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Sacred Name - A Bible Study (Part 1) Written by: B. L. Cocherell
This belief is commonly referred to as the 'Sacred Names' doctrine. And the adherents of this doctrine are often called Yahweists, because Yahweh is one of the Hebrew names for God. The following are the major tenets of the Sacred Names belief:
Is
This Doctrine Important?
The
Sacred Names teaching is so important to many of its believers,
that most of their worship toward God and their literature
surrounds this one issue. It is also evident from the literature
that they produce concerning their beliefs that all other
doctrines of their belief system take second place to this one
issue.
There is merit in researching the names of God; however, this research has given rise to the dangerous belief that the recognition and pronunciation of the name of God is a prerequisite for salvation. Editors Note: There is
absolutely no way to give a quick and easy answer to confirm or
deny the validity of the Sacred Names doctrine, because those
who teach this belief use many scriptures in their attempt to
prove their point. Because of this, it will be necessary to
examine each foundational point in detail so that there will be
enough information on which to base an intelligent conclusion in
regard to this false doctrine. 1. Are people required to worship and serve the Sovereign Father and his Son or their names? The answer to this questions is of utmost importance to our salvation. Moreover, the question of whether or not to follow the Sacred Names doctrine is even more basic than the ability to correctly recognize and pronounce the name of the Ones who English speakers recognize as 'God the Father' and 'Jesus Christ.' The basic issues of the Sacred Names doctrine revolve around three foundational questions:
Once these
three basic questions are answered it is easy to see the fallacy
of the Sacred Names doctrine.
2. Is the meaning of a name important, or is it the pronunciation that is important? 3. What was God's name before the Genesis Flood? 4. Is the Hebrew name of God a 'mantra' or 'talisman' to the Sacred Names believer? 5. Is there some power in the Hebrew name of God when it is pronounced correctly? 6. Do the Sacred Names believers worship the Supreme Sovereign or do they worship his name? e answers to these questions are important in order to understand the seriousness of the Sacred Names doctrine and its potential impact on those who are truly seeking to worship the true Supreme Sovereign of all that exists. There is nothing inherently wrong with people using the Hebrew or Greek name of the Sovereign Father or his Son as a part of their language. The problem is not whether the name is 'Yah', 'Yahwey', 'Elohim', 'Theos', 'Logos' or any other derivation of what is thought to be the correct pronunciation of their sacred names; the problem is the importance some people place on the phonetic sound of the name in relation to salvation and the teaching that the inability to recognize or pronounce their names' adversely impacts on one's relationship with the Sovereign Father and his Son. The Sacred Names doctrine states clearly that, unless a person knows the exact name of God and its pronunciation, there is no salvation for that person. If this teaching is correct, there are many questions about how a person can and cannot gain salvation. This teaching leaves the following people without hope of salvation:
If the usage
of the phonetic sound of the name of the Savior is the only way
a person can obtain salvation, Abraham, Moses, King David and a
host of others will be left out of Kingdom of God, because none
of these people ever heard the name of the Savior.
Was Hebrew the universal language before the Flood? Many of the Sacred Names groups believe it was. However, there is no proof to substantiate this belief. Let Us Confuse Their Language
Here, we
learn four major things about these people who were building
this city and a tower:
Nowhere in this account is there any reference to these
people's language being a universal language or a language that
was spoken before the Great Flood. It is entirely possible that
there were many different pre-Flood languages, and that Noah and
his family brought any number of them to the post-Flood world.
The thing that precipitated God's intervention was the explosion
of knowledge and technology among the people who lived in this
one area of the world, and the need to stop their technological
progress in order for God's plan for the salvation of humanity
to proceed as scheduled (Gen.11:1-6).
There is abundant proof that the Great Flood of Noah's time did happen. However, there is no evidence that the language that Noah and his family spoke before this flood was Hebrew, because the flood destroyed the evidence. However, artifacts have been discovered that seem to indicate that a written language different from Hebrew existed before the Great Flood. In the spring of 1891 a farmer named J.H. Hooper discovered a buried wall many thousands of feet long, this wall extends from the Hiawassee river north of Chattanooga southward, where it dips under the Tennessee river. Upon this wall a number of blocks were discovered which were covered with hieroglyphics of a strange language interspersed with small pictures of the sun, crescent moon, and animals, many of which were unidentifiable. All together, 872 individual characters were noted with many being repeated, which indicates that these hieroglyphs were indeed a written language (Translations of the New York Academy of Sciences (11:26-29) written by A.L.Rawson). Tennessee Wall Hieroglyphs At Lawn Ridge north of Peori, Illinois, in August 1870 three workmen who were drilling a well brought up from a depth of 114 feet a coin-medallion in the drilling mud. This coin-medallion was about the size of a U.S. quarter and made of a copper alloy, machine rolled and acid etched with the picture of a woman on one side and the picture of a crouching animal on the other. Around the outer edges of both sides were found glyphs of very definite character, that show all the signs and form of alphabetic writing (Sparks From a Geologist Hammer by Professor Alexander Winchell). While these two discoveries do not prove that Hebrew was not one of the languages of the pre-flood world; their discovery does document extremely ancient languages of unknown origin that bear no resemblance to ancient or modern Hebrew, or any other known script. THE FATHER OF THE HEBREWS Eber, the father of the Hebrews, was not born until about 73 years after the Flood and at least 600 years after the Tower of Babel incident. If he was the father of the Hebrew language, what was God's name before Eber? Did the Hebrew language exist before Eber? What does history show to be the language in existence at the time of Babel? Some historians say that the Hebrew language only dates back to about 2,200 B.C. Of course some feel it is much older. The problem with any of the dates discussed is that there are just as many opinions as there are dates, and there is no totality of agreement among the various historians. However, it is known that Sumerian history antedates that of the Hebrews by about a thousand years. Therefore, it seems likely that, if there was a single language in use at the time of the Tower of Babel, it would have been Sumerian, which is definitely not Hebrew. Some point to the ancient Moabite Stone to prove Hebrew was the universal language, but the writing on the stone only proves two things: It shows that the name of the Hebrew God was different from the heathen god Baal, and that Hebrew was one among many languages in use during that time. According to the Encyclopedia Judaica, article 'Alphabet', the Hebrews adopted the alphabetic script along with cultural values from the Canaanites during the eleventh and twelfth centuries B.C.. They followed and used the Phoenician script until the ninth century B.C. when they began to develop their own national script. So, the Hebrew alphabet, as we know it today, had its origin in the proto-Canaanite alphabet and is not 'sacred' in any sense of the word. A NEW PURE LANGUAGE Why would God find it necessary to bring a new pure language to the earth if Hebrew is that pure language? The necessity of a pure language should raise questions as to the validity of Hebrew being the language of the future. It should also bring into question the Hebrew pronunciation of God's name as being the purest. The following scripture leaves no doubt as to when the Lord will restore or institute a pure language:
THE NEW TESTAMENT One of the reasons for discussing the Old and New Testaments separately in this study is to expose the fallacy of one of the major tenets of the Sacred Names doctrine that states that the New Testament was originally written in Hebrew, not Greek. If this were true, where are the original Hebrew documents kept? And can they be viewed and authenticated like the Greek documents? If this claim were true, where is this canonization of the New Testament in the Hebrew language? God says that he would preserve his word, so if it was preserved, where is it? There is no physical proof of this supposition! If indeed there is an original text, it has been hidden extremely well from those whose life work is to discover and publish such findings. Most importantly, why do the Sacred Names groups use and quote from the Greek New Testament to try to prove many of their doctrinal positions, if they do not believe it is a valid text? NO ACCURATE TRANSLATIONS In the article Exploding The Inspired Greek New Testament Myth by Assemblies of Yahweh, we find the following statement:
It is
interesting that all of the Sacred Names groups seem to agree
that the original New Testament was inspired. However, they say
there are no inspired or accurate translations of these original
texts in existence today. If the New Testament is not the
inspired Word of God, there is no reason to use it for spiritual
guidance or quote from it. Moreover, if there are no accurate
translations, we do not have a guide to salvation. And if there
is no guide, we are all without hope of eternal life, because in
this age we do not have a means of atoning for our sins, which
those of ancient Israel had (i.e., the sacrificial system and
the priesthood).
Many of the Sacred Names groups attack the King James translation by saying its translators were only mortal men. Yet, they recommend and quote from the Sacred Name translation, the Moffat, Rotherham, Smith, Goodspeed, Jerusalem Bible and many other translations, which were all translations by mortal men. Most scholars who support the idea that there is evidence of Aramaic influence behind the New Testament Scriptures limit this influence to only a few books. Some Sacred Names advocates carry this to the extreme by teaching that the entire New Testament was written in Aramaic. However, there is absolutely no proof that the New Testament was written in any language other than Greek. It is not the intention of this study to defame anyone's character. However, one can only wonder about the credibility of a person's or a group's research when they openly state that they do not believe the Greek New Testament translation is valid and proceed to use a scripture from the Greek translation as support for one of their major doctrines. If Sacred Names adherents feel that the Greek New Testament is not the inspired word of God, they should not use it to try to prove their beliefs, because it is not logical or scholarly. Furthermore, if these researchers want to be consistent in their logic and scholarship, they should not use the Greek New Testament to prove any of their beliefs. To accept the belief that there is no inspired New Testament requires the view that the early Christians were so indifferent and careless that they allowed the original writings of the apostles and others to be completely replaced without a word of protest. Such an assumption is preposterous. THE LAMSA TRANSLATION Many individuals in the Sacred Names groups believe that the authorized Bible of the Church of the East (i.e., the Peshitta) is the original canonized New Testament. Many quote from a translation of the Peshitta by George M. Lamsa and believe that Lamsa's translation was taken from an original Aramaic text; therefore, it should be used in place of the King James Version. There is no doubt that the Peshitta exists and is the Bible of the Church of the East but was it translated from the original New Testament text? In regard to the source of Lamsa's translation of the New Testament, one of the leaders of the Church of the East says,
Christ
reprimanded the disciples saying:
Lamsa translates the name of the Savior as 'Jesus Christ' and not 'Yahweh' or 'Yahshuah.' Moreover, the above scriptures in the Lamsa translation say that the original apostles were to go only to the descendants of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. If the apostles did deliver the canon to those of the Church of the East, they disregarded the clear instructions of Christ, because these people are not Israelites. Additionally, the Peshitta is written in Aramaic, not Hebrew. And this is documented by Lamsa and other scholars. If Aramaic, which is not Hebrew, was the language in which the original New Testament was written, why would the Aramaic version use many Greek and Chaldean words in its text? GREEK THE INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE During the time of Christ and the apostles, Greek was the language of the Roman world. The vast majority of the Diaspora (scattered Israelites) could not speak Hebrew or Aramaic. It is interesting that Jesus came from that section of Palestine that was regarded as corrupt in the eyes of the Jews in Jerusalem, because Greek was the common language there (Matt.4:15; 12:18; Jn.1:46). It is also interesting that neither Hebrew or Aramaic were suited for the proclamation of the gospel message, because they could not easily express the abstract concepts that are found in the New Testament. Christ commanded the apostles and disciples to preach the Gospel to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem (Lk.24:47). Greek was the inter- national language of the day; therefore, it was the most appropriate language in which to preach the gospel message. Acts 6 shows that the Jerusalem Church was comprised of Greek and Aramaic speaking Jews. In fact, the seven men appointed to oversee the needs of the widows all had Greek names, which indicates that they probably spoke the Greek language. Aramaic versions of the New Testament extant today are translations from the Greek, and it is well known that the origin of the Peshitta is unknown beyond the fact that it is a close translation from the Greek. Lamsa claims that the Peshitta Gospels preserve the words of Jesus better than the Greek Gospels; however, other scholars disagree and say that the Aramaic version does not preserve God's sacred name. THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS OF QUMRAN In 1947 a young Arab shepherd boy named Mohammed discovered a small cave that contained what are called the Dead Sea Scrolls. And from 1947 to 1955, many more caves were found to contain scrolls. What makes these scrolls so exciting is that some of them were written as early as 150 B.C., which gives further proof that the Old Testament we have today is textually correct. The astounding discovery of the first six caves establishes that the Essene people of Qumran were a part of the Jewish culture. However, a more startling find was made in mid-march of 1955 in cave number seven, which indicates that some of these Essenes were Christians. What people are not generally told is that the seventh cave contained portions of the books of Acts, Romans, Timothy, II Peter, and James, which were all written in the Greek language. Apparently, some of the Essene Jewish scholars who lived at Qumran around 70 A.D. had been converted to Christianity. The discovery of these New Testament fragments among these Qumran Dead Sea Scrolls proves that the Greek language was the language of the New Testament. These fragments of the New Testament constitute authentic evidence that the words of Jesus were widely known and recorded throughout the first century in Palestine. It is also evident that, as early as 70 A.D., the writings of the early church leaders were being compiled and collected in the Greek language of the day. BIBLE NUMERICS Bible numerics are a tremendous proof that the Old and New Testaments are both the inspired Word of God. Hebrew and Greek are two languages in which each letter of the alphabet has a numerical value. A number of books have been written to explain the numerical sequence of the subject matter of the Bible. This numerical system is so precise that it is exact to the primes of numbers. Both the Old (Hebrew) and New (Greek) Testaments fit together in this numerical structure no matter what the subject may be. However, the Chaldean/Aramaic cannot be made to work within this design. This is a dramatic and demonstrative proof that the New Testament was originally canonized in the Greek language. THE LANGUAGE OF THE TIME History shows us that Hebrew gave way to Aramaic by the time of our Savior. Although Hebrew had ceased to be used, the Aramaic that was used was called 'Hebrew'. Historians also agree that Greek was the language that united people in the Roman Empire. The Jewish historian Josephus shows in his writings that the Greek language was understood well by Jews living in and out of Palestine. In fact, the Mishna shows there were synagogues in which the Jewish law permitted Greek to be spoken:
And it
further permitted:
However, at
the time of Christ these books were
Although the
majority of historians and Biblical scholars agree that Aramaic
(not Hebrew) was the primary language of the Jewish inhabitants
of Judea, and that Greek was the universal second language of
the day, Josephus says:
"For our
nation does not encourage those who learn the languages of other
nations, and so adorn their discourses with the smoothness of
their periods; because they look upon this sort of
accomplishment [learning Greek] as common, not only to all sorts
of freemen, but to as many of the servants as pleased to learn
them. But they give him the testimony of being a wise man, who
is fully acquainted with our laws [which was rare among the
Jews!] and is able to interpret their meaning" (Antiquities
of the Jews, Book XX, chapter XI, Section 2).
Josephus says it was a rare Jewish scholar (i.e., wise man) who understood Hebrew well enough to be versed in the law. This is not only because Hebrew was extremely difficult to learn but also because Aramaic was the language of the Jews, not Hebrew. It was very common for the ordinary person to learn and speak Greek during the time of Christ. The books of Hebrews and Matthew are the only two books that historians have ever claimed were written in Hebrew or Aramaic/Chaldean, and translated into Greek for canonization. Even the Aramaic version of the New Testament that we have today is freely admitted to be translated from Greek, despite what Dr. Lamsa of the Lamsa Bible claims. The idea that Hebrew is a sacred language is not valid. The Sacred Names argument rests primarily on the assumption that the Hebrew language is some sort of sacred language to the exclusion of all other languages. There is no valid proof that there has ever been a pure language on the earth. God recognizes the various languages of the world, which was demonstrated on the day of Pentecost in 30 A.D., when the holy spirit was given to the apostles and disciples (Acts 2:1-11). Both the Old and New Testaments have words from many different languages spread liberally throughout (e.g., Chaldean, Latin, and Aramaic). It is not necessary to list the many words from the different languages that were used in the Bible, because the documentation is easily accessible from Bible helps and research publications. The important point is that God allowed words from other languages to be used to convey his truth. If Hebrew were to be the only language used for this purpose, there would not be a Greek translation of the New Testament for the elect of God to use; God would have given a Hebrew translation. The end-result of accepting the Sacred Name doctrine is a complete disbelief in the inspiration of the New Testament. If God went to the trouble of inspiring the New Testament in Aramaic, as Sacred Names advocates say, why would he allow it to become a corrupt and unreliable Greek text? Surely, such a concept is an open denial of the power and love of God! If God is as concerned about the world as Sacred Names advocates say, we can be sure he did not let his truth become corrupted. A PROPHETIC WARNING We are warned not to add to or take away from the prophecies of the Book of Revelation. To do so will result in the loss of salvation. This is a very serious penalty for tampering with the truth of God. Anyone who would assume the responsibility of reconstructing a new Hebrew version of the New Testament, which would include a restored Book of Revelation, should consider this warning:
WHO WAS THE CREATOR GOD? It is extremely easy to miss the conceptual meaning of many scriptures unless one understands the difference between God the Father and the Creator God. Once this knowledge is gained, much of the plan and purpose of the God family becomes crystal clear. Also when one is able to prove who the Creator God was in relation to the God family, the Sacred Names belief system can be understood for what it truly is. The foundational mistake the Sacred Names groups make is believing that the Sovereign God and the Creator God are the same God. This foundational mistake is the cornerstone on which they build their Sacred Names belief. They repeatedly state in their literature that one should worship the Creator God as God the Father. This foundational assumption is false. In fact, the false belief that the Creator God is the Father of the Messiah conceptually cuts one off from God the Father who is revealed in the New Testament.
It is very
hard to find a Bible scholar or a linguist who does not agree
that the word 'God' in verse one is the Hebrew word 'Elohim'
which is a plural noun that means 'Mighty Ones'.
However, here is where almost all agreement stops. This one word, which conveys the meaning of unity and allows for a plurality of spirit-beings, is the key to understanding what the Family of God is and who its members are. Without this understanding, it is impossible to comprehend the real meaning of the names of these 'Mighty Ones', the magnitude of the sacrifice of our Savior, or much of anything else to do with their awesome plan for mankind. A MIGHTY ONE NAMED EL In the Bible, the Hebrew word 'El' which means 'a Mighty One', is often translated as 'God'. In Exodus 17:1, 'El' is combined with another Hebrew word 'Shaddai' ('El-Shaddai') which means 'the Almighty God' or 'God the Almighty One'. THE 'I AM THAT I AM' When they first met, Moses asks God:
God tells
Moses that he is Elohim. All of the documentation available says
that Moses compiled the Book of Genesis and most of Exodus. In
compiling the Book of Genesis, Moses uses the Hebrew word 'El'
and its descriptive combinations to address and describe 'A
Mighty One'. Doesn't it seem strange that for the first 2,500
years of mankind's history Moses records the name of the Creator
God as being 'El' and not 'Yahweh' ('YHVH')?
The English
word 'I AM' is a translation of the Hebrew word
'Haya', which means 'to be', 'to become', 'to
exist', or 'to happen.' The Creator God told Moses to tell the
people that the 'Haya' (the 'One Who Is', the 'Self-Existent
One') is who he is.
If the Creator God wanted to be called Yahweh, he would not have had Moses call him 'Haya.'
El confirms
that he was only known to the Patriarchs by the names of El. But
what about this name 'Jehovah' in the King James translation?
THE WORD 'JEHOVAH' Although many people have been taught that 'Jehovah' is the correct name of God, it is not. A quick and easy search of Bible concordances, references, dictionaries and word study books will show that the word 'Jehovah' is a totally incorrect translation of the Hebrew word used for this deity:
This and
many other sources leave no doubt that the word 'Jehovah' is an
incorrect translation of the Hebrew word 'YHVH.'
WHY ALL THE CONFUSION? Why is there so much confusion about the name of God? The reason is that the true pronunciation of the Hebrew word 'YHWH' has been lost. Because the Hebrew language uses consonants and semi-consonants and does not use vowels, it was easy for the exact pronunciation of 'YHWH' to become lost. After the days of the prophet Jeremiah, the Jews became very superstitious and decided that the name YHWH was too holy to be spoken. Instead, they used the word 'Adonai', which means 'Lord' or 'Master'. Over time, the proper pronunciation of YHWH became lost. No one today knows exactly how to pronounce YHWH; therefore, there is much confusion about this name. THE TETRAGRAMMATON: Translation and Pronunciation Many people have done a lot of research concerning the tetragrammaton (YHWH) and they have assumed that by strength of mind, intellect, or divine guidance they would be able to discover the correct pronunciation of the tetragrammaton. However, even with the thousands of hours of scholarly research, labor, and reams and volumes of research papers and books written on the subject, the pronunciation of the tetragrammaton seems to be as elusive as ever. There are many who think that they have found the answer and can give a very convincing argument. But, so can their opposition. Where does this leave the non-scholar? Which researcher, scholar, body of theologians, or historians is one supposed to believe? The Name YHWH
The
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament by
Harris, Archer, and Waltke gives the following explanation of
the mysterious word 'YHWH' that is used in Exodus 6:3:
Although
The Theological Wordbook has about two
and a half pages of some of the best scholarly work to be found
on this subject, it is not the final authority. There are many
who disagree totally with the conclusions reached by the authors
of this book. However, the most important authority on this
subject is the Bible.
GOD THE FATHER AND THE SON In John 1:1-14 there are some very difficult scriptures, which cannot be understood without the knowledge of who and what the Family of God is. If one believes in Monotheism, Dualism, or Trinitarianism, one cannot understand what is being said in the first chapter of John. But, if one knows that the Family of God consists of two members - God the Father and the Creator God (God the Son) - these scriptures can be understood.
In this
context, the 'Word' (Greek: 'Logos')
does not mean a part of speech or language. It is a title of the
Son of God:
At the
beginning of creation there was one called the Word and this
Word was with God (Greek: 'Theos'
which means 'Deity'). Not only was this Word with the Deity
(God) but also the Word was a Deity.
John makes a
further distinction between these two spirit-beings (the Logos
and the other Deity) by restating the fact that this Logos was
with the Deity. Why would John emphasize this distinction if
there is only one God?
John says
all things that exist were made by the Logos who was with the
Deity. Why did John have to explain this? We know that he was
writing to Christians and Israelites who should have known the
identity of God. So why was he expounding on this
fundamental principle?
The Mystery of God The apostle Paul spoke of God the Father and Jesus Christ as a mystery that was understood by the Colossians and the Ephesians. When this mystery is understood, it becomes much easier to comprehend the gospel message and its importance to the plan of God for the salvation of humanity:
Paul also
makes the same distinction that John did regarding these two
distinct, individual spirit-beings and the relationship between
them.
Paul also substantiates the writings of John in stating that there is one God who is in charge (the Supreme Sovereign) and directed Christ to create all that exists:
The apostle
John stated:
Simply put,
the vast majority of the people who saw and heard Jesus did not
know or understand who he was or why he came to earth. The same
can be said for the generation in which we live today; very few
people really know who he was and the truth and purpose of his
coming.
This powerful spirit-being came to earth to perform a mission of great importance, and the vast majority of the people he came into contact with did not even know who he was:
This may
seem sad on the surface; however, it was part of the plan that
was made before the foundation of the earth by the one called
'Logos' and the One called 'Theos.'
John further explains who our Savior was: .
Here, John
introduces the reality of the spirit-being called 'the Father,'
and there is no doubt from the context that this spirit-being is
distinctly different from the Word. The Father is the one whom
John says the Word was with. The Father is also the one who Paul
says made all things by Christ.
If Jesus Christ is the Mighty One who created all that is, which is plainly stated by John and Paul and a multitude of scriptures, who is this spirit-being John calls 'the Father'? THE MIGHTY ONE OF ISRAEL The Sacred Names groups assume that the Mighty One of ancient Israel is the one we call the Messiah, and that he and his Father are the same spirit-being. This assumption contradicts what Jesus and the apostles said about the Father. The truth is that the scriptures speak of two separate spirit-beings - God the Father and God the Son. NO HUMAN HAS SEEN GOD
Many people
believe that these two scriptures refer to the Creator God when
they say that no man has seen God. However they actually refer
to God the Father, who sent the Creator God to become his
physical son and to reveal him as the Sovereign Father of all
that exists and to teach his message of salvation.
John clearly says that no man has seen God, and Jesus says that no one has heard the Father's voice or seen his shape; therefore, there should be no question that the God spoken of by John and Jesus is not the same God that walked and talked with humans on earth. Adam and Eve Walked and Talked with God
Some try to
justify their monotheistic belief by explaining that the
spirit-being people saw and talked with was only an angel who
represented God. However, the scriptures plainly state in the
accounts where God met and talked with people that it was
actually God who spoke with people, not an angel:
Not only did
Adam and Eve hear the voice of God but also they were afraid to
stand in his presence.
After
speaking at some length to Adam, Eve, and the serpent, the
Creator makes a statement that proves he was not the only God.
To whom was
the Creator referring when he said "as one of us"?
Was he talking to an angel or was he talking to someone else?
Remember, the One we call our Savior was the One who created all
things (Jn.1:1-5; Eph.3:9). This reference to a plurality of
God-beings becomes very important in reaching a conclusion as to
the Father and Son relationship.
Cain Spoke with the Creator
There is no
mention of an angel speaking for the Creator here. It is clear
that the Creator is the one speaking.
God Spoke to Noah
Conversations with Abraham
The Creator appeared to Abram and also sat down and ate a meal with him and his wife Sarah:
Because this type of food preparation takes a considerable amount of time, there would have been ample time for conversation while waiting for the food to be cooked and served. During this meeting God reveals to Abraham why he came:
The rest of
chapter eighteen details the conversation between the Creator
and Abraham about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Jacob and the Creator
The common
belief is that Jacob wrestled with an angel, but this is not
true; it was actually the Creator who wrestled with Jacob:
Moses, Aaron, and Israel
Exodus chapters 3 and 4, show that the Creator personally spoke to Moses and Aaron and he appointed them to be his servants. Moreover on one occasion, he spoke to the entire nation of Israel on one occasion:
In Exodus
chapter 20, God speaks to the people of Israel, which was a very
frightening experience for the Israelites. In fact, it was so
frightening to them that they requested that the Creator speak
to them through Moses, not directly to them.
Moses and the Elders Moses and the Elders of Israel not only had a meeting with the Creator but also they ate a meal with him on Mount Sinai:
Face
to Face
This is a very clear statement, which shows the kind of close, personal communication the Creator had with Moses. Most people seem to think that the Creator hid himself from mankind and only dealt with his creation through visions or angles. However, this was not the case. The Creator's Glory
It is
apparent from the biblical evidence, that many people have seen
the Creator in the physical form of a man, and some people were
allowed to see a small glimpse of his glorified form. Without a
doubt, the scriptures show that humans have talked to and seen
the Mighty One who created all that exists. Therefore, who is
the being that Jesus and the apostles continually refer to as
'the Father' whom no one has seen nor heard?
JESUS SENT TO REVEAL THE FATHER
Only Christ
can reveal who the Father is and he does this through the Bible
for those who are sensitive to the things of the spirit. See
Psa.111:10.
Jesus says
that if they had really known the God whom they professed to
obey, they would have known that Jesus was the God of their
fathers, whom they prophesied would come in the flesh. And if
they knew that, they would have been able to know that Christ
came to reveal the Father to them and they would know both Jesus
and his Father.
Christ Did Not Send Himself
Christ did
not send himself, as some people teach. The scriptures clearly
say the One who is called 'God the Father' sent him to become
the Savior of humanity.
Jesus
clearly says that he came to earth as a representative of his
Father. Just as the people did not believe the clear statements
of the Savior then, they do not believe his written word today:
WHO
IS THE FATHER?
The Savior was the Mighty One who created all that exists, which is plainly stated by John, Paul, and in a multitude of scriptures. But, who is this Father who sent him to earth? Who is this being John calls 'the Father'?
It is Jesus
who is able to reveal the things concerning the Father and the
mystery surrounding their Father-Son relationship.
Why did Christ have to reveal certain things about the Father? The only logical answer to why the Father sent Jesus to reveal his existence and so many things about himself (e.g., who he is, what his name is, and what he is doing), was that humanity did not know of his existence and it was time to reveal himself in order for the next phase of his plan for humanity to go forward.
At this
point in history, there were very few people who had any
knowledge of who the Father and Jesus Christ were.
Here, Jesus
asks God the Father to return him to his former state of
existence as an immortal God in the Family and Kingdom of God.
Jesus had
fulfilled his mission to prepare those whom the Father had
called to salvation and to be taught the truth of God concerning
the Family and Kingdom of God and their plan for humanity.
THE FATHER IS IN HEAVEN
These are
just a few of the many scriptures that reveal the Father is in
heaven. A small amount of study will reveal that the Father will
not come to the earth to reside until the final phase of the
plan for humanity. See our study concerning the Festival of the
Eighth Day for details about the coming of the Father to earth.
It is extremely important to understand that, unless a person knows who the Father is, there can be no understanding of the gospel message that Jesus taught, because it is the Father's message. WHAT IS THE FATHER LIKE?
In reply to
Thomas and Philip, Jesus says that he had revealed what the
Father was like to them. Jesus revealed the Father's existence,
attitudes, thoughts, desires, love, and personality through his
own example and teaching.
THE FATHER'S NAME The next few pages contain many of Jesus' references to the Father. Through these scriptures, it is possible to know what the Father is like and what he wants to be called:
Why did
Christ have to reveal the Father and the Father's name if the
Father was the Creator God? The nation of Israel knew the
Creator God's name. Therefore, it should be obvious that, if God
the Father found it necessary to send someone to reveal who he
is, he is not the God the Israelites had known.
His Name is Father Our Savior said to call upon our 'Father' who is in heaven. The Greek word used in the New Testament to refer to the Father is 'Pater', which is from a root word, that means 'nourisher', 'protector', and 'upholder'. See Matt.6:9; Lk.11:12; Jn.14:13; 15:16. Some who believe in a monotheistic, dualistic, or a triune God think that somehow our Savior was praying to a part of himself, which he left in heaven while he was on earth. Confusing? Yes, it is confusing and it is not very logical in light of all the very clear scriptures that state Jesus prayed to a being called the Father. TO WHOM DID JESUS PRAY?
Mark records
a very revealing statement that our Savior made just before his
death:
Jesus quotes
a prophetic Psalm (quoted below) that foretold what the
Messiah's thoughts and words would be in the last moments of
life as a human:
Our Savior
gave instructions on how to ask the Father for what we need in
what is commonly called the Lord's prayer:
Christ says
that his followers should pray to the Father who he came to
reveal. Conceptually, if a person prays to the God of ancient
Israel, they are praying to the wrong God. The Father was not
the Sovereign God of ancient Israel; he is the Sovereign Father
of all that exists. This concept can only be understood if one
understands that the Father and the Son are two separate and
distinct individuals in the Family of God.
THE FATHER'S MESSAGE The good news that Jesus Christ was sent to proclaim was not his message. He was the messenger, just as John the Baptist was the messenger who foretold and prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah. Jesus Christ did not send himself as some teach; he was sent by God the Father to bring his message to humanity:
Clearly the
good news message that Jesus brought is from God the Father who
is the Sovereign of all that exists.
The apostle Paul also says that the good news message that he preached as a servant of Jesus Christ was not his message but was a message sent from God the Father (2Thes. 1:1-12):
The
Message
Since the life, death, and resurrection of the Father's Son, there has been much preached solely about Jesus as a person. As a result, millions do not believe that the message the Father sent his Son to proclaim is the Father's good news. The Sovereign Father sent his Son bearing his GOOD NEWS of how to become a part of his divine Family and Kingdom, and that his Family and Kingdom are coming to earth to bring peace and happiness to this troubled world. The Father's message is a message of hope for a wonderful, peaceful, and happy existence under his care and protection for eternity. This is the good news that Jesus, the apostles, and the early Church proclaimed. This is the message that has not been preached in its totality for centuries. Moreover, this is the message that Jesus said would be proclaimed and published to all of the world just before his return as King of kings and Lord of lords.
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