Christian Opinion
Emails & Questions
A Classic Christian Opinion
by Dan L Baxley
dan@servantsofyahshua.com
Recently I had a brief but beneficial exchange of emails with a reader attempted to brush aside previous comments I had made in answering certain questions. The reader of my website, www.servantsofyahshua.com, meant this to be our last communication with a final opinion, covering a large area of Christian teachings, all of which were typical, in view of what serious Christians believe today. My response was much shorter and I have added to it, only because in our communications I had already mentioned or quoted from the Word making points and corrections in previous email. The reader, meant this to be a final response, I believe, and it was so concise and to the point and in the full view window of what most professing Christians are taught and come to believe. Like I said, I have enlarged my initial response.
I would like to thank, and have already thank, Robin, for the honesty and child like innocence in the email exchange and wish the reader no harm in any way. And thank the reader for a wonderful tool by which to enlighten others, I hope. Perhaps those new readers, those who see these words, will find themselves in here somewhere. Enjoy.
On 5/15/2022 Robin wrote:
As soon as I hit send that email I remembered that you would have qualms about my use of the name Jesus.
It is just a translation...Yahshua (sp?), to Joshua, to Jesus... (from Greek?).
My response: I see that you have, yourself, questioned, "(from Greek?)". The answer is, no, the name, JESUS, is not from the Greek at all, if anything it is from Latin -- IESVS. The first King James Bible translations all used the Latin, Iesvs. Later in a KJV revision it was changed to JESUS and thus began the invention of a name that had never existed before -- now, 400 years later, it is pretty much the same, except now, it is pronounced as Geezus -- that would be the transliteration, and nothing like our Savior's actual birth name..
I know that many, if not all, Bible Dictionaries say just what you said -- that JESUS is a word from the Old Testament JOSHUA and is the that Jesus is the Greek form of His Hebrew or Jewish name. This, simply, is not true and simple reasoning can prove it. For one thing, this name, the name used by most professing Christians, never existed until the 15th or 16th centuries. Its main introduction came to us from the Government Commissioned work, the King James Authorized version of the Christian and Hebrew Writings. The King of England, decided that his kingdom should have a common Bible and not a Catholic Bible to be read from all the Pulpits in England. The reason for this was political as much as for religious purposes. This was the continuing break with the Latin Church, the Roman Catholic Church which had dominated so many lives and governments and kings.
The original name, IESVS, however, from the Latin, was retained. Later, around the time of the first KJV revision, say, 1769 AD, this Latin name was transformed from "Iesvs" to "Jesus" and the pronunciation went from the Latin, ISIS to the English, Geezus. In many parts of the world it is pronounced as HeyZeus, which means, The Zeus, a Greek God that existed before the coming of The Christ. Can a direct connect be made between this modern version or name, JESUS, and the Zeus? No, only that one third, or perhaps more, of the prfessing Christians in the world pronounce this name as Hey-Zeus, and that would seem connection enough when disclosing an error, especially when we are told, in Acts 4:12, that there is a name, by which we must be saved. And there is another alert in the Word that tells us that all who call on His Name will be saved -- Acts 2:21. The Name Geezus never existed when that first sermon by Peter was preached and when the Apostles taught and baptized in His Name.
This cannot and should not be ignored. If the scholars who put together the Bible Dictionaries cannot get it right, or are deliberately lying to all of us, then who can we trust? His word, above every word. Common sense, along with a little spiritual guidance and this truth can easily be uncovered. But, if a believer is comfortable where they are at? Well, then, I suppose they would not be reading my Website. They would not bother with contacting or correcting me. So, even a person in denial, who bothers with responding to the things they find on the Web site, I have to assume is reaching out for help, even if they do not see it. They would not be finding the need to defend what they have already accepted as truth.
He is also called the morning star, Immanuel, the good shepherd, and so on.
My Response: Morning Star is a title that first belonged to Lucifer, the devil. Lucifer means, Morning Star, as does "son of the Morning" -- Isa 14:12 -- it is a title, that if used as a name, could be referring to the Devil. This, too, is a good example about how a title can become a name, but still leaves us without the true identity of the individual. Which, brings us to the word, Immanuel, or Emmanuel. This word translated from the Hebrew is, "God with us". And, as we read In Matthew 1:23, this is a record of fulfillment, noted by Matthew, a prophetic note, mentioning what is found in -- Isaiah 7:14 -- "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. To get the full understanding, however, we need to return to the context. In just two verses earlier we are told plainly, that He was to be named, YaHshua. The poor translations in the modern text say, Jesus, but we know that could not be the name our Lord was Named because that name never existed until some 1,500 years later. He is given His Birth Name and it too is a declaration about who and what He is.
I just do not believe God is hung up on names. And I believe we are commanded not to argue about such things...genealogies, words...
It would seem that His Name is important, very important and our name too, as we read in Revelation:(Act 4:12) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.(Act 2:21) And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.(Rom 10:13) For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.(Heb 2:12) Saying, I will declare Your Name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church (congregation, ecclesia) will I sing praise unto thee.
(Rev 3:5) He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.(Rev 13:8) And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him (the Beast), whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Just from these few verses, it would seem that names are very important. We all hope and pray that our names are in the Book of Life. And if our names matter, well, how much more His?
But there is also a "to each his own" element to the Bible...eating, drinking...
As for the rest...too many words!!!
And I say that lovingly. The meaning gets lost in too many words.
The 12 hour thing just makes it too complicated.
My Response: I don't know? Complicated? I can see that, but YaHshua did define the period of time for us -- common knowledge, actually, then and now -- John 11:9
So basically, Wed. Night is Thursday, and Sat night is Sunday...right?
Anyway, God bless you. And for another thing about names, God's name is unpronouncable. He knows who loves him though! That's what matters.
My Response: And who told you that? If His Name is unpronounceable, they why do you call Him JESUS? Some do pronounce that name as HeyZeus, did you know? Some devout Jews say that we should not pronounce His Name and they avoid it, but they do not say that it is not pronounceable, as their priest do pronounce His Name at special Holy Days. They do say, the the Christians -- you are not supposed to pronounce it or say it. I am afraid that you have been misinformed.
One thing I have noticed when I get into discussions with Jewish Christians is that they get all hung up on legalism. Now the law is good. Jesus came to fulfill the law. But the law was also to show us we just cannot measure up without him, without his sacrifice which paid for our sins.
God wants us to be as little children. To have innocent fun.To trust him.
The law does not give us the freedom that we have in him.
My Response: I can agree with you in all that you have said, but it is one thing to say the Law has no power over us as opposed to the Law does not matter. The Law, gives us a picture into how our Creator sees things, especially us. YaHshua said that not one thing in the Law would be finished until all is completed, that Heaven and Earth would pass first. Certainly, He paid the price for us and the Law no longer has any power over us, but it is by the Law that we even know what sin is -- like what to avoid. Certainly, you do not live a lawless life? I see lawless people raging mad in the streets on TV all the time, while Law abiding citizens sit at home and watch. Where is our citizenship, if we are His children? I am pretty sure that all citizens in good standing has a set of Laws they honor in some way or another. Php 3:20
But to each his own. If you think translations of names into different languages is important, and just should not be, then you should be fully convinced. But perhaps you should only use Hebrew. But did the apostles speak Greek? That's why the New Testament was in Greek and not Hebrew?
But if you think God, the Alpha and Omega, the Great I Am, is rejecting people over that, I am sorry, but I believe to the depths of my being you are wrong. You make God small.
My Response: Actually, I am not making Him Small, as you put it, not at all. Others have place their god in a box, something I have not and refuse to do. What I believe is that every man and woman is a liar but He is true, always, true to His word and His Promises. I look forward to the Promise Made by Him through YaHshua to bring us into eternity. Joel 2:32, Ps 105:1 -- Philippians 2:11, 1 John 4:3 (Hope it is not the wrong name), and Acts 2:21, just to mention a few. And I say and quote all of these things, not to be right, but in the hope that one day you will hear, as I have heard. For now, I can see that repentance is enough, even for both of us. Thank you so much for listening and considering what I have had to share. Dan
My Response: Thanks for sharing Robin and giving me the chance to share as well, and to passing it on. All in love, as we all grow in knowledge of and about Him -- 2Pt 3:18 -- Peace, Dan ( Comments are welcome - dan@servantsofyahshua.comBut love to you, sincerely,Robin