The Importance of Using the Personal Names of God

Long ago, one of Noah’s Sons served as a prefiguration of Yahshua, our Savior. His name was Shem, and though he wasn’t Noah’s oldest son, he was chosen by God to inherit the Covenant promise that God made with Adam and Eve about the promised “Seed of the Woman,” who was Christ (Genesis 3:15). This means that Shem was chosen to be a descendent of Yahshua (i.e. Jesus), the “Messiah,” “Christ,” or “Anointed One.”

Shem’s name means “Name,” and “Ha Shem” means “The Name” in Hebrew. In many places in the Old Testament, our heavenly Father Yahweh used the phrase “Ha Shem” when referring to Himself (See the O.T. Scriptures at the end of this essay). This is why Jews often use the expression “Ha Shem,” “The Name,” as a substitute for the actual Names of God when they read Scriptures aloud. Shem and his descendents were known as the Shemites or Semites, which means “People of the Name.” Like the patriarch Enosh’s generation initially did before the Flood (Gen. 4:26), the first Semites called upon the Name of Yahweh in prayer and supplication.

In the Old Testament, whenever the expression “the LORD God” or “the LORD” is used in English translations of the Bible, it actually says “Yahweh Elohim” or “Yahweh” in Hebrew. In fact, the Name “Yahweh” literally occurs thousands of times in the Old Testament as the proper Name for God. There may be various titles attached to this Name such as “El Shaddai” or “Adonai,” but they were never intended to be additional Names for God. They are merely descriptive terms identifying the nature of one or all of the Three Persons that form our one triune God named “Yah” or “Yahweh.” Nonetheless, the Jews substitute titles like “Ha Shem,” “Eloah,” “Adonai,” and other abstract references to God whenever they see the Name “Yahweh” in the Scriptures. Their outwardly pious reasoning for this is to keep God’s Name from being used sacrilegiously. Sadly, however, they have robbed themselves, and other believers of the spiritual blessings that were meant to be theirs through acknowledging the true Name of the One triune God Yahweh.

Can We Positively Identify God’s True Name?

Some readers may still be asking: “How do you know that “Yahweh” is God’s true Name?” The first tip off is in Exodus, when Yahweh tells Moses His Name. There, without ambiguity, God identifies His true 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, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ (He Yah Asher He Yah) And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM (He Yah) has sent me to you.’” - Exodus 3:13-14 (NKJ)

In this powerful passage of the Bible, God identified Himself to Moses by the short form of His Name, calling Himself “He Yah” or simply “Yah.” We also have the testimony of the great prophet Isaiah, who recorded these words uttered by God to Isaiah thousands of years ago:

“I am the LORD (Yahweh), that is My name (Ha Shem); and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven images.” - Isaiah 42:8 (NKJ)

Here, our heavenly Father identified Himself to Isaiah as “Yahweh,” saying “That is my Name” in no uncertain terms. “Yahweh” is not another Name for God besides “Yah.” It is simply a long form of “Yah” that means “HE IS” instead of “I AM.” So it is the Name we call God when speaking about Him to others. We therefore have the Names Yah, or Yahweh, as two forms of the one true Name for God.

Should We Use the Names of Yahshua and Yahweh in Prayer?

Using God’s true Name in prayer is a key ingredient to a more powerful prayer life. One of the biggest blessings that believers receive in uttering the Name of Yahweh in faith and prayer is protection against Satanic attacks, and power over demons and other enemies of God Almighty. This power is attested to in the Bible by the young man named David who would one day be crowned King of Israel. One fateful day, this slender, linen clad youth stood unafraid before the tremendous bulk of the Anakim giant named Goliath, even though that battle-hardened part-Philistine humanoid was in full armor and towered over David. Despite this giant’s fearsome appearance, great height, and enormous strength, David uttered the following words in faith, knowing that there was power in the Holy Name of Yahweh:

“Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, (Yahweh Tsavout), the God (the Elohim) of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” - 1 Samuel 17:45 (NKJ)

Moments after uttering God’s name with conviction, David defeated Goliath with a small stone hurled from a slingshot, after which David cut off the giant’s head with the giant’s own enormous sword, and then held that bloody head up in victory as astonished warriors on both sides watched in amazement. That day David proved that there was great power in the Name of Yahweh, the God of Israel - power that could instantly turn an untried youth into a mighty warrior of God! As a result, the Philistine armies grew terrified of Israel’s God Yahweh, and they fled in terror.

David’s faith in the power of Yahweh’s Name was evident throughout his life, as recorded in the Psalms, which are attributed mostly to David. In many of the Psalms, David reiterated his love of Yahweh Elohim and His Holy Name. Psalm 72 is just one powerful example:

“His name shall endure forever; his name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed. Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, (Yahweh Elohim, the Elohim of Israel) who only does wondrous things! And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.” - Psalm 72:17-19 (NKJ)

In the preceding Psalm, David declared that people would be blessed “in” Yahweh as they praised Yahweh’s Name. But how can anyone live “in,” and praise Yahweh’s Name if they do not know His Name? In addition to destroying the power given to all believers who utter the Name of Yahweh in faith, the current stubborn refusal among Jews and Christians to acknowledge God’s holy Name aloud means that they are no longer true Semites, or People of the Name. They seem to have forgotten that their own Scriptures constantly re-affirm the knowledge that “Yahweh” is a vitally important personal Name for God that should be said aloud in reverence and love. In addition, the Bible teaches that the title “Elohim” meaning “Godhead” is an important term for God.

The expression “Yahweh Elohim” applies to all three Persons in the Godhead, a Godhead that wants to have a close intimate relationship with each of us, both individually and collectively. Why else would our triune God Yahweh have revealed His Name to Moses - except so that it would be known, and used to call out to God in prayer and praise? God revealed His Name so that we could use it in worship, and thereby truly live “in His Name.” In proof of this, Scriptures throughout this essay hint that it is essential to live in, and call on Yahweh’s and Yahshua’s Names in prayer, and that using these Names shows our love for, and unity with our heavenly Father and His Son:

In this manner, therefore, pray: our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” - Matthew 6:9 (NKJ)

“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” - Matthew 18:20 (NKJ)

In the first preceding Scripture, Yahshua asks us to open every prayer in the Father’s Name. Yahshua did this to show us that we are protected in prayer by the power of the Name of our heavenly Father. But how can we be protected by the power of the Father’s Name if we do not know what His Name is? In the second passage above quoted from Matthew, Yahshua says explicitly that we must be gathered in His Name for Him to be there with us.

But what does Yahshua mean by the phrase “in My Name”? First of all, to have His presence during fellowship and prayer gatherings, Yahshua is implying that we must be acting in His holy character. Secondly, He is stating that we must be allegorical Semites, or “People of the Name,” - that is, believers who use Yahshua’s and Yahweh’s holy Names to call on Them personally in prayer! Living “in Yahshua’s (Jesus’) Name” is the same as living in Yahweh’s Name since “Yahweh” is a divine Family Name shared by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Using the Name “Yahweh” when we address God lovingly in prayer, worship and thanks enables us to live righteously, and to conquer evil with the power of God’s Spirit, or Ruach Ha Kodesh. The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is given to us because we believe in the Father, and His Son, and are thereby given the spiritual power to act “in” or “through” their holy Name:

“By faith in the name of Jesus (Yahshua), this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' (Yahshua’s) name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.” - Acts 3:16 (NIV)

In the following Scripture, the Apostle John makes it clear that those who believe in Yahshua are saved because they believe in Yahshua’s “NAME” or “character.” John meant this literally, as well as figuratively. He was confident that true believers understood that the Name “Yahshua” (also spelled Yashua, Yeshua, or Yehoshua, and pronounced “Yah-SHOO-a”) identified Christ as the longed for Messiah, or Anointed One who came to offer true salvation to a world lost in sin. John also likely assumed that those who believed in the Name of Yahshua knew it identifies Him as the Hebrew Son of Man, as well as the Divine Son of God, and that Yahshua, by His perfect life’s example, came to reveal His Father Yahweh’s true nature and purpose:

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” - John 1:12-13 (NIV)

Did you catch that? We are Children of God not through repentance or good works, but through belief in Yahshua’s Name! We therefore must believe in Yahshua’s literal Name because it represents the ultimate power, perfect character, and supreme authority of our one triune God who came to redeem us in human form. The author of the Book of Hebrews also understood the importance of Yahshua’s mission to reveal both Yahweh, and His holy “Name,” or divine “Personality” to people so that they might become members of God’s family by adoption. The highlighted quotation in the Scripture below was taken from Psalm 22, the first half of which speaks of the tremendous suffering of Yahshua on the Cross, while the latter half speaks of the reason for Yahshua’s birth, life, and death:

“Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus (Yahshua) is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, ‘I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises…’ (Psalm 22:22). And again he says, ‘Here am I, and the children God has given me.” - Hebrews 2:11-13 (NIV)

During His earthly ministry, Yahshua referred to this same verse in one of the most moving and conclusive Scriptures showing the importance of knowing the True Name of God. It is found in John 17:26, in the record of a prayer that Yahshua uttered shortly before He died. At the time, Yahshua was praying for all the believers who would one day seek to continue the ministry that Yahshua founded. It is therefore no coincidence that Yahshua mentions the great importance for believers to know His Father’s Name four consecutive times:

“I have manifested Your name (Ha Shem) to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.” - John 17:6

“Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name (Ha Shem) those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name (Ha Shem)… and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” - John 17:11-12

O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name (Ha Shem), and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” - John 17:25-26 (NKJ)

This was not the only place in the Gospel of John that Yahshua made it abundantly clear that He came to reveal His true Name, or character, and “Ha Shem,” or the Name of the Father Yahweh. There were many other occasions when Yahshua declared that people should pray, and believe in His Name - or character and promises - to receive whatever they ask for in prayer:

“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive… but… He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you (i.e. via His shared Spirit).” - John 14:13-18 (NKJ)

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” - John 15:16 (NIV)

“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” - John 16:24 (NIV)

The preceding Scriptures were uttered by Yahshua to show us the importance of using His real Name when we pray. When we call on Yahshua using His Name, our prayers will be answered - but only if we ask for things in accordance with the Will of Yah as shown to us by the revealed character of Yahshua in Scripture, and via His Holy Spirit within us. It is through the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, and speaking to us through our hearts that Yahweh’s good and perfect Will are made known to us. Only then are we able to act with His Son’s character.

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” - John 14:26 (NIV)

As the preceding Bible quotation indicates, Yahshua declared that He would not leave us orphans when we believe in His Name. Instead, Yahshua promised to imbue us with His own Holy Spirit - the Helper who guides us to know God’s Will, and shows us how to pray for God’s Will to be done. In this way, Yahshua meant to make the Father truly known to us. He meant to not only tell us about Yahweh, but to give us an opportunity to fully “know” Him through sharing a part of His perfect and immortal Spirit, or Ruach. This was clarified in the closing sentences of Yahshua’s prayer in John 17:25.26, as quoted previously.

To understand this prayer’s purpose fully, we need to discern what Yahshua meant in John 17:25, when Yahshua declared that He made Yahweh known to us. The only way we can fully know anyone is by having a personal relationship with him or her. Yahshua came so that we all could have a personal relationship with God the Father through the Son. But unless we know Yahshua and Yahweh intimately, by Name as well as by character, we cannot truly “know” Them. This intimate knowledge of God isn’t available to us, however, unless we receive a gift from God first – the gift of the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit can only be obtained through our humble surrender in faith to God the Father, Yahshua, and the Ruach Ha Kodesh.

The Bible makes it clear that people are saved by their belief, or faith in Yahshua alone (John 3:16; Romans 5:1; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:8-9). They do not need to do good works to be saved. However, we need to determine what it means to believe, or have faith in someone. Ask nearly anyone why he or she has faith in someone as a leader, and they will point to that person’s values, integrity, honesty, and strength (i.e. their noblest character traits). Therefore, living a truly triumphant life in Yahshua is only obtained through our faith in His character, and in His promises given to us in that same character. Christ’s character is embodied in His Name, “Yahshua,” as well as in the power of His Family Name “Yahweh,” and all that it implies about the nature and character of God. Through faith in God’s character and promises, we are given the one gift we cannot find salvation without – the Holy Spirit of Yahshua and Yahweh within us.

It is through the Holy Spirit, or Ruach Ha Kodesh that we are made aware of Yahweh and Yahshua’s character, and the real promise and power of Their holy Names. But we are not born with God’s Spirit. We can only obtain the Holy Spirit through faith in Yahshua, and belief in the power of His Name, or character. We also can’t manifest the same spiritual power that the apostles displayed on the first Pentecost after Yahshua ascended to Heaven unless we act in true faith, without doubting Yahshua’s promises to us as revealed in the quoted Scriptures earlier, and in the following:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you…” “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” - Matthew 7:7, 11 (NKJ)

“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.” - Matthew 18:19 (NKJ)

“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” - Matthew 21:22 (NKJ)

“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” - Mark 11:24 (NKJ)

“And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ (Yahshua Ha Mashiach) and love one another, as He gave us commandment.” - I John 3:22-23 (NKJ)

The last preceding Scripture quoted offers the key as to how we can have the same authority to act in Yahshua’s Name as the apostles did after Pentecost. It is through keeping Yahshua’s commandments to love and forgive others that we obtain the power to act on His behalf, and it is through believing in His Holy Spirit’s power within us that we can cast out demons, heal the sick, baptize the saved, raise the dead, and preach the Good News - just like the apostles, and the disciples did in the First Century after Yahshua’s First Advent.

These Scriptures also indicate that we will only get anything we ask for from God if it is asked in “prayer,” which signifies direct communication with the Father. In addition, we must ask in the character of Christ, who kept His Father’s Commandments perfectly and never displeased Him. Though, while in these fallen bodies, we are incapable of truly keeping all of the Father’s Commandments, we will get what we ask for if Christ’s Spirit is guiding our requests, and Christ’s blood serves as our only atonement covering.

Yahweh, the Great “I AM,” and Yahshua Are One!

Yahweh’s personal Name has been known since the dawn of time. In fact, the first recorded use of God’s proper Name “Yahweh” is in the very first chapters of Genesis! Repentant people of past ages hoped to draw near to the one true God, and fellowship with Him by using the personal Name of God: “Yahweh.” Back then, the Bible tells us that they did this by calling on Yahweh’s Name, and performing a solemn atonement ritual of blood sacrifice. As they made their sacrifices of repentance, they called out to Yahweh by name, solemnly asking Him to forgive them, and hear their prayers.

The truth is that God’s Name has repeatedly been found in Babylonian records, where one of their central deities was known as Eyah. Though Eyah was supposedly just one of more than a dozen gods worshipped then, this name is nearly identical in pronunciation to “He Yah,” the Hebrew expression for God used in Exodus 3:14. This means God’s Name as revealed to Moses was in use by some Semites long before Moses met with He Yah in the burning bush! Later, the Father’s Son Yahshua came to re-introduce Ha Shem, or God’s Name to Israel, and to became the perfect atonement sacrifice for us so that we no longer have to offer up sacrifice after sacrifice for every sin in order to receive full fellowship with Yahweh.

Unfortunately, few people recognize how Yahshua made His Father’s Name, and His Name known to His disciples as He spoke to them in public discourses. Though the fact is lost to us in our English translations of the New Testament from a Greek original, Yahshua said the Name “Yahweh” repeatedly as He taught a primarily Jewish audience. There are many powerful passages that refer to Yahshua’s role as both Messiah and Deity that begin with the words “I am.” The Hebrew/Aramaic word “Yahweh” means “HE IS,” which is the third person emphatic form of the first person expression “I AM,” vocalized as “He Yah” in Hebrew. Yahshua was therefore referring to both His Father, and to His own Deity and character whenever He said “I AM” or “He Yah” emphatically, as He does in the following passages:

“I am the light of the world.” - John 9:5 (NIV)

“I am the gate...” - John 10:9 (NIV)

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” - John 10:11 (NIV)

“I am the resurrection and the life.” - John 11:25 (NIV)

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” - John 14:6 (NIV)

“I am the vine; you are the branches…” - John 15:5 (NIV)

“Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” - John 14:10 (NIV)

The final entry in the preceding list of passages is of particular interest because Yahshua is telling His audience that Yahshua’s words are His heavenly Father’s own words. Furthermore, Yahshua is saying that He and the Father in Heaven are connected to each other in that they both share the same Spirit of God, or the spiritual character of the Ruach Ha Kodesh. If we did not understand that this meant that Yahshua is both fully God and fully man, then we would be forced to think He was possessed by the Father’s Spirit - just as a demon-possessed man is inhabited spiritually, and controlled physically by a demon! Since we know Yahshua didn’t mean this, then Yahshua was stating the fact that He had no other Spirit except the one He shared with His Father. For this reason, Yahshua could do His Father’s work perfectly.

Yahshua is the only man who ever lived that perfectly did the Father’s work, and perfectly displayed the Father’s character during His human lifetime. In contrast, even after being filled with the Holy Spirit, every human being is still subject to sin because the Ruach doesn’t obliterate our old sin nature. Instead, the Holy Spirit gradually crowds out the old sin nature over time. God’s Spirit does so by helping us to reject, and suppress the old sin nature so it rarely affects us. Only when we are resurrected in our spiritual bodies, however, will we be fully free from sin like Christ is.

In the following two New Testament passages, Yahshua is clearly speaking in defense of His own deity:

“‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus (Yahshua) answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am (He Yah)!’ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus (Yahshua) hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.” - John 8:58-59 (NIV)

“‘I am he’ (He Yah), Jesus (Yahshua) said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus (Yahshua) said, ‘I am he,’ (He Yah) they drew back and fell to the ground.” - John 18:5-6 (NIV)

It is obvious that Yahshua is claiming to be God from the reactions of His hearers, who were Jews that were well versed in the Scriptures. In saying: “I Am” and “I Am He” in the preceding passages, Yahshua was proclaiming that He was Yahweh God Incarnate to His Jewish audience. The Jews of Yahshua’s day, however, couldn’t accept that they were speaking to Deity in human form. They instead saw a blasphemous male human being who claimed to be God. They were unable to accept Yahshua’s claim because of their strict monotheism.

The Jews had no concept of Yahweh as one triune being except in mystical writings like the Kabbalah, and they all but ignored the plural nature of the Hebrew word “Elohim,” their most common term for God. They therefore did not understand that Yahshua was claiming to be a part of the triune God the Jews knew as Yahweh, but saw as only one Person instead of three. They therefore saw the Scriptures as referring to God the Father alone. In reality, however, it applied to the triune God Yahweh, who manifests Himself as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit:

“For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.” - I John 5:7 (NKJ)

Here, “the Word” is referring to Christ, and according to John 1:1, the Word is God, and He is seen as one of three divine Persons that are one in essence and purpose. This is just one of several Scriptures that show that the idea of the Trinity is indeed taught in the Bible. Other pertinent Bible passages teaching the concept of the Trinity are: Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; John 10:30; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinth. 12:4-6; 2 Corinth. 13:14; and Ephesians 2:18.

Though they act as One God, each Person in the Trinity has a distinct yet fully complimentary function in the life of every believer. God the Father supplies the essential logic justice, judgment, and balance behind everything, the Son of God provides the love, forgiveness, and redemption needed by everyone, and the Spirit of God provides the regeneration and renewal required for all Creation to regain full integration with all three Persons of the Trinity, for which Scripture has provided the Name “Yahweh Elohim”, or “HE IS the Godhead.”

The Jews who rejected Yahshua’s claim to deity refused to believe that the invisible Person whom we know as God the Father had a physical counterpart in Christ, or that both the Father and the Son have a living, sentient Spirit that they could freely share with people covered by the redemptive blood of the Son. They therefore denied what Isaiah said in reference to God the Father, and His Son:

“Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the LORD (Yahweh), am the first; and (with) the last I am He.’” - Isaiah 41:4 (NKJ)

Here, Isaiah is identifying Yahweh with the same expression directed to Yahshua in the Book of Revelation, where He is called “the First and the Last” four times (Rev. 1:11, 1:17, 2:8, 22:13). Unfortunately, however, every translation of this verse into English has the word “with” inserted before the expression “the last,” even though it does not appear in the Hebrew. This is a real tragedy, for it obscures this clear title for Christ used in reference to Yahweh. It is my contention that this passage should be translated: “Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? ‘I Yahweh, the First and the Last, I AM He!’”

To make sure this connection between Yahshua and God the Father was not missed by the Israelites, Isaiah was also inspired to utter the following irrevocable proof of the deity shared by God the Father and His Son:

“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel (Yahweh Malek Israel), and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts (Yahweh Tsavout): ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.’” - Isaiah 44:6 (NKJ)

Unfortunately, this passage has also been grossly mistranslated in some Bible translations. Fortunately, the King James Bible contains nearly its exact meaning. The only problem it has is in the use of the lower case “his” before “Redeemer.” If this is capitalized, the passage would read: “the LORD, the King of Israel (Yahweh Malek Israel), and His Redeemer, the LORD of hosts (Yahweh Tsavout).” Translated this way, the passage clearly says that Yahweh Tsavout is the Redeemer of Yahweh Malek Israel! In this passage, Isaiah therefore prophesied that Yahshua, as Malek Israel, or the King of Israel, would be redeemed from death on the Cross by God the Father, who is called Yahweh Tsavout, or the LORD of hosts (i.e. LORD of armies).

Now, returning to Isaiah 41:4, where Yahweh is called “the First and the Last” like Christ, the phrase “I Am He” must apply to both God the Father, and Yahshua as His Son. This phrase “I Am He,” is another form of the Name of God used in Exodus 3:14. It is not the third person expression “Yahweh,” but the first person form of God’s Name, which is “He Yah.” In other words, this is how God would say His Name to us if he were talking to us directly. Therefore, as already explained, “Yahweh” does not mean “I AM,” but “HE IS.”

In John 18:5-6, when Yahshua applied the “He Yah” expression of God’s Name to Himself, the Jews ”drew back and fell to the ground.” This begs us to ask why they did so. The oft-overlooked reason is because these Jews were terrified! They expected God the Father to strike Yahshua dead that instant for blaspheming, and calling Himself God, and they backed away, and hid their faces in terror of God’s wrath! They also had the false belief that it was dangerous, and wrong to invoke God’s True Name - even though their own Scriptures suggest that God clearly meant for His Name to be pronounced thousands of times as the Scriptures were read.

Yet, by never saying Yah’s holy Name, these same Jews were cheating themselves of the benefits that using this divine Name in prayer bestowed. They were also suggesting that they had learned that they could not use God’s Name without fear of immediate reprisal because they used it “in vain.” Why? Because they either had lost their faith in Yahweh in favor of Pagan deities, and - as apostates - necessarily used His Name in vain when they uttered it, or else they feared Yahweh too much. They thereby had lost touch with God’s loving and forgiving nature, and doubted His ability to give love and mercy to anyone, much less His own Chosen People. For this reason, instead of being blessed, they were rebuked and cursed when they called on Yahweh.

Nonetheless, those who truly love Yahweh have nothing to fear from Him, or from calling on His holy Name! In fact, by saying Yahweh’s Name aloud in prayer and praise, their requests have greater weight before God’s Throne. In addition, saying Yah’s Name gives believers greater authority to act in His Name when they are called to battle demonic spirits. The Name “Yahweh,” whether uttered in reverence or desperate need, also has the power to transform and protect those who call on Yahweh for help. Therefore, Jewish priests and leaders who were jealous of the power and authority God had given ordinary believers had obliterated the utterance of Yahweh’s Name in love and faith, and denied the spiritual power this Name gives all believers who seek to do God’s Will. Yahshua came to rectify this terrible wrong that had been committed by His fellow Jews. He came to make His, His Father’s, and His Spirit’s Name known again so that people might be saved through belief in the Three Persons of the Trinity, and in the power of their Family Name: “Yahweh,” “He Yah,” or simply “Yah.”

Sadly, many of the Jews of Yahshua’s day were ignorant of the power they had robbed themselves of. All they knew is that, when they heard anyone saying “Yahweh,” or more specifically “He Yah,” which is the Hebrew First Person emphatic form of the expression “I AM,” they were either terrified, or enraged that someone would dare to utter God’s supposedly unutterable Name. In John 8:58-59 - quoted earlier - Yahshua was using God’s Name “I AM” in reference to Himself, and the Jews were so outraged at His blasphemy that they were ready to stone Him to death!

Even though some Jews hated Yahshua, and wanted to kill Him, others recognized and hailed Him as the “Mashiach,” or Messiah. This is why a large crowd of Jews quoted from Psalm 118 in unison to honor Yahshua as their Messiah, and the future King of all Israel when He entered Jerusalem a week before He died:

“The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus (Yahshua) was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord (Ha Shem Yahweh)” - Psalm 118:26, John 12:12-13 (NKJ)

Those Jews who did follow, and love Yahshua all eventually understood that He had not only come in the Name of Yahweh, but that - in some mystical way they did not yet fully understand - Yahshua was, is, and always will be Yahweh (Rev. 1:4, 1:8, 11:17, 16:5).

Yahshua and Jesus, Two Names With Little In Common

In my books and articles, I refer to our Savior as Yahshua instead of Jesus because it is a version of His Semitic name that emphasizes His deity. I do so because our Savior’s real name is as important to know and call upon as His Father’s real name! Our Savior’s name was not Jesus but Yahshua, with Yeshua and Yehoshua being variants of the same name. Yahshua means “Yah Saves” or “Yah is (our) Salvation.” Conversely, the English name “Jesus” is not a translation of the Hebrew name Yahshua into English. “Jesus,” the English name applied to our Savior, appears as “Iesous” in Greek. This same name, “Iesous,” is translated correctly into English as “Joshua” in Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8 in every rendition of the Bible I checked except the King James Version, where it is translated incorrectly as Jesus.

Joshua is the anglicized name for Yehoshua (a long form of Yahshua, or Yeshua), the Hebrew son of Nun who led the Israelites to victory in the Promised Land (Deut. 31:14, 34:9; also see all of Joshua). Our Savior shared almost the same Hebrew name as Joshua. “Jesus” is therefore not a correct translation of the names Yehoshua, Yahshua, or Yeshua into the Greek version “Joshua.” Knowing this led me to ask: “Why aren’t we being given the true Name of our Savior?” Over time, I discovered the shocking truth that there is power in the Name “Joshua” or “Yahshua,” and we are being robbed of that power.

There are also other reasons to use the names Joshua, or Yashua instead of Jesus as the name for our Savior. For one, certain linguistically-skilled Messianic Bible scholars have noted that the name “Jesus” sounds as if it could be an altered form of an expression of praise for the Greek supreme deity Zeus that was derived from the expression: “Ye Zeus!” or “Hail Zeus!” Being half-Polish, I can vouch that this is correct, as I distinctly remember pronouncing Yahshua’s Name as “Ye-zeus” when I recited my childhood bedside prayers in Polish! If this isn’t bad enough, the same scholars have noted (and I verified) that the Greek name for our Savior: “Iesous” also can serve as the Greek transliteration of the name of the Egyptian goddess “Aset,” whom the Greeks and Romans knew as “Isis.”

This shocking truth led me to ask the question: “How could this Greek name “Iesous”, with its obviously Pagan associations, have come to be connected to our Savior?” The most plausible answer thus far put forward by various scholars is that, in the first few centuries after Christ rose from the dead, the Greco-Roman name “Jesus” was given to Yahshua instead of the Semitic name Joshua (i.e. Yeshua, or Yahshua) in order to make Christ more acceptable to Pagans. In short, the leaders of the Holy Roman Empire desired to unite the Pagans with the Christians in their realm to solidify their Empire. To do so, it appears that they cajoled their Pagan subjects to accept a revamped version of Christianity that tied biblical Holy Days with Pagan feast days and practices, and also connected the Christian concept of the Trinity with three Pagan gods: Zeus/Jupiter - the father of the gods; Isis/Demeter/Ceres - a powerful mother goddess who was also seen as a fertility and sex goddess; and Apollo/Helios - the Sun god who was also the son of Zeus. This unholy Pagan trinity was thereby fused with the triune Creator God Yahweh, who manifests Himself as God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Son.

If this wasn’t bad enough, Yahshua’s human, sinful, yet blessed mother Miriam, or Mary was eventually deified, and set up as an object of worship in order to replace the “Queen of Heaven” mother goddess worship of the Pagans. She also became associated with Mary Magdalene, who is worshipped as the “Black Madonna,” or the Christianized version of a fertility goddess. Even more grievously, the expression “Jesus” was substituted for “Joshua” to spuriously connect Yahshua to the Pagan god Zeus/Jupiter, as well as to the Mother Earth goddess worshipped throughout the ancient world at that time - known alternatively as Isis, Demeter, Artemis, Aphrodite, Fortuna, Venus, and a host of other names.

Christianity was thus associated with Pagan holidays like Ostara and Saturnalia instead of the Jewish Feast Days that Yahshua kept like Passover and Chanukah. However, the record needs to be set straight about the holiday called “Easter.” Though Easter is not the correct name for the celebration of Yahshua’s Resurrection (it should be called “Firstfruits”), it does usually fall on the correct day for the Firstfruits Offering during the weeklong Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread (See my book “The Language of God in Humanity for more about this). Nonetheless, Yahshua’s death and resurrection should never have been divorced from the celebration of Passover and Firstfruits, just as Yahshua’s birth should never have been divorced from the Feast of Tabernacles and Chanukah, both of which figure in our Savior’s Nativity story. To see how these two Jewish holidays are tied to Christ’s birth, read my article called: “The Divine Timing of the Celestial Signs at Christ’s Birth,” which can be found as a free, downloadable PDF file at the http://pillar-of-enoch.com web site.

In equating Zeus and Isis with Christ and Mary, these secular leaders committed a grave sin. Nonetheless, through this subtle subterfuge, Yahweh allowed the Holy Roman Emperors to eventually succeed in uniting the warring Pagan and Christian factions of the crumbling Roman Empire. Perhaps Yahweh allowed this because He foreknew that this was the only way Christianity would be able to spread throughout the known world. Now, however - in this present Age - Yahweh has poured out His Holy Spirit again in such abundance that the wrongs of the past can be rectified, and the truth can again be made known to the world (Isaiah 44:3-5; Joel 2:28-32). Though Yahweh has poured out His Spirit on all believers since the time of Christ’s First Advent, Yahweh has stepped up this outpouring over the past five centuries of human history. Now, in these last years before the Great Tribulation, Yahweh is pouring out even greater revelations such as those found in the teaching of His true Names, and in the re-discovery of the power of His sacred allegorical Language. HalleluYAH! Praise Yah that He has done this, and may Yah’s Will come to fruition soon. Amen!

Strive To Call Our Savior Yahshua, or Yah Saves!

Unfortunately, for nearly two millennia, the politically motivated ploy of calling Yahshua by the name Jesus caused Yahshua’s true Name to be almost completely hidden, and forgotten. As a result, the great power of Yahshua’s Name to enact change in, and for Christians was all but obliterated. In His infinite mercy, however, Yahshua has allowed those who call on Him as “Jesus” to be blessed in spite of their ignorance of His true Name. This is because they are usually not aware that the name Jesus is spurious. I, for example, was saved and baptized in the Name of Jesus, and called on Jesus in many prayers that were miraculously answered, showing that great spiritual power is still bestowed onto those who call on that name. However, could the power and blessing given the many who call on Jesus’ name be a result of God’s forgiveness, mercy, compassion, and love for His followers despite their frequent ignorance of His, and His Son’s true Names? I think this is the only answer that makes sense in light of the teaching of Scripture. Therefore, it is time for Christians who discover the truth to stop relying on Grace alone to satisfy God’s Will!

Yahshua’s people need to preach and follow His truth, which includes calling on His true Name, and thereby righting the wrong of many ignorant, but well-meaning Christian leaders! They must do so by calling on Christ’s true Name: “YAH-shua,” which is the Name that identifies Him with His Father as “I AM,” or “He YAH.” The name “Yeshua” means “He will save,” but the Name “Yahshua” means “I AM will save,” and that is what Yahshua - as God incarnate - came to do! Only the Name “Yahshua” shows our Savior’s divine status. This is why Messianic Jews and Christians can and should use the Name “Yahshua” for our Savior with conviction - and without embarrassment or apology - wherever they go.

Once we know Yahshua’s true Name, using the incorrect name “Jesus” is no longer acceptable to Yahweh, who loves the truth (John 14:6, 16:13). Once we know Yahshua’s true Name, it is therefore wrong to keep calling Him by the name “Jesus”, and to keep quiet about knowing His true Name in fear of being divisive. Just as Yahshua is truth, we are divinely called to preach His truth (Exodus 20:16; Romans 9:1; Colossians 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:7), and the truth is that Yahshua, Joshua, or Yeshua is our Savior’s real Name, and it should be honored to show that we aren’t ashamed of Yahshua’s Jewishness, divinity, Hebrew Name, unconditional love for us, and all-encompassing ability to offer all Creation salvation from sin!

Nonetheless, it is difficult to begin using Yahshua’s true Name comfortably in some Christian churches. I have discovered this firsthand. Some Christians are so in love with the name “Jesus” that they react with hostility to anyone who dares to question the validity of this incorrect name for our Savior. However, they fail to see the power and rightness in calling Yahshua by His true Name. For those who find this teaching hard, my purpose isn’t to cause division in the Church, but to educate Christians to the truth. Whether one chooses to call our Savior “Jesus” or “Yahshua” is not merely a matter of preference, or familiarity. Instead, it is a matter of honoring God’s truth or Law, and the truth is that our Savior’s name is now, and always has been “Yeshua” or “Yahshua,” not “Jesus”!

In regard to this touchy issue, I found it helpful to prayerfully ask my heavenly Father Yahweh: “Does my Savior want me to honor His Hebrew Name ‘Yahshua,’ or to call Him by His Greco-Roman name ‘Jesus’?” The answer I received time and again from the Holy Spirit was: “If you are ashamed of Me, My Word, or My true Name, I will be ashamed of you.” This answer echoes a passage in the Gospels, where Yahshua says:

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” - Mark 8:38 (NKJ)

We must acknowledge that our Savior’s true Name is “Yahshua” in order to recognize His Hebrew and Israelite origins, and biblical purpose, and if we are to reap the full blessing that loving our Savior can give us. Once the true meaning of Yahshua’s Name is understood, no other name for Yahshua should suffice other than the one that tells us that He is the God Who Saves, and that is why He came to us in human form! Let’s examine why:

The Hebrew name “Yahshua” literally means “Yah (short for “Yahweh”) Saves” in English. Yahshua’s Hebrew Name therefore tells us that He is, in essence, Yahweh God Himself who came down to Earth in human form to save us from our sins. In Isaiah, the prophetic name given to identify the nature of the Messiah Yahshua was the Hebrew name “Immanuel.” Immanuel means “God (El) With Us.” El is a short version of the Hebrew expression “Elohim,” a title meaning God in the plural sense, but as having one essence. This word therefore suggests the Christian understanding of Yahweh God as a Trinity that would come with the advent of Yahshua.

Since the name Yahweh represents the One Triune Godhead, Yahweh is a Family Name that represents all three Persons of the Trinity. The short form of Yahweh is “Yah,” as found in the expression Hallelu-Yah, which means “Praise Yah.” My full inclusion of “Yah” in our Savior’s Name Yahshua shows my recognition of His full Deity and identity as part of Yahweh. Yahshua, His Father, and the Holy Spirit were, and are, and always will communally be “YAH.”

Now let’s further examine what the name “Yahshua” literally means. In Psalm 95:1, the Hebrew word “yasha” is translated as “salvation.” This word is nearly identical to the Hebrew word “yashua” translated as “salvation” in Deuteronomy 32:15. Now let’s look at the Bible passage that names our Savior in the Gospel of Matthew:

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus (Yahshua), for He will save His people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:21 (NKJ)

The Hebrew word that meant "He will save" was the following as taken from Strong's Concordance: “3442 meaning Yeshuwa` (yay-shoo'-ah); for 3091; he will save; Jeshua, the name of ten Israelites, also of a place in Palestine: KJV - Jeshua.” Note the phonetic pronunciation provided by Strong in the above excerpt: "Yay-shoo-ah." Though Strong’s vowel additions are somewhat spurious since vowels were not recorded in ancient Hebrew, his pronunciation is acceptable and serves to prove conclusively that the name of our Savior in Hebrew, when translated into English, can be none other than “Yeshua,” “Yayshua,” or “Yahshua.” The Name of our Savior was therefore derived from the Hebrew words meaning “salvation.”

Nonetheless, though the name “Yeshua” is an acceptable name for Christ, it does not address His deity. For this reason, it is highly likely that Yahshua’s true Name was spelled closely to, or identically to the name of Joshua, Son of Nun, whose real Hebrew name was pronounced “Yahushua.” This name consists of the Hebrew letters Y-H-V-SH-A, and is pronounced Yahushua (Yah-hoo-shua). Therefore, it carries the full short form of the Name “YAH” at its beginning, and simultaneously carries the meaning of the Hebrew word “Yasha,” meaning “Salvation.”

As already mentioned, the name “Yahshua” is an acceptable short form of Yahushua. Like the longer name, “Yahshua” contains the full short form of Yah’s holy Name: YAH. I can therefore say the Name “Yahshua” with absolute confidence that I am calling on “YAH SAVES,” our God and Redeemer who saves us from sin and death. Of course, the Name “Yahushua” can also be confidently applied to our Savior. The only problem with it is that most people do not recognize it as belonging to Christ, who is known as Yeshua among most Messianic Jews, while a few use the Name Yahshua just as I do to express their belief in Christ’s full deity, while also acknowledging His full humanity.

Yahshua Ha Mashiach, Our Anointed Priest and King

There is another word associated with God’s Son’s Name in the New Testament that has been misconstrued. This word is “Christ,” which means “anointed,” and appears almost as a last name associated with Yahshua, who is often called “Jesus Christ.” The Greek, however, should be translated “Joshua the Christ,” not “Jesus Christ.” This is because the word “Christ” is a Greek title derived from the Hebrew word “Mashiach” or “Messiah,” meaning ”Anointed (One).” Therefore, the phrase “Jesus the Christ” is rendered as “Yahshua Ha Mashiach” in Hebrew.

The title “Christ” or “Messiah” refers to the Old Testament practice of anointing the head of the one chosen to rule over the people. This set the new leader apart for special service to both God and the people, and made him responsible for guiding his subjects into a right relationship with Yahweh. The anointing literally served to mark someone or something as “holy,” or “set apart” for Yahweh’s exclusive service. Anointing was often done using Spikenard, a costly perfume that was poured over the new leader’s head to mark him as the ruler chosen by Yah:

“Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.” - 2 Samuel 2:4 (NIV)

“Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, "Long live King Solomon!” - I King 1:39 (NIV)

Until the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Kingdom of Judah, there were kings reigning in the Promised Land who had been anointed, or set apart, with oil. The reigning Levite High Priest who served in the Temple to Yahweh in Jerusalem most often performed this anointing ceremony. In addition to the king, every priest who served in the Temple of Yahweh and every sacred vessel used in temple worship was also anointed. This anointing ceremony was performed to consecrate priests and sacred items as a way of setting them apart for exclusive service to Yahweh:

“Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, and so consecrated them. He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them. He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to consecrate him.” - Leviticus 8:10-12 (NIV)

This anointing that set people and things apart for holy service in the Old Testament was also mentioned as applicable to Christ in the New Testament. In the following Scripture, Yahshua makes it clear that He was anointed as holy or specially set apart for service to Yah by quoting from the book of the prophet Isaiah:

“The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. (See Isaiah 11:2-5) He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.’ ” - Luke 4:17-19 (NIV)

Yahshua therefore publicly proclaimed His special position as an anointed servant of Yah. This anointing gave Yahshua both the right to rule as a king, as well as to serve as the High Priest over the entire world.

Yahshua Worshipped as the Son of God

Yahshua not only showed us His special place as our King of kings, and Great High Priest, but also publicly accepted worship as the Son of God, who was equal with the Father, and served as Yahweh in His preincarnate state. This is why it is not a sin to equate Yahshua with God, or call him “Yahshua,” or “Yah Saves” to show His place in the Trinity. There are numerous instances in the Gospels where Yahshua accepted worship, and people were encouraged to worship Him as the Son of God. Here are numerous clear examples:

“And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.’ Then Jesus (Yahshua) put out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” - Matthew 8:2-3 (NKJ)

This passage shows that the sick who desire to get well should love and worship Yahshua, and trust in His ability to heal them with all their hearts - just as one faithful leper did long ago.

“While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.’” - Matthew 9:18 (NKJ)

Here, we see that a Jewish leader in desperate need worshipped Yahshua, and humbly asked Him to have mercy on him and his daughter just as if he were asking God Almighty. On another occasion, the apostles did the same thing:

“Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God.” - Matthew 14:33 (NKJ)

There you have it! Right after the twelve apostles - who were all Jews - witnessed Yahshua’s ability to control the weather, and walk on water - as they only God could do - they fell down and worshipped Him as the Son of God. Not long after, a Canaanite (i.e. Gentile) woman who wished for the demons inhabiting her daughter to be cast out worshipped Yahshua:

“And behold, a woman of Canaan… cried out to Him, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed…’ “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’” - Matthew 15:22, 25 (NKJ)

At still another time, after His resurrection from the dead, the women who had witnessed the angels in the empty tomb worshipped Yahshua in His resurrected body:

“And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus (Yahshua) met them, saying, ‘Rejoice!’ So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.” - Matthew 28:9 (NKJ)

The women who had gone to care for Yahshua’s body in the tomb on Easter (Firstfruits) morning worshipped Him the moment they saw Him in His resurrected form. Especially poignant is the story of the Jewish blind man whose sight was restored by Christ, and who later worshipped his healer as God:

“Jesus (Yahshua) heard that they had cast him out (i.e. “him” being a blind man Yahshua had healed); and when He had found him, He said… ‘Do you believe in the Son of God?’ He answered and said, ‘Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?’ And Jesus (Yahshua) said to him, ‘You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.’ Then he said, ‘Lord, I believe!’ And he worshiped Him.” - John 9:35-38 (NKJ)

Here, after miraculously receiving his eyesight, a man of Israel could finally see who His Savior truly was, and he unashamedly worshipped Yahshua and called him “Lord,” which is “Adonai” in Hebrew! Yahshua was therefore not merely a prophet or holy angel, who would never willingly accept anyone’s worship (). Instead, Yahshua was greater than any angelic “son of God,” and was rightly called “My Son” by God the Father:

“And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” - Matthew 3:17 (NKJ)

“For to which of the angels did He ever say: ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You’? And again: ‘I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son’? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’ - Hebrews 1:5-6 (NKJ)

Here, the writer of Hebrews is telling his fellow Israelites that Yahshua is God’s Son, and the firstborn of the Resurrection, and that even the angels are called to worship Him! This unashamed worship of Christ is repeated throughout the New Testament, including the last book of the Bible, where Yahshua is called “the Lamb:”

“Now when He (Yahshua) had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders