John 1:1 and the Jehovah’s Witnesses – Episode 26, Jesus Is the Messenger of the Covenant

Could John have intended that the Word was ‘a’ god? Wouldn’t it make sense that John’s worldview was shaped by the Old Testament Scriptures? It is not inconsistent for him to view Jesus as Yahweh, because as we have seen, there are two Yahweh’s in the Old Testament, one of whom is often designated as the Angel or Messenger of Yahweh. And as we will see, there are multiple Messianic prophecies that also suggest there is more than one person who makes up the Godhead.

The Messenger of the Covenant

In Malachi’s prophecy Yahweh is reprimanding His people, responding to their complaints and murmurings. In chapter 3 Yahweh declares that He will send a messenger to prepare for His coming:

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

So who is coming? Yahweh says He is coming and that is why He is sending His messenger (Malachi’s name and the word usually translated “angel” in our texts is the word used here and translated, “my messenger”). Israel is seeking the Lord (Master, adonai) and they delight in the messenger, who is coming. Yahweh is coming to His temple and the messenger is coming.

But he is not coming in a way that Israel will enjoy. He is coming in judgment.

But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to Yahweh. (Malachi 3:2–3)

Malachi is predicting the end of the age and the final judgment, with Israel being restored to faith and righteousness. Yahweh is doing this, and the messenger of the covenant is doing this. They are equated in their actions and in Israel’s desire to see them.

Interestingly, when Jesus refers to this passage, he relates it to John the Baptist. John the Baptist is the messenger that Yahweh has sent to prepare His way. But that means then that Jesus is Yahweh, whom John the Baptist is preparing God’s people to receive. Jesus does say, “If you will receive it,” this John the Baptist is Elijah whom Malachi later predicts (4:5,6) will come before the “great and terrible day of Yahweh,” that is, before this day of judgment at the end of days.

Jesus’ first coming did not result in this judgment because he first had to die for our redemption. It is Jesus’ second coming that will result in the final judgment. There will likely be another Elijah-like prophet to announce that coming.

What we are seeing is that the Apostle John’s perspective is informed by the teachings and prophecies of the Old Testament. He could not conceive of Messiah, the Son of Man in Daniel 7, as ‘a’ god. Though a predicate nominative coming before the verb and having no article, as in John 1:1c (“and the Word was theos”) can be understood as indefinite, ‘a’ god, that does not fit with John’s consistent testimony in the rest of his Gospel, nor with John’s Old Testament perspective and heritage.