FRANK'S PAGE

Way back in 1961, I began to learn that there was something wrong with organized religion. I detected that things were being taught in the churches that did not square with the Scriptures I was reading. For example, when I was a small child in Sunday School, I remember wondering why there was such heavy emphasis on "going to heaven," when the Bible speaks about a resurrection. If we (our souls) were already up in heaven, then why did we need a resurrection? I have heard many preachers try to explain this, but none of their reasons made sense to me.

Another point I wondered about, was the "Good Friday Crucifixion - Sunday Morning Resurrection" of the Messiah. It was easy to see that this was only about 36 hours, encompassing two nights and one day, whereas He said He would be in the heart of the earth (the tomb) for three days and three nights (Mat. 12:40).

I also noticed simply dozens if not hundreds of Scriptures which speak of "His Holy Name," "My Holy Name," etc., and wondered why He was simply called, "The LORD." That did not sound like a name to me. Neither did "God." Which was it, the LORD, or God? Did He have two names? I couldn't find any references to "His Names," or "My Names." It was ALWAYS in the singular - NAME , period. Even the Apostle Paul declared that "there are gods many and lords many." Then how could one of these be His Name?

The Sabbath is another Christian paradox. The Bible plainly and irrevocably declares that the Seventh Day was made holy by Him at creation; it is re-affirmed dozens of times throughout Scripture, including the New Testament, yet man has begun worshipping on Sun-day, the first day of the week. Why? They think it is "the Lord's Day," yet the Savior Himself declared that He is Lord of the Sabbath day, not Sunday (Mark 2:27-28).

These, plus dozens of other, similar questions and discrepancies, kept popping up to confuse me. Then, in 1961, I began to listen to a radio preacher who not only questioned these supposed Biblical beliefs, but he had answers for most of them, as well. He showed that the Bible does not teach most of the doctrines being taught in the Christian churches today. It turns out that most of these beliefs come from rank paganism, and have simply been adapted into organized Christianity over the years. Scriptures are used as "proof" that sometimes has nothing at all to do with the subject at hand.

Then in 1985, I learned that the Creator DOES have a Name after all, and it is not LORD or God - but rather, Yahweh. And the correct Name of His Son is Yahshua, not Jesus.

Because of the religious confusion in the world today, I felt the call to teach these Biblical truths to as many as would listen, in a non - adversarial way. The Truth of how we are to be saved, should be of utmost importance to all of us. I don't claim to know it all - no one does! But once I began to let the Bible teach me, instead of trying to make it conform to my preconceived notions, things began to fall into place.

We began to have local meetings in 1985, mostly in western Arkansas and southern Missouri. A 15-minute weekly radio program followed for a few years, and I started the "Search the Scriptures" newsletter January 1995. Then along came the Internet, and, with the help of my grandson, Robert White, later Will Taylor and now Brian Anderson, I was able to put up a home page expounding on Yahweh's Word, and extolling His Wonderful Promises of Eternal Life to those who will obey (Acts 5:32).

I hope to update this page more frequently than in the past, now that I have a reliable web-master to help. While it is not true that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks," I think "young dogs" catch on to new stuff quicker than us old codgers. But we are never too old to learn new stuff - indeed, we must keep learning as long as we live. When we stop learning, we start dying - we stop growing in grace and knowledge.

Until next time, then, Shalom! Shalom! I hope you enjoy looking at the rest of the page and checking out the articles and booklets. If you want a printed copy of any of them, just let me know. And be sure to read the article below:

My "Sacred Name" Background

The main "beef" between nominal Christians and those who keep the Commandments has always been over the 4th Commandment, the Seventh Day Sabbath versus Sunday observance. They insist that the Laws found in the Old Testament, including the Ten Commandments, are "done away," and therefore not binding on New Testament believers. Many teach that all 10 were "nailed to the cross," and then later nine were brought back, leaving out what they often term "that old Jewish Sabbath." Others simply believe that the Sabbath command somehow was transferred to the first day of the week in the New Testament.
I first learned that the Biblical Laws were not "done away" in 1961, when I came in contact with a "World Tomorrow" broadcast. Soon thereafter, I came to realize that we were not living the kind of lifestyle that was pleasing to the Creator. Repentance and baptism soon followed, and for the next 23 years, I kept the 10 Commandments as I then understood them, as a member of the Worldwide Church of God.
During this time, I often heard negative references to the Creator's Name. We assumed that the Third Commandment means that we should not curse and swear using His Name, which we assumed to be Lord or God. But I found in Scripture where He repeatedly refers to His Name as "My Holy Name," and where His prophets used the expression "His Holy Name" in their inspired writings. Psalm 68:4, in the King James version, admonishes us to "…praise Him by His Name Jah." (pronounced "YAH," as in HalleluYah). Then there is the question posed in Proverbs 30:4.
Prov 30:4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?
In the spring of 1985, I was challenged to learn the answer to this question. I quickly learned that in each instance in the King James or Authorized version of the Old Testament portion of the Bible, that "the LORD," and "GOD," had been inserted in the text to replace four Hebrew letters that had been written there by the original inspired authors. This has been done a total of 6,823 times. The four replaced Hebrew letters are "Yod, Heth, Waw (or Vav), and Heth." In English they are YHWH. Hebrew is written without vowels, and according to the Jewish Encyclopedia and most other authorities, this Name of the Creator is pronounced "Yahweh."
Many Bible prefaces explain that the translators were following "long standing tradition" in taking the Creator's Name out and replacing it with substitute titles. For example, the New English Bible (Oxford Univ. Press; Cambridge Univ. Press) from the introduction, page xvi: (they first explain that the original Hebrew text was written only in consonants, but in order to preserve what they regarded as the correct pronunciation, the Rabbis added vowel-signs to the text. Then they say:
"One variation of this convention is of special importance, inasmuch as it affects the divine name. This personal proper name, written with the consonants YHWH, was considered too sacred to be uttered; so the vowels for the words 'my Lord' or 'God' were added to the consonants YHWH, and the reader was warned by these vowels that he must substitute other consonants. This change having to be made so frequently, the Rabbis did not consider it necessary to put the consonants of the new reading in the margin. In course of time the true pronunciation of the divine name, probably Yahweh, passed into oblivion, and YHWH was read with the intruded vowels, the vowels of an entirely different word, namely, 'my Lord' or 'God'. In late medieval times this mispronunciation became current as Jehova, and it was taken over as Jehovah by the Reformers in Protestant Bibles. The present translators have retained this incorrect but customary form in the text of passages where the name is explained with a note on its pronunciation (e.g. Exodus 3.15) and in four place-names of which it forms a constituent element; elsewhere they have followed ancient translators in substituting 'LORD' or 'GOD', printed as here in capital letters, for the Hebrew name."
(Note they admit they have "retained this incorrect but customary form," and "have followed ancient translators in substituting LORD or GOD.... for the Hebrew Name.")
All this is easily proven in any good dictionary, encyclopedia, or concordance. The problem is that while many people realize He does have a Name, they still seem to think it makes no difference to Him what we call Him. Some have said "We speak English - if we are reading along in our Bibles, why should we suddenly have to start speaking Hebrew when we come to His Name?" What they fail to realize is that proper nouns, names of people and places, are not translated, but transliterated. This means that the same sounds are brought forth into the new language, as nearly as possible. Every other proper name in the Bible is transliterated, so we are in effect speaking Hebrew when we say any of these names, such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, David, Solomon, etc.
The Creator, when He appeared to Moses in the burning bush incident, was asked by Moses, "What shall I tell the people when they ask me 'what is this Elohim's Name?'" (Exo 3:13) Yahweh's response was, (Exo 3:14) And Elohim said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (Exo 3:15) And Elohim said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
This scripture is quoted verbatim from the King James Bible. Most people who teach against usage of the Name, quote verse 14 and stop. But in verse 15, this great Being declares that His Memorial Name is YHWH. Men following tradition took out His Name and inserted a substitute. What He really said is, "Thus you shall say unto the children of Israel, YAHWEH, the Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, has sent me unto you: this is My Name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations."
In Deuteronomy 4:2, He inspired Moses to write, "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of Yahweh your Elohim which I command you."
You will notice that this is not what you read in your King James Bible, or in most other versions. Instead of "Yahweh your Elohim," it has been changed to "the LORD your God." Ironically, in the very scripture where He says, "don't make changes," man HAS made changes.
Deuteronomy 12:32 also admonishes us about making changes in His Word. "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: you shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it." Proverbs 30:5-6, Every word of Elohim is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Following tradition was what kept the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, and others at odds with the Savior, Yahshua. He told them in Matthew 15:3, "Why do ye also transgress the commandment of Yahweh by your tradition?" (v.9) "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Mark 7:9, "And He said unto them, 'Full well you reject the commandment of Yahweh, that ye may keep your own tradition'."
What commandment could He have had in mind? Several, probably, and surely the third one. You shall not take the Name of Yahweh in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes His Name in vain. (Exodus 20:7). To "take in vain" means to misuse, or to bring to nothing. How more can we "take His Name in vain," than to ignore it completely, and use substitutes instead? This practice fits Yahshua's admonition perfectly, as the Bible translators admit they are following "tradition" by taking His Name out and putting in substitutes.
Some of the arguments put forth to justify not using His Name are similar to the arguments used to justify Sunday-keeping: "The pronunciation has been lost" (time has been lost). "He knows who we mean when we call on Lord God, even if it's wrong" (He accepts our Sunday worship even though it's not the original Sabbath). "His Name is not in the New Testament" (The Sabbath command is not in the New Testament). This is wrong on both counts. To find out what day He is "Lord" of, see Mark 2:27-28. While praying to the Father, He said He had taught the Father's Name to His disciples. See John 17:6, 11, 12, and 26. To find out what His Name is, see Revelation 19:1-6. Four times we read of the great multitude shouting "Alleluia!" This is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew phrase, "HalleluYAH," which means "Praise Ye Yah." Yah is the short or poetic form of Yahweh.
In like manner, the Savior's Name, Yahshua (Yah-Shua), means Yah's Salvation, or "Salvation of Yahweh." In Mat 1:21 the angel told Joseph about Mary's child: "..And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name YAHSHUA: for he shall save his people from their sins." The names Yahweh gave to people meant something. In this case, He was to be called Yahshua, as explained, for (or because) He shall save his people from their sins. That is His Name, and that is why He came. He is the Salvation of Yahweh. He became the Savior of all who will repent and follow Him, and His very Name denotes His reason for coming.
I have heard it said that those of us who use the "Names," teach that the pronunciation must be exactly correct in order to attain salvation. I certainly do not subscribe to such a belief, and in my 16 years of association with various groups and individuals, I have never heard anyone teach this. Most pronounce it Yahweh, some few Yahveh, Yahvah,Yahoweh or Yahueh. Any of these is far closer than "Lord" and "God," which at best are only substitute titles for the real thing. However, according to most authorities, including the Encyclopedias Britannica and Americana, the Jewish Encyclopedia, and most commentaries, "Yahweh" is most likely very close to the original pronunciation.
Our local group is not affiliated with any organization, but we do fellowship and interact with several small to medium sized groups, some of national and international scope. We have local meetings on most Sabbaths either in rented halls or private homes. Our largest meeting is on the second Sabbath of each month at the Hartman, Arkansas Community Building at 10:30 AM, with a pitch-in meal afterward. Attendance is usually around 30 to 40. Some of us keep the annual Festivals, some do not, but all are Sabbath keepers who worship Yahweh the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, and His Son, Yahshua the Messiah.
While our meetings are not as tightly structured as in some Church of God and Assembly of Yahweh groups, we generally follow a somewhat similar format: Opening prayer, congregational songs of praise, special songs by individuals or groups, prayer for the sick and afflicted, usually two speakers, but sometimes three or even four. However, most sermons are shorter than the traditional stem-winders some of us became accustomed to in our former affiliations.
Although there are differences of opinion on some doctrinal matters among us, we do have a unity of Spirit in that we all love our Savior, and one another. We are striving to please Him, emulate Him, and obey Him. Someday soon, we hope to be with Him in His glorious Kingdom.
We invite you to meet with us anytime you are in this area on a Sabbath. For more information about us, the Divine Name, the Sabbath, Holy Days, or any other Scriptural subject, you may write to me, Frank Brown, at the address on the front cover, via email or US Mail. Or check out the other articles posted here.

This Home Page is dedicated to the furtherance of the Gospel of Yahshua the Messiah, Who was (and is) the Son of the Almighty One, Yahweh. Insofar as possible, we teach and uphold the original, inspired Scriptures, realizing that all copies of the originals contain some errors.

We restore His Holy Name, which most scholars and the Jews agree is "Yahweh," and His Son's Name, which is Yahshua. In our worship, we restore the Biblical Seventh Day Sabbath, and observe His Annual Holy Days as listed in Leviticus 23 and other places. We believe that sin is the breaking of His eternal moral law (1 John 3:4), which is the Ten Commandments. We believe that Yahshua died as atonement for our sins. By repenting, being baptized, and accepting His sacrifice, we can then receive His Holy Spirit, which is necessary for salvation (Romans 3:23; 6:23; Acts 2:38; 5:32).

We also observe the clean food laws given in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. These laws are confirmed in the New Testament, first in Acts 10 by the Apostle Peter, then again in 1 Timothy 4:1-5, where the Apostle Paul speaks of meats which Yahweh "hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." In verse 5, he says it is sanctified by the Word of Yahweh and prayer. Where is it "sanctified?" In the above referenced Old Testament scriptures (Lev. 11 and Deut. 14).

We believe that man IS a living soul, not that he HAS an immortal soul. When we die, we rest in our graves until the resurrection. There will be two and maybe three resurrections. The first is the resurrection of the Just; those called now, who will be given eternal life with a spirit body at Yahshua's return. They will rule and reign with the Messiah for 1,000 years on this earth. The "rest of the dead" (Rev. 20:5) will be resurrected at the end of the 1,000 year period. These are those who either never heard the message of salvation, or heard a false "gospel" during their lifetimes. They never had saving knowledge, and will be educated after they are resurrected, then given an opportunity for salvation (Rev. 20:all, especially verses 11-15). Those who will not repent will be cast into the lake of fire, where they will be destroyed for all eternity. The idea of an Immortal Soul that flits off to heaven "to be with the LORD" or hell at death is not scriptural. This and other doctrines held by most Christians comes from ancient Babylon, and not from the Bible.

Back to Main