAME WHICH IS ABOVE EVERY NAME.” No wonder that the Son has ascribed to him a dignity which surpasses all the names angels bear. Nor is our author the ONLY New Testament writer to ascribe to Christ THE HIGHEST OF DIVINE NAMES, or TO APPLY TO HIM Old Testament scriptures which in their primary context REFER TO YAHWEH.¹⁰⁵ (F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews (New International Commentary on the New Testament) [William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI 1997], pp. 61-63; emphasis mine)

103. It is unlikely that this passage is primarily responsible for our author’s description of the Son in v. 2 as the one through whom God made the universe–a description which probably owes more to Prov. 8:22-31 than to any other OT passage–but it could be taken as corroborative testimony for the identification of Wisdom in Prov. 8:22ff. with the Messiah… 

105. Cf. the application to Christ of Isa. 45:23 in Phil. 2:10f. (see p. 50, n. 37), and of Isa. 8:13 (“Yahweh of hosts, him you shall sanctify”) in 1 Pet. 3:15 (“sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord”). (Ibid., p. 63)

I cite a few more commentaries for good measure. All emphasis is mine:

In verses 10–12 the sixth citation (Ps. 102:25–27) serves to recapitulate the divine dignity of the incarnate Son of God as the Creator (v. 2) and his majesty as the eternal Yahweh. (The divine name is missing in the Hebrew text, but the Septuagint’s “O Lord” may bear witness to an earlier form of the Hebrew text. In any case, Yahweh is unmistakably being addressed, as the entire psalm demonstrates.) (Robert S. Rayburn, “Hebrews,” in Evangelical Commentary on the Bible [Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995), Volume 3, P. 1132)

1:10–12 In vv. 10–12, the author introduced a sixth quotation, this one from Ps 102:25–27. The quotation affirms, in reference to the universe, the Son’s activity in creation (v. 10) as well as his eschatological activity (vv. 11–12), with the focus on the latter. A conceptual inclusio of beginning and ending occurs with the use of “in the beginning” (v. 10a, an allusion to Gen 1:1) and “your years will never end” (v. 12d). The eternality of the Son has already been established in the prologue, which states that it was through the agency of the Son that the universe was created, and vv. 7–8 affirm his eternality also. Now this theme is developed in vv. 10–12.

Although Psalm 102 was originally addressed to God, the author of Hebrews quoted it as addressed to the Son by virtue of the introductory “He also says,” which continues the introductory formula of v. 8. This quotation constitutes the third direct address of the Father to the Son. The Son has already been addressed by God as “God,” and now the words of Psalm 102 are addressed to the Son who is called “Lord.” The quotation is from the LXX with a few alterations, including the addition of kurios (“Lord”), the movement of su (“you”) to the clause beginning for emphasis (it could be rendered, “In the beginning it was you who …”), and the addition of the phrase “like a garment” before “and you will be changed” (v. 12b). Whether the latter was a part of an alternative LXX text used by the author or was inserted by him for clarity is unknown. Where the LXX has “and like a robe you will change [allassō] them” (Ps 101:27) in v. 12, our author has “like a robe you will roll them up [helissō],” which heightens the vivid imagery and illustrates the author’s penchant for word play.

The NIV does not reflect that su (“you”) heads its clause in v. 10a (after kai, “and”). But it was important for the author theologically, who was stressing the Son’s existence before all creation. Since he preexists all things, he can be the creator of all things. This quotation serves, by its very structure, the author’s purpose of identifying Jesus as the Son who existed eternally before all things were created and whose eternality will extend beyond all created things.

“You laid the foundations” is an idiomatic expression for the act of creation (v. 10a). That the heavens are the work of God’s “hands” is a metonymy referring to divine power. The phrase “work of your hands” (v. 10b) is placed first in the clause for emphasis just like “you” (v. 10a). All the focus is on the activity of the Son as Lord, who was God’s agent in the creation of the universe. Contrast is intended in v. 11 where both the pronouns “they” and “you” are overtly expressed to signal emphasis. The antecedent of “they” includes both the “earth” and the “heavens” (v. 10).

The point of contrast in vv. 11–12 is the perishability of the universe against the eternality of the Son, hence the simile of the worn out, rolled up garment. The main point is the twice repeated “you remain” in reference to the Son. The first (v. 11) renders the Greek word diameneis, with the prefix dia and the present tense emphasizing permanent existence, namely, eternality. The second “remain” (v. 12) is simply the present indicative of the Greek verb einai (“to be”) preceded by the emphatic use of the pronoun “you,” which the NIV renders as “you remain the same.” The contrast is underlined by the pronoun “you” with the meaning of “but you yourself (unlike the perishing universe) remain the same.” There is probably little or no distinction to be seen in the use of himation (“garment”) and peribolaion (“robe”). Both refer to an outer garment that “wears out,” which here describes the universe (v. 11) and elsewhere (8:13), interestingly enough, the first covenant (cf. Isa 50:9; 51:6).

These two verses contain a clear example of both semantic and grammatical chiasm. There are seven propositions arranged in inverse order that can be seen in both the propositional content as well as the verb tenses:

They will perish	(future tense)
But you remain	(present tense)
They will all wear out like a garment	(future tense)
You will roll them up like a robe	(future tense)
Like a garment they will be changed	(future tense)
But you remain the same	(present tense)
And your years will never end	(future tense)

The point of the quotation is to stress the impermanence of creation as contrasted with the eternality of the Son. In reference to this quotation, Ellingworth stated that “future tenses refer to change, and present tenses to a permanent state.” The verb tenses in vv. 10–12 (present, aorist, and future) explicate the Son’s eternality in contrast with the created universe’s temporality. Verse 12 concludes that the Son “will remain the same” forever and that his “years will never end.” This quotation serves, by its very structure, the author’s purpose of identifying Jesus as the eternal Son…

This quotation also prepares the reader for what is brought out later in 7:3, where Jesus the Son is compared to Melchizedek as the eternal, abiding high priest who “remains forever.” Finally, the transitoriness of the old covenant is a theme that the author steadily built to a climax at 8:10–13. God considers the old covenant to be “worn out” and he has already made the change to the new covenant through the blood of Jesus the Son. Psalm 102:25–27 provides the author with a text to be interpreted messianically, a text to establish the eternality of the Son in comparison to the universe, and by analogy, it provides a portent of what is to come later in the epistle with respect to the relationship of the old covenant to the new covenant—temporariness versus permanence. (David L. Allen, Hebrews, The New American Commentary [B & H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN 2010], pp. 182–184)

8 The transitory creatureliness of the angels, mighty as they are, is overshadowed by the Son’s deity and eternal sovereignty affirmed by the quotation of Pss 45:6-7 and 102:25-27 in vv. 8-12. The God who addressed the Messiah as “Son” in Ps 2:7 addresses him as “God” in Ps 45:6-7… This striking ascription of deity is repeated in v. 9 and is probably the chief factor in the pastor’s choice of this psalm.⁵⁴ Like the term “Son,” this ascription has much greater significance when used to address the one at God’s right hand than when applied to the Davidic King.⁵⁵ This affirmation of the Son’s deity will be substantiated and augmented in vv. 10-12 by his identification AS SOVEREIGN CREATOR and ultimate Judge. (Gareth Lee Cockerill, The Epistle to the Hebrews (New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT)) [William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI 2012], pp. 108-109)

10 After affirming that the Son was “God,” it was appropriate to ascribe Ps 102:25-27 to him. This psalm fits seamlessly with Ps 45:6-7 that the pastor uses a mere “and” to connect the two.⁶⁷ He quotes Ps 102:25 in v. 10 to affirm the Son’s CREATORSHIP and Ps 102:26-27 in vv. 11-12 to affirm his sovereign deity and role as final judge of all.⁶⁸ This Scripture confirms and amplifies the prologue’s description of the Son AS CREATOR, SUSTAINER, AND UNIVERSAL HEIR.

The pastor has put the pronoun “you” at the beginning of v. 10 in order to pick up the “your” at the end of v. 9.⁶⁹ The title “Lord” follows naturally from the “God” of vv. 8-9 and facilitates easy application of this psalm to Christ.⁷⁰ “From the beginning” IS A CLEAR REFERENCE TO THE TIME OF CREATION.⁷¹ “The earth” and “the heavens” encompass THE WHOLE CREATED ORDER. The attribution of creation directly to the Son GOES BEYOND THE AGENCY OF v. 2 AND THUS UNDERSCORES THE INCLUSION OF THE SON WITHIN THE GODHEAD.⁷² When Scripture speaks of the earth’s “founding,” it affirms the solidity of creation.⁷³ Thus use of this term in v. 10 emphasizes the sovereignty of the one described in v. 11 as “rolling up” this solid creation as if it were nothing more than a piece of cloth.

11-12 By continuing the quotation from Psalm 102 the pastor contrasts THE ETERNITY OF THE SON and the mutability of the creation over which he is sovereign. What he has made he also brings to its end.

The two ways in which the pastor deviates from the LXX text are important for determining his message. First, in v. 12a he appears to have substituted “you will roll [them] up” for “you will change [them].”⁷⁴…

The eternity of the Son is introduced in line (b), “but you remain,” continued in line (b¹), “but you are the same,” and concluded in the final line (a¹), “and your years will never cease” (cf. 13:8). The Son’s role in creation makes it obvious that these verses refer to a life WHICH IS ETERNAL and not merely endless.  

Verse 12a (line d) brings both of these themes together. It is not just that the creation is temporal AND THE SON IS UNCHANGING AND ETERNAL. He is the one who will bring the creation to its end: “As a covering you [the Son] will roll them [the heaven and earth] up.”⁷⁹ (Ibid., pp. 111-114)

FURTHER READING

The Book of Hebrews and Jesus as Creator

JESUS THE ETERNAL CREATOR AND SUSTAINER

THE NWT TESTIFIES THAT THE TRINITY IS THE ETERNAL CREATOR!

The [N]ew [T]estament calls the devil a dragon and the ancient serpent:

“And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne… Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!’ And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his mouth. Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.” Revelation 12:3-5, 7-17

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be loosed for a little while.” Revelation 20:1-3

Satan’s depiction as that ancient serpent is an obvious allusion to Genesis 3, where we are told that a serpent tempted Eve to sin against YHWH:

“Now the serpent (ha-nachash) was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat of any tree of the garden”?’And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.”’But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die.For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” Genesis 3:1-5

DEMONIC SEA CREATURES

What may not be as apparent is that the NT description of the devil as a seven headed dragon and the reference to the sea are also taken directly from the [O]ld [T]estament.

For instance, the Hebrew Bible speaks of YHWH piercing through the multiheaded dragon that is in the sea with his sword, that very serpent who is also called Leviathan:

“In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Levi′athan the fleeing serpent (nachash), Levi′athan the twisting serpent (nachash), and he will slay the dragon (ha-tanin) that is in the sea.” Isaiah 27:1

This isn’t the only time where Leviathan is equated with the dragon and the fleeing serpent that dwells in the sea:  

“Let those curse it who curse the day, who are skilled to rouse up Levi′athan.” Job 3:8

“Am I the Sea (ha-yam) or the Dragon (tanin) that you set a guard over me?” Job 7:12 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

“Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. Thou didst divide the sea by thy might; thou didst break the heads of the dragons (tannim) on the waters. Thou didst crush the heads of Leviathan, thou didst give him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.” Psalm 74:12-14

“O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy creatures. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, which teems with things innumerable, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan which thou didst form to sport in it.” Psalm 104:24-26

“I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: ‘Smite the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and what are left of them I will slay with the sword; not one of them shall flee away, not one of them shall escape. Though they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down. Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search out and take them; and though they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent (ha-nachash), and it shall bite them. And though they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall slay them; and I will set my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.’” Amos 9:1-4

And here are the two longest texts on these larger-than-life creatures:

“Behold, Be′hemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox. Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron. He is the first of the works of God; let him who made him bring near his sword! For the mountains yield food for him where all the wild beasts play. Under the lotus plants he lies, in the covert of the reeds and in the marsh. For his shade the lotus trees cover him; the willows of the brook surround him. Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened; he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth. Can one take him with hooks, or pierce his nose with a snare?” Job 40:15-24

“Can you draw out Levi′athan with a fishhook, or press down his tongue with a cord? Can you put a rope in his nose, or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak to you soft words? Will he make a covenant with you to take him for your servant for ever? Will you play with him as with a bird, or will you put him on leash for your maidens? Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him up among the merchants? Can you fill his skin with harpoons, or his head with fishing spears? Lay hands on him; think of the battle; you will not do it again! Behold, the hope of a man is disappointed; he is laid low even at the sight of him. No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up. Who then is he that can stand before me? Who has given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame. Who can strip off his outer garment? Who can penetrate his double coat of mail? Who can open the doors of his face? Round about his teeth is terror. His back is made of rows of shields, shut up closely as with a seal. One is so near to another that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another; they clasp each other and cannot be separated. His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn. Out of his mouth go flaming torches; sparks of fire leap forth. Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke, as from a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindles coals, and a flame comes forth from his mouth. In his neck abides strength, and terror dances before him. The folds of his flesh cleave together, firmly cast upon him and immovable. His heart is hard as a stone, hard as the nether millstone. When he raises himself up the mighty are afraid; at the crashing they are beside themselves. Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail; nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin. He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee; for him slingstones are turned to stubble. Clubs are counted as stubble; he laughs at the rattle of javelins. His underparts are like sharp potsherds; he spreads himself like a threshing sledge on the mire. He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment. Behind him he leaves a shining wake; one would think the deep to be hoary. Upon earth there is not his like, a creature without fear. He beholds everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride.” Job 41:1-34

Leviathan’s being described as the king of all those who are proud is reminiscent of the NT teaching of Satan being condemned for his arrogance and pride:  

“and He must not be a new convert, so that he will not [behave stupidly and] become conceited [by appointment to this high office] and fall into the [same] condemnation incurred by the devil [for his arrogance and pride].” 1 Timothy 3:6 Amplified Bible (AMP)

RAHAB: THE DEMONS OF THE SEA

The Scriptures further speak of Rahab/Rahabim, beings identified as hostile chaotic forces:

“who alone stretched out the heavens, and trampled the waves of the sea; who made the Bear and Orion, the Plei′ades and the chambers of the south; who does great things beyond understanding, and marvelous things without number. Lo, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him. God will not turn back his anger; beneath him bowed the helpers of Rahab. How then can I answer him, choosing my words with him?” Job 9:8-14

“By his power he stilled the sea; by his understanding he smote Rahab. By his wind the heavens were made fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent (nachash).” Job 26:12-13

“Thou dost rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, thou stillest them. Thou didst crush Rahab like a carcass, thou didst scatter thy enemies with thy mighty arm.” Psalm 89:9-10

“Great blessings belong to those who trust in the Lord, for those who do not turn to demons (rahabim) and false gods (kazab) for help.” Psalm 40:4 Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

Here the rahabim are associated with the kazab, a phrase which is employed elsewhere in relation to the gods whom the Israelites worshiped to YHWH’s anger and displeasure:  

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Because Judah has committed three covenant transgressions—make that four—I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They rejected the Lord’s law; they did not obey his commands. Their false gods (kizbehem), to which their fathers were loyal, led them astray.” Amos 2:4

tn Heb “lies.” This may very well be a derogatory term for idols (perhaps also at Ps 40:4 ET [40:5 HT]). Elsewhere false gods are called “vanities” (Deut 32:21; 1 Kgs 16:13, 26) and a delusion (Isa 66:3). In no other prophetic passages, however, are they called “lies.” The term could refer to the deceptions of false prophets (note Ezek 13:6-9; cf. Hab 2:3). See F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Amos (AB), 301-6. New English Translation (NET https://netbible.org/bible/Amos+2; bold emphasis mine)

SERPENTINE SPIRIT BEINGS

There’s another group of spirit creatures called seraphim which are flying beings that are said to be serpents, presumably because they are serpentine in shape and appearance:

“Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod which smote you is broken, for from the serpent’s (nachash) root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying serpent (sarap).” Isaiah 14:29

“From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient on the way. ⁵ And the people spoke against God 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 we loathe this worthless food.’Then the Lord sent fiery serpents (ha-nachasim ha-sarapim) among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses, and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people.And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent (sarap), and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.’So Moses made a bronze serpent (nachash), and set it on a pole; and if a serpent (ha-nachash) bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent (nachash) and live.” Numbers 21:4-9

These are the creatures that are before YHWH’s throne:

“In the year that King Uzzi′ah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.Above him stood the seraphim (sarapim); each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for 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, the Lord of hosts!’ Then flew one of the seraphim (ha-sarapim) to me, having in his hand a burning coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar.And he touched my mouth, and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven.’” Isaiah 6:1-7

A certain number of these serpentine creatures, which are also associated with scorpions,

“then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents (nachash sarap) and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock,who fed you in the wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.” Deuteronomy 8:14-16

Are expressly said to be some of the demonic beings whom the Lord Jesus came to enable believers to subjugate and conquer:  

“The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’And he said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you.Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’” Luke 10:17-20

The foregoing strongly suggests that Satan, who is none other than that very ancient serpent whom God condemned,

“The LORD God said to the serpent (ha-nachash), ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’” Genesis 3:14-15

May have been a seraph and throne-guardian, which in turn equates him with the cherubim,

“Then I looked, and behold, on the firmament that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in form resembling a throne.And he said to the man clothed in linen, ‘Go in among the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim; fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.’ And he went in before my eyes.Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house, when the man went in; and a cloud filled the inner court.And the glory of the Lord went up from the cherubim to the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the glory of the Lord.And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks. And when he commanded the man clothed in linen, ‘Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,’ he went in and stood beside a wheel.And a cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took some of it, and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out.The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings. And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like sparkling chrysolite. And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel were within a wheel.When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went, but in whatever direction the front wheel faced the others followed without turning as they went.And their rims, and their spokes, and the wheels were full of eyes round about—the wheels that the four of them had.As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing the whirling wheels.

“And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. And the cherubim mounted up. These were the living creatures that I saw by the river Chebar.And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels did not turn from beside them. When they stood still, these stood still, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them; for the spirit of the living creatures^[d] was in them. Then the glory of the Lord went forth from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim.And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight as they went forth, with the wheels beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the house of the Lord; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. These were the living creatures that I saw underneath the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim.Each had four faces, and each four wings, and underneath their wings the semblance of human hands.And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the very faces whose appearance I had seen by the river Chebar. They went every one straight forward.” Ezekiel 10:1-22

Whom the Apostle John described as the four living creatures that encircle God’s heavenly throne:

“After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after this.’At once I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne! And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads.From the throne issue flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder, and before the throne burn seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God;and before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never cease to sing, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’ And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, ‘Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created.’” Revelation 4:1-11

This brings me to my next section.

PHARAOH AS A TYPE OF SATAN

The Hebrew Bible identifies Egypt, where the Israelites lived in bondage, as Rahab whom YHWH slew in order to release his people from her grip:

“Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia—‘This one was born there,’ they say.” Psalm 87:4

“An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb. Through a land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the viper and the flying serpent (sarap), they carry their riches on the backs of asses, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people that cannot profit them. For Egypt’s help is worthless and empty, therefore I have called her ‘Rahab who sits still.’” Isaiah 30:6-7

“Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not thou that didst cut Rahab in pieces, that didst pierce the dragon (tanin)? Was it not thou that didst dry up the sea, the waters of the great deep; that didst make the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?” Isaiah 51:9-10

Pharaoh himself is said to be the great sea dragon:

“In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt; speak, and say, Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon (ha-tanim) that lies in the midst of his streams, that says, “My Nile is my own; I made it.”’” Ezekiel 29:1-3

It is apparent that the Bible is using such terminology to denote the spiritual forces working in and through Pharaoh, since the God-breathed Scriptures proclaim that there are spiritual rulers which govern the kingdoms of the world:

“Then he said to me, ‘Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, so I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia.’… Then he said, ‘Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I am through with him, lo, the prince of Greece will come. But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.” Daniel 10:12-13, 20-21

“And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours.’” Luke 4:5-7  

“Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out;” John 12:31

“I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me;” John 14:30

“concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” John 16:11

“For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12

“We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19

“And to the angel of the church in Per′gamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; you hold fast my name and you did not deny my faith even in the days of An′tipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.’” Revelation 2:12-13

As such, Pharaoh was a type of Satan since he was an obvious agent of evil whom the prince of darkness worked through to oppress the people of God.

SUMMATION

The OT references to Yam (sea), Leviathan, Rahab, dragon, serpent etc., are few of the terms found throughout the ancient near eastern literature in respect to the gods of chaos, malevolent creatures in battle or associated with other divine beings such as Baal.

Therefore, any one reading these OT texts in their historical-cultural contexts would have immediately associated these phrases with hostile powers, with evil spiritual forces that had come in conflict with YHWH.

The Israelites would have read these passages as affirmations that these malevolent beings had been effortlessly subdued and conquered by YHWH as proof that Israel’s God is incomparable and highly exalted far above all the so-called gods of the nations, who are nothing more than demons:

“They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominable practices they provoked him to anger. They sacrificed to demons which were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come in of late, whom your fathers had never dreaded.” Deuteronomy 32:16-17

“Publish his glory among the Gentiles, his wonderful works among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is terrible above all gods. For all the gods of the heathen are devils: but the Lord made the heavens.” Psalm 95:3-5 LXX

“All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him. Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of thy judgments, O God. For thou, O Lord, art most high over all the earth; thou art exalted far above all gods.” Psalm 97:7, 9

“They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood.” Psalm 106:36-38

“Therefore, my beloved, shun the worship of idols.I speak as to sensible men; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.Consider the people of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar?What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons.You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” 1 Corinthians 10:14-22

“and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great mightwhich he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,FAR ABOVE ALL rule and authority and power and dominion, and ABOVE EVERY NAME that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come;and he has put ALL THINGS under his feet and has made him the head OVER ALL THINGS for the church,which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:19-23

Moreover, the foregoing helps us appreciate why the NT depicts Christ as rebuking the winds and waves in the same way that he rebuked evil spirits which had possessed human beings:

“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care if we perish?’ And he awoke and rebuked (epetimesen) the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still (pephimoso)!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?’ And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?’” Mark 4:35-41

Now contrast this with the following:

“And they went into Caper′na-um; and immediately on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked (epetimesen) him, saying, ‘Be silent (phimotheti), and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’” Mark 1:21-27  

It is apparent that Jesus’ stilling the wind and the sea in the same fashion as he rebuked a demon is intended to portray him as that very same YHWH God whom the Hebrew Bible describes as subduing the demonic powers which are stirring up chaos in the seas.

As the footnotes to the proceeding translation of the Holy Bible highlight:

“Jesus rebuked him and said, ‘Quiet! Come out of him!’” Mark 1:25 New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)

“He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Quiet! Be still!’^[i] The wind ceased and there was great calm.” Mark 4:39

Footnotes

i. 4:39 Quiet! Be still!: as in the case of silencing a demon (Mk 1:25), Jesus rebukes the wind and subdues the turbulence of the sea by a mere word; see note on Mt 8:26. (NABRE; emphasis mine)

“He said to them, ‘Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?’^[t] Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. Matthew 8:26

Footnotes

t.8:26 You of little faith: see note on Mt 6:30. Great calm: Jesus’ calming the sea may be meant to recall the Old Testament theme of God’s control over the chaotic waters (Ps 65:8; 89:10; 93:3–4; 107:29). (NABRE; emphasis mine)

The foregoing affirms that it is not just the NT that has a lot to say about Satan. The Hebrew Bible also has a lot of insights in respect to the demonic realm, specifically about Satan, if the readers know what to look for.

FURTHER READING

Satan in the Old Testament Pt. 1

The Quran states that Allah created both death and life:

Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion, and He is Able to do all things. Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving; S. 67:1-2 Hilali-Khan

The Muslim scripture further teaches that the tree Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat of was the tree of immortality/eternity, i.e., the tree of life:

Then Shaitan (Satan) whispered suggestions to them both in order to uncover that which was hidden from them of their private parts (before); he said: “Your Lord did not forbid you this tree save you should become angels or become of the immortals.” And he [Shaitan (Satan)] swore by Allah to them both (saying): “Verily, I am one of the sincere well-wishers for you both.” So he misled them with deception. Then when they tasted of the tree, that which was hidden from them of their shame (private parts) became manifest to them and they began to stick together the leaves of Paradise over themselves (in order to cover their shame). And their Lord called out to them (saying): “Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you: Verily, Shaitan (Satan) is an open enemy unto you?” They said: “Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers.” (Allah) said: “Get down, one of you an enemy to the other [i.e. Adam, Hawwa (Eve), and Shaitan (Satan), etc.]. On earth will be a dwelling-place for you and an enjoyment, – for a time.” He said: “Therein you shall live, and therein you shall die, and from it you shall be brought out (i.e. resurrected).” S. 7:20-25 Hilali-Khan

Then Shaitan (Satan) whispered to him, saying: “O Adam! Shall I lead you to the Tree of Eternity and to a kingdom that will never waste away?” Then they both ate of the tree, and so their private parts appeared to them, and they began to stick on themselves the leaves from Paradise for their covering. Thus did Adam disobey his Lord, so he went astray. Then his Lord chose him, and turned to him with forgiveness, and gave him guidance. (Allah) said: “Get you down (from the Paradise to the earth), both of you, together, some of you are an enemy to some others. Then if there comes to you guidance from Me, then whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery. But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur’an nor acts on its orders, etc.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection.” S. 20:120-124 Hilali-Khan

This stands in marked contrast with the true God revealed in the Holy Bible.

According to the inspired Scriptures, God did not create death, nor desired for any living being to die. Rather, death entered the world as a result of the devil tempting mankind to sin against God by disobeying his express order not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil:

“And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed.And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil… The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’” Genesis 2:8-9, 15-17

“And to Adam he said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, “You shall not eat of it,” cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’” Genesis 3:17-19

“Do not invite death by the error of your life, nor bring on destruction by the works of your hands; because God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living. For he created all things that they might exist, and the generative forces of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them; and the dominion of Hades is not on earth. For righteousness is immortal. But ungodly men by their words and deeds summoned death; considering him a friend, they pined away, and they made a covenant with him, because they are fit to belong to his party.” Wisdom of Solomon 1:12-16

“for God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own eternity, but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it.” Wisdom 2:23-24

“Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned—sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.” Romans 5:12-14

Note the contradiction with the Quran, which claims that the forbidden tree wasn’t the knowledge of good and evil but rather the tree of immortality, i.e., the tree of life! Also contrast the punishment of Adam and Eve, which wasn’t death but expulsion from the heavenly garden and banishment to the earth.

This shows that in Islam death wasn’t God’s judgment upon mankind’s sin, since it was Allah’s will from the very beginning that human beings should die.

The true God, on the other hand, did not and does not want humans to die but that they should live before his sight, since he takes no pleasure in the death of his creatures:

“Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins shall die… The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But if a wicked man turns away from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness which he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?… Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, says the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?For I have no pleasure in the death of any one, says the Lord God; so turn, and live.” Ezekiel 18:4, 20-23, 30-32

“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.If I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life. And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?’Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?” Ezekiel 33:7-11

It is therefore clear that Allah is a god of death whereas the true God revealed in the inspired Scriptures wants all to have everlasting life through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord:

“‘And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.’ For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God… He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him. Read full chapter John 3:14-18, 36

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” John 5:24

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’” John 10:27-30  

“Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.” John 11:23-27

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.’” John 14:6

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:21-26  

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

“But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for every one. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, ‘I will proclaim thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee.’ And again, ‘I will put my trust in him.’ And again, ‘Here am I, and the children God has given me.’ Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage. For surely it is not with angels that he is concerned but with the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:9-18

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.’ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” Revelation 7:9-17

“If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has borne witness to his Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne to his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life. I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:9-13  

“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price.” Revelation 22:17

All scriptural citations taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV).

FURTHER READING

Forbidden to Eat from the Tree of Life?

Original Sin in Islam Revisited

According to the Hebrew Bible, the God of Israel personally came down from heaven during the time of Moses in order lead his people out of Egypt, through the desert, and subsequently into the promised land:

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Lo, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you for ever.’ Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments,and be ready by the third day; for on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.And you shall set bounds for the people round about, saying, “Take heed that you do not go up into the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death;no hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.” When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.’So Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and consecrated the people; and they washed their garments.And he said to the people, ‘Be ready by the third day; do not go near a woman.’ On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God; and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.And Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and the smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to gaze and many of them perish.And also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out upon them.’And Moses said to the Lord, ‘The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for thou thyself didst charge us, saying, “Set bounds about the mountain, and consecrate it.”’And the Lord said to him, ‘Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break out against them.’So Moses went down to the people and told them.” Exodus 19:9-25

“And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.’… Now when all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled; and they stood afar off, and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will hear; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.’And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear; for God has come to prove you, and that the fear of him may be before your eyes, that you may not sin.’ And the people stood afar off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: “You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven.”’” Exodus 20:1-3, 18-22

“Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abi′hu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank. The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tables of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.’So Moses rose with his servant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.And he said to the elders, ‘Tarry here for us, until we come to you again; and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a cause, let him go to them.’ Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.And Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.” Exodus 24:9-18

“Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp; and he called it the tent of meeting. And every one who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp.Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose up, and every man stood at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he had gone into the tent.When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the door of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the door of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, every man at his tent door. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tent.” Exodus 33:7-11

“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would go onward;but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not go onward till the day that it was taken up.For throughout all their journeys the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.” Exodus 40:34-38

“And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, ‘Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.’ And the three of them came out.And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward.And he said, ‘Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream.Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house.With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in dark speech; and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?’ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed; and when the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. And Aaron turned towards Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.” Numbers 12:4-10

“This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.He said, ‘The Lord came from Sinai, and dawned from Se′ir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran, he came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at his right hand. Yea, he loved his people; all those consecrated to him were in his hand; so they followed in thy steps, receiving direction from thee, when Moses commanded us a law, as a possession for the assembly of Jacob. Thus the Lord became king in Jesh′urun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together.” Deuteronomy 33:1-5

“O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan! Why look you with envy, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount which God desired for his abode, yea, where the Lord will dwell for ever? With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands, the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place. Thou didst ascend the high mount, leading captives in thy train, and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.” Psalm 68:15-18

Shockingly, the [N]ew [T]estament teaches that it was Christ in his prehuman existence who was in the cloud guiding Moses and the Israelites during the Exodus!

“I want you to know, brethren, 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 supernatural foodand all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock WAS CHRIST.” 1 Corinthians 10:1-4

“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.” Hebrews 11:24-27 New International Version (NIV)

“Now I desire to remind you, though you are fully informed, once and for all, that JESUS, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” New Revised Standard Version Updates Edition (NRSVUE)

With the foregoing in view, I will now show that the prophetic message, the revelation which God inspired the prophets to announce, is that of God returning to the earth to reign and judge the world in righteousness.

I will demonstrate that the prophets envisioned a day when YHWH would descend into the world he made to once again dwell with mankind. More specifically, I will prove that the [O]ld [T]estament proclaims that YHWH would descend to reign over the whole world from Jerusalem.

The readers will see that the prophets foresaw YHWH doing so in a physical, corporeal body, that YHWH would appear on earth as an embodied Being where people would actually be able to behold their God in a physical shape.  

PSALMS

“But the Lord sits enthroned for ever, he has established his throne for judgment; and he judges the world with righteousness, he judges the peoples with equity.” Psalm 9:7-8

“Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns! Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.’ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.” Psalm 96:10-13

“Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.” Psalm 98:7-9

MAJOR PROPHETS

“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocusit shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not pass over it, and fools shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:1-10

“A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’… The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever. Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’ Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” Isaiah 40:3-5, 8-11

“Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.’ And they shall be called The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought out, a city not forsaken.’” Isaiah 62:11-12

“O that thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at thy presence—” Isaiah 64:1

“And when you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the Lord, they shall no more say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It shall not come to mind, or be remembered, or missed; it shall not be made again.At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart.” Jeremiah 3:16-17

“Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate facing east.And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the east; and the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with his glory.And the vision I saw was like the vision which I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and like the vision which I had seen by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple. While the man was standing beside me, I heard one speaking to me out of the temple;and he said to me, ‘Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel for ever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their harlotry, and by the dead bodies of their kings,by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them. They have defiled my holy name by their abominations which they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger.Now let them put away their idolatry and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst for ever.’” Ezekiel 43:1-9

“The circumference of the city shall be eighteen thousand cubits. And the name of the city henceforth shall be, The Lord is there.” Ezekiel 48:35

MINOR PROPHETS

“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even upon the menservants and maidservants in those days, I will pour out my spirit. And I will give portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.And it shall come to pass that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.” Joel 2:26-29

“For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehosh′aphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there, on account of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations, and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a harlot, and have sold a girl for wine, and have drunk it… Hasten and come, all you nations round about, gather yourselves there. Bring down thy warriors, O Lord. Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehosh′aphat; for there I will sit to judge all the nations round about. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the wine press is full. The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. And the Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who dwell in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy and strangers shall never again pass through it. And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the stream beds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and water the valley of Shittim. Egypt shall become a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the people of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall be inhabited for ever, and Jerusalem to all generations. I will avenge their blood, and I will not clear the guilty, for the Lord dwells in Zion.” Joel 3:1-3, 11-21

“Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has cast out your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear evil no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The Lord your God is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. ‘I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you together; yea, I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,’ says the Lord.” Zephaniah 3:14-20

“‘For I will be to her a wall of fire round about, says the Lord, and I will be the glory within her.Ho! ho! Flee from the land of the north, says the Lord; ‘for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens,’ says the Lord. Ho! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye: ‘Behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for lo, I come and I will dwell in the midst of you, says the Lord.And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in the midst of you, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.’ Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.” Zechariah 2:5-13

This next prophecy is truly remarkable:

“Behold, a day of the Lord is coming, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in the midst of you.For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women ravished; half of the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day HIS FEET shall stand on the Mount of Olives which lies before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley; so that one half of the Mount shall withdraw northward, and the other half southward. And the valley of my mountains shall be stopped up, for the valley of the mountains shall touch the side of it; and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzzi′ah king of Judah. Then the Lord your God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there shall be neither cold nor frost. And there shall be continuous day (it is known to the Lord), not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light. On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter. And the Lord will become king over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be one and his name one… Then every one that survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of booths.And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain upon them.” Zechariah 14:1-9, 16-17

Zechariah foresees YHWH’S literal feet descending upon the Mount of Olives, thereby physically splitting it in half. YHWH then begins ruling the earth from Jerusalem, which is why representatives of the nations will be required to visit there for the express purpose of worshiping YHWH whom they will behold in bodily form.⁽¹⁾

And now to our final prophetic text:

“Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord (ha Adon) whom you seek will suddenly come to HIS temple; the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:1

The prophet foretells God sending a messenger to prepare Israel for the coming of the Lord Almighty to his temple in Jerusalem.

That it is the Lord YHWH who is coming is made evident by the fact that the words ha Adon are only used for YHWH in all its other instances:

“Therefore the Lord (ha Adon) says, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: ‘Ah, I will vent my wrath on my enemies, and avenge myself on my foes.” Isaiah 1:24

“For, behold, the Lord (ha Adon), the Lord of hosts, is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah stay and staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water;” Isaiah 3:1

“Therefore thus says the Lord (ha Adon), the Lord of hosts: ‘O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they smite with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did.’” Isaiah 10:24

This is further confirmed by Malachi’s statement that the Lord shall come to HIS temple.

The OT is emphatic that the temple was built for God, and not for a man or any other creature:      

“And David the king said to all the assembly, ‘Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great; for the palace will not be for man but for the Lord God.’” 1 Chronicles 29:1

“And the angel of the Lord enjoined Joshua, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.” Zechariah 3:6-7

These texts make it abundantly clear that the One to come is none other than YHWH God Almighty himself. There’s simply no way around this.⁽²⁾   

The aforementioned OT citations show that the inspired prophetic message is centered on the eager anticipation of God’s returning to the earth in visible glory in order to dwell with mankind forever and ever:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband;and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment.He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.’” Revelation 21:1-8

Unless noted otherwise, scriptural references taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV).

ENDNOTES

(1) Remarkably, the NT proclaims that it is Jesus who will return to the Mount of Olives with all his holy ones:

“And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come IN THE SAME WAY as you saw him go into heaven.’ Then they returned to Jerusalem FROM THE MOUNT CALLED OLIVET, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away;” Acts 1:9-12  

“so that he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” 1 Thessalonians 3:13

“This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be made worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering—since indeed God deems it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant rest with us to you who are afflicted, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know God and upon those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfil every good resolve and work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12  

This means that the risen Christ is being described as that YHWH God whom Zechariah saw descending upon the Mount of Olives, and whose blessed physical feet the prophet beheld splitting the Mount in half!

(2) As the case with Zechariah’s prophecy, the NT writers apply Malachi’s proclamation to the coming of Christ. The NT authors identify John the Baptist as that messenger whom the prophet said would be sent to announce the coming of the Lord to his very own temple:

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight—’ John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, ‘After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’” Mark 1:1-8  

“This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.’ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Matthew 11:10-11

And yet the Lord whom John prepared the way for is none other than Jesus Christ:

“John answered them, ‘I baptize with water; but among you stands one whom you do not know, even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.’ This took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘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 ranks before me, for he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John bore witness, ‘I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.’ The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’” John 1:26-36

“And Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.’” Acts 19:4

This again shows that the NT writers believed that Jesus is none other than YHWH God Almighty and, therefore, the Lord of the temple!