Jehovah or Jesus

This report summarizes four major textual arguments to claim that the Old Testament deity represents a separate, malicious entity rather than the Father described by Jesus.

1. The Role-Swapping Argument (2 Samuel 24:1 vs. 1 Chronicles 21:1)

When describing the same historical event—King David ordering a census—one Old Testament book says that Yahweh incited David to do it. The other book says that Satan incited David. Scholars holding alternative views argue this demonstrates that the ancient writers used these names interchangeably or viewed them as the same

force.

2. The Claims of Deception (Ezekiel 14:9 and 1 Kings 22:22-23)

In these verses, the Old Testament deity explicitly claims responsibility for sending 'lying spirits' and intentionally deceiving prophets. Because the New Testament later defines the devil as the 'father of lies,' interpreters use these passages to argue that the Old Testament deity acts with the traits of a deceptive entity.

3. The Rejection of the Law (John 8:17 and John 8:44)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus frequently distances himself from the Hebrew commandments by referring to them as 'your law' instead of his Father's law. In chapter 8, he states that his opponents' father was a 'murderer from the beginning.' Proponents read this literally as an exposure of the Old Testament deity, who demanded blood sacrifices and ordered massive warfare.

4. The Invisible Father (John 1:18 vs. Exodus 33:11)

The Gospel of John explicitly states that 'no one has ever seen God.' However, multiple Genesis and Exodus passages state that Abraham and Moses saw Yahweh face-to-face. Alternative theologians argue that if the true God is completely invisible, then the visible, physical deity interacting with people in the Old Testament must be a lower, separate entity.