Names of Other Gods - Removing The Fog of Religion

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Names of Other Gods

Emails & Questions
Names of other God?

Q: I see that some refuse to say, or mention the names of other gods.  Why is this?

A:  Misplaced exuberance, you might call it.  Many in the Sacred Names Movement say that we should not mention the names of other gods.  This is an effort to follow the instruction found in the Old Covenant, specifically, the Book of Joshua (YaHshua).  

Joshua 23:6-8  Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that you not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left; 7  that you not come among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow down yourselves to them; 8 but hold fast to YaHWeH your God, as you have done to this day. KJV

Make Mention -- H2142 - Remember, or memorial -- make remembrance, that is, to memorialise, would be a better translation, but unfortunately, we have an example of a single word slicing into the conscience of some believers. This word, mention, is identified as  H2145, in the Hebrew to English Dictionary, meaning to burn incense, to think well -- burn for, or have a passion for.  As many in the field of religious teaching, it is obvioius that to never mention, or say the name of another god, false, fake or gods that are no gods, is impossible.

However, to worship such, or in the names of these fake, and false gods, true or not, to gove honor and praise is the sin.  And this is where the problem lies within and without the Christian Church and Churches (congregations, religious orders).  They are nearly all calling on, memoralizing, praying to and burning for, in a name that is NOT His Name, the Birth Name of our Savior, YaHshua.  Notice that the word, Saviour is correctly said and the spelling is correct as "savior" and as "saviour".  So we find with the Name, the correct Name of our Messiah, the One who died for us on the Cross, YaHshua, or YaHushua.  Some other small variations do exist but none come close to the name change we find in the Christian churches -- the false name, JESUS, and name many pronounce as Heyzeus, and other as, Geezus.  This is not mispronouncing, this amounts to name changing.

This is very important.  Remember, at the first forming of the first Congregation in His Name, all baptized into His Name, the names used today did not exist, only the name Joshua -- the Old English translation still exists to this day, correced to YaHshua, or YaHushua.  When Peter stood before his Jewish brethern and said -- Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).  Notice the clarity?  There is no need for an interpreter, Peter clearly states that there is a Name by which we "must" be saved into.  

As we have seen, from the Hebrew to English Definitions, the word used in the King James Bible is not correct, as we understand it today.  It is not the "mentioning" of those other gods, it is to memorialize, or worship in these names that is wrong.  And certainly to never to make equal with or attribute to the God of Israel, our Savior, the Son of the Living God -- in whose Name we must all be saved under, even baptized into.   

Israel, that man Jacob, whose name was changed to ISRAEL, and the nation that came after him, named after him, and by covenant relationship, agreed to worship no other God but the God YaHWeH.  As a people they took on this Covenant agreement at Mount Sinai (Mount Horeb?), under the leadership of Moses.  Under the leadership of Joshua, that is, YaHshua, the again, as a people, agreed to the conditions of the Covenant (Testament) and this included the avoidance of making the names of other gods important, or worthy of worship, or even recognition.  Here is how the Hebrew Root Bible translates these verses:

HRB:
Jos 23:7 ...so as not to go in among these nations, these who are left with you; and that you do not give glory to the name of their gods, nor shall you swear, nor shall you serve them, nor shall you bow yourselves to them.
Jos 23:8 But you shall cling to YAHWEH your Elohim, as you have done until today.

And we have the Christian Jewish Version:

CJB:
Joshua 23:7  Then you won't become like those nations remaining among you. Don't even mention the name of their gods, let alone have people swear by them, serve them or worship them;

Two Hebrew/Jewish to Christian views.  One says not to give glory to other gods, while the other says to not even mention the names of other gods.  

Some in the Hebrew Roots and Sacred Names groups that say we should not mention the names of other gods, go on, in their writings to do just that, however.  They use words that they say are actually ancient names for false gods, word like, God and Lord, but they drop a letter, like -- G-d and L-rd.  This somehow is to not "make mention" of those as names.  As you can see -- in their avoidance they still are making mention, and the reader is certainly reading those words as name or not as names, but as references.  Dropping a vowel out of a word does not remove it.  In fact, this may actually be an improvement.  How?  The original names, if we take these words as names, did not have vowels in them, the vowels were added later.  Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.  By removing the "o" vowel, in these two examples that are most evident in the writings among those in the HRM and the SNM, they are actually perfecting or, restoring those names to their original form.  

I think I have answered this question -- Many among the Jewish Christians and those in the various Sacred Names Movement, in attempting to be in compliance with the Word of God, lean toward the King James Bible version's translation of the word used in the English, to never mention the names of other gods.  A funny side note -- Some of the Jewish sects refuse to use His Name at all and instead substitute, HeyShem, which is to say, The Name.  This is similar to the English translation practices for replacing His Name, in the Old and New Testaments with the title, LORD.  In the New Testament, when quoting OT verses, LORD is reduced to, Lord.  What do those in the SN and HR movements do about this?  The produce their own translations, replacing these terms with what they understand our Creator's Name is or how it is spoken in the English, and other languges.   It is a very importan point and something everyone in the act of Repentance, that is -- living a life of repentance -- should be concerned.  It does Matter -- His Name Does Matter

Avoiding the use of false name is not a bad thing, and better to error on that side than the other.  But, for today, and for the sake of clarity is it near impossible not to mention, or say those false names in various discussions.    One should make sure, however, that we are not exchanging one bad name for another.  Common sense works along side spiritual sense in these cases.  

Comments and Questions to -- wwy@servantsofyahshua.com
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