Chapter 3

                                                  The Heartbeat of YAHveh

 

How much intimacy do you desire to have with your Creator?  You can remain where you are by calling Him God or Lord; or you can draw closer to Him and hear His voice speak His name, YAHveh, to your heart, proclaiming as He did to Moses: ". . . This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation"  (Ex 3:15 niv).  He wants to be our God and for us to be His people—to have a closeness and intimacy that surpasses the acquaintance level we so often have with Him.

Would you call your spouse, your best friend, your brother, or your sister, "Madam," "Mister," "Sir," "Lord," or perhaps "Master"?  Probably not.  Such titles would create a distance between you and that loved one.  So it is between you and YAHveh when you don't address Him by His most holy name.  He longs to draw you so close that even His heartbeat is audible to you.

YAHveh has redeemed us out of Satan's bondage to be His people, His treasured possession through the blood of His Son, YAHshua.  He wants us to know Him intimately so the time we spend in His presence will bear eternal fruit.

He calls to you through His love letter—His matchless Word—emphasizing with passion to a people who have ears to hear Him say:  "My name is YAHveh.  Draw near to Me; hear My name, speak My name, praise My name, honor My name; then I will most certainly come and bless you" (author's paraphrase).

As an ambassador of the Almighty, I urge you to hear His plea.  He is beseeching you,   His beloved, to call Him by His name.  He desires such closeness and intimacy that His name, YAHveh, flowing from your lips, will bring forth the outpouring of His promised blessings and glory upon you.

As He pours out that fragrant oil of His love through His name, let us sing along with Solomon:

"'Your oils have a pleasing fragrance, Your name is like purified oil; Therefore the maidens love you.  Draw me after you and let us run together!  The king has brought me into his chambers. . . ."  (SS 1:3-4)

Oh how our God, YAHveh, longs for a people who are intimate with Him; a people who willingly leave the distractions of this world to go into His chambers to love and worship Him—a honeymoon with no end!  But because of YAHveh's infinite love, we have the requirement of obedience to His words, His commandments.  We have been redeemed as His "treasured possession" (Dt 26:18), His ". . . royal PRIESTHOOD, . . . A PEOPLE FOR YAHveh's OWN POSSESSION, . . ." (1Pe 2:9).

So many who call Him "Lord and Savior" have been seduced or distracted by the cares of this world and religious agendas, like an adulterous wife who never wholeheartedly loved her husband.  Yet out of His compassion and forgiveness, His love is extended through the words of Hosea, speaking first to Israel and now to us:

"'Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Bring her into the wilderness, And speak kindly to her. . . . And it will come about in that day,' declares YAHveh, 'That you will call Me Ishi [my Husband] and will no longer call me Baali [my Master, Lord, or my Baal].  For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, So that they will be mentioned by their names no more. . . . And I will betroth you to Me forever; . . . and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.  Then you will know YAHveh.'"  (Hos 2:14-20)

 

 

                                                   The Forgetting of His Name

 

The Almighty admonishes His people:  "'Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it"  (Dt 12:32).

In Proverbs, in keeping with the initial question posed in this book: "What is His name and the name of His Son?"  we see this warning:  "Do not add to His words, Lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar"  (Pr 30:6).  And Jeremiah warns:

"To whom shall I speak and give warning, That they may hear?  Behold, their ears are closed, And they cannot listen.  Behold the word of YAHveh has become a reproach to them; They have no delight in it."  (Jer 6:10)

I realize this chapter is a combination of mother's milk followed by castor oil; however, against the backdrop of His love, He wants us to know His displeasure and grief over the forgetting of His name.  Jeremiah the prophet cries out:

"'Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him?' sayeth YAHveh. . . . How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies?  yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal [Lord]."  (Jer 23:24-27 kjv — emphasis added)

According to a footnote for Hosea 2:13, "Baal means 'lord' or 'owner' and was often used as a general term for 'God.'"^[1]  All of us have worshiped the Father and the Son by the common title, Lord, but this does NOT imply that we as believers have been worshiping pagan idols; rather, He is revealing His name and removing titles which would hinder the intimacy He so longs to have with us.

 

 

                                          EliYAH—My ELOHIM (God) Is YAH

 

The prophet, Elijah, was sent to Israel during the time of his nation's great apostasy.  Israel had rebelled and intermingled with the surrounding Gentile nations.  Consequentially, the pure worship of YAHveh was compromised and tainted.  Israel mixed the holy worship of YAHveh with the profane worship of the pagan god, Baal (see 1Ki 18).^[2]

Elijah was sent to turn the people back to the pure worship of YAHveh and the use of His memorial-name.  The very name, Elijah, in Hebrew, is EliYAHu which means  "my God is YAH."^[3]

John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Eliyahu (Elijah) to once again turn Israel back to YAH (Lk 1:17 and Mt 11:14).  After John's death, Messiah proclaimed:  ". . . 'Elijah [EliYAHu] is coming and will restore all things; . . .'"  (Mt 17:11).

Malachi wrote :  "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah [EliYAHu] the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of YAHveh"  (Mal 4:5).

We are approaching the day when YAHveh will return and pour out His righteous judgments on those who have veered from His plumb line of truth.  In His mercy, He again sends the spirit of EliYAHu who is calling:

". . .'MAKE READY THE WAY OF YAHVEH, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT. . . . AND THE CROOKED [including man's religious systems] SHALL BECOME STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH; AND ALL FLESH SHALL SEE THE SALVATION OF YAHVEH.'"  (Lk 3:4‑6)

The EliYAHu spirit is beckoning a holy remnant to wholeheartedly embrace YAHveh and stop wavering between religion and righteousness.  Eliyahu says:  ". . . 'How long will you hesitate between two opinions?  If YAHveh is God, follow Him;' . . ."  (1Ki 18:21).

Over the centuries, multitudes of believers have been the recipients of many doctrines and traditions of men.  We simply did not know this hidden vital truth as it has been buried under the religious doctrines with which we have been involved.  However, there is hope!  "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, YAHveh  is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent,"  (Ac 17:30).

 

 

                                               "Thy Name to All Generations"

 

It is important to understand why, after all these centuries, His true holy name is again being revealed.  As His Spirit blows the dust from this jewel‑like artifact, we read:

"But Thou, O YAHveh, dost abide forever; And Thy name to all generations.  Thou wilt arise and have compassion on Zion; For it is time to be gracious to her, for the appointed time has come. . . . So the nations will fear the name of YAHveh. . . . For YAHveh has built up Zion; He has appeared in His glory. . . . This will be written for the generation to come; That a people yet to be created may praise YAHveh.  . . . That men may tell of the name of YAHveh in Zion, And His praise in Jerusalem; When the peoples [Gentiles] are gathered together, And the kingdoms, to serve YAHveh."  (Ps 102:12-22)

We ARE that "generation to come."  YAHveh's name shall now go forth from the lips of multitudes of Gentiles who worship the God of Israel through faith in YAHshua, the Messiah.  Then, a remnant of Jews will once again turn back to YAHveh calling upon His name and His Son's name.  This will hasten the day of the Messiah's return and the establishment of His kingdom inasmuch as He declared to Israel:  ". . . you shall not see Me until you say, 'BLESSED IS HE [YAHshua] WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF YAHVEH!'"  (Mt 23:39).

At the close of the age of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24), we see the prophecy of Jeremiah being fulfilled in our midst.

"'. . . it will no longer be said, "As YAHveh lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt," but, "As YAHveh lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them." . . .'"  (Jer 16:14-15)

Jewish people, even from Russia and the four corners of the earth, are being gathered by YAHveh's outstretched arm to their homeland, Israel (Ex 6:6).  Thus, the very meaning of His name, YAHveh, will ultimately be declared and fulfilled as the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel.

As He proclaimed to Pharaoh through Moses:  ". . . for this cause I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power, and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth"  (Ex 9:16).

This same YAHveh, who declared to Pharaoh, also speaks vehemently to the Prince of this world (Satan):  ". . . 'Let My people go, that they may serve Me'"  (Ex 9:1).

The heart cry of the Almighty has never changed; it continues resounding in the ears of those who hear His voice.  Come out of this world, be Holy to YAHveh, and worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Let the redeemed remnant joyously respond with Isaiah:  ". . . Thou, O YAHveh, art our Father, Our Redeemer from of old is Thy name"  (Isa 63:16).  A righteous band with a joyful heart like King David's, will respond with his words:  "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of YAHveh.' . . . To which the tribes go up, even the tribes of YAHveh. . .To give thanks to the name of YAHveh"  (Ps 122:1-4).

 

 

                                                    "My Name Will Be Great"

 

The pride and arrogance of mankind will be brought low; but the pure and humble will be lifted up for the praise and honor of YAHveh in the holiness of His name.  The Hebrew prophets loved and reverenced YAHveh's incomparable name proclaiming by His Spirit:

"'For from the rising of the sun, even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense [prayers] is going to be offered to My name, . . . for My name will be great among the nations,' says YAHveh of hosts"  (Mal 1:11).  —  "For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, That all of them may call on the name of YAHveh, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder"  (Zep 3:9).  —  "And YAHveh will be king over all the earth; in that day YAHveh will be the only one, and His name the only one"  (Zec 14:9).

And John, writing from Patmos, says:  "And they sang the song of Moses, the bond‑servant of YAHveh, and the song of the Lamb, saying, . . . 'Who will not fear, O YAHveh, and glorify Thy name? . . .'"  (Rev 15:3-4).

HalleluYAH!  He is preparing a righteous people, a blameless body, a spotless bride.  This one new man (Eph 2:15) is to be a holy remnant composed of redeemed Jews and Gentiles who will honor and glorify His name, now and throughout eternity.  This sanctified remnant has the spiritual privilege to wear the priestly garments befitting YAHveh's holy presence.  The priestly turban (see Ex 28:36-38) representing the mind of YAHshua covers their foreheads with a gold plaque, marking them as YAHveh's treasured possession.  On this golden diadem, He inscribes with His finger these words: "KODESH To YAHveh."  Kodesh is the Hebrew word meaning "separate and holy."

Even now His mighty finger is poised, ready to write His name on the foreheads of a righteous remnant.  His intent is to separate you and mark you as Holy to YAHveh.  At the very end of the Scriptures, we find this inscription written on the foreheads of the eternal priesthood:  ". . . the throne of YAHveh and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond‑servants shall serve Him; and they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads"  (Rev 22:3-4).

As the early chapters of this book bearing YAHveh's name conclude, my prayer is that the words of YAHveh will flow through you as that river of life described in Revelation:  "And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of YAHveh and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street . . ."  (Rev 22:1-2).