"Who has gone up into the heavens and come down?..... What is His Name,  and what is His Son's Name,  if you know it?" (Proverbs 30:4)

The Hebrew sages obviously knew the Names of the Father and Messiah, but how?  Furthermore, how can we know unless we allow the prophecies of the Tanakh to unveil this important truth?  A concordance and a small amount of study reveals that the name, Jesus, is absent from these prophecies, and so the question we must ask is that if this were the Messiah's true, original name, how could Solomon have known it?

Exodus 23:20,21.  See, I am sending My Messenger before you to guard you in the way..... [21] Do not rebel against Him, because My Name is in Him.

John 10:25.  I have told you and you do not believe.  The works I do IN MY FATHER'S NAME, they bear witness concerning Me.

John 17:11.  I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to You.  Set-Apart Father, protect them by the power of Your Name? the same Name you gave Me?so that they may be one as we are one. (NIV)

Because the Father's Name is in that of the Messiah, our first challenge is to discover the true Name of the Almighty, and as may be ascertained from Scripture and the Bible translators themselves, this is not "The Lord".

New International Version:

"In regard to the Divine name YHWH, commonly referred to as the Tetragrammaton, the translators adopted the device used in most English versions.....of rendering that Name as ?Lord.'"

New King James Version:

"It is very likely that the Name was pronounced very much like ?Yahweh.'  Comparisons with transliterations of the Name into other alphabets from very ancient times confirm this."

Revised English Bible:

"The Divine name was probably pronounced ?Yahweh', but the name was regarded as ineffable, too sacred to be pronounced. The Massoretes, therefore, wrote in the vowel signs of the alternative words ADONAI (?lord') or ELOHIM (?god') to warn readers to use one of these in its place.  Where the Divine name occurs in the Hebrew text, this has been signaled in The Revised English Bible by using capital letters for ?Lord' or ?God', a widely accepted practice."

Revised Standard Version:

A major departure from the practice of the American Standard Version is the [removal of the] Divine Name....  The American Standard Version [originally] used the term "Jehovah" [and] while it is almost if not quite certain that the Name was originally pronounced "Yahweh", this pronunciation was not indicated when the Masoretes added vowel signs to the consonantal Hebrew text.  To the four consonants YHWH...they attached vowel signs indicating that in its place should be read the Hebrew word "Adonai" meaning "Lord"...for which the ancient Greek translators substituted the word "Kyrios"... The form "Jehovah" is of late midieval origin; a combination of the Divine Name and the vowels attached to it by the Masoretes but belonging to an entirely different word.... For two reasons the comittee has return to the usage of the KJV [because] (1) the word "Jehovah" does not accurately reflect any form of the Name ever used in Hebrew; and (2) the use of any proper Name for the one and only god was discontinued in Judasim before the Christian era and is entirely inappropriate for the universal faith of the Christian Church.

The problem with the "widely accepted practice" of replacing the Name is that the substitutions are not meaningful; in fact they have no literary meaning or purpose apart from disguises and hiding the Name of Yahweh under other words!  The only Scriptural guidelines given concerning the use of the Creator's Name, furthermore, DO NOT forbid it to be pronounced, but rather command its use and identify the deletion of the Divine Name by translators to be what is inappropriate!

Leviticus 19:12.  You shall not swear by My Name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the Name of thy Elohim: I Am Yahweh.  (KJV)

Exodus 20:7.  Do not bring the Name of Yahweh your Elohim to naught.  For Yahweh does not leave the one unpunished who brings His Name to naught. (Scriptures Translation)

The Hebrew word translated "in vain" or "bring to naught" is SHAV, and means "emptiness of speech; to make desolate or useless."  Paraphrased, this verse actually says "Do NOT stop using it!"  So we see that the Name of the Creator was removed from the Scriptures, not because of Divine command or revelation, but because of men's traditions, through which they have made void the law.  And what does the Law say concerning this?

Exodus 23:2.  Do not follow a multitude to do evil, nor bear witness in a strife so as to turn aside after many, to turn aside what is right.

 
THE PATRIARCHS SPEAK

Exodus 3:15.  And Elohim said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Yahweh, Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is My Name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations. (KJV)
Deuteronomy 6:13.  Thou shalt fear Yahweh thy Elohim, and serve Him, and shalt SWEAR BY HIS NAME.
Deuteronomy 10:20.  Thou shalt fear Yahweh thy Elohim; Him shalt thou serve, and to Him shalt thou cleave, and swear by His Name.  (KJV)

All of the Patriarchs knew Yahweh's name, and knew it well.  Stephen was even martyred for using it.  How is it that two-thousand years later it has been so largely forgotten?

Exodus 6:3.  And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as El Shaddai (The Almighty), and was I not known to them by My Name, Yahweh?

The answer is that "Yes, He was!"

• Adam And Chava (Eve) knew the Name.
  Genesis 4:25.  And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth.... [26] and to Seth also there was born a son, and he called his name Enosh.  Then it was begun to call on the Name of Yahweh.
• Abraham knew the Name.
  Genesis 21:33. And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the Name of Yahweh, the everlasting Elohim.
• Isaac knew the Name and taught it to his sons.
  Genesis 27:20.  And Isaac said unto his son (Jacob), How is it that thou hast found (the wild game) so quickly, my son? And he said (lying), "Because Yahweh thy Elohim brought it to me." KJV
• Yahweh revealed His Name personally to Jacob.
  Genesis 28:13.  And behold, Yahweh stood above (the ladder), and said (to Jacob), I am Yahweh, Elohim of Abraham thy father, and the Elohim of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. KJV
• The Psalmist Knew The Name.
  Psalm 68:4.  Sing unto Elohim, SING PRAISES TO HIS NAME: extol Him that rideth upon the heavens by his name YAH, and rejoice before Him.  And again in Psalm 22:22 David prophesies concerning the Messiah, saying, "I MADE KNOWN YOUR NAME to My brothers; in the midst of the assembly I praise you."
• Messiah Proclaimed The Name
  John 17:6. "I HAVE REVEALED YOUR NAME to the men you gave me out of the world..... [26] And I have MADE YOUR NAME KNOWN to them, and shall make it known...."
• The Apostle Shaul confirms this in Hebrews 2:11,12 where he states, "For both He who sets apart and those who are being set apart are all of One, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, ?I shall ANNOUNCE YOUR NAME to My brothers, in the midst of the congregation I shall sing praise to You.'"
   

WILL YOU FOLLOW TRUTH OR TRADITION?

Matthew 15:3.  But [Messiah] answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of Elohim by your tradition?..... [6] Thus have ye made the commandment of Elohim of none effect by your tradition.

Mark 7:8.  For laying aside the commandment of Elohim, ye hold fast the tradition of men..... [9] And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of Elohim, that ye may keep your own tradition. [13] Making the word of Elohim of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things you do. (KJV)

Psalm 119:126.  It is time for thee, O Yahweh, to work: for they have made void thy law. (KJV)

Exodus 9:16.  And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee My power; and that My Name may be declared throughout all the earth.  (KJV)

Let's take a look at one such time when Yahweh began to work through EliYah the prophet, and slew 400 of the prophets of Baal.

1 Kings 18:21.  And EliYah came to all the people, and said, "How long would you keep hopping between two opinions?  If Yahweh is Elohim, follow Him; and if Baal is elohim, follow Him... [24] And you shall call on the name of your elohim, and I, I call on the Name of Yahweh.  And the Elohim who answers by fire, He is the Almighty."

 
WHAT DOES YAHWEH SAY ABOUT THIS?

Deuteronomy 4:2.  Do not add to the Word which I command you, and do not take away from it, (but) guard the commands of Yahweh your Elohim which I am commanding you.

Deuteronomy 12:32.  All the words I am commanding you, guard to do it - DO NOT ADD TO IT NOR TAKE AWAY FROM IT.

Proverbs 30:4b ....What is His Name, and what is His Son's Name, if you know it? [5] Every word of Eloah is tried; He is a shield to those taking refuge in Him. [6] Do not add to His Words, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar.

Exodus 23:13.  And in all that I have said to you be circumspect and make no mention of the names of false deities, neither let them be heard from your mouth.

It doesn't take too much logical deduction to realize that this is exactly what we have done, nor to figure out the result:

Revelation 22:18.  For I witness to everyone hearing the words of.....this book: If anyone adds to them, Elohim shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book, [19] and if anyone takes away from the words of this book....Elohim shall take away his part from the Book of Life, and out of the set-apart city, which are written in this book.

THE PAGAN CHRISTIAN CONNECTION

Ironically, the Hebrew equivalent of "Lord God" does appear three times in the book of Joshua.  In Hebrew it is "BAAL-GAWD", and is the name of a Syrian town.  BAAL, of course, is the Hebrew equivalent to "Lord", while GAWD is an alternate spelling of "God", and can also refer to sexual intercourse, the latter of which is still retained in the English "gadfly" or "gadding about".  Brown's Driver/Briggs Hebrew Lexicon defines the name of the town as "baal-gad, ?lord of fortune', a city noted for Baal-worship, located at the most northern or northwestern point to which Joshua's victories extended."  Strong's also provides some insight in their definition of: "baal gad, lord of good luck",10 luck, being a derivative of Lucifer.

The Encyclopedia Americana, meanwhile, states the following on the heathen origin of this word, god: "God (god) Common Teutonic word for personal object of religious worship, formerly applicable to super-human beings of heathen myth; on conversion of Teutonic races to Christianity, term was applied to Supreme Being."  Indeed the words of the prophet ring true:

Isaiah 65:11.  They forsake Yahweh; they forget My set-apart mountain and prepare a table for GOD.

Just as "god" (or gawd) refers to fortune, luck, and Lucifer, however, Baal  likewise is the shortened form of the Hebrew word, BELIYA'AL or BELIAL, which is a title of satan!

2 Corinthians 6:14b.  For what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness? [15] And what fellowship has light with darkness?  And what agreement has the Messiah with BELIYA'AL (or BAAL)... [16a] And what union has the Temple of Elohim with idols?

Let's turn back to First Kings now and see just what the MULTITUDE of false prophets did with their idol, Baal/Beliya'al.

1 Kings 18:26.  (They) called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, "O Baal, answer us!"  But there was no voice and no one answered.  And they leaped about the altar they had made. [27]  And it came to be at noon, that ELIYAH TAUNTED THEM and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god; perhaps he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or it could be that he is asleep and has to be awakened!" [28] And they cried aloud.... [29] But there was no voice and no one answered, and no one payed any attention."

Incredibly shocking is that EliYah will return again before the great and dreadful day of Yahweh to announce the second coming of the Messiah (see Malachi 4:5), and what do you suppose that there will be a mountain-full of "Baal's prophets" then as well?  Oh no ?you say? it couldn't be. We're just too civilized to go hopping around like animals and  calling on Baal like that.  But hold it a second, because the Messiah never said that we'd be too civilized in several thousand years, and when He did speak, He ASSURED us that there would be many of "Baal's prophets" when He returns!

Matthew 7:22.  MANY shall say to me in that day, "Lord, Lord (or Baal, Baal), have we not PROPHESIED in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?"  And then I shall declare to them, "I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work LAWLESSNESS."

Jeremiah 2:8. The priests did not say, "Where is Yahweh?"  And those who handle the Torah did not know Me, and the shepherds (or pastors) also transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by The Lord (or Baal), and walked after matters that do not profit. [9] Therefore I still contend with you", declares Yahweh, and with your children's children I contend.".

Hosea 2:16.  "And it shall be, in that day", declares Yahweh, "that you shall call Me ?my Husband', and no longer ?my Baal or Lord'. [17] And I shall remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name... [23]...and I shall say to those who were not My people,  ?You are My people, while they say, ?My Elohim'.

Now let's look at the definition of Yahweh's Name, which the Bible translators have consistently changed to "The Lord" or "Baal".

Strong's Concordance:

"Yahweh, Yehovah, the Self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national Name of God (sic)."

The Strongest Strong's, 2001 Edition:

"YHWH  [or] Yahweh, the proper Name of the One true God (sic)..... The Name pictures God (sic)  as the One who exists and/or causes existence. [replaced in the KJV with] The LORD [a.k.a. Baal] (or some derivative over 7000 times).... [etc]"15

The original Webster's 1828 dictionary states the following concerning this "Lord" or "Baal".

"Baal, n. [Oriental, lub, lord.] An idol among the ancient Chaldeans and Syrians, representing the sun.  The word signifies also lord (Lord), or commander; and the character of the idol was varied by different nations, at different times.  Thus Baal Berith is supposed to signify the Lord of the Covenant; Baal Peor, the Lord of the dead. Ps. cvi. Baal Zebub, the god of flies, &c."

Jeremiah 23:13.  I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria declares Yahweh: They prophesied by "The Lord" and led My people astray.... [26] How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies?  Yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own hearts; [27] Which think to cause My people to forget My Name.....as their fathers have FORGOTTEN MY NAME FOR "The Lord."

Hosea 13:1.  When Ephraim spoke, there [used to be] trembling; he was lifted up in Israel, but through The Lord (or Baal), he became guilty and died.

Hosea 2:13. "I will punish Israel for the days of The Lord to which she burned incense and adorned herself with her rings and jewelry, and went whoring after her lovers, and FORGOT ME" declares Yahweh.

Jeremiah 23:16. Thus said Yahweh of Hosts, Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They lead you astray.  They speak a vision from their own heart, and not from the mouth of Yahweh.
 

THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES

Returning to the Name of the Messiah, Philippians states that He has a Name which is above EVERY name.

Philippians 2:9.  Elohim therefore has highly exalted Him and given Him THE NAME WHICH IS ABOVE EVERY NAME.

This means that the Messiah's Name must include the Name "YAHweh" seeing that it is the Name above all others.  If He is given a Name other than the Father's, it cannot be above all others, because the Father said:

Isaiah 42:8.  I am YAHweh, that is My Name, and My esteem I do not give to another, nor My praise to idols.

Shaul (or Paul) clarifies why His Name is above all others, however, in the very next verse, as retained in the Aramaic Peshitta.

Philippians 2:10. ...That at the Name of YAHshua every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, [11] and every tongue should confess that YAHshua Messiah is YAHweh, to the esteem of Elohim the Father.

Accordingly, the Messiah said in:

John 5:43.  I have come in My Father's Name and you do not receive Me.  If another comes in his own name, him you will receive.

"In understanding the Name of our heavenly Father, it is important to also understand the true Hebrew name of our Messiah and Redeemer.... As Mosheh went to his people in the Name of Yahweh (as do all prophets of Yahweh), [the] Messiah came not only in the Name of Yahweh (see John 12:13), but also bearing the Name of Yahweh (see John 12:28)." (Quoting Tom Mitchell, Hear The Banner Message)

On the Name of the Messiah, the New King James Version Bible states:

"It is true that many names beginning with ?Y' seem odd to our culture [but] all the names [beginning with ?J'] in English -- including Jesus -- were pronounced with a ?Y' sound, in the original."

The Encyclopedia Americana informs us that:

"The form of ?J' was unknown in any alphabet until the 14th century.  Either symbol (J, I) used initially generally had the consonantal sound of ?Y' as in year.  Gradually, the two symbols were differentiated, the J usually acquiring consonantal force and thus becoming regarded as a consonant, and the ?I' becoming a vowel.  It was not until 1630 that the differentiation became general in England.

"It is one of the few permanent additions to those alphabets, made in medieval or modern times.  More exactly, it was not an addition, but a differentiation from an existing letter, I, which in Latin, besides being a vowel (as in index), had also the consonantal value of ?Y' (as in maior, pronounced ?mayor').

"At a later state, the symbol ?J' was used for the distinctive purposes, particularly when the ?I' had to be written initially (or in conjunction with another ?I').  Either symbol used initially generally had the consonantal sound of ?Y' (as in Year)...while in some words of Hebrew and other origin (such as Hallelujah), ?J' has the phonetic value of ?Y.'"

From The New Standard Encyclopedia:

"J, the tenth letter of the English alphabet, originated in the ancient Semitic consonant, YOD.....  YOD became the Greek vowel IOTA, or I.  When the Romans adopted the alphabet, their letter I kept the Greek vowel sounds and in addition represented the consonant Y in early Latin.  Later, in England, the letter I was given the additional sound of J.  Coming most often at the beginning of a word, where the letter commonly extended below the line, the J sound became identified with the lengthened form of I.  It was not until about the sixteenth century, however, that J was established as a separate letter."

What then is the Name of the Messiah?  Here is where we get into the prophecies of the Tanakh.
 

PROPHECY SPEAKS

Isaiah 11:1.  And a Rod shall come forth from the stump of Jesse, and a BRANCH from His roots shall bear fruit: [2] The Spirit of Yahweh shall rest upon Him, (see John 1:32)  ?  the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh; [3] And shall make Him breathe in the fear of Yahweh(see John 20:22): and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, neither decide by the hearing of His ears: [4] But with RIGHTEOUSNESS He shall judge the poor, and shall decide with straightness for the meek ones of the earth: and He shall smite the earth with the Rod of his mouth (the Word), and slay the wrong with the breath of His lips. [5] And RIGHTEOUSNESS shall be the girdle of His loins, and trustworthiness the girdle of His waist.

"The Branch" is understood to be a title of the Messiah in both Jewish and Christian literature, and Jeremiah repeats this prophecy of "the Branch" twice for additional emphasis.

Jeremiah 23:5.  "See, the days are coming", declares Yahweh, "that I will raise to David a BRANCH of Righteousness, and a Sovereign shall reign and prosper, and shall do right-ruling and righteousness in the earth. [6] In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: And this is His name whereby He shall be called: YAHWEH our Righteousness."

Jeremiah 33:15.  In those days, and at that time, I will make a righteous BRANCH sprout from David's line, and He will do what is just and right in the land. [16] In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety: and this is the Name by which He shall be called: YAHWEH our Righteousness. NIV

In both of these passages, Jeremiah clearly reveals the Name of the Messiah as "YAHWEH", and includes the descriptive phrase "TSIDKENU" or "our Righteousness" in accordance with the prophecy of Isaiah chapter 53 which deals with the "Suffering Servant."

Isaiah 53:11.  He would see the result of the suffering of His life and be satisfied.  Through His knowledge, My Righteous Servant makes many righteous, and He bears their crookedness.

"Yahweh Our Righteousness" is the Name of the Father in the Messiah.  How has the Messiah become our righteousness?  Moving on towards the end of the Tanakh, we find an answer to this question in the writings of the prophet Zekariah, where the full name of the Messiah is revealed.

Zechariah 2:13.  Hush, all flesh, before Yahweh, for He has roused Himself out of His set-apart dwelling.
Remember that the Name of Yahweh is in the Messiah. Thus the arousal of Yahweh from His dwelling, as we shall see, refers to the Messiah's first advent.  This picture gets clearer in the next verse.

Zechariah 3:1.  And he showed me Joshua, the high priest, standing before the Messenger of Yahweh, and satan standing at his right hand to be an adversary to Him.

Satan, of course, is the driving force behind the anti-messiah or beast power which opposes the real Messiah and here he opposes Joshua the high priest.

[Verse 3] And Joshua was dressed in filthy garments, and was standing before the messenger.
The appearance of filthy garments brings to mind how the Messiah must have looked after His mock trial and cruel beating.
[Verse 4] And He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, "Remove the filthy garments from Him."  And to Him He said, "See, I have removed your guilt from You, and shall put costly robes upon You."

This brings to mind the Messiah's bearing of our guilt on the stake when He became sin for us (see 2 Corinthians 5:21) and the latter portion of the verse calls to attention the resurrection of the Messiah, thereby the removal of the guilt, and the glory which was prophesied to follow (see 1 Peter 1:11).

[Verse 8]  Now listen, Joshua the high priest, You and Your companions who sit before You: for THEY ARE MEN OF SYMBOL or TYPE..  For look!  I am bringing forth My servant, the BRANCH.

This is where the Messiah's Name is prophesied.

Zechariah 6:12. Thus said Yahweh of Hosts, saying, "See the Man whose Name is ?The BRANCH'!  And from His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the Temple of Yahweh."  [13]  It is He who is going to build the Temple of Yahweh.  It is He who is going to bear the glory, and He shall sit and rule on His throne, and shall be a Priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

So the Scripture is saying: "Look at the man (Joshua) whose NAME is the BRANCH!", whereby we see that the current High Priest of Judah in the days of Zechariah (that is Joshua, or more properly Yahshua as it would be said in Hebrew), has the name of the "BRANCH" or coming Messiah.

The Name, Yahshua/Yahushua is composed of two Hebrew words, the first of which is YAHU, meaning "He is Yahweh (or the Eternal)".  The second is HOSHA or HOSEA, verified by Joshua's identification as "Hosea, son of Nun" in Deuteronomy 32:44, and means "salvation" or "savior".  When combined together, these form the Name Yahshua or Yahushua, the prophesied Name of the Messiah in both the Tanakh and the Apostolic Scriptures.  So we see that the name, Yahshua, actually identifies the Messiah as the "Savior Yah", which is how he became "YAHweh our Righteousness"; by descending to earth to save (see Matthew 1:21).  Additionally we find that the Name YAHweh (or YAH in its shortened form) is contained in YAHshua, and this is the Name which He assumes to fulfill the prophesied role of the Messiah.

 
SCHOLARS AND SECULAR SOURCES SPEAK

Mark 16:16. (For) he who believes and has been immersed, shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned.