The name of Jehovah must triumph – Final response to Mr. Alan Berry

Fri, May 4. 2012

Editor: Firstly, is Jesus Christ really Jehovah? Certainly not. As one recent writer correctly pointed out, God, Jehovah, is “from everlasting,” meaning that He had NO beginning, but was existing all the time. Psalms 90:2. At Colossians 1:15, Jesus is called “the firstborn of every CREATURE”. That means that Jesus is part of every creature; a creature is anyone or anything created, animate or inanimate.{{more}}

Therefore, Jesus was created. God, Jehovah, made Jesus Christ as his first creation. (Revelation 3:14) How then could Jesus be Jehovah? The “John the Baptist reasoning” you used is incorrect. Jesus represents his Father, Jehovah. John 16:27,28. So John could rightly say, “prepare the way of Jehovah,” without meaning that Jehovah was literally on earth, as Exodus 33:20 and John 1:18 clearly indicate. All proper evidence proves that Jesus is NOT Jehovah, but Jehovah’s SON.

This fact itself proves that God’s Name, Jehovah, MUST have been found in the New Testament manuscripts written by the ORIGINAL inspired Bible writers, since Jehovah is Almighty God and a SEPARATE person from Jesus. For instance, when the apostle Paul quoted from Joel 2:32 about calling on the name of Jehovah in order to be saved, Paul certainly would have recorded God’s name Jehovah, at Romans 10:13, in its Hebrew or Greek form, rather than substitute it with Lord, based on Jewish superstition.

(Correctly, the King James Version [KJV] points out that LORD written in all capital letters in the KJV itself, refers to Jehovah, as used in Joel 2:32 and other places; further proof that the apostle Paul would have written God’s Name at Romans 10:13. It was similar with the apostle Peter quoting Joel 2:32 at Pentecost. He must have used God’s Name in his speech at Acts 2:21).

In fact, any quotation made from the Old Testament that contained God’s Name, by the inspired New Testament writers, these inspired New Testament writers would have copied God’s Name in their writings. The New World Bible Translation Committee carefully considered the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) as a background. Also, they looked for agreement in the Hebrew versions of the Christian Greek Scriptures (i.e. New Testament Scriptures) to confirm their rendering of God’s Name in the Christian Greek Scriptures. (New Testament) Moreover, the context and related texts strongly support rendering the Divine Name in the New Testament; and so the NWT committee is fully justified in rendering God’s Name, Jehovah, in each of the 237 times it is found in the New Testament of the New World Translation.

Come on. How can any right-thinking person imagine that the GREATEST NAME, yes, the Name of the GREATEST person in the entire universe, not be found in the New Testament? Psalms 83:18. Would Almighty God have His Name recorded nearly 7,000 times originally in the Old Testament and then suddenly omit it altogether in the New Testament? Absurd! Really, it is gross disrespect on the part of anyone to oppose the use of God’s Name in the New Testament, which is an authentic part of God’s Inspired Word. It is true that the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament that are available today do not have God’s personal name in them. But NONE of the manuscripts of the New Testament Scriptures that we have today are the originals, not even those referred to by Mr Berry, be it 25,000 or more, and as a scholar, I think he knows that quite well. So, the absence of God’s personal name in these 25,000 or so manuscripts does NOT prove that God’s Name was omitted by the inspired New Testament Bible writers.

The original inspired New Testament manuscripts wore out through use. We must note also that an apostasy, a falling away from the Truth, was foretold to take place after the apostles’ death, according to Acts 20:29, 30 and 1 Timothy 4:1. Hence, a departing from the Faith took place, resulting in God’s name being removed from the New Testament, and from most or all of the Old Testament in most manuscripts, being replaced by Lord or God. Professor George Howard notes: “When the Hebrew form for the divine name was eliminated in favor of Greek substitutes in the Septuagint, it was eliminated also from the New Testament quotations of the Septuagint. Before long the divine name was lost to the Gentile church except insofar as it was reflected in the contracted surrogates or remembered by scholars.”

Thus, while Jews refused to pronounce God’s name, superstitiously viewing it as too sacred to be uttered, the apostate Church managed to remove it completely from Greek language manuscripts of both parts of the Bible. Who really is behind the removal of God’s Name from the New Testament and from most places in the Old Testament of many versions? Of course, Jehovah’s chief enemy, the Devil. Satan does NOT want God’s Name to be made known. But Satan cannot succeed in having God’s name completely removed. Jesus made God’s Name known as John 17:6, 26 clearly prove. Of course, the apostles and other inspired writers would have done likewise in imitating Christ and would have used God’s Name in their inspired writings in the New Testament and in their witnessing to the public. God wants his name to be made known. Exodus 9:16; Acts 15:14. A point to note: the term “Alleluia” in Revelation 19:6 means “praise Jah”- Jah is the shortened form of “Jehovah,” hence, “Alleluia” means “praise Jehovah”- Psalms 68:4.

Thanks to the “Divine Name King James Bible,” (DNKJB) the authors have restored God’s name, Jehovah, 6,972 times to where it rightfully belongs. Even though God’s Name is not written in the New Testament of that version, the “DNKJB” has indicated in verses of its New Testament section, where quotations from the Old Testament were made that contained the Name, Jehovah. You can check this online for yourself. The authors of the DNKJB make it plain that they are not affiliated with any religion. They did their own research. Mr Berry, rather than focus on attacking a religion, why not spend such time promoting the use of God’s Name, Jehovah. You should rejoice that the Divine Name is justifiably restored in the New Testament of the NWT. Think of this: Jesus, whose name is rightly given prominence in the New Testament due to the role he plays in God’s purpose, as Messiah and Saviour, asked his Father to glorify His Name, i.e. the Father’s name. John 12:28. Did Jesus’ prayer mean that his Father’s name be made LESS prominent in the New Testament or elsewhere? Are we to imagine that Jehovah, the Father, whom Jesus said is greater than him, desires to have His Name hidden in the New Testament? John 14:28; 1 Corinthians 15:28. Jesus had the highest regard for his Father’s name, always putting the Father above himself. John 6:38; 7:16; 8:28, 29. Another point: Holy spirit is personified at Ephesians 4:30 as I already stated. Jehovah is the SOURCE of holy spirit, through which He gives direction; hence, grieving the holy spirit by wrong conduct amounts to grieving Jehovah himself. What about Romans 8:16, 26? (“Spirit ITSELF”. God ITSELF????) Why is the holy spirit without a PERSONAL name? Best wishes, Mr Berry, and to all.

Simeon James