We agree with many of the concepts as taught by the Jehovah Witnesses, including that the term “antichrist” or “antimessiah” refers to a spirit of rejection and rebellion. As pointed out within the link you provided, the spirit of the antimessiah:
Will deceive the world into believe a lie (Mathew 24:5, 23-24)
Denies Yahshua as the Son of Yahweh and Savior of mankind (1John 2:22).
Masquerades as the Messiah, perhaps under a different name (John 4:43).
Will persecute and oppose the saints of almighty Yahweh and the Jewish people (Zechariah 12:1, Matthew 24:16).
One other point wherein we agree with the Jehovah’s Witnesses is on their understanding of the paganism of the Trinity. The Bible teaches that only the Father has immortality (1Timothy 6:16), i.e., has always existed, that the Son was the first of the Father’s creation (Colossians 1:15; Revelation 3:14), that the Father is greater than the Son (John 10:29; 14:28; 1Corinthians 11:3), and that the Holy Spirit represents the power of the Father and not the third person of the Trinity (Luke 4:14; Romans 15:19; and Galatians 4:29).
The Trinity concept is not scriptural, but comes from paganism. For example, the Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics states, “Although the notion of a divine triad or Trinity is characteristic of the Christian religion, it is by no means peculiar to it. In Indian religion we meet with the trinitarian group of Brahma, Siva, and Vishnu; and in Egyptian religion with the trinitarian group of Osiris, Isis, and Horus, constituting a divine family, like the Father, Mother and Son in mediaeval Christian pictures” (Trinity, p. 458).
It’s important to also realize that the antichrist or antimessiah is an actual figure or person that will come to power in the latter days. Revelation 13:1-10 verifies that he will receive his power and might from Satan the devil, will persecute the saints of the Most High, will blaspheme Yahweh, and will make war with those who oppose him. He will also establish a global dictatorship during the three-and-a-half years of the Great Tribulation and change laws and times (Daniel 8:23-25). He will also rebuild a third temple and sit within it as elohim (2Thess 2:3-13).
Based on prophecy, we believe that this man will likely be of the Islamic faith, which will reestablish an Islamic caliphate, similar to the Ottoman Empire that was defeated in WWI. This is likely the deadly wound that was healed, as described in Revelation 13:3. For additional information on the antimessiah and his kingdom, please see our booklet: The Prophecy of the Beast and the Ten Toes.
For more information on the antimessiah, watch our video: The Prophecy of the Final Empire and the End of the World:
Why do you use the name Yahweh? Don’t you know that this name was invented by a Catholic monk in 1725 AD? Plus, there are 20 different ways our Heavenly Father’s name can be pronounced.
The belief that “Yahweh” originated from a Catholic monk could not be further from the truth. This statement can be proven false with a simple Google search. The official website of the Catholic Church states: “About the 13th century the term ‘Jehovah’ appeared when Christian scholars took the consonants of ‘Yahweh’ and pronounced it with the vowels of ‘Adonai.’ This resulted in the sound ‘Yahowah,’ which has a Latinized spelling of ‘Jehovah.’ The first recorded use of this spelling was made by a Spanish Dominican monk, Raymundus Martini, in 1270” (www.catholic.com/qa/is-gods-name-yahweh-or-jehovah).
From this citation, it was not “Yahweh” that was originated by a Catholic monk, but the hybrid “Jehovah,” arising from Yehowah or Yehovah. Additionally, scholarship overwhelmingly confirms “Yahweh” as the likely pronunciation. Evidence for this is found in ancient inscriptions dating back to the second century of the Common Era, including early church fathers and gnostic sources. Following are other sources attesting to the correctness of “Yahweh.”
“The true pronunciation of the name YHWH was never lost. Several early Greek writers of the Christian Church testify that the name was pronounced ‘Yahweh’” (Encyclopaedia Judaica, vol. 7, p. 680).
“Early Christian writers, such as Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd century, had used the form Yahweh, thus this pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton was never really lost. Greek transcriptions also indicated that YHWH should be pronounced Yahweh” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th ed., vol. x, p. 786).
“The pronunciation Yahweh is indicated by transliteration of the name into Greek in early Christian literature, in the form iaoue (Clement of Alexandria) or iabe (Theodoret; by this time Gk. b had the pronunciation of v)…Strictly speaking, Yahweh is the only ‘name’ of God. In Genesis wherever the word sem (‘name’) is associated with the divine being that name is Yahweh” (Eerdman’s Bible Dictionary, 1979 p. 478).
“Such a conclusion, giving ‘Yahweh’ as the pronunciation of the name, is confirmed by the testimony of the Fathers and gentile writers, where the forms IAO, Yaho, Yaou, Yahouai, and Yahoue appear. Especially important is the statement of Theodoret in relation to Ex. lvi, when he says: ‘the Samaritans call it [the tetragrammaton] ‘Yabe,’ the Jews call it ‘Aia’…” (The New Schaff-Herzog Religious Encyclopedia, “Yahweh,” p. 471)
In addition to early Christian sources, evidence for Yahweh is also found in the Nag Hammadi codices, dating from the 2nd to 4th century CE. This library of Gnostic writings was discovered in Upper Egypt, near Nag Hammadi, in 1945. In all, there are over 50 texts within this library. Since they are in Greek, as with the church fathers, they preserve the pronunciation.
One such book is The Secret Book of John. This codex mentions the name Yahweh and notes, “Eloim and Yawe, two names of God in the Hebrew scriptures…. Yahweh is the name of God (based on the Tetragrammaton, the ineffable four-letter name)” (Dr. Marvin Meyer, The Nag Hammadi Scriptures, p. 127).
The Secret Book of John, as it was known to the church father Irenaeus, dates to the second century. This was the same time-frame as Clement of Alexandria, who also confirmed the name. Even though gnosticism was rightly deemed heretical by the early church, it is another witness to the pronunciation of Yahweh. The fact that these groups were at odds, but agreed on “Yahweh,” is significant and adds credence to this pronunciation. It verifies that “Yahweh” was widely recognized as early as the second century, nearly 700 years before any Hebrew manuscripts containing Yehovah.
Based on these ancient inscriptions, modern scholarship also favors Yahweh as the proper and correct pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton:
“Correct pronunciation of the Divine Name. ‘Jehovah’ is the best known English pronunciation of the divine name, although ‘Yahweh’ is favored by most Hebrew scholars. The oldest Hebrew manuscripts present the name in the form of four consonants, commonly called the Tetragrammaton (from Greek te∙tra-, meaning ‘four,’ and gram’ma, ‘letter’). These four letters (written from right to left) are yhwh and may be transliterated into English as YHWH (or, JHVH)” (“Jehovah,” Insight on the Scriptures, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1988. vol. 2, p. 5).
Insight on the Scriptures is a Jehovah’s Witness publication. Even though this organization continues to use the hybrid “Jehovah,” they have no choice but to acknowledge that “Yahweh” is favored by Hebrew scholars. Considering that the name of our Heavenly Father comes to us through the Hebrew language, this point is significant.
“Jehovah in that form was unknown to the ancient Israelites. In fact, Hebrew scholars say that Jehovah would have been impossible according to the strict principles of Hebrew vocalization. The God of Israel was known by a name approximately rendered into English as Yahweh” (A Book About the Bible, George Stimpson, p. 247).
“Yahweh was doubtless the approximate pronunciation of the tetragrammaton, the four-letter word YHWH, since transliterations into Gr. in early Christian literature have been found in the form of iaoue (Clement of Alexander) and iahe (Theodoret) pronounced ‘iave.’ The name is a variant connected with the verb haya, ‘to be,’ from an earlier form, hawa” (“God, Names and Titles of,” Wycliff Bible Dictionary, Charles Pfeiffer, Ed., p. 694).
“The Bible often refers to God by his proper name, which was probably pronounced Yahweh …In the Hebrew Bible, the consonants hwhy [yhwh] are usually to be read as Adonai…’my Lord,’ for the sake of reverence, and English versions represent the word by ‘Lord’ or (less often) ‘God’ in capital letters” (“Names of God in the Hebrew Bible,” Oxford Companion to the Bible, Bruce Metzger, Ed., p. 548).
“Although the meaning of the name remains subject to debate, Yahweh is most likely a verbal form of Heb. haya (perhaps originally hwy)…Because of the utmost sanctity ascribed to the name, Jews from postexilic times on have declined to pronounce it in public reading, and only the consonants were written (YHWH; the Dead Sea Scrolls use the archaic, ‘paleo-Hebrew’ script). Although the original pronunciation was thus eventually lost, inscriptional evidence favors yahwae or yahwe. The name is represented in the MT by the consonants with the vowel pointing for ‘adonay ‘Lord.’ From this derived ca, the sixteenth century the form ‘Jehovah’ (yehowah). In modern usage pious Jews often substitute the expression has-sem ‘the Name’” (“Yahweh,” The Oxford Companion to the Bible, Bruce Metzger, Ed., p. 1075).
“The scribes reasoned that if they did not point the name Yahweh then it could never be treated lightly since his name would not really be known. Initially the real pointing was probably passed along by tradition, but in time it was lost. In Exodus 20:7 the name Lord is written in capital letters according to the convention of signifying the name Yahweh, but the name as it appears in the Hebrew text is hwhy (yehowa), in which appear the consonants from the name Yahweh (hwhy [yhwh]) and the vowels from the word Lord (ynda [‘idonay]). Proof for the fabricated nature of this word are the two vowels which appear on the waw, an impossibility in Hebrew. However, until the revival of the Hebrew language in western Europe scholars read the consonants YHWH (Germans would read them as JHVH) with the vowels of ‘adonay, thereby originating the incorrect form Jehovah. This word was then introduced into English by William Tyndale and was continued by the King James Version” (The Journey from Texts to Translations, Paul D. Wegner, pp, 172-173).
There are many other scholarly sources supporting that the name of our Heavenly Father is Yahweh. A belief that “Yahweh” arose through a Catholic monk is completely counter to ancient and modern scholarship and should be dismissed by the student of the Bible.
Psalms 145:21: My mouth shall speak the praise of Yahweh: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Praise His Name Yahweh
Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of Elohim with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
Call on His name Yahweh
Psalms 80:18: So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.
Psalms 99:6: Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon Yahweh, and he answered them.
Confess His name Yahweh
II Chronicles 6:24-25: And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house; 25) Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers.
Declare His name Yahweh
Exodus 9:16 And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
Hebrews 2:12: Saying I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the assembly will I sing praise unto thee.
Exalt His name Yahweh
Pslams 34:3 O magnify Yahweh with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Glorify His name Yahweh
Psalms 86:9: All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Yahweh; and shall glorify thy name.
Psalms 86:12: I will praise thee, O Yahweh my Elohim, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
Honor His name Yahweh
Psalms 66:2: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.
Magnify His name
II Samuel 7:26: And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, Yahweh of hosts is the Elohim over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.
Remember His name Yahweh
Exodus 3:15: And Elohim said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Yahweh Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
Sing to His name Yahweh
Psalms 68:4: Sing unto Elohim, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name YAH, and rejoice before him.
Trust in His name Yahweh
Isaiah 50:10 Who is among you that feareth Yahweh, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of Yahweh, and stay upon his Elohim.
Not to take his name in vain (3rd Commandment)
Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of Yahweh thy Elohim in vain; for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Abraham called on the name Yahweh
Genesis 12:7: And Yahweh appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto Yahweh, who appeared unto him. 8) And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto Yahweh, and called upon the name of Yahweh.
David called on the name Yahweh
Psalms 116:13: I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of Yahweh.
Psalms 116:17: I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of Yahweh.
The name Yahweh a memorial unto ALL generations
Exodus 3:15: And Elohim said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Yahweh Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
His people will KNOW his name Yahweh
Isaiah 52:6: Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.
No more called Baal (my LORD)
Hosea 2:16: And it shall be at that day, saith Yahweh, that thou shalt call me Ishi; (Husband) and shalt call me no more Baali. (My LORD) 17) For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.
Do NOT forget his name Yahweh
Psalms 44:20: f we have forgotten the name of our Elohim, or stretched out our hands to a strange El; 21) Shall not Elohim search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
Jeremiah 23:26: How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; 27) Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal (LORD).
Yahweh’s name called on from the Beginning
Genesis 4:26: And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of Yahweh.
From the Mount of Olives in Yahshua’s day to the Internet age, man has always been fascinated by prophecy of the last days. Entire church movements and denominations have been built on their own interpretation of prophecy.
Yahshua’s disciples were also very curious about His Second Coming and the end of the age. Their question about his return in Matthew 24 sparked Yahshua’s Olivette discourse:
“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? Yahshua answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you,” vv. 3-4.
Yahshua’s overriding concern was that we not be deceived. “For there shall arise false Messiahs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect,” Matthew 24:24. Clearly some elect could be deceived.
Verse 10 adds, “And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” “Offended” is skandalizo in Greek and means to entrap, trip up, apostasy and entice to sin.
False Messiahs Running Amok
Two main causes will drive the end-time deception:
• false messiahs and false prophets will appear and
• false signs and wonders will be performed.
Paul uses similar language with a similar warning in referring to the last days: “Let no man deceive you by any means.”
A time of deception is coming, says Paul, The spiritual deception to which Yahshua referred will involve rank unbelievers following false Messiahs and false prophets.
Apostasy will also plague the Body of Messiah: “For that day [of the Master] shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin [Antimessiah] be revealed, the son of perdition” (2Thess. 2:3).
Although it’s unlikely that a strong, faithful believer will fall away from Messiah, the prospect is great for the weaker believer.
Paul adds to Yahshua’s warnings with, “Do not be deceived into thinking that apostasy won’t come.” Surely Paul would not say this unless in the last days the view would be to reject the idea of apostasy itself. This could happen if churchianity is so wishy-washy about doctrinal standards that apostasy won’t even matter to the majority.
The departure from the truth will be spearheaded by workers of miracles. The delusion will be made possible when personal experience becomes more important than doctrine. Paul says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine” (2Timothy 4:3).
Once sound teachings of Yahweh’s Word no longer matter, there is nothing left but man’s imagination to follow. The substance has been stripped out and the Bible becomes a shell that one can stuff anything one wants into it.
‘Prophets’ with Rotten Fruit
In Matthew 7:22-23 Yahshua warned: “Many will say to me in that day, Master, Master, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
These charlatans will pretend they have the power of the Spirit and the Truth, but are in fact bogus. Their lives are not guided by Yahweh’s laws. You will know them by their fruits, Yahshua said, and their fruits show who and what they are.
This passage tells us that miracles will be performed. Demons will be exorcised. Amazing works will be manifest and manifold.
Yahshua doesn’t deny that these phenomena will be accomplished. He simply says they will not be of Him. He will have no part in them. He doesn’t know these transgressors who perform these miracles because they don’t follow sound doctrine.
This means there are other unholy powers that can accomplish miracles. We see a glimpse of such in Revelation 13 with Satanic capabilities granted to the man of sin. Just because someone can heal the sick, make a statue speak, turn a stick into a snake or change water into blood does not prove that Yahweh or Yahshua is behind the miracle.
At this point it is clear in Bible prophecy that doctrine won’t matter to many. The Truth will be irrelevant to them. Impressive signs and wonders will matter most to millions.
Knowing the Truth and being obedient to it is the very anchor that will keep you not only in Yahweh’s favor but also from being taken in by a deceiver in the last days. Does the person obey Yahweh in every command that Yahweh gives? If not, it doesn’t matter how much fire he can call down from the sky because he is backed by the evil one.
by: Alan Mansager
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The stealthy Xmas season begins early with a few retail displays appearing in September, and then roars to a manic climax the third week of December. The holiday consumes Western society like a mountain forest fire. Even atheists are pulled enthusiastically into the gift-exchanging vortex.
If Xmas is the celebration of the Savior’s birth, what is Santa Claus doing as master of ceremonies? What of the strange mix of the profane and the religious all gift-wrapped in one package? Was St. Nick present at the manger, along with Rudolf and Blitzen, holly and mistletoe?
Did the Apostles prepare for each December 25 by buying gifts for one another? Did those who followed Yahshua pass greeting cards to one another on December 25 and sing carols to Him amid falling snowflakes? Did first-century parents tell their children not to be naughty but nice for Santa’s sake, who could satisfy their coveting?
For all of these traditions and customs to have such allure they must be rooted somewhere in Scripture, right? Not so fast.
Many would be surprised to discover that the word “Christmas” is missing from Scripture. Not a single passage tells us to observe the birthday of the Savior, either.
It is time to take an honest look at this celebration and ask the hard questions. In Jeremiah 10:2 we are admonished, “Learn not the way of the heathen.” Then in verses 3-5 the Father in heaven rebukes those who take trees from the forest and set them up as objects of veneration.
Your salvation hinges on whether you choose the truth of the Bible or go along with the world’s masses as they indulge in the deception of profane practices. Paul admonished, “Wherefore come out from among them and be separate, says Yahweh, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you,” 2Corinthians 6:17.
You may respond, “But how can I deprive the children of this holiday?” If there is no Creator in heaven, then it doesn’t matter. You can have as good a time as the Babylonians who worshiped nonexistent “gods” and who actually started the whole holiday under another name.
But if there is a Heavenly Father then you cannot do both – you cannot mix pagan practices with the holy. The Eternal Yahweh said, “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion has light with darkness?” 2Corinthians 6:14. You cannot fool yourself that you’re really observing Christmas because of the birth of Yahshua the Messiah.
The fact is, Christmas is firmly anchored in a winter solstice festival of ancient pagans, which we will see.
Christ-mass
Cristes-masse was a Catholic mass that grew out of a feast day established in the year 1038. The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1946 edition, candidly says, “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church.”
For the first 300 years the religious writers are silent regarding the Christmas observance. An Armenian writer of the eleventh century states that a Christmas-like festival was first celebrated in Constantinople in 373. In Egypt the Western birthday festival was opposed during the early years of the fifth century, but was celebrated in Alexandria as early as 432.
In 1644 the English Puritans forbad any merriment or religious services by Act of Parliament on the grounds that Christmas was a heathen festival. They were so opposed to its observance that they ordered a fast on December 25.
But why didn’t the early converts celebrate Christmas? To answer that, we must go back to the great mother of pagan worship – Babylon. The founder of the Babylonish system was Nimrod, grandson of Ham, one of Noah’s three sons.
Genesis 10:9 says, “Nimrod was a mighty hunter before Yahweh.” The word before means “in defiance of.” Nimrod set up his own kingdom based on a man-ruled government and worship of himself.
An entirely pagan religious system grew out of worship of this “hero.” Gradually, through trade, influence of Babylon spread to other nations as they incorporated its government and religious system.
Mother and Child Reunion
The universal mother and child theme, which has been passed down over the centuries through many different cultures and which remains strong today, had its start with the Babylonian Semiramis.
Babylon had mother-child worship, as did ancient Egypt, India, Rome, and Germany through Celtic paganism (Egypt, Bunsen, vol. 1, p. 444; Hindoo Mythology, Kennedy, p. 49; Dymock’s Classical Dictionary; Babylon Mystery Religion, p. 13).
The husband of Semiramis was Nimrod, who built the wicked city Nineveh, while his father Cush was responsible for the tower of Babel in opposition to Yahweh (Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, p. 26).
When Nimrod died, Semiramis immediately proclaimed that her husband had become deified and was resurrected to life through Tammuz. According to The Encyclopedia of World Religions, Tammuz was the god of vegetation. Every year a festival was held at which his “death” and “resurrection” were celebrated.
To depict his resurrection, the Babylonians believed that an evergreen tree sprang out of a dead tree stump. The old stump, or yule log, symbolized the dead Nimrod, and the new evergreen was Nimrod resurrected in Tammuz (Babylon Mystery Religion, p. 152). Green holly, popular at Christmas, has long been a symbol of eternal life and it played an important role in portraying the rebirth of Nimrod, seen as the “Unconquerable Sun.”
Winter Solar Festival
Was Yahshua born on December 25? Historians have long theorized that His birth was in the autumn and not in the dead of winter, as the sheep were still in the open fields.
“It was an ancient custom among Jews of those days to send out their sheep to the fields and deserts about the Passover (early spring), and bring them home at commencement of the first rain,” Adam Clarke Commentary, vol. 5, p. 370.
From the middle of November to the middle of April is the rainy season in the Mideast. Because of the cold, dampness, and sometimes snow, shepherds take their flocks into sheepfolds at night (Daily Life in the Time of Jesus, by Henri Daniel-Rops).
Ezra 10:9 speaks of those in Jerusalem sitting outside in early December and shivering in the freezing rain. Yahshua considered the severity of the winter in Judea when, in His prophecy of the end times (Matt. 24:20), said, “Pray that your flight be not in the winter…”
How, then, did December 25 become the birthday of the Messiah? Alexander Hislop explains: “Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebrated among the heathen at that precise time of the year, in honor of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may fairly be presumed that, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it only the name of Christ” The Two Babylons, p. 93.
The Catholic Encyclopedia confirms the merger. “The well-known solar feast of Natalis Invicti [The Nativity of the Unconquered Sun] celebrated on 25 December, has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December date,” vol. 3, p. 727.
Mithraism’s Mark
Recall that the Roman world was originally pagan, totally steeped in heathen customs and practices. They loved festivals and would organize a banquet at the slightest pretext. Chief among these was the Feast of Mithras, celebrating the deity’s birthday on December 25. Mithraism was merely a spinoff of the ancient Babylonian worship of Tammuz.
In Egypt it was believed that Osiris (Tammuz) was born on December 25. Often portrayed as brilliant as the sun, the deity Mithras was known as “The Invincible Sun,” or “The Sun of Righteousness.” Mithraism promised immortality to its faithful.
Further details on the relationship between December 25 and sun worship are brought to light in The Golden Bough (p. 416): “In the Julian Calendar the twenty-fifth of December was reckoned the winter solstice, and it was regarded as the Nativity of the sun, because the day begins to lengthen and the power of the sun to increase from that turning point of the year. Now Mithras was regularly identified by his worshipers with the Sun, the Unconquered Sun, as they called him; hence his nativity also fell on the twenty-fifth of December.”
The merger of Mithraic beliefs with the customs and traditions surrounding the birth of the Savior was largely because Mithraism was popular at the time of the Messiah’s birth.
“Between 1400 B.C.E. and 400 C.E., Persians, Indians, Romans, and Greeks worshiped Mithras. He was particularly important in the Roman Empire in the 2nd and 3rd centuries,” Encyclopedia of World Religions, p. 94. The pagan feast of the Saturnalia, which the Romans celebrated in honor of the deity Saturn from December 17 to 24, eventually encompassed the Feast of Mithras. Many of the practices of Christmas trace to the Saturnalia celebration.
A Beckoning Blend
How, then, did these rank, pagan festivals of sun worship become entwined with the worship of the Savior of men? The same way December 25 came to be accepted. The New Schaff Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge explains:
“The pagan Saturnalia and Brumalia were too deeply entrenched in popular custom to be set aside by Christian influence. The recognition of Sunday (the day of Phoebus and Mithras as well as the L-rd’s Day) by the emperor Constantine as a legal holiday, along with the influence of Manicheism, which identified the Son of [Yahweh] with the physical sun, may have led Christians of the fourth century to feel the appropriateness of making the birthday of the Son of [Yahweh] coincide with that of the physical sun“The pagan festival with its riot and merrymaking was so popular that Christians were glad of an excuse to continue its celebration with little change in spirit or in manner. Christian preachers of the West and the Nearer East protested against the unseemly frivolity with which [Yahshua’s] birthday was celebrated, while Christians of Mesopotamia accused their Western brethren of idolatry and sun-worship for adopting as Christian this pagan festival.
“Yet the festival rapidly gained acceptance and became at last so firmly established that even the Protestant revolution of the sixteenth century was not able to dislodge it,” p. 48.
Merely to placate the heathen and bring them into the church, the pagan festival of Christmas was adopted. In other words, they could have both their cherished old Saturnalia as well as their new faith – merely cloaked in a different name!
The Church Slowly Absorbs Xmas
But it took nearly 400 years before the church began to accept Christmas into its calendar. It wasn’t without objection and it wasn’t until the end of the fourth century that it was declared official, The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 3, p. 725. A great amount of confusion initially surrounded this merger of the Saturnalia with the nativity.
The people were confusing sun worship with worship of the Son of Yahweh.
But whether the masses adopted the celebration of Xmas or not, the fact remains that nowhere in the Bible is the command to observe the Savior’s birthday. The early converts would have nothing to do with it. In fact, His precise date of birth is obscured because Yahweh never intended His birth to be a cause for celebration.
Yahweh punished ancient Israel for becoming involved in heathen rituals (see 2Kings 17:9-23; Acts 7:39-43). He commands not to celebrate the Savior’s birth, but to remember Yahshua’s death at Passover,
Will your Heavenly Father look the other way if you indulge in the same kinds of false festivals that Israel was forbidden to keep?
By Alan Mansager Xmas Xmas Xmas Xmas Xmas Xmas Xmas
As an ex-Muslim, are the Father and Son co-equal and co-eternal, as we find in the Trinity?
We do not believe that the Father and Son are co-eternal and co-equal as explained by the Trinity, but that the Father and Son are distinct or separate beings with only the Father having immortality or eternity, i.e., having always existed without beginning, and the Son being the firstborn of the Father.
“Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen,” 1Timothy 6:16. This passage refers to the Father and states that He only has immortality. Here the word immortality refers to the fact that only the Father has always existed.This again is not true of the Son.
“Who is the image of the invisible El, the firstborn of every creature,” Colossians 1:15. Paul refers here to Yahshua the Messiah. The Greek literally means the first-begotten of creation.
“And unto the angel of the assembly of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of Elohim,” Revelation 3:14. While the Greek word for “beginning” can also refer to rank, the context is clearly referring to time, verifying that the Son was the first begotten of the Father. If the Son was the first begotten of creation, there was a point in time He did not exist.
Regarding the concept of coequality, the Bible is quite clear that the Father is greater than the Son. This was true during Yahshua’s earthly ministry and after His ascension to the Father.
“My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand,” John 10:29.
“Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I,” John 14:28.
“But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Messiah; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Messiah is Yahweh,” 1Corinthians 11:3.
If you have ever wondered about paintings depicting John the Baptist and Yahshua standing ankle-deep in the river while John with cupped hands dribbles water on the Messiah’s head, you had good reason to question traditions about baptism. The institution of baptism has been misunderstood for centuries, yet, it is essential to one’s salvation. Join us as we look not only at how baptism should be done, but also on whom it is to be performed scripturally as well as the reason that Scripture commands that a believer be baptized.
Many assume today that the Temple Mount within the old city of Jerusalem is where the Jewish or Old Testament temple originally stood. However, what if this was not the case? What if the temple were located elsewhere?
There is a theory that is gaining popularity that places the temple not on the traditional Temple Mount, but instead within the city of David. In our last trip to Israel, Elder Don Esposito with the Congregation of YHWH, Jerusalem, was gracious enough to help coordinate and serve as our tour guide. While there in Israel, he introduced the group to this theory.
While I was hesitant to believe this theory, it was difficult to refute. After returning home in November of 2016, I sought every reference I could find supporting this theory, including: The Temples that Jerusalem Forgot by Ernest Martin and Temple by Robert Cornuke. I also considered the counter-evidence. In all, I spent several hundred hours reviewing this theory.
Important, but Not Salvational
Before launching into the evidence supporting the temple as being located within the city of David, let us consider the importance of this theory. While this is not a salvational belief, it is a belief that may have far-reaching impact on prophecy.
The traditional Temple Mount contains the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Both of these buildings are sacred to Islam. For this reason it’s impossible today for the Jews to build a third temple on the Temple Mount. As a side note, Muslims call the Temple Mount the Haram esh-Sharif, meaning “the Noble Sanctuary.”
While it may not be possible for the Jews to rebuild a temple on today’s Temple Mount, nothing would hinder them from rebuilding within the city of David. However, for this to occur the Jews would also have to acknowledge that the current Temple Mount is not the location of the temple. Considering that the Temple Mount and Wailing Wall, which is believed to be the outer western wall to the ancient temple, is the holiest site in Judaism, such acceptance would not be easy.
For the Jews to accept that the temple was not on the Temple Mount, but instead within the city of David, evidence would have to be found so conclusive that even the most ardent Jew could not reject this realization. While this may never happen, considering the current excavations occurring within the city of David, the thought of such evidence being found is within the realm of possibility.
Reviewing the Geography
As seen in the graphic, we can see several important geographical features, including the Mount of Olives, the traditional Temple Mount, the Kidron Valley, the Central Valley, the Gihon Spring, and the current site for the city of David. Below is additional information on each these locations:
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge on the east side of the city of Jerusalem. At one point, it had olive trees covering its slopes. Today there is a Jewish cemetery with approximately 150,000 graves. This mountain ridge was a significant location during Yahshua’s ministry. It was the place where He delivered His Olivet Prophecy and where He retreated hours before His death, i.e., the Garden of Gethsemane.
The traditional Temple Mount is where many believe the Jewish temple once stood. Again, Muslims call this place the Haram esh-Sharif, translated as, “the Noble Sanctuary.” Both the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, and the Dome of the Rock reside on the traditional Temple Mount.
The Kidron Valley separates Jerusalem, including the city of David and the traditional Temple Mount, from the Mount of Olives. This valley continues east through the Judean Desert and toward the Dead Sea.
The Central Valley, also called the Tyropoeon Valley and the Valley of the Cheesemakers, is a rugged ravine on the west side of the City of David or the ancient city of Jerusalem and marks its western boundary, as the Kidron Valley does on the east.
The Gihon Spring is along the Kidron Valley near the ancient City of David. The name “Gihon” comes from the Hebrew gihu, meaning, “gushing forth.” It is one of the world’s largest intermittent springs and made life possible for ancient Jerusalem. While the water from the spring was used for irrigation in the Kidron, it was also central to temple worship. We will explore the Gihon further in this article.
The City of David is the location for the ancient Jebusite City that David conquered and renamed to the City of David or Jerusalem. It is approximately 12 acres in size. It begins at the Millo (i.e., a ravine that separated the City of David from the Ophel, which Solomon filled in during his reign) and extends southward.
Today the City of David is an Israeli national park and a major archaeological site. Archaeologists have discovered many subterranean tunnels, reservoirs, and possibly an ancient room that was used for animal sacrifices. Also discovered underneath the City of David is Hezekiah’s tunnel and the Gihon Spring. On the southwest side of the city is the Pool of Siloam.
City of the David = Zion
We begin our investigating for the real temple mount by turning to the Bible. As with so many other truths, Yahweh’s Word holds the key in unlocking the truth as to where the original temple stood. Following is a compilation of Scripture confirming that the city of David and Mount Zion (i.e., the location of the temple) are synonymous:
“Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David,” 2Samuel 5:7.
This passage clearly states that Zion and the city of David are the same. This point is critically important, as Scripture also shows that Mount Zion was the location of the temple.
“And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David,” 1Chronicles 11:5.
As noted in the previous passage, 1Chronicles 11 confirms that Zion is also the city of David. The word “castle” here comes from the Hebrew matsuwd and refers to a place of defense. Because Jebus was located between the Kidron and Central valleys, it was a well defensible area.
“In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion,” Psalm 76:2.
The word “Salem” derives from the Hebrew shalem. Strong’s states that this word is “an early name of Jerusalem.” This passage is critically important, as it shows a connection between the ancient city of David, the temple, and Zion and offers indisputable evidence for the temple being located within ancient Jerusalem and not on the Haram esh-Sharif.
Remember that the old City of David only included the 12-acre plot of land between the Kidron and Central valleys. It did not include the 36-acre Temple Mount located a third of a mile north. As we will explain in part two of this article, the current Temple Mount platform was developed much later.
Using only the Bible as a roadmap and knowing the location for the ancient city of David, a strong case can be made for the temple being located within the City of David and not on today’s Temple Mount. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
The Akra, Millo, and Ophel
When it comes to the location of the temple, there are three terms to understand – the Akra, Millo, and Ophel. The Akra was another name of the City of David. The Millo was a ravine that King Solomon filled in. And the Ophel is where the temple was originally located.
In 2Samuel 5:9 we find a description of the boundaries of ancient Jerusalem during the reign of King David: “So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.”
The word “fort” refers to the impregnability of the City of David. This was due to its location between the Kidron and Tyropoeon valleys. We see that David built his city from the Millo inward. Tis ravine separated ancient Jerusalem from the Ophel.
Scripture records that Solomon later filled in this ravine: “And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father,” 1Kings 11:27.
The word “repaired” here comes from the Hebrew cagar and is a primitive root meaning, “to shut up,” Strong’s. By filling in the Millo, Solomon shut up the ravine known as Millo. In doing so, he also connected the City of David with the Ophel.
This is why Psalms 122:3 describes Jerusalem as a city “compact together.” The word “compact” comes from the Hebrew chabar and according to Strong’s means to “join.” When Solomon filled in the Millo, he enlarged the City of David by joining it with the Ophel.
Now what connection do the Millo and Ophel have to the temple? According to 1Maccabees 13:52 the Ophel is the location of the temple. The KJV with Apocrypha reads, “…Moreover the hill of the temple that was by the tower he made stronger than it was, and there he dwelt himself with his company.” As a secondary reference, the Catholic Study Bible states, “…He also strengthened the fortifications of the temple mount alongside the citadel, and he and his people dwelt there.”
Even though Maccabees is not considered inspired or part of the canon of Scripture, it still offers invaluable historical insight during the time of the Maccabees and Hasmoneans.
As seen in the above citation, the biblical temple mount or “temple hill” was located alongside the tower or citadel. As 2Samuel 5:9 shows, the “fort” or “citadel” refers to the City of David: “So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David….”
This provides conclusive evidence for the temple being located on the Ophel and alongside the City of David. This also places the biblical temple mount approximately a third of a mile south from the traditional Temple Mount.
Ornan’s Threshing Floor
Rock under the Dome of The Rock
Another biblical clue to the location of the temple is the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. This threshing floor is found in 2Chronicles 3:1, “Then Solomon began to build the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where Yahweh appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
Scripture records that Solomon built the Temple on Mount Moriah and over the threshing floor that David purchased from Ornan the Jebusite. The mention here of Mount Moriah and Zion is important. It shows that these locations are synonymous, as is also the City of David and Zion.
The threshing floor where Solomon built the temple belonged to a Jebusite. This fact suggests that it was likely within the borders of the Jebusite city. If true, this would place the threshing floor within the City of David and not on today’s Temple Mount. Remember that what they call the Temple Mount today is a third of a mile from the ancient Jebusite city.
What is a threshing floor? This was an area where farmers would separate the grain from the straw and husks. This required a surface that was flat, smooth and hard. The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (ISBE) states,
“The threshing-floors are constructed in the fields, preferably in an exposed position in order to get the full benefit of the winds. If there is a danger of marauders they are clustered together close to the village. The floor is a level, circular area 25 to 40 ft. in diameter, prepared by first picking out the stones, and then wetting the ground, tamping or rolling it, and finally sweeping it. A border of stones usually surrounds the floor to keep in the grain. The sheaves of grain which have been brought on the backs of men, donkeys, camels, or oxen, are heaped on this area, and the process of tramping out begins. In some localities several animals, commonly oxen or donkeys, are tied abreast and driven round and round the floor. In other places two oxen are yoked together to a drag, the bottom of which is studded with pieces of basaltic stone. This drag, on which the driver, and perhaps his family, sits or stands, is driven in a circular path over the grain.”
The surface of a threshing floor had to be flat, smooth, and hard. This allowed the oxen to tread the grain. It must also be in a location where there would be sufficient wind to separate the grain. This is key as it pertains to the temple.
Most believe that Ornan’s threshing floor was under the Dome of Rock on the traditional Temple Mount. The problem is, as seen in the image below, the surface underneath the Dome of the Rock is not flat. This fact alone makes it highly unlikely this area served as a threshing floor.
Since the Temple Mount location is the highest of the three hills, i.e., when compared to the City of David and Ophel, many claim that the wind conditions would be better suited on the Temple Mount. While it’s true that the elevation of the traditional Temple Mount is higher than the City of David and Ophel, such elevation is not required.
Another issue with the threshing floor being located on the traditional Temple Mount is that threshing floors were prone to robbery. ISBE states, “Threshing-floors are in danger of being robbed (1 Sam 23:1). For this reason, someone always sleeps on the floor until the grain is removed (Ruth 3:7). In Syria, at the threshing season, it is customary for the family to move out to the vicinity of the threshing-floor. A booth is constructed for shade; the mother prepares the meals and takes her turn with the father and children at riding on the sledge,” “Threshing-Floor.”
With this in mind, does it make sense that Ornan and his family would place their threshing floor a third of a mile from the “fort”? Keep in mind that during this time the traditional Temple Mount contained no walls or defense. It was completely open to attack. It is far more likely that Ornan’s threshing floor was within the confines of the old Jebusite city and not on an unguarded hill a third of a mile away.
The Gihon Spring
One of the most compelling reasons for the temple’s being located within the City of David is the location of the Gihon Spring. This spring sets along the Kidron Valley near the ancient City of David. The name “Gihon” comes from the Hebrew gihu, meaning, “gushing forth.” It is one of the world’s largest intermittent springs and made life possible for ancient Jerusalem. While the water from the spring was used for irrigation in the Kidron, it was also central to temple worship.
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary speaks to the ancient and modern history of this famous spring, “The intermittent spring that constituted Jerusalem’s most ancient water supply, situated in the Kidron Valley just below the eastern hill (Ophel). This abundant source of water was entirely covered over and concealed from outside the walls and was conducted by a specially built conduit to a pool within the walls where a besieged city could get all the water it needed. ‘Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?’ the people queried in the time of Hezekiah (2 Chron 32:2-4). Hezekiah’s Tunnel, 1,777 feet long, hewn out of the solid rock and comparable to the tunnels at Megiddo and Gezer, conducted the water to a reservoir within the city. From the top of Ophel the ancient Jebusites (c. 2000 B.C.) had cut a passage through the rock where waterpots could be let down a 40-foot shaft to receive the water in the pool 50 feet back from the Gihon. Early excavations at Jerusalem by the Palestine Exploration Fund under the direction of Sir Charles Warren (1867) resulted in finding the 40-foot rock-cut shaft. It is now known as Warren’s Shaft. Conrad Shick in 1891 discovered an ancient surface canal that conveyed water from the Gihon Spring to the old pool of Siloam, located just within the SE extremity of the ancient city. Isaiah seems to have alluded to the softly flowing waters of this gentle brook when he spoke poetically of ‘the gently flowing waters of Shiloah’ (Isa 8:6),” “Gihon.”
As stated, the Gihon is Jerusalem’s most ancient water supply. Without the Gihon there would have been no Jebusite city for David to conquer. Jerusalem today would likely not exist without this spring.
The location of the Gihon Spring is just east from the Ophel, which joins the ancient city of David. Again, this is one-third mile from the traditional Temple Mount. Knowing that the Gihon is the only major water source in Jerusalem, does it make sense that Israel would have built their temple a third of a mile away from their only water source on the traditional Temple Mount?
This is especially perplexing considering the thousands of animals that Israel offered on the Sabbath and annual Feast days for which thousands of gallons of water are needed.
History says that Rome built aqueducts from Bethlehem to the Temple Mount. While this theoretically could have provided a water source for Herod’s temple, it could not have for Solomon’s. So while there is evidence of ancient reservoirs underneath the traditional Temple Mount dating to the time of Rome, there is no evidence of a water source prior to Rome’s rule. This presents a real problem for the traditional Temple Mount site.
Ancient Witnesses to Temple Location
History speaks of 70 Jewish families who relocated from Tiberius to Jerusalem in the 7th century CE. Tiberius is located in northern Israel along the Sea of Galilee. Reuvin Hammer, in his book Jerusalem Anthology, describes this relocation: “Omar decreed that seventy households should come. They agreed to that. After that he asked: ‘Where do you wish to live within the city?’ They replied, ‘In the southern section of the city, which is the market of the Jews.’ Their request was to enable them to be near the site of the Temple and its gates, as well as to the water of Shiloah, which could be used for immersion.
This was granted them by Omar, the Emir of the Believers.”
Omar was the companion of Mohammed and the second caliph or Islamic leader within Islam.
Several important points need to be made here. These Jewish families insisted on the southern section of the city, near the Pool of Siloam. There is only one section of Jerusalem that is in the southern portion and contains the Pool of Siloam and that is the ancient city of David.
According to these Jewish families, this was also the area where the temple once stood. This is hard evidence for the temple location within the city of David and not on the traditional Temple Mount.
This author also states that the water from the Pool of Siloam could be used for immersions, which would have included ceremonial washings. What was the water source for the Pool of Siloam? This was the Gihon Spring.
In our expedition to Israel several in the group walked through the Gihon Spring channel underneath the City of David to the Pool of Siloam.
The fact that water from the Gihon could be used for ceremonial purposes verifies that not all water was equal. It also adds credence to the importance of the Gihon for temple worship. Again this begs the question why the Jews would have built their temple a third of a mile from their only water source. Such an idea seems completely preposterous.
A Gushing Spring
The smoking gun for the temple as it relates to the Gihon Spring is eyewitness testimony of a spring-like reservoir within the temple precincts. Two men provide evidence for this.
The first eyewitness to confirm this fact is a man named Aristeas, a Jew who lived during the 2nd or 3rd century BCE. Eusebius, the 4th century church historian, records his account.
“There is an inexhaustible reservoir of water, as would be expected from an abundant spring gushing up naturally from within; there being moreover wonderful and indescribable cisterns underground, of five furlongs, according to their showing, all around the foundation of the Temple, and countless pipes from them, so that the streams on every side met together. And all these have been fastened with lead at the bottom of the side-walls, and over these has been spread a great quantity of plaster, all having been carefully wrought,” Eusebius’ recording of Aristeas, chapter 38.
Aristeas was an eyewitness to the temple location from the 2nd or 3rd century BCE. It’s important to realize that this was not Herold’s temple, but the temple of Ezra and Nehemiah. Aristeas said that there was an “inexhaustible reservoir of water, as would be expected from an abundant spring gushing up naturally from within.”
The only spring within Jerusalem is the Gihon. If what this eyewitness said is true, the only possible location for the Temple would be within the City of David and above the Gihon Spring.
Remarkably, Aristeas is not the only eyewitness of a spring-like reservoir within the temple area. Tacitus, a Roman historian dating to the 2nd century CE, describes a similar account. He states, “The temple resembled a citadel, and had its own walls, which were more laboriously constructed than the others. Even the colonnades with which it was surrounded formed an admirable outwork. It contained an inexhaustible spring; there were subterranean excavations in the hill, and tanks and cisterns for holding rainwater. The founders of the state had foreseen that frequent wars would result from the singularity of its customs, and so had made very provision against the most protracted siege.”
Before describing what Tacitus saw, it should be noted that this man lived nearly 400 years after Aristeas and was not a Jew, but a Roman. He would have also been referring to Herold’s temple and not to the temple during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. However, even with these differences, both men refer to an inexhaustible spring within the temple. Again, the only spring they could be referring to is the Gihon. This is the only spring and major water source within the ancient city of Jerusalem. Tacitus also describes subterranean excavations or tunnels in the hill along with cisterns for holding rainwater. This provides additional credibility to the ancient City of David and not the traditional Temple Mount. From firsthand experience I can attest that there are many subterranean tunnels and cisterns within the City of David. The sheer size and number of tunnels are astonishing.
Along with these eyewitness accounts, Joel 3:18 provides a prophetic description of the future temple and shows similar evidence of a spring. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of Yahweh, and shall water the valley of Shittim.”
This is a future prophecy of the temple within the millennial Kingdom. Joel confirms here that a fountain will spring forth from underneath the temple, i.e., house of Yahweh. So not only do we see ancient eyewitness testimonies that the temple contained a springlike reservoir gushing up from underneath the temple precincts, but a similar account is provided from the prophet Joel as it pertains to the future temple.
Again, these facts present a real problem for those who claim that the temple was on the traditional Temple Mount. The only way to reconcile the accounts from Aristeas, Tacitus, and the Book of Joel is to relocate the temple from the traditional Temple Mount to the Ophel, near the Gihon Spring.
In part two (Coming soon!), we will continue exploring the evidence that the temple was located within the ancient City of David. We will review biblical prophecies and historical documents on the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, along with an in-depth look at Fortress Antonia and the Tenth Legion.
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There is no greater commitment and obligation for a believer than for proper baptism. While many assume that baptism into the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit or into the name of Jesus is scripturally acceptable, the Bible shows otherwise.
Besides there being some suspension with the Trinitarian formula found in Matthew 28:19, nowhere is the formula of the “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” used within the Bible. In several places in Acts, we find the apostles baptizing only into the singular Name of the Messiah. And as we know from scholarship, the name of the Messiah was not Jesus. One reason for this is there is no “j” letter or sound within the Hebrew or Greek languages. The “j” was the last letter to be added to the English alphabet, near the time of Christopher Columbus. It is even missing from the original KJV.
The Name of the Messiah is “Yahshua.” As we explain in the Restoration Study Bible: “The Savior’s name in the Hebrew is ‘Yahshua,’ composed of five Hebrew letters, yod-hey-waw-shin-ayin, incorporating the designation ‘Yah’ of the Father, ‘Yah'(weh), and ‘shua,’ from a Hebrew word meaning ‘salvation.’ Hence its meaning: ‘Salvation of Yah.’ The name ‘Jesus’ lacks any etymological connotation, being a combination of several disparate elements. ‘Jesus’ is Latinized Greek, employing the letter J, the newest letter in the English alphabet. The ‘J’ was nonexistent in any language until the 14th century. The ‘e’ possibly resulted from dissimilation. The Greek has no ‘sh’ sound and employs the simple ‘s’ in rendering the Hebrew ‘sh’ of Yahshua. The ‘us’ ending is the nominative masculine singular ending in the Greek. No scriptural authority allows changing the saving Name Yahshua into a designation that lacks even a semblance of the original pronunciation and meaning.”
The Name of the Messiah is also confirmed from the fact that He came in His Father’s Name, Yahweh (John 5:43). The Name Yahshua means, “Yahweh is Salvation.” Therefore, this is the Name the apostles would have used in the New Testament. For additional information on Yahshua’s Name, see our Q&A: Why do you pronounce the savior’s name Yahshua instead of Yeshua?
How do we know that only one name is acceptable? Many will make the claim that using the Messiah’s actual name is not important. Apostle Peter in Acts 4:12 stated, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Peter confirms that salvation is found in only one name, Yahshua. This is why we maintain that proper baptism is only into the Name of Yahshua the Messiah.
What about the hundreds of thousands who are baptized into a different formula or name? Should they be re-baptized? Since Paul in Ephesians 4:5 states that there is only one baptism and Peter confirms that there’s only one name wherein we find salvation, we believe that re-baptism is required for those who were baptized into a different form.
An example of such a scenario is found in the New Testament. “And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Spirit since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Spirit. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Messiah Yahshua. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Sovereign Yahshua. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied,” Acts 19:1-6.
In this example, Paul finds a group of believers who were baptized into John’s baptism, which was a baptism of repentance. Once Paul explained to this group the benefits of Yahshua’s baptism, they were immediately re-baptized into the Name of Yahshua the Messiah. This example is analogous to those baptized into the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit or into the name of Jesus. While it was a baptism of repentance and meaningful in the eyes of Yahweh, it’s not the baptism that binds us to Yahshua.
There are several benefits to baptism into Yahshua’s Name:
Only baptism into Yahshua’s Name leads to the remission of sins, Acts 2:38.
Only baptism into Yahshua’s Name leads to the receiving of the Holy Spirits, Acts 2:38 and 8:17.
Only those baptized into Yahshua’s Name become part of Messiah, Galatians 3:27.
Only those baptized into Yahshua’s Name will share in the likeness of His resurrection, Romans 6:5.
For those desiring or contemplating proper baptism, we offer baptism into Yahshua’s Name and the laying on of hands by the presbytery. If you are interested, please contact the Ministry at 844-899-6438 and schedule a time with one of the elders. We can normally provide baptism as part of our Sabbath services, Saturdays between 1:30-4:30 pm, and during the annual Feasts at our home facilities in Holts Summit, Missouri. For a map and additional information regarding our Sabbath worship, visit our Plan a Visit page.
To help prepare, below are our pre-baptismal guidelines. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Ministry. In addition to our toll-free number, you can also email us at mail@yrm.org.
I understand that baptism into Yahshua’s Name is necessary for salvation.
I understand that proper baptism is into the singular Name of Yahshua the Messiah.
I understand that baptism first requires repentance from my sins.
I understand that the gift of the Holy Spirit is provided at baptism.
I understand that baptism requires a lifelong commitment.
I understand that upon baptism I must follow all the commandments of Yahweh’s Word.
I understand that marriage is a covenant for life.
How does the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ understanding of the antichrist compare to yours? https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/antichrist/ (This is a link to the JW’s Q&A page. YRM is in no way affiliated with the JWs)
We agree with many of the concepts as taught by the Jehovah Witnesses, including that the term “antichrist” or “antimessiah” refers to a spirit of rejection and rebellion. As pointed out within the link you provided, the spirit of the antimessiah:
For all of these traditions and customs to have such allure they must be rooted somewhere in Scripture, right? Not so fast.
