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There are certain verses in John’s gospel, John 1:1-3 and John 17:5, for example, that are considered proof that Yahushua pre-existed in heaven. There’s another passage, depending on the translation you read, that appears to support the notion as well:
John 13:3 Yahushua knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from Yahuwah and was returning to Yahuwah
Did Yahushua Return to the Father?
The phrase “returning to Yahuwah” or “going back to Yahuwah”, implies that Yahushua preexisted in heaven with the Father before his earthly ministry. In other words, he’s been there before, and he’s going to return. But is this what the Greek text says? Let’s examine both the text and context to find out.
The context of John 13 is about the immediate future, not about a supposed eternity past.
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In chapter thirteen of John’s gospel we find Yahushua and his disciples at what will be his final Passover meal:
John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Yahushua knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
The context of John 13 is about the immediate future, not about a supposed eternity past. Yahushua is telling his disciples that their Teacher and Lord is going to be betrayed and that he is going to leave them. Of course, we understand him referencing his imminent death, resurrection, and ascension to the Father. With these things in mind, John tells us Yahushua spent his last hours serving his disciples:
John 13:3-4 Yahushua, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from Yahuwah and was going back to Yahuwah, 4 *got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.
There are other translations that add words to the text. For example:
- English Standard Version: Yahushua, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from Yahuwah and was going back to Yahuwah.
- Holman Christian Standard: Yahushua knew that the Father had given everything into His hands, that He had come from Yahuwah, and that He was going back to Yahuwah.
The Greek text reads,
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To the Trinitarian reader, who brings an anachronistic view of pre-existence into the text, coupled with the translators’ additions, this passage is a “clear” indication of Yahushua’s heavenly pre-existence. He came forth from Yahuwah and was going back to Yahuwah. There is a problem, however. It’s not what the original text says. The Greek text reads, “…to [Yahuwah] he is going,” not that he is going back.1 The New King James Version supports the original text in its translation:
John 13:3 (NKJV) Yahushua, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from Yahuwah and was going to Yahuwah.
The word “going” in the Greek in John 13:3 is hypagei, and it means: to lead or bring under, to lead on slowly, to depart. Its usages include: to go away, depart, begone, die.2
Hypagei occurs eleven times in the New Testament, and it is never translated going back or returning to, except for John 13:3 in some translations.3 Furthermore, the root word of hypagei is hupagó.4 In the NASB, hupagó occurs eighty times in its various forms (including hypagei), and it is never translated as going back or returning to, except as already mentioned, in John 13:3.5 Which begs the question, Why do some translators add words to hypagei to make the going to Yahuwah a return trip? Could it be that the addition reflects the translators’ bias? Is it possible that in an effort to strengthen the case for the doctrine of Yahushua’s pre-existence, they added the words? They may reason, “It’s not what the text says, but surely that’s what it means.” The problem with adding words to the text is that their bias now affects the unsuspecting reader who trusts the translators to be neutral. Instead of rendering the text from Greek into English, the translators have become interpreters who obscure the sacred text with their additions. A serious concern, indeed.
Yahushua Came From Yahuwah
Some may say, but what about the fact that John 13:3 says that Yahushua had come from Yahuwah? Isn’t that proof of Yahushua’s pre-existence? Not if we read the text with a conventional Hebraic understanding. Traditional Jews did not believe in a literal pre-existence. To them, all things of note pre-existed, but only in the plan or foreknowledge of Yahuwah. To come from Yahuwah or to say that something came down from heaven meant that someone or something was of Yahuwah, that is, it was sent or sanctioned by Yahuwah. For instance, regarding the prophet John the Baptist:
John 1:6 There came a man sent from Yahuwah, whose name was John.
Traditional Jews did not believe in a literal pre-existence. To them, all things of note pre-existed, but only in the plan or foreknowledge of Yahuwah.
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No one would venture to say that this passage means John pre-existed with Yahuwah in heaven. Instead, we understand it to mean that Yahuwah ordained John’s ministry. Here’s another example:
John 3:1-2 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Yahushua by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from Yahuwah as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless Yahuwah is with him.”
Nicodemus did not believe that Yahushua pre-existed; rather, he recognized that the signs Yahushua performed indicated that he had come from Yahuwah, i.e., that Yahuwah was with him. In addition, a man who had been healed of blindness said this about the Christ:
John 9:32-33 “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 “If this man were not from Yahuwah, He could do nothing.”
The now-sighted man did not think Yahushua was Yahuwah. On the contrary, the context tells us that the man understood that Yahushua was a prophet Yahuwah had sent and empowered to be the Son of Man, Christ or Messiah. For this reason, the grateful man bowed in reverence before him.6
Believers Are From Yahuwah
Not only is Yahushua said to have come from Yahuwah, but his followers are said to be from Yahuwah, as well:
1 John 4:4 You are from Yahuwah, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
As we can see, to be from Yahuwah does not equate with having pre-existed in heaven.
Going back to the Father
Unfortunately, John 13:3 is not the only place where translators have altered the text:
John 16:28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
To "come into the world" is a figure of speech that means to be born, not only in the Jewish culture of the first century but in our culture as well.
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Here, the word going in Greek is poreuomai, and it simply means to go.7 The NKJV also correctly translates it as follows:
John 16:28 (NKJV) I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”
Some may point out that the verse says that Yahushua had come into the world and claim this proves Yahushua pre-existed. However, examining the phrase reveals it to be a figure of speech that means to be born, not only in the Jewish culture of the first century but in our culture as well.8 For example, observe how the phrase is used in the same context:
John 16:21 “Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.
Another example of this figure of speech is found in Paul’s letter to Timothy:
1 Timothy 6:7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.
Clearly, to come into the world is a reference to one’s birth and not proof that someone pre-existed in heaven.
Conclusion
Scripture does not speak of Yahushua returning to or going back to Yahuwah, only of his going to the Father, and of his resurrection and ascension.
We must be aware that even Bible translators have biases. Unfortunately, some have added words to the sacred text, thus obscuring the original meaning. Therefore, it is imperative that we act like the Bereans and examine Scriptures to see if what we are being taught is true.9
1 https://biblehub.com/interlinear/john/13-3.htm
2 Strong’s Greek Dictionary, https://biblehub.com/greek/5217.htm
3 https://biblehub.com/greek/hypagei_5217.htm
4 Strong’s Concordance, https://biblehub.com/greek/5217.htm
5 In John 11:8, the disciples asked Yahushua if he was going to Judea again. “[Yahushua]…are You going there again?” The word going is hypagie, and it is rightly translated as such. The word “again” in the Greek is palin. Palin, not the word hypagie, lets the reader know that Yahushua was going to return to Judea. If again had not been spoken, the text would have simply said that Yahushua was going to Judea. There is nothing in John 13:3 to indicate Yahushua’s going was a “return trip.”
6 In John 9:17, when asked by the Pharisees who he thought Yahushua was, the formerly blind man said Yahushua was a prophet. Verse 22 reveals further that the context is about Yahushua being the Christ. In verses 35-38, Yahushua tells the man that he is the Son of Man, a Biblical designation for the Christ/Messiah. In response to this revelation, in verse 38, the man proskuneô before Yahushua, which means to do reverence. It is the same word translated in Revelation 3:9 as bow down.
7 poreuomai, Strongs #4198, https://biblehub.com/greek/4198.htm
8 “to come into the world,” Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, online accessed 3-18-20, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20into%20the%20world
This is a non-WLC article. Source: https://oneGodworship.com/did-Yahushua-return-to-the-father/
We have taken out from the original article all pagan names and titles of the Father and Son, and have replaced them with the original given names. Furthermore, we have restored in the Scriptures quoted the names of the Father and Son, as they were originally written by the inspired authors of the Bible. -WLC Team