WHO IS GOD?
Rev. Steve Marlowe, M. Div.
Mankind’s need for God has never been greater. Our lives depend on knowing Him. And yet there is much confusion as to who God truly is. We are told that there are many gods and many Lords. “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 Lord YAHSHUA theChrist, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. However, there is not in everyone that knowledge…” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6). Did you know that even Satan is called “god,” as found in the New Testament? “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. We do not preach ourselves, but Christ YAHSHUA the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for YAHSHUA’S sake. For it is the God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of YAHSHUA the Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:1-6).
To distinguish Himself from the many gods, who have their power from the one true God, that is our God, who has given Himself a name. Man cannot name God, nor can the languages of mankind change the revelation of God’s true and only name revealed by Him. Moses knew enough not to make a name for God, and so Moses rightly asked for God’s name. “Then Moses said to God, ‘Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, What is His name? What shall I say to them?’ And God said to Moses, “HaYAH Ashar HaYAH” (translated: “I AM WHO I AM”). And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM {YAH} has sent me to you.’ Moreover, God said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This {YAH} is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations” (Exodus 3:13-15). “HaYAH” literally means, “The I AM.” YAH is the name which is above every name. This name sets the supreme God of gods apart from all others. “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome…” (Deuteronomy 10:17). And we who truly seek after Him, praise Him as YAH, and we all say, “Halleluyah!” This means, “Praise YAH.”
Many have thought God’s name is God, but no, this is a title, and as we can see, there are many gods, with this title, not to mention the gods of idolatry, which mankind has made with their own hands. Just as President is a title, there is one US President, but many presidents. And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I YHWH, I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as El Shaddai [God Almighty], but by My name YaHaWaH, I was not known to them” (Exodus 6:2-3). YAH means I AM, and Hawah, which has now been modified as the Waw is now a Vav (YHVH), therefore, “havah” means, to exist, to breathe, to be, as in ever-present (see Strong’s Dictionary of Bible Words #1933, #1934). YAHAWAH has been modified by man to YAHAVAH.
God’s personal name is made known to us through His Word, the Bible. That name has four main consonants translated into English as YHWH, as pronounced in Hebrew Yod, Hey, Waw, Hey. The name YAHAWAH has been hidden from the Gentles. Many know God by the name Jehovah, a name never revealed by God. The name Jehovah is found in the Bible, “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth” (Psalm 83:18 KJV). Today, most scholars agree with the name YAHWEH. God revealed one name, YAHAWAH, but now there are two others YAHWEH and Jehovah, and thus there is a major discrepancy here. How did we get from YAHAWAH, or YAHWEH to Jehovah, clearly, these three names have nothing to do with each other. It started with William Tyndale (born c. 1494 – died c. 6 October 1536) an English biblical scholar and linguist who became a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation in the years leading up to his execution. He is well known as a translator of the Bible into English and was influenced by the works of prominent Protestant Reformers such as Martin Luther.
The name “Jehovah” was first introduced by William Tyndale in his English translation of the Bible, as exemplified in Exodus 6:3, and we read: “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them.” The name Jehovah is considered an interpolation, and it appears in some other early English translations including the Geneva Bible, and as quoted above the King James Version. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops states that in order to pronounce the Tetragrammaton "it is necessary to introduce vowels that alter the written and spoken forms of the name (i.e. ‘Yahweh’ or ‘Jehovah’)." Jehovahappears in the Old Testament of some widely used translations including the American Standard Version (1901) and Young's Literal Translation (1862, 1899); the New World Translation (1961, 2013) uses Jehovah in both the Old and New Testaments. Jehovah does not appear in most mainstream English translations, some of which use Yahweh but most continue to use "Lord" or "LORD" to represent the Tetragrammaton. Why did these later, or modern, translators of the Bible remove the name Jehovah, which was first placed into the Bible in the 17th century CE?
The name Jehovah was never revealed by God and certainly was never revealed to Moses. Many, unfortunately, believe the name revealed to Moses is incommunicable and unpronounceable. The four actual consonants of God’s revealed name are YHWH, called by scholars the Tetragrammaton, as these consonants are found in the Hebrew Scriptures, but later, removed and as found in the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, was covered by the Greek word for LORD, Kurios, and later translated into English as Lord, and later LORD. The practice of not speaking the name of God started in the year 587 BCE. It was the desire of the Jewish leaders not to afford an opportunity for the Gentile Babylonians to profane the Holy Name of God, therefore, they stopped saying the name. Nebuchadnezzar II ordered the upper classes of the Kingdom of Judea to be taken to Babylon to serve the king. The soldiers were ordered upon pain of death to bring them unharmed. It became evident that the Jews were under deep duress, and may die along the way. The Babylonian soldiers did everything in their power to ease their journey. It was asked by the Babylonians of the Jews to sing to their God as a way of cheering them up. The Jews felt compelled to do as requested, but they realized there was a problem, as expressed in Psalm 137:1-4, By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion. We hung our harps Upon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, and those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying,‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’ How shall we sing the Lord’s song In a foreign land?” The Jews decided to never say the name and so to say, “Adonay,” or “HaShem,” or another substitute expression. This practice continues to this day.
The Name Jehovah is a result of the Jews developing the practice of adding vowels from another word, such as Eloah to the Tetragrammaton (YHWH). This was done to remind the readers in the synagogues to say, “Adonay,” instead, and was never meant, nor intended, that the pronunciation of YHWH with the vowels from Eloah, no, but to say, “Adonay,” instead. The vowels of Eloah were added to YHWH, which would appear to form the hybrid name “YeHoWaH,” and as the Tetragrammaton changed to YHVH, the vowels of Eloah caused the hybrid name “YeHoVaH” or Yehovah. This hybrid name changed yet again with the late addition of the letter J into the English alphabet causing the present hybrid name “Jehovah.” This name Jehovah, a euphonious name, is believed by modern scholarship to be a hybrid name, fantastic, and by definition, monstrous, a mongrel. The facts are only to be known to validate this verdict, and to vindicate not using this name in any further translations of the Bible. The pronunciation of Iehovah, or now Jehovah, was largely unknown until the year 1520 when it was introduced by Peter Galatinus, confessor to Pope Leo X. To give the vowels of Eloah to the Tetragrammaton JHVH causing the hybrid name pronounced “Jehovah” is about as hybrid a combination as it would be to spell the name Germany with the vowels in the name Portugal–viz., Gormuna (Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible, Kregel Publications, 1959, p. 25). Iehovah began in 1520, or in the 16th century, while Jehovah began in the 17th century with the addition of the letter J (see Strong’s Dictionary of Bible Words #3068). It should be noted, that this practice of adding the vowels of Eloah to cause the euphonious name Jehovah began around the year 1100 CE, and throughout the Medieval times numerous examples are found within the Hebrew Bible of the vowels placed onto the Tetragrammaton by Jewish clerics to remind the readers to say, “Adonay,” or some other title, like “HaShem.” However, there are other examples of other words used, such as Adonay, as the vowels added causing Yahovaih, or possibly causing YAHWEH, and the use of the vowels from Elohim causing Jehovih (see Strong’s Dictionary of Bible Words #3069).
The name Jehovah is monstrous. Je-hovah, as “hovah” in Hebrew, means ruin, mischief, and calamity (see Strong’s Dictionary of Bible Words #1942, #1943). With the variations of Jehovah, Jehovih, and Yahweh, the practice of adding vowels from words, Eloah, Elohim, and Adonay, should be very evident to all willing to give an honest assessment, which proves that the name Jehovah was never revealed by God to anyone! Because Jehovah means ruin, mischief, and calamity, scholars have wrongly tied the Hebrew word or expression, “HaYah,” to this definition (see Strong’s Dictionary of Bible Words #1962). The true definition of “HaYAH” is found in Strong’s #1961, which is “to exist,” or “to be,” and so, HaYAH means “to become,” occur, come to pass, or ever-present. Clearly, the association of HaYAH with ruin, and calamity, is a mistake.
The Savior Himself told the people that He is YAH, the I AM (John 8:58). The Prophet Isaiah acknowledged that He YAH is our salvation (Isaiah 12:2). Christ’s only name is YAHSHUA, as the apostle Paul acknowledged, that He has the name which is above every name (Philippians 2:9). The Father gave Him, the Son of God, this name YAH (I AM), and YAHSHUA said, 6 “I have revealed Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have followed Your word. 7 Now they have come to know that everything which You have given Me is from You; 8 for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. 9 I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but on the behalf of those whom You have given Me, because they are Yours; 10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 I am no longer going to be in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are. 12 While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name, which You have given Me; and I guarded them, and not one of them perished except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled (John 17:6-12 NASB). The Father gave this name YAH to the Son, and so the angel told Joseph, and you shall name Him YAHSHUA, for He will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). YAH, I AM, and shua, salvation, thus His name means, “I AM Salvation.”
Why does it matter that Christ’s revealed name is YAHSHUA? This is why, Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—[f]by [g]this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the stone which was rejectedby you, the builders, but which became the chief cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:8-12).
One might say, “Even though you are telling me this, I was saved in the name of Jesus. I do not have to accept this name YAHSHUA.” Well, the Gospel would tell you differently, consider this: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18). If you reject the name of YAHSHUA for a substitute name, yea, even as it is a counterfeit name, you will stand condemned.
YAHOSHUA is claimed by some scholars to be a “philological impossibility.” This name is more accurate than the name Yehoshua, which is not claimed as a “philological impossibility.” Why? Because YAHOSHUA has the name which is above every name, YAH, as in Halleluyah, Praise YAH! Truth is not inconsistent. The way the name of salvation is treated as if it does not matter that God took the trouble to reveal it to those few who would hold to it dearly is telling (Matthew 7:13-14). We can see inconsistency in Alleluia, Hallelujah, and Halleluyah, in order for there to be truth, we must have consistency, and so it goes, “After these things I heard what sounded like the loud noise from a large crowd in heaven, saying, “Halleluyah!
Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God. 2 His judgments are true and fair.
He has condemned the notorious prostitute who corrupted the world with her adulterous sins. He has taken revenge on her for the blood of His servants.” 3 A second time they said, “Hallelujah! The smoke goes up from her forever and ever.” 4 The 24 leaders and the 4 living creatures bowed and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They said, “Amen! Hallelujah!” 5 A voice came from the throne. It said, “Praise our God, all who serve and fear him, no matter who you are.” 6 I heard what sounded like the noise from a large crowd, like the noise of raging waters, like the noise of loud thunder, saying, “Halleluyah! The Lord our God, the Almighty, has become King” (Revelation 19:1-6). YAHSHUA shall reign as King, Halleluyah, Praise YAH, Praise YAHSHUA! Iehovah, Jehovah, Yehovah, Jesus, Iesus, and Iesous, are counterfeit names never revealed by God!
Many say that because Hebrew words in the Hebrew Bible have no vowels in their words, it is impossible to know the true name of God, however, that is a lie. We know YAH! Yet, despite their false assessment and despite their claim that it is impossible to know the true name of God, they insist on making up a name. They go against clergy, who say, “We should not use the name, but instead, say, “Lord”, or “God.” They say, that, “The vital point is not what pronunciation you use for the Divine name, whether “Yahweh,” “Jehovah”, or “Baal,” as long as the pronunciation you use is common in your language. What is wrong is to fail to use that name. Because those who do not use whatever name they can make up, would not be identified with the ones called out to be “a people for His name.” This kind of reasoning escapes me. If God gave Adam power and dominion over the animals, and to demonstrate his dominion, he named them all. And now, are we to take dominion over our God, that we should name Him? I think not!
In conclusion, I have asked Jehovah’s Witnesses, what justifies the use of the name Jehovah, and on those occasions, I was told a few times, that they accept the name Jehovah on the basis that it is well known and accepted. So I asked them, “Well, Christmas is well known and accepted, so why don’t you celebrate Christmas? Their answer was, “Christmas is not true.” And I said, “Well, neither is the name Jehovah, and that does not stop you from celebrating that name.”
