Sacred Names ... Part 1
1.YHVH/Jehovah/LORD/Yahovah/Yahweh
EL SHADDAI (God Almighty) is the title of the Almighty Father of
our Saviour Jesus Christ. The tetragrammaton YHVH, translated
Jehovah, or LORD in the Authorized King James Version, is
variously written as Yahweh, or Yahovah in A Voice In
The Wilderness - Canada articles.
This name is used of the Father and sometimes of the Son who came in the
Father's name. A Voice In The Wilderness - Canada uses the name
Jehovah, Yahweh or Yahovah with particular reference to the
Father. Various English spellings are used simply because no one can be
absolutely certain how to pronounce the sacred name. The name YHVH
(Jehovah) appears over 6500 times in the Hebrew Old Testament!
In the Authorized King James Version YHVH is mostly translated as
LORD. Note the capital letters throughout. However, in the following
seven texts the name Jehovah is used.
- “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh:
as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”
(Genesis 22: 14)
- “And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:
And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty,
but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.”
(Exodus 6: 2-3)
- “And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-
nissi:”
(Exodus 17: 15)
- “Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD,
and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of
the Abi-ezrites.”
(Judges 6: 24)
- “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH,
art the most high over all the earth.”
(Psalm 83: 18)
- “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid:
for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my
salvation.”
(Isaiah 12: 2)
- “Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH
is everlasting strength:”
(Isaiah 26: 4)
The name Jehovah (Yahweh, Yahovah) encompasses all the above. But the
sacred name is far more than a particular sound or a matter of correct spelling
and pronunciation. The name Yahovah stands for the Almighty's character,
His Word, His law, His Motives, His Work and His Family. Currently there is
much dispute on the subject of the sacred names; but I have no desire to argue.
Remember that the Third Commandment forbids mankind from taking the LORD’S
name in vain. Endless argument could well result in the breaking of this commandment.
The Jews, on the other hand, consider it sacrilegious to even utter the sacred
name: advising that we use titles such as Lord, Master of the World, Almighty
One, the Name etc. But the Third Commandment does not forbid the use
of God's name. It simply forbids ‘taking His name in vain.’
Note the difference. The word ‘vain’ means with ‘the
emptiness of self-deluding vanity and falsehood.’ In other words,
believers are allowed to utter or write the sacred name of the Most High; but
we must do so with reverence: and certainly not to show off our knowledge.
As mentioned above, the sacred name appears in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old
Testament) over 6500 times! so it cannot be sacrilegious to utter the
name when reading the Scriptures aloud or when writing of the Almighty.
Strong’s Concordance has the following Note for LORD
03068 Y@hovah {yeh-ho-vaw'}
AV - LORD 6510, GOD 4, JEHOVAH 4, variant 1; 6519
Jehovah = “the existing One”
1) the proper name of the one true God
1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of 0136
2. God/El
The Oxford dictionary defines the word God as the Creator and ruler of
the universe in Christian, Jewish and Muslim teaching. And that is what I in
A Voice In The Wilderness - Canada mean when I use the word. There are
several Hebrew words translated ‘God’ in the Bible.
They are:
| El:
| mighty one, {God}
|
| Elah:
| an object of worship, {God}
|
| Elohim: {‘elohiym - el-o-heem’}
| an object of worship, {God}
|
| Eloah:
| an object of worship, {God}
|
3. Lord
As mentioned earlier the tetragammaton YHVH is translated in the
Authorized King James Version as LORD (capital letter) 6510 times
out of the 6519 it appears in the Hebrew Scriptures. Students will notice
that the name/title Lord (capital ‘L’ and small ‘
ord’) also appears in the Old Testament. This word ‘Lord’
also means God. It is translated from the Hebrew Adonay (Adonai)
which appears 434 times in the Old Testament.
Strong’s Concordance has the following Note for Lord.
0136 ‘Adonay {ad-o-noy’}
AV - Lord 431, lord 2, God 1; 434
1) my lord, lord
1a) of men
1b) of God
2) Lord - title, spoken in place
of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence
From this we can see that the title Lord is also a reverential way of
refering to Adonay. (God)
Jesus is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew name Yeshua, spelled
variously as Y‘shua, Yahshua, Yahoshua or Joshua. In many
of our writings I use the commonly known Greek form Jesus so that people
will know of whom I am writing; because the name Yeshua is not generally
known amongst English-speaking believers. But you will notice that I often use
the original Hebrew form Yeshua or Yahshua. This name means
‘the Salvation of Yahweh.’ In other words ‘Yeshua is
Yahweh’s agent or means of salvation.’ He is Jehovah in His
role as Saviour. The gospel of Matthew says “you shall call his
name JESUS, for he shall save his people from their sins.”
(Matthew 1:21) One could also argue at length on pronunciations and spellings
of the Saviour's name; but I leave that to others. Each person will need
to decide for him/herself. After all, very few Gentile believers know Hebrew.
5. Emmanuel
The Saviour's name is also Emmanuel, which means ‘God (Yahweh)
is with us;’
| Matthew 1:
| 23: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
|
A Voice In The Wilderness - Canada often uses the name Emmanuel.
I also use the title Christ, which means ‘the anointed One,
the Messiah’ When I use the name Jesus, or the Hebrew
‘Yeshua’ or ‘Yahshua,’ I mean the Messiah,
the only begotten son of the Most High, who shed his life-blood at Calvary to
save mankind from anihilation. When I use the Saviour's whole title and name,
Lord Jesus Christ, I mean the LORD (God) in the person of Jesus, (Yeshua)
the Christ, (the Messiah).
6. Pronunciations
As mentioned earlier, no one can be absolutely certain that he/she is correctly
pronouncing the sacred name. A name is a noun, a word or short phrase by which a
person, place or thing is known. Common nouns (i.e. man, sport, animal etc) are
used for a whole class or group of things. Proper nouns (i.e. Ontario,) are names
of particular persons and places. Some proper nouns have meanings; many do not.
My name, ‘Mader’ for example, has no special meaning; though
to me it represents my character, my family, my reputation and my word of honour.
But the proper noun ‘Mader,’ to my knowledge, does not have
any particular meaning. A name is - as far as possible - pronounced the same in
every language. But people from different nations may mispronounce my name depending
on how they voice the letters ‘M-A-D-E-R.’ But I realize this
fact. It does not disturb me. I know who they mean: though I often smile when I
hear my name mispronounced by others - especially foreigners. It is the same when
pronouncing the sacred names Yahovah, Yahweh or Yeshua. I very much
doubt if Gentile believers, even to this day, have the pronunciation absolutely
correct; though some make out that they have. I am, however, certain that
the Most High and His Son know who I mean when I pronounce or mispronounce
their names.
7. YHVH (or YHWH)
Notice how we have omitted the vowels ‘a’ and ‘e.’
All the letters in the Hebrew alphabet are consonants: that is, letters other than
vowels. The English vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u) are represented in written
Hebrew by dots and dashes, called ‘vowel-points’ or, simply
‘points.’ In order to help English-speaking people who would,
otherwise, be unable to pronounce the four consonants YHVH (called the
tetragrammaton) the English vowels ‘a’ and ‘e’
are inserted in the sacred name. But the original inspired writers just wrote
‘YHVH,‘ or rather the Hebrew equivalents of those letters.
The English letters ‘YHVH,’ are a transliteration or
representation of the four original Hebrew characters. But how does one pronounce
the tetragrammaton YHVH? As mentioned above, even blood-born Hebrew authorities
differ on the matter of pronunciation; simply because it was centuries after
the original Scriptures were penned by the prophets that the Hebrew vowel points
were introduced to assist in pronunciation. In view of these facts we Gentiles
should remain silent; for the more I write concerning Hebrew spellings and
pronunciation, the more ignorant I appear to Hebrew-speaking people.
A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Be extremely careful!
8. Is it Sin?
And this brings me to an extremely important question: Is it a sin to use the
title LORD or the name JESUS? Some groups impliedly teach that it is. They
never use this title or name in their writings. They teach that if you have a
Bible which uses words like LORD, Lord or Jesus Christ, then change
it; because, they say, the word ‘Lord’ is a pagan title and
‘Jesus’ is the name of a Greek god. Even the word
‘God,’ they claim, is the name of a pagan deity. It is
therefore a sin (they believe) to call the Most High - LORD God, or the
Saviour - Jesus! This message comes across strongly when reading their
writings. Others, mostly the Jews, believe that it is sacrilegious to use
the sacred name, no matter how it is pronounced. Instead, they advise, we should
say LORD, Adonai or Lord God. Are either of these two diametrically
opposed viewpoints correct? One claiming that we should never use the titles
LORD, Lord, God etc. but the names Yahweh, Yahshua, Yeshua etc. instead;
and the other saying that it is sacrilegious to even utter the name of the
Almighty, but that I should instead say LORD or Lord God? Who is correct?
Did the Holy One of Israel, who inspired the mighty Protestant reformation several
centuries ago, on the strength of the Authorized Version, somehow allow His
own Name and the name of His Son to be so corrupted or omitted that to speak or
write them some 400 years later would amount to sin? I do not think so;
but the fact is that many readers of the Sacred Name groups ’
literature are now writing to A Voice In The Wilderness - Canada requesting
Holy Name Bibles. Doubtless these believers feel that the Scriptures they
possess are somewhat inferior, spiritually tainted so to speak, and unfit
to study. So they want to dispose of their Bibles and obtain Sacred Name Bibles!
On the other hand did the Almighty God of Israel inspire the Old Testament
prophets to write His name over 6500 times in Scripture and then forbid
true believers even speaking or writing His name? How is it possible to
‘call upon the name of the LORD’ (as advised in 1 Chronicles 16: 8,
Psalm 80: 18, Psalm 99: 6, Psalm 105: 1, Psalm 116: 13, Psalm 116: 17, Isaiah 12: 4,
Isaiah 41: 25, Zephaniah 3: 9 and in numerous other passages of Scripture) if one
isn't allowed to even speak His name?
To tell you frankly, I am aghast at such reasoning. Its effect could spell
spiritual disaster for many congregations who have Bibles which contain the title
LORD almost on every page of the Old Testament: 140 times in the book of Genesis
alone! And so I draft this article to explain why A Voice In The Wilderness - Canada,
who know and use the sacred names, with reverence, also use the title/names
LORD, Lord, God and Jesus. I will briefly list three other reasons.
9. Millions of Bibles
(1st Reason)
You will agree that there are literally millions of Bibles in the world, printed
in every language known to man. I would say that most of the English versions use
the title LORD God and the name Jesus. Are these Bibles now unfit
for use? And if they are, how can we hope to replace the millions of Bibles being
prayerfully studied all over the world? And how can we do so great a work before
Messiah returns? What hope do the Sacred Name groups have of translating, printing
and distributing to the world a version of the Bible which they think is correct;
especially in view of the fact that even amongst the sacred name groups there are
many different pronunciations of the sacred name? The answer is - none
whatsoever. The sacred name groups do not have the Hebrew-speaking scholars,
the finance or the time to do that kind of a work. Indeed, no denomination on
the face of this earth is equipped to replace the millions of Bibles in use today.
The Authorized Version of the Bible is an
invaluable publication. Over 800,000,000 copies have been published in the past
400 years. Casting doubt upon its integrity or its use of the titles/names LORD,
God or Jehovah, Jesus Christ etc. is most certainly not the work of the Holy Spirit.
10. Answered Prayer
(2nd Reason)
My second reason is answered prayer. The Most High has answered - and still is
answering - millions of believer's prayers even as they call Him - LORD God.
If the Almighty answers to these words and His only begotten Son answers to the
name Jesus, who are we to judge? Go into any church and talk to any true
believer and you will be given ample evidence that the Most High and His Son
have answered their prayers - over and over again - after being addressed as
LORD God or Jesus. Read any book on the great Protestant Reformation
and you will see this fact concerning answered prayer being repeated over and over
again. Study any Christian book on Prayer and you will read of many, many examples
of where the Most High has answered to the title of LORD. Oh yes, answered
prayer is an extremely powerful argument. Dare we ignore it?
11. Bible Prophecy
(3rd Reason)
My third reason comes from the Bible itself; from a logical analysis of a text in
the Master’s Olivet prophecy. In (Matthew 24: 5) the Saviour says this:
- “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ;
and shall deceive many.
”
The Saviour didn't mean ‘many will come in the name of Yahshua’
and deceive many. Comparatively few believers know the Saviour's Hebrew name or
title; and fewer still cast out devils in that name. The vast majority of Christians
- especially those who preach and practice deception - use the name JESUS.
And it is that name - yes the name ‘Jesus,’ the name so many
groups use when supposedly casting out devils - that the Master calls ‘my
name.’ In other words, the Saviour admits to the name ‘Jesus’
being his name: and the title ‘Christ’ as applying to himself.
Consider yet another passage. When the Messiah returns to this earth he is going to
rebuke many who have done wonderful works in his name!
| Matthew 7:
| 21: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23: And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
|
Again I ask: who are the prophets who do such wonderful things in the Messiah's
Name? Most certainly they are not the Sacred Name leaders. The wonder-working
exorcists who will one day use these arguments are to be found in the Charismatic
groups who specialize in doing mighty miracles in the title/name of the Lord
Jesus: the name, when addressing the Saviour, they called ‘thy name’
Yes, they do their wonderful works in the Messiah's Name - Jesus! the name he
calls ‘my name.’ (Matthew 24: 5) I repeat: what is the name that
these miracle workers use when doing their mighty works; the name the Master called
‘my name?’ I can tell you it isn't Y'shua, Yeshua, Yahshua or
Yahoshua. Then what is the name these charismatic miracle-workers use? The answer
is, they use the name Jesus: the name the Saviour calls ‘my name.’
So here we have two prophecies about the name Jesus. In the first the Saviour
refers to it as ‘my name.’ And in the second these deceived miracle-
workers when addressing the Saviour also refer to the name Jesus as ‘your
name.’ The Master, please note, didn't say “Wait a minute,
you’ve got my name wrong!” “It isn’t Jesus, it’s Yeshua
or Yahshua.” Instead, when we examine the evidence, and the 20/21st
century fulfilment of that prophecy, we find that the Master - when predicting the use
of his name - could only have been referring to the name Jesus. No other
sensible conclusion is possible.
And there you have my viewpoint. A Voice In The Wilderness - Canada uses
the sacred names Jehovah, Yahweh, Yeshua, Yahshua etc. I have done so for
many, many years in order to inform millions of English-speaking people who know
of no other names than those which appear in their Bibles. I also use the titles/
names LORD, God, Jesus, Christ etc. Moreover, I do not agree that the use
of the title LORD God or the name/title Jesus Christ are sinful or
unacceptable to the Most High and His Son. My belief is: that when the Almighty's
name (Jehovah) is used - with reverence - it has a power no man on
earth can measure. Undoubtedly, it must never be used ‘in vain,’
‘in self-deluding vanity:’ this is forbidden by the Third Commandment.
But it may be used - with reverence! After all, it is the name the Almighty
authorized in His Word The Real Bible! In
this article the Almighty's name, with its variations, has been used often: but
that is only because it is the subject under consideration. There is absolutely
no disrespect intended - whatsoever. I trust that this will clarify my stand
as regards the sacred names.
AMEN!
In the Son’s Name - For the Father’s glory.
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