There is Power in His Name!

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Master Yeshua the Messiah, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
1 Cor 8:5-6
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As I begin this article I would like to state that we have complete faith in the inerrancy of the Holy Bible as the Word of God.  But in the matter of the names of God, we simply prefer to call Him by His name for who He Is.  For reasons explained below, we want to make it clear that we serve only the God of the Bible and Jesus the Messiah.

If you are unfamiliar with using the names of God, you may find it beneficial to know that some people are very dogmatic about the issue; that is not the case with us. This is simply something we choose to do for the reasons expressed in this article and others.  Some of us use these names more than others, some not at all.

Why Yahweh and Yeshua?
We are sometimes asked why we often say Yahweh instead of “The LORD” and Yeshua instead of “Jesus”.

Much of the reason is that we simply want others to know what God we serve.  Most of the time, in the Bible, “God” is simply referred to as either “God” or “The Lord”. However, these are but a couple of His titles. They are not His name.  In Most cases where the Bible says “The Lord”, the original language actually says His name.

For a vast variety of reasons, false teachers, preachers, popes and prophets have capitalized on this ambiguity (see the picture on the right) and so we would like to help clear up the confusion.

In Psalm 105:1 we read:
O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.

And in Isaiah 12:4 we read:
And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.

It is commonly understood that The “Old Testament” of the Bible was primarily, originally, written in Hebrew to and for Israel. The Christian faith then is simply an expression of those principles.

In the “Old Testament”during the translation from Hebrew to English, in most English Bibles the name “Yahweh” was unfortunately removed and replaced with “the LORD”. But just as the Scripture verse above (1 Cor 8:5-6) states; there are indeed many gods or “lords”.

YHWH ~ Yahweh

As the second of the Ten Commandments relates, Yahweh is a jealous God. And so it’s important that all who are in covenant with The Most High God proclaim to the world that it is to Yahweh, The Most High, and to Him alone, that we offer our praise, worship and adoration. And that it is by none other than Yeshua the Messiah that we may approach the Father.

The name of “Yahweh”, the God of the Bible has been removed by translators and then replaced with the title “The LORD” over five thousand times in the “Old Testament” alone. This substitution may have accomplished more for the cause of the devil than any other single act in history. Why? Because for those who challenge Yahweh, the God of the Bible, and certainly for those who are called according to His purpose there is POWER in His name! Remove the name and you are left lacking.

In James 2:19 we read:
Thou believes that there is one God; thou do well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Look at these same verses I cited above again when translated according to what the original language in the text actually says.

In Ps 105:1 we read:
O give thanks unto Yahweh; call upon His name: make known his deeds among the people.

And in Isaiah 12:4 we read:
And in that day shall you say, Praise Yahweh, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted.

Here are some more verses that come alive when we read them according to how they were originally written, including the name of the Most High God.

Ps 113:2-4
2Blessed be the name of Yahweh from this time forth and for evermore. 3From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same Yahweh’s name is to be praised. 4 Yahweh is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens.

Prov 18:10
The name of Yahweh is a strong tower: the righteous run into it and they are safe.

Isa 59:19
So shall they fear the name of Yahweh from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of Yahweh shall lift up a standard against him.

Blessed is the name of Yeshua (Jesus)

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in
the name of our Lord(Master) Yeshua (the) Messiah
Eph 5:20

As we receive the faith of Jesus / Yeshua so that we may know the Messiah better, we often refer to Jesus as Yeshua because it is more historically and grammatically correct.

Considering the etymology of the name “Jesus”; we find that, though there are various views on the matter, this name seems to have no meaning whatsoever. Jesus (Yeshua) was a Hebrew and not having a name that carries a meaning would have been very foreign to the Hebrew way. In Hebrew, all names have a significant meaning.

Some people think that Jesus would have been His Greek name because He lived in a Greek culture and the New Testament was written in Greek.  While it is true that He was raised in a Greek culture, the Messiah of Israel was not Greek and it seems contrary that He would have adopted a Greek name while identifying Himself so passionately as the King of Israel.

Also, we don’t know what language the New Testament was originally written in because the original documents have never been found.  Actually, there is strong evidence to indicate that much, if not all, of the New Testament was indeed originally penned in Hebrew.

The name Yeshua means “Yah is my Salvation”; “Yah” is short for “Yahweh”. While “Yeshua” is the common spelling, to emphasize the meaning of the name some spell it Yahshua.  The name “Yeshua” does have a meaning and it is much more in line with both New and Old Testament evidence that seems to indicate that was the Messiah’s name.

Because we desire to honor The Messiah as much as possible we want to honor His name.

The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

Some things have been lost to history
No one knows for sure the correct pronunciation of the Hebrew letters for Yahweh or Yeshua because both have been lost to the ages. This is part of the reason we are not dogmatic about the issue.

But we do know that neither Yahweh nor Yeshua would have been referred to as “lord” which is an old English title rather than a Hebrew name.

Conclusion
Please remember that this is not something we are dogmatic about; it is not foundational to our beliefs.  We do not build a religion around this issue as some do. I have studied this issue extensively and have determined that for every position to take (even if you don’t have one) there are three reasons not to.

Accordingly, we temper these things with some common sense and reasonableness.  After all, I myself am the blessed recipient of several mighty miracles, God blessed me with, that were experienced in the name of Jesus.

Victory is yours!
But when righteousness goes forth in the name of Yahweh, the God of the Bible, or His Son, Yeshua, POWERFUL things happen.

Send the devil packin’. Declare the victory that has been won. Call on the Mighty names of Yeshua today. Make the demons flee and let’s work together to restore God’s people!!

Seek you first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness;
and all these things will be added unto you.
Matt 6:33

Parson Rayphe
Biblical Counselor ~ Pastor
Together Fellowship

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Related Article:
The Hebrew Roots of the Christian Faith

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