W61-11-1---Plus The
Studies of--- Is God’s Name Christ?--Acts15-14.htm
GEB -> Study Notes on 15:14
NamesOfChristainChurches.htm and 73.htm
Plus About
SBtsCommentaryNotes.
For Dates When some main Commentators.htm Lived
Open and Study Commentators.htm AND Commentaries
Two Examples John Gill GEB -> Study Notes on 15:14 (1690-1771). and
Matthew Henry
was born near
The entire
commentary by Matthew Henry.
JW’S Founder Charles T. Russell, Religious
Figure
But Jehovah’s Name did happen until 1931 Full Disclosure in -OOpen History
Born:
Birthplace:
Died:
Commentary
Critical and Explanatory
on the Whole Bible Open and compare
Micah4-1-7plusIsaiah2-4.htm--last day prophecy.
JW’S Own Write Up’s
With Linked Verses For Comparison Included --WatchTowers
Bearers of the Fear-Inspiring Name ------(JEHOVAH)
All the peoples of the earth will have to see that Jehovah’s name has been called upon you, and they will indeed be afraid of you.”—Deut. 28:10. 28:10
FEAR of a name
because it is called upon a people or is associated with a people! Is it a
justified fear? This depends upon what the name is famed or noted for. Also, do
the bearers of the name make it famous or give a favorable impression of it,
making the name capture respectful attention? Do the bearers give value or take
away value from the name? What weight does the name carry in itself?
2 There may be great prejudice against the name, but
does the people called by the name both honor and impart honor to it? Does the
owner of the name deal with this people in a way that heightens respect and
creates a feeling of awe toward the name? If the people upon whom it is called
uphold the dignity of the name, and if the owner of it uses this people to
magnify his name and keep it above reproach, then, indeed, the fear of the name
by the nations that observe this name people is justified. Such a fear by the
nations leads to certain results.
3 Who is this people called by a name that the
nations of the world are induced to fear?
It is a people upon whom
is called the name of the Creator of heaven and earth, that is to say, the name
of God. Is there such a people today? We know that
from very ancient times up until nineteen centuries ago there
was such a people on earth. Forty years after becoming a nation they
were found camped on the plains of
4 In the course of the speech introducing this
covenant or solemn contract with God, the prophet Moses said:
“Keep silent and listen, O
Israel. This day you have become the people of Jehovah your God. And it must
occur that if you will without fail listen to the voice of Jehovah your God by
being careful to do all his commandments that I am commanding you today,
Jehovah your God also will certainly put you high above all other nations of
the earth. . . . Jehovah will establish you as a holy people to
himself, just as he swore to you, because you continue to keep the commandments
of Jehovah your God, and you have walked in his ways. And all the peoples of
the earth will have to see that Jehovah’s name has been called upon you, and
they will indeed be afraid of you.”—Deut. 27:9; 27:9 28:1-10. 28-1-10
5 That was a great opportunity and privilege set
before the people of Israel thirty-four centuries ago; but there is no denying that
they did not live up to it. In the same farewell speech Moses told them of the
divine curses that would come upon them if they did not listen to Jehovah’s
voice and obey his commandments. (Deut. 28:16-68) Deut. 28-16-68
The history of the
people of
6 Several days before the Jewish passover of A.D. 33, as he rode an ass into
So they cried
out, "Away
with Him, away
with Him, crucify
Him!" Pilate
*said
to them, "Shall I crucify
your King
?" The chief
priests
answered,
"We have
no king but Caesar."
That same Passover day Jesus Christ was
impaled outside of
7 The disciples of Jesus Christ had been scattered
when he was betrayed and arrested. However, on the third day from his death and
burial they were brought together and united again around their Master Jesus
Christ. For on that day Almighty God, Jehovah, resurrected his heavenly Son
from the dead. Jesus Christ, now alive from the dead, made a number of
appearances to his disciples out of the invisible realm, as he had been raised
to life as a spirit. So now and again during the next forty days the
resurrected Jesus Christ had private meetings with these witnesses of his
resurrection. Finally they saw him depart for heaven and disappear from them,
but that he might appear in the presence of his heavenly Father.
8 For ten days they kept together in
9 “This is what was said through the prophet Joel,
‘“And in the last days,” God says, “I shall pour out some of my spirit upon
every sort of flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy and your
young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams; and even upon my
men slaves and upon my women slaves I will pour out some of my spirit in those
days, and they will prophesy. . . . And everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.”’”
Compare
The Restored Sacred Name
King James Bible
Open
Acts
2-21 |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 http://www.wordofyah.org/scriptures/nt/B44C002.htm And it shall be, that whosoever shall
call on the name of Yahweh shall
be saved. |
Acts 2:21 The New American Standard
Bible
'AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.' (YHWH Jehovah)
Gen 2:4
More in Acts2-21plus.htm
10 Then Peter explained to them that Jesus Christ, who
had been impaled and buried on passover
day, just fifty-two days previous, had also been resurrected from the dead and
exalted to God’s right hand in heaven in fulfillment of the prophecies of King
David. This Lord Jesus Christ, as God’s channel, had poured out this holy spirit upon his faithful followers on earth. Thousands
of conscience-stricken listeners asked what they should do. So Peter said:
“Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for
forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the free gift of the holy
spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all those afar
off, just as many as Jehovah our God may call to him.” In further exhorting
them what to do Peter said: “Get saved from this crooked generation.”—Acts
ACTS
2:16
but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:
When did these
commentators live –for some open and Study Commentators.htm
11 Under inspiration of God’s spirit through Christ the
apostle Peter called that generation of Jews who had rejected Jesus Christ a
“crooked generation.” To escape destruction the guilty Jews had to be “saved
from” that crooked generation, to get out of it. It was no longer God’s chosen
people, the people for his name, the people upon whom his name was called. The
persons who were now his approved people, his men slaves and his women slaves,
were those whom he had marked by the outpouring of his spirit, the dedicated,
baptized followers of God’s Son, Jesus Christ the Lord. These had become God’s
new nation, a spiritual nation. How? By all of them partaking
of God’s one holy spirit. These believing Jews had been members of God’s
former people for his name. By faith in Jesus as Christ they continued to be
people for His name, but now as members of his new spiritual nation, “the
Israel of God.” (Gal.
And those who will walk by this rule, peace and
mercy be
upon them, and upon the Israel of
God.
In proof of that Peter wrote them some time later and
said:
12 “You are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people for special possession, that you should declare abroad the
excellencies’ of the one that called you out of darkness into his wonderful
light. For you were once not a people, but are now God’s people.”—1 Pet.
2:9,10; 1:1, 2.
1 Pet. 2:9
But
you are A CHOSEN
RACE,
A royal
PRIESTHOOD,
A HOLY NATION, A
PEOPLE
FOR God's OWN POSSESSION,
so
that you may proclaim
the excellencies
of Him who has called
you out of darkness
into His marvelous
light;
1 Pet. 2:10
for you once were
NOT A PEOPLE,
but now
you are THE PEOPLE
OF GOD;
you had NOT RECEIVED
MERCY,
but now
you have RECEIVED
MERCY.
|
1 Pet. 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To
those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia, who
are chosen |
|
1 Pet. 1:2 according
to the foreknowledge
of God
the Father,
by the sanctifying
work
of the Spirit,
to obey
Jesus
Christ
and be sprinkled
with His blood:
May grace
and peace
be yours
in the fullest
measure.
|
13 Fulfillment of Jehovah’s prophecy through Joel about
pouring out his holy spirit did not stop there on that day of Pentecost. It
continued on. About three and a half years later, under direction of God’s angel,
Peter entered his first Gentile (non-Jewish) home, in Caesarea, about fifty
miles northwest of Jerusalem, and preached to the uncircumcised Italian
centurion, Cornelius, and his family and friends. These accepted the message
about the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Then the holy spirit
was poured out upon them and they also prophesied in foreign tongues. So they
got baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. (Acts 10:1-48) From then on many
uncircumcised non-Jews or Gentiles were given the message of salvation.
14 Upon believing and getting baptized in symbol of
their belief, these also received the holy spirit,
even though they did not get circumcised like natural Jews. They became spiritual
Jews and did not need it, for their circumcision was of their hearts by the
purifying power of faith. These, too, became part of God’s chosen race, his
holy nation, his people for special possession, his
“people for his name.” There is no disputing this point; it is the truth. About
A.D. 49 a special conference of Peter and other apostles and other older
Christian men at
15 “Brothers, hear me. Symeon [Peter] has related
thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the
[uncircumcised] nations to take out of them [what?] a people for his name. And
with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After these
things I shall return and rebuild the booth of David that is fallen down; and I
shall rebuild its ruins and erect it again, [why?] in order that those who
remain of the men [the believing Jewish remnant] may earnestly seek Jehovah,
together with [whom?] people of all the nations, people who are called by my
name, says Jehovah, who is doing these things.’”—Acts
16 TActs15-13-17
|
Book of Acts |
||
|
Chapter
15 -
Read Chapter - Click for Chapter Audio |
||
Acts
15:6-21
- [Verse 13 in Original Greek] 6 The R824 apostles and the elders came
together to look F348 into this matter. F349 7 After
there had been much debate, R825 Peter stood up and said to
them, "Brethren, you know that in F350 the early days God R826 made a choice among you, that
by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the R827 gospel and believe. 8 "And
God, who R828 knows the heart, testified to
them giving R829 them the Holy Spirit, just as
He also did to us; 9 and He R830 made no distinction between us
and them, cleansing R831 their hearts by faith. 10 "Now
therefore why do you put R832 God to the test by placing upon
the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither R833 our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 "But
we believe that we are saved through the R834 grace of the Lord Jesus, in the
same way as they also are." 12 All the people kept
silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating R835 what signs R836 and wonders God had done
through them among the Gentiles. 13 After
they had stopped speaking, James F351 R837 answered, saying, "Brethren,
listen to me. 14 "Simeon
has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the
Gentiles a
people for His name. 15 "With this the words of the R838
Prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 'AFTER THESE THINGS I R839
will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE F352
OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE
IT, 17 SO R840
THAT THE REST OF MANKIND F353
MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO F354
R841
ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,' 18 SAYS
R842
THE LORD, WHO MAKES F355
R843 THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM
LONG AGO. 19 "Therefore
it is my R844 judgment that we do not trouble
those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, 20 but
that we write to them that they abstain from things F356 R845 contaminated by idols and from
fornication R846 and from what R847 is strangled and from blood. 21 "For
Moses R848 from ancient generations has in
every city those who preach him, since he F357 is read in the synagogues every
Sabbath." |
hose believing “people of all the nations” as well as the
believing Jews became a people for whose name? Not for Jesus’ name, but for
God’s name, the name of Jehovah. The prophecy of Amos 9:11, 12,
Amos 9:11
"In that
day I
will raise
up the fallen
booth
of David,
And wall
up its breaches;
I will also raise up
its ruins
And rebuild
it as in the days of old;
Amos 9:12
That they may
possess
the remnant
of Edom
And all
the nations
who
are called
by My name," Declares
the LORD
who does
this.
GEB -> Study Notes on 9:11
GSB -> Study Notes on 9:11
JFB -> Commentary on 9:11
MHC-COM -> Commentary on 9:11
MHC-CON -> Commentary on 9:11
TSK -> Commentary on 9:11 TSK -> Entry for 9:11
WEN -> Notes on 9:11
NTB -> Church;
Gentiles;
Israel,
Prophecies Concerning; Jesus,
The Christ; Prophecy;
Quotations
And Allusions
as quoted by the disciple James, says: “‘All the nations
upon whom my name has been called,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, who is doing
this.” Hence this spiritual nation of Jewish and non-Jewish believers, baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ, is the people upon whom the name of Jehovah is
called. The unbelieving natural Jews or Israelites are not the people for
Jehovah’s name and have not been such for the past nineteen centuries. Jehovah
does not have two peoples, two nations. He has only one people, one spiritual
nation, namely, the believing, baptized, spirit-anointed followers of the Lord
Jesus Christ. (Eph. 2:11-22) Chapter 2 -
Read This Chapter
|
.Eph. 2:11 Therefore
remember
that formerly
you, the Gentiles
in the flesh,
who are called
"Uncircumcision " by the so-called
"Circumcision,"
which is performed
in the flesh
by human
hands
-- |
They are Jehovah’s people, his anointed
witnesses, the same as Jesus Christ was on earth.
THE NAME WRITTEN ON FOREHEADS
17 However, the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy concerning
the pouring out of the holy spirit and Amos’ prophecy concerning the seeking of
Jehovah by people of all the nations has continued down into this twentieth
century, to our own generation. All the true Christian congregation of
dedicated, baptized followers of Jesus Christ, from the first of them in the
apostles’ days to the last of them in these days of ours, all of them have
received the outpouring or anointing of the spirit. As long as there are any
members being brought into the spiritual “Israel of God,” Joel’s prophecy about
the outpouring of the spirit will go on being fulfilled. The effects of this
will also be seen and heard. Therefore Jehovah God has on earth today a people
upon whom his name is called, a “people for his name,” anointed with his
spirit. They are a mere remnant of his anointed “holy nation,” which has been
in formation for the past nineteen centuries.
18 That the Christian congregation was to have God’s
name called upon it, even Jesus Christ himself indicated. In the last book of
the Bible Jesus repeatedly called attention to that fact. In Revelation 14:1 14:1
Then I looked,
and behold,
the Lamb
was standing
on Mount
Zion,
and with Him one hundred
and forty-four , * thousand,
having
His name
and the name
of His Father
written
on their foreheads.
he pictured himself and his congregation of 144,000 anointed
followers standing upon the heavenly
|
"I ask on
their behalf;
I do not ask
on behalf
of the world,
but of those whom
You have given
Me; for they are Yours; |
|
and all things
that are Mine
are Yours,
and Yours
are Mine;
and I have been glorified
in them. |
|
"I am no longer
in the world;
and yet they themselves
are in the world,
and I come
to You. Holy
Father,
keep
them in Your name,
the name which
You have given
Me, that they may be one even as
We are. |
|
"While
I was with them, I was keeping
them in Your name which
You have given
Me; and I guarded
them and not one of
them perished
but the son
of perdition,
so
that the Scripture
would be fulfilled.
|
19 In Revelation
the glorified Jesus Christ says: “The one
that conquers—I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will by
no means go out from it any more, and I will write upon him the name of my God
and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which descends out of
heaven from my God, and that new name of mine.” Accordingly, the faithful
overcoming followers become part of the spiritual
|
Eph. 2:20 having been built on the foundation of
the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, |
|
in whom the whole building,
being fitted together, is growing into a
holy temple in the Lord, |
|
in whom you also are being
built together into
a dwelling of God in the Spirit. |
20 In the very last chapter of the Bible, in Revelation
22:1-5,
|
Chapter 22 - Read Chapter - Click for Chapter Audio |
||
Revelation
22:1-5 -
[Verse 1 in Original Greek] 1 Then he R1122
showed me a river R1123
of the water R1124
of life, clear F250
as R1125
crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the F251
Lamb, 2 in the middle of
its R1126
street. On R1127
either side of the river was the R1128
tree of life, bearing twelve {kinds F252
of} fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were
for the healing of the nations. 3 There R1129
will no longer be any curse; and the R1130
throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve
R1131
Him; 4 they will see R1132
His face, and His name R1133
{will be} on their foreheads. R1134
5 And there R1135
will no longer be {any} night; and they will F253
not have need of R1136
the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will
illumine them; and they will reign R1137
forever and ever |
the apostle John first describes the river of the water of
life and the fruit trees lining the river banks, and then says: “And no more
will there be any curse. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the
city, and his slaves will render him sacred service; and they will see his
face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Also, night will be no more, and
they have no need of lamplight nor do they have sunlight, because Jehovah God
will shed light upon them, and they will rule as kings forever and ever.” Upon
these faithful heirs of the
21 If we are honest we will admit this fact: It is a right
and proper thing for the true Christians, the true followers of Jesus Christ,
to be called by Jehovah’s name. They are a people taken out, not for Christ’s
name, but for the name of his God and Father, Jehovah. Any so-called Christians
throughout the realms of Christendom who refuse to have the name of Jehovah
called upon them and who refuse to be a “people for his name” are really not
Christians.
22 Even Jesus Christ the Leader of true Christianity
was one of the “people for his name” by being born as a natural Jew and being
circumcised. He had God’s name combined in his own personal name, as “Jesus” is
an abbreviated name meaning “Jehovah Is Salvation.” Hence the hundreds of
millions of so-called Christians in Christendom who refuse to have Jehovah’s
name written, as it were, upon their foreheads prove by this that they are
counterfeits, sham Christians. They have never been taken out from the nations
of this world and were never separated from this world to be what the disciple
James said, “a people for his name.”
CONFESSING THE NAME
23 It was back in 1931 that a faithful remnant of dedicated, baptized
Christians who did not belong to the sects of Christendom embraced the name
“Jehovah’s witnesses” to identify themselves. In doing
this they were not out of line with the Scriptures nor with Christian truth.
But before being worthy to take to themselves such an honorable designation
they had to prove that they were really public witnesses of Jehovah in
imitation of Jesus Christ. Did they do this? Yes, in co-operation with the
Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, particularly since 1926. That year the
official magazine of this Society, namely, The Watch Tower
and Herald of Christ’s Presence, published
in its issue of
24 Under these circumstances and by his holy spirit
upon them God called their attention to his own prophecy in Isaiah 43:10-12
|
The New American Standard Bible |
|||
|
|
|
||
|
Book of Isaiah |
|||
|
Chapter 43 - Read This Chapter |
|||
|
|
|
||
"You are My witnesses,"
declares
the LORD,
"And My servant
whom
I have chosen,
So that you may know
and believe
Me And understand
that I am He. Before
Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after
Me. r$) (8803) yDb(w hwhy (8686) yde( eT) (8799) (8738)- |
|||
|
"I, even I, am the LORD,
And there
is no
savior
besides
*
Me. (y$wm (8688) yd(lBm aye)w hwhy ykn) ykn) |
|||
|
"It is I who have declared
and saved
and proclaimed,
And there
was no
strange
god among you; So you are My witnesses,"
declares
the LORD,
"And I am God. (8803) le)-yn)w hwhy-mU)n yde( eT)w rz ekB
(8801) aye)w |
|||
, which reads: “‘You are my witnesses,’ is
the utterance of Jehovah, ‘even my servant whom I have chosen, in order that
you may know and have faith in me, and that you may understand that I am the
same One. Before me there was no God formed, and after me there continued to be
none. I—I am Jehovah, and besides me there is no savior.’ ‘I myself have told
forth and have saved and have caused it to be heard, when there was among you
no strange god. So you are my witnesses,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘and I
am God.’”
25 Accordingly, in 1931, after years of service in that capacity, this
remnant of dedicated, baptized, anointed Christians declared their
responsibility before the whole world by embracing the name provided in the
Scriptures, that is, Jehovah’s witnesses. They acknowledged to God that he was
saying to them by the afore-quoted prophecy: “You are my witnesses,” “my
servant.”
26 In this way they distinguished themselves from all
the religious sectarians in Christendom who call themselves Christians. Let us
take note that the name “Christian” is not a distinctive name today as it was
nineteen centuries ago. Back there, according to Acts 11:26, 11:26
and when he had found
him, he brought
him to Antioch.
And for an entire
year
they met
with the church
and taught
considerable
numbers; and the disciples
were first called Christians in Antioch.
“it was first in
|
Chapter 11 - Read This Chapter |
|||
|
|
|
||
and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for
an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were
first called Christians in Antioch. kai eurwn
(5631) hgagen
(5627) eiv
Antioxeian.
egeneto
(5633) de autoiv
kai
eniauton
olon
sunaxqhnai
(5683) en th|
ekklhsia|
kai
didacai oxlon
ikanon,
xrhmatisai
(5658) te
prwtwv
en Antioxeia|
touv
maqhtav
Xristianouv. |
|||
Agrippa
replied to Paul,
"In a short
time
you will persuade
me to become
a Christian."
1 Pet. 4:16
but if anyone
suffers as a Christian,
he is not to be ashamed,
but is to glorify God in this name.
27 Why were they called Christians (Greek) or Messianists (Hebrew)? In order to
distinguish them from the natural Jews or Israelites who had rejected the Lord
Jesus as the Messiah or Christ. And yet
28 Nineteen centuries ago, when Christianity was in its
innocent state, the apostle Peter could write to Christ’s followers: “Let none
of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a busybody in other
people’s matters. But if he suffers as a Christian, let him not feel shame, but
let him keep on glorifying God in this name.” (1 Pet.
Make sure
that none
* of
you suffers
as a murderer,
or thief, or evildoer,
or a troublesome
meddler;
but if anyone
suffers as a Christian,
he is not to be ashamed,
but is to glorify
God in
this name.
But today the jails and prisons of Christendom
are loaded with professed Christians who are guilty of the very things Peter
said not to be guilty of, as murderers, as thieves, as evildoers and as
busybodies in other people’s matters.
29 The record that Christendom has made in history
since the days of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great is disgraceful for
both Protestants and Catholics. Hence the mere name Christian has bad associations
today among the informed pagans. Christians are known as those who dropped two
atomic bombs on the unchristian cities of
30 Christendom is made up of nations that are supposed
to be Christian. But according to the Holy Bible, has any political nation of
this world the Scriptural right to call itself Christian? In the
. . . our religions, our reason for being
on the earth at all—the labels which we have always conveniently pasted on
these things are being looked at pretty critically to see if they describe the
contents accurately. Some uncomfortable thoughts are being produced as a
result.
People are asking, for instance, if we should call a
country a “Christian country” if only a small fraction of its inhabitants
really believe the doctrines of that religion.
H. L. Mencken [an American author, critic and editor
of the magazine American Mercury] once wrote that “Christendom is
that part of the world in which, if a man stand up and say he is a Christian,
all his auditors will laugh.”
That was thirty years ago. Today, they aren’t even
interested enough to laugh.
31 Standing before the judgment seat of Jehovah God,
Christendom can be condemned for having brought the greatest reproach upon the
name of his Son Jesus Christ. This fact in itself is enough to make true,
dedicated Christians want to differentiate themselves from the nominal
Christians. How? By the name of Christ’s Father. So
they confess before Christendom and all the world that
His name Jehovah is called upon them and that they, as Jesus Christ himself
was, are Jehovah’s witnesses. Prior to embracing that Scriptural name in 1931 Jehovah’s modern witnesses were called all
sorts of reproachful, contemptuous names by their religious enemies in
Christendom, Protestant and Catholic. This was a strong factor in inducing them
to take a Bible designation of which they did not need to be ashamed and by
which they could be distinguished from sham Christians. So the name is now in
dictionaries and encyclopedias!
[Study Questions]
1, 2.
(a) What questions arise as to whether fear of a name is justified?
(b) When is fear of a name called upon a certain people justified, and to
what does this fear lead?
3, 4. (a) Up till nineteen centuries ago who was the people bearing
the fear-inspiring name? (b) Into what covenant did Moses there bring this
people, and what did he say would follow if they
walked in God’s way?
5.
(a) Of what did Moses warn Israel, and what do the past nineteen centuries of
history make plain concerning Israel? (b) When did they have their greatest
opportunity as a nation, and why?
6.
At passover time what action
did the religious leaders and the people take toward Jesus, and what befell the
nation from and after A.D. 66?
7.
What experiences did Jesus’ disciples have at the time of his arrest and for
the next forty-two days?
8, 9.
(a) For the next ten days what did the disciples do, and then what happened?
(b) What did Peter say had been fulfilled?
10. (a) What explanation
did Peter make concerning the outpouring of the spirit on Jesus’ disciples?
(b) What did he exhort them to do?
11, 12. (a) What did Peter’s expression “this crooked
generation” indicate as to salvation and as to nationhood? (b) In proof of
the new nation what did Peter later write to believers?
13. What evidence in Scripture do we have
that the outpouring of the spirit continued on and came upon non-Jews?
14, 15. (a) What did these believing, baptized non-Jews
become, and as what were they recognized by the apostles and older men at
16. (a) By whose
name did those believing non-Jews become called? (b) Hence what do they and the believing Jews constitute?
17. (a) How long
has Joel
18. How did Jesus indicate, in Revelation
14:1 whether the Christian congregation was to have God’s name called upon it?
19. According to Revelation
20. What is said regarding them in
Revelation 22:3-5, and thus how are they identified as forever God’s?
21. What fact, then, do we have to admit
as to the true Christians, regarding how they are called?
22. (a) How was
Jesus himself part of God’s “people for his name”? (b) In this regard how
do so-called Christians show themselves to be counterfeits?
23. (a) Before
embracing the name “Jehovah’s witnesses,” what did the remnant have to do? (b) What
did they see that it was time for God to do, and so what confession did they
make?
24. What particular scripture did God
call to their attention?
25. When did they embrace the name, and
what did they thus acknowledge to God?
26, 27. (a) Were the believers always called Christians, and
how often does this designation appear in the Bible? (b) How did the
designation once distinguish them, but what has happened to the name since?
28. How did Peter say Christians were not
to suffer but what about the people of Christendom today?
29. What kind of record has Christendom
made in history, and with what effect upon the name Christian?
30. What question arises as to nations
calling themselves Christian, and what did a newspaper columnist say recently under
“What’s in a Name”?
31. What factors joined in
inducing the remnant to embrace the name, and even where is the name now found
in print?
Keep on speaking to
the people all the sayings about this
life.— 5:20
"Go,
stand
and speak
to the people
in the temple
the whole
message
of this
Life."
An angel had released the apostles
from prison. (Acts
(Acts
4:18-20; Jer. 20:9) 20:9
But if I say,
"I will not remember
Him Or speak
anymore
in His name,"
Then in my heart
it becomes
like a burning
fire Shut up
in my bones;
And I am weary
of holding
it in, And I cannot endure
it.
|
Book of Acts |
|
|
Chapter 4 - Read This Chapter |
|
|
|
|
|
And when they had summoned
them, they commanded
them not to speak or teach
at all
in the name
of Jesus.
kai kalesantev (5660) autouv parhggeilan (5656) to kaqolou mh fqeggesqai (5738) mhde didaskein (5721) epi tw| onomati tou Ihsou. |
|
|
But Peter
and John
answered
and said
to them, "Whether
it is right
in the sight
of God
to give
heed
to you rather
than
to God,
you be the judge; o de Petrov kai Iwannhv apokriqentev (5679) eipon (5627) prov autouv, Ei dikaion estin (5748) enwpion tou qeou umwn akouein (5721) mallon h tou qeou, krinate, (5657) |
|
|
for we cannot * stop speaking
about what
we have seen
and heard."
ou dunameqa (5736) gar hmeiv a eidamen (5627) kai hkousamen (5656) mh lalein. (5721) |
|
They boldly replied: “We must
obey God as ruler rather than men.”—Acts
|
Book of Acts |
|||
|
Chapter 5 - Read Chapter - Click for Chapter Audio |
|||
|
|
|
||
But Peter
and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. |
|||
W2-15-62 Why the Name “Jehovah’s
Witnesses”?
“WHAT’S in a name? That
which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” said Shakespeare.
True, but still it would need a name to distinguish it from other flowers.
Names are important. Without
them we could not properly identify specific persons, places or things. A name,
according to Webster, is “a word . . .
by which an individual or class of individuals (persons or things) is regularly
known or designated. . . . A distinct and specific
designation.” Among some very primitive peoples individuals are not
given specific names but merely identified by some physical peculiarity as to
height, size and suchlike. But what happens when two or more persons greatly
resemble one another? To try to do without names does present difficulties.
God, in his Word, the
Bible, repeatedly stresses the importance of names,
especially that of his own name Jehovah. That he also considers the
names of his servants important can be seen from the fact that at times he
himself changed their names: Abram to Abraham, Sarai
to Sarah, Jacob to
Acts 11:26
and when
he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were
first called Christians in Antioch.
So long as the Christian
congregation numbered comparatively few thousands and the apostles were alive,
the name “Christian” was sufficiently distinctive and specific. All who
professed to be Christians but whose beliefs or conduct belied their claim were
forthwith excommunicated from the Christian community. In those days the name
“Christian” had an unequivocal, unambiguous meaning, for it was limited to the
sincere, enlightened, dedicated, genuine followers of Jesus Christ.
But after the death of
the apostles an enemy, Satan the Devil, sowed seeds of imitation Christians in
the field, and so before long it became a field of apostates and counterfeits,
yet bearing the name Christian, Christendom. (Matt.
DERISIVE NICKNAMES
This state of affairs
posed a problem for the Reformers when they appeared on the scene. What should
they and their followers call themselves, since the name Christian was used so
loosely? How could they distinguish themselves from the rest? Unwisely they
time and again followed the lines of least resistance by adopting the derisive
nickname their enemies gave them. How this came about in the case of the
Lutherans a historian relates:
“The term ‘Lutheran’ was
already used in Luther’s time. Luther objected to this term, certainly not as a
result of any special modesty, which he did not possess if his doctrine was at
stake, but just because he thought that his theology was the only right and
true Christian doctrine and that there was no way of being a real Christian
except by being a ‘Lutheran.’ If he needed a term for describing his followers
as distinct from Popish people (Papisten), he
preferred the word ‘Evangelicals,’ followers of the Gospel. Later, however, he
acquiesced in the use of his name, and he himself says: ‘We so-called
Lutherans.’”—The Theology of Martin Luther,
H. H. Kramm.
Other authorities give
further details. The name was used in derision by Roman Catholics, the first
ones to do so being the German theologian Johann Eck and Pope Hadrian VI. Among
the reasons given for the followers of Luther accepting the name “Lutheran” was
to distinguish themselves from the Protestants who followed the Swiss reformers
Calvin and Zwingli and with whose theology they disagreed. However, in
accepting this name they ignored the apostolic counsel: “When one says: ‘I
belong to Paul,’ but another says: ‘I to Apollos,’
are you not simply men? What, then, is Apollos? Yes,
what is Paul?”—1 Cor. 3:4, 5.
1 Cor.3:4
For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am
of Apollos,"
are you not mere men ?
1 Cor.3:5
What then is Apollos
? And what is Paul ? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to
each one.
Those who joined the
eighteenth-century John Wesley in his reform movement while at the university
at
Another example is
furnished by the Society of Friends, more commonly known as Quakers. “The
epithet of Quakers was given in derision, because they often trembled under an
awful sense of the infinite purity and majesty of God, and this name, rather
submitted to than accepted by them, has become general as a designation.”—McClintock & Strong’s Cyclopædia,
Vol. 3, p. 668.
And then there are the
Baptists. At first they were derisively nicknamed Anabaptists, or rebaptized ones, because they required that all who had
been sprinkled in infancy be immersed upon accepting Christ due to their own
convictions. They themselves did not acknowledge this term but insisted that
they were to be known only as “Christians,” “Apostolic Christians,” “Brethren,”
and “Disciples of Christ.” But in the end they also accepted their nickname,
given in derision, as their proper name and called themselves Baptists.
THE BIBLE STUDENTS
The facts show that the
question of a name also faced those sincere Christian students of the Bible who
began to gather together for the study of God’s Word from about 1870 onward. At
one time they had been Baptists, Congregationalists, Lutherans, Methodists,
Presbyterians and Roman Catholics. But now by what name should they be known?
Thus at one of their early assemblies a former Presbyterian deacon got up and
told of having seen a goat in a shipping crate at a railroad station that could
not be sent to its destination because the goat had eaten up its shipping tag.
“Now folks,” he continued, “I’m like that goat. At one time I had a tag, but I
ate it up,” as a result of reading The Divine Plan of
the Ages, “and now I don’t know where I belong.”
True, they were
Christians and the Scriptures use the name “Christian,” but with literally hundreds
of millions claiming to be Christians, that name of itself could not serve to
identify them specifically. Besides, there is a particular religious
denomination that bears the name “The Christian Church,” as well as one known
as “The Disciples of Christ.”
Others had derisively
nicknamed them “Millennial Dawnists,” “Russellites,” “Rutherfordites,”
and “Watch Tower People.” Wisely they refused to give official recognition to
any such derisive nicknames. The truth about Christ’s millennial reign was but
one of their teachings; they were not following any human leader but only their
Master, Jesus Christ; the Watchtower magazine was merely one of the
publications they used to disseminate the truth of God’s Word.
For the time being they
kept referring to themselves as “Bible Students,” one of their international
organizations being known as the International Bible Students Association. But
was that name sufficiently distinctive, specific and adequate? No, it was not.
Why not? Because, on the one hand, they were not by any means the only Bible
students. There were all manner of Bible students who were still bound by the
various creeds of Christendom: Bible students who were Fundamentalists,
Modernists, and some who were Deists. Yes, all these made a study of the Bible.
More than that, there were some who had created divisions, such as those
referred to at Romans 16:17, and who had separated themselves and still
referred to themselves as Bible students. So the term Bible Student was far
from being specific, distinctive.
But, even more
important, the term Bible Students was not at all adequate. For one thing, it
had no Scriptural precedent. Then also, these Christians were not only Bible
students but they were Bible students who accepted the Bible as the inspired
Word of God; Bible students who had dedicated themselves to do God’s will and
follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ; Bible students among whom every last
one was also a preacher of God’s name and kingdom.
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES—WHY?
However, there was one name
in the Scriptures that God had applied to his servants, which name no one else
had taken, which name no one else wanted to take. It was a name that uniquely
fitted them, namely, Jehovah’s witnesses, based on Isaiah 43:10,
12:
"You are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "And My
servant whom I have chosen, So that you
may know and believe
Me And understand that I
am He. Before Me there
was no God formed, And there will be none after Me.
"I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides * Me.
"It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among
you; So you are My witnesses,
" declares the LORD, "And I
am God.
Open LORD for ID
“‘You are my witnesses,’ is the utterance of Jehovah,
‘even my servant whom I have chosen.’” “‘You are my witnesses,’ is the
utterance of Jehovah, ‘and I am God.’”
That the followers of
Christ were to be primarily a people for Jehovah God’s name, the Scriptures
unequivocally state. Thus the prophet Amos foretold that Jehovah God would
restore all those “upon whom my name has been called.” The apostle Peter
“related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the
nations to take out of them a people for his name.” And in the book of Revelation
the anointed Christians are repeatedly shown as having the name of their God
written in their foreheads, prominently displayed for all to see.—Amos 9:11,
12; Acts 15:14; Rev. 3:12; 14:1; 22:4. Rev3-12-14.htm PLUS
Amos 9:11
"In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, And wall up its breaches; I will
also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in
the days of old;
Amos 9:12
That they may possess the remnant of Edom And all the nations who are called by My name," Declares the LORD who does this.
Acts 15:14
"Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name.
Acts 15:17
SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,'
Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and
forty-four , * thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.
Rev 22:4
they will see His face, and His name will be on
their foreheads.
Leaders of Christendom assert
that the true God, the Creator, the God of the Bible, does not need a
distinctive name. In this they err. Thereby they shut their eyes to the fact
that there are many false gods that men have set up as rivals of the one true
God and that he therefore needs a specific designation to distinguish him from
all the rest; even as the Scriptures clearly show: “On all the gods of
Isa.-42:8
"I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.
1 Cor-8:5
For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords,
1 Cor-8:6
yet for us there is
but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist
for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we
exist through Him.
But why
should it be necessary for anyone to witness to the one true God? someone might ask. For at least four
distinct reasons. In the first place, because Jehovah God is invisible;
no one can see him and live. (Ex. 33:20) 33:20 Visible creation does witness to Jehovah’s
existence and power and wisdom, but it cannot tell humankind what the Creator’s
name is and what his other attributes and purposes are. For making known these
things Jehovah requires human, intelligent witnesses. 33:20
But He said, "You cannot * see My face, for no man can see Me and live !"
Secondly, because of the
challenge of Satan the Devil to the sovereignty of Jehovah and the conditions
Satan has brought about on the earth that reflect unfavorably upon Jehovah, it
is necessary that He have witnesses to let all men know the truth about
himself.
—Gen. 3:1-6; 3:1 –open [In Context| Rev. 12:12. 12:12
Thirdly, in that Satan
boasted that he could turn all men away from Jehovah God; to prove Satan a
liar, God needs, perforce, to have faithful witnesses on the earth.—Job 1:6-12; 1:6 – open [In Context| Prov.
27:11.
And
fourthly, the time is rapidly approaching when Jehovah will once and for all time
vindicate himself as the Universal Sovereign by destroying all his foes and
delivering his people. Because of these facts witnesses are needed to sound an
urgent warning; so that lovers of righteousness can flee to safety and so that
the wicked will know why they are being destroyed when Armageddon comes upon
them.— 16:16
And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.
Rev. 16:14, 16. 16:14
for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.
And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.
From their early
beginnings the modern witnesses of Jehovah have witnessed to Jehovah’s name.
However, it was not until 1931 that they were specially moved by
the fact that the words of Isaiah 43:10, 12 43:10
- 43:11-43:12-, specifically apply to them, and so
in that year, at a convention, they officially went on record as accepting this
as their designation.
In taking that name,
Jehovah’s witnesses were not acting presumptuously. Had they not been
witnessing to that name and were they not determined to continue to do so? Most
assuredly! Others questioned whether the name would stick or not. Has it stuck?
It has, for, thirty years later, the third edition of Webster’s Unabridged
Dictionary states: “Jehovah’s witnesses: Members of a group that witness by distributing
literature and by personal evangelism to beliefs in the theocratic rule of God,
the sinfulness of organized religions and governments, and an imminent
millennium.”
Jehovah’s witnesses are
proud to bear their name and are concerned with measuring up to it at all
times, not only by witnessing verbally, but also by conducting themselves so as
to bring no reproach to Jehovah’s name. It is indeed a name that sets them
apart from all others professing to be Christians.