God does not combat deception with delusions.

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

An Introduction to God

Volume Two

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Shem – His Name

As you are now aware, this Introduction to God makes no accommodation to garner popular support, and it was not designed to appeal to a religious audience. It simply seeks to reveal, examine, and consider the pictures God has painted in His Word.

One of the more significant factors culling the audience for this material will be the absence of a familiar vocabulary. I have endeavored to avoid most of the brushstrokes we have become accustomed to seeing because they either corrupt or conceal Yahowah’s portrait. And since God does not combat deception with delusions, neither shall I. Therefore, if you are searching for “Jesus Christ,” you will not find him here.

So now, this, the second of seven sections, will focus on Yahowah’s favorite names, titles, and terms. In it, the manmade monikers which have no association with Him will be methodically destroyed. These include: Lord, Jesus, Christ, Christian, Bible, Old Testament, New Testament, Gospel, Grace, Church, and Cross.

The reasons this must be done are many. It is vital that folks know that they have been deceived by the very people who have preyed upon their devotion. So, by undermining the building blocks upon which the most popular religions were conceived, we will help advance one of God’s most important goals. He wants us to stop trusting people, especially those who preach, so that we might choose to rely on Him.

It is therefore essential that we provide valid reasons for the religious to jettison their faith. This in turn will provide them with the opportunity to cleanse their mental pallets, preparing the way to know the truth. Equally important, once the religious rubble has been cleared, and God’s favorite names, titles, and teachings are able to take root, readers will discover vital insights in every divine revelation, and a lesson in every human deception.

We concluded the last section with a “masal – word picture.” So, since there is a marvelous “Masal – Proverb” which is especially relevant to this discussion, we are going to turn to it now.

It begins by asking seven rather extraordinary questions: “Who is He who has actually descended from (my yarad – who has lowered and diminished Himself) and who is He who reliably ascends to (wa ‘alah – who offers Himself up as a sacrifice and then goes up and lifts up to) heaven (shamaym – the spiritual realm of God)? Who is He who genuinely gathers and receives the spiritual harvest (my ‘acaph ruwach – who is He who draws together, collects, associates with, and spiritually joins a remnant) in (ba) the palms of His hands (chophen)? Who is He who wraps up and envelops, actually giving birth by way of (my tsarar– who is He who encloses, covers, bears children, mends, mediates, and restores through) the waters (maym – the source of life and cleansing) in the garment (ba ha simlah – a feminine noun meaning apparel which covers and adorns)? Who is He finally who comes onto the scene, stands upright, completes the mission, enabling others to stand without ceasing, establishing (my quwm ‘ephec – who is He who in the end takes a stand, rises up, and completely restores) the entire (kol – the whole) earth (‘erets ­– realm and land)? What is (mah) His personal and proper name (shem – moniker, identification, and renown)? And what is (wa mah) His Son’s (ben) personal and proper name (shem)? Surely (ky) you know (yada’ – you recognize and understand, you are acquainted with it and you acknowledge it).” (Masal / Word Pictures / Proverbs 30:4)

Since these rhetorical questions are laden with profound insights, let’s consider them one at a time. God has asked us: “Who is He who has actually descended from (my yarad – who has lowered and diminished Himself) and who is He who reliably ascends to (wa ‘alah – who offers Himself up as a sacrifice and then goes up and lifts up to) heaven (shamaym – the spiritual realm of God)?” As we begin, it is instructive to know that both “yarad – descends” and “‘alah – ascends” were scribed in the qal relational stem which speaks of things which are real, actual, and genuine, as opposed to symbolic or hypothetical. And both, like every verb throughout this list of rhetorical inquiries, were written to include the third person, masculine, singular pronoun “He,” which is obviously addressing God.

It is interesting to note, however, the differences between the grammatical forms found in the first two queries. Yarad was conjugated in the imperfect waw consecutive, which is the only Hebrew tense which denotes time. It affirms that, at least at the time of this writing, that the subject of this question had already descended. Whereas ‘alah was conjugated in the perfect, which says that His ascent would be whole and complete, indivisible chronologically and uninterrupted throughout all of time.

So, why were these questions posed with such different verb treatments? Well, first, God is telling us that His famed redemptive advent was not His only visit to earth—as Christians commonly assume. God had walked in the Garden and talked with Adam. (BaRe’syth 3:8) He negotiated and laughed with Abraham at the initiation of the Covenant. (BaRe’syth 17 and 18) He personally blessed Ya’aqob, renaming the father of His children “Yisra’el.” (BaRe’syth 32) Before conveying the words of the Towrah, God took the time to eat and drink with Moseh. (Shemowth 24) And He revealed Himself to Shamow’el – Samuel in connection with the Ark of the Covenant. There we read: “Yahowah came, stood, and spoke to Shamow’el…appearing so as to be seen, revealing and disclosing Himself, as the Word of Yahowah.” (1 Shamow’el 3)

But now comes the especially interesting part. Sometimes God predicts the future using the imperfect waw consecutive, or past tense. I suspect He does so because it suggests that He has already witnessed our future, and thus rather than predicting it, He is simply reporting it. And as such, these prophecies, rather than having a probability of occurring, are so certain, God describes them as if they have already occurred.

The most important of the advent predictions would be, and now has been: “a child born unto us and a Son, He is given for us” on the Miqra’ of Sukah to enable the promises of Pesach, Matsah, and Bikuwrym in the year 4,000 Yah (33 CE). This culminates the first six of seven visits—all for relationship, revelation, and redemption.

God’s seventh arrival, which is for reconciliation, is on our horizon, and will transpire on Yowm Kippurym in the Yowbel Year 6000 Yah (at sunset, October 2^nd, 2033). The date has been set. It will happen. Are you ready?

The second reason behind the variant verb conjugations is that, with one exception, God’s willingness to “yarad – descend” from Heaven, and “yarad – diminish” Himself to meet with us, has been more important than His “‘alah – ascent” back to the spiritual realm. That lone exception was the fulfillment of the Called-Out Assembly Meeting of FirstFruits, wherein after Yahowsha’s soul “yarad – descended” into She’owl, enduring the “‘alah – sacrifice” of Unleavened Bread, it was reunited with His Spirit, and then “‘alah – ascended” to Heaven. That event, while in our past, was in the future for the writer of this Proverb.

So then God asked: “Who is He who genuinely gathers and receives the spiritual harvest (my ‘acaph ruwach – who is He who draws together, collects, associates with, and spiritually joins a remnant) in (ba) the palms of His hands (chophen)?” As we approach this third question, be advised that the “‘acaph ruwach – spiritual harvest” was also penned in the qal perfect. And that is exceptionally good news. It means that this gathering will actually occur (on the Miqra’ of Taruw’ah), and it means that we can rely upon this promise. Better still, our participation in this spiritual harvest will be total and complete, uninterrupted and indivisible throughout time. Once associated, always associated. Once saved, always saved.

The “remnant” aspect of ‘acaph is also telling, in that most Yahuwdym (speaking of those who are related to Yahowah, which was subsequently corrupted to “Jews”) will die separated from their God. But a small remnant of Yisra’el will survive the Tribulation. They will come to recognize Yahowah, and will be reconciled unto Him upon His return. On this day, we are told in Zakaryah / Zechariah 12:9-10, that they will look up to Him whom they have pierced as God pours out upon them the Spirit of acceptance who pleads for mercy.

In this light, we are not reading too much into this to acknowledge that the primary definition of chophen is “the hollow of the hands.” And was it not the vacated void of Yahowsha’s hands, those pierced by the nails which had been driven into them on Passover, which turned the Upright Pillar upon which He was affixed into the Doorway to Life?

Transitioning to the next query, God asked: “Who is He who wraps up and envelops, actually giving birth by way of (my tsarar– who is He who encloses, covers, bears children, mends, mediates, and restores through) the waters (maym – the source of life and cleansing) in the garment (ba ha simlah – a feminine noun meaning apparel which covers and adorns)?” Affirming the enduring truth incarnate in the “‘acaph ruwach – spiritual harvest,” in the fourth question, tsarar maym ba ha simlah, which describes the process of “enveloping us in a cleansing garment which restores us, enabling us to be born anew into God’s family,” was also penned in the qal perfect. So in the context of this spiritual harvest, Yahowah is speaking of the Set-Apart Spirit’s Garment of Light, in which those who are saved are adorned. It makes us appear perfect in God’s eyes and prepares us to enter His presence. Once it is placed upon us, we actually become our Heavenly Father’s children—forever, without interruption throughout all time.

So in the fifth of seven questions, we read: “Who is He who finally comes onto the scene, stands upright, completes the mission, enabling others to stand without ceasing, establishing (my quwm ‘ephec – who is He who in the end takes a stand, rises up, and completely restores) the entire (kol – the whole) earth (‘erets ­– realm and land)?” Here we are confronted with “my quwm ‘ephec – who is He who in the end takes a stand, rises up, and completely restores?” While the operative word is obviously “quwm – He comes onto the scene, stands upright, enabling others to stand, establishing them,” ‘ephec, as an adverb, modifies quwm in important ways. It reveals that this act “will come at the end of His mission, and that He will complete it, leaving nothing else to be done.” Collectively, these speak of Yahowsha’s fulfillment of the Called-Out Assembly Meetings of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and FirstFruits, when “He stood up for us so that we could stand with Him,” at the culmination of His last visit. This also tells us that His enactment of these prophetic promises left nothing else to be accomplished—they were fulfilled once and for all.

Since we are being thorough in our investigation, you should know that quwm was scribed in the hiphil stem perfect conjugation. The hiphil speaks of the relationship of the verb’s subject on the verb’s action, which has a causative effect on the verb’s object. What all that means is that by God standing up for us on Passover and Unleavened Bread, He enabled us to stand with Him on FirstFruits. By coming onto the scene and completing His mission, God restored and established us. Moreover, in the perfect conjugation, the result is not only whole and complete, it means that we will endure throughout time.

Now that the identity of the individual who was the subject of the first five questions has been established, let’s consider rhetorical questions six and seven. “What is (mah) His personal and proper name (shem – moniker, identification, and renown)? And what is (wa mah) His Son’s (ben) personal and proper name (shem)? Surely (ky) you know (yada’ – you recognize and understand, you are acquainted with it and you acknowledge it).”

Once upon a time, in the land of revelation, these names were known and they were shouted from the rooftops. But that time and place isn’t here and now. Of the nearly seven billion souls who currently occupy our planet, less than one in a million people know both names—or even want to know them.

Yet there is only one who comes and goes to and from heaven, who gathers and receives souls with His Spirit, who provides life, cleanses, and adorns, who stood up for us so that we could stand and be established forever with Him. He is Yahowah. And His Son, His representative, the One who came from Him bearing His name, doing His business, is Yahowsha’. There is no other God, nor any other manifestation of God-Existing-As-Man. There is but one Mighty One, one Set-Apart One, one Upright One, one Son of the Almighty, and one Redeemer. None but Yahowsha’ even make the claim.

Yahowah manifests Himself in human form to save us, which is what Yahowsha’ means. Set-apart from God; He came onto the scene; He stood upright in our midst, and enabled us to stand with Him, established forever. Consider this a synopsis of the Word.

It is truly amazing that most people don’t “yada’ – know” God’s name, that most don’t “yada’ – acknowledge” His Son’s name, or even “yada’ – realize” that these names are related. In reality, it is but one name, since the Son’s “name” designates His identity and defines His mission.

While this passage serves as the perfect introduction to this section, I’d like to present three additional verses from this “Masal – Proverb,” as they are instructive. The next reads: “Every (kol – the entire) Word (‘imrah – saying, communication, utterance, instruction, teaching, command, and promise) of God (‘elowah) being pure, tested, and true, is (tsaraph – being refined, precious, flawless, and worthy, exists as) a gift and a shield (magen / megen – a present protective enclosure and covering which surrounds, defends, and saves) for those who (huw’ la ha) put their trust (chasah – those who take refuge in, who seek safety, salvation, protection, and rest through reliance) in Him (ba) .” (Masal / Word Pictures / Proverbs 30:5)

While we have turned the page and begun our review of a new topic, “‘elowah – God” remains focused on His “‘imrah – Word.” Every one is “tsaraph – pure, precious, worthy, and true. Collectively, they are God’s “megen – gift” to us. They are our “magen – shield, a protective covering which defends” us from death, judgment, and separation. At least they are for those who “chasah – put their trust” in Him, who seek and rely upon His protection.

And let us not lose sight of the fact that God has just revealed the place we should all turn to answer the seven questions posed in the previous verse. It was the same with Yahowsha’. Every time He was asked a question, He answered it by quoting the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms.

And since God’s Word provides the answer to every important question…“You should not add to (lo’ yasap – you should not augment, increase, or create a new or additional variation of) the Almighty’s (‘al) Words (dabar –message, communication, and revelation), lest beware (pen), He will argue against you, judge and convict you (yakach ba – He will adjudicate against and rebuke you, demonstrating that you are wrong, pushing you away), and you shall be proven a liar for having promoted delusions (wa kazab – you shall be disappointed and will fail in your vanity, either ceasing to exist or arriving at an unsatisfactory condition and conclusion for having communicated that which was not true, for having deceived).” (Masal/ Word Pictures / Proverbs 30:6) This statement negates the possibility of a “New Testament.

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