Our
Savior Spoke the Sacred Name
Peter tells us in 1Peter 2:21 that Yahshua was our
example and that we should follow in His steps. If He called on His Father’s Name
Yahweh, then so must we. Here’s proof that He did exactly that!
_________________________________________________________
In an effort to deny the importance of Yahweh’s Name, those who have not diligently studied allege that
there is no record that Yahshua the Messiah ever uttered or taught His Father’s
Name, Yahweh.
This question arises because Yahweh’s Name
is not apparent in our English New Testament. They insist that He used instead
"ab" or "abba,"
the Hebrew title meaning father. If the Savior did not call upon the Name
Yahweh then we are absolved from any responsibility to invoke His Name, they
contend.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, under "Yahweh," states: "Sometime
after the end of the Exile, the name Yahweh began to be considered with special
reverence, and the practice arose of substituting for it the word Adonai or Elohim."
This practice is responsible for the hybrid
name Jehovah, where the vowels for Adonai were added
above the Tetragrammaton, YHWH. The zealous scribes
were careful not to remove the Hebrew letters from the text lest they be guilty
of Deuteronomy 4:2—adding to or taking from Yahweh’s Word. The Tetragrammaton was then IHVH, and vocalized Yahweh, but the
vowels placed above dictated that it be read aloud "Adonai."
Early Christians did not understand this
and in 1518 Pope Leo X’s confessor, Peter Gallatin, by inserting the vowels for Adonai into the Tetragrammaton (IHVH) gave us what Rotherham calls "Jehovah, a
monstrosity." He said it was like inserting the vowels for Portugal into
the consonants for Germany and ending up with "Gormuna."
(Preface to Emphasized Bible.)
Unfounded Fear of Speaking the Sacred Name
Because Leviticus 24:16 demanded that the
entire congregation stone anyone blaspheming the Name Yahweh, superstitious
Pharisees had decided about the third century B.C.E. that Yahweh’s Name should
never be uttered aloud. By not pronouncing it, none would be guilty of
blaspheming it. This law of the Pharisees was enforced by the time the Messiah
walked this earth, and is the underlying reason that Yahweh’s Name is not
readily visible in our New Testament. Only on the day of Atonement did the high
priest speak the sacred Name Yahweh, but then only very low as to be inaudible.
Matthew’s Evangel displays this prohibition
of Yahweh’s Name by referring not to "The Kingdom of G-d [Yahweh]," which
might offend Jewish readers, but uses the euphemism "Kingdom of
Heaven" (actually "The Heavens"). Furthermore, Matthew opens his
Evangel with the genealogy of Yahshua, proving that
He is a descendant of King David. Matthew was a Levite whose Evangel was
targeted at Jews—who might be offended by the use of the Name.
With that background, it is easy to see
that the Name Yahweh is not readily discovered in the New Testament. This is
likely what Yahshua meant in Luke 11:52 when He said, "Woe unto you, lawyers! for you have
taken away the key of knowledge, you entered not in yourselves, and them that
were entering in you hindered."
According to Deuteronomy 28:10, obedient
Israelites would be "called by the Name of Yahweh." The lawyers
through their own rules were denying the Israelites the knowledge of Yahweh’s
Name by which they were to be called. To be called by Yahweh’s Name put Israel
under His protection, care, and blessings. These lawyers disallowed anyone to
invoke Yahweh’s Name. They brought it into disuse and brought His Name to
nothing, thus breaking the Third Commandment. The Israelites were thus
disadvantaged like heathen.
Explaining that Yahweh is the "only
name of G-d," Tyndale’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary goes on to say, "In
particular, Yahweh was the G-d of the Patriarchs, and we read of ‘Yahweh, the
G-d of Abraham, and G-d of Isaac, and the G-d of Jacob, ’ concerning which Elohim says, ‘this is my Name for ever.’ (Exodus 3:15).
Yahweh, therefore, in contrast with Elohim, is a proper
noun, the name of a Person, though that Person is divine...When a person puts
his ‘name’ upon a thing or another person the latter comes under his influence
and protection."
Almost all current dictionaries,
encyclopedias, almanacs, and religious resource books acknowledge that His Name
is Yahweh, and that the pronunciation was never lost.
The New Schaff Herzog Religious Encyclopedia under "Yahweh" explains it very well:
"The pronunciation Yahweh of the
Hebrew tetragrammaton need no longer be based
primarily on traditions preserved in late, patristic sources...(vocalization)
now confirmed by a variety of ancient Near Eastern inscriptional materials from
the first and second millennia B.C.E. These new sources fall into three
classes: (1) transliterations of Hebrew, personal names in Assyrian and
Babylonian cuneiform documents from the ninth to the fifth centuries B.C.E.;
(2) new alphabetic inscriptions in Hebrew, Canaanite, and related tongues; and
(3) transcriptions of West Semitic names and other linguistic materials from
the second millennium B.C.E."
This is confirmed by the Encyclopedia Judaica, p. 680 under "G-d, Names
Of": "The true pronunciation of the name YHWH was never lost. Several
early Greek writers of the Christian Church testify that the name was
pronounced ‘Yahweh.’"
Investigating Counterclaim Passages
The purpose of this study is to show
evidence from the New Testament that the Savior indeed declared the Heavenly
Father’s Name, Yahweh, even though it may not be in our English text. The false
pen of the scribe has been at work, Jeremiah 8:8.
Let us turn to Matthew 6:9 and examine a
verse from the well-known prayer that our Savior taught His disciples:
"After this manner therefore pray you: Our Father which art in
heaven, Hallowed be thy Name." Those resisting the Sacred Name seize upon this introduction and contend that
from this example of the Savior that we are instructed to address Yahweh simply
as "Father." This acknowledges that we are His children, we are told,
and we are all a part of His family.
The phrase, "Hallowed be Thy
Name," or "May your Name be held holy" (TCNT), or "May Thy
Name be revered" (Moffatt)—all these, we are
told, simply mean that we are to call His Name Father!
To say this is a bit ridiculous, of
course, for "father" isn’t even a name but a title. The Savior did
not say "hallowed be Thy title."
Each of us has a father and some of us are
fathers. Father is simply a description, a common noun showing relationship. It
is not a name and may not necessarily be held in reverence.
The question we must ask is, does not a
family all have the same surname? Ephesians 3:14-15 reads, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Master Yahshua, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is
named."
The other text popularly referred to in
which the Name Yahweh does not appear deals with the Savior’s words just before
His death upon the tree. This well-known verse is as follows:
"And about the ninth hour [Yahshua] cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My [El], my [El], why have you
forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)
The opponents of Yahweh’s Name ask, if
Yahweh’s Name is so important, why did the Savior not call on Yahweh’s Name as
He hung from the stake? There is a good reason.
Prophecy of Psalm 22:1 Fulfilled
According to Bullinger’s Companion
Bible note, this verse is the English transliteration of the Greek,
which is the Greek transliteration of the Aramaic. Bullinger states that with His dying breath the Savior vindicates the Old Testament by
quoting Psalm 22:1. Thus, the Savior purposely fulfilled prophecy by
specifically declaring the exact words of Psalm 22, which goes on to describe
in detail His anguish and suffering before dying.
While it is true that in His final prayer
to the Father our beloved Savior did not call upon Yahweh’s Name, His purpose
for quoting the 22nd Psalm was to prove that He was indeed the promised
Messiah, the Son of Elohim. He obviously prayed to
the Father in Aramaic.
From this verse arises the claim that
because the Savior did not call upon Yahweh’s Name, neither are we required to
invoke His memorial Name Yahweh which He Himself revealed for us. The
contention is that we can call Him whatever we desire, such as the general
terms "G-d," L-ord," or
"Eternal," and He will know exactly who we mean. They overlook the
fact that the Savior is quoted calling Him by a Hebrew (Aramaic) term
"El." Not a Greek or Anglo-Saxon noun!
However, Yahshua had a higher motive—to fulfill prophecy by calling Him "El, My El."
We can also fulfill prophecy by demonstrating that we know His Name when we
call upon Yahweh. Notice: "Therefore
my people shall know my Name: therefore [they shall know] in that day that I
[am] he that does speak: behold, [it is] I" (Isa. 52:6). Names give
identity.
The Heathen Have Not Known Him
If we do not know and call upon His Name,
we are like the heathen who know nothing about Him. We can expect His wrath to
be poured out upon us if we deliberately reject His Memorial Name Yahweh!
"Pour out your wrath upon the heathen that have not known you, and
upon the kingdoms that have not called upon your Name." (Ps. 79:6) (See Dt. 28:58)
We cannot call our Heavenly Father just any
name we wish, any more than we can observe any day for worship according to our
own carnal whims. He has told us specifically that the Name Yahweh is His
memorial Name, and that the seventh day Sabbath is His day of rest. We cannot
just shrug off any command dealing with the Name He has given us, nor the day
He has chosen. We had better not be too hasty to ignore His dictates as we
consider this important truth that has been hidden for millennia.
Yahshua Advocates the Name
Let us now examine some of the verses that
record the words Yahshua prayed to our Father
concerning His Name just before He was impaled.
Note the latter part of John 17:11: "Holy Father keep through Your own Name
those whom you have given Me that they may be one as we are." The NIV
reads, "Protect them by the power of
your Name—the Name you gave Me." Yahshua adds in verse 12, "While I was with
them, I protected them and kept them safe by the Name you gave Me..." The Savior emphasizes that Yahweh’s Name has special power to protect His
people, "I was keeping them in Your
Name," NASB.
He ended His prayer claiming success in His
earthly sojourn, John 17:26: "And I
have declared unto them Your Name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith
You have loved Me may be in them and I in them." The word declared in
the Greek is gnorizo meaning made known.
The Savior told the Father that He had
made His Name Yahweh known to the brethren.
Surely He would not lie.
John 17 is a direct fulfillment of Psalm
22:22, which reads: "I will declare
Your Name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise
You." This verse clearly asserts that Yahshua did indeed declare or make known Yahweh’s Name. As already stated, Psalm 22 is
an intimate declaration of the innermost thoughts and agony of our Savior as He
was dying , and the triumph that followed.
Hebrews 2:12 reveals the same message: "I will declare Your name unto My
brethren, in the midst of the congregation will I sing praise unto You. This
is evidently based on Psalm 68:26: "Praise Elohim in the great congregation; praise Yahweh in
the assembly of Israel." This is an imperative (a direct command) to
declare Yahweh’s Name.
To fulfill prophecy to the letter, the
Savior would have had to declare or
make known Yahweh’s Name within the congregation of Israel. This had to be done
in spite of the Rabbinic proscription against invoking the sacred Name Yahweh.
Would Yahshua Use a
Substitute Title?
"Due to the increasing sanctity
attached to the name [Yahweh] and the consequent desire to avoid misuse, the
title ‘Adonai’ (Hebrew: ‘My Great Lord’) was
pronounced in place of the Tetragrammaton [YHWH]. In
written texts the vowels of ‘Adonai’ were combined
with...YHWH to remind readers to pronounce ‘Adonai’
instead of Yahweh. The incorrect hybrid ‘Jehovah’ arose from Christian
misunderstanding in the late Middle Ages.
"In the NT period, many Jews expressed
their reverence for the explicit names for [Yahweh] by substituting
periphrastic ways of speaking of [Yahweh]. This practice is reflected to some
extent in the NT, especially in the sayings of [Yahshua],
though [Yahshua] did not hesitate to make use of
explicit names for [Yahweh]. Among such periphrastic and reverential terms for
[Yahweh] are ‘the Blessed’ (Mark 14:61), ‘Power’ (Mark 14:62), ‘Heaven’ (Luke
15:18) and often in the Matthean phrase ‘Kingdom of
Heaven’ as a substitute for ‘Kingdom of [Yahweh]’)," Harper’s Bible Dictionary,
page 684.
Certainly when the Savior quoted the Old
Testament, He would use Yahweh’s Name. For example, when Satan tempted Him in
Luke 4:3 by challenging Him to change the stones to bread if He were the Son of
Yahweh. Satan used Yahweh’s Name! In response, Yahshua quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 in His native Hebrew (or Aramaic) tongue:
"It is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word of Yahweh." And 4:8, "Get you behind Me, Satan; for it
written, You shall worship Yahweh your Elohim and Him
only shall you serve." In Luke 4:12 He also quoted Deuteronomy 6:16, "You shall not tempt Yahweh your Elohim."
While the King James and other English
editions employ a substitute "L-rd your G-d," Sacred Name Bibles have
restored the proper and correct Name Yahweh throughout.
There is no reason to believe the Savior
spoke any language but Hebrew or Aramaic, although He well could have spoken
Latin to the Roman officials and Greek to others. In the Temple and synagogues, Yahshua certainly spoke the customary Hebrew or
Aramaic.
Proof Yahshua Declared
Yahweh’s Name
As His custom was, on the Sabbath Yahshua gathered with other Israelites in the synagogue at
Nazareth, and read the following verses from the Book of Isaiah:
"The Spirit of Yahweh [is] upon me; because he has anointed me to
preach good tidings unto the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to
preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to
set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of
Yahweh..." (Luke 4:18-19)
Yahshua stopped
in the middle of this verse in Isaiah 61:2, announcing that this portion of the
Scripture is fulfilled in the ears of the congregation. Notice that Yahweh’s
Name appears twice in the above pericope. When He
returned the book to the minister and sat down, the eyes of the congregation
were fastened upon Him, Luke 4:20. Yahshua invoked
the Name of Yahweh twice then and there in the midst of the congregation.
What we have in our English Bibles can
hardly be a straightforward English version of the words our Savior spoke. Yahshua’s words were translated from Hebrew into Greek,
from Greek into English or into Latin, and then English.
Proclaiming the Name Yahweh in spite of the
proscription by the Rabbis against uttering the Sacred Name required a measure
of courage. This would explain why the audience was aghast and the eyes of the
people remained fixed on Him, verse 20, for He had uttered the sacred Name
Yahweh! Banned by Rabbinical—man's—tradition, the Name was not to be uttered
aloud.
Already
by the third century B.C.E. the pronunciation of the Name Yahweh was avoided.
Even the high priest refrained from invoking Yahweh’s Name, but used the
euphemism, "The Blessed," as we will soon see.
Another instance in the New Testament where Yahshua quotes directly from the Old Testament using
Yahweh’s Name is in John 6:45:
"It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of
[Yahweh]. Every man therefore that has heard, and has learned of the Father,
comes unto me." This is likely
taken from Isaiah 54:13:
" And all your children [shall be] taught of Yahweh; and great
[shall be] the peace of your children." The same thought is expressed in Jeremiah 31:34. We have every reason
to believe that Yahshua would reject Pharisaical traditions
against the Name and would not hesitate to declare Yahweh’s Name as it appears
in the Old Testament, especially when He was prophesied to do so!
Yahshua Speaks Name in Reciting Old Testament
On numerous occasions Yahshua quoted the Old Testament, which was known as the Holy Scriptures. Following is
a list of some of the verses that contain the Name Yahweh, and which Yahshua quoted verbatim in the New Testament:
·
Matthew 21:42 (Psalm 118:22)
·
Matthew 22:37 (Deut. 6:5, 10:12, 30:6)
·
Matthew 22:44 (Psalm 110:1)
·
Matthew 23:39 (Psalm 118:26)
·
Matthew 26:64, (Psalm 110:1)
·
Mark 7:6 (Isa. 29:13)
·
Mark 11:17 (Jer. 7:11)
·
Mark 12:29 (Deut. 6:4)
·
Mark 12:30 (Deut. 6:5)
·
Mark 12:36 (Ps. 110:1)
·
Luke 4:4 (Deut. 8:3)
·
Luke 4:8 (Deut. 6:13, 10:20)
·
Luke 4:12 (Deut.6:16)
·
Luke 4:18-19 (Isa. 61:1-2)
·
Luke 10:27 (Deut. 6:5)
·
Luke 13:35 (Ps. 118:26)
·
Luke 20:37 (Ex. 3:4-6)
·
Luke 20:42, (Psalm 110:1)
All the above passages where Yahshua directly quotes the Old Testament can be easily
verified by a Rotherham, Jerusalem or Sacred
Name Bible, all of which faithfully render Yahweh’s Name in the Old Testament.
Sacred Name Bibles strictly render Yahweh’s Name in the New Testament as well.
Language Is No Barrier to Names
There are other instances where Yahshua boldly proclaimed the Name Yahweh. Some scholars
believe a surrogate was later inserted when translating the Bible into the
Greek.
Professor George Howard, writing in Biblical
Archaeology Review, explains that the translators considered that if
the Tetragammaton YHWH were sacred in Hebrew, then Kurios was sacred in the Greek language. Soon Kurios and Theos replaced the
gold letters of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton in the
Septuagint Greek text, which had been first inserted by the seventy Jewish
copyists. Thus, the Name Yahweh was replaced by Kurios and Theos, which have come to us as "L-rd"
and "G-d" in our English Bibles.
A person’s given, personal name does not
change from language to language. Names are transliterated, that is, the very
sound is brought over into another language. Here is a sample of the thousands
of non-English names widely used unchanged in our language today: Adam, Daniel,
Levi, Gorbachev, Mercedes, Sioux, Toyota, Sony, Saab, Zeiss, Milcom, Jupiter, and Zeus.
Imagine that names change from language to
language. In each foreign country you visit your name would vary to conform to
local language. If your name were Charles it would change to Carl, to Karl, to
Carlos, etc. Even your family name would vary from country to country, if names
were translated.
Now imagine the confusion. Your passport
showing your given name would immediately become invalid as you crossed the
border. Your driver’s license would be wrong and useless. Unable to connect you
with your purchases, the bank backing your credit card couldn’t bill you for
your charges and you could face fraud charges. People calling from home would
be unable to locate you. Your travelers checks would be void. In essence, you
would lose your identity—the very thing that has happened as a result of man’s
changing of the Creator’s Name! Worshipers no longer realize the true identity
of the one they worship and what His Covenant Name really means in relation to
True Worship.
Radio and television news often carries
broadcasts in a foreign language where the listener can plainly hear names such
as Gorbachev, Yeltsin, Kohl, Ho-Chi-Min, Arafat, Rabin, and Marcos. The sound of these names is brought over into
other languages even though the languages may greatly differ.
Yahweh’s Name should not change from
language to language, either. He Who created man’s tongue would not have a name
that is impossible to be pronounced by one speaking a language other than
Hebrew. But rebellious, carnal human nature wants to call Him something else of
its own devising. So we find that Yahweh is called God, Lord, Dios, Deus, Gott, Herr, Eternal, Kurios, Theos—depending on the language.
It is strange to see the many names man
gives to his Creator other than the proper Name Yahweh. In the 900+ languages in which Bibles are being
trans-lated, the name of the major deity worshiped
becomes the name of the Almighty of that language’s Bible! Yahweh loses His
identity as He who causes all to exist.
Ironically, Satan’s name does not change.
"Satan" is recognized in all languages! The ethnic pronunciation may
be more like "Saw-tahn" but easily
recognizable. Man has it all backwards. The Bible says the Creator’s Name is
Yahweh and it must remain a memorial to all generations. Yet, Yahweh’s Name is
changed while Satan’s remains the same in all generations!
Disciples Praised Yahweh’s Name
The ban placed upon uttering Yahweh’s Name
was in effect during the time of the Messiah. The following Biblical incident
is an intriguing sidelight to this misguided Jewish custom.
"And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of
Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise Yahweh
with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed
[be] the King that comes in the Name of Yahweh: peace in heaven, and glory in
the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him,
Rabbi, rebuke Your disciples, that they be quiet. And He answered and said unto
them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would
immediately cry out." (Luke
19:37-40, Holy Name Bible)
Surely the disciples were not so loud as to
disturb the peace and tranquility of the day. Something else prompted the
Pharisees to ask Yahshua to censure His disciples!
Clearly it was because His disciples were quoting Psalm 118:26 and in doing so
were invoking Yahweh’s Name. The Pharisees were trying to ban the mention of
Yahweh’s Name!
Yahshua Proclaims Yahweh’s Name
On trial for His life, Yahshua stood a silent prisoner before the intimidating interrogation of the high
priest:
"But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest
asked Him, and said unto Him, Are you the [Messiah], the Son of the
Blessed?" (Mark 14:61) Here we
have an example of the the high priest using the
euphemism "the Blessed" to avoid invoking the sacred Name Yahweh.
The Anchor Bible on Mark 14:61 says,
"The Blessed One (Greek eulogetos): Used in the New Testament solely of [Yahweh], it
is found in Luke 1:68; Rom 1:25; 2Cor 1:3, 11:31; Eph 1:3; 1Pet 1:3."
The superstitious Jews decided the best way
not to blaspheme the Name Yahweh would be never to use it. Substitutes such as
"Ha-Shem [The Name]," "Adonai [Sovereign]," and "The Blessed" soon replaced the memorial Name
Yahweh. By the time of the Messiah, this had become an established custom. The
Sacred Name was not voiced even in the Temple except on the Day of Atonement.
It is almost as if the way not to desecrate
the Sabbath would be to stay in bed all day so one would not break the Fourth
Commandment. Abstaining from activity on the Sabbath would preclude breaking
it, and refraining from invoking His Name precludes one from blaspheming His
Name.
Blasphemy Charge Against Yahshua
Yahshua was again
questioned whether He was the promised Messiah. Note His answer:
"And Yahshua said, I am: and you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of
POWER, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14:62). The question has been asked, why use the
Greek word dunamis,
translated "Power"? Does it stand for something important that we
should be aware of?
Author F.F. Bruce in his book, The
Hard Sayings of Jesus, observes, "Here the ‘Power’ on [Yahshua’s] lips, meaning much the same as we mean when we
say ‘The Almighty, is, like ‘the Blessed’ on the high priest’s lips, a
substitute for the divine name." (p. 246)
The 20th Century New Testament agrees, and translates Mark 14:62: "...and you shall see the Son of Man
sitting on the right hand of the Almighty..."
The New International Bible Commentary says, "...see the Son of Man sitting
at the right hand of the Mighty One (lit., ‘the Power,’ a Jewish periphrasis
for ‘[Yahweh]’)..."
The Amplified Version reads, "...and you will (all) see the Son of
man seated at the right hand of Power (the Almighty)..."
The Berkeley Version says, "...And you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Almighty..."
The New English Bible states, "...and you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of G-d..."
All these versions agree that the word
"Power" is an euphemism for Yahweh’s Name. Did Yahshua really substitute another word for Yahweh’s Name when He said He had proclaimed
Yahweh’s Name to the brethren? Or did the translators take advantage of their
position and take liberties with the text, supplanting Yahweh’s Name with a
euphemistic title? The latter is much more likely.
"Then the high priest rent his clothes, and said, ‘What need we any
further witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy: what think you?’ And they all
condemned him to be guilty of death." (Mark 14:63-64)
The New American Commentary asks a significant question of Luke 22:71, a parallel
account of the above:
"...Exactly ‘what’ it was in [Yahshua’s] answer that the Sanhedrin considered worthy of
death is unclear. For Pilate, [Yahshua’s] claim to be
the [Messiah] was the issue. ..The legal reason for having condemned Him is
more difficult to assess. Was it [Yahshua’s] claim
that he would sit at the right hand of [Yahweh]? Was it the claim to be the
Messiah? (But later Bar Kochba in C.E. 132-35 claimed
to be the messiah, and the claim itself was not thought worthy of death.) Was
it the claim to be the son of [Yahweh]?...speaking against the Temple?...What
grounds would (it) have been for carrying out the death sentence..?"
Basis for Suppression of Yahweh’s Name
When the Messiah walked this earth, the
Rabbinical proscription against voicing the name Yahweh had become established.
In their misguided zeal the Jews forbade anyone to invoke the Name based
primarily upon the following:
"And he that blasphemes the name of Yahweh, he shall surely be put
to death, [and] all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the
stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemes the name of
Yahweh, shall be put to death." (Leviticus
24:16)
The following verse is also given for their
authority:
"Therefore hear you the word of Yahweh, all Judah that dwell in the
land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by My great name says Yahweh, that My name
shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of
Egypt saying, The Sovereign Yahweh lives." (Jeremiah 44:26; See also Amos 6:7-11)
The above verses gave the mob the authority
to stone Stephen when he said, "Look,
I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of
[Yahweh]." (Acts 7:56-58 NIV)
‘I am’—Yahshua Again Speaks Yahweh’s Name
Judas had agreed to betray the Savior. He
led a group of officials from the chief priests and Pharisees, along with Roman
soldiers, to the olive grove, a favorite place of Yahshua.
When told they were seeking Yahshua of Nazareth, the
Savior replied, "I AM he!"
His reply in the Greek is "Ego eimi," John
18:5.
However, it is doubtful that Yahshua would reply in the Greek language to the Pharisees
or speak Greek to the Roman soldiers. He would likely answer in His native
Hebrew, "I am." ("he" is added by the translators.) This is
the verb of existence, haYah,
which includes the Sacred Name "Yah"! No wonder they immediately fell
backward to the ground, John 18:6.
Tyndale’s
New Testament Commentaries offer
a significant observation on this account of Mark 14:61-62:
"In the Johannine account, it has been pointed out that He used the Name of [Yahweh] in a similar
reply in the Garden, and at the hearing of the Name, the very men sent to
arrest Him prostrated themselves on the ground (John 18:6)...the association
with the divine Name seems sure, in view of the terrified reaction of the
Temple servants.
"The Greek ego eimi rendered I am he might well suggest divinity to those familiar with the
Greek Bible, for it is the rendering in the LXX for [Yahweh] the sacred name of
G-d (see Ex. 3:14). The evangelist notices [in John 18:6]* the numinous effect
which its utterance had upon those who heard it."
*The note on this verse dealing with the
Greek "ego eimi" reads, "I am! A solemnly emphatic declaration
echoing [Yahweh’s] great affirmation in Ex 3:14 (see vv.24,28; see also note on
6:35) [Yahshua] did not say ‘I was’ but ‘I am,’
expressing the eternity of his being and oneness with the Father (see
1:1)."
Threats of Stoning Because He Spoke Name
When Yahshua another time used the Hebrew verb of existence, notice what happens: "Yahshua said
unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. Then took
they up stones to cast at him: but Yahshua hid
Himself, and went out of the Temple, going through the midst of them, and so
passed by." (John 8:58-59)
" Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him." (John 10:31) Here is another incident where the Jews
threatened to stone Yahshua because of blasphemy,
that He claimed to be deity. It well may be that because He declared Yahweh’s
Name, the Jews were trying to stone Him and His claim to be deity was more than
they could stand.
The Jews were always eager to stone Yahshua especially when He spoke of the deity or said,
"I Am." In His wisdom Yahweh selected the Hebrew verb of existence to
describe Himself because it means "I was, I am, I will be." It can
also mean "I exist, I cause (everything) to exist, I am responsible for
all existence." Yahweh’s Name is an all-encompassing verb of existence,
past, present, future.
Savior Confesses His Name in the Congregation
Not only do the Evangels testify that Yahshua proclaimed Yahweh’s Name, but so does the Book of
Hebrews. Notice Hebrews 2:12, "I
will declare your Name to my brothers, in the presence of the congregation I
will sing your praises." (NIV) The writer of Hebrews brings to our
attention that Yahshua did indeed declare the sacred
Name Yahweh in the presence of the congregation, confirming that our Savior did
fulfill the prophecies about Himself in Psalm 22:22.
Hebrews
offers some serious advice to those who seek to please Yahweh. We no longer
offer animal sacrifices through the Levitical priesthood, but our sacrifices are spiritual, as we read in Romans 12:1 and
1Peter 2:5. Now that the Messiah has died for our sins, Hebrews 13:15 tells us, "Through [Yahshua],
therefore, let us continually offer to [Yahweh] a sacrifice of praise—the fruit
of our lips that confess His Name." (NIV)
Animal and meal sacrifices have been set
aside. Now that the Levitical priesthood has been
placed in abeyance, we strive to change our nature by allowing Yahweh’s Spirit
to control our thinking, goals, and desires. We no longer resist Yahweh’s
guiding us into obedience in keeping His laws. We search out His truth and
rejoice in the knowledge of His commandments, learning of those things that
will be observed in the Kingdom.
Our offerings are now the fruit of our
lips, that is the praise, thanks and obedience to Yahweh and all this as we
confess His Name! Just as Yahshua declared Yahweh’s
Name among the brethren, we are also to confess His Name Yahweh when we sing
praises and glorify His Name, giving thanks to Him for His bountiful goodness.
This would be especially true when we gather on the Sabbath for worship and
praise.
Most churches do not even teach His Name,
and some even deny that His Name is important. But Hebrews 13:15 is a direct
command that we are to confess His Name as we bring our praise and thanks,
giving glory to Yahweh’s majestic Name.
Halleluyah: Praise His Name
Yahweh’s Name does appear four times in
Revelation 19:1-6 in the Greek form "Alleluia" (HalleluYah).
This is one of the best proofs that our English Bible is almost dominated by
the Greek language, as there is no "h" in the Greek alphabet. Only a
rough breathing mark appears at the beginning of a word (looking like a reverse
apostrophe).
No wonder Yahweh’s Name has been almost
completely obliterated by the Greek or has been removed from our English
Bibles. We have seen Jeremiah 8:8 fulfilled by the false pen of the scribe.
Jeremiah warns of those prophets and Bible
teachers who teach deceitfully, saying we can call Him Father, L-rd, G-d,
Eternal, etc.—whatever we want and can forget or ignore His Name Yahweh:
"Which think to cause My people to forget My name by their dreams
which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their
fathers have forgotten My name for Baal [God!]" (Jer. 23:27)
Some contend that Yahweh has "many
names," confusing His titles with His Name. It should be pointed out that
the Bible refers to "His Name" 108 times; "Thy Name" 109
times; and "My Name" 97 times. Name is always in the singular.
Moses wrote for our learning and
understanding that there is one name that is His "Memorial Name,"
Yahweh, the Name by which He wants to be remembered:
"And Elohim said moreover unto Moses, In
this manner shall you say to the children of Israel, Yahweh, the Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, has sent me to you: this is my name forever
and my memorial to ALL generations,"
"And Elohim said moreover unto Moses, In
this manner shall you say to the children of Israel, Yahweh, the Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, has sent me to you: this is my name
forever and my memorial to ALL generations," generations,"
(Ex. 3:15, TSS, emphasis added)
Will you follow Paul and humble yourself
before the inspired statements of the beloved apostle?
"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, from whom every
family in heaven and earth is named," Ephesians 3:14-15 (TSS)
May Yahweh open the eyes of people
everywhere to the life-saving truth of His Name!
© 2007 Yahweh’s Assembly in Yahshua
2963 County Road 233, Kingdom City, Missouri 65262
View us online at: www.YAIY.org
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