Doctrinal Points of our Assembly

Galatians 3:19
Ordinances Against Us?
The Apostolic Letter to Gentiles
The Law of Yahweh & of Moses
The Veil Over Their Minds
Yoke Our Fathers/Unable to Bear
Yahshua: The End of the Law
Yahshua was not a Lawgiver

Acts 20:7 From Several Versions
How to Count to Pentecost
Yahweh's Passover

Matthew 24 & Related Prophecy
Yahshua is Coming

Halleluyah
Love the Heavenly Father
Salvation & the Sacred Names
The Creator/What is His Name?
The Father's Name
The Importance of the Name
Read & Restore Sacred Names
What is the Messiah's Name?

Hebrews 10:25
John 5:18
The Sabbath

Baptism
Clothing for Men and Women
Feet Washing
Is This Your Ancestor?
Speaking in Tongues
The Plan of Salvation
The Soul of Man
When does the Day Begin?
Wine in the Bible
What Body are the Dead Raised?
Women
Yahweh's Dietary Laws

The Creator - What is His Name?

Proverbs 30:4
“Who has ascended to heaven and come down?Who has gathered the wind in his fists?Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?Who has established all the ends of the earth?What is his name and what is his son’s name?Surely you know!”

The truth is, many people do not know what is the name of the Creator.  Naturally, every sincere person should want to know his name so that our worship will be more acceptable to him - and more convenient for ourselves.

To know and use his true name seems to bring him closer to us.The Apostle wrote that we should seek and find the Creator, for he “...is not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being: ...For we are indeed his offspring” (Acts 17:24-28).

Think of that.We are his children, but many do not know his name.Does it not seem that all should both know and call on his holy name?The Apostle Peter related how the Mighty One of Israel first visited the Gentiles “...to take out of them a people for his name” (Acts 15:14).What is this name?Remember the prayer which the Messiah taught his disciples?

“Our Father who art in heaven.Hallowed be thy name” (Mt. 6:9).Can we truly hallow the Father’s name unless we know what that name is?The Messiah prayed:

John 17:6,11,12,26
“Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me ...While I was with them, I kept them in thy name, ... I made known to them thy name, and I will make it known...”.

John 17:3
“And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true El, and Yahshua the Messiah whom thou hast sent”.

We see then, that eternal life is dependent upon knowing both the Father and the Son.Can we really know them without knowing and using their names?Again, what is the Father’s name?

Some will say his name is Jehovah, but this cannot be, as this word did not exist before the 12th century C. E. (Eerdman’s Bible Dictionary, 1973, page 478).The letter “J” did not exist before the 14th century.In the original King James Version of 1611, the word Jehovah appears four times; spelled with the letter “I” {Iehovah} (Ex.6:3; Ps.83:18; Isa. 12:2; 26:4).  The words Jesus and judge were invariably spelled Iesus and iudge.Very few words were spelled with the letter “J.”

Not until the middle of the 17th century did the letter “J” become universally used in English literature (The Universal Standard Encyclopedia, 1956, Vol. 15, page 4853).We can now safely conclude: the Creator’s name is not Jehovah.

At one time the name we chose for our congregation was Church of God (7th Day).However, after years of study and consideration we realized that “God” is a title, not a name.It was further agreed that we should be called by the Name of the Father which the Messiah declared to his disciples (Jn. 17:25,26).

The Apostle Paul, writing to the saints of the first century, declared, “For this cause, I bend my knees to the Father, from whom the whole family in heaven and in earth is so named” (Eph. 3:14, James Duncan Version).

Some may say, as we once did, that his name is God, or Lord, or Lord God.The Apostle Paul wrote, “...there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’...” (I Cor. 8:5).This being the case, it is evident that neither God nor Lord can truly be the name of the Most High.These are titles which are often applied to things that are worshiped, even to men on some occasions, and therefore are inappropriate as names for the Creator.

The prophet Hosea shows that the Holy One of Israel was not pleased with the term Lord when it referred to himself, and so he spoke of a time when they would no more call him “Baal” (Hosea 2:16); [”Lord,” in the marginal reading in the KJV; and in the footnotes of the Lamsa Version, Good News Bible, Holy Name Bible, New American Bible].

Hosea 2:17
“For I will remove the names of the Baals from hermouth, and they shall be mentioned by name no more...”.

So it is evident that the name of the Mighty One of Israel is not Lord, God, or Lord God.The introduction to the Emphasized Bible indicates the heavenly Father’s name ap­pears in the Hebrew Scrip­tures almost 7,000 times, but even so, his name is not generally known today, and therefore is not often used in worship and in thanksgivings.

Why is the Sacred Name not generally known?The translators of the Bible tell us.It was the translators themselves who deleted the Sacred Name from the Scriptures and substituted other names and titles in the place of the name of the Supreme Being - a most improper thing to do.

What The Translators Tell Us

• The New American Standard Bible (a Protestant Version), The Lockman Foundation, 1963; Preface, Page IX.
  "There is yet another name which is particularly assigned to God as his special or proper name, that is, the four letters YHWH.This name 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 withoutsufficient religious and devotional background.Hence it was decided to AVOID the use of this name in the translation proper.”

We ask the reader to think.Why is this name strange, uncommon, and without religious and devotional back­ground?Is it not because the translators deleted the name Yahweh in their translations?Had they retained it, The Name would not have become strange, uncommon, and without religious and devotional meaning.If The Name had not been deleted from the Scriptures every Bible reader today would be thoroughly acquainted with that name - Yahweh.

Once the early English translators substituted the tainted word LORD for the sacred name Yahweh, the translators who followed continued this practice, so that most Bible readers today never discover the true name of the Creator.How many readers study the preface to the Bible?Not many.So - the name of the Most High is not generally known.

• The Revised Standard Version (a Protestant Bible), The Preface, Page V.
  While it is almost if not quite certain that the Name was originally pronounced Yahweh, this pronunciation was not indicated when the Masoretes added vowel signs to the ... Hebrew text.To the four consonants YHWH of the Name which had come to be regarded as too sacred to be pronounced, they attached vowel signs indicating that in its place should be read ...Adonai meaning Lord (or Elohim meaning God).The ancient Greek translators SUBSTITUTED the word Kyrios (Lord) for The Name.The Vulgate likewise used the Latin word Dominus.The form Jehovah is of late medieval origin; it is a combination of the consonants of the Divine Name [YHWH] and the vowels ... belonging to an entirely different word...The word Jehovah does not accurately represent any form of the Name ever used in Hebrew.”

• RSV footnote - Exodus 3:15.
  "The word LORD when spelled with capital letters, stands for the Divine Name, YHWH, which is here connected with the verb, hayah, to be."

• The Moffatt Translation - Introduction, Page XX.
  “Strictly speaking, this ought to be rendered Yahweh, which is familiar to the modern readers in the erroneous form of Jehovah.”

• The New English Bible Introduction, Page XVI.
  “The present translators have retained the incorrect but customary form [Jehovah] ... in four places, ... elsewhere they have followed the ancient translators in SUBSTITUTING “LORD” or “GOD”, printed in small capital letters for the Hebrew Name.”

• New American Bible (Catholic) Introduction to the O. T., Page XI.
  "I am who I am: apparently this utterance is the source of the word Yahweh, the proper personal name of the God of Israel.Out of reverence for this name, the term Adonai, ‘My Lord’ was later used as a SUBSTITUTE.  The word LORD in the present version represents the traditional usage.The word Jehovah arose from a false reading of this name...”

• NASB footnote - Mt. 2:11.
  “For the Old Testament oracles concerning the Gentiles’ homage to Yahweh, cf Nm ...”

• The Living Bible (a Catholic Ver­sion), footnote - Ex. 3:15.
  “Properly the name should be pronounced Yahweh.”

• Douay-Rheims Version (a Catholic Version), first published in 1582.  Footnote on Ex. 6:3 added in 1899.
  “The name which is in the Hebrew text, is that most proper name of God, which signifies his eternal, self-existent being, Ex. 3:14, which the Jews out of reverence never pronounce; but instead of it ... read Adonai, which signifies the LORD and, therefore, they put the points of vowels, which belong to the name Adonai, to the four letters of that other ineffable name [YHWH] ... Hence, some moderns have framed the name Jehovah, unknown to the ancients, whether Jewish or Christian...”

• The New International Version (a Pro­testant Bible); Preface, Page IX.
  “In regard to the divine name YHWH ... the translators adopted the device used in most English versions of rendering that name as LORD in capital letters...”

Despite the above facts to which the translators call attention, they declined to restore the name YAHWEH.

• The Jerusalem Bible (a Catholic Version).



This version uses the name Yahweh thousands of times in the text of the Old Testament.

• The Emphasized Bible Introduction, Pages 22-28.
  This version dedicates seven pages for the purpose of showing the importance of the name Yahweh.Mr. Rotherham says there is no good reason for substituting titles for The Name, so he has not deleted the Sacred Name from the text, but consistently retains it thousands of times, in the Old Testament.He declares, "...in our public versions the one special Name of God is suppressed, wholly concealed from the listening ear, almost as completely hidden from the hastening or uncritical eye."

  • The Complete Bible, by Goodspeed.  Preface, Page 15.
    “As nearly as we can now tell, the Hebrews called their Deity by the name Yahweh ...In course of time they came to regard this name too sacred for utterance.They therefore substituted for it the Hebrew word LORD.When vowels were added to the text, the consonants of Yahweh were given to the vowels of LORD.Somewhere in the 14th century A.D., Christian scholars, not understanding this usage, took the vowels and the consonants exactly as they were written and produced the artificial name Jehovah which has persisted ever since.”

  • The Goodspeed text, Ex. 3:15.
    “Yahweh (the LORD), the god of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has sent me to you.  This has always been my name, and this shall remain my title through the ages.”

  • The Goodspeed text, Ex. 6:3, (an exact quotation).
    “I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but did not make myself known to them by my name Yahweh (the LORD).”

  • The Holy Name Bible (a Protestant Version).
    This version uses the name Yahweh thousands of times in both the old and the New Testaments.

  • The Sacred Scriptures, Bethel Edition (a Protestant Version).
    This version uses the name Yahweh thousands of times in both the Old and New Testaments.

  • The JEWISH Version (1916) - Ex. 6:3.Sure enough a footnote reads:
    “The ineffable name, read Adonai, ...”

  Please understand.In the Hebrew Scriptures the name YHWH (written in Hebrew letters), appears almost 7,000 times.This translation of the O.T. was done by and for Jewish people who speak English.In Ex. 6:3 the “Ineffable Name” was not translated into English.Instead, The Name (written in Hebrew letters), was retained in the text of this English version.

  This is impressive.Jewish, Catholic and Protestant Bible translators recognize YAHWEH as the proper name of the Supreme Being; the correct transliteration of the Tetragrammaton, YHWH.Even so, most of these men suppress knowledge of The Name by deleting it from Scriptures - substituting in its place LORD or GOD.

  True, some of the above translators indicate there may be some small doubt as to the exact pronunciation of the name Yahweh.Is this doubt justified?Not really.Others of the above mentioned translators seem to have little or no doubt about the pronunciation of the name.These and other scholars are confident that the name should be pronounced Yahweh, as the following sources demonstrate:

  What the Reference Books Tell Us

  • The Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol. 7, Page 680.
    “The true pronunciation was never lost.Several early Greek writers of the Christian Church testify that the name was pronounced Yahweh.”

  • The New Bible Dictionary, by J. D. Douglas; Eerdman’s Pub. Co., Grand Rapids, Mi. (1973), Page 478.
    “The pronunciation, Yahweh, is indicated by the transliteration of the name into Greek in early Christian literature ...” by Clement of Alexandria, and by Theodoret.“...Strictly speaking, Yahweh is the only name of god.”

  • Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th Edition, Vol. 5; Page 538.
    “Early Christian writers such as Clement of Alexandria in the 2^nd century, had used the form Yahweh, and this pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton was never really lost.Other Greek inscriptions also indicate that YHWH should be pronounced Yahweh.”

  • The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967; Vol. 5, page 743; and Vol. 14, page 1065.
    “... YHWH, the original pronunciation of which is well attested as YAHWEH.”  “Judging from Greek transcriptions, the Sacred Name ... YHWH ought to be pronounced Yahweh.”

  You, the reader, can check these and other references at your convenience.These well known and respected sources will underscore the importance of the Divine Name, and the fact that it is generally known to scholars, yet the translators have rejected it in a most unscholarly way.

  What The Archaeologists Tell Us

  There has been a number of interest­ing archeological discoveries which reveal the name Yahweh.Of these numerous discoveries, only three will be cited.

  • Found - The Moabite Stone.  Eerdman’s Bible Dictionary, Page 835.
    “A black basalt inscription left by Mesha, King of Moab, at Khiban (Dibon) to commemorate his revolt against Israel and his subsequent rebuilding of many important towns (2 Kgs. 3:4,5).  The stone was found on August 19, 1868, by the Reverend F. Klein...  “The great importance of this inscription..., lies in its close relations to the Old Testament.The language is closely akin to Hebrew.Both Chemosh, the God of Moab and Yahweh, the God of Israel are mentioned ...”

  • Found - Eighteen Ostraca, by J. L. Starkey, Archeologist, in 1930.The Bible as History, by Werner Keller, Page 325.
    “These dispatches on clay had been sent to ‘Joash’, the ‘commandant of the fort at Lachish,’ during that fateful ‘10th month’ of the year 588 B.C.E....One of the last of these eye witness reports reads:‘May Yahweh grant that my lord should hear good tidings ... we are watching for the signal stations of Lachish ... we are no longer receiving signals from Azekah.’”

  This, of course, was during the invasion by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies.

  • Found - An Ostracon (singular of ostraca).Reported in 1978 by Mr. Jack Campbell, an archaeological restorer of Rockland, Maine.
    Mr. Campbell reported that when the ancient Israeli site of Arad was excavated, an ostracon was found that twice mentions the name Yahweh. “There is now no doubt about the Mighty One of Israel,” he said. “His personal name is Yahweh.”

  Summary Thus Far

  The information reviewed thus far is as following:

  1.   We have learned the name of the Creator.  It is Yahweh.
  2.   We have learned what is not the name of the Creator.

  • Jehovah is not his name.This word did not exist earlier than the 12th century C. E.It came into existence only because of a mistake when the vowels of the word Adonai were combined with the consonants YHWH.Thus was born the hybrid word, Jehovah.

  • The Creator’s name is not God.  God is a title which at times applies to idols that are worshiped.

  • The Creator’s name is not LORD.The translators freely admit this is not his name.It is a substitute for the name Yahweh.

  Is The Name Too Sacred To Use?

  Of those who are acquainted with the Sacred Name some sincerely believe it is not necessary to use this name, or feel that the Jewish taboo should be observed.So, we have this important consideration: should we speak the Ineffable Name?Put another way, should we praise, or refuse to praise, the Ineffable Name, Yahweh?

  When we consult scriptures, it soon becomes evident that the Most High is pleased with his name, Yahweh, and that he expects us to use this name.And why not?He chose it.Are we to believe he made a poor choice in naming himself?

  Let us notice a few of the many Scriptures which make clear the importance of calling on the name of the Most High.Also, now that we know the true Name of the Creator, let us restore it in these Scripture quotations instead of using the substitute title, LORD.

  What the Scriptures Tell Us

  Exodus 3:13, 15 (Revised Standard Version)
  “Then Moses said to Elohim [God], If I come to the people of Israel ... and they ask me, What is his name?What am I to say to them?... Say to the people of Israel, Yahweh, the Elohim of your fathers, ...has sent me to you: this is my name FOREVER, and thus I am to be remembered throughout ALL GENERATIONS”.

  Exodus 3:15 (Jerusalem Bible)
  “You are to say to the sons of Israel:‘Yahweh has sent me to you.’This is my name for all times; by this name I shall be invoked for ALL GENERATIONS TO COME”.

  Exodus 3:15 (Good News Bible)
  "Tell the Israelites that I, Yahweh, ... have sent you to them.This is my name forever; this is what all future generations are to call me”.

  Exodus 3:15 (King James Version)
  “...this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations”.

  Exodus 9:13, 16
  “Then Yahweh said to Moses ... stand before Pharaoh, and say to him ... for this purpose have I let you live, to show you my power, so that my name may be declared throughout all the earth”.

  Exodus 20:2
  "I am Yahweh, your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt...”.

  This is the first of the ten commandments.Yahweh formally introduced himself to the multitude of Israel.If it is true that we should not call on the name of Yahweh, why did he reveal this name to all Israel?

  Exodus 34:5, 6
  "So Moses ... went up on Mount Sinai, ...And Yahweh descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name YAHWEH.Yahweh passed before him, and proclaimed, YAHWEH, YAHWEH...”.

  Psalm 86:9
  “All the nations thou hast made [including the U.S.A.] shall come and bow down before thee, O Yahweh, and shall glorify thy name".

  Isaiah 26:8, Exodus 3:15 (King James Version)
  “O Yahweh, we wait for thee; thy memorial name is the desire of my soul”.

  Isaiah 26:13
  “O Yahweh our Elohim, other lords besides thee have ruled over us, but thy NAME alone we acknowledge”.

  Isaiah 42:8
  “I am Yahweh, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to graven images”.

  Isaiah 47:4
  “Our Redeemer - Yahweh of hosts is his name - is the Holy One of Israel”.

  Isaiah 54:5
  "For your Maker is your husband, Yahweh of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the Elohim of the whole earth he is called”.

  Isaiah 56:6
  “And the foreigners who join them­selves to Yahweh, .... to LOVE the name YAHWEH, and to be his servants, every one who keeps the sabbath, and does not profane it...".

  Jeremiah 10:16
  “... for he is the one who formed all things ... Yahweh, of hosts is his name”.

  Jeremiah 23:26, 27
  “How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, ... who think to make my people forget my name ... even as their fathers forgot my name for baal”.

  Ezekiel 39:7
  “And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel; ... and the nations shall know that I am Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel”.

  Daniel 9:19
  “O Yahweh, hear; O Yahweh, forgive; O Yahweh, give heed and act; delay not, for thy own sake, O my Elohim, because thy city and thy people are called by thy name”.

  Amos 4:13
  “For lo, he who forms the mountains, and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought; who makes themorning darkness ... Yahweh ... is his name”.

  Micah 4:5
  “For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of Yahweh our Elohim for ever and ever”.

  Zephaniah 3:9
  “Yea, at that time I will change the speech of the peoples [plural] to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of Yahweh and serve him with one accord”.

  John 17:6
  "I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were...”.

  John 17:25, 26 (KJV)
  “O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee:but I have known thee, and these have known that thou has sent me.And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare it...".

  Hebrews 2:12, Psalm 22:22
  “I [the Messiah] will proclaim thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I WILL PRAISE THEE”.

  Hebrews 13:15
  “...let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to Yahweh, that is, the fruit of lipsthat acknowledge his name”.

  In view of the foregoing scriptures it is reasonable, we believe, to conclude the following:

  1.  The Creator is indeed pleased with his name Yahweh.
  2.  The name Yahweh is not too sacred to utter; otherwise he would not have proclaimed it to all Israel.
  3.  He expects us to regularly praise his great name, Yahweh.
  4.  Therefore we should ignore the taboo against pronouncing the name, and should often call on and praise the name, Yahweh.

  Praise Yahweh

  There are many scriptures which instruct the faithful to praise the Most High by his name YAHWEH, but only one Scripture will be cite at this time.

  Psalm 113:16
  “Praise Yahweh!Praise, O servants of Yahweh, praise the NAME of YAHWEH!Blessed be the NAME of YAHWEH from this time forth and for evermore!From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of Yahweh is to be praised!Yahweh is high above all the nations, and his glory above the heavens!Who is like Yahweh our Elohim, who is seated on high, who looks for down...”.

  Salvation In The Name Yahweh

  A few Scriptures have already been cited which reveal the name Yahweh is directly involved in gaining eternal life (salvation).Let us at this time review a few others.

  Joel 2:30, 32
  “And it shall come to pass that all who CALL upon the NAME of YAHWEH shall be delivered; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as Yahweh has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom Yahweh calls”.

  The Apostle Peter affirmed this Scripture to be true in his day, therefore it is still true today, since we live under the same era of grace as did the Apostle Peter.He explained,

  Acts 2:17-21
  “And in the last days it shall be, Yahweh declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh [Gentiles as well as Jews] ...And it shall be that whoever CALLS on the NAME of YAHWEH shall be saved”.

  Other scriptures help to explain this.

  Matthew 28:19
  “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father [Yahweh] and of the Son [Yahshua] and of the Holy Spirit”.

  The Savior came in his Father’s name (Jn. 5:43).

  Matthew 1:21
  “She shall bear a son and you shall call his name YAHSHUA, for he will save his people from their sins”.

  Yah, the short form of Yahweh.Shua, the short form of Hoshea, meaning salvation.Yahshua = Yah’s salvation.

  Psalm 9:10
  "And those who KNOW THY NAME put their trust in thee, for thou O Yahweh, hast not forsaken those who seek thee”.

  Revelation 11:17-18
  “We give thanks to thee Yahweh Almighty ...The nations raged, but thy wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding thy servants, the prophets and saints, and those who FEAR THY NAME, both small and great”.

  Revelation 15:3-4
  “And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of Yahweh, and the song of the Lamb saying, ‘Great and wonderful are thy deeds, O YAHWEH the Almighty!Just and true are thy ways, O King of the ages!Who shall not fear and GLORIFY THY NAME O Yahweh?For thou alone art holy.All nations shall come and worship thee, for thy judgments have been revealed’”.

  Some have thought the Father’s name is not important, or perhaps we need not call upon it, because “everyone knows whom we worship.”

  To say we need not use the name Yahweh is a bit like someone accepting my personal check signed with only a title (bricklayer, for example) instead of a signature.This is just not done, of course.Even Satan is called by his true name, so why play games with the Father’s name, as if it is unimportant?

  Elijah the prophet had a contest on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal.What would have happened had he not called on the name YAHWEH?We too should call on the same Mighty One which the Messiah and the Prophet Elijah called on.Those who LOVE the name Yahweh will be blessed (Isa. 56:6; Ps. 5:11; 69:36; 119:132).

  Revelation 22:3,4
  “There shall no more be anything ac­cursed, but the throne of Yahweh and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him; they shall see his face and his name shall be on their foreheads”.

  Do we love the Father’s name enough to wear it on our foreheads - for all eternity?If not, we may not be numbered among the blessed.

  Malachi 3:16 (KJV)
  “Then they that feared Yahweh spake often one to another: and Yahweh hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared YAHWEH and THOUGHT UPON HIS NAME”.

  Isaiah 52:6
  “Therefore my people shall know my name...".

  Are we his people - you and I? If we are, we should love and call upon the blessed name Yahweh. The decision is ours!