What Is the
Name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit?
A Vital Message for Practicing, Church-going Christians
Matthew 28:19. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit." (RSV)
Mattyah 28:19 So going on your way,[1]
instruct kol ‘edah of shemi,[2]
20 teaching them to observe all I commanded you; then they will enumah[3]
in me.[4]
I don't see (hear) a name in this verse, do you? There are three titles,
but no name. When we baptize using the words "in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," we do not baptize in a
name at all! What is the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, anyway? I asked this question in church and after some silence, a
man declared, "GOD." The others agreed. Yet the name of the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit has been the great "Mystery of the Bible" for
2,500 years, and more so a mystery today than at any other time.
Let’s
learn the name of our Father in Heaven.
For some, the best way to learn is by example rather than by
instruction. Here we have the commandment of the risen Messiah to his
Elect Disciples. Later in Scripture, we find them practicing the
commandment:
Acts 10:48. And [Peter] commanded [the household of Cornelius] to be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Paul Acts 19:5. On hearing this, [the Ephesians] were baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus.
Paul describes his own baptism: Acts 22:16 - Ananias
said: ‘Rise and be
baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on [Jesus’] name.'
Rom 6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
Gal 3:26. for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
27. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
It is interesting to note that, according to Matthew only, Jesus tells
us to baptize in the name of the Trinity, but the Apostles actually
baptized in the name of ‘Jesus.’ (We realize that ‘Christ’ is not
a name either. It is also a title: Greek for ‘Smeared,’ not so
complementary.) Thus the
Apostles fulfilled Jesus’ command to baptize in the name of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit by baptizing in the name ‘Jesus,’ indicating
ostensibly that
the name we seek to baptize in IS JESUS.
I Am Baptized
I was baptized in the Methodist Church in 1958 the regular way a child
is baptized. I was re-baptized by immersion by the Southern Baptists when I
was twelve. They told me I had to be re-baptized. Why? "Because that’s
what we do when you’re twelve." Years later, in 1979, I made the
connection between Matthew 28:19 and Acts 10:48 regarding baptism in the
name of Jesus.
At the time, I was a certified lay speaker in the United
Methodist Church. I asked my pastor to re-baptize me in the name of
Jesus in accordance with the Scriptures. In a loving manner, that saintly pastor refused to do it.
"This is not our tradition," said he. So I went to another pastor
of another tradition, and I was baptized for
the third time, this time in the name of Jesus. Then I was satisfied;
well, for a few years, anyway.
Later I learned that finding out the Name of the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit isn’t
that simple. But is the Name all that important? The answer is YES.
If we want to be among the correct in our faith, we must study to show
ourselves approved, being as accurate as possible in the Word -
especially when it comes to the NAME OF OUR WORSHIPFUL MASTER.
I later
studied the origin of the name of Jesus, and I want to share with you
tonight what TRUE NAME has been revealed, especially for these latter days.
Regarding the Name JESUS
Mat 1:18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When
his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together
she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; 19. and her husband
Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to
divorce her quietly. 20. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of
the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David,
do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is
of the Holy Spirit; 21. she will bear a son, and you shall call his
name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
What does the name ‘Jesus’ have to do with saving people from sins?
Didn’t the people of Matthew’s time believe only God could forgive
sins? So where is the connection between the word ‘Jesus’ and
salvation from sin? Trust me now -- In order to answer this question, we
must go back to the very origin of the name "God."
God not God?
If you ask most people what the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
is, they will respond like my congregation - his name is ‘God.’ In fact, that’s what the
dictionary says that the name of our Father in Heaven is - ‘God.’
From The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia: "God, English
name for the divinity of the three great monotheistic religions,
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as many other world religions."
Is the name of my god the same as that of the god of "many other
world religions." That's a popular notion in liberal seminaries
today, but I say NO. How about you? The dictionary is wrong, but this is what
some semi-religious people believe.
Actually, the name "God" is in the original Hebrew text of
the Bible in one place only: Isaiah 65:11,12:
But as for those of you who abandon Yahweh, who forget my holy
mountain, who lay the table for Gäd
(Good Luck, Prosperity), who fill cups of
mixed wine for MENI
(Fortune), you I shall destine to the sword and
all of you will stoop to be slaughtered, because I called and you would
not answer, I spoke and you would not listen; you have done what I
consider evil, you chose to do what displeases me.
(NJB) (A literal
translation from the original language.)
This is
one important Bible reference to "God" as a name.
(Other references are Genesis 30:11, Joshua 11:17; 12:7;
13:5 (Baal-god),
(In transliterating Hebrew to English, the importance
lies in the pronunciation rather than the spelling. There are many
variations in spelling Hebrew words and names with English-style
letters.)
"God" (Gäd) here refers here to the Syrian god of
luck,
not to your Father in heaven. In fact, your Father is railing at those
whom he has called but have not heard him because they have been setting
the table for a god named GOD.*
In these days, we hear a lot about Christian
prosperity, which is another word for materialism. Prosperity
is the God of many Christians. God is not the correct translation for the
name of the Father, but for the false god Prosperity. Continue to
trust me for now.
Elohim
From The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia: In the Old
Testament various names for God are used, Elohim most commonly.
The dictionary is again incorrect, for, in the Bible, Elohim is
not a name, it is a title, and usually means "Almighty One." It refers
to the plurality in the family of the Father, including the Trinity and
the Angels. Elohim is almost always incorrectly translated into English with the
word "God."
Elohim is more like a family name. There are a lot
of people named Smith around - it is a common name of people originating from
roughly the same
place or trade. It is the same with Elohim. Although it means ‘the Almighty,’
most Bible translators still favor tradition over
correction
and translate Elohim in the Bible as "God." Every time I read "God" in
the Bible, I mentally realize this is not the name of my Father,
but a pagan deity. I
correctly translate the word ‘God’ in my mind as ‘the
Almighty’ or "Mighty One." For that is what this title really means.
Therefore, should we not return those passages that deliver the pagan
name 'God' back to 'Elohim,' or use the translated form "Mighty One'?
Elohim is our refuge and strength; a very present help in
trouble. Psalms 46:1
The Almighty is our refuge and strength; a help in
distress, very readily found. Psalms 46:1
YHWH
FROM The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia: The
four-letter form YHWH is the most celebrated; the Hebrews considered it
ineffable
(unpronounceable) and in reading substituted the name Adonai [my Lord].
The form YHWH is most celebrated because it really is the sacred
Name of our Father in Heaven. Yahweh is his name; not ‘God.’ Although
some consider it 'ineffable' (too holy to be uttered), this is no reason
to intentionally mask the true name of our Father with another
word.
In the Hebrew Bible, every instance of the name
Yahweh is
substituted with LORD
or Adonai. Adonai is the name of the Egyptian sun
god. The Greek form of the word is ‘Adonis,’ a demigod of the Phoenicians,
the name being translated "lord." The English translators
kept the Adonis tradition going by substituting either Adonai or
LORD for every
instance of the name Yahweh but one or two. Watch for the word LORD.
If it is in capital
letters, it is covering up the name of your father Yahweh. If the word
is not in all caps, it is covering the name Adonai, which is in turn
covering the name Yahweh.
Check this for yourself in your Bible version. Let’s look
at a couple passages of the SEVEN THOUSAND OR SO where this is the case. I will
read a correct English translation of the Hebrew Bible. Compare it to what your
Bible says.
Exo 3:13. Moses then said to the Almighty, "Look, if I go to the
Israelites and say to them, `The Mighty One of your ancestors has sent me
to you,' and they say to me, `What is his name?' what am I to tell
them?" 14. The Almighty said to Moses, "I am he who is."
And he said, "This is what you are to say to the Israelites, `I Am
has sent me to you.' "
15. The Almighty further said to Moses,
"You are to tell the Israelites, `Yahweh, the Mighty One of your
ancestors, the Mighty of Abraham, the Mighty of Isaac and the
Mighty of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name for all time,
and thus I am to be invoked for all generations to come. (NJB)
"I am he who is" is "EHYEH 'SHER 'EHYEH" in Hebrew. The name Yahweh is
derived from the verb 'to be,' therefore the name means something akin to "I am," but in a sense
of past, present, and future all at once.
Then in verse 15, he proclaims
his name YAHWEH.
Elohim also said to Moses, "Say
this to the people of Israel, 'Yahweh, the Elohim of your fathers,
the Elohe of Abraham, the Elohe of Isaac, and the Elohe of Jacob,
has sent me to you': this is my name (ie. Yahweh) forever, and thus
I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
But your Bible probably says his name is "the LORD."
Is that a name? How does your translation measure
up?
Try these:
Exodus 20:2. I am Yahweh the Almighty, who has brought you out of the
land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3. You shall have no other
gods before me. (KJV)
Deut 6:4. Hear, O Israel: Yahweh the Almighty, Yahweh
is One. 5. And you
shall love Yahweh your Mighty One with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your might.
Do we love someone with all our hearts and not know their names?
Or do we cover over the name of our loved one - a name that is to be
remembered for all generations of life? No, we do not.
There
are nearly EIGHT THOUSAND other deliberately mistranslated passages
regarding the name or the Almighty in our popular
Bible translations!
A Conspiracy of Tradition
Here’s what the notes in the Revised Standard Version say about their
lack of use of the sacred Name Yahweh:
The King James Version had employed [the name Jehovah]
in four places, but everywhere else used the English word LORD printed
in capitals. The present [RSV translation] returns to the procedure of
the King James Version.
(In other words, the RSV continues this dubious tradition.)
While it is almost quite certain that the Name was originally pronounced
"Yahweh," ... the Name ... had come to be regarded too sacred to be
pronounced....
So for thousands of years, the true name of our Father has been
deliberately masked by the translators of the Bible, first by Jewish
leaders continuing to this day by English translators. I’m speaking of
the substitution of the word LORD / Lord for the true name Yahweh,
and in just about every English translation I can think of. I consider it
a devious conspiracy to hide the powerful, divine name from believers like
you and I.
(By the way, you will be surprised to learn that the Hebrew word for
"Lord" is ‘ba'al’ [‘bale’], the title of
the Canaanite god so vilified in the Bible. Thus we translate Ba’al-zebub
as "Lord of Flies" and Baal-Gad as "Lord God." Like the ancient Israelites, by using
LORD as the Father's name, aren't we giving him the same appellation as Ba'al
exactly as King Ahab was around 1 Kings 16:28ff? This is important for the true worshipper to consider
seriously.)
(Mat 10:25. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and
the servant as his king. If they have called the master of the house Baal-zebub
[Lord of Flies], how much more will they call them of his household?)
Yahweh, is the name of the Father to whom we owe worship; his name is
not "Lord" or "God." Ba'al actually means LORD; will
we call our dear Father Ba'al by calling him LORD?
I know
full well this naming convention is deeply
ingrained in our faith and language. I realize how radical that this
proposition seems. But
if we are open to the truth, then we will make some effort to
change our minds, and Yahweh our Elohim will bless us for it. If Yahweh is the
proper name of the Father, shouldn’t we who are his be able to
appropriate his name, especially if there is power for good in it? Or is
it ‘too sacred to utter,' as the translators of the RSV told us.
Friends, I’ve known this truth for 31 years, but it is only in the last 18 that I
have made an effort to correctly address my creator whom I love.
SO -- now when I read the Bible, when I see the word ‘God,’ I
automatically retranslate it correctly as ‘The Almighty’ and when I
see LORD in caps, I automatically retranslate it correctly to the sacred
name Yahweh, and when I see Lord (not in caps), I automatically
retranslate it correctly as ‘Master.’ Practicing this will make an
incredible difference in your understanding of the Bible and your
relationship with the Creator. You can practice and learn to do it as I
have.
Jehovah
From The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia: The
reconstruction Jehovah was based on a mistake, and the form Yahweh is now
regarded as reliable.
The notes in the RSV reveal that "The form "Jehovah" is
of late medieval origin. The form "Jehovah" does not accurately
represent any form of the [sacred] Name ever used in Hebrew.
In Hebrew,
"Jehovah" means "Yahweh is mischievous" or
"Yahweh is ruinous," this according to the definition given in the
James Strong Concordance word number 1943.
The word was originally concocted in the
middle ages by a conspiracy of Jewish and anti-Semitic translators to hide the true
name of the Father, which is a Hebrew-Jewish name. I have been
teaching this since 1979, and I learned this from the study notes of my
Bible - which was at the time The New English Bible (NEB).
A good study Bible will at least be honest
about their deliberate mistranslations. Check your translator's
notes in your Bible and see if there isn't a word on this!
So How Does All This Relate To Baptism in the Name of Jesus?
John 5:43. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me;
if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. (RSV)
What did we say the Father’s name was? Yahweh.
Jesus says he comes
‘in’ his Father’s name. He is not just speaking figuratively, but
literally. In his world, the person we call 'Jesus' was known as "Yahshua."
This is the same
name as the hero Joshua, the spelling of which is a Latinized version
Hebrew. Do you see now in a textual sense how Yah-shua came in the name
Yah-weh?
The Disciples never knew their master as ‘Jesus.’
That name didn’t even exist until 1500 years after they were all dead,
when the English translators of the Latin Bible may have purposefully
mistransliterated the
Savior’s name.
His disciples, every Hebrew speaker,
every Jew, every Bible scholar to this
very day know the Savior by his name, Yahshua, a contraction of "Yahu(weh)shua,"
which means "Yahweh saves" in Hebrew. So, you see, Yahshua, whom
we know as Jesus, did literally come his Father's name, Yahweh. Yah-weh’
and Yah-shua’.**
(Some Jewish groups use the name
Yeshua rather than Yahshua. Yeshua is derived not from Hebrew but
a related language, Western Aramaic. Yahshua is the correct name
because it reveals the Father's name, just as he said it would.)
By his own word then, the Savior makes it plain for us
how his name is to be pronounced despite any transmission error.
The Original Question
So now we are back to the original question, When we baptize using the
words "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit," we do not baptize in a name at all! What is the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, anyway? We decided from the
Apostles words in acts that the name was Jesus, a deliberate
mistransliteration.
But now we know that his
name is Yahshua, meaning "Yahweh Saves." How appropriate
for baptism! Didn’t Peter say that baptism now saves you? (Look at 1
Peter 3:21.) We find believers in the Acts of the Apostles submitted
to re-baptism when they realized they had been baptized in the WRONG
NAME.
(By the way, Jesus, as the name is
pronounced in most Latinized languages: hey-soos, does have a
significant meaning in Hebrew. It means, THE HORSE. "The
horse" is what a Hebrew speaker hears when a Spaniard prays to Jesus.)
Yahshua is the sum total of not only the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, but also the mission of the
Trinity and everyone baptized into that name - to be saved by Yahweh -
salvation in Yahshua! Shouldn’t we know and use our Father’s name?
Shouldn’t we call our Savior by the exact name as that which he was
known by his Father, mother, brothers, sisters and disciples? Or should we
use a name made up by uneducated translators only 500 years ago? I leave it
to you.
Dear Mrs. McIntosh
When I was a boy I had a singing
teacher. She had been a famous opera star in her time, but now she
was quite elderly and prone to forgetfulness. During my first
lesson she began to call me BILL. I corrected here, and she called
me JACK a couple times, then went back to BILL. The next time I
came, I introduced myself again as JACK but she called me BILL.
Again I corrected her, but to no avail. She called me BILL whether
I liked it or not. Well, this is silly, but I never got used to
it, and I never liked being called BILL, especially after I had made my
name so clear to her. After a lesson one day, my vocal teacher
passed on.
I am sure Yahweh never has gotten used
to being called by the Syrian god's name GOD, nor Yahshua being called
"The Horse."
Final Notes
(1) Why do I still use the title "God’ when I know it is not
correct? I have made a tremendous effort to use the correct translations
of God and LORD for the last several years because not because I wanted to
please mother, but because I wanted to honor Yahweh and Yahshua.
After all, theirs is supposed to be ‘the name above all names such that
at the name of Yahshua every knee shall bow and confess Yahshua Savior to
the glory of the Almighty Yahweh.’
But I decided that when I came into a
pulpit, I would try to use the conventional appellations for the
Deity insofar as I could remember to do so - that is God, Lord, etc.
although I do not personally use them in my own devotions. I call these
kinds of substitute words ‘church language,’ and thus I justify
myself. After all, people NEED TO LEARN THE TRUTH, and we must start
somewhere.
But as time goes on, you will find that I will use ‘Yahweh’
instead of ‘the LORD,’ ‘Almighty’ instead of ‘God,’ ‘Yahshua’
instead of ‘Jesus’ and ‘Messiah’ of 'Anointed' or even 'Smeared' instead of ‘Christ’ more and
more. I hope that is all right with you, and I even hope you will join me
now.
(2) I mentioned that the name God was that of a pagan deity, and I
quoted Is 65. In the Indo-European family of languages, of which English
is a member, the word ‘god’ "he who is invoked," coming from the
ancient word root ghut-. Ultimately, we English speakers get the
name ‘God’ from this root, which has to do with sitting in a circle (kirke,
church) and calling up or invoking a spirit.
God is also the name of a Teutonic deity worshiped by your pagan
European ancestors with human sacrifice.
(3) Actually, hiding the divine name Yahweh for thousands of years has
served in helping people keep the second commandment. If you do not know
the name of your Deity and Savior, you can hardly take them in vain and thus
sin by cursing. Think of that! However, to ignore or omit the name
is also the reason we lose thousands of blessings, lose our children to
sin, lose our culture to paganism.
(4) We have in some cases been using the divine name of the Trinity and
not even knowing it. Turn to and read Psalm 146:1. 147:1, 148:1, 149:1,
150:1. Your Bible might say "Praise ye the Lord,’ but in the Hebrew
it is just one word - Hallelujah! It is a command, and it means Praise ye
Yahweh! Let’s all say it together. Hallelujah! Praise ye Yah!
NOTES
* The Gadites (aka Chatti) were a major force
in the transformation of Europe through infiltration and conquest during
this time, taking the name and deity of 'gad' throughout the world, and
undoubtedly bequeathing the name to us.
** The underlying Greek of Luke 2:21 has,
"and [they] called his name
 , which, in
English, becomes
 .
We cannot believe that biblical patriarchs called him 'Jesus,'
especially since the 'j' sound was not represented in Hebrew, Greek or
Latin. In fact, there have been no letters dedicated to the 'sh'
sound in Greek either. Yet it is obvious, since names do not change as
languages do, that Paul and other learned writers in Greek knew exactly
how the name was pronounced, and interpreted that pronunciation as best
they could into Greek. And here is how they did it:
I (Iota) is the sound 'ee' or 'ye'
E (eta) is the schwa sound of 'uh' or 'ah' or,
according to the schwa wiki, 'uah'
S (sigma) represents the sound of 'sh', Hebrew shin
OU (omicrom + upsilon) makes a dipthong, sounding 'oo'
as in 'rude'
S (sigma) is the nominative case ending for all
masculine names in Greek and Latin
Put them all together we have Yahshus or, correcting the
last sigma, Yahshua.
Matthew 18:5. "Whoever receives one
such child in my name receives me." 18:20.
"For where two or three are gathered in my name,
there am I in the midst of them." John 14:14,15.
"If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, you will
keep my commandments."
Many, many more instances in which he commands the use of
his name Yahshua ben Yahweh.
Father,you are:
Yahweh Elohim, my Almighty One (Gen 2:7),
El Shaddai, my High Source and Supply (Gen 17:1)
El Elyon, my Strongest and
Highest One (Gen 14:18).
Yahweh Yireh, my Provider (Gen 22:14)
Yahweh Raphah, my Healer (Ex 15:26)
Yahweh Nissi, my Banner and Sail (Ex 17:15)
Yahweh MeKaddishkem, my Sanctifier (Ex 31:13)
Yahweh Shalom, my Peace (Jud 6:24)
Yahweh Tsvaot, my Commander (1 Sam 1:3)
Yahweh Elyon, my Highest Concern (Ps 7:17)
Yahweh Rohi, my Shepherd (Ps 23:1)
Yahweh Osenu, my Maker (Ps 95:6)
Yahweh Tsidkenu, my Righteousness (Jer 23:6)
Yahweh Shammah, my Ever-present One (Ez 48:35).
Notes: (IE is required for the Symbol font)
The “old” Aramaic version of Aphraates (circa 340), ends Mattyah in
this way.
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