"THE UNKNOWN GOD"
The ancient Greeks labelled the Creator: "The
Unknown God" (Acts 17:23). They forgot WHO He
is - because they had lost the meaning of His
name! That name is important - what is it? What
does it mean?
Part 3
by
Herman L. Hoeh
"CHRIST" or "MESSIAH" ?
"Hebrew Names" people claim we should use only the word
"Messiah" and never the word "Christ." Their assumption is that
the word "Christ" comes from the name of the Hindu god KRISHNA!
"Christ" DOES NOT COME FROM the name of the Hindu god Krishna!
CHRISTOS is a common Greek word that means "anointed,"
exactly the same as MESSIAH means in Hebrew.
The NT was inspired to be read that Jesus IS "the Christ."
Even the enemies of the early true Church called the disciples
"Christian" (Acts 11:26). The disciples would not have been
called "Christian" in the city of Antioch if they had not been
followers of CHRIST! They would have been called the "Messians"!
Now turn to 1 Peter 4:14: "If you be reproached for the name
of Christ (CHRISTOS in Greek), happy are you." The scripture
does not use some unknown Hebrew name; it uses the "name of
Christ." And now verse 16 - "Yet if any man suffer as a
CHRISTIAN, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on his
behalf." The disciples in the NT could not have suffered as
"Christians" unless they were followers of CHRIST!
FALSE CHURCHES USE TRUE NAME
Notice Jesus' startling prophecy in Matthew 24:4-5; "And
Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive
you. For many shall come IN MY NAME (using His name), saying, I
am Christ; and shall deceive many." IN WHOSE NAME are the many
coming? Are they coming in some "Hebrew name"? NO! They are
coming in the NAME OF "CHRIST" - IN THE NAME OF "JESUS." And
Jesus said these would be USING HIS NAME.
(Let me say a few words here. This is a very important
verse and prophecy regarding this topic. IF the only correct
NAME for Jesus is from and in the Hebrew tongue, and Jesus said
MANY would come IN HIS NAME, saying He was the "........"
whatever Hebrew they use, and these MANY would be DECEIVING the
MANY, then all those coming in other names for Jesus other than
the so-called true Hebrew names, are not included in this
prophecy!
SO WE MUST LOOK ONLY AT THE MINISTERS AND TEACHERS - maybe
the members - OF THE HEBREW NAME GROUPS IN THE FULFILMENT OF THIS
PROPHECY BY CHRIST!! AND SO IT WOULD BE THAT JESUS IS WARNING US
THAT MANY OF THEM ARE DECEIVERS! Do you see the natural logic
and follow through with this verse in the context of the
so-called "sacred name" teaching? Jesus was telling us to BEWARE
OF THOSE COMING IN HIS NAME, true name, if He knew there was only
certain Hebrew names that were really His name, while the others
were not, for many of them would deceive the many. Now, let's
face it, how LARGE are the sacred name groups in comparison to
the rest of the world's Christianity? Why, just about as nothing!
How big an influence do they have on the rest of the world's
population who classify themselves as Christian? Why, just about
nothing! Now, if Jesus was warning His true disciples, who then
would be a part of those using the Hebrew names for the Deity, as
the sacred namers claim they are the only really true people of
God on earth, then Jesus was warning His own followers to be
aware of MANY deceivers WITHIN their own group who would be
deceiving the MANY.
Are you seeing the logical craziness of all what this and
other verse like it, are teaching, in the context of the "Hebrew
names" theory?
Going along still further with this concept, I ask this
question then: In what way are these many deceivers within the
Hebrew names for Deity groups DECEIVING the MANY? Most of these
groups teach obedience to the 10 Commandments, the weekly 7th day
Sabbath, and the annual Feasts of the Lord. They believe in
living right, tithing, clean and un-clean food laws, not
observing the pagan festivals. They know the truth about the
doctrines of heaven and hell, and the resurrections. They believe
in the literal return of Christ, or Yeshua, as they would call
Him. They understand the overall plan of God as pictured in the
festivals of the Eternal. And on it goes. SO WHERE ARE THE MANY
FROM THE MANY BEING DECEIVED?
Pretty hard I say, to comprehend this verse from Christ in
the light of the Hebrew names only teachers. BUT FORGETTING ALL
THAT, pretty easy to understand in the light of the words
"Christ" - "Jesus" - being the true names of the Messiah as well
as the Hebrew. Then we CAN SEE the warning Christ was giving to
His disciples, for it has INDEED come to pass, especially in this
end time. MANY have come in the name of Jesus, and have and are
DECEIVING the MANY in this world of Christianity. Why, the
VAST MAJORITY on this earth who claim they are "Christian" are
truly DECEIVED, and that by the MANY who come in the name of
Jesus Christ. Keith Hunt).
BACK to the article by Hoeh.
Now turn to Acts 4:10. What is the ONLY NAME given among men
whereby we may be saved? "Be it known unto you all, and to all
the people of Israel, that by the name of JESUS CHRIST of
nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the
dead, even by Him does this man stand here before you whole" -
the man who had just been healed. Verse 12: "Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved."
Notice! According to the inspired Greek NT, there is no
other name given whereby we must be saved than the name of JESUS
CHRIST!
The English word "Jesus" is an ANGLICIZED spelling of the
Greek word IESOUS. The Greek word for "Jesus" is but the common
Greek name used to TRANSLATE the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA (Joshua).
The meaning of the Hebrew word for "Joshua" is "The Eternal is
the Savior." Over 910 places in the NT God INSPIRED the NT
writers to use the Greek word IESOUS as the personal name of
Christ, the Messiah! EITHER YOU WILL HAVE TO ACCEPT THE NAME OF
JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR - OR YOU WILL HAVE TO THROW AWAY THE ENTIRE
NT! (And sure enough many Sacred Name groups have their own
Bible with only the Hebrew names for Deity in it - Keith Hunt).
But - reason "Hebrew Name" believers - doesn't the Greek
word IESOUS come from the pagan greek god ZEUS? THIS ABSOLUTELY
UNTRUE! Any GREEK SCHOLAR would tell you that the two words have
NO RELATION to each other. ZEUS is a native Greek word while
JESUS is a HELLENIZED SEMITIC form. Any resemblance is PURELY
accidental AND MAINLY TO THE EYE, in English.
The name "Jesus" is actually derived from YHWH! It is the
Greek TRANS-LITERATION of the Hebrew YESHUA (English, Jeshua -
see 2 Chron.31:15 and dozens of other places in the OT), a
shortened form of YEHOSHUA meaning "Yah is Savior."
For grammatical reasons the Greeks ended it with an "s," which
is less of a change than the shortening from JEHOSHUA to Joshua
or Jeshua.
Now let us consider the English word for "God."
To be continued
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