There are a few indications that one of the problems of the beliefs of the JWs is that too much emphasis is put on the Hebrew Scriptures. It is true that all scripture is beneficial, but when Jesus came to the earth many things changed and I feel that in some ways JWs are still stuck in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Hebrews 1:1,2 – “God, who long ago spoke on many occasions and in many ways to our forefathers by means of the prophets, 2 has at the end of these days spoken to us by means of a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the systems of things.”

The Hebrew Scriptures are inspired of God and we can learn much of how he dealt with the nation of Israel and there are certain prophecies that have yet to be fulfilled, however, as Christians to what part of the bible should we give primary attention?

“God has spoken to us by means of a Son”, shouldn’t we therefore give preference to his teachings and the teachings of his followers? To ignore teachings of the Christian Greek Scriptures and give favor to those of the Hebrew Scriptures is not progress, it is the opposite.

I feel the JWs have in some cases given preference to the Hebrew Scriptures over the revelations of Jesus and his disciples in the New Testament. For instance the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” is straight out of the Hebrew Scriptures in Isaiah. But is that what Christ’s followers are to be called? The first century Christians were not called Jehovah’s Witnesses, they were known as Christians. They were in fact Christ’s witnesses.

Acts 1:8 – “…YOU will be witnesses of me both in Jerusalem and in all Ju·de´a and Sa·mar´i·a and to the most distant part of the earth.”

If you read carefully the Christian Greek Scriptures one thing that will stand out is the emphasis that the first century Christians gave Jesus. They do not ignore Jesus’ Father however the primary attention is given to Jesus. This is how YHWH wants it to be, since all glory given to the son is given to the Father. This is just the opposite in any meeting of JWs. You will here the name Jehovah scores of times in any meeting. Jesus is mentioned much less.

In the Greek Scriptures YHWH is referred to as Our Father or the Father of our Lord Jesus which would indicate a closer relationship with Him than the Israelites had. When I speak to my earthly father I don’t  use his first name. Even when I talk about him to others I refer to him as my father not by his first name. This would indicate that I feel respect for him as my father. I believe it would sadden him to hear me refer to him by his first name.

I am not trying to say we should never use the name Jehovah, but it would appear that the first century Christians used it a lot less than JWs do today. As Christians we have been offered a much closer relationship with Him than the Israelites were. That is why Jesus taught us to refer to Him as “Abba” or Father.

 

While realizing that Christians are not under the Mosaic Law, the organization of JWs has in many ways tried to institute another law system to JWs. In this way also they are stuck in the Hebrew Scriptures. Under the New Covenant the law for Christians would be written on their heart. The JWs however have many additional rules that must be adhered to in order to remain in good standing with the congregation. For the most part they do not enjoy freedom in Christ (Gal. 5:1). There is a highly developed system of rules and “counsel” that deal with almost every conceivable area of life.

Under the old Law Covenant the people had to go to other humans, to earthly priests, to intercede between them and God. Now under the New Covenant Jesus is the only Mediator between man and God (1 Timothy 2:5). It is no longer necessary to turn to imperfect humans in order to have a relationship with God.

The JWs have turned back the clock to the time before Jesus came to the earth and gave his life. The JW organization insists that one must go through them in order to have a relationship with God as if they served in the position of the levitical priests of old.

The rejecting of the heavenly hope for most JWs is also typical of their giving priority to the Hebrew Scriptures. The heavenly hope was not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, but when Jesus came, he and his disciples made clear what was the hope for faithful Christians.

This preference for the Hebrew Scriptures is understandable since the organization teaches that the Greek Scriptures are not applicable to the vast majority of Christians alive today. Many JWs are being robbed of the close father/son relationship they could have with God, because of the teachings of the organization.

Although reading the Hebrew Scriptures in our personal bible reading is important, why don’t we make the reading of God’s revelation through His son, “the heir of all things”, in the New Testament a priority? Try to read it through several times using a different version of the bible each time, if possible. I believe you will find that the hope that all Christians hold in common will grow and grow in your heart. You will find that the parts you thought at one time didn’t apply to you become more and more pertinent to you. Let us never neglect this wonderful gift.

 

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43 Comments on What Part of the Bible Deserves Priority?

  1. DanielB says:

    Yes Andrew; I have noticed this too, and it is as though one foot is standing in the Jewish system and one in Christendom. There is the “wall” for example, which is their wall, and not Jehovah’s. Truly Messiah deserves the focus in Scripture, with more care in avoiding the climbing up on some other place.

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    • phil says:

      I agree with you .Our focus should be on Jesus and getting to know him.We seem so transfixed into knowing where a particular scripture is or being able to name the twelve tribes of Judah (example). How about getting to know Our Saviour developing a true love and relationship with him fellowshipping with the Holy Sirit. We think we have life in the scriptures ( john 5:39) when in fact the scriptures bear witness about Our Messiah. It is in him and him crucified we have life.

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  2. JJ says:

    Amen Andrew- I’ve been thinking about this lately and it is so true. We need to read the Gospels ten times as much as we need to
    read 1 Chronicles or Leviticus.

    As for the use of God’s name, that too has been overdone, and has become a talisman or good luck charm to some among us Witnesses.

    A question on this statement:
    “I believe it would sadden him to hear me refer to him by his first name”

    Tell me more why you feel that way? I’m not sure I see your reasoning there.

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    • andrew says:

      I was referring to my earthly father. If I began to use his first name to address him that would indicate that that intimacy between father and son wouldn’t be there anymore.

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      • Picardo371 says:

        Hi Andrew,

        Interesting post. This has been the subject of a series of e-mails between my mother and I over the last few days. It’s all due to a tag I have at the end of my e-mails. It reads as follows;

        If GOD brings you to it, He will bring you through it. Happy moments, praise GOD. Difficult moments, seek GOD. Quiet moments, worship GOD. Painful moments, trust GOD. Every moment, thank GOD.

        This tag elicited the following response from her.

        “It’s so sad to think my son who at one time knew Jehovah and used his name no longer believes it’s important to do so and uses captions such as these that do not bring honor or glory to Jehovah”.

        So from this caption she has determined that, 1. I no longer use Jehovah’s name, 2. Because of that I no longer know Jehovah. WOW!!! You can add to those two things that I am also proud, haughty, wise in my own eye’s, need to humble myself and need to study with the elders. She was really throwing some zingers!

        One point I made was that if the purpose of using Jehovah’s name was to bring honor and glory to it then they should actually use the name Yahweh. Biblical theologians and even Fred Franz himself admitted that this was the more accurate way to pronounce God’s name but because Jehovah is the more commonly known form of God’s name they opted to use this less accurate form in the New World Translation. How does using a known mis-translation bring honor and glory to God’s name? Of course, I also pointed out that knowing God is far, far more than knowing his name. Knowing the actual pronunciation of his name might be the least part of knowing God.

        I also used your point about using her and my father’s personal names when I speak to them. How does that indicate a deep intimate relationship with them or convey the respect that I should have for them as my father and mother? She’s definitely against me calling them by their first names! (It’s not respectful) She has stopped replying to my e-mails on the topic. Oh yes, but not before calling me an apostate. Got to love it! JW’s are some of the most judgmental people I know.

        Your brother in Christ,

        Dennis

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    • greybeard says:

      Thanks JJ, I just started reading 1 Chronicles, you saved me 😉 Andrew another superb article and I agree whole heartedly. I understand what you meant by calling the Father by name. I don’t think it saddens him but maybe your right. I don’t call my father by his name, it would be disrespectful. Jesus didn’t do it. One thing that makes me wonder is we do know the importance of Gods holy name YHWH. He said the nations must know that I am Jehovah and I will glorify my holy name. This is an good topic.

      You brother,
      Greybeard

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      • Picardo371 says:

        Greybeard said,

        “One thing that makes me wonder is we do know the importance of Gods holy name YHWH. He said the nations must know that I am Jehovah and I will glorify my holy name.”

        Of course you would agree that since the exact pronunciation is uncertain, it’s the divine qualities, power and personality traits his name represents that are of primary importance. It’s keying in on these things that builds and maintains our relationship with him. It’s his divine qualities and power embodied in his name that all nations will come to know. Knowing or using the divine name alone does not do that. Just ask Satan. :)

        Your brother in Christ,

        Dennis

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  3. rus virgil says:

    This is a good direction / to find that “Jesus teachings” have priority.
    This teaching is also the basis for further (correctly) understandings from prophecies

    The teaching of Christ — 2 John 1:9
    http://www.paradisecafediscuss.....p?tid=1116

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    • greybeard says:

      Good point Rus, what is going too far and not abiding in the teachings of Christ according to 2 John 1:9? I am going to ask this question on the forum as well. This is a good topic! Posted it HERE

      Your brother,
      Greybeard

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  4. Dinah says:

    When I first started reading this post, I was going to disagree: I think JWs pay far too much attention to the New Testament and disregard the Old Testament as having been fulfilled by Christ and therefore somehow negated. It has caused me confusion as to how JWs say they believe in the whole Bible (but certain parts more than others.)

    But your blog post pointed out that certainly there ARE many JW beliefs taken straight from the Old Testament, including the very name Jehovah’s Witnesses.

    Likewise, I don’t call my dad by his first name, so I never did understand how calling God by his first name was necessarily a sign of respect. However, if meant to specify which “god” (or for that matter, which “dad”) I can see why using the name Jehovah would be put into practice.

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  5. Mark M says:

    Hi Andrew,

    You make some very good points in this post. Particularly about most JW’s rejecting the Heavenly hope. I think it’s sad that they are being denied this truth as well. As far as prioritizing the Scriptures, my understanding at this time is that the Hebrew and the Greek Scriptures are of equal importance and neither should be prioritized. As you know, the book of Revelation which most of us would consider a “last days” book cannot be properly understood without first studying Daniel. As a matter of fact, of the 404 verses in Revelation 270 of them are taken directly from the Hebrew Scriptures. Keep in mind that all of Jesus’ Scriptural quotes were from the Hebrew Scriptures. Of course the Greek Scriptures didn’t exist when Jesus was on earth. But this shows that Jesus put great importance on the Hebrew Scriptures and I‘m not so sure He would minimize them today by prioritizing the Greek. There are many things that cannot be understood without bringing all scriptures together. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Perhaps I’m misunderstanding what you were saying. Please forgive me if this is the case.

    As far as Jehovah’s name, I understand your point. Maybe this point was already made, but even in the Lord’s prayer Jesus didn’t use the name when praying. Yet, He did say to let the name be sanctified. While I believe we should use the name I think the JW’s over use it. Have you ever been on the phone with a telemarketer that uses your name over and over? This is how I felt many times at the meetings when Jehovah’s name was used. It seemed unnecessary many times. Some brothers when praying would use it over and over beginning each sentence with the name. I probably shouldn’t admit this but I once counted how many times one brother used the name in his prayer. It was 17 times in about a 2 ½ minute prayer. When I mentioned this to one of my close friends at the KH he immediately said, “Wow, that’s about 200 Jehovah’s per hour.” I can’t even type this without laughing. (I hope that’s not sacrilegious) For me his prayers were distracting but I really loved the brother and I believe he’s sincere.

    Thanks for the article.

    Your Bro,
    Mark M.

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    • Picardo371 says:

      Hi Mark,

      Those are some good reminders about the Hebrew Scriptures. I’m sure Andrew is in full agreement as well. I have a problem with the way a lot of religions use the Hebrew Scriptures though. Especially religions that came out of the Millerite Movement, some individual Bible Students, Jehovah’s Witnesses and particularly some pseudo-Witnesses. They see types and shadows or prophetic patterns in the Hebrew Scriptures where they simply don’t exist. Paul S.L. Johnson with the Layman’s Home Missionary movement was a prime example of someone that never seen a type or shadow he didn’t like. Of course they were always put forth as evidence for positions that he was espousing. You can pull something out of the Hebrew Scriptures and say it has modern-day application to support any group or concept. This leads to poor biblical exegesis. They’ll take things that apply to say, ancient Israel for example and try to extend it in a prophetic way to their group to support the concept that they’re trying to put forth (e.g., that they and they alone are GODS modern day people or organization, etc.). All this while that particular biblical passage had its fulfillment with ancient Israel and them alone. While it may have some good lessons for us today, it in no way is prophetic or establishes a prophetic pattern of any group or people in our day. With this type of biblical exegesis you can make the Bible say anything you want. Of course there are ancient prophecies that are applicable today, but a lot of people have just run amok with the whole perfect pattern, types and shadows thing (IMO). To me the most important things when reading the Bible that I asked myself are, who was the original audience, what would they have understood the text to mean, what is the historical and cultural context, and what did the 20 previous Scriptures and 20 subsequent Scriptures have to say (keep it in context). It’s said that this method gives you 20/20 vision. :)
      Proof texting leads to error so much of the time.

      Your brother in Christ,

      Dennis

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      • Picardo371 says:

        Oop’s,

        Meant to say, “but a lot of people have just run amok with the whole prophetic pattern, types and shadows thing (IMO).”

        Dennis

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    • greybeard says:

      You make some very good points Mark.
      I don’t think your sacrilegious Mark.
      That was a funny story Mark.
      Talk to you later Mark.

      Your bro,
      Greybeard 😉

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  6. andrew says:

    Mark, I would agree the Hebrew Scriptures are important. However the New Testament was written by sons of God for sons of God who are in the New Covenant.
    The New Testament was directed to us. The Old Testament while having great value and having prophetic books that must be consulted to understand prophecy in the NT, was written primarily for Israelites under the Law Covenant.
    I in no way suggest neglecting the Hebrew Scriptures, just giving priority to God’s most important revelations made through His son.

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    • greybeard says:

      In other words, if a person was going to read the Bible for the first time today where would you suggest he start? Genesis? My suggestion would be Matthew and I think this is how Andrew feels too. It’s a big book, it might be wise to give priority to the parts that relate to us now and memorize Chronicles later. True, some of those books have prophecies that will be fulfilled in our day and we should focus on them as well. Each must do as the spirit leads them. The most important thing is to read it no mater where you start. These are only suggestions. If you notice your shoes are untied after jumping out of an airplane it would be wise to pull the ripcord first on your parachute and then tie your shoes after you hit the ground. That would be only a suggestion not a command.

      Your brother,
      Greybeard

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  7. JJ says:

    To me John is the most relevant book in the Bible. But the Gospels and all of the New Testament can be read in order in a couple of months or sooner.

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  8. JWB says:

    Mark, you have brought to attention a very important matter. I’ve thought many times in the past that too much emphasis was placed on the Hebrew scriptures. It seems to me that the organization has come up with a religion that is a sort of hybrid Christianity. My personal view is that the gospel of Mark should form the bedrock of all Christian understanding, since it appears to be the first authoritative written account about the life and teachings of the man known as Jesus of Nazareth (“The date may be around AD 65-70, though if Acts is dated at 63, Mark must be ealier, since Acts follows Luke, and Luke draws on Mark.” – The Lion Handbook to the Bible). It is also, in my opinion, the most down-to-earth and succinct of the gospels and I personally measure anything else said about Jesus by the yardstick of Mark. One very important point that I’d like to mention is that, according to what is written in the NT, Jesus did NOT in his conversations with people and teachings refer to God as Jehovah. In fact he indicated to people that God is to be addressed as ‘our heavenly Father’, which I think is far more intimate than using a name like Jehovah (which by the way is not how the Israelites would have known him by, since its obvious that they didn’t use Js and they didn’t use Vs!).

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  9. Amos says:

    My view is that the first 10 chapters of Genesis sets up the entire message of the bible that follows. I see these chapters as a most important prelude to the NT.
    The four gospels sets the basis of the christian walk, BUT Acts then gives us the “practical” application of the gospels. My view is that if we only had these 5 NT books, that we would be well set up for our calling.
    I’ll put it another way…the four gospels contain Jesus words & instructions to His disciples, & then Acts show the outworking of these words in a practical setting.

    We must never downplay the OT as not applying to the church, because it is very clear that much of it is written either directly to, in “types” relating to the gospel age, this is widely overlooked by many.

    Just a few thoughts from an old brother.

    Amos

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    • Mark M says:

      Amos,

      I completely agree with your comment about Genesis. I believe that Genesis should be understood as literal history. It also appears to me that if these first chapters of Genesis are misunderstood, then one’s understanding of many Scriptures that follow will also be skewed. I liken it to building a house. If the foundation is out of square then you have to make major adjustments to get things to come together. This is true of the Bible as well. If our understanding of Genesis is out of line, we then have to adjust and make doctrines so that our Theology “fits”.

      Mark M.

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  10. serein says:

    when at catholic church i was having a bible study with a bro and i asked why we never read the old testerment and he said cos that was writen for people befor jesus came, and the new testerment was for us,so i went with that at the timetill i started a study with the jehovahs witnesses,they said both were important and so then after a wile of study i realised both were,but the new testerment is deff the main one for us and i agree that reading that first is far more important today.as for gods name well iv read up on jews and what they tink about it and as iv understud it they say his name was not prononced Jahovah, id have to go back and have a look if i cann find the site but they say they changed to not saying his name not cos its sacred but cos its like what u say u dont call ur dad by his first name so u deff dont call god by his,so they say elohim and stuff like that,i think tell me if im wrong anyone,i feel that if ur a true worshiper of god he knows ur praying to him and not another,u dont need to us his name,i got told in my first studys i had to so hed know i was praying to him,what aload of rubish,if ur praying to the farther the almighty one through jesus christ then ur not going to be praying to the devil are you or some other god,anyways im jesuses witness now to the words hes spoken for us to teach others, god dint teach these words jesus did and he fortold the future and his apostles carried it on and so should we through his name.

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  11. serein says:

    what i should say is god wanted jesus to teach us so he did and so as people followed his farther through the old testerment then now we should follow his words through jese now and in my mind when i pray to god im praying to my holy farther in the heavens through jesus christ and im following his ways as a christian and not as a hebrew jew or a jehovahs witness,its who we are as a person.gods name is important as when it says all shal now my name i think just cos all no his name dont mean all have to say it all the time, am i wrong can anyone say for certain that jehovah is gods name and say it that way cos he wont mind or should we try to find the true name and say thta.

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    • Amos says:

      Hi Serein,
      I think that you have summed it all up pretty well. The Father YHWH gives the instructions to the Son Jesus, & it then comes to us by means of the Holy Spirit.

      In my view God’s name was never Jehovah, (this was introduced during the 17th century) at best it would more likely be Yahweh. This is the consonants with our english vowels added in…YHWH plus the vowels.

      In the original rendering of the tetragramaton (YHWH) at Exodus 3:14 it gives God’s name as follows;
      3:14; “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” ESV

      YHWH can alternively be expressed as; I AM WHAT I AM, or I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE, or simply I AM, as in the above verse.

      The tetragramaton YHWH is literally spoken; Eyeh Asher Eyeh.

      In all subsequent verses where YHWH is listed in the original texts, Yahweh/Adonai/Elohim & much later in translations Jehovah has been used in some versions to replace Yahweh. It must be remembered that there are not any letters in the Hebrew alphabet that give a “J” sound when being spoken, this was not used in english until about 1637AD.

      Amos

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      • Amos says:

        I meant to add that Jesus/Yeshua never used the Fathers name, & any bible that suggests this is an incorrect translation, as Yahweh (YHWH) is Hebrew & not Greek. If we check the Greek text that is rendered Jehovah in the NWT & some other NT’s, the word used for GOD (the Father) is Theos, literally meaning God.
        If any one wishes to check the KI they will see this glaring example of mistruth to support an erronious belief.

        Like others have said in this thread, that I agree with, that it would be far more appropriate to refer to tha Father as “Father, ABBA” or something along those lines. I think that it would be disresctful to refer to the most supreme person in the universe by their name, rather than “Father” or a similar respectful way.

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        • greybeard says:

          John 17:26, “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

          How did Jesus do this without using his fathers name Amos?

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  12. JJ says:

    Amos

    Interesting reasoning and it makes sense to me- but here’s a question: What about the scriptures where it says Jesus made God’s name known to the people? What about the Lords prayer?

    What we have been taught as Witnesses is a hard thing to shake on this point…

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    • Anonymous says:

      JJ: AmosInteresting reasoning and it makes sense to me- but here’s a question: What about the scriptures where it says Jesus made God’s name known to the people? What about the Lords prayer?What we have been taught as Witnesses is a hard thing to shake on this point…

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  13. andrew says:

    I wouldn’t say that Jesus never used the Father’s name, but he probably didn’t use it too much in public. The Jews at this time thought it blasphemy to pronounce the Divine Name. Although the religious leaders were looking for something to accuse Jesus of it is interesting that they never accuse him of using the Divine Name, which they surely would have done if he used it often and in public.
    God’s name has more to do with His reputation and who He is.

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  14. Amos says:

    The book of John would ber the best place to check if Jesus used God’s name or not, so please show me which verse in the KI or any other interlinear bible that gives a name for God, it just isn’t there. If you check out your KI it will say “Jehovah” in the full english column, but will always render “Theos” in the transliteration as “God”.

    Please take note that I didn’t say that Jesus didn’t use the Divine name in private, but that it is not used in the NT. As I have already shown, it would not be “Jehovah” but “Yahweh” (YHWH), however the correct pronunciation in Hebrew or Aramaic would have been at the time. As an afterthought, please read thoroughly the appendix at the back of the large NWT reference bible that gives in the WTSs own words that it is not correct to use Jehovah but due to tradition, they still do.

    Amos

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  15. Serene says:

    i read on the jewish site i went on once that they did use gods name often at one time but it slowly got forgoton the true names prononciation or sumat and that it happend cos they gradualy decidd it was not to be used just all the time but was sacred and personal for prayer only,but the person on the site said it was deff not jehovah and that its totaly wrong,he said it comes from a german who translated it by sum means to jehovah i duno cant rem.i deff think that its important we know his name as there is lots of diff gods that people pray to but if we arnt praying to them and hel know that and we are praying through jesus hes knowing its for him,he knows his people,and if jehovah isnt his name then if we not sure we should not use it,in my mind if my kids were going round talking about me and saying my mother this and that and told everyone that would be the same with out sayiong my name as people would no me cos of them and what they said not cos of my name but cos of my personality my actions and what i did.i think it dont mean his actual name to be none but for him to be known if you know what i mean.feel free to put me straight anyone.

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  16. greybeard says:

    Ezekiel 39:7 ASV, “And my holy name will I make known in the midst of my people Israel; neither will I suffer my holy name to be profaned any more: and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, the Holy One in Israel.”

    There are many other scriptures like this as well.

    The Name Jesus/Yeshua means, “Jehovah/Yahweh is salvation”

    1 John 3:23, “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.”

    John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

    John 3:18, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

    So in light of these scriptures I believe to “believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ” would be to understand what that name means and believe that Jehovah/Yahweh is salvation.

    YHWH is in the Hebrew scriptures. Do you think Jesus would uphold there tradition of not using it? Would his followers? I don’t think so. True the NWT has gone to far in some additions in the NT it seems. But is it wrong to use it if it is a quote from the Hebrew scriptures? I wouldn’t think so. I know many do feel that way. Maybe I am wrong here. I just can’t see Jesus dropping his fathers name all together after all that is said about how we must know it in the OT.

    The NWT is accurate at John 1:1 where MOST all are not. I have done MUCH research on this. I know it has a bias in some areas and in using the name Jehovah. Personally I think they are better off using it more than removing it all together as the others have with no footnotes or anything. I would rather see the name Yahweh as it is more accurate. I know Yeshua is more accurate for Jesus. For some reason Jesus doesn’t bother me as much as Jehovah. I am not sure why. It may be because of the bad light the JW’s have cast on the name Jehovah.

    Andrew said, “God’s name has more to do with His reputation and who He is.” I am sure it is both but who he is = YHWH Yahweh/Jehovah That is what Jesus name means and I believe it is important to believe in the name of Jesus, Yahweh/Jehovah is salvation.

    I really don’t think we should play down the name YHWH at all. It is in the OT around 6000 times. Lets not make the same mistake the Jews did.

    TMO, correct me if I am in error please,

    Your brother in Christ,
    Greybeard

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  17. Mark M says:

    AMEN! Greybeard, I couldn’t have said it better myself! While I haven’t taken the time to “thoroughly” research the name Yeshua, I believe from my limited study that this is correct also.

    PS. greybeard, I loved the telemarketer comeback, greybeard. :)

    Mark M.

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  18. Serene says:

    i yjink no ones playing down gods name im not im just playing down how to prononce it,also and in the lords prayer it says to pray to the farther in the heavens not pray to his name jesus dint say we must say his name so that he knows who we are praying to did he,it could verywell be jehovah but i dont think it is but even so i find myself using jehovah still and then farther or almighty god who made all things and so on,if people started to call me by a name that wasnt my name cos they were prononcing it totaly wrong then how would i know thye were acualy talking to me,infact does it realy matter cos if id put a mediator between me and them and the mediater new they were talking to me but just got my name wrong id still get the mesages from em all,i used to pray to god befor i new his name was jehovah?and he listend still i know he did cos i new nothing and he came to my aid i think anyway maybe he dint i mean the jws came maybe the devil did.i have faith he knows me and loves me and listens i think the wits will be ok to cos they still put faith in him even if they are being led up the garden path a bit by the org,all christians wil be saved.i hope so anyways,

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    • Anonymous says:

      I’m certainly not playing down God’s name, but have been trying to explain how it has been misunderstood (mistranslated) for so long.

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      • Amos says:

        Anonymous: I’m certainly not playing down God’s name, but have been trying to explain how it has been misunderstood (mistranslated) for so long.

        Sorry brothers, this is my post, I thought I had signed in when I posted it in amswer to Greybeard.

        Where I’m coming from is that I believe we’ve been misled about God’s name. Please go back to my post that quoted from Ex. 3:14 & you will see my viewpoint about this.

        Amos

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        • greybeard says:

          I’m not pointing fingers at you or anyone here. I’m just saying lets not make the same mistake the Israelites made… I apologize if I came off that way… I didn’t mean too.

          Ex. 3:15, “And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”

          Yes we all know Jehovah is less accurate than Yahweh the same as Jesus is less than Yeshua.

          This is only my opinion. I feel the Bible supports it. Maybe I’m wrong. Please don’t feel like I am pointing fingers at anyone. I am not. This applies to me as much as anyone else.

          Your brother in Christ,
          Greybeard

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  19. just a girl says:

    look from what I have read even Yahoo could be a pronunciation for YHWH If you can say Jesus and not yeshua,(heck Jehoshua or joshua) you can use- then saying Jehovah over Yahweh should not be a problem- why? it is English- from Latin and German and what not- who cares- We use God’s name for two reasons- One Christ said he made the name known- so duh he used it and two IT SETS HIM APART from Baal, dagog, beathaile, Odin, Jupiter, Marduk, Magog, Satan, even Jesus, and all the other wonderful gods out there – Jesus called a mighty god, yet tiz the salvation of God Almighty- the one who made HIM and all things made by,thru and for him- so we owe them both yet Jesus said the father greater than him so ‘Causes to become’ or the great ‘I am’ as The one who started creation- is why he is worthy, But if you want to say Father God, Jehovah God, Grand Creator, so be it- But I want the creator as my best friend and I recognize I need the salvation of the other who created- the one fond of humans so I ask all things of the father thru him the son and in English their names start with J, this is a topic that my 5 year old gets better than most adults- we say our father, but we use his name to make sure it is address to him and not some other putz (Satan, fallen angels and hordes of fellers and mighty men of old) who want that recognition- IT is that simple

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    • just a girl says:

      I forgot those god-saints of today-John paul 2, charles manson, david kurish, jim jones, harold camping crying out I am he, know he, follow me. (As if building to (nimrod) or looking to the skies (Camping)bring us to the gods or make us gods)[We are monotheists but know polytheism is out there- especially in Hinduism- Our job is to bring people to the One true god through His son – the only mediator given us- How do we do this without their names, let alone baptize in their names if..and do we take that ancient Catholic or modern Islam approach and say it can only be it one language i.e. Latin/Arabic) I am fearful over this silly proper Pronunciation thing.

      We just look at the multitudes of flood legends around the world- the man who built the boat that saved humanity comes in many names- (yea yea- I just took a comparative world religion class and used the flood as my research project oh my so many names for noe noah Spellings too)heck Paul and them did the unnamed god thing to show- YOU need to give him a name to set him apart- Jesus made a name known and since it is Hebrew scrolls he quotes he talked Hebrew in the temple Greek on the street-? Hmmmm- or maybe there was a hebgreek like spanglish- was not there to know for sure.

      I find it such a mute issue when (the ONE TRUE GOD-whom you all are arguing about in the best way to say his name, let alone use it at all) The Almighty HIMSELF scrambled the Languages- YHWH DID THIS SCRAMBLING and the minute he did that- HE knew his name would be forever now said in multiple ways-

      I fear my family is fighting over something Almighty God himself did for good reason-

      you have to search him out, draw to him, then and only then will he draw close to you. He has no need of us, It is us who have need of him. In that honest loving search it- it is like a non issue.

      I feel since he used his spirit to confuse the languages – would this not be a denial of its power-to say only one way to say his name- does this deny the Spirit’s ability and power? so I am thinking tread lightly so as not to deny that power the one thing there is no forgiveness (found like matt 12 in the end vs30 or so some where? For those in a Borean mind)

      @picardo You gave me the words of encouragement I was looking for in that quote your mom failed to understand on just dealing with daily living-

      “If GOD brings you to it, He will help you through it. Happy moments, praise GOD. Difficult moments, seek GOD. Quiet moments, worship GOD. Painful moments, trust GOD. Every moment, thank GOD.”

      So just because we are not all in the dark ages does this mean we no longer use titles say- “Lord I am so lost”,
      ‘God this sucks”, “Jah where the heck are we going”, “Jehovah wth”- I mean when I am distressed and need a dad I say “Papa I just do not get this, your dynamic energy made me through one of great great great great….Great grandpa Noah’s kids yet this is all lost so why do people think this is so important-except maybe to welcome my personal family back?” (I am so not heavenly bound- do not want the job of king priest and worse yet some harp playing musician of my parents up bringing). But when I am talking my day- “Jehovah what can I do today to make your name holy- Sanctify it to this worldly crew?”. I look at the things around me and say “Jah that is so incredible” (the Tom for Thomas, John for Johnathan with my JAH for Jehovah) It depends on whether I am talking as a child needing my father or just hanging out with a friend- I am not sure how you make any god holy or have worship-ability with out a name- Our GOD just has Skills, mad skills the other so called gods do not have Bringing us through this fodder is a pretty awesome skill when we ourselves can not find the way out- such a nice thought I will be using it if you do not mind, it is just what my friend needed to hear. Your so wonderful to post something that seems so painful but it is sooo helpful so I appreciate your putting your experience out there like that- I can not even imagine what it would be like I have no family to even feel remotely obligated to who believe.
      @Amos I guess I am rereading the first 10 chapters of Gen. tonight, Seems like that would be an interesting study pattern to read those then hop to the fab four then acts, I am looking forward to that and beg to see your thinking on it, I feel I am missing something
      Thanks again Brothers I am finding so many answers and hoping to clear some of my ignorance

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  20. Amos says:

    Brother Greybeard, I’ve been meaning to get back to this thought. I do agree with you that whatever name we call God by, will be acceptable to Him, whilever it’s done in a respectful way. There would be no doubt that when we speak of Him & pray to Him, that He will hear us whichever name we use. I still at times use Jehovah, but as I have said, I believe the closest that we can get (from what we know of Hebrew) is Yahweh.

    Your Brother in Christ,
    Amos

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  21. Amos says:

    Hello juat a girl,

    Yes, you are missing something. if you meditate on the relevant posts, you may then find what is missing.

    Amos

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  22. Orwell says:

    What a brilliant article! I pretty much had the same feeling when I started reading the Gospels in other versions: suddenly I ‘got it’ and realised it’s all about Jesus and JWs have been barking up the wrong tree! Of course that led me to explore some more, coming upon TTATT. The truth of the Lord Jesus does indeed set us free.

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