Christian Opinion - Removing The Fog of Religion

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Christian Opinion

STUDIES & DOC
The 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:
    

    Greetings Dan, wow, you are 80? A lot of energy for 80! I am         62 and have been a believer most of my life.
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.
       
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...

         Arguing over the genealogies and word can be a       vain thing and lead nowhere, but to identify the God you chose to       worship does matter.  The Mark of the Beast is a Mark that is all       about a name -- Rev 13 -- when Elijah went up against the gods or       lords, called Baal, of Jezebel, it was all about a name, the one       they called on and the One he called on.  And, when we consider       verses like we find in the First Gospel Message delivered,       delivered by the Apostle Peter, well, I do believe we have to       admit that there is at least One Name that matters --
(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.

It would seem that His Name is important, very important and our name too, as we read in Revelation:
(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...

         And then there is the "to each his own" but       not an element to the bible, but found in the Bible about men and       women doing their own thing.  And so, there I will not attempt to       answer more than this -- too many words to answer so many words.        No offense, please, as you have been very cordial and tolerant and       I appreciate your input.  I understand that we cannot always agree       or see things at the exact same time.  But a time is coming when       we will.  

   
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.

         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.

         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.

         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?

         No, I am sorry to correct you again, but the       New Testament was translated into Greek but it origin is not       Greek, at least a good portion of it is Aramaic and Hebrew.  It       does not take a great deal of study to discover this, but that is       up to you, of course.  
           
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.

         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
    
    
But love to you, sincerely,    
Robin
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