FOR
YOUR CONSIDERATION
THOU
SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME!
THE DIVINE NAME
Exodus 3:14-15: "And Elohim said unto Moshe, Eh-heh-yeh ashair Ehheh- yeh (I AM WHO I AM); and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the Bnei Yisroel, EHHEH-YEH (I AM) hath sent me unto you. And Elohim said moreover unto Moshe, Thus shalt thou say unto Bnei Yisroel: Hashem, Elohei Avoteichem, Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak, and Elohei Ya’akov, hath sent me unto you: this is Shemi l’olam, and this is My remembrance unto all generations." - Orhtodox Jewish Bible
EHYEH ASHER EHYEH
I Am Who I Am - I Will Exist Because I Will Exist - I Exist Because I Exist - I Will Be Who I Will Be - I Am That Which Exists - He Who Causes To Exist - He Who Gives Life
THE NAME WAR
In the Christian world today, there are many names and titles used when talking about the Almighty Creator. Some believe that the titles "God" and "Lord" are actual names and not just titles. Some even go to the ridiculous extreme of omitting the letter "o" from God as they believe this 'name' to be so holy that it is considered irreverent to write it fully, so use "G-d" instead. More recently, a predominantly coloured Christian group or groups, have sprung up declaring that the true name of the Creator is "Ahayah" (and some say it is "Yahawah") and that all other names are false. These same people teach that it is they - the coloured races, who predominantly form the scattered tribes (which I will adress later). This is the sad state of Christianity today - warring over names, titles, and lost tribe identities. I myself had previously been drawn into using the name "Yahweh" as the Creator's true name although understanding that the exact pronounciation could not be known for certain. Today I prefer to use "Creator", the "Almighty", or "Father". That way, I can't be wrong!
THE TITLE "LORD" (BAAL)
If you ask the average church-goer if he is involved in Baal
worship, he will more than likely say “No!” If asked what God he worships, he
will probably answer, “The Lord,” “God,” or maybe even “Jesus.” In his mind, he
is not involved in Baal worship at all. But in this he has been deceived, just
as Satan deceived Eve into partaking of the forbidden fruit:
2 Corinthians 11: 3: “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
Such a person is likely to “praise the Lord” and call upon the
name of “the Lord” in prayer without any idea of Baal worship. He has been
trained to do so all his life. The popular translations of the Bible have led
him to believe that it is proper to call upon the name of “the Lord” rather
than “Yahweh.” After all, it is generally assumed that the Christian writers of
the Bible substituted “kyrios” (or kurios, the Lord) for God’s name in the Greek scriptures. Thus, he has usually accepted this tradition as truth without any
further investigation.
In these modern times it is more
common for Christians to think of the Creator God as a three-in-one trinity, and
that His name is “Jehovah”, but that was certainly not always the case. Yeshua
Himself made mention of a god He believed in and worshipped – with no mention
whatsoever of a trinity – neither of Jehovah as being His name.
2
Timothy 2: 15: “Study to shew thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (orthotomeo – a perfectly right-angled cutting - correctly analysing and accurately dividing, rightly
handling and skilfully teaching) the word of truth.”
Exodus
20: 2-4: “I am the Lord (Yahweh) thy God, which have
brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt
have no other gods before me.”
Isaiah 42: 5: “Thus saith God the LORD (Yahweh), He that created the heavens,
and stretched them out; He that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh
out of it; He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them
that walk therein.”
Matthew
5: 17-20: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or
the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto
you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass
from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever
therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so,
he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall
do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For
I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven."
John
4: 23, 24: “But the hour cometh, and now is, when
the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the
Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit (God is Spirit – the Holy
Spirit): and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.
WORDS OF YESHUA RELATING TO THE FATHER AS SUPREME CREATOR AND ABOVE THE
SON
John 8: 28: "Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things."
John 14: 10: “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works.”
John 17:2-4: “As Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee …THE… only true God, …and… Jesus Christ (Yeshua Messiah), whom Thou hast sent. I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do.”
Two scriptures appear in our modern Bible versions which contain a trinitarian formula:
1 John 5: 6-8: “This is He
that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by
water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit
is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word,
and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear
witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three
agree in one.
Matthew 28: 19: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost.”
John’s account, contains
words that do not appear in any of the early manuscripts:
“in heaven, the Father, the
Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that
bear witness in earth”.
“These verses contain words
that do not appear in any of the early manuscripts. The words added begin in
verse 7 with “in heaven” and go to “in earth” in verse 8. These words are found
in only four Greek manuscripts before the sixteenth century, and these contain
the passage in what appears to be a translation from a late recension (critical
revision) of the Latin Vulgate. – Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary to The Greek New Testament, New York: United
Bible Societies, 1971, pp. 716-717.
“First appearing in Latin
copies, the added words crept into the English texts.” – The Companion Bible,
London: The Lamp Press Ltd., p. 1876.
All early manuscripts read:
“For there are three that
bear record, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in
one.”
Since the corruption of 1
John 5: 7 and 8 had not yet occurred by the 4th century, promoters
of trinitarianism and adherents to the trinitarian baptismal formulae prior to
the 4th century, had only one scripture on which to base their new
theology – Matthew 28 : 19:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost.”
This verse appears in all
manuscripts after the 4th century. By that time, trinitarianism
had become part of formal doctrine. Earlier manuscripts from which Eusebius
(died 340 AD), quoted in the early part of the 4th century could not
have contained the trinitarian words. He cited Matthew 28: 19 eighteen times
without using them once! He wrote: “… disciple all nations in My Name”.
There
are only 2 extant manuscripts from the 4th century which contain
Matthew 28: 19 – and none from previous centuries. The 18
times that Eusebius quoted the passage correctly are found in his writings
prior to the Council of Nicaea where the subject of the person of Christ was
brought to a head. After the Council, Eusebius quoted this same verse 3 times
using the trinitarian formulae, showing the political and religious impact of
Emperor Constantine – and the Nicaean
decision.
Justin Martyr, the Christian
who wrote in the middle of the 2nd century, never quoted “in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Ghost”, nor did Aphraates of
Nisibis in the early 4th century. This shows that both Justin and
Aphraates must have had earlier manuscripts than now exist. Furthermore –
regarding water baptism – there is no record in the New Testament that the
trinitarian baptismal ‘command’ from Jesus was ever carried
out by the people He commanded nor by the 1st century Church in
general. They ALWAYS baptised in the
name of Jesus Christ alone – Yeshua the Messiah.
Acts 2: 38: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Acts
8: 16: “(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in
the name of the Lord Jesus.)”
Acts
10: 48: “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then
prayed they him to tarry certain days.”
Acts
19: 5: “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus.”
The
Word of the Creator Yahweh quoted simply as is – nothing added!
During
the persecution of the 2nd century, a small group of Christian
intellectuals, most prominently Aristides & Justin Martyr, wrote
dissertations to emperors and other notable persons to answer charges against
the Church and to stop the persecutions. These writings, called Apologies,
were in fact compromises between Christianity and Paganism. Because of the
impact the Apologies had, the concepts of the triune God, plus Mary being the
Mother of God, and also pagan symbolism, took root and began growing in both
discussion and in writing.
“…
The modern doctrine of the Trinity is not found in any document or relic belonging
to the Church of the first three centuries. Letters, art, usage, theology,
worship, creed, hymn, chant, doxology, ascription, commemorative rite, and
festive observance, so far as any remains or any record of them are preserved,
coming down from early times, are, as regards this doctrine, an absolute blank.
They testify, so far as they testify at all, to the supremacy of the Father,
the only true God; and to the inferior and derived nature of the Son. There is
nowhere among these remains a co-equal Trinity. The cross is there; Christ is
there as the Good Shepherd, the father’s hand placing a crown, or victor’s
wreath, on his head; but no undivided Three, - co-equal, infinite,
self-existent, and eternal. This was a conception to which the age had not arrived.
It was of later origin.” – Alvan Lamson, The
Church of The First Three Centuries, Boston: Walker Fuller & Co., 1865,
pp. 75, 97 & 98.
Even
the New Catholic Encyclopaedia states
that trinitarianism became part of Christian doctrine in the 4th –
not the 1st century:
“It
is difficult, in the second half of the 20th century, to offer a
clear, objective and straightforward account of the revelation, doctrinal
evolution, and theological elaboration of the mystery of the Trinity… There is…
recognition on the part of historians of dogma and systematic theologians that
when one does speak of an unqualified Trinitarianism, one has moved from the
period of Christian origins to, say, the last quadrant of the 4th
century. It was only then that what might be called the definitive Trinitarian
dogma ‘one God in three Persons’ became thoroughly assimilated into Christian
life and thought.
…The
dogmatic formulae ‘one God in three Persons’ … was the product of 3 centuries
of doctrinal development.”
Please
- take very careful note what the book of Revelation states regarding the
revealed Word of the Creator God Yahweh: Revelation 22: 18, 19 : “For I testify unto
every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall
add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in
this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the
holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
Messing about with
The Word of The Creator, is a very dangerous occupation – we have all been
clearly warned! We are also accountable to The Almighty for information that
comes our way and that we reject. Study wisely – as you have been commanded!
The Creator God
Yahweh of Spiritual Hosts is a jealous God and warns us in His first
commandment to have no other gods before Him. Is the Church then worshipping
His Son as the Creator – putting Jesus before Yahweh? Remember – the serpent
was created the wisest beast of the field and we know via the scriptures that
he and his followers moved into the early Church bringing in doctrines of
devils – heresies. Are we so blind that we think he is not around anymore?
Matthew 22: 44: “The
Lord (Yahweh)
said unto my Lord (Yeshua Messiah), Sit thou on My right hand, till I make
thine enemies thy footstool?”
1 Corinthians 15: 23-28: “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming.
END OF THE PAGAN TRINITY!
EHYEH
ASHER EHYEH
I
Will Exist Because I Will Exist - I Exist Because I Exist - I Am Who I Am - I
Will Be Who I Will Be - I Am That Which Exists - He Who Causes To Exist - He
Who Gives Life
Let us Now Take a
Look at The Name “Jehovah”
Strong’s
Concordance shows that the Hebrew word “hovah” means “disaster, ruin,
mischief”.
How
then – not being a Hebrew scholar myself
- could the word “hovah” become an integral part of the name of the Creator? Hebrew
words carry in-depth meanings which we lose when they are translated into other
languages including our own English. The Creator’s name has various meanings
(obviously) and His name describes His very character so “Jehovah” could be a
very grave insult to Him and is possibly/probably another name for Satan
himself. The Vatican – although it has used this name “Jehovah” in its
translations of the Bible throughout the Spanish speaking world at least,
freely admit that “Yahweh” is the most probable form of His name (although that
too is possibly incorrect – coming from the Vatican! An alternative which seems
to make more sense is included a little bit further on):
The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, vol. 14, page 1065,
after discussing the usual meanings given to God’s name, states: “All these
explanations, however, overlook the fact that in Ex 3: 14 a merely folk
etymology of the name, based on the qal form of the verb ‘to be,’ is
given. Grammatically, because of its vocalization, yahweh can only be a hi’phil
or causative form of this verb, with the meaning ‘He causes to be, He
brings into being.’ Probably, therefore, yahweh is an abbreviated form
of the longer, yahweh aser yihweh, ‘He brings into being whatever
exists.’ The name, therefore, describes the God of Israel as the Creator of the
universe.”
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical
Literature: “Jehovah -- the imperfect of Jahve
(Yahwe… or Jahwe (Yahweh)).”
The New American Encyclopedia: “Jehovah -- (properly Yahweh) a name of the God of Israel, now
widely regarded as a mis-pronunciation of the Hebrew YHWH.”
The Oxford Cyclopedic Concordance: “Jehovah -- the name revealed to Moses at Horeb. Its real pronunciation
is approximately Yahweh. The Name itself was not pronounced Jehovah before the 16th
century.”
American Heritage Dictionary: “Yahweh -- A name for God assumed by modern scholars to be a
rendering of the pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton.”
New Century Dictionary: “Jehovah
-- the common European rendering of Heb. JHVH (or YHWH), representing, without
vowels, Heb. Jahweh (or Yahweh), a divine name… regarded by the Jews as too
sacred for utterance and hence replaced in the reading of the Scriptures by
Adonai or Elohim; the form Jehovah being due to a mispronunciation of Heb. JHVH
with the vowels of the associated Heb. Adonai. A name of God in the Old
Testament, being the Christian rendering of ‘ineffable name,’ JHVH in the
Hebrew Scriptures.”
A History of Christianity,
Kenneth Scott Latourette (pg. 11): “Israel regarded their god, Yahweh, a name
mistakenly put into English as Jehovah, as the God of the universe, the maker
and ruler of heaven and Earth…”
Another excuse for substituting “the Lord” or “God” for the
Creator’s name is given in the “Preface” of The New American Standard
Bible:
“This name [Yahweh] has not been pronounced by the Jews because
of the great sacredness of the Divine Name. Therefore it was consistently
pronounced and translated Lord.
“It is known that for many years YHWH has been translated as
Yahweh. No complete certainty attaches to this pronunciation. However,
it is felt by many who are in touch with the laity of our churches that this
name conveys no religious or spiritual overtones. It is strange, uncommon, and
without sufficient religious and devotional background. Hence it was decided to
avoid the use of this name in the translation proper.”
The Revised Standard Version, (Preface)
states:
“The form Jehovah is of late medieval origin; it is a
combination of the consonants of the Divine Name and the vowels attached to it
by the Masoretes but belonging to an entirely different word. The sound of Y is
represented by J and the sound of W by V, as in Latin. The word ‘Jehovah’ does
not accurately represent any form of the Name ever used in Hebrew.”
The
Encyclopaedia Britannica (15th Edition) declares:
“The Masoretes, Jewish biblical scholars of the Middle Ages,
replaced the vowel signs that had appeared above or beneath the consonants of
YHWH with the vowel signs of Adonai or of Elohim. Thus the artificial name
Jehovah (YeHoWaH) came into being. Although Christian scholars after the
Renaissance and Reformation periods used the term Jehovah for YHWH, in the 19th
and 20th centuries biblical scholars again began to use the form
Yahweh. Early Christian writers, such as Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd
century, had used the form Yahweh, thus this pronunciation of the
Tetragrammaton was never really lost. Greek transcriptions also indicated that
YHWH should be pronounced Yahweh.”
“Additionally, some have pointed out that the structure of
the word “Jehovah” indicates that it may actually slander the Creator! The
prefix “Je” is often used to represent the shortened form of the Creator’s
name, “Yah.” “Hovah” in Hebrew means “ruin” or “mischief.” (See Strong’s number
1943) Thus its meaning would be “Yahweh is ruinous,” or “Yahweh is
mischievous.”
Hovah is derived from havvah which means “eagerly coveting
and rushing upon; by impl. Of falling.” (Strong) Thus some claim that this is
how insidiously Satan the Devil, the real mischievous one, the real “fallen
angel” who “covets” the position of the Most High, has replaced the Creator’s
name with a name that describes himself! (Isaiah 14: 12-14; Luke 10: 18; 4: 8,
9) It is for this reason that some have said that the strange word “Jehovah”
really refers to Satan (meaning “opposer”) the Devil (meaning “false accuser,
slanderer”)…
“However, just because there is uncertainty as to how the
divine name should be pronounced does not mean that we feel it is proper to
substitute “Lord” or “God” for the Creator’s name. The ancient Hebrews several
times sought also to substitute God’s name with a word that means “Lord” --
that is, “Baal.” “And they forsook Yahweh God of their fathers, who had brought
them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods
of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they
provoked Yahweh’s anger. They forsook Yahweh and served Baal [the Lord] and the
Ashtoreths. And the anger of Yahweh was hot against Israel.” (Judges 3: 7, 8;
see also Judges 2: 11-14; 8: 33, 34; 10: 6, 7) And again in Jeremiah’s time
Yahweh spoke against those who “try to make my people forget my name… as their
fathers forgot my name for Baal [the Lord].” (Jeremiah 23: 27)…
Another reason the Tetragrammaton should not be rendered by
“the Lord”, or “God” has to do with the meaning of God’s name… The usual
meaning given to this word is something like “He is,” or “The Eternal.” Yahweh
is the third person singular of the Hebrew verb hayah (to be or
become). In Exodus 3: 14 Yahweh gives Moses a different variation of his name
in the first person: “I will be what I will be (Ehyeh’ asher’ ehyeh’).”
(Revised Standard Version - footnote) Many translations render this “I
AM THAT I AM.” However, according to some authorities, the Hebrew word hayah,
as used in this verse, means more than just to exist. It also carries with it
the thought of coming into existence, or causing to exist. Thus the third
person would mean: “He will cause to be,” or “He causes to be.”
Jehovah, therefore,
cannot be the name of the Almighty Creator and we must also take care in using
the titles “Lord” and “God”. He is, The
Creator!
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