The Son of God and The Gates of Hell by Keith Dyer

What follows is another wonderful article by Keith Dyer which contains a most excellent exegesis of the meaning of Matthew 16:18 -
upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The Son of God and The Gates of Hell

Matthew 16:13-21 (ESV)

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 

Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

This passage of Scripture represents a turning point in the ministry of Jesus, as well as one of the most controversial, and debated of his sayings. The turning point comes in verse 21 when Jesus began to talk to his disciples about his death and subsequent resurrection. The controversy and debate arise from the question of what is meant by "on this rock I will build my church." But it seems to me also that even more controversial and debatable is the question, what did Peter mean when he said "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God" , and what are "the gates of hell".

Peter's Confession

When asked by Jesus, "who do men say that I am?" the answers were varied, but generally considered him a prophet. But when he said "who do you say that I am?", Peter spoke up with confidence and conviction, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God". The fact that “you” is plural in the text indicates that Jesus did not direct his question to Peter alone; however, true to his impetuous nature, Peter is the one who opened his mouth and blurted out the answer… inspired by God as it turns out! The traditional interpretation of this phrase attributes Peter as recognizing Jesus' full Divinity. In other words, Peter recognized Jesus as not merely the Christ, but "the Son of the Living God" hence, God the Son. But this interpretation dangerously reads into the text something that is not there - a preconceived notion based on the accepted doctrine of the Trinity. There is no ground whatsoever for inverting the title Son of God into God the Son … the Bible never does it!

These titles, Son of God and God the Son, are not the same and, in fact, have completely different meanings. In the first place, the title “Christ” is the equivalent of the Hebrew Messiah, meaning "king, anointed one, or chosen one". Christ is not descriptive of Deity, but representative of Deity! The Hebrew kings of old were messiahs; they were anointed of God, chosen to represent God to the people. Secondly, in Old Testament passages such as 2 Sam. 7:14; Psalm 2:7; and Psalm 89:4,26-28, the concept of “son” is also synonymous with Messiah, and this is surely what Peter meant when he called Jesus the Son of the Living God! As Christ, he is the anointed one of God; God’s representative, the coming one of promise. The title Son of God means essentially the same thing but more fully expresses his unique relationship to the Father as the only begotten of God. Neither of these designations though are descriptive of, or even suggestive of Deity.

Further, note how the parallel passages read. Luke 9:20 says, "You are the Christ of God", while Mark 8:29 says simply, "You are the Christ". To ascribe Deity to Jesus because of the addition of the term Son of God in this passage is a leap from the clear meaning of the text. Also, it should not be overlooked that Jesus blessed Peter for his bold confession saying "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven." Do we really want to argue with what God revealed to Peter? Peter's revelation was consistent with the Scriptures regarding the identity of Messiah, and nowhere does the Bible teach that Messiah would be God, 2nd Person of a Trinity, or otherwise. And so, the Father fully revealed to Peter the truth about His Son, and Jesus required no further explanation from him. The teaching of progressive revelation, that God revealed himself as triune in nature over time, does not serve truth, but only gives license to theologians to change the text and attribute their own twisted meaning to Scripture.

One last observation should be pointed out here. In verse 20 Jesus himself affirms his identity as “the Christ” and charges the disciples not to make it known. If in fact the phrase “Son of the living God” goes beyond the meaning of Christ and attributes Deity to Jesus, wouldn’t that have been the focus of Jesus charge of silence to his disciples? After all, how much more of a shock would it be to learn that they were in the presence of Almighty God in the flesh? Yes, I think Jesus would have told them not to tell anyone he was God, because they certainly were not ready for such a revelation yet. But that’s not what he did, he charged them not to tell anyone he was the Christ! Even Trinitarian scholars know that the disciples had no concept of a Triune God at this time. It is not sound reasoning to think that God the Father revealed to Peter that Jesus was also God! Let’s wake up! Jesus, by his own admission, is the Christ, the Messiah, God’s anointed One; all synonymous with “Son of God”! I think it is much better to agree with Jesus. 

Let God be God, and let Jesus be the Son of God!

Who/What is the Rock?

Jesus answered Peter's "You are the Christ" with "You are Peter". In Greek, Peter is "Petros", meaning rock, or stone. But when Jesus said "and on this rock" he used the word "petra" rather than "Petros". Petra is the word for a large rock, as found in Jesus parable about the man who built his house on the rock, rather than on sand. (Matt 7:24). The question here is 'to what or who was Jesus referring when he said "upon this rock I will build my church"? Was the rock Peter himself, or something else?'

...

The rock upon which the church is built is the truth revealed by God, and confessed by Peter that, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

The Church is founded on the confession that Jesus is God's Son, the Christ, and that he was sent to show us the Father and ultimately become the sacrifice for our sin. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus. It is confessing with the mouth that he is Lord, and believing with the heart that God raised him from the dead that affects our salvation. When I first became a Christian I was told that my sin offended God and that Jesus died to satisfy that offence. Jesus, as God's Son, was sacrificed on my behalf so that I might have a relationship with God through him. The doctrine of the Trinity was taught later. At no time was I ever told I must believe that Jesus is God in order to be saved! And I submit that it is the same for multitudes. It is after entrance into the the Church by confession of Jesus as the Son of God that the language of Scripture is changed so that Jesus becomes "God the Son", 2nd Person of the Trinity, equal to God the Father in every way yet not a second God but somehow, mystically, three persons in One God. 

But in spite of the fact that teaching about the person of Jesus and his relationship to God has been distorted by Greek philosophy introduced into the Church in the early years, the Church continues to grow on the basis of Peter's confession.

The Gates of Hell

This church, which Jesus identifies as "my church", will not be stopped or hindered by the "gates of hell". This is good news no matter how you interpret, but to what exactly was Jesus referring?

I was reading an introduction to a study on the book of Acts prior to writing this article in which the author referred to Matthew 16:18. His sense of the meaning was that the devil and his armies would have no power to hinder the advancement of the Church. In other words, that author, like the majority of the protestant christian church, understands “gates of hell” as referring to the powers, or forces, of the devil. The fact that Jesus assures us that they will not prevail is a strong affirmation of his power, and our ultimate victory. This is a wonderful truth! However, though I am well aware that we Christians are engaged in warfare against the forces of evil (Eph 6), and we have power over them in the name of Jesus, I don’t believe this passage has that intended meaning. Yet, in my nearly 40 years of being a Christian, I can’t recall a single sermon or teaching to the contrary!

I began writing this on a Sunday evening and just that morning our associate pastor made reference to Matthew 16:18 in his sermon. His take on it was a little different. To him, the gates are not representative of power, they are not weapons. Therefore, in Christ, we have the power to break down and overcome every obstacle that would stand in our way of advancing the Church. We have been assured of victory as we storm the gates of hell. I agree that gates are not weapons, but once again, the central idea in his interpretation is the supposition that the forces of evil are in hell! But where does that idea come from? The Bible I read reveals that the devil is the “god of this world”; “the prince and power of the air”, and that his demons are the evil angels, the “principalities and powers that dwell in the heavenlies.” (2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2; 6:12;).

The answer to our question, what is meant by “gates of hell”, is obvious, I think, if we take the time to define some terms and examine it closer. There are three words in the New Testament that are translated (by some versions, most notably the KJV) as hell. The word “gehenna” is used by Jesus to refer to a place of fiery destruction (Matt 5:22,29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15), and translated as hell in the NASB, KJV; tartarus is found only once in the New Testament at 2 Pet 2:4, and refers to a prison where evil spirits are being held in chains for judgment. Then in our text and several other places, the word hades is used (Matt 11:23; Luke 16:23; Acts 2:27,31; Rev 6:8, 20:13,14). Hades is the god of the underworld in Greek mythology. Over time, his name came to designate the underworld itself, the abode of the dead. As such, Hades is the only Greek word providing a near equivalent to the Hebrew word sheol. Like Hades, sheol is the dwelling place of the dead in Hebrew thought. ... Hades is not the same as Gehenna, nor is [Hades] the lake of fire or the prison where evil spirits are confined; Hades is the realm of the dead. And in fact, according to Rev 20:14 hades will be thrown into the lake of fire! The Bible nowhere teaches that the devil and his angels dwell in hades!

Second, the Hebrew Scriptures say that “hell is never satisfied” or “never gets full” (Prov 27:20; Isa 5:14) This is a use of sheol conveying the idea that death continues to claim lives, and so long as people die, they will end up in sheol, the place of the dead. There is no return. Gates are meant either to restrict or prevent what is outside from getting in, or to restrict or prevent what is inside from getting out! Since hades/sheol continues to grow it is reasonable to assume that the gates are in place, figuratively, to keep the dead inside. There is only one way to enter hades, and that is by death. 

In the Old Testament and subsequent Jewish tradition the “gates of Hades” are expressed as the gates of death (Job 38:17; Psalm 9:13). In other words, once one is dead he has no power to leave, the gates are closed - and one would assume - locked. However, according to Jesus, the gates of hades cannot prevail against his church!

The Good News

By now I hope you see where we are going with this. For all the righteous dead, and for those yet to fall asleep in Christ, there IS an exit!! The gates of hell, or we might say, the grave or power of death, has no authority over the true believer. We will rise!! In verse 21 it is recorded that Jesus began to tell the disciples about his coming suffering and death, but that after three days he would be raised. This is the turning point in Jesus ministry referred to earlier but it also gives context and credence to our interpretation of “gates of hell” as the power of death. 

The good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ, is that death does not have the final say in the lives of those who submit themselves to God, through Jesus. There is coming a day, a day when Jesus will return to set up the kingdom of God on earth. And in that day the dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive and remain will be changed, in a moment, a twinkling of an eye, and so shall we all be with the Lord. 

Death will be swallowed up by life - the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church! This is good news indeed. Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that they may know You Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3).

The above article was taken from "The Son of God and The Gates of Hell"

Did Jesus Raise Himself From the Dead? by Sandra Hooper

Did Jesus Raise Himself From the Dead?

Did Jesus teach that he would raise himself from the dead, and
therefore this proves he is God Almighty?

In John 10:17, 18 Jesus says,

The Father loves me because I lay down my life, to receive it back again. No one has robbed me of it; I am laying it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to receive it back again; this charge I have received from my Father.
John 10:17-18 (NEB)

When Jesus drove out the money changers out of the temple he said in John 2:19,

Jesus answered and said unto them,
Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Then the Jews said,

Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and will you rear it up in three days?

In verse 21 it says,

But he spoke of the temple of his BODY.

The fact that Jesus was speaking in veiled terms to an unbelieving audience should make us hesitant to build a doctrine on this verse, especially when many other clear verses say that the Father raised Jesus. For example, 1 Corinthians 6:14 states: “By his power, God raised the Lord from the dead.” Jesus was not in a teaching situation when he was speaking. Tempers were flaring and the Jews were against Jesus anyway. It was common for Jesus to speak in ways that unbelievers did not understand. Even a cursory reading of the Gospels will show a number of times when Jesus spoke and the unbelievers who heard him (and sometimes even the disciples) were confused by what he said. [1]

A doctrine cannot be built just on one passage of scripture. Trinitarians [and Oneness] take this one verse (John 2:19) to try and prove Jesus is God Almighty. However, when the isolated text is taken in view of the whole counsel of God, it reveals that Jesus is not God Almighty or splitting Jesus into a God/Man.

...

Jesus lived his life in obedience to his Father, even unto death, and in this sense could guarantee his own resurrection. Jesus would have the right to receive it back again because of his life of faithfulness, and in turn, God would keep His promise to resurrect him from the dead.

If we go to Matthew 26:53, we read Peter pulls out his sword and Jesus tells him to put it away. Jesus could have called upon his Father to rescue him, but Jesus was intent on doing the will of the Father and not his own will. He says,

Or do you think that I am not able now to call on My Father, and He will place beside me more than twelve legions of angels?

Jesus said to his disciples before he went off to pray,

My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with me. And he went a little beyond them, and fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.

Jesus has a will of his own and it was always in his power to choose to lay down his life or give into the temptation to choose not to do the will of his Father. However, Jesus was obedient unto death on the cross.

If Jesus is God Almighty and could raise himself from the dead, why does he cry out on the cross,

“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

What concern would Jesus really have if he knew he could raise himself from the dead? Furthermore, does God cry out to Himself? Does God forsake Himself? Trinitarians [and Oneness] can't help but entertain mental gymnastics by talking about a "God part," and a "man part," to divide Jesus' human nature wherever it fits their doctrine. What foolishness and such contradiction to agree that God is immortal and cannot die, but yet turn around and with all seriousness, say God raised Himself from the dead!

Another dilemma and game of mental gymnastics Trinitarians must face is the fact that they say Jesus was 100% man as well as 100% God and we know that God alone is immortal, which means God can never die. Trinitarians agree with this. They will also say that GOD is the ONLY SAVIOR because "no man" can save us from our sins, and therefore Jesus is God. However, Jesus DIED on the cross - so they will say it was the "man part" that died, not God himself.

Can Trinitarians [or Oneness] answer the following? Since they say "no man" can save us from our sins, then how can Jesus be their savior when they say it was only the "man part" that died" and not God? Remember?
ONLY GOD can be our savior and save us from our sins, not "a man." This still leaves God having to die. When will this happen?

Trinitarians and Oneness folks need to take the time to use their God-given ability to reason and think. They say God raised Himself from the dead. [However] God cannot die, He is immortal.

...

For there is ONE GOD, one mediator also between GOD and men,

Who is this mediator?

himself man, Christ Jesus. 1 Tim. 2:5

Jesus is a MAN and will always be a MAN. It never says he is God Almighty. This is not to mention that Jesus is not only our Lord, he is also our brother!
(Heb. 2:10-12; Matt. 25:40; Matt. 28:10; Mark 3:34; John 20:17)

The point is, we cannot isolate one passage while ignoring the whole counsel of God and what Jesus said elsewhere. In John 5:19 Jesus said,

The Son is not able to do anything from himself,

And in John 14:10 he says,

....but the Father who dwells in me does His works.

How does the Father dwell in His Son? Through the holy spirit of Almighty God the Father.

Romans 8:11 says,

But the spirit of Him [God] who raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He [God] that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies.

This truth is spoken of in many places. It is God Almighty who raised Jesus from the dead and not Jesus himself. All the miracles [Jesus] did and everything he taught was through the holy spirit of God Almighty dwelling in him. It was God who did the works through Jesus (John 14:10). It had nothing to do with Jesus having to be a God/Man or God Almighty.

Furthermore, Romans 10:9 says,

"If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Note the verse does NOT say, "If you declare that Jesus is God..." Nor does it say, "...and believe in your heart that Jesus raised himself from the dead...."

Jesus said he could no nothing of himself. Jesus, a human being like us, could not raise himself from the dead. Dead is dead, folks. There are at least 30 scriptures that says it was GOD who raised Jesus from the dead.

Acts 2:24, 30,32; 3:15,26; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:23,30,33,34,37;17:31; 26:8; Romans 4:24,25; 6:4; 8:11; 10:9; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 15:15; 2 Corinthians 4:14; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 2:12;
1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Timothy 2:8; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 1:21

___________________________
1. One God & One Lord

Resorting to the Ridiculous

Resorting to the Ridiculous 

At times the claims of Trinitarian apologists are downright ridiculous.

How many times have you heard a Trinitarian claim the Magi bowed down before baby Jesus because they knew he was God? How many times have you heard them claim that nobody would do such a thing unless he was indeed God? How many times have you wondered if they bowed down before him simply because he was the King of the Jews? And have you ever wondered if they, and even the Jewish people themselves, considered it appropriate to bow down before a King? Do Trinitarians really expect us to believe the Jews did not know anything about a three person God because God had not yet "fully revealed himself" but the pagan Magi were well aware that Jesus was God?

And when Mary his mother changed baby Jesus' diapers did she really think she was changing God's diapers? Or was Jesus' own mother not privy to the same insight as the Trinitarians? The Bible says Jesus was subject to Joseph and Mary. It must have been quite difficult for them to have such authority over God. "God, go to your room!" And are we really to believe that Joseph was guarding God from Herod when he fled to Egypt with little Jesus? And when Joseph and Mary realized they had lost Jesus on their trip home from Jerusalem, are we really to believe they were worried they had inadvertently left God behind? And what was God doing growing in wisdom and favor with God and men anyway?

Are we really to accept the Trinitarian translation of Hebrews 1:8, "To the Son he says, Your throne O God is forever and ever" and blindly fail to notice the very next verse would then refer to God's God? Are we really supposed to be completely blind to the fact that this would have God the Father speaking to God the Son and reminding God the Son that he has a God? Are we really to accept the Trinitarian "only begotten God" manuscript variant of John 1:18 when it says this only begotten God reveals God the Father who happens to be the unbegotten God? Are we really supposed to stick our tongue in cheek and not see that this would result in a begotten God revealing an unbegotten God. That would be two Gods, one begotten and one not. How many doses of denial do they expect us to take?

Are we really to pretend Jesus was omniscient, all knowing, when we are told that he increased in wisdom? Are we really supposed to believe this preposterous claim when Jesus himself said only the Father knew the day and hour of his return? Did the word "only" lose its meaning last night? Just to what extent to Trinitarians expect us to deceive ourselves?

And when Trinitarians respond to John 20:17 by pointing out that Jesus said, "My God and your God" but did not say "My God and our God," just what exactly are they suggesting? That Jesus' God is a different God than our God? What difference would it make? Isn't "My God and Your God" simply an emphatic way of saying "Our God?" And if you only believe in one God then there is no difference in the identity of "My God" and "your God" is there? Or perhaps their entire goal was to confuse the issue to avoid the implications of Jesus words? After all, he is saying that our God is the same God as his God. Who was his God? Just what are Trinitarian apologists trying to do here?

The above was taken from the 'Trinity on Trial' website.

"Jesus was a man not God" by Danny Kundzinsh

Disclaimer

What follows is a succinct article from a Jewish believer and follower of Yeshua the Messiah depicting the truth that Jesus is a man and not God.

So please note, when the author speaks of Christianity/Christians; he is speaking of mainstream Christianity and their so-called orthodox doctrine of the trinity.

Biblical unitarian christians do not believe in such a doctrine. Therefore, some editing has been done.
Please note, biblical unitarian christians also find the doctrine of the trinity, blasphemous!

Jesus was a man not God.

Ever since I have become a believer and a follower of messiah I have been taught about the basics of Christianity [see disclaimer above], God is one but in three different persons; the father, the son and the holy spirit, I also learned that when Yeshua (Jesus) was on earth he was both man and God and you must believe [on this] messiah to be saved.

I always had questions but not all of my questions could be answered, I would usually get the
"it's a mystery" reply and just move on.
The question is why is there such a huge gap

1. between the Jews that do not believe in the Christian messiah [and]
2. between the Christians that do believe that Yeshua ha mashiach is the messiah and is God and is also part of the trinity Godhead.

On one hand we have the Jews who are God's chosen people, to which were given the laws of God (the ten commandments and the levitical laws) and chosen to be God's representatives on earth, the Jews do not know such a thing as a trinity and a man that is also God, in fact they find this teaching to be offensive and blasphemous.
On the other hand there's the Christian faith which is based on Judaism but continues and expands it with the new testament, the Christians believe that God is a trinity and that the messiah is a God in human form that came on the earth and died for sins of the world as the final atonement for sin.

Lets look first what we know about God and who he is from the old testament to understand better why the Jews consider the [mainstream] Christian faith as blasphemous;

1. "there is no one like Yahweh our God." Exodus 8:10
2. "Yahweh, He is God; there is no other besides Him." Deuteronomy 4:35
3. "Yahweh, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other." Deuteronomy 4:39
4. "See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me" Deuteronomy 32:39
5. "Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one [echad]!" Deuteronomy 6:4
6. "You are great, O Yahweh God; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You" 2 Samuel 7:22
7. "For who is God, besides Yahweh? And who is a rock, besides our God?" 2 Samuel 22:32
8. "Yahweh is God; there is no one else." 1 Kings 8:60
9. "You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth." 2 Kings 19:15
10. "O Yahweh, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You" 1 Chronicles 17:20
11. "You alone are Yahweh." Nehemiah 9:6
12. "For who is God, but Yahweh? And who is a rock, except our God" Psalm 18:31
13. "You alone, Yahweh, are God." Isaiah 37:20
14. "Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me." Isaiah 43:10
15. "'I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me." Isaiah 44:6
16. "Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none." Isaiah 44:8
17. "I am Yahweh, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God." Isaiah 45:5
18. "Surely, God is with you, and there is none else, No other God." Isaiah 45:14
19. "I am Yahweh, and there is none else." Isaiah 45:18
20. "Is it not I, Yahweh? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me." Isaiah 45:21
21. "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me" Isaiah 46:9
22. "And Yahweh will be king over all the earth; in that day Yahweh will be the only one [echad], and His name the only one [echad]." Zechariah 14:9
23. "since indeed God is one [hen]" Romans 3:30
24. "to the only [monos] wise God, Amen." Romans 16:27
25. "there is no God but one [hen]" 1 Corinthians 8:4
26. "yet for us there is but one [hen] God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one [hen] Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him." 1 Corinthians 8:6
27. "Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one [hen]." Galatians 3:20
28. "There is one [hen] body and one [hen] Spirit, one [hen] hope, one [hen] Lord, one [hen] faith, one [hen] baptism, one [hen] God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all." Ephesians 4:4-6
29. "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only [monos] God" 1 Timothy 1:17
30. "which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only [monos] Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone [monos] possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen." 1 Timothy 6:16
31. "For there is one [hen] God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," 1 Timothy 2:5
32. "You believe that God is one [hen]. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder." James 2:19
33. "the only [monos] God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." Jude 25

So if we know that God is one what happened? Why do [mainstream] Christians believe in something that is so far from what the old testament teaches?
This might be hard to handle but truth is that paganism was mixed with the early church by Constantine the Roman to gain control over the ever growing Christian population, so what we have today is the Roman catholic church reaches to all ends of the world, Protestantism is basically a continuation of the Roman catholic church, belief in a trinitarian God, eternal torment in hell etc...

Yeshua (Jesus) himself testified against a trinitarian God; in Mark 12 we can see him talking and agreeing with a Hebrew scribe that..."And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:" Yeshua (Jesus) agrees with the scribe, God is a he and he is one not three in one; if God would be three in one God would have to be an it.

There are many verses that supposedly show that Yeshua is God and God is a trinity, those are misinterpretation and I will not cover them all here but just give an example for a few..

One of the most popular is John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
The word in Greek is "logos" this logos repeats itself 69 times in the new testament and is never referred to as being the messiah.
John 1:1 is no different, Logos which means "the saying" or "his testament" simply means that God's word or his saying is part of him and is God, just like the 10 commandments are part of God and are God but it does not mean that the 10 commandments have a will of their own and have their own distinct personality and will.
In the beginning was God's testament and the testament of God is part of God and is God.

The following verse (John 1:14) got every one convinced it is talking about Yeshua transforming into flesh ...
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The word became flesh simply means that the word of God became alive through the messiah ... God's representative, Yeshua was God's reflection, he had God's testament and that's what he was doing, giving testimony of God. ...

Another verse is when Yeshua is saying in John 8:58 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am"

Yeshua is not claiming to be God; the words I AM here in Greek is "ego mi" which is a different word than the Hebrew "I will be what I will be" that God told Moses through the angel at the burning bush.
If you look what Yeshua told them before this verse, in verse 54 he told them "Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:"

Yeshua says that his own honor is nothing and that his honor is coming from the father that they claim is their God but not knowing him, in verse 56 he says"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad." He explains that Abraham knew about the messiah's coming, every one knew about it since the garden of Eden, God's promise of a saviour was planned before the creation of the world and that is what Yeshua is referring here to, before Abraham was I was already him, the messiah, the promised deliverer.
On a side note this I AM (ego mi) was used by others throughout the new testament such as Paul and the Roman centurion, surely they did not claim to be the I AM almighty God.

There are some common sense reason why Yeshua (Jesus) cannot be God.

• God cannot die, Yeshua died, if Yeshua was God than his death was not real.
• God cannot be contained in anything not even in the universe itself how much less in a human form?
• God is omnipresent, if God broke away from the trinity and was completely man in the form of Yeshua than he seized to be complete.
• At no point no one ever saw God, but many saw Yeshua.
• God cannot be tempted but clearly Yeshua was temped by the devil in the desert. On another note why did the devil offered Yeshua all of the kingdoms of the earth? If Yeshua is God everything already belongs to him.
• Yeshua prays to God, would God pray to God?
• Yeshua knows not the day and hour of his return, not even until now when he is already on the right hand of God; how can he not know his own plans if he is God? Because only the father is God.

And some verses to show that Yeshua is ... a man sent by God from scripture.

John 14:24
He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

John 14:10
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

1 Corinthians 8:4 there is only one God

1 Timothy 2:5, 6 There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all.

Heb 1:4 . Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

In this verse we are told that Yeshua is a created being that receives an inheritance and becomes greater than the angels. Think about this for a moment, Yeshua was created, than he receives inheritance from who? From himself? If he is already God this would be silly to receive something that already belongs to you - UNLESS Yeshua is a man receiving inheritance from the father and obtaining a greater name than the angels.

Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Why does it say the revelation that God gave to Jesus Christ? Isn't Yeshua already God?

Revelation 1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
... God gives him a revelation as a testimony to show unto his servants, just like the verse says and again it separates God and Jesus.

4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

You see the separation between God who always was, ... and Jesus?
[In verse 5, Yeshua] is called a witness, the first begotten of the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth ... but NEVER God.

...