Hi Emilliano,
I'd like to just ask a question. Do you think Jehovah still wants this scripture to be true? Psalms 83:18, "That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the most high over all the earth." Just wondering your thoughts.
JR
Identity of 'Spiritual Israel'
by Jr 117 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Jr
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Emiliano
Jr.
Yes, its its always true.
Emiliano -
Jr
Okay!! hmmmm.
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Emiliano
jr
It is
The highest Name of All is not only the highest over all the earth.
Emiliano -
Emiliano
Emiliano
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Emiliano
YHWH, is the highest name over all the earth and then some.
Philippians. 2:9-11 :
Therefore also God highly exalted Him,(Jesus the son of man)and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
that at the name Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven,and on the earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Emiliano -
James
To larc and Jr
In the so called 'Paternoster' Jesus gave us the model how to approach God in prayer, saying „‘ Our Father in the heavens, let Your Name be sanctified.." In the OT the Name appears almost 7000 times as the „Tetragrammaton, JHWH, so that we can conclude, the Jewish people knew the „Name", but they were superstitious and afraid to pronounce it, considering it to sacred..
But surely Jesus didn’t mean that the Name should be proclaimed and used in every day life as we would do speaking of our brother or sister! I remember reading the chapter 17 of John v. 6, 11, 26 that Jesus said:" I have made your name manifest to the men you gave me out of the world.... watch over them on account of your name which you have given me....and I have made your name known to them and will make it known."
This scripture was quoted in articles of the February 15, 1973 Watchtower , titled "Why does Faith in the name of Jesus Christ bring Life?" and of the May 1, 1973 titled „What does God’s Name mean to you?".
In those articles the points relative to the deeper sense of the term ‘Name’ are virtually presented just as I have tried to explain in my first post. Very interestingly the WT quoted A. Barnes ‘Notes,Explanatory and practical, on the Gospels (1846):" The word Name (in these verses) includes the attributes, or character of God. Jesus had made known his character, his law, his will, his plan of mercy. Or in other words, he had revealed God to them. The word name is often used to designate the person."
After this quotation the WT made the following comments: „ So, as Jesus ‘explained the Father’ by his own entire perfect life course on earth, he was really ’making God’s Name known.’ He demonstrated that he spoke with God’s full backing and authority. Jesus could therefore say: ‘He that has seen me has seen the Father (also)’. God’s Name thus took on greater meaning to his early followers."
I think that it can be very properly to say, due to the meaning of the „Name", „I will be what I will be", which gives enphasis to the realisation of God’s purpose for His people, that it finds its true fullfillment in and through God’s Son. The name Jesus means "Jah saves". All prophecies of the OT make ultimately His Messianic Son as the focal point. In 2 Corinthians 1:20 Paul says:" For no matter how many promises God has made, they are „Yes" in Christ. And so through him the „Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God".
Back at the time when the Israelites were traveling toward Canaan, Jehovah stated that he would send his angel ahead of them to guide them. They were to obey that angelic guide, he said, „Because my Name is within him". (Exodus 23:21)
In a far greater sense did God cause his „Name" to be in Christ Jesus during his earthly life. This is the reason why some textes of the Hebrew Scriptures that contain statements related to „Jehovah" were applied in the Christian Scriptures to the Son, the basis for doing so evidently being that his Father had invested in Him full power and authority to speak and act in His Name ! (compare Hebr. 1:10-12 with Psalm 102:1, 25-27 etc.)
The apostels in the first century gave plain witness of their love for our Master and Lord Jesus. After healing a man, when they were asked „ in whose name did you this?" Peter, filled with Holy Spirit said to them:’...in the name of Jesus Christ.." and „...there is no salvation in anyone else, for there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved." ( Acts 4:10-12)
This reminds me of what the apostel Paul wrote to the Romans, chapter 10:9 :"For if you publicly declare that ‘Word’ (the word of faith which we are preaching, vers 8) in your mouth, that Jesus is LORD and exercise faith in your heart that God raised him up from the dead, you will be saved." Then quoting the prophecy of Joel 2:32, where the prophet spoke about Jehovah, Paul makes clear that this is applyied to Jesus, in vers 12, ‘is the same Lord over all, who is rich to all those calling upon him’. (see also Philippians 2:9-11)
Because of all this, I believe that if we are really disciples of His Son and show it in our daily life, we can be sure that the Father will accept us as ‘proclaimers’ of His 'Name'. Jesus said:" They have now come to know that all the things you gave me are from you; because the sayings that you gave me I have given to them, and they have received them and have certainly come to know that I came out as your representative, and they have believed that you sent me forth." John 17:7, 8; And also:" He that has my commandaments and observes them, that one is he who loves me. In turn he that loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will plainly show myself to him." John 14: 21
James
P.S. (Jr I'm still waiting for your answer..) -
Jr
Hi James,
I'm sorry you didn't see my post before. It's on page #4. Here it is again:
Thanks for your response. It was said very eloquently . You are correct. It is not merely using his name that shows one as knowing Jehovah . Knowing Jehovah involves much more than being associated with the name. You are correct. The natural Jews carried God’s name upon themselves. But, they did not know Jehovah. Jesus had to teach them who Jehovah was. How? The law was designed to be a tutor of things to come, to lead them to the Christ. Jesus taught them who Jehovah was by reflecting the spirit of the law. In other words, he had to teach them how to reflect Jehovah’s personality. We were all made in God’s image, so he needed to teach them to reflect that personality. His goal was this: “And they will no more teach each one his companion and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know Jehovah! For they will all of them know me, from the least one of them even to the greatest one of them,” is the utterance of Jehovah” - Jeremiah 31:34. So, knowing Jehovah was to reflect his personality. The nation of Israel did not do this.
But, there is a difference in carrying his name and knowing Jehovah. The fact that the Israelites didn’t know Jehovah did not mean they didn’t have his name upon them. They did. As Ezekiel 36:20 says , “ So they came in to the nations where they came in, and people proceeded to profane my holy name in saying with reference to them, ‘These are the people of Jehovah, and from his land they have gone out.” It was the placing of this particular Name upon the Jewish nation that brought special “blessings” upon them. In fact, it was the placing of His Name upon 'ancient Israel', in itself, that made them a special people for His possession. Numbers 6:27 says, “And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.” The placing of God’s Personal Name upon the Jewish nation proved to be the single most outstanding characteristic that identified them as “His people,” “His inheritance”, - it identified them as Israel. Placing this name upon them made them his people . So, one can carry this name without reflecting the fine qualities you mentioned above.
Bringing this home: Even though this “spiritual nation”, JW’s, has failed to represent Jehovah honorably, they carry his name upon themselves nonetheless. They too fail in knowing Jehovah. They too have to be taught to know Jehovah. This will be done soon. That’s why Jeremiah 31:34 says, “And they will no more teach each one his companion and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know Jehovah! For they will all of them know me, from the least one of them even to the greatest one of them,” is the utterance of Jehovah.” Jehovah's people will know him. After he is glorified by disciplining them, they will know him. But for now, discipline is in store for God’s named people. Micah 4:6,7 says, “In that day,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “ I will gather her that was limping; and her that was dispersed I will collect together, even her whom I have treated badly , And I shall certainly make her that was limping a remnant, and her that was removed far off a mighty nation; and Jehovah will actually rule as king over them in Mount Zion, from now on and into time indefinite,” Yes, he will treat her very badly. But, it is for her good. As Hebrews 12:6 says, “ for whom Jehovah loves he disciplines; in fact, he scourges every one whom he receives as a son.”
The intimacy reflected in the word "father" is appropriate as you mentioned. Using the name "Jehovah" is of paramount importance though. His people will be identified by this name and the nations will have to know this. As the drama in Ezekiel 36 is played out, these people need to be identified as the Israelites were when Ezekiel said, ‘These are the people of Jehovah. The nations, "will have to know that I am Jehovah" the scripture says.-Ezekiel 36:23 This name distinguishes him and them from all others. It must be attached to his people. Psalms 83:18, "That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the most high over all the earth." His people will be instrumental in carrying this out as Jehovah disciplines them in front of the world.(Ezekiel 36:23) This name, Jehovah, must be used and recognized as the Almighty.
JR -
Jr
James,
is this scripturally sound? -
James
Jr
I must admitt you know a lot about the Book of Ezekiel. But as you also know, it is not the only book of the Bible, which can help us to understand how Jehovah deals with His people as well as how the prophecies from old are going to be fulfilled on the christian congregation in our days. I still want to enphasize, that if we desire to understand those prophecies, it is indispensable to see them at the light of the entire Bible.
If we do so, we will realise that Jesus foretold the purpose of His Father to leave the nation of Israel, because of their unfaithfullness and direct His attention to persons of all nations and give them the unique chance to become part of ‘His people’. Jesus told a parable in Matthew 21:33-45 about the vineyard, etc. and I see many references to the things spoken about in this forum until now! At the end of the parable Jesus said:" This is why I say to you, the Kingdom of God WILL BE TAKEN FROM YOU AND BE GIVEN TO A NATION PRODUCING IST FRUITS.......Now when the chief priests and the Pharisees had heard his illustrations, they took note that he was speaking about them."
Since that time Jehovah deals, through His Son, with people of every nation, no more with the nation of fleshly Israel, as the ‘chosen nation’. With his many illustrations and parables, as that of the wheat and the weeds, the dragnet and so on, Jesus showed that all over the world there will be people with the right condition of Heart, who will respond to message of the Good News and accept Him as the true Shepherd, the One sent by His Father Jehovah to save mankind. But at same time there will be a lot of persons, who will might have a ‘label’ of Christendom, but will show themselves to be false to His power, when He is going to reveal himself from heaven. (Matthew 7:21-23)
This all, I think, shows clearly, that even though we realize how far from the scriptural teachings many of the organization’s positions are, and even though we have the feeling that Jehovah must do something to correct the situation (only because of their bearing His Name), there is no reason to believe that the Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, has any greater concern for the WT, then he has for any other of the world’s religions, which claim to speak in ‘His Name’. It is the same situation as with the nation of natural Israel. God did not „straighten out" that nation, nor did His Son do so. The desire on their part (particularly that of the national leadership) for the CHANGE was absent. The same reality we will find in WT leadership.
But just because you love to quote from the Ezekiel book, I suggest to read also the words in chapter 34: 2-16 against the ‘shepherds of Israel’. Jehovah says He will MAKE THEM CEASE from feeding His sheep...; verse 23, 24 ‘ And I will raise over them one Shepherd’...; verse 27 ‘ They will have to know that I’m Jehovah WHEN I BREAKE THE BARS OF THEIR YOKE and I have delivered them out of the hand of those who had been using them as slaves.’ So in this way Jehovah, through His Son, Jesus Christ, will bring His judicial decisions upon those who claim to be ‘Shepherds’ of the flock, but are in reality feeding themselves and show to have no sincerely, honest concern for His sheep!
„You have not encouraged the weary, tended the sick, bandaged the hurt, recovered the straggler, or searched for the lost; and even the strong you have driven with ruthless severety." Ezekiel 34:4 NEB
James