Amongst Messianic believers, "God" or "Yahweh" is mainly referred to as "Lord". Jesus, however, is referenced as “Yeshua” (ye-SHOO-a, not YESH-ua). There is also now a growing movement which prefers the name YEHOVAH.
The God of Israel's name is revealed by the RUACH HA’QODESH to those of YAH’S choosing, in accord with YAH’S good pleasure.
Bemidbar (Numbers) 6:22-27
And YAHUAH spoke to Mosheh, saying: 23 Speak to El-Aharon and to his sons, saying: On this wise you shall bless את the children of Yashar’el, saying to them: 24 YAHUAH bless you, and guard you: 25 YAHUAH make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you: 26 YAHUAH lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. 27 And they shall put את my name upon the children of Yashar’el; and I will bless them.
And so, the children of Yashar’el are blessed by having the name put upon them. Consider if there are children of Yeshra’el. And while we are here discussing this syllable, which people are called by the name of Yeshua? (Bearing in mind that the word Messiah [Moshiach/ MASHIACH] is a title and not a name, for those who call themselves Messianic.)
In fact, as to all names which fall under the controversy, there are but two groups which actually adhere to a name. One is YA shar’el. The other are those who follow the name of Jesu (pronounced Ye-shu’), and are known as Jesuits. Christians, like Messianics, follow the title, not the name.
So, again the question is asked: what is his name?
Yahuah or Yahweh? Or should the name include a title, such as Yahuah Elohim, Yahuah Tseva'oth, or Yahuah Elohayka?
Let’s see if we can rule out a few things.
Devariym (Deuteronomy) 16:1-2
GUARD את the month of Aviyv, and keep the Pecach to YAHUAH ELOHAYKA: for in the month of Aviyv YAHUAH ELOHAYKA brought you forth out of Mitsrayim by night. 2 You shall therefore sacrifice the Pecach to YAHUAH ELOHAYKA, of the flock and the herd, in the place which YAHUAH shall choose to place his name there.
Now we see that the place of sacrifice for the Pecach can only be in the place which YAHUAH (that is YHVH) shall choose to place his name.
Is his name found in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem)? Well, there is a “YE” present in this name, although it was derived from the name of YAH, but from the inhabitants of the cities, namely, the Jebusites (Yevuciym).
Let’s consider the name Israel (ישראל). Where do we find the “YE” in this word? We find quite the opposite. Is-RA-EL. This gets even worse if you construe the ש as שׁ. Suddenly the word becomes Ish-ra-EL, i.e., the man (ish) of evil (ra) is/of EL.
So, the Adamah Qodesh is without the name, unless you consider the following:
Devariym (Deuteronomy) 33:4-5
Mosheh commanded us a Torah, even the inheritance of the assembly of Ya`aqov. 5 And he was king in Yasharun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Yashar’el were gathered together.
Now, in YA-sha-run, we find the I AM. Yet it may be also true if the name were pronounced Yesharun, and we were holding to YE or YEH as the I AM.
However, we have this little problem. In modern Jerusalem, we find streets with names like Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) and Yesha`yahu (Isaiah). It is all over the hebrew language, and in scripture itself, we find the following names:
Achazyahu, Achiyahu, Adayahu, Adoniyahu, Amatsyahu, Athalyahu, Atsalyahu, Aviyahu, Azaryahu, Benayahu, Chilqiyahu, Eliyahu, Gedalyahu, Konyahu, Ma`aseyahu, Malkiyahu, Mattanyahu, Mattithyahu, Miykayahu, Toviyahu, Chananyahu, Nethanyahu, Ovadyahu, Pedayahu, Remalyahu, Serayahu, Shema`yahu, Shephatyahu, Tsephanyahu, Tsidqiyahu, Uriyahu, Uzziyahu, Ya’azanyahu, Yechizqiyahu, Yekolyahu, Yekonyahu, Yesha`yahu Yetheyahu, Yeverekyahu, Yirmeyahu, Yo’shiyahu, and Zakaryahu.
All of these names end with the suffix yahu, and, at one point, the citizens of the southern kingdom and home of the first temple were known as yahus. This practice would end with the destruction of the first temple. Take a look at the roster of kings found in Mattithyahu (Matthew) 1:
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 1:6-16
And Yishai begat את David the king; and Da-vid the king begat את Shalomah of her that had been the woman of Uriyahu; 7 And Shalomah begat את Rechav`am; and Rechav`am begat את Aviyahu; and Aviyahu begat את Aca; 8 And Aca begat את Yahushaphat; and Yahushaphat begat את Yoram; and Yoram begat את Uzziyahu; 9 And Uzziyahu begat את Yotham; and Yotham begat את Achaz; and Achaz begat את Yechizqiyahu; 10 And Yechizqiyahu begat את Menashsheh; and Menashsheh begat את Amon; and Amon begat את Yo’shiyahu; 11 And Yo’shiyahu begat את Yekonyahu and את his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babel: 12 And after they were brought to Babel, Yekonyahu את begat She’altiy’el; and She’altiy’el begat את Zerubbavel; 13 And Zerubbavel begat את Aviyhud; and Aviyhud begat את Elyaqiym; and Elyaqiym begat את Azzur; 14 And Az-zur begat את Tsadoq; and Tsadoq begat את Yoqiym; and Yoqiym begat את El’ayil; 15 And El’ayil begat את El`azar; and El`azar begat את Matthan; and Matthan begat את Ya`aqov; 16 And Ya`aqov begat את Yoceph the father of Miryam, of whom was born YAHUSHA, who is called MASHIACH.
We see here that the suffix yahu is completely dropped among the lines of the kings, until the last king YAHUSHA is crowned by Pilate. It is also of some reckoning that those kings who held the suffix yahu were the kings of righteousness and not the followers of destruction. But it is clear that the practice of calling one another a yahu ended with the captivity of Babel. So, did many other things consistent with the Torah.
Following the limited return from Babel – when a small minority of the yahus living in Babel returned to the ancient city of Yerushalayim, the language practices of the people of Babel came with them.
For instance, the month of Aviyv was no longer called Aviyv, but called Niycan (Nisan). The month of Eythaniym was now called Tishrei, and the month of destruction acquired the name of the pagan god Tammuz.
The second temple period was never the same as the time of David and Shalomah (Solomon). The kingdom never really returned; the temple practice came and went, and came again for a while, but rarely was it correctly managed under the Levitical system; instead, quite often those of the tribe of Yahudah became the temple priests, because those of the tribe of Binyamiyn became the kings and the claimants to the title Parashiym (sons of Perets or Pharez, the son of Yahudah). And where were the Levites? Displaced and without an inheritance.
Who was the king over Yahud (Judea) following the reconstruction of the Temple, if it was not Koresh (Cyrus), and Xerxes, and Artachshasta (Artaxerxes), and the various Dareyavesh’s (Darius’), followed by Alexander and his successors in the Seleucid dynasty known as Antiochus, who followed one another in grandiose fashion, until the Makkabiym (Maccabees) could wrestle away control for a short while under the Hasmonean dynasty. By the time of Herod, what little autonomy that had been acquired following the construction of the second temple, fell completely into the hands of the Romans under the tenure of Herod the Great, an Edomiy.
The region of Yahud as the home of the Yahus, became Romanized, and Yahus became Yahudis. Those in Babel then attempted to sustain their understanding of the ways of the world by clinging to what they remembered, and they developed a set of traditions known as Yahudism, which in the modern world is known as Judaism.
The name of Yahu continued, however, until the Romans in the Greek-speaking Eastern Roman Empire could conquer all aspects of the Hebrew, which was officially conquered in 325 A.D. at the Council of Nicaea.
The restoration of the true Torah – the scripture without the influence of Babel and without the modifications given by Mosheh because of the hardness of the hearts of the house of Yashar’el, would necessarily be accomplished by a true Yahu, a child of the promise, and an heir to the throne of David. His name would necessarily contain the configuration yahu, because he would come in the name of the Father. This name is not revealed to everyone, however, and for many reasons.
Yahuchanon (John) 6:44
No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Yahuchanon (John) 6:65
And he said: Therefore, I said to you, that no man can come to me, except that it was given to him by my Father.
We see here that only those who are drawn by MASHIACH and are sent by the Father will come to him.
Yahuchanon (John) 5:43
I am come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me: if another shall come in his own name, him you will receive.
The Father’s name is YAHUAH (יהוה) and the son’s name is YAHUSHA (יהושע).
The Urban Dictionary gives the respective pronunciations as YOW-ah and YOW-sha respectively. [Let’s take a look here for a moment and consider these. The Hopi use this name for the Father, and it is spelled IOWA. Should you say in the Ivriyt (Hebrew) THE YAHUAH (היהוה), the pronunciation would be Ha’yowa, a form of Hawaii.]
Yesha`yahu (Isaiah) 48:1-2
HEAR this, O house of Ya`aqov, which are called by the name of Yashar’el, and are come forth out of the waters of Yahudah, which swear by the name of YAHUAH, and make mention of the ELOHIYM of Yashar’el, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. 2 For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the ELOHAI of Yashar’el; YAHUAH TSEVA’OTH is his name.
Yesha`yahu (Isaiah) 50:10
Who is among you that fears YAHUAH, that obeys the voice of his servant, that walks in darkness, and has no light? Let him trust in the name of YAHUAH, and stay upon his ELOHIYM.
Now let us see what we find in respect of this name:
Yesha`yahu (Isaiah) 64:1-2; 7-8
Oh, that you would rend the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might flow down at your presence, 2 As when the melting fire burns, the fire causes the waters to boil, to make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence!
. . . 7 And there is none that calls upon your name, that stirs up himself to take hold of you: for you have hid your face from us, and have consumed us, because of our iniquities. 8 But now, O YAHUAH, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you our potter; and we all are the work of your hand.
Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 15:16
Your words were found, and I ate them; and your Word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by your name, O YAHUAH ELOHAI TSEVA’OTH.
Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 16:21
Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know את my hand and את my might; and they shall know that my name is YAHUAH.
The prophets published and spoke his name. Is there any prophecy out there that predicts that the name will go unspoken by the children of YAH? If so, should we consider it now in our discussion?
Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 44:26
Therefore, hear the Word of YAHUAH, all Yahudah that dwell in the land of Mitsrayim: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says YAHUAH, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Yahudah in all the land of Mitsrayim, saying: ADONAI YAHUAH lives. 27 Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Yahudah that are in the land of Mitsrayim shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.
Did this become the dominant paradigm among the house of Yahudah? Is this not the condition even today? Is it not the argument that there is no nation of “Israel”, but that the land actually belongs to Egypt and to those Egyptians who call themselves Palestinians, and the land is “occupied”? (Yes, Yasir Arafat was an Egyptian, as are most of those living in Gaza.)
There can be little doubt that by the demands of the Amelekite Akiva and the construction of the duplicate law called the Mishneh that the sacred name has been banned from the lips of the house of Yahudah. In fact, we have been instructed on many occasions that the delivery of an English pronunciation of the sacred name is offensive to the house of Yahudah and to the Yahudiym (the Jews), because they treat it as the dirtiest of dirty words, never to be uttered in public under any circumstances.
Prophecy fulfilled.
Is this the end of the story? Consider:
Tehilliym (Psalm) 9:7-10
But YAHUAH shall endure forever: he has prepared his throne for judgment. 8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. 9 YAHUAH also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. 10 And those who know your name will put their trust in you: for you, YAHUAH, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Now let us take a look at the instruction from the Besorah Yahuchanon (Gospel of John) and consider the words of HA’MASHIACH:
Yahuchanon (John) 12:12-13
On the next day many of the people who had come to the feast, when they heard that YAHUSHA was coming to Yerushalayim, 13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried: Husha’na: Blessed is the King of Yashar’el who comes in the name of YAHUAH.
Yahuchanon (John) 17:6
את I have manifested your name to the men which you gave me out of the world: yours they were, and you gave them to me; and they have guarded את your word.
Yahuchanon (John) 17:25-26
O Righteous Father, the world has not known you: but I have known you, and these that you have sent me have known. 26 And I have declared to them your name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.
Why, if the only name under heaven is YAHUSHA by which men are saved, would YAHUSHA declare the name of the Father to his Talmidiym? What exactly is going on here?
Philippiym (Philippians) 2:9-11
Wherefore YAHUAH also has highly exalted him, and has given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of YAHUSHA every knee should bow, both the things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that YAHUAH is YAHUSHA HAMASHIACH, to the glory of YAH the Father.
Chizayon (Revelation) 22:3
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of YAHUAH and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be on their foreheads.
So, we conclude that the name is not given to everyone, and far be it from us to start beating people about the head and shoulders to force them to yield to our understanding. There are those who say they have been Hebrew scholars for decades, who hold advanced degrees in teaching and understanding Hebrew, and yet they cannot reach a determination as to the pronunciation of the name. One wonders if there isn’t something spiritual about that dimension.
May this be edifying to you as you consider this. B’ha’shem YAHUSHA HA’MASHIACH.
For further reading:
Yahusha - The Messiahs Real Name
How are the sacred names transliterated?
Sacred Names PDF
The 7 names of the Holy Spirit
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