issue 16.1
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Glad TidingsTRANSCRIPT
Glad TidingsGlad TidingsGlad TidingsGlad Tidings
Volume 16, Issue 1 January/February 2012
But the path of the just
is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Proverbs 4:18
2
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Mark these important dates Mark these important dates Mark these important dates Mark these important dates
on your calendar!!on your calendar!!on your calendar!!on your calendar!!
Glad TidingsGlad TidingsGlad TidingsGlad Tidings
January/February 2012
Something To Consider ...................... p. 3
by Vince Finnegan
Choose Life And Live .......................... p. 4
by Mary Ann Yaconis
Seek Yahweh ........................................ p. 6
by John Cortright
The Only Glorious Eternal Name ....... p.8
by Vince Finnegan
Experiencing The Dead Sea Scrolls .. p.9
by John Cortright
Congo Connection .............................. p.11
by Richard and Cheryl Elton
Men’s Advance March 3rd - 5th Frost Valley
Women’s Advance April 20th - 22nd
Silver Bay
Family Camp July 1st - 7th Silver Bay
Teen Camp July 29th - August 3rd
Silver Bay
3
Paul found 12 disciples in Ephesus who knew only the baptism of John, so he helped them to be baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus, after which they spoke in tongues and prophesied. Starting with these 12 men, Paul
spoke boldly about the Kingdom of God, so that in two years and three months, all who lived in Asia heard the
word of the Lord both Jews and Greeks. God performed extraordinary miracles, people changed their lifestyles,
those practicing spiritualism repented and destroyed their evil books. The result, according to Acts 19:20, was
“the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.”
The apparent impetus behind this astonishing outreach was love. Years later, the Apostle John writes to the
believers at Ephesus encouraging them to return to their first love − that is the love they experienced when they
first got involved. To accomplish what they did in Asia with Paul, they were immersed in love − love for God,
love for the Lord Jesus, love for each other, and love for humanity. The Ephesians successfully maintained the
right doctrine, according to Revelation 2:2, but they lost their love. Jesus instructed them to repent and return to
their first love.
For all believers throughout the ages, the most important matter is love. Sometimes we drift from it and need to
repent, as the Ephesians did, and return to what should always be our primary concern. The beginning of living
lovingly is to acknowledge God’s love for you. John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16 remind us that love starts with God.
We love Him because He loved us. We love each other because He loves us and we love Him, which means we
are compelled to love our fellowman. As we enter a new year, focusing on love is very wise for it is indeed the
foundation of life.
Everyone has the need to be loved and the need to love. Both can be satisfied only by God’s supernatural love.
Knowing God loves us is the sole thing that will give us our identity and our security in this life. Our security
and identity do not come from the conditional love of others, from our accomplishments, or from our
circumstances, but only from knowing that God loves us personally and unconditionally.
God’s love is the very basis and the crucial foundation upon which we can build our lives. Have you lost the zest
for life? Have your passion, vision, and dreams faded, and has your life become humdrum? The great question to
consider wherein you will find the antidote to these issues is: “Is love foremost in my life?”
Only by loving as God desires will our lives have the meaning and purpose that we are all seeking. So many of
us have spent our entire lives trying to fulfill these two basic needs in every other conceivable way, rather than
the way God intended and designed them to be fulfilled. We have sought for our husbands, our wives, our
children, our families, and our friends to meet our needs for identity and security. We have looked to our careers,
our accomplishments, our prestige, and our wealth to meet our needs for meaning and purpose. Other people,
things, or accomplishments can never satisfy these two needs completely. Momentarily, on the outside, our
desires might be touched; but inwardly, lastingly, these needs will never be completely met.
Love can change your entire life for it is the most exhilarating, most meaningful, and most fulfilling experience
of life. Love is home for the believer!
God’s best to you,
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
4
A fter revealing the terms of
His covenant to Israel
while in the wilderness,
Yahweh provided a model of living for
those who desire to love Him.
Deuteronomy 30:15-16 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.
Yahweh very clearly gives us the
freewill choice of loving Him by living
in His ways (told to us in command-
ments, statutes, and judgments), and
when we have the courage to live in
His ways, we will obtain a prosperous
life now and the promise of the
Kingdom of God at Christ’s return. The
prosperous life we can live now is well
defined in the book of Acts in which
Christians, although persecuted un-
mercifully, were joyous because they
chose to believe on the Son of God
and live in the power of the holy spirit.
It was not, and is not, for the faint of
heart to live as a Christian. Those who
love Christ and desire to live in line
with the Scriptures find the push and
pull of the world difficult to
withstand, and this evil may even
defeat us if we get lazy and idle in our
pursuit of a godly life. Christians
today can take heed to what Yahweh
explained as good to live by and what
evil to watch out for.
Deuteronomy 30:17-20 But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish...So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him.…
During Jesus Christ’s ministry, he
reiterated the same principles of
obedience but also made very clear
that we have an enemy that wants to
steal, kill, and destroy each of us. The
message of the parable of the sower
and the seed makes it very apparent
that the afflictions of this world (i.e.
Satan’s evil) will try to inhibit us by
any means from exercising
our freewill choice to love
God first. As a reminder,
some of the ways Satan
cajoles us to go his ways
and then how to remain
faithful to Yahweh are:
Matthew 13:18 – 23 “Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom
and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
We live amongst evil (Satan) that tries
to steal our thoughts and ensuing
actions. This evil is depicted as tares
that the enemy sowed in the
following parable in Matthew 13.
Matthew 13:24 – 30 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
“But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your
(Continued on page 5)
Choose Life And Live By Mary Ann Yaconis
““““We can today, every moment, choose We can today, every moment, choose We can today, every moment, choose We can today, every moment, choose
totototo lllliveiveiveive for for for for YahwehYahwehYahwehYahweh through through through through
Christ and the holy spirit.”Christ and the holy spirit.”Christ and the holy spirit.”Christ and the holy spirit.”
5
field? How then does it have tares?’ “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. `Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”`”
For us to be the wheat that will be
ultimately gathered into the barn, we
must stand against the evil one. We,
by our freewill choice, determine
what we do, say, and feel. When we
think we do not have control over
ourselves, we are deceived. As
soldiers and athletes, we are taught in
God’s Word to train ourselves to be
strong in the LORD and in the power
of His might. We can today, every
moment, choose to live for Yahweh
through Christ and the holy spirit.
Ways to Remain Strong in the LORD:Ways to Remain Strong in the LORD:Ways to Remain Strong in the LORD:Ways to Remain Strong in the LORD:
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus
(October 28, 1466 – July 12, 1536),
known as Erasmus of Rotterdam,
wrote twenty-two principles for
Christian soldiers in Enchiridion Militis
Christiani or Handbook of a Christian
Knight (or Soldier) published in 1503.
One of Erasmus’ most influential
works, The Enchiridion is a plea for
Christians to act in accordance with
the Christian faith rather than merely
performing the necessary rites. These
principles provide insight into how to
be calm, strong, and virtuous in this
evil world.
The following rules are Erasmus’
rules. The verses and other sentences
are added by this author.
*First Rule: Increase your faith.First Rule: Increase your faith.First Rule: Increase your faith.First Rule: Increase your faith.
1 Corinthians 16:13; Galatians 2:20;
Romans 10:17 - Turn away from the
world, keep your eyes on Yahweh and
His promises. Being thankful also
increases faith.
Second Rule: Act upon your faith.Second Rule: Act upon your faith.Second Rule: Act upon your faith.Second Rule: Act upon your faith.
Galatians 1:23; Matthew 15:28;
2 Corinthians 4:13 - Acting on your
faith may seem costly in a worldly
sense. Pay attention to what is going
on around you. Be faithful to Yahweh,
no matter what appears to be the
worldly cost.
Third Rule: Analyze your fears.Third Rule: Analyze your fears.Third Rule: Analyze your fears.Third Rule: Analyze your fears.
Revelation 2:10; Matthew 10:28; Luke
12:6-7 - Face down your fears,
allowing Yahweh to deliver you.
Fourth Rule: Make virtue the only goal Fourth Rule: Make virtue the only goal Fourth Rule: Make virtue the only goal Fourth Rule: Make virtue the only goal
of your life.of your life.of your life.of your life. Matthew 6:33; Malachi
3:10-11; 1 John 2:17; 1 John 3:16 -
Have one focus in life: to live for
Yahweh and make Christ your Master.
Fifth Rule: Turn away from material Fifth Rule: Turn away from material Fifth Rule: Turn away from material Fifth Rule: Turn away from material
things.things.things.things. 2 Timothy 3:1-3; Hebrews
13:5; Matthew 6:24 - Loving the LORD
instead of the world will transform
your life.
Sixth Rule: Train your mind to Sixth Rule: Train your mind to Sixth Rule: Train your mind to Sixth Rule: Train your mind to
distinguish good and evil.distinguish good and evil.distinguish good and evil.distinguish good and evil. Romans
12:21; 1 John 2:13; Proverbs 15:3;
1 Peter 3:11-12 - Learn to abhor evil,
even what seems to be the “little evils.”
Seventh Rule: Never let any setback Seventh Rule: Never let any setback Seventh Rule: Never let any setback Seventh Rule: Never let any setback
stop you in your quest.stop you in your quest.stop you in your quest.stop you in your quest. Psalms 84:10;
Matthew 14:28-30; 2 Peter 1:2-11 -
Even though life will throw many
challenges at you – unemployment,
sickness, death of a loved one,
disappoint-ments, etc. – continue to
stay steadfast in pursuing the things
of God.
Eighth Rule: If you have frequent Eighth Rule: If you have frequent Eighth Rule: If you have frequent Eighth Rule: If you have frequent
temptations, do not worry.temptations, do not worry.temptations, do not worry.temptations, do not worry. Romans
12:21; Matthew 26:41; 1 Corinthians
10:13 - When we stop noticing
temptations, our hearts are hardened
to sin. Overcome the temptation with
faith in God’s deliverance.
Ninth Rule: Always be prepared for an Ninth Rule: Always be prepared for an Ninth Rule: Always be prepared for an Ninth Rule: Always be prepared for an
attack. attack. attack. attack. 1 Peter 5:8; Matthew 10:16;
Luke 4:13-14 - The devil is always on
the ready. Whether in times of calm
or storm, be on alert.
Tenth Rule: Spit, as it were, in the face Tenth Rule: Spit, as it were, in the face Tenth Rule: Spit, as it were, in the face Tenth Rule: Spit, as it were, in the face
of danger.of danger.of danger.of danger. 1 Samuel 17; 2 Corinthians
11:25; Matthew 27 - Keep Scripture in
your mind, and have faith in the power
of the holy spirit working in you.
Eleventh Rule: There are two dangers: Eleventh Rule: There are two dangers: Eleventh Rule: There are two dangers: Eleventh Rule: There are two dangers:
one is giving up; the other is pride.one is giving up; the other is pride.one is giving up; the other is pride.one is giving up; the other is pride.
Ephesians 6:10; Proverbs 16:18;
2 Timothy 3:10-14 - Never be weary
in well doing, and remain humble.
Twelfth Rule: Turn your weakness into Twelfth Rule: Turn your weakness into Twelfth Rule: Turn your weakness into Twelfth Rule: Turn your weakness into
virtue.virtue.virtue.virtue. Matthew 5-7 - If you are
judgmental, become less critical; if
you lie, speak the truth; if you lust,
become content and thankful.
Thirteenth Rule: Treat each battle as Thirteenth Rule: Treat each battle as Thirteenth Rule: Treat each battle as Thirteenth Rule: Treat each battle as
though it was your last.though it was your last.though it was your last.though it was your last. Ephesians
6:10-17; Joshua 1:1-9; 1 Corinthians
9:24 - Stay the course; finish the race.
Fourteenth Rule: Don’t assume that Fourteenth Rule: Don’t assume that Fourteenth Rule: Don’t assume that Fourteenth Rule: Don’t assume that
doing good allows you to keep a few doing good allows you to keep a few doing good allows you to keep a few doing good allows you to keep a few
vices.vices.vices.vices. Deuteronomy 4:9; Matthew
5:8; Philippians 4:8; 2 Timothy 2:22 -
Be aware of your thoughts, and keep
them stayed on the Scriptures. “The
enemy that you ignore the most is the
one who conquers you” (Grossman
and Christensen, p. 373).
Fifteenth Rule: Weigh your Fifteenth Rule: Weigh your Fifteenth Rule: Weigh your Fifteenth Rule: Weigh your
alternatives carefully.alternatives carefully.alternatives carefully.alternatives carefully. Romans 2:7-11;
Psalms 19:12; Hebrews 5:14 -
Proverbs tells of the importance of
having godly wisdom. Prayer and
understanding of the Scriptures will
assist in helping to decide well.
(Continued from page 4)
(Continued on page 7)
6
T he one true God has a
name. God called Moses
at the burning bush and
revealed Himself as the God of his
fathers − the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob
(Exodus 3:6). Shortly after this initial
encounter, God gave Moses great
clarity about His identity.
Exodus 6:2-3 (NASB Version) God spoke further to Moses and said to him, "I am the LORD; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, LORD, I did not make Myself known to them.”
In the NASB, as well as most popular
English translations of these verses,
God’s name appears to be “LORD.”
However, in the Hebrew, the words
translated as LORD (in all caps) is ac-
tually a name. It is the Hebrew name
of God, hwhy (transliterated with the
English letters “YHWH”). Most schol-
ars agree that the proper rendering of
this name of God is “Yahweh.” This is
not one of God’s titles, but rather it is
His very name itself. God was very
deliberate and accurate in His com-
munication to the children of Israel
about whom they were to worship
and serve.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 "Hear, O Israel! The LORD [hwhyhwhyhwhyhwhy] ] ] ] is our God, the LORD [[[[hwhyhwhyhwhyhwhy] ] ] ] is one! "You shall love the LORD [[[[hwhyhwhyhwhyhwhy] ] ] ]
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
There is only one Yahweh. This name
of God is never used of any other.
The terms of “god,” “lord,” “king,”
“ruler” are used of men and false
gods, but never once, in over 6,000
uses, does the name of God,
“Yahweh,” ever refer to anyone other
than the one true God.
Psalms 102:12 But You, O LORD [[[[hwhyhwhyhwhyhwhy], ], ], ], abide forever, And Your name to all generations.
God’s name is to abide forever. It is
His name to all generations.
Psalms 113:2-3 Blessed be the name of the LORD
[[[[hwhyhwhyhwhyhwhy] ] ] ] From this time forth and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the LORD [[[[hwhyhwhyhwhyhwhy]]]] is to be praised.
The name of Yahweh is blessed for-
ever; it is to be praised from the rising
of the sun to its setting.
Malachi 1:11b “…for My name will be great among the nations," says the LORD [[[[hwhyhwhyhwhyhwhy] ] ] ] of hosts.
Malachi is the last book of the He-
brew Old Testament. In this last
book, written somewhere between
450 and 400 BC, the name of Yahweh
is used 39 times. At that time, God
said He wanted His name to be great
among the nations. Yet now, today,
few people know about the name of
God. Most Christians do not know His
name. Jews today will not write the
name of God, nor will they speak it.
In the ancient extant manuscripts of
the New Testament, the name of God
cannot be found. In most extant
Greek Old Testament manuscripts,
the name of God is replaced with a
surrogate, kurios (Greek word trans-
lated “Lord”). When the translators
produced the King James Authorized
Version, although they knew the
name of God from the Hebrew Scrip-
tures, they selected instead to trans-
late the name hwhy with the English
word “LORD” (in all caps) or in cer-
tain instances as “GOD.” Many
today do not know the name of
God, do not use the name of God,
do not speak the name of God, and
will not write the name of God. Is
this the will of God? When did this
practice start? Did the New Testa-
ment writers know God? Did they
speak the name? Did Jesus know
and speak his Father’s name? Some
believe that he did not use, teach, or
speak the name Yahweh – a view
expressed in this excerpt from the
American Catholic Press.
As the New Testament bears witness,
Jesus Christ never used Yahweh in his
prayer, never taught his disciples to
(Continued on page 7)
Seek Yahweh By John Cortright
7
Sixteenth Rule: Never admit defeat Sixteenth Rule: Never admit defeat Sixteenth Rule: Never admit defeat Sixteenth Rule: Never admit defeat
even if you have been wounded. even if you have been wounded. even if you have been wounded. even if you have been wounded.
1 Samuel 24 - No matter what is
happening around you or to you, stay
firm on the Word.
Seventeenth Rule: Always have a plan Seventeenth Rule: Always have a plan Seventeenth Rule: Always have a plan Seventeenth Rule: Always have a plan
of action. of action. of action. of action. Acts 26; James 1:5-7;
Deuteronomy 20:1 - Our first defense
is Yahweh.
Eighteenth Rule: Calm your passions Eighteenth Rule: Calm your passions Eighteenth Rule: Calm your passions Eighteenth Rule: Calm your passions
by seeing how little there is to gain.by seeing how little there is to gain.by seeing how little there is to gain.by seeing how little there is to gain.
Proverbs 12:25; Luke 12:25-27;
Galatians 5:24 - Generally, what we
worry about does not come to pass
anyway.
Nineteenth Rule: Speak with yourself Nineteenth Rule: Speak with yourself Nineteenth Rule: Speak with yourself Nineteenth Rule: Speak with yourself
this way: If I do what I am this way: If I do what I am this way: If I do what I am this way: If I do what I am
considering, would I want my family considering, would I want my family considering, would I want my family considering, would I want my family
to know about it?to know about it?to know about it?to know about it? Psalms 32:5; Isaiah
1:28; Luke 15:18-22 - Sins and
secrecy run together. Light dispels
the darkness.
Twentieth Rule: Virtue has its own Twentieth Rule: Virtue has its own Twentieth Rule: Virtue has its own Twentieth Rule: Virtue has its own
reward. reward. reward. reward. Romans 15:14; Galatians
5:18; 1 John 3:5-10 - Do the right thing
because it is the right thing to do.
TwentyTwentyTwentyTwenty----first Rule:first Rule:first Rule:first Rule: Life can be sad, Life can be sad, Life can be sad, Life can be sad,
difficult, and quick: Make it count for difficult, and quick: Make it count for difficult, and quick: Make it count for difficult, and quick: Make it count for
something.something.something.something. 1 Peter 2:22-23; Mark
16:14-20 - Each day, hour, and
minute are important. Live in the
present with a view to the coming
Kingdom.
TwentyTwentyTwentyTwenty----second Rule: Repent your second Rule: Repent your second Rule: Repent your second Rule: Repent your
wrongs.wrongs.wrongs.wrongs. Matthew 3:2; Mark 1:15;
Acts 3:19 - Be honest with yourself,
and ask Yahweh to search your heart
and to cleanse you from all
unrighteousness. Then make the life
changes to line up with your new
man nature.
To train ourselves and our children to
live a righteous life in this day and
the days to come, we will have to
become more committed to living a
Christ-like life, even though it makes
us stand out from the evil of the
world. Those who are lukewarm will
not survive the onslaught of evil.
Love God first. Remain at peace, be
strong in the LORD, and be thankful.
*Adapted from Appendix A. in
Grossman. D., Christensen, L. W.
(2008). On combat. United States of
America: Warrior Science Publication.�
(Continued from page 5)
use this term, never would have
conceived of using it. In fact, Jesus
Christ and his disciples would have
been shocked and scandalized by
any use of Yahweh. The term had
been out of common usage for
three hundred years (Father Mi-
chael Gilligan, Use of Yahweh in
Church Songs, Copyright © 1999-
2011 American Catholic Press,
Downloaded from website American
Catholic Press on 11/18/2011 at URL
http://www.americancatholicpress .org/
Father_Gilligan _Yahweh.html).
Did God, Who so fervently and fre-
quently had His name expressly
written and declared throughout
the Hebrew Bible, simply decide His
name was now no longer relevant
and that using it was scandalous? Or
did something else happen? Did
changes occur in the texts and in
translations that are different from
God’s original revelation? Did both
Jewish and Christian traditions have
a part to play in the handling of
God’s name? Did Hellenistic influ-
ence and culture influence this
change? What was it like at the
time of Jesus Christ and of the writ-
ers of the New Testament? What
happened to Judaism in the first two
centuries of the common era?
What did the early church fathers
believe, and what did they know
about the name of God? What can
we learn from the Dead Sea Scrolls,
and how important is this discovery
in regards to the name of God?
What can we learn from early
manuscripts? Can we glean any-
thing from the New Testament texts
that relate to the name of God?
This column in Glad Tidings is called
“Seek Yahweh.” The aim is to pre-
sent a simple, succinct article that
will provide insight regarding the
name of God. A variety of topics
will be presented including histori-
cal, textual, and cultural studies
which relate to the name of God.
Each issue of Glad Tidings will pro-
vide a new article regarding this
vital topic in God’s Word.
God warned the children of Israel
that if they forsook God, they would
be scattered among the nations.
However, if they would turn their
heart and seek Yahweh and search
for Him with all their heart, they
would find Him.
Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there you will seek the LORD [[[[hwhyhwhyhwhyhwhy] ] ] ] your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.
May we seek Yahweh will all our
heart and soul and give Him the
glory He deserves. �
(Continued from page 6)
Seek Yahweh Continued...
Choose Life and Live Continued...
8
GGGG od changed Abram’s name to
Abraham as a guarantee, a
seal of His promise. "No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you” (Genesis 17:5-6). “Abraham” means father of many
nations. In like manner, He changed
Sarai to Sarah which means mother
of the multitude. Nine months later,
barren Sarah gave birth to Isaac.
Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob.
In answer to Jacob’s prayer, God
had him wrestle with and defeat an
angel after which God changed his
name to Israel. “Israel” means with
God you prevail.
The four Israelite boys taken captive
to Babylon had godly orientated
names – Daniel means God is my
Judge; Hananiah, Yahweh has
favored; Mishael, who is what God
is; and Azariah, Yahweh has helped.
The Babylonians stripped away their
names and replaced them with
pagan meaningless names attempt-
ing to break their connection with
their God and people. “Then the
commander of the officials as-signed new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shad-rach, to Mishael Meshach, and to Azariah Abednego” (Daniel 1:7).
Jesus changed Simon’s name to
“Peter,” which means a small stone.
Although no specific incident is re-
corded about changing Saul to Paul,
the change is apparent in the book
of Acts. “Paul” means humbled one.
Both Peter and Paul benefitted
greatly in understanding their insig-
nificance compared to God’s great-
ness; they were humble.
The prayer that begins Ephesians
3:14 and 15 provides remarkable in-
sight regarding our names. “For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.”name.”name.”name.”
Those who have their names written
in the book of life will receive eter-
nal life (Psalms 69:28; Daniel 7:9-
14; 12:1 and 2; Luke 10:20; Philippi-
ans 4:3; Revelations 3:5; 13:8; 17:8;
20:12, 15; 21:27; Malachi 3:16; Exo-
dus 32:32 and 33). Those whose
names are not written in the book of
life or have been erased from the
book will forfeit eternal life and be
thrown into the lake of fire - Revela-
tion 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; and 20:12-15.
God selected His Son’s name and had
the angel tell both Mary and Joseph
that his name would be “Jesus,”
which means Yahweh is salvation.
The book of Revelation tells us that
Jesus receives a new name.
Revelation 3:12 'He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the namenamenamename of My God, and the namenamenamename of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes
down out of heaven from My God, and My new namenamenamename.
Revelation 19:12 His [Jesus’] eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a namenamenamename written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
Those who stand faithful unto the
end and have their names written in
the book of life will receive new
names also.
Revelation 2:17 `He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who over-comes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new namenamenamename written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it`.
People get your attention and influ-
ence your behavior by calling your
name. Our new name will be hid-
den, so only our Lord and our God
can call and influence us.
Our new name will correspond with
our new beginning, our new life.
Today, a name is no more than a dis-
tinguishing mark, a label. In antiquity,
the name was widely held to sum up
whatever the man stood for. It repre-
sented his character. It stood for the
whole man. Here then, the new
name represents a new character.
The Jews had one name like Jesus of
Nazareth, James the brother of
John, Simon the tanner, etc. The
Roman emperors had many names,
and often name changes took place
with their rise to power as Caesar.
Augustus CaesarAugustus CaesarAugustus CaesarAugustus Caesar was born with the
given name Gaius Octavius, and he
took the name Gaius Julius Caesar
Octavianus (Octavian) in 44 B.C. after
(Continued on page 10)
THE ONLY THE ONLY THE ONLY THE ONLY
GLORIOUS GLORIOUS GLORIOUS GLORIOUS
ETERNALETERNALETERNALETERNAL
NAMENAMENAMENAME By Vince Finnegan
9
O ver Christmas vacation,
my son Brad and I took a
journey to New York City to visit
the exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls
at Discovery Times Square. Since
a very young age, I had heard of
the Dead Sea Scrolls, but only
recently, with my interest in the
name of God, YHWH, did I truly
come to appreciate the impor-
tance of this archaeological find.
We went search-
ing for the name
of God in the
scrolls, and we
were not disap-
pointed. This
amazing compi-
lation of manu-
scripts contains
the oldest known
copies of Scripture.
The entire collection comes from
the Israeli National Treasures
Department and is provided by the
Israel Antiquities Authority.
Besides displaying ten manuscripts
found in caves around the Dead
Sea, the exhibition boasts an ex-
tensive collection of other artifacts
from the land of Israel.
When you first enter, you are in a
room surrounded in black panel
screens. Three large clay jars are
on display, and a guide gives a
brief introduction to the exhibit.
As the guide makes a presentation,
large images from the land of Israel
are projected on the screens
around the room. One of the jars,
located at the doorway to the ex-
hibit, is one of the actual clay con-
tainers found near Qumran, which
held some of the scrolls. Through
the doors, you are then led into
the main exhibit hall where you
are free to roam self guided for the
remainder of your time. (There is
also an audio tour you can pur-
chase.) You can stay as long as you
wish until the museum doors close.
The first part of the exhibit is a
time line of artifacts dating from
the time of Abraham through
Israel’s history to present day.
Various pieces of Israeli history
follow and include a variety of
items. Displayed are enough clay
pots, pans, and jars from ancient
times to fill a couple of semi trail-
ers. One of the relics I found inter-
esting was a collection of Assyrian
arrowheads discovered at the ruins
of the city of Lachish. The histori-
cal event of the siege of Lachish is
briefly mentioned in Isaiah 36:1-2.
Also on display are items found
from Northern Israel in Dan. Sacri-
fice and incense altars are dis-
played from about the location
where Jeroboam had set up golden
calf worship (I Kings 12:26-33).
Going down a set of stairs, you
then come to the main event. A
large rotunda sits in the middle of
the room displaying the Dead Sea
Scrolls. Over 900 partial or com-
plete manuscripts were found in
caves around the Dead Sea. The
Israel Antiquities Authority
releases samples of these manu-
scripts for exhibitions around the
world. Ten, superb manuscripts
are on display at Discovery Times
Square. A part of the Community
Rule, the War Scroll, and an
Aramaic Targum are on display.
Also, several sections from Old
Testament books are presented.
Each manuscript displayed
includes: a description of the
scroll, the actual manuscript itself
encased in glass with low lighting
to help in preservation, an English
line by line translation, and an
enlarged picture from a section of
the scroll.
Although the scrolls are handwrit-
ten, with a discerning eye, you can
find the name of God, YHWH, writ-
ten over 2,000 years ago. To see
the name on the actual scroll, set
several inches below the glass in
dark lighting, is difficult. However,
if you know what you’re looking
for, with the help of the line by line
translation and the enlarged repre-
sentation, you can find God’s name
either in the manuscript itself or in
the enlarged photograph. In the
descriptions with the translation,
the tetragrammaton is mentioned,
rendered by the translators as
“LORD.” It also mentions whether
the name is written in Herodian
style Hebrew script from the first
century era or if it is presented in
the ancient Paleo Hebrew script.
(Examples are shown below.)
A selection from Isaiah 11:1-5 has
a use of the name of God in hand-
written Hebrew script. Though
difficult to see through the glass,
the line by line translation helps
(Continued on page 10)
Experiencing The Dead Sea ScrollsExperiencing The Dead Sea ScrollsExperiencing The Dead Sea ScrollsExperiencing The Dead Sea Scrolls By John Cortright
10
the murder of his great uncle, Julius
Caesar. Perhaps our new name relates
to our reigning with Jesus as kings and
priests (Revelation 2:26 and 27).
When God first introduced His name to
Moses in Exodus 3:15, He stated,
"Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, The LORD [Yahweh], the God of your fathers, the God of Abra-ham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My me-morial-name to all generations.” Yahweh is God’s name forever.
God’s name has never changed and
will never change. The unbelievers
with their names will be destroyed in
the lake of fire. The faithful, along
with Jesus, will receive a new name.
However, the name of God, Yahweh,
will always remain unchanged.
Psalms 72:17 and 19 May his name endure forever; may his name increase as long as the sun shines; and let men bless themselves by him; let all nations call him blessed…blessed be his glorious name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Psalms 135:13 Your name, O LORD, is everlasting, Your remembrance, O LORD, throughout all generations.
In the end, the only glorious eternal
name, Yahweh, will be written on our
foreheads.
Revelation 22:1-4 Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, com-ing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yield-ing its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the heal-ing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His namenamenamename will be on their foreheads. �
(Continued from page 8)
identify the name. Next is a section
from Leviticus 23:22-29. We couldn’t
find the name in this section of the
manuscript itself, but with the help of
the translation, the name can be identi-
fied. A good representation of the
name can be found in the scrolls of Eze-
kiel 37 and Deuteronomy 32:37-41,
written in the Herodian Hebrew script.
Psalms 12:1-8 is probably the best
among this sampling of manuscripts
where one can recognize God’s name.
While the verses are handwritten in the
Herodian Hebrew, the name of God,
YHWH, stands out as it is distinctively
written in Paleo Hebrew. Additionally,
because the name appears frequently in
these verses, even through the glass
case with dark light, one can find the
name in this manuscript. Finally, there
are manuscripts containing sections of
Habakkuk and Zechariah. What is espe-
cially significant about these scrolls is
that they are written in Greek. How-
ever, the name of God, YHWH, is not
written in Greek; rather, it is written in
Paleo Hebrew and not replaced with the
Greek word Kurios, as was common in
later Old Testament Greek manuscripts.
Also, on the bottom floor of the exhibit,
is a ten minute documentary which is
worth watching about the discovery of
the scrolls. At the end, you exit into a
gift shop where there are plenty of
things to purchase for those interested
in shopping. The cost to see this exhibit
is $27 per person, plus fees and taxes.
While this seems a bit pricey, when one
considers that today, in New York City,
you are looking at historical artifacts
over 2,000 years old from the land of
Israel across the ocean, it doesn’t seem
too unreasonable. Plus, with a $5 online
coupon, the price is a little easier on the
pocketbook.
This Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibition at
Discovery Times Square is located at
226 W. 44th
Street in Manhattan
and will be on display until April
15th
, 2012. If you want to visit, I
suggest you get your tickets online
with an entry time stamp at http://
www.discoverytsx.com/exhibitions/
dead-sea-scrolls. Online, you can
get a coupon code, DCOUP, at
http://www.destinationcoupons.com/
new_york/nyc/Discovery-Times-Square/
dss-coupon.asp.
The name of God, YHWH, Herodian
Hebrew Script from First Century era
The name of God, YHWH,
in Paleo Hebrew Script
(Continued from page 9)
Experiencing The Dead Sea Experiencing The Dead Sea Experiencing The Dead Sea Experiencing The Dead Sea
Scrolls Continued...Scrolls Continued...Scrolls Continued...Scrolls Continued...
THE ONLY GLORIOUS ETERNAL NAME Continued…THE ONLY GLORIOUS ETERNAL NAME Continued…THE ONLY GLORIOUS ETERNAL NAME Continued…THE ONLY GLORIOUS ETERNAL NAME Continued…
11
E nter the Arknter the Arknter the Arknter the Ark
Rev. Armel Ngo and the lead-
ers of Living Hope Interna-
tional Ministries of the Congo
have started a challenging
seven-month program for be-
lievers called Enter the Ark.
It’s designed as an intensive
program for spiritual growth
for disciples who are willing to
commit to proclaiming boldly
in their neighborhoods and
communities the gospel mes-
sage of the Kingdom, the
coming of our Lord Jesus,
and the final judgment and
destruction of the earth.
The program’s name is de-
rived from the record in
Genesis 6 in which God told
Noah to build an ark to save
himself and his family from
the destruction of the
world. In Armel’s words, “…We
read of Noah in the Scriptures.
Today, it is up to us to play the
role of Noah as a preacher of
righteousness. Now God asks
us to build an ark, not a physi-
cal one, but a spiritual one…
keeping the faith until the end
and inviting others through
preaching to be saved by the
gospel of salvation.”
So far, about 20 believers in
several cities are dedicated to
this great project.
Change to ChangeChange to ChangeChange to ChangeChange to Change
The book Change to Change by
Rev. Vince Finnegan is now
available in French. Rev. Kael
finished this translation work
in the fall and has sent copies
to Rev. Armel Ngo and Rev.
Kennedy Kutukwa.
With the help of this work,
Kennedy put together a five-
day seminar which ran in Kin-
shasa between Christmas and
New Year’s. Over 100 believers
attended.
Election UnrestElection UnrestElection UnrestElection Unrest
Elections are an exciting time
for any nation, but in Africa
they can also be a time of ten-
sion and civil unrest. Such was
recently the case in the De-
mocratic Republic of the
Congo. The month of Decem-
ber was a difficult time for the
saints in Kinshasa, as curfews,
closed shops, and violence
made it difficult for them to go
about their normal activities.
Things have now quieted down.
The prayers of believers in the
USA have been very much ap-
preciated. Regarding prayers
from the outside, Rev. Kael
said, “It is edifying very much
during this troubled time … I’m
so thankful to God for His
blessing and protection. It is
certainly because of your
prayers and acts of love.”
Praying in the New YearPraying in the New YearPraying in the New YearPraying in the New Year
While many in the western
world bring in the New Year
with celebration, in Africa it is
customary to approach the
upcoming year in a more so-
ber fashion. Kennedy shared,
“The night of December 31 to
January 1 is planned to be one
of prayers, exhortations,
praise, and testimonies with
all believers in our fellowship.
Other churches here also do
the same. For it is part of our
culture here, since people can-
not afford to celebrate, they
prefer to enter the New Year in
prayer, to avoid having con-
cerns, worries, or distractions.”
Let’s pray for God’s continued
blessings and protection over
all our Congolese brothers and
sisters throughout 2012. �
Congo Connection By Richard and Cheryl Elton
“Let’s pray for God’s “Let’s pray for God’s continued blessingscontinued blessings
and protection and protection ...throughout 2012”...throughout 2012”